novelraw Chapter 378
Chapter 378
Lottie... may have influenced my mind.
Even after receiving Ansu’s warning, Kanzaki Rei felt no real sense of crisis about it. At worst, he could simply take things more slowly and reconsider. Lottie didn’t seem like she intended to harm him.
Besides, Ansu was the kind of guy who always suspected conspiracies—constantly assuming others were plotting against him.
Heh...
If he listened to Ansu, wouldn’t that mean he couldn’t trust anyone?
The thought came naturally.
So naturally, in fact, that Kanzaki Rei still retained a considerable level of trust in Lottie.
After leaving the port, he and the others headed straight to a relatively large city nearby—Duskwatch City.
As usual, they checked into the most expensive hotel in the city.
The most expensive was usually the best.
And right now, money was the one thing Kanzaki Rei lacked the least.
Luluwei and the others, meanwhile, had gotten along quite well with Shumi’s adventuring party.
They were already discussing plans to explore together.
Good...
That way, they wouldn’t feel left out if he went adventuring without them—and it would avoid unnecessary conflict.
With Luluwei accompanying Shumi’s group, someone else could effectively keep an eye on her.
The passage here that led to the Abyss was a one-way route.
From the Hollow Vale, one could descend into the Abyss—but Abyssal creatures found it difficult to come out through this path.
Elsewhere in the world, fragments capable of opening Abyssal rifts could be found.
Using these fragments, adventurers could temporarily open dungeon-like fissures. Once opened, Abyssal creatures would pour out in swarms...
At that point, prepared adventurers would hunt them down.
Abyssal creatures were extremely valuable.
As a result, once such fragments were discovered, a steady stream of adventurers would flock to the Hollow Vale.
It was undeniably dangerous.
But the profits were simply too great.
It was like smoking—everyone knew it was harmful, yet due to the interests involved, banning it completely was nearly impossible.
Even with the risk of Abyssal outbreaks causing massive destruction, adventurers continued to come here in droves to open rifts.
A portion of the profits they earned would also be distributed among the various nations of the Hollow Vale.
For example—
Before opening an Abyssal rift, one had to submit the key fragment to the Abyss Appraisal Office. Only after the rift’s level was evaluated would permission be granted to open it.
Skipping this step meant illegally opening an Abyssal rift—a serious crime that would result in being hunted by the major empires of the Hollow Vale.
Of course, there were still plenty of poachers.
To deal with them, the nations of the Hollow Vale had trained large numbers of Observers and established numerous outposts across the continent...
In addition, profits from selling Abyssal creatures and crafting Abyssal equipment circulated between nations—forming another substantial source of wealth.
At the moment, Shumi had taken the Fallen Moon fragment for appraisal. Once she returned, she would likely head into the Abyss with Luluwei and the others.
Mm...
While they were farming Abyssal rifts, Kanzaki Rei could use that time to retrieve the Forbidden Magic.
As for Lottie’s ritual, he planned to run another round of Future Simulation to re-evaluate it.
In truth, during previous simulations, he hadn’t found any issues.
Even after completing the ritual, Lottie hadn’t harmed him—nor had she shown any signs of betrayal.
Lottie... Ansu...
One was a god. The other, a once-great Level 9 class evolver.
They were likely beings on the same level.
And both probably had their own agendas.
Kanzaki Rei had no intention of relying solely on Ansu’s words.
After all, if cooperation with Lottie went smoothly, the rewards would be immense.
Compared to the unstable White of Death and Destruction,Lottie of Mind and Illusion seemed far more reliable—at the very least, she wouldn’t try to wipe out an entire sea region the moment she appeared...
And there was also the divine artifact Lottie had promised.
More importantly—if she truly became a Moon Phase, then Kanzaki Rei would effectively gain a powerful backer.
It wasn’t about relying on others.
It was about giving himself more options.
And having a backer didn’t mean his own strength would stop growing.
On his first day in the Hollow Vale, Kanzaki Rei didn’t rush into action.
After booking their rooms, he headed straight to the White Tower.
There, he registered as an external scholar.
The clerk reviewing his information suddenly exclaimed, "Fifth Tier?"
"You’re... a Fifth Tier Scholar?"
"...I suppose so," Kanzaki Rei replied.
Back when he left Atlant City, he had already submitted his application for promotion to a Fifth Tier Scholar.
It seemed his advancement had now been fully approved.
He had plenty of research reports on hand.
Given the knowledge he possessed, even casually compiling a few papers would include insights far beyond what most Level 5 scholars could access.
With higher scholar privileges came more opportunities.
After completing registration, he smoothly entered the White Tower.
And shortly after he left, the clerk who had registered him... forgot entirely who she had just processed.
Different White Towers specialized in different academic fields.
The White Tower in the Hollow Vale focused heavily on Abyssal studies. Countless research reports related to the Abyss filled its halls.
The Structure of the AbyssThe Three AbyssesOn Abyssal AwakeningIs the Abyss the Origin of Darkness?...
There was an abundance of information about the Abyss.
Yet it remained one of the most mysterious places in the world—even Ansu didn’t know much about it.
There were three types of Abyss:
Sea Abyss, Falling Abyss, and Heavenly Abyss.
Each had different conditions for entry.
The Sea Abyss could be reached by diving to a sufficient depth in certain ocean regions.
In theory, it didn’t require specific seas—any ocean could lead there, as long as one descended deep enough.
The only difference was the required depth.
However, since this theory hadn’t been fully proven, it was still commonly believed that only certain areas provided access.
The Falling Abyss was the one accessible from the Hollow Vale.
Once entered, one could only continue descending—there was no way back up.
This was considered the most terrifying type of Abyss.
Once you entered...
You could never return to the real world.
No matter which direction you moved in the Falling Abyss, you would always be moving downward.
No one willingly chose to enter it.
Entering it was equivalent to stepping into a forbidden zone with no return.
Perhaps a legendary Level 9 class evolver might have a way to escape—but that was far beyond ordinary consideration.
As for the Heavenly Abyss—
It was even more mysterious.
Rumor had it that its entrance existed only in the Celestial Realm.
But the Abyss and the Celestial Realm were fundamentally opposites.
How could they possibly be connected?
The Heavenly Abyss was the most enigmatic of all.
Even Ansu admitted it might only be a legend.
But if it truly existed, it might conceal another path to immortality.
That answer reminded Kanzaki Rei of the Level 10 wonder—the Stairway to Eternity.
The place one was forbidden to ascend.
Within the White Tower, Kanzaki Rei continued climbing upward.
This tower was no longer purely white—its surface was etched with purple-black patterns, symbols of Abyssal laws.
The Hollow Vale’s White Tower had received special attention in its construction.
It served as the central hub for Abyssal research, far larger than most towers on other continents.
Thick and towering into the clouds, it spanned over a thousand floors.
...
Shing—
Kanzaki Rei directly bypassed the restrictions and arrived at the Eighth Tier section of the tower.
Here, several black spherical stones were stored.
[Falling Reverse Stone]Creator: None — Hidden Knowledge: Native to the worldA miraculous stone that moves upward within the Falling Abyss.
A stone that could ascend within the Falling Abyss.
Beside it lay a research journal titled Records of Reversal.
The White Tower had attempted to use blacksmiths and enchanters to forge equipment from these stones—hoping to allow wearers to ascend within the Falling Abyss.
Thus enabling exploration.
But...
The experiments ultimately failed.
When worn as equipment within the Falling Abyss, a bizarre phenomenon occurred:
The stone ascended.
The person descended.
In the end, the individual and the equipment separated entirely.
It simply didn’t work.
Kanzaki Rei gently touched one of the stones.
[God-Tier · Extraction]
A clear, crystalline stone materialized in his palm.
[Enchantment Stone · Falling Abyss Traversal]Enchantment Effect: Grants the wearer immunity to the Falling Abyss’s gravitational pull, allowing free movement within it.
Simply forging the stone into equipment would never work.
The stone’s effect only applied to itself—not to the person using it.
To make it functional, extraction and enchantment were necessary.
After extracting it, Kanzaki Rei had no intention of taking the original stones.
He turned and left.
As for the books and knowledge in the White Tower—
He could access all of it through Future Simulation. There was no need to physically take anything in reality.
Doing so would only create unnecessary trouble.
However...
The Eighth Tier consisted of fifteen floors in total.
And on the tenth floor, within a deep chamber—
There was an Eighth Tier scholar.
At that moment, the scholar was absorbed in reading a report on the Abyss, completely unaware of Kanzaki Rei’s presence.
But Kanzaki Rei noticed something on his desk.
A book.
The Book of Answers.
A divine artifact.
It should have been granted by Yog.
Back then, he hadn’t taken the artifact from Yelia.
A pity.
If he hadn’t let her go—if he hadn’t let the artifact go—
He wouldn’t have suffered so much afterward.
And now...
Another divine artifact had appeared before him.
If he didn’t take it this time—
He’d be doing himself a disservice.
The thought arose naturally in Kanzaki Rei’s mind.
Was it wrong?
He didn’t bother reflecting on that question.
Nor did he believe there was anything wrong with it.