Chapter 63: What a Wonderful Child

The Gate of the Abyss?

Song Qi was momentarily stunned when he heard this!

Wasn’t there a passage just like this in the description of [Seven Deadly Sins: Envy]?

So, he actually held one of the keys in his hand?

“So... are we supposed to find a way to stop the opening of the Gate of the Abyss?”

“If that’s the case, I actually have a key right here.” Song Qi ventured cautiously.

Though reluctant, he understood the gravity of the situation. Faced with a threat that could endanger all humanity, the loss of a little personal gain was insignificant.

“Stop it? Why should we stop it?” The City Lord chuckled, stood up, and stretched lazily.

“The Gate of the Abyss is a marvelous thing.”

“Besides, its opening can’t be prevented.”

“In as little as three or four years, or as much as ten, the Gate of the Abyss will be activated by the will of the world and open automatically.”

“The harder you try to stop it, the more difficult it becomes to resolve once it opens.”

“But if you trigger it early, it’s much easier to deal with.”

“You can simply think of it as the world’s will expelling waste.”

“And those seven keys are actually tickets to enter the Gate of the Abyss.”

“An endless legion of demons sounds terrifying, but in truth?”

“If you’re fully prepared, what’s the difference between that and endless experience points?”

“You could even consider it a unique dungeon.”

“So... keep that key with you. It will be of great use in the future.”

With that, the City Lord didn’t even ask about the key Song Qi mentioned, but lifted his leg and strode toward the elevator.

“Come on, next I’ll go with you to the Endless Snowfield and take a look.”

“Huh? You’re going yourself, City Lord?” Song Qi packed up his spoils from the ground and hurried after him.

The City Lord smiled.

“My personal involvement ensures greater security. Besides...”

“In five days, we’ll depart for the Third District to participate in the Genius Tournament.”

“We can’t afford to delay the leveling progress of the only super S-rank talent in our Seventh District.”

Song Qi entered the elevator and thought for a moment.

“Then, City Lord, please wait a bit longer.”

“I need to process these spoils and buy a skill book.”

...

Not long after, Song Qi returned to the gathering place at the Endless Snowfield.

Combining the spoils taken from the four members of the Cult of Demon Worship, his storage ring, and its contents, Song Qi managed to sell everything for a total of twenty-four million.

The [Void Torrent] skill book finally found its way into his hands.

With this life-saving skill, he felt much more confident about this operation and future monster hunts in the wild.

However, this time the City Lord did not appear by his side.

According to the City Lord, the main objective of this operation wasn’t to drive away the Cult of Demon Worship, but to uncover their purpose in seeking the Gate of the Abyss.

Thus, they would act in two lines, one overt and one covert.

The overt line would stir up trouble, drawing out the enemy’s leaders.

Ideally, they could capture one alive and bring him back to the city for trial.

As for Song Qi, he was to be the stick that stirred the hornet’s nest.

And he was the most suitable for this role.

After all, the members of the Cult of Demon Worship would never suspect that the random professional they provoked was someone who could directly contact the City Lord.

As for the covert line, that was the City Lord.

He would keep a constant watch on Song Qi, observing anyone who approached him suspiciously.

Song Qi glanced around, finding the gathering place as normal as ever.

It seemed nothing had happened.

But Song Qi, privy to the inside story, understood all too well: the calmer things appeared on the surface, the more turbulent the undercurrents beneath.

He exhaled a cloud of white mist and walked toward the tallest house at the center of the gathering place.

That was the residence of Old Liu, the leader of the gathering point.

“According to the description of the bounty task, Old Liu is highly likely to have connections with the Cult of Demon Worship.”

“He may not know the identities of those people for certain, but he probably recognizes a few and is on good terms with them.”

“Otherwise, he wouldn’t have traded favors like this.”

As for his information, Song Qi had already learned it from the City Lord.

Old Liu, whose original name was Liu Renfu.

He was at least level eighty, a Secret Word Master!

His talent was perfectly suited to his profession, an S-rank.

[Iron Brush Silver Hook: Increases the power of word-based skills by 30%. All skills of this type are classified as area attacks, with the specific range determined by the user’s mental attributes.]

It was because of this talent.

Unlike the Secret Word Masters specially trained at the City Lord’s mansion, Liu Renfu was far more adept at combat.

The Endless Snowfield gathering place had suffered several beast tide attacks.

Each time, among the beasts, there were always a few monsters from deep within the snowfield, at level eighty or even ninety!

But the gathering point he defended had never fallen, not once.

His strength was evident.

Yet, in the eyes of those around him, he was not regarded as violent; on the contrary, he was extremely gentle.

According to the City Lord, however, Liu Renfu had a hot temper in his youth.

After having children and establishing the gathering point, his character gradually softened.

Song Qi arrived at Liu Renfu’s door, rubbed his face, and put on a cautious expression.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Is Old Liu home?”

“I have a task I’d like to settle with you.”

A line of words appeared on the tightly shut wooden door, and the peephole suddenly transformed into a human pupil!

The pupil scrutinized Song Qi for quite a while, then reverted to its original form.

Creak!~~

The wooden door opened automatically.

A weary, aged voice called down from upstairs.

“Come in, I’m on the second floor.”

Song Qi feigned hesitation before stepping inside.

As soon as he entered...

Bang!

The wooden door locked itself instantly!

As if afraid he might turn and flee.

This scene only deepened Song Qi’s suspicion regarding Liu Renfu.

He took stock of his surroundings and found the house far from luxurious—indeed, it was almost austere.

It was a purely wooden structure, with most spaces left empty.

The items were all ordinary household appliances.

Only the most basic incandescent lamps hung overhead.

Nothing in the room betrayed its owner’s extraordinary nature, except for a few books on the shelves that occasionally emanated a touch of the supernatural.

Ascending the stairs, Song Qi finally saw Liu Renfu himself.

An old man with grizzled hair, a small white beard, but a very robust frame.

He sat in an armchair, with steam rising from the tea on the table, staring off into space.

But his eyes, for some reason, were full of exhaustion.

Seeing Song Qi come up, Liu Renfu snapped back to reality, smiled, and beckoned him over.

“You’re here for the information on that legendary artifact, aren’t you?”

“Come here, child.”

“Let me have a good look at you.”

Song Qi hesitated, but ultimately stepped closer.

“What a fine child, so young and already possessed of such power.”

Liu Renfu stood up, touching Song Qi’s head and shaking his own again and again, as if recalling fond memories—or perhaps regret.

“It’s just a pity...”

“For the sake of my child, I must trouble you a little.”