SFS Chapter 400 An Investigation That Resembled a Gathering
Chapter 400 An Investigation That Resembled a Gathering
"If what you say is true, then I'm afraid that Ying is leading not only the Abyss Order, but also possibly the core technology of Kanria back then."
"These technologies were a force to be reckoned with even hundreds of years ago. Whatever they are experimenting with, if it might be detrimental to Liyue, you and Qixing can handle it yourselves."
Xu Ning listened attentively, not wanting to miss a single subtle expression on the Emperor's face.
It was clear that the Emperor didn't particularly resent what Ying had done, and Xu Ning finally felt relieved after responding.
As for Wendy's attitude, it was simply, "Pour the wine, pour the wine!"
Zhongli drank another cup of wine and asked Xu Ning, "If you have some free time recently, you can go to the Layered Rock Abyss. It's where the Yaksha Immortals once fought. Xiao has mentioned it to me more than once."
“In the past, Xiao would hardly have any free time to protect Liyue. But now, thanks to the efforts of the Thousand Rock Army and the sorcerers, the number of monsters in Liyue has been greatly reduced, so I’m afraid he will go and investigate.”
Upon hearing Zhongli's words, Ningguang, who had been silent until now, also said, "And Yelan, as far as I know, she always goes there whenever she takes leave, as if something is attracting her."
Xu Ning and Kong exchanged a glance.
Both of them simultaneously recalled the words spoken by the apostle of the abyss in front of that upside-down statue.
"The abyss is unfathomable."
Xu Ning nodded in agreement to what the two had said. "I'll go and take a look in a couple of days. But since I'm going, let's just resolve everything at the same time. Ningguang, you just mentioned that Huishan Hall has also encountered some trouble?"
Ningguang nodded.
"Some time ago, we encountered an earthquake, and the Layered Rock Abyss was temporarily shut down to prevent mining accidents caused by aftershocks. Recently, the aftershocks have subsided, and the Huishan Hall planned to reopen the mine. However, in the past few days, news has suddenly come that many people have seen Hilichurls in the mine, causing everyone to panic and production activities to stop again."
“I was originally going to let Yelan handle these matters, but when I thought about her attitude towards Juyuan, I didn’t dare to let her go. Fortunately, you came…”
A look of worry crept onto Kong's face.
According to Brother Xu, they had already used the Suppressing Stone to make Liyue as solid as a rock, but then Hilichurls appeared at this critical juncture. It's likely that Ying's actions in Liyue triggered some chain reaction.
"Brother Xu, if possible, please let me go with you. I can help."
Xu Ning naturally guessed what Kong Xin was thinking, and nodded with a smile, "Of course I won't forget you, my good brother."
After finishing the business, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, clinking glasses and having a great time.
After eating and drinking his fill, Master Ji, wanting to commemorate his first time attending a human banquet, specifically suggested taking a photo to remember the occasion.
After obtaining the consent of the two "elders", Xu Ning and the others took a group photo together.
"You have no idea how lucky you are!"
Xu Ning handed the banquet photo featuring two deities to Master Ji, and then sent it into the grotto.
After the banquet ended and Zhongli was seen off, Xu Ning threw the drunken Wendy into the cave and then had Kong take Paimon back to rest.
"Eat and play as you please for the next two days, as usual. In two days, we'll go and take a look at the Layered Rock Abyss together."
As the saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
After being separated from his lover for several days, Xu Ning was reunited with her. Ning Guang naturally did her best, and the countless moments of pleasure made Xu Ning almost decide to indulge in the gentle embrace and never want to wake up again.
Xu Ning repeatedly regretted the promise he made at the dinner party two days ago: "I'll go and take a look in a couple of days."
“I was wrong, really. I should have said two months.”
As dawn broke, Xu Ning still held Ning Guang's soft body, reluctant to leave the bed.
Ningguang laughed as she listened to Xu Ning's childish words, "I haven't worked for two days, and you still haven't had enough? Or do you just like to torment me? Beidou said you've begged for mercy quite a bit..."
"I just love messing with you... Don't listen to Beidou's boasting; she's more likely to be begging me for mercy."
It wasn't until midday that Xu Ning reluctantly got up and, with Bai Wen's guidance, found Kong and Paimon browsing the food stalls on the street.
"Ah, these past two days have gone by so fast, I'd completely forgotten about our appointment today..."
Kong scratched his head sheepishly, "Brother Xu, let's go over there now."
Neither of them had activated any teleportation points in the Layered Rock Abyss; the nearest teleportation points were all near Qingpu Ruins.
However, this was also a good thing. Although we traveled a bit further, we encountered more people and learned more about the situation by entering through the main entrance of the Layered Rock Abyss.
"We, the entire General Affairs Department, are extremely grateful that Lord Xu Ning has condescended to come and assist with the investigation..."
The first person to greet us was Mu Ning, the General Affairs Commissioner.
After exchanging a few polite words, he summoned a burly man.
"He is Yuehui, who led a group of brothers to mine here. They were the first to discover those Hilichurls."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ning glanced behind Yuehui and noticed that some miners were still pushing mine carts out. He frowned and asked, "Even after something like this happened, the mining work here hasn't stopped?"
Yuehui coughed awkwardly, "The brothers all still have to rely on this to support their families. We finally got the mining license... cough, and, although we found traces of Hilichurls there, it's very strange that they don't rush at humans and shout for them to kill like the ones we've encountered before."
Yuehui thought carefully about his words and continued, "I felt that they were somewhat dazed. Okay, I admit that I couldn't see their expressions because they were wearing masks, but that's the feeling I got. Once, my brothers accidentally came across them while mining, and they didn't even glance at my brother. They just walked straight into the depths of the Layered Rock Abyss. It was very strange."
Xu Ning asked in confusion, "Since they haven't done anything to harm humans, have you observed why they came here?"
Yuehui said excitedly, "Of course we went to see, although we didn't dare to go too deep. The key is those Hilichurls. They only go in and never come out. We encountered many groups, and they never came out after going in. What are so many Hilichurls doing down there? Will they all come out together one day? This question is driving us crazy."