Chapter 44: The World Turned Upside Down. Yun Zhou: Can’t you comfort me a little more? …

The raging fires of the Fifth District dragged both the Fifth and Sixth Districts into the abyss.

The flames burned continuously. Ying Huo had paid the price of his own life, but that price could only incinerate Hela’s conspiracy. Beyond that, fate demanded even more compensation.

In the First Cycle, Jenny had long since become Hela, because Mute had also died in the Great Fire Incident years ago.

For some reason, the Great Fire Incident of the First Cycle was far more severe than the one in the cycle where Liu Ming had awakened. Its scope had not only reached the Sixth District but had also ignited the chalcopyrite in the Fifth District, causing massive casualties.

The most unexpected victim for Liu Ming was Mute, who had been only a few years old at the time.

Amidst the extreme agony of losing her loved one, Jenny had consumed the Anomaly Core of the Shadow of the Earth – Y007 – which she had been responsible for guarding while the Tower prepared to transport it to the Second District for containment.

Jenny became Hela, the Queen of Anomalies. Her birth was too restrained; true to her name, she was like a fleeting shadow. There was no accompanying tide, no grand fanfare. She simply vanished quietly into the scorched earth of the Fifth District, ravaged by the Great Fire.

Then, years later, she descended upon the Fifth District with fury, carrying the Anomaly Core of Y005 Skadi.

“So this girl started resurrecting the Anomaly Kings back in the First Cycle… Strange, that’s not right. The subsequent cycles were fine, so why did Mute die ahead of time in this specific cycle?”

The black mist stroked its non-existent chin. Without the guidance of the threads on Liu Ming’s wrist, the Exile could not yet accurately locate Liu Ming in physical form. He could only exist temporarily as a wisp of black mist.

“Mute’s early death directly led to the birth of Hela, setting her on the deviant path of constantly resurrecting Anomaly Kings. This is the root of all evil!”

“I know why.”

Liu Ming spoke. One person was missing from the story of the First Cycle. “Because in the First Cycle, Y005 wasn’t born, right? Back then, Sister hadn’t realized something was wrong with this world… so she didn’t argue with Grandfather ahead of time, nor did she appear at the scene during the Great Fire Incident. And because of that… she failed to save the people of the Fifth District.”

He hadn’t forgotten the illusion Hela had shown Ying Huo. In the Great Fire Incident, Liu Luo had stood in the forests of the Sixth District, quietly pouring accelerant with a provocative look in her eyes.

Looking at it now, that provocative gaze likely wasn’t directed at Ying Huo, but at someone else… But if that were the case, who was it? And why did Hela begin constantly awakening the Anomaly Kings in the First Cycle?

As the accompanying tide of the Black Dragon, the awakening of every Anomaly King pushed the progress bar of the Black Dragon’s revival forward. This was clearly the duty of the Dragon Attendant responsible for the “Present” – Y003’s responsibility. So why was Hela the one constantly pushing it forward?

Yet, the stance of Liu Luo, who was in deep cooperation with Hela, was clearly not the same as the Anomaly Kings. Otherwise, there would have been no need for her to use an isolating agent disguised as “accelerant” during the Great Fire to stop the flames from spreading, which indirectly saved Mute.

What were Hela and Liu Luo – who had already become Skadi – trying to do? How much did Grandfather know, and was that why he had driven Liu Luo away at the very start of the current cycle?

Countless doubts overlapped in Liu Ming’s mind, making it almost impossible to think. He could only choose to keep moving forward.

Ying Huo had used his sacrifice to stall Hela. The battle between the two Anomaly Kings had reduced almost the entire Fifth District to scorched earth, but it had also bought time for Black Swan’s reinforcements. As long as Black Swan arrived…

Liu Ming took a deep breath. At least the ending here shouldn’t be –

He looked up, and his heart felt as if it were suddenly seized by an invisible hand. In that instant, he nearly lost his voice.

Time in the First Cycle continued to march forward. Wails filled the wilderness of the Fifth District. Magma spread across the land, forming a hideous black crust.

Everyone waited with anticipation for the arrival of the Council Chairman, but this time, that invincible figure did not appear.

It wasn’t until the sun set over the Fifth District that something arrived before the hoped-for reinforcements from the Tower. It was the strings.

Countless golden silk threads descended from the sky.

The sky seemed to be torn open. A terrifying pressure pinned the two struggling Anomaly Kings on the ground into the mud. No one could move in the nearly solidified air; they could only watch helplessly as those hanging golden threads wound like snakes, writhing as they drew closer.

Some broke down, some wept, but the eerie miracle descending from the heavens did not shift for the will of any living being. They pierced into everyone’s bodies without hesitation, and then…

They turned them into floating, horrific clusters of mental energy – or rather, energy that could be used at will.

In the next second, the world turned upside down. A long, distant cry echoed from afar. The scene before them and the surrounding space flickered twice like a malfunctioning electronic screen.

Then, what appeared before Liu Ming and the Exile was no longer the wasteland of the Fifth District, but a jumbled, indescribable… throne.

Above the scorched earth, the waves of the Third District, the snow mountains of the Seventh District, the desert of the Fifth District, and the forests of the Sixth District were twisted and pieced together. The images from his dreams became increasingly clear, allowing Liu Ming to see the object’s true form.

It was a throne. A magnificent, beautiful throne.

A twisted throne pieced together using each of the seven districts as components.

Upon the throne, a pitch-black giant cocoon breathed quietly. Around it, countless silk threads circled, funneling the newly converted energy into it.

As the energy was delivered, even from a distance, Liu Ming could see with the naked eye that the rising and falling of the black cocoon enveloping the dragon was becoming increasingly pronounced.

“What on earth are those golden threads?”

Even with the protection of the silver-blue thread, Liu Ming felt the scene before him was excessively eerie. This eeriness went bone-deep, making him feel profoundly uncomfortable – that was not something that should exist in this world.

“Y003, the Dragon Attendant who masters the ‘Present.’ The Anomaly King responsible for collecting energy for the Black Dragon’s revival. It has another name; you should have seen it long ago in Y009’s bullet chat.”

The Exile’s voice was uncharacteristically heavy. This was the first time he hadn’t tried to put on the airs of Y004 in front of Liu Ming.

“Plot Strings.”

Liu Ming’s pupils shrank violently, like a startled snake.

“Hela’s abilities, besides possession, only include shadow manipulation. What she used to influence Izayoi Ame and the Elder Council were the Plot Strings.”

Liu Ming heard his own voice become extremely raspy. “Then the First District…”

The existence in the First District that had forced Grandfather to commit suicide to protect him – was that also Hela?

The Exile’s black mist swayed as if shaking its head. “The First District is special for us Anomaly Kings. Y010 and Black Swan are both there; it’s hard for Hela to make a move. From my perspective, it’s highly probable that Y003 acted personally.”

He added stiffly, “It doesn’t matter, Liu Ming. No matter how many sacrifices are made, it doesn’t matter, as long as we successfully stop the Black Dragon’s revival… We just need to go through the cycle one more time. As long as we restart once more, everything can be… all the dead can return, and all those who became Anomaly Kings can return to normal-“

The Exile’s state was clearly wrong. Liu Ming resolved that even if it were Y003, he would make it pay a high enough price to compensate for everything the Liu Family had lost.

But right now, he couldn’t afford to feel melancholy, because the Exile looked as if his entire cloud of mist was about to dissipate.

“Exile, wake up!”

The Exile’s mist swayed; he must have shaken his head again. “Liu Ming, you don’t know. What’s the point of me waking up? It’s better to continue in a daze. That feeling… I’ve already tried it six times. In the future where the Black Dragon awakens, I keep returning to the past to create new cycles to stop the world’s destruction. But at the start of every cycle, my very descent destroys an entire district.”

The Exile sounded truly broken. “Every single time, I destroy the Seventh District. That was my home. I hated the Anomaly King who destroyed my home for so many years, only to find out that the Anomaly King was me, returning to the past trying to save something…!”

The Exile took a deep breath. “Liu Ming, I’m telling you, I have to let myself know, I have to make myself believe that as long as we cycle one more time, as long as we try again, everything will get better. Do you understand? Otherwise… I’ll completely become a lunatic like Hela, working wholeheartedly for the Black Dragon!”

Liu Ming didn’t speak; he simply sighed.

The people of the Liu Family always preferred action over words. Liu Ming didn’t say anything, but simply wrapped his gentle threads around the Exile. While his mental energy helped soothe the Exile, he reached out and gently embraced the mist.

The sensation beneath his hand wasn’t cold; surprisingly, it was actually quite warm and furry. It felt like a piece of black sesame marshmallow, fluffing up against his chest.

This was his first time providing mental counseling for an Anomaly King. Although he didn’t know how one was supposed to counsel such a being, since they were both Yun Zhou, he figured there wouldn’t be much of a difference.

Or so Liu Ming thought.

His voice had never been so gentle. “I know you’ve already experienced this scene six times. While I can’t guarantee the final outcome, I can at least promise that from now on, neither you nor Ratatoskr will be alone.”

“I will walk this path with you.”

The Exile’s voice suddenly faltered, falling silent.

He felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to cry. Y009 was the only one on his side, but Ratatoskr was too busy dealing with Y003’s surveillance to help. Ever since he had transformed himself into a twisted Dragon Attendant, no one had been willing to tell him, amidst cycle after cycle of world destruction: “I will walk this path with you.”

The Exile sniffled. “I didn’t expect you to actually be a good person, Liu Ming. I apologize for my previous prejudice against the Liu Family.”

“It’s fine,” Liu Ming said, releasing his hold. “I accept your apology. However, you need to tell me… Exile, where were you at this point in time?”

“When the images of the First Cycle stopped, the Black Dragon clearly hadn’t awakened yet. So why do you, the one who triggered the reversal, come from a future where the Black Dragon has already awakened?”

Liu Ming’s face was full of earnest focus, without a trace of the tenderness he had shown just moments ago.

The Exile: …Since you already started comforting me, couldn’t you have kept it up a little longer?! You’re making me really sad here!