Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 317 - 125. Bell Ringer

Chapter 317: 125. Bell Ringer

The ridge slowly fractured, and Youhe Lai looked up, his entire armored suit was burned and incinerated, yet snowflakes drifted down, quietly landing on his wounds, causing a stinging pain like being pricked by needles, followed by a soft and numb sensation.

Even citizens of the Society would die.

He lightly moved his body, opened his mouth wide, breathing quickly and deeply, the Ether Blood within him quickly became active, supplying him with enough power to remove the armor from his chest and extract an Ether Elixir, pouring it into his mouth.

"Gulp... gulp..."

The ether quickly molecularized, merging with his cells that had been assimilated by the Society, as a powerful warrior who had been reforged once, especially as a Councilor-level [White Knight], he would not be easily annihilated by the martial force of mortals.

The ether gradually began to heal his wounds. Suddenly, Youhe Lai sensed something, a tremor in his blood, and he looked up to see a middle-aged man dressed like a priest.

"How pathetic, [White Knight]."

His coal-black buzz cut and rugged features left a deep impression, not to mention the bulging muscles that filled out his priest’s robe, making him resemble a muscular beast.

The man had come to the Outer World alone, unaffected by the harsh, icy winds, carrying no equipment, as if he were not venturing into a brutal, hostile land but rather on a sightseeing trip.

"[Bell Ringer] Host, I didn’t expect you to find me..."

Youhe Lai’s tone showed considerable respect for the fellow Councilor-level [Bell Ringer].

He still remembered how this bearded priest had transformed him into a citizen of the Secret Society and crafted Zonia into a ’Social Institution,’ as well as how he had effortlessly turned a small mountain into a sand dune.

For these reasons, he had to show some respect toward [Bell Ringer].

"The [Requiem Toll] allows me to see your soul and imprint a tracking mark on it."

Host stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent:

"If it weren’t for the Ether Blood, you would have died twice already. The White Knight’s armor offers no real defense, it’s merely a bio-structure to enhance physical abilities."

"Heh, it can at least block a barbarian’s weapon."

Youhe Lai slowly sat up, curiously asking:

"Speaking of which, weren’t you looking for our [Tailor] Senator? Did you not find her?"

"There were some complications."

Host turned his head to look at the plains and dunes beyond the snow mountains:

"The traitors who have been fleeing all this time, they’ve escaped into the Starry Abyss, scattered across the cosmos."

"I even suspect they’re not only in the first layer, the Layer Abyss. There must be traces of them in narrative-level civilizations, either themselves or their descendants. To this day, they continue to defy the Will of Mother Gaia."

"I see, you mean someone intercepted her!" Youhe Lai, naturally averse to riddles, immediately waved his hand: "What’s the big deal? With your powers, you could just summon a ghost to answer your questions."

"The Senator herself is a Spirit Medium, with ghosts shielding her presence... I don’t know who it was, but someone indeed took our dear Senator."

Host sneered:

"This won’t stop the Secret Society’s advance. These traitors escaped during the chaos of the Speaker’s battle, but when the Senators and Speaker gather and Mother Gaia descends, they will pay the price sooner or later."

"Do all Societies require this for descent?" Youhe Lai asked curiously: "Invading civilizations with citizens, polluting and assimilating the locals, and then gathering the Speaker and Senators to achieve the Society’s descent—doesn’t that seem overly complicated?"

"Infiltration phases are always like this. Going head-on would alert narrative-level civilizations, making them cut off the infected areas completely, isolating you—besides, it’s only through continuous erosion that the Society gains rich diversity, otherwise, it can’t completely consume a whole, useful civilization."

Host’s words were always filled with strange events and metaphors, but he never missed a detail.

"So, are we not going to search for the Senator anymore?" Youhe Lai inquired.

"We will, but this entire planet will likely remain the same." Host rubbed his forehead: "Sometimes I really miss that planet... Haines, where the C3 ’Luca’ type Cosmic Human Race, over thousands of years, fully established the Secret Council. If not for that guy..."

"That guy?" Youhe Lai picked up on this detail: "You’ve mentioned ’that guy in Haines’ several times, but you never say who it is. Can you explain? I’m really fed up with this half-baked information. Give me a straight answer."

"The [Will of the Dominator]—the Executor of Morphederia, also known as the God of Reality."

An immediate change came over Host’s face when he spoke of ’that guy,’ a look of dread and apprehension, unwilling to say more:

"It is an existence whose name is best left unspoken, having dealt us in the Secret Society our greatest blow. When that guy was around, all Societies became scared and cautious under its methods."

"That terrifying? Just a deity, isn’t it? How many gods have Societies killed?"

"No, it was different. Unlike any other gods, if there ever were a true societal deity, that guy... was it."

Host shook his head, unwilling to discuss further:

"Let’s leave the past behind. Even Mother Gaia and the Speakers don’t bring up that history—remember, don’t dwell on Black History, or you’ll become part of it."

Host’s warning caught Youhe Lai off guard, and after a moment of silence, he responded:

"That makes me even more curious, but I know my limits."

"I’m glad you understand."

"Just wondering, since there are only a few C3 Luca type humans on this planet, why not look for similar planets?"

"We’d love to, but in the Starry Abyss, the C3 Luca type humans are always at war, never forming settlements. Finding one with Senator-level potential is like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"I’m curious, as powerful as we Councilor-level [White Knight] and [Bell Ringer] are, what exactly are Senators and Speakers like?"

"Much stronger than you or me."

Host replied:

"You focus on your task—remember, your task is Gretto Yegg."

"Whether to awaken him as a [Black Knight], recruit him into the Secret Society, or eliminate him, take his occupation, and reforge the [Knight], is crucial to the Secret Society."

"Don’t worry."

Youhe Lai threw on a tattered hood, picked up a cane made from Zonia’s spine, and chuckled:

"I’ve already discussed it with the People of Sky Ring. Getting back at Li Aozi is just a side task... even if defeated by Li Aozi, so what? With Ether Blood, I’m immortal, while he can’t wield his own great power."

"...That name, don’t mention it again."

"What?"

"I don’t like that man’s name," Host frowned, "that name always reminds me of some disgusting things."