Chapter 307: "Grandpa"
As Liu Xing gazed at the pink, unidentified metallic object in Ancient One Sirius’s hand, he realized that this pink metal was very likely some advanced technology created by Ancient One. Despite Ancient One’s fondness for living in caves and engaging in farming and animal husbandry in the past, their technology had always been highly advanced. After all, Ancient One had been capable of constructing large underwater cities, engaging in genetic engineering to create new life forms, and even holding their own against the Star Kin and Yis People during the early stages of the war.
"This is my Soul Casket," Sirius said with a smile, as if reading Liu Xing’s thoughts. "As the name suggests, it can store my soul, which is essentially my consciousness. My physical body was damaged in the battle against the Star Kin, so I had to transfer my consciousness into this Soul Casket, waiting for my brethren to bring me back to the old continent and create a new body for me to be resurrected."
Liu Xing nodded in understanding, realizing that by "old continent," Sirius referred to the Antarctic Continent. The primary reason for Ancient One’s conflict with the Star Kin had been their desire to claim a newly emerged continent due to Earth’s crust movements, which would later become the location of R’lyeh.
However, what caught Liu Xing’s attention even more was Sirius’s mention of the "Soul Casket." This concept seemed reminiscent of the magical artifacts found in certain xianxia novels he had read in the real world, especially those with self-contained powers like the "Grandpa" ring.
Of course, Liu Xing believed that this Soul Casket was likely inspired by the Yis People’s ability to transfer their souls, allowing them to achieve immortality by inhabiting different bodies. This Soul Casket served a similar purpose, preserving Ancient One’s consciousness and offering a chance for resurrection in a new body.
Considering these factors, Liu Xing had a strong suspicion that the Underground Ruins in Fisher’s Village were Ancient One’s creation, abandoned temporarily after their defeat by the Star Kin and later occupied by an ancient tribe. Otherwise, the Soul Casket would not be here.
"By the way, my friend, I have a question for you," Sirius inquired with curiosity. "How is our current situation in the war against the Star Kin? Since you can enter my Soul Casket with your consciousness, it should mean that the Star Kin who originally attacked this place have been repelled, right?"
Liu Xing furrowed his brows, realizing that Sirius’s question was a tricky one. While he knew that the Ancient Ones had been suppressed deep beneath the sea by other mythical creatures, such as the Star Kin, trembling in fear and unable to leave, he was unaware of the details regarding "Watanabe Ryuusei."
Now, Liu Xing found himself in a dilemma about how to respond to Sirius’s question. Given the current circumstances, he could offer two general responses.
The first option was to provide an answer based on the available information, suggesting that "Watanabe Ryuusei" might deduce that the Ancient Ones had been completely defeated, possibly even wiped out, considering the vast amount of time that had passed since their conflict with the Star Kin. Liu Xing could also update Sirius about the current state of Earth.
The second option was to deceive Sirius, using evasive language or diplomatic tactics to mislead him, claiming that the Star Kin were no longer active on Earth but that Ancient One was in a period of recovery due to significant losses suffered in previous battles.
Choosing the first option, Liu Xing worried that Sirius might not handle the truth well, as he could sense Sirius’s hopeful anticipation that his race would defeat the Star Kin and resurrect him from the Soul Casket. Moreover, Liu Xing was currently inside Sirius’s Soul Casket, and if Sirius were to go into a rampage upon learning the truth, Liu Xing would be in trouble.
Nevertheless, Liu Xing ultimately decided to go with honesty. He believed that it was better to tell the truth to avoid the risk of Sirius discovering his deception later on.
After some contemplation, Liu Xing shook his head and sighed, saying, "Sirius, I hope you are mentally prepared for this. In reality, it is highly likely that your race has already been defeated. The time that has passed since your race fought against the Star Kin is tens of thousands of years, if not longer. And as you may have noticed, I and any race you are familiar with look completely different. This is because my race came into existence only after the final battle between your race and the Star Kin. Before that, I had no knowledge of the existence of your race."
Liu Xing’s words plunged Sirius into silence. However, Liu Xing also pondered why Sirius had shown such warmth and affection towards him. They were not of the same race, and there had been minimal communication between humans and Ancient Ones. Ancient Ones had secluded themselves in the deep sea long before humans appeared on Earth. According to Cthulhu Mythos, humans had only confirmed the existence of Ancient Ones through the discovery of their remains in Antarctica.
Therefore, Liu Xing considered their relationship to be that of strangers, and he had suddenly intruded into Sirius’s "home." So, he couldn’t help but wonder why Sirius was so friendly towards him, even calling him a friend.
After a while, Sirius finally regained his composure and asked, "Well, if that’s the case, I’ve been in the Soul Casket for a very long time. It seems that the world has undergone significant changes. If you could, Liu Xing, please enlighten me about the current state of the world, would you?"
Sirius’s polite request left Liu Xing unable to refuse, and he nodded in agreement. "I must clarify that I have no knowledge of your race’s conflict with the Star Kin, as it happened so long ago. However, I can share the history left behind by my own race."
"Firstly, my race is known as humans, and our scientists have not yet determined our exact origins. So, I can only say that my race, as it exists now, evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago. At that time, Earth was home to various other species, but none of them developed the necessary intelligence. Eventually, my race, humans, emerged as the dominant species on Earth, conquering most of the continents thousands of years ago."
Upon hearing this, Sirius couldn’t help but interrupt Liu Xing, "Does this include most continents, including the old continent and the new continent I mentioned?"
Sirius projected a global map of Earth from its memory as it spoke, highlighting both the Antarctic Continent and the continent where R’lyeh was located.
Pretending to examine the map seriously, Liu Xing pointed at the Antarctic Continent and said, "The Antarctic Continent still exists on Earth. We call it the Antarctic Continent because it remains covered in snow year-round. Besides a few scientists conducting research there, hardly anyone ventures onto the continent anymore. As for the other continent you mentioned, it no longer exists or may have sunk beneath the ocean."
Sirius furrowed his brow—well, if one could call it a brow—and exclaimed, "What? The old continent is now covered in ice? The central city of my race was on the old continent, and my kind doesn’t fare well in cold environments. I suppose I must believe your words, my friend. It’s highly likely that my race has been defeated. However, the good news is that the Star Kin have suffered even worse. The new continent where they resided is no more."
Liu Xing nodded, though inwardly he couldn’t help but comment on Sirius’s ancient age and possibly declining memory. After all, the Star Kin, like the Ancient Ones, were capable of surviving both in the ocean and on land. Even if the new continent, where R’lyeh was located, had sunk beneath the sea, it wasn’t necessarily cause for celebration.
Having shared the state of Earth during human dominance, Liu Xing continued, "During our reign on Earth, although occasionally, we encountered some peculiar creatures like you, Sirius. However, these beings were mostly rare sightings and had minimal impact on the course of human history. Any influence they had remained hidden at deeper levels and was not widely known among ordinary people."
"Of course, for certain reasons, I have encountered many so-called mythical creatures and had dealings with them. I’ve also learned that some humans have established beliefs and worship related to these mythical creatures. Most importantly, I’ve recently come into conflict with a secret cult that worships the Deep One—a species of creatures resembling fish-headed humanoids."
As Liu Xing spoke, he observed Sirius’s reaction closely. He mentioned the Deep Sea Gospel Society and the Deep One, hoping that Sirius might offer some assistance, as the Deep One were among the Ancient Ones’ adversaries.
As expected, when Liu Xing mentioned the Deep One, Sirius couldn’t help but react, exclaiming, "What? The Deep One still exists? These creatures are my archenemies. Back when the Star Kin attacked this place, they had the support of the Deep One; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to breach our defenses."
Hearing Sirius’s reaction, Liu Xing knew that this approach had succeeded.
Continuing to embellish the story, Liu Xing said, "Indeed, the Deep One has persisted for so long. I once encountered a Deep One myself, and if I hadn’t been prepared, I might have been killed by that Deep One. Fortunately, I managed to defeat it in the end."
Liu Xing was referring to Mo Jin, who, although he knew, was not a pure Deep One but rather a hybrid. Liu Xing chose to ignore this fact and categorized Mo Jin as a Deep One.
"I see. So, my judgment was correct; we are comrades on the same side," Sirius said, looking pleased. His expression seemed somewhat eerie to Liu Xing.
At this point, Liu Xing couldn’t help but ask, "Sirius, although I now consider us friends, we were complete strangers before, right? So, why did you allow me to enter your Soul Casket?"
Sirius smiled and pointed at Liu Xing, saying, "I could sense the mark of that great entity on you."
Liu Xing suddenly understood. The "great entity" Sirius referred to was undoubtedly the King Hastur in Yellow Robes.
As an enemy of Cthulhu, King Hastur in Yellow Robes might have chosen to aid the Ancient Ones, which explained why Liu Xing had been allowed into Sirius’s Soul Casket.
Now that Liu Xing had gained some clarity, he realized that having Sirius as an ally could be beneficial. Even though Sirius existed in a purely consciousness-based form, his knowledge could prove invaluable.
With this thought in mind, Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel like the protagonist of a certain novel, as he was now in a situation akin to having a "Grandpa."
After confirming their "comrade" status, Liu Xing finally relaxed and proceeded to ask an important question, "Sirius, was there a Bronze Gate connecting your former post to the Dreamrealm?"
Liu Xing wanted to ascertain whether Sirius was a "local" or if he had been brought to Fisher’s Village from elsewhere.
Sirius nodded and smiled, saying, "I didn’t expect you to know about the Dreamrealm. Yes, there was indeed a Bronze Gate at my former post that connected to the Dreamrealm. Behind that Bronze Gate was an unidentified grassy plain within the Dreamrealm, serving as an escape route. However, when my kind and I were initially in a standoff with the Star Kin, the Deep One suddenly attacked our rear, leading to our swift defeat. We had no time to escape through the Bronze Gate into the Dreamrealm and then return to our capital through another alternate dimension gate in the Dreamrealm."
Liu Xing nodded, now convinced that the Underground Ruins in Fisher’s Village dated back to the Ancient One era. He wondered if Sirius had left anything behind in the Fisher’s Village Underground Ruins.
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