Chapter 130: Grief
Cao Guang didn't push his luck and stayed off the bridge even when it felt tempting.
He went back to where the Dark Abyss led to and sat somewhere after clearing the rubble of the statues. He looked over and kept an eye on the Dark Abyss waiting to pounce when it opened again.
He took turns with Little Flame Belle using their fatigue as the only method to tell time.
A week passed in the outside world as the new year approached and the Dark Abyss made an appearance again, only this time it was in the middle of the Undead battleground. Cao Guang made sure it was daytime before flying out.
With the Little Tora pendant's help the restrictions barely affected him and he flew out with his magic equipment. Cao Guang felt the sunlight on his face again and found his bearing again and made his way back to Ancient Capital.
He reached Ancient Capital after another six hours of travel on foot and air just before sunset.
Cao Guang didn't stop anywhere as he didn't want rumours flying around due to his reappearance. He only wished that Han Ji would not have publicised the names of everyone that fell into the Dark Abyss.
If he did when he returned using his identity the Black Vatican would surely be on his back a she figured out the secret to their next trick.
He went straight to the Clock Tower and pretended to be a young mage wanting to meet the president. Han Ji's assistant persuaded him that the president was unlikely to meet anyone now.
He didn't relent and waited there for an hour before Han Ji came out and was startled by his face. Han Ji thought for a moment that his guilt was eating his alive before catching the breath of living on him.
Han ji discreetly brought him back to his office and closed every crevice to make sure no one overheard them.
" President Han have you released the names of everyone that fell into the Dark Abyss"
Cao Guang could wait no longer .
"No, I was going to do that tommorow"
" Then can I ask for your help in concealing my name from the list"
" Sure, but before that we must discuss the elephant in the room"
" Yes, we should
I passed into the Dark Abyss and saw the faces of everyone that fell with me turn to wailing souls on the wall. Then I fell to a White Palace Tomb, I guessed it was the same in the legends among the villagers
The Emperor's mausoleum and resting place. I didn't go deep into it, I figured if the Dark Abyss jumped again, I should be able to escape through the entrance. While I waited there I copied a formation and figured out why I remained alive."
Han Ji listened with rapt attention as he realised that the Undead Emperor's mausoleum was among them all along.
He had decided to have the Dark Abyss be tracked if it came near human settlement but now it had to monitored every second. It was the resting place of an Emperor.
" The walls of White Palace Tomb spoke of many of the Emperor's deeds including a certain Poison he failed to develop, called the Bane of Living. I had heard about that poison from a local mage that plagued some of the villages around Ancient Capital.
It was his only words about the incident, he knew about it because he had been there. The Dark Abyss will allow any of the Emperor's descendants to pass through without exception.
The city of Bo was founded by people that moved from Ancient Capital therefore I must be one of his descendants as well."
Cao Guang had no other choice to spin a tale, thankfully Bo City's history would be accomplice since his parents were dead.
Cao Guang and Han Ji discussed the limits and possibility of the Dark Abyss before which he confessed that he saw Luo Heng's face on the wailing Wall on his way back.
Cao Guang then spen the rest of the night convincing his friends about the story and
convincing them to go along his narrative.
After everything Cao Guang sat down on the ground and wept like a child. The adrenaline and the danger to his life had kept him going and now, it was a time to grieve.
He walked out of his room and clenched bottles all through the new year till someone visited him.