Chapter 24: Sesa
Somewhere far from Huacheng, in a long-silent Fire Within, hidden among the surrounding dense forest, there was a cave the size of a well opening.
From a distance, a fair-skinned man stepped onto frostbitten, withered shrubs and paused in front of the cave, slowly shedding his upper garment to reveal the pitch-black sun totem tattoo on his back.
The cold mountain wind brushed against the man’s back, causing the tattoo, which carried an aura of eeriness, to gleam with a hint of green light. Following this, as if sensing something, the cave entrance before him suddenly distorted with light and shadow.
At the moment the outer layer of solidified spell formulas disguised shattered, the vast underground world of the Solar Eclipse Society finally revealed its true form.
Behind the enormous cave entrance, dozens of meters high, the mountain’s earth and stone appeared to have been excavated, forming a massive concavity.
Deeper within, golden-red magma flowed slowly, reflecting various complex instruments’ metallic surfaces and emitting a radiant glow.
Countless winding planks crisscrossed along the abyss-like edge of the concavity, weaving an intricate and vast underground space akin to an ant’s nest established atop a furnace.
Numerous members of the Solar Eclipse Society, dressed in specially designed protective suits and holding silver candlesticks, hurriedly moved about the damp and dark walkways like worker ants.
From time to time, they would enter the secret chambers carved into the rock walls, and soon enough, wild fantasies, heart-stopping wails, or furious roars would echo from within.
This was the Solar Eclipse Society’s outpost number 4, the contact point for Shuo E, ranked second in secrecy level, where his spirit patterns were completed.
Of course, the numbering of the Solar Eclipse Society’s outposts was not arranged by size but by importance. For instance, the second outpost—Gray Forest Cottage, often listened to by Shuo E for the Elders’ Council’s teachings—was merely a wooden cottage occupying less than fifty square meters, seemingly about to collapse with a gust of wind.
As soon as he crossed the cave entrance into the outpost, the temporarily activated solidified spell formula re-sealed, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
Shuo E donned his clothing again and skillfully picked up a candlestick from the stone table beside the cave entrance, lighting the candle.
In fact, there were lighting devices on the walkways; even without them, the magma deep within the cave was sufficient to provide necessary illumination.
The significance of those silver candlesticks lay in driving away urban legends lurking in the dark, which might suddenly attack at any moment, aided by the burning candles infused with special fragrances.
The Solar Eclipse Society conducted various ritual studies and alchemical experiments here year-round, leading to the demise of many lives, thus giving rise to numerous malevolent spirit species and urban legends, wandering about.
Although those malevolent spirit species appeared more like experimental materials readily available, nurtured by the members of the Solar Eclipse Society in this place.
However, a shepherd, oblivious for a moment, could also face severe consequences if his flock turned on him.
More importantly, the unique geographical structure of outpost number 4 resembled a special pot for breeding gu (“gu” refers to a kind of sorcery); thus, the existence of those urban legends must have a deeper meaning.
Holding the candlestick, Shuo E walked along a twisted path ahead.
Today was the day Miss Rabbit completed her first experimental ritual. He had come here as promised to take her away or handle her corpse personally.
As he descended the spiraling walkway, the further he went, the dimmer the light became, and the sulfurous odor in the air grew stronger.
It inevitably reminded one of the abyss where demons were said to dwell.
Until the path ahead was blocked by a massive metal door resembling a vault’s security door, the surroundings had no illuminating devices left, only the flickering candlelight illuminating Shuo E’s face.
He systematically unlocked each lock on the metal door, then activated the mechanism. Accompanied by a sound of metal grinding that set teeth on edge, the heavy door creaked open, revealing a large natural cavern behind it.
In the center of the cavern lay the corpse of some gigantic creature, a foul odor of sulfur and bl**d wafting from the cracks in the ground.
Lifeless black bl**d slowly seeped from its remains, dripping into the cracks to form a fetid stream, fostering countless disgusting maggots, with flies buzzing around like clouds.
Yet, amid this eerie and ghastly environment, a voice reciting poetry emerged, calm and peaceful, yet chilling.
In a corner of the cave stood a hunched old man with four arms and a face full of wrinkles, wearing a gas mask that covered half his face and a dirty white lab coat, intently concocting something in a stone pot, at times stepping aside to draw a few strokes on a sketch on the nearby table.
“How is she?”
The old man did not answer Shuo E, continuing to stir the thick broth in the stone pot, with strange smells occasionally wafting from it, sometimes foul and sometimes fragrant.
“May I ask, how is she?”
Shuo E repeated his question. The old man frowned slightly but did not look up, impatiently responding, “Can’t you see for yourself? She’s almost dead, barely clinging to life.”
“No rescue?” Shuo E asked, already mentally preparing to handle Miss Rabbit’s corpse, adhering to their agreement.
“Pretty much. If I add this last ingredient and it still doesn’t work, just take her away.” The old man shrugged.
As he spoke, he suddenly pushed the stone pot before him, and with a dull thud, the scorching concoction spilled onto the ground.
The tar-like viscous liquid spread out, filling the cracks in the ground and mingling with the accumulated black bl**d, forming a dark “lake.”
With the addition of materials like neon amber, bodhi, and blazing gold, the alchemical potion was poured in, causing the lake to boil. Amid this grim environment, a light shone on the nearly completely decayed corpse, pure and radiant.
Soon after, Miss Rabbit’s spirit energy fluctuation, resembling a still pond, suddenly boiled along with the lake on the ground, countless bubbles erupting and intertwining into a gray mist above the cavern.
Within that mist, a pair of delicate, half-virtual eyes gradually opened, and amid violent tremors and the shattering of the giant corpse, a pure white shadow slowly rose from the shallow lake.
The old man stared at the scene before him, his three murky eyes widening in surprise as he exclaimed, “No wonder, no wonder, she chose that path, huh?”
“That takes a lot of courage! I almost thought she was done for.”
Shuo E furrowed his brow, looking at the old man, “Are you saying that she successfully passed this experiment and advanced from Mr. Rabbit to the Slaughterer of Kings Rabbit?”
“Fool! Imbecile! Is there such a thing as a Slaughterer of Kings?” The old man glared at Shuo E and scolded him, unabashedly expressing his contempt, “Feel the spirit energy fluctuations; it’s clearly Sesa!”
“Sesa? What is that?” Shuo E asked in confusion, unfamiliar with the term as it was somewhat obscure in his flawed memory of certain niche urban legends.
“Buddha spoke of a rabbit that sacrificed itself to the fire in the Rabbit King Sutra.” The old man explained, “The scripture states: The Rabbit King’s heart intention. Daoist can me. Thus in silence. It self-lifts. Into the fire. Fire blazing bright. Appropriately falls into the fire…”
After a pause, the old man continued, “I originally had no obligation to tell you this; training experimental subjects is the Elders’ Council’s business.”
“I’m telling you because I’m a bit curious. This ritual’s unpredictability was already high, and she could have chosen a route with a higher success rate, a more stable advancement path, yet she chose this one that risks d*ath for rebirth…”
“But why? She’s someone you brought; you’ve spent the most time with her, so you should know something, right?”
The old man was eager to know why Miss Rabbit chose a more dangerous path during the ritual experiment, as it was crucial experimental data for him.
“She…” Shuo E recalled the little thief who had stolen Miss Rabbit’s witch egg and gained a powerful control over flame, suddenly enlightened in his heart, “Perhaps it’s due to some personal enmity that led her to make such a choice?”
Miss Rabbit had a short temper and harbored grudges!
“Personal enmity? That’s quite significant!” The old man frowned, his three eyes almost squished together, “So, this means it’s influenced by psychological factors?”
“This was a factor that hadn’t been considered in previous experiments. Perhaps next time, we could attempt to induce the experiment subjects psychologically?”
“But I know nothing about psychological induction! I can easily break wills and crush mental defenses, but do I need to ask for another assistant? But who could endure not experimenting on the assistant? Difficult, too difficult!”
Shuo E, “…”
He knew this old man had indeed had a few assistants in the past, but later, those assistants mysteriously disappeared.
When they were found again, one was in a high-pressure reactor, another in the drainage system of outpost number 4, and one… was in everyone’s digestive system.
Ever since then, no one was willing to be his assistant.
As the old man muttered to himself, the white shadow that emerged from the mixture of black bl**d and viscous alchemical potion, along with a distortion of light and shadow, gradually materialized into a striking woman.
Her flowing golden hair revealed a pair of snowy rabbit ears, her skin as white as snow, like sculpted jade; her chest was firm and white, mature and towering, while her enticing flat abdomen would catch even the eyes of the most decorous gentlemen.
Thus, even someone like Shuo E, who had problems with his brain, couldn’t help but steal a few more glances, only to find her body limp as mud, descending towards the boiling filthy liquid below.
Seeing this, Shuo E was slightly surprised, leaping forward to catch Miss Rabbit in his arms, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and the other around her long legs, before pushing off a protruding rock below and safely landing back.
Feeling Shuo E’s hard, cold embrace akin to a skeleton, Miss Rabbit, in a daze, fluttered her eyelashes, slowly opened her eyes, and glanced up at him, her breath shallow, voice weak, “Did I succeed?”
“Yeah.” Shuo E nodded.
“Then do I now have the innate ability to be immune to flames?” Miss Rabbit pressed on.
“This…” Shuo E momentarily didn’t know how to respond, turning to look at the old man who had been watching, casting an inquiring gaze.
“Firstly, I personally don’t recommend Solar Eclipse Society members have office romances. If it’s just for reproducing, you can go to the Black Sun Brothers Tech Society; they enjoy such things.” The old man rolled his eyes, “Secondly…”
The old man looked at Miss Rabbit, smirking, “Although I admire your courage in seeking life in d*ath, you haven’t completely succeeded.”
Miss Rabbit recalled her experiences during the experiment, where she nearly lost her consciousness several times, excitedly asking, “Why?! I clearly already…”
Having paid a considerable price and nearly died without receiving corresponding rewards was something she found hard to accept.
If it was merely about enhancing strength, the other two relatively safe advancement routes could achieve that too.
“Nonsense!” The old man interrupted sternly, “Sesa is about sacrificing oneself to the fire to achieve a great wish; I’ll ask you again, did you sacrifice yourself? Did you throw yourself into the fire? Did you achieve anything for others?”
Miss Rabbit, “…” Do I look like a creature that would do such a thing? Or rather, how could such beings exist among the members of the Solar Eclipse Society?
The old man assessed Miss Rabbit and pointedly asked, “None of those? Then surviving and stealing a portion of Sesa’s powers is already impressive.”
“…” Miss Rabbit fell silent, lightly biting her thin lips, asking, “Then my current resistance to fire attributes…”
“Naturally, it’s quite high since you have a part of Sesa’s powers.” The old man affirmed, “As for how high, I can’t be certain, but there’s a volcano outside; you could jump in and try. Perhaps you could symbolize ‘sacrificing oneself to the fire’ and further enhance your ability?”
Miss Rabbit, “…”
She fell silent, reluctant to respond to the old man because she knew he was serious behind those excited eyes, and she also didn’t dare to try.
She had just gained such powerful strength, and her foremost desire was to return to Huacheng and hunt Down Se, and that little thief.
While Miss Rabbit was deep in thought, the old man suddenly began to drive them away, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, you two can scram!”
“d*mn it, who told you to change the advancement path on your own? The third phase of the experimental design, wasted two phases, all needs to be redone! Are you trying to k*ll me?”
“You’d better pray your next ritual experiment goes well; otherwise, I’ll definitely sell the little treasures I pluck from your body to the most perverse buyers, letting your remaining soul fragments continue to suffer.”
Upon hearing this, Shuo E frowned and whispered in Miss Rabbit’s ear, “Hang in there, he’s serious.”
Hang in there… Miss Rabbit twitched her lips, “…”
You really don’t need to emphasize that to me; I can tell!
How could there be a guy like you existing in this world?!
(Today’s update was slightly delayed; there will be a few less updates. We’ll see if there’s more tomorrow.)
