Have I Caused You Any Trouble

Compared to the old meditation chamber in Allenson City, the new one is not as dim.

The glow of mithril, the brilliance of radiant gold, and the white steam rising from the steam equipment created an ethereal atmosphere within the room.

Click—

Xu Xi twisted the knob, turning on the glass lamp embedded with luminous crystals.

The light, slightly diffused by the steam, fell softly and gently on Xu Xi and the unconscious gray-haired girl lying not far away.

Occasionally, the girl would show signs of pain, briefly regaining consciousness.

But soon,

she would fall back into unconsciousness.

This cycle repeated endlessly, like an eternal torment.

Yet, the strange thing was that despite how perilous it seemed, the girl's life was unharmed, with no signs of death.

Xu Xi had already checked.

Whether it was life-attribute magic or death-attribute magic, both showed that Krisha's condition was stable.

"But why is this happening…"

"What exactly is going on inside Krisha with those eyes and the demon bloodline?"

The fact that Krisha's life was not in danger was certainly good news.

But staying in such a state of painful unconsciousness was clearly not acceptable.

Xu Xi turned slightly, glancing toward the corner of the meditation chamber. The young witch, who could neither feel joy nor sorrow, now lay pale on a temporary magic stone slab, unconscious.

Her forehead was covered in fine sweat.

Her breathing was erratic and rapid.

Her fingers trembled unconsciously.

In a daze, looking at the frail 17-year-old witch,

Xu Xi was reminded once again of the little girl he had encountered in a filthy, foul-smelling alley—tattered, covered in wounds, stepping in muddy water, her eyes hollow, pleading for salvation in despair.

Now,

in Xu Xi's eyes, the grown witch and the little girl slowly overlapped.

Both were equally full of helplessness.

"You really make me worry, Krisha…"

Xu Xi sighed softly.

His voice echoed faintly in the empty meditation chamber.

Then, accompanied by the clanking of mechanical chains, Xu Xi opened the desk and chair embedded in the wall. After sitting down, he placed several ancient tomes on the table and began flipping through them, searching for information about demons.

Occasionally, he would stand up to observe and record the girl's condition.

During her brief moments of awakening, he would stay by her side, chatting with her for a bit.

But most of the time, he sat alone at the desk, flipping through books, holding a pen, and jotting down notes about demons under the soft, neither too bright nor too dim light of the glass lamp.

"So that's how it is… Such a thing actually exists…"

"Long before the gods descended, demons were already active in the world…"

"It seems that the creation myth propagated by the divine church isn't trustworthy. The gods were merely products of the world's later stages."

Muttering to himself, he quickly took notes.

With the help of mortal wisdom, Xu Xi's research and thinking abilities had improved significantly.

His understanding of demons was gradually deepening.

…

[You are worried about the unconscious witch.]

[You begin to research demon-related materials.]

[Originally intending to help the witch recover, you unexpectedly discover previously unknown truths about the world from various ancient texts.]

[There are two versions of the creation myth in the magical world.]

[One is the well-known tale of the celestial gods jointly creating the world, crafting all living things, the sky, and the earth, thus making the gods the masters of the world.]

[The other, hidden in obscure books and known by very few, is the primordial theory: the world was born from chaos, elements spontaneously gave rise to all things, and the so-called gods appeared later, even after the demons.]

[Surprised, you continue to delve into detailed information about demons.]

[The materials are too cryptic, written in an exceptionally obscure language, slowing your research progress.]

[Mortal Wisdom is still active…]

[You have learned Egbuanian, Primordial Ancient Language, and Engra.]

[Your research on demons begins to progress smoothly. Your understanding of demons deepens. You start to familiarize yourself with their mating habits, innate abilities, and racial traits…]

Busy flipping through pages.

Busy learning.

When hungry, he endured; when thirsty, he used water magic to quench his thirst; when tired, he meditated to stay awake.

Except for a few necessary meals,

Xu Xi remained in this state.

His mental strength was formidable, so this level of strain was nothing to him, though it inevitably left him looking somewhat haggard.

"Master, am I… causing you trouble?"

At one point,

Krisha briefly awoke.

Seeing Xu Xi so exhausted, her eyes were hollow, her tone uncertain.

Even a girl who had lost her emotions could still care for someone important to her. She didn’t want Xu Xi to suffer so much for her sake.

"It's alright, Krisha. You’ve always been well-behaved. You never cause me trouble."

The man's voice remained gentle.

His broad hand, as comforting as ever, gently stroked the witch's head, bringing her a faint but precious warmth.

It was warm, soothing, lulling the weary witch back to sleep.

Afterward,

Xu Xi checked Krisha's condition once more, confirming that she was still unharmed, before returning to his research on demons. He was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Day after day.

Sunrise, moonfall, and the cycle repeated.

After nine consecutive days, Xu Xi finally finished reading all the demon-related materials, organizing his thoughts and forming a few hypotheses about the cause of Krisha's unconsciousness.

However, his mind was too cluttered.

To prevent his muddled thoughts from affecting his future plans, Xu Xi decided to rest for a while, allowing his overworked body to sleep.

He didn’t return to his bedroom or sleep on a soft bed.

His exhausted body simply wanted immediate rest.

Sleepiness washed over him like a tide, engulfing Xu Xi's consciousness, causing him to fall into a deep slumber while sitting, looking utterly serene.

"Gurgle—"

"Gurgle—"

With the absence of the scratching sound of writing and the rustling of turning pages,

the vast meditation chamber was left with only the sound of steam swirling and the faint, yellowish-white glow of the lamp. Occasionally, a faint hum could be heard from outside.

It was the massive steam equipment at the city center, roaring like a beast, providing energy for the entire city.

An hour later.

In the meditation chamber, the stone slab engraved with life-restoration magic trembled slightly.

Krisha, lying unconscious on it, had awakened.

The girl opened her eyes, the black and gold swirls within her irises still spinning and intertwining, like an endless spiral rising without cease.

Instinctively, she looked toward Xu Xi.

He was the only person she cared about.

Every time she had woken up before, Krisha had heard Xu Xi's voice or the sound of him diligently flipping through books. But this time, it was unusually quiet.

Unaware that Xu Xi had fallen asleep, the witch couldn’t help but worry.

Anxious.

Afraid.

Was Xu Xi too exhausted? Had something happened to him?

Once this thought emerged, it consumed the witch, leaving her unable to remain calm. So, she propped herself up with her arms, forcing her weak body to stand.