The two spoke almost in unison. As Bai Cha’s explanation was only three words in, Lucifer had already spoken his piece urgently, his voice a little too loud. Even Bai Cha couldn’t help but turn to look at him.
“Is that so? But how do I remember the boss saying that if you ever learned gentleness, you’d either be crazy or…” Mammon blinked, looking innocently regretful, almost making Lucifer laugh.
Lucifer really wanted to sew up Mammon’s seemingly innocent and pure little mouth. This kid was clearly up to no good. Every time Mammon caused trouble, those large, captivating eyes of his would shine even brighter, even purer.
“Enough! Hurry up and lead the way! Do you still want Leviathan to come out?” Lucifer’s eye corners twitched in anger. Yet, he dared not look at Bai Cha, who stood tall and straight in his impeccably tailored suit, motionless as a pine tree. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his composure was on the verge of breaking.
“Hehe, alright, alright, I’ll take you there.” Mammon stuck out his tongue and darted to Bai Cha’s side. He was incredibly observant, understanding that Bai Cha’s word was law now.
“Hmph, let’s go.” Bai Cha glanced at the somewhat disheveled Lucifer and felt unexpectedly better. It seemed Lucifer had a dark past, otherwise, Mammon’s words wouldn’t have almost sent Lucifer into a rage.
Bai Cha’s lips curved upwards, a hint of playful teasing in his usual demeanor. “Since you still recognize Lucifer as your elder brother, and you call me sister, I naturally have to protect you both.”
Mammon tilted his head, his large eyes blinking in confusion. He didn't particularly like humans, but from Bai Cha, he felt a strange sense of familiarity and security.
If he were also an embryo, and Lucifer hadn't resonated with him beforehand, and he didn't have a brother, he might have chosen Bai Cha as his host. Mammon tilted his head in thought. Although he was somewhat bewildered, there was just a peculiar feeling.
Of course, this didn’t stop him from buttering up Bai Cha. Along the way, he affectionately called Bai Cha "sister" and would occasionally bring up Lucifer's past misdeeds. Although Lucifer’s face grew darker with each passing moment, Bai Cha couldn't help but feel like laughing.
“Master seems quite happy hearing about my past,” Lucifer said, feeling a little weary. If someone else weren't present, he would definitely hang this brat Mammon up and beat him.
“Yes, very happy.” To Lucifer’s surprise, Bai Cha directly admitted it. “I thought you were naturally so composed, especially since you were like this when we first met. I didn’t expect you to be so different from ordinary people.”
According to Mammon’s account, Lucifer was quite chuunibyo in his youth. Among a group of young dragons, he was actually considered a ringleader.
“Ahem, it was a long time ago,” Lucifer said with an awkward cough. Letting the person he liked know about his embarrassing past was never a good experience. Despite his excellent self-control, Lucifer’s ears had already turned red.
“Why did you stop talking so much? You’re still very young now,” Bai Cha asked with a hint of curiosity. “From what Mammon said, you used to be quite cheerful.”
‘Cheerful’ was an understatement; he was practically arrogant. Especially when Mammon recounted how Lucifer often argued with Uriel because they didn’t get along, and to establish his dominance, he would beat Uriel every time he saw him. Bai Cha finally understood why Uriel harbored such strong hostility towards Lucifer.
“Then, what kind of me do you like, Master?” Lucifer blushed. When he said the word ‘like,’ Lucifer felt as if his teeth weren't properly aligned, and the two words floated out lightly.
The enemy hadn't attacked yet, and he was already in a state of panic. Really.
Seeing his boss acting so innocently, Mammon pouted and shook his head repeatedly.
“What kind of me? The way you are now is perfect. I don’t know where you learned it, but gentlemen are always very comfortable to be around,” Bai Cha said with a smile. “And, I don’t know why, but I can feel that you prefer this state. You might be even less accustomed to becoming cheerful again.”
Lucifer remained silent, continuing to walk with a straightened posture.
Now… it’s perfect… makes me feel comfortable… I like it now…
In short, Lucifer filtered Bai Cha’s words into: “You are perfect now, and you make me feel comfortable.”
Ah, what joy.
“Alas, it’s all over,” Mammon said, clasping his arms and skipping ahead. Seeing Lucifer’s overly serious expression, he struggled to suppress his laughter, almost suffering internal injuries.
“What’s over?” Bai Cha asked, a little confused. “What happened?”
“No, no, I mean, if you’re conquering yourself, isn’t that game over?” Mammon spread his hands, smiling slyly. “The enemy hasn't even attacked, and the general has already surrendered with a white flag. Perhaps they’re even inviting the enemy to attack.”
Bai Cha: “What?”
What conquering general? Why did it suddenly turn to this?
Bai Cha looked at Mammon, then back at the silent Lucifer, feeling a bit strange.
Did she say something wrong again?
In just a few seconds, Bai Cha reviewed everything they had said and couldn't find anything particularly unusual. She was clearly answering questions earnestly, so why did the topic suddenly jump to something so inexplicable?
Where did she miss a step?
“Alright, it’s nothing, nothing. There’s always tomorrow, right?” Mammon winked at Lucifer, angering him so much that he almost couldn't resist hitting him. Mammon quickly jumped to Bai Cha’s side and pointed seriously at the ground.
“We’re here, it’s this place.” Mammon’s expression changed rapidly, his tone suddenly becoming serious. Even though Lucifer was very familiar with this trick of Mammon’s, he was still amused.
This was the lowest floating island within the grotto-heaven. From the bottom, one could touch the sea of clouds, but the scenery beneath the cloud sea was indiscernible.
“The area below is where monsters gather. I was sealed in ice with my brother, so there’s no danger,” Mammon said, pointing downwards. “The cloud sea is not far from the ground. You can just jump down. I’ll take you to see my brother first.”
“Oh right, there’s miasma below. This is completely ineffective against magical power but greatly corrosive to other forces. So, I’ll protect you first.” As he spoke, Mammon was about to unleash his power but was stopped by Bai Cha grabbing his wrist.
“No need. We don’t need it. You just conserve your energy in case of unforeseen circumstances,” Bai Cha said calmly.
Mammon felt that Bai Cha was a bit too confident and quickly reminded her, “The miasma below is very dense. Raphael and this big sister can fuse, but you and the boss haven't fully fused yet, have you? It will cause great harm to a human body.”
Mammon guessed that they hadn't fully fused. Although he was not accustomed to human society, he had been there before and knew what complete fusion felt like. He believed that if Lucifer and Bai Cha had truly resonated completely, Lucifer wouldn’t have appeared as a shy young boy just now.
Conversely, Raphael and Athena's auras were very harmonious. When Mammon teased Lucifer, their expressions were very intriguing. Not only had they resonated, but Mammon even suspected they had achieved deep fusion.
Bai Cha didn’t explain. A blade popped out from the metal belt at her waist, and Bai Cha casually sliced her palm. Blood overflowed, and even a small amount of blood made Mammon feel a sense of crisis.
The blood grew and separated in the air, as if alive. Countless blood cells sprouted and grew. A clump of blood grew like a giant python, encircling them and making Mammon feel a tremor of dread.
“Let’s go. I’ll explain it to you later.” Seeing that Bai Cha was ready, Lucifer casually picked up Mammon and followed Bai Cha as they jumped down.
They hadn't done this action for a long time since they fell from the universe. However, it still felt very familiar, giving them both a sense of having passed through ages. This time, Mammon was well-behaved. The sudden nostalgia made him feel a warmth.
The cloud sea indeed gathered at a low altitude. Bai Cha jumped down from above and reached the ground in a short while.
Looking down from above, it was a sea of clouds. But when Bai Cha stood on the ground and looked up, she couldn’t see any trace of the cloud sea at all. The sky, the sunset, the floating islands, and even the trees and waterfalls above were all clearly visible.
It was evident that Mammon and Leviathan had put considerable effort into creating the grotto-heaven. Every flower and tree appeared very exquisite, although the variety was somewhat limited. Fortunately, it looked aesthetically pleasing.
However, the giant ice blocks occasionally peeking out from the low-lying jungle were somewhat jarring.
The ice blocks were pale blue. Although the ice in various shapes refracted the sunlight beautifully, the frozen creatures inside were far from pleasing.
Creatures with a crocodile-like upper body, a lion’s lower body, crow wings, bulging eyeballs, and toad-like skin. These creatures seemed to be a mixture of many animals. Not only were they unappealing, but they were also chilling to behold. Even being encased in beautiful pale blue ice couldn't save their visual impact.
These strange creatures were numerous, stacked like mountain peaks from low to high, sealed and gathered. Like a pile of sand, they gradually built up into a tower. At the very top of the mountain, a man with sharp eyebrows and a wild demeanor, with ink-black wings spread, placed his hands on his heart, as if in prayer, sealed along with these beasts in the glacial ice.
This man was very handsome. Unlike Lucifer's jade-like countenance, Leviathan's features exuded a wild beauty. Seemingly to conserve energy, Leviathan was currently in a semi-human form, with all four limbs ending in ferocious dragon claws.
“Brother!” Mammon pounced forward, placing his hands on the ice sealing the handsome man’s body, his face filled with sorrow.
Bai Cha walked over and tapped the icy blue block, doubting if the person inside was truly alive. Looking up, she saw the wild man Leviathan glaring at her from the corner of his eye, their gazes meeting.
Bai Cha: “…”
It seemed he was still alive. The fact that only his eyeballs could move was quite frightening.
And the killing intent was quite heavy. Had she said something she shouldn’t have to provoke this dragon?
“He can hear us talking?” Bai Cha leaned against the ice. The ice didn’t feel cold; it was more like crystal. She wondered how hard it was.
“Ah? I, I don’t know either.” Mammon rubbed his hands, looking a bit embarrassed. “Brother can’t speak either, only move his eyeballs. I don’t know if he can really hear.”
“Then, can I break the ice crystal directly?” Bai Cha asked Mammon.
“It’s best not to. That might cause my brother to lose control,” Mammon said, startled, waving his hands quickly. “When Brother was sealed in the ice crystal, he was constantly being eroded by Mother’s negative energy. I don’t know to what extent it has invaded.”
But for a person who couldn’t move to have their spirit eroded for a hundred years, anyone would go mad, right? No wonder the killing intent was so heavy. It seemed the first priority was to deal with the negative energy brought by the Dragon Mother.
Bai Cha thought for a moment and came up with a good idea.
Bai Cha adjusted her communicator, and soon, biological genes connected to a gene channel. Meng Qinghuan, who was resting, perked up. His mental energy sank, and he immediately entered the state.
“Little Bai Bai? What’s wrong?”
“Meng Qinghuan, transfer your power to me, use your true form directly. I need to invade the mental world of this demon dragon. Set the mental output frequency to maximum.” Bai Cha’s pupils flickered with light as she communicated with Meng Qinghuan. “This dragon is being eroded by the Dragon Mother’s negative emotions. I need to go in with Lucifer to interfere.”
“Understood.”