"Good lad, why didn't you say so earlier? You're making this old man drool!"
A hoarse, eager voice suddenly echoed from below the Black Abyss.
Then, to Jiang Lin's astonishment, a dark figure emerged from the cliff face.
It snatched the various delicacies from the placemat and then swiftly retracted.
The speed was so astonishing that Jiang Lin only saw a blur.
When he looked again,
Nearly half of the plates and boxes before him were gone!
"Mmm, mmm, delicious, delicious!"
From below the cliff came the sound of the person wolfing down the food:
"It's been so long since I've had such good stuff, mmm, mmm..."
In a short while, the dark figure reappeared.
It reached out again for the remaining delicacies on the placemat.
This time, Jiang Lin finally got a clear look.
It was a massive, elongated hand.
Because the light was dim and the movement was swift,
Black mist still emanated from between its fingers.
At first glance, it bore some resemblance to the ghost palm he had condensed with his ghost energy.
Thinking back,
The last time he sent a reincarnated deity, when that person struggled,
There seemed to have been a similar dark figure that pulled them in.
Back then, he had assumed it was some kind of defense mechanism of the Black Abyss.
He never imagined that there were actually 'living beings' within the Black Abyss!
Who could it be, to survive in the Black Abyss and retain their sanity?!
For a moment,
Jiang Lin felt as if he had once again glimpsed only the tip of the iceberg of this world.
As Jiang Lin was lost in thought, the voice from below the Black Abyss spoke again.
"Hey kid, got any more?"
The voice was quite impolite.
Jiang Lin collected his thoughts and looked down.
In just a few minutes, everything was gone.
He glanced at the drifting bottle with the paper note still circling in his arms and replied unhurriedly,
"Yes."
He then opened his spatial ring and storage bag again, and the delicacies and wine flew out one by one.
Soon, they filled the air above the placemat.
Before they could even land, they were snatched away by that large hand.
Jiang Lin wasn't in a hurry; he replenished as much as the other person ate.
Fortunately, he had prepared a lot in Roland's residential area before coming.
And judging by the other person's behavior, they didn't seem to mind if the food came from the underworld or the mortal realm.
He had also stocked up on underworld food when he dined with Qin Zhouzhou before.
This should keep the other person occupied for a while.
...
In the forest, a gentle breeze blew.
Birds and beasts were silent.
Looking at the night sky from Jiang Lin's perspective, the moon seemed to be behind a layer of something,
Making it appear somewhat distorted.
Time passed quickly... mainly because the person in the Black Abyss ate very quickly.
Just as Jiang Lin's spatial ring and storage bag were running out of food,
The hand extending from the Black Abyss finally slowed down.
A slow burp emerged, "Burp~"
"Ah—that was satisfying. It's been so long since I've eaten this heartily."
The person sighed contentedly after eating his fill.
He then began to chat with Jiang Lin, "When you come here to eat next time, bring some high-quality stuff. Like thousand-year-old peaches from the heavens, or ten-thousand-year-old jade liquid."
"You should have opportunities to go up to the Underworld too. If not, that's fine, a set of high-grade Underworld delicacies would be good too."
"I remember there's a good chef in the Western Hall who loves to cook with all sorts of premium ingredients..."
"..."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin neither responded nor refuted.
He silently processed the information contained in these words.
Until, the system's prompt sounded.
"Ding~ Advanced side quest: Fulfill three drifting bottle wishes (1/3)"
"Please host continue to work hard! Rewards will be distributed upon completion!"
...
"Hey kid, did you collect something from me?"
The voice from below the Black Abyss shifted, suddenly saying.
Jiang Lin was startled.
Could this person sense the existence of the system?
Seeing his silence, the person in the Black Abyss chuckled.
"What are you so nervous about? At my level, I can clearly sense any changes in karma or fortune on my person."
"You'll understand when you reach my level..."
He paused, then smiled again:
"Heh, I'm not bragging, but in this world, the number of people who can reach my level doesn't exceed the fingers on one hand."
"As for you... you're tens of thousands of years away. It's not even certain if you'll live that long. So don't even think about it."
Jiang Lin: "..."
He could almost picture an old man, picking his teeth and patting his belly.
Boasting about his past.
Perhaps because he hadn't chatted with anyone in a long time, the other person could talk to himself for a long time.
"Senior, how long have you lived?" Jiang Lin asked.
"Senior?"
The person in the Black Abyss seemed to think seriously, "You calling me senior is fitting. You can call me senior."
"How long have I lived... too long."
"Let me put it this way, even the King of Hell in your Underworld calls me senior when he sees me."
"By the way, which King of Hell's hall are you from?"
Listening to the other person's words, Jiang Lin clicked his tongue slightly.
Living longer than the King of Hell... what era did this existence belong to?
While surprised in his heart, he didn't forget to answer:
"I'm from the Eastern Hall."
"The Eastern Hall... let me think, is it that little brat?"
The senior in the Black Abyss said, "The one with two horns on its head."
Little brat?
Jiang Lin was stunned.
The King of Hell did have a childlike appearance, but her cultivation was undeniable.
In the entire Underworld, who dared to treat her as a real child?
These words...
The other person could say them, but he couldn't acknowledge them.
"Hahaha... looking at you, it must be her."
The old senior from the Black Abyss laughed freely, "In the blink of an eye, she's become the boss of the Underworld, hahaha..."
After the laughter subsided, Jiang Lin couldn't help but ask a question.
"Senior, why do you reside in the Black Abyss?"
The old senior from the Black Abyss didn't evade the question, "It's just a promise to someone."
Promised to someone?
An existence even more ancient than this senior?
As Jiang Lin was pondering, he heard the old senior's tone shift.
He said with a hint of smugness, "If this old man wasn't guarding here, you little ones who send reincarnators would have long been dragged into this Black Abyss."
"What's sealed in here isn't anything good."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin's respect deepened.
As expected.
This senior was like a gatekeeper of the Black Abyss.
At this point, he couldn't help but ask, "Is there really no solution?"
After asking, he realized he had asked a redundant question.
If there were a solution, why would it have waited until now?
Unexpectedly, the old senior from the Black Abyss replied without hesitation, "Yes, there is."
"If there were no solution, why would this old man be guarding here?"
There would eventually be a solution...
However, it wasn't now.
He still had to wait, and wait...
He didn't know how long he would have to wait.
Perhaps when that person returned, and the agreement was fulfilled,
Everything would be resolved.
...