It looked around before finally settling on me, pausing for a moment before revealing obvious excitement: "Ah, it's you! Long time no see! How have you been? Was it the last time we met? I thought we'd never see each other again, but here we are! Just now, while I was sleeping, I suddenly sensed someone calling upon the power of the abyss over here. What happened? Do you need help? Oh, and..."
"...Stop for a moment!"
I interrupted this unusually talkative fellow, who hadn't seen a stranger in a long time. After finally calming it down, I let out a long breath and answered its questions one by one: "It's nice to see you again. I was just targeted by a strange guy, but it's not a big deal, it's been dealt with, and now I'm just waiting to clean up the mess. But I recommend you go back and check which idiot got scammed, and also, you poked another hole in the outer wall of my miniature garden..."
What a joke! If a sucker comes knocking on my door and offers me money, how could I refuse?
The crimson eyes nodded repeatedly for a while, then suddenly froze, abruptly creating distance, and looked around: "This...this isn't entirely my fault! It's clearly because the outer wall of your so-called 'Garden of Light' is too thin, not because I didn't control my strength! And, even if you want me to compensate you, I...I can only offer a single piece of Abyssal Essence at most..."
"Abyssal Essence!" Several hushed exclamations rang in my ears.
I shook my head: "Forget about that thing. I'm afraid that as soon as you bring it over, I'll be dragged straight into the abyss." After a pause, I asked again, "What are you here for?"
The person on the other end seemed to be racking their brains for how to compensate for the loss. Hearing my question, they were stunned for a while before replying: "How about... protesting that we disturbed your rest?"
This woman must have been sleeping too hard.
"How about this?"
It hesitated for a moment, then carefully inserted a slender knuckle into the opened hole. As if drawn by some powerful force, most of the scattered gray colors around it condensed above the knuckle, transforming into a perfectly round and translucent gray sphere: "How about I help you expel these forces from the abyss?"
I calmly retorted, "Isn't this what you're supposed to be doing?"
“…Right, right! This doesn’t seem like it can be used as a condition for exchange… Hmm…”
They're so easy to fool.
With a wry smile, I reiterated that everything was alright here, and reminded it again and again to check some things when it got back, and not to forget to bring appropriate compensation. The other side nodded and walked away with a rustling sound.
The scene suddenly became deserted. Apart from the flower fairy who had just flown in from afar to ask people what had happened, there was only the faint sound of the wind stirred up by external stimuli, which swept across the barren land that had been forced to reveal its desolation.
Taking advantage of the absence of disturbance, I briefly activated the magic circle to take a look. Fortunately, the isolation strategy established during the previous battle was quite effective; the overall framework of the miniature garden was not greatly affected. The damaged outer walls had many problems, but as long as they were filled with enough magic or rebuilt directly, there was a possibility of recovery.
Of course, compared to the former, which can only accumulate enough magic power from the void little by little over a long period of time to repair itself during its own operation, the latter is more convenient and hassle-free. However, it also requires a huge amount of magic power to support the unfolding of the spell, and one must try to maintain stable control over the overall flow of magic power and elements to avoid collapse.
Previously, it was just a combination of coincidences. I've just experienced a magic backlash, and although I can replenish my magic by breaking magic stone fragments, I can't be sure if it will last until the new miniature garden is completed in the short term. To be on the safe side, it's best to postpone the repair work for now.
Since it can still run for now, don't touch it.
Wait, I remember there should be some kind of solution for this situation. What was it again...?
"...Wait, bro, what's going on?"
A forceful pat came from my shoulder.
Startled, I snapped out of my reverie and turned to look at Lena, who was leaning over and staring at me with a curious expression.
Behind her, Yao, who was holding his head in a daze, also turned half an angle, revealing a curious expression.
I absentmindedly replied, "What did you say?"
"It's that one from earlier! The one who talked to you earlier, the one who looked really scary... who was that?"
"The Bride of the Abyss, an unfortunate mage who tries to determine the limits of the Abyss."
I said, "The name has completely disappeared, and even if it existed, I couldn't say it. Before I built the miniature garden, I happened to meet it in the void when it wasn't asleep yet, and asked it for help, so I can say that I can talk to it."
"In short, dealing with it is relatively simple. Just remember one thing: if you can't overpower it, you have to keep listening to its incessant chatter, since no one in the abyss can respond to it."
Isn't the essence of the abyss chaos and disorder?
Alice was startled and lost her balance, tripping and falling backward.
I shrugged: "I'm not sure either, maybe it's like you said. But that guy was human to begin with, so he still retains some of his personality."
"Let's not talk about this anymore, I need to go catch up on some sleep..."
I yawned and got up to head towards the library, leaving the flower fairy behind, who exclaimed in shock, "Aren't you going to deal with this mess?!"
I knocked on the library door. Hikari, who had been waiting for a long time, peeked timidly through the crack, looking left and right. After confirming that everything was alright, she opened the door and welcomed the weary group inside. The artist had apparently overexerted herself and was now resting in her studio. The cat that came to greet us circled around my feet with its tail wagging, its fur still slightly bristling, indicating it was somewhat startled.
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