The administrator's words had barely faded when a book floated out from the bookshelf on its own, flying into Guan Tong's hands.
He tried to open it, but the pages contained no words—only shimmering streams of data that converted into information and transmitted directly into his brain.
【Introduction: Deep Sea Serpent, an intelligent being from the Abyss Civilization. Capable of using bloodline abilities to convert individuals of other biological civilizations into its thralls. Once fully converted, it will devour the thralls to nourish itself】
【Habits: Deep Sea Serpents favor moisture and darkness, often residing in fissures deep beneath the ocean. After devouring thralls, they enter a state of slumber to purify and elevate their bloodline purity】
【Weakness: Fearful of light. If they go extended periods without devouring converted thralls, they will fall into an extremely weakened state】
【Note: When a Deep Sea Serpent is severely weakened or suffers fatal trauma, it will undergo complete hardening to avoid death. By pouring the Abyss Civilization's unique "Netherflower Extract" over the damaged hardened body, it can be repaired】
After the stream of information ran through his mind, Guan Tong immediately seized upon the key point.
Netherflower Extract!
If this "Netherflower Extract" could be used to repair a fully petrified Deep Sea Serpent, then why couldn't it repair Shangyuan Zi?
Since she possessed the Deep Sea Serpent bloodline, that meant this method of repair was highly likely to work on her as well.
Excitement flickered in Guan Tong's eyes as he looked at the administrator. "May I ask how one obtains the Netherflower Extract?"
The administrator replied, "This one I can answer directly. It is a special product of the Abyss Civilization and can only grow within the Abyss."
"Then where is the Abyss Civilization?" Guan Tong pressed on impatiently. "And what exactly is the Abyss? Is there any way for me to get there?"
The administrator gently shook its head. "Visitor, I advise you to abandon that thought. 'Abyss' is the name given by the Star Sea Court. You humans generally refer to it as... a 'black hole.'"
Guan Tong froze.
A black hole? The Abyss is a black hole?
Then the Abyss Civilization... there's a civilization inside a black hole...?
Even after everything he'd experienced since the Fire Thief descended—all the fantastical, bewildering events—he still found it utterly incomprehensible to hear that a civilization existed within a black hole.
Because whether from Earth or from Tianshui Star, everything he'd been taught declared black holes to be absolute zones of death for life.
A place that devoured even light itself... and a civilization existed there?
For a moment, the hope that had risen in Guan Tong's heart came crashing down once again.
But he refused to give up.
"Since the Abyss Civilization's information can be recorded in the database, that means some civilization has been inside before—or at least, intelligent individuals from the Abyss can come out. The Deep Sea Serpent is proof of that! So that means there's a way, isn't there?"
The administrator replied, "There are indeed special passageways within the Abyss that lead out, but those passages are one-way exits—you can only leave, never enter. Furthermore, they can only be used by races of the Abyss Civilization. As for those who can roam freely within the Abyss, only Level 10 and a very few Level 9 civilizations qualify. The civilization you belong to is far too low in rank. Forgive my bluntness, but at present, I see no hope."
Guan Tong asked again, "Then among the human civilizations in the universe, is there any that has reached Level 9 or Level 10?"
Upon hearing this question, the administrator immediately turned serious and refused. "The information you seek exceeds your level of authority. I cannot search for it."
"..."
Guan Tong took a deep breath, doing his best to steady himself.
At the very least, there was still one avenue of hope for Shangyuan Zi's recovery. Even if achieving it would be incredibly difficult, a hard goal was still better than having no goal at all.
Afterwards, Guan Tong fell silent, and the administrator showed no impatience, calmly observing him.
As the administrator had said, the flow of time in this hyper-sensory space was incredibly slow—or rather, both Guan Tong's and the administrator's consciousness speeds had been accelerated 126,400 times, so there was absolutely no shortage of time.
Moreover, perhaps because no one had visited in a long while, Guan Tong could sense that this administrator held a very favorable attitude toward him.
He felt that if the administrator truly wanted to pry information out of him, it could easily deduce that his civilization was only Level 1, given the vast information disparity.
After all, even if the first three levels were all considered "low-level civilizations," the differences between each grade were still enormous when broken down further.
Yet the administrator hadn't tried to interrogate him at all. Instead, it had directly and generously granted him Level 3 authority, behaving in an extremely friendly manner.
This put Guan Tong considerably at ease. Even if this unfamiliar space posed no danger, it was still hard to avoid some nervousness when first arriving.
After a long pause, Guan Tong cautiously tested the waters. "If I were to ask for information related to the Fire Thief, my authority level probably wouldn't be sufficient either, right?"
It was worth a shot—throw the line out and see if anything bites. Even if the odds were slim, it didn't hurt to ask.
To his surprise, the administrator openly admitted, "The entity you refer to as the 'Fire Thief,' or by whatever other names you might use, has not been recorded in the Star Sea Court database."
"Not recorded?!"
"Correct. As for detailed information about it, perhaps only the Seven Tribunal Judges would know."
"The Seven Tribunal Judges—are they the leaders of the Star Sea Court?"
"One could say so. The Star Sea Court was jointly established by seven Level 10 civilizations, and each of these civilizations sends one member to serve as a Tribunal Judge."
Guan Tong thought to himself that the administrator had been quite clear this time, which suggested this information was common knowledge among civilizations one or two levels higher.
Though if he asked specifically what those seven Level 10 civilizations were, he'd probably just get another "authority level insufficient" response.
Since the Fire Thief's information wasn't even recorded in the database, any questions related to it could be skipped entirely.
It was only then that Guan Tong turned to the questions concerning his own eyes.
"I'd like to look up information on the 'Wailing Furnace.'"
Scarlet Fear was the name humanity had given this power, while "Wailing Furnace" was the name Guan Tong had obtained when he acquired this intelligent entity through his title.
Without a doubt, in the vast expanse of the cosmos, the latter was certainly the universally recognized name.
"Mourning-Beak Furnace. Hmm, this is a branch of the Demon Race that subsists on the fear emotions of intelligent beings."
As the administrator spoke, it looked at Guan Tong's left eye. "Actually, I noticed it the moment you arrived. A human possessing the power of the Demon Race—that's quite a rare sight."
"Is there a reason for that?" Guan Tong knew the administrator wouldn't bring this up without purpose.
"There is. And within Level 3 authority, I can tell you." The administrator said, "Because in the universe, human civilization and the Demon Race civilization are mortal enemies."
"Mortal enemies..."
"Indeed. Members of human civilization are rich in emotion, while the Demon Race feeds specifically on the emotions of various intelligent beings. As you can imagine, to them, humans are the most delectable prey."
"..."
"The exception would be my own race. Most of our individuals possess almost no emotions whatsoever, so we're completely immune to the Demon Race's 'favor.' I suppose you could call that a stroke of luck."
Guan Tong was well aware that the Dialoguer had no emotions—he'd witnessed that firsthand during the Doomsday Rules.
But he'd never imagined that the Demon Race and humanity occupied the ecological positions of hunter and prey in the universe.
No wonder the Wailing Furnace on Terra and the Life-Hunting Demon in the Gambling Space both treated humans the same way—like food.
Especially the Life-Hunting Demon. Back then, it hadn't taken Guan Tong, a mere "human food item," seriously at all, which was why it had underestimated him in the gambling game and ultimately paid the price.
Just then, another book flew into Guan Tong's hands. He opened it, and the information flooded directly into his mind once more.
【Introduction: Mourning-Beak Furnace, originating from the Demon Race, subordinate to the Pain Sovereign. This entity can spread fear through its gaze. The more fear it absorbs, the more powerful it becomes】
【Habits: Like the vast majority of the Demon Race, the Mourning-Beak Furnace has no physical form. It attaches itself to chaotic matter and drifts through the universe. When conditions are met, it can parasitize an entire planet】
【Weakness: Its intelligence is relatively low. Its abilities are ineffective against intelligent beings that cannot feel fear, or those who can overcome fear through sheer willpower】
【Note: The Mourning-Beak Furnace's essence is a part of the Pain Sovereign. This means that unless one obtains the Pain Sovereign's primal blood from the source, it is impossible to completely eradicate it】
...So that's how it is.
After reading through the Mourning-Beak Furnace's information, Guan Tong finally understood the root of his eye problem.
The core issue was that this thing wasn't an isolated entity—it had a source demon above it called the "Pain Sovereign."
So even though his title could absorb its power, it couldn't completely annihilate it.
This meant that when he absorbed too much fear using this power, the power would strengthen and manifest externally, breaking through the limits imposed by his title's absorption.
In other words, if the power was "1" when the title absorbed it, and Guan Tong kept using it until the "1" grew to "1.1"—even just that 0.1 increase—it would exceed the title's original limitations.
This was the true reason Guan Tong couldn't freely toggle the "Scarlet Eye" on and off through his title ability.
Guan Tong furrowed his brow. "So you're saying that unless I can obtain the Pain Sovereign's primal blood, this eye problem will never be resolved..."
"I'd advise you to abandon that thought as well." The administrator, hearing Guan Tong mutter to himself, spoke up again.
"Why?" Guan Tong asked.
The administrator replied, "The Pain Sovereign is a Great Demon. Its power is enough to plunge an entire galaxy into chaos. The difficulty of seizing its primal blood should be self-evident."
Guan Tong: "..."
His "World's Number One Ascendant" title now felt like a heavy burden—he might as well be the weakest weakling in the entire universe.
But his mindset remained the same as before: having a goal was better than having none, because having a goal meant having hope, and hope meant he wouldn't be stumbling around like a headless fly.
The administrator spoke again. "Furthermore, I must warn you of one more thing."
"Please, go ahead."
By now, Guan Tong had developed a deep respect for this administrator. Every piece of information it provided was crucial and immensely valuable to him.
"A Great Demon can sense every fragment of its essence that has split off from it. While it may not know that the 'Mourning-Beak Furnace' has been taken by a race other than the Demon Race, it can certainly feel the changes in the power itself."
Guan Tong's heart tightened. "If it senses the change in its power, what would it do?"
The administrator nodded. "It will act. At intervals—ranging from centuries to millennia, depending on the demon—when the Great Demons sense that their power has accumulated enough, they will reclaim the essences scattered abroad. If that day comes, it will definitely find you."
"Each Great Demon has a different reclaim interval."
The administrator waved a hand, and a book flew into its grasp.
"As for the Great Demon Pain Sovereign, the last recorded essence reclaim was 419 years ago."
Guan Tong's heart skipped a beat.
Over four hundred years had already passed since the last reclaim. If luck wasn't on his side, the next one might not be far off at all.
For a moment, his mind drifted back to that astronaut from Suroma—Robert.
That astronaut, suspected of being controlled by demons, had said that "the Demon Race will find humanity's Mother Planet and seek revenge"... Could the revenge he spoke of be this—that when the Great Demon reclaims its essence, it would come all the way to Tianshui Star?