Chapter 23: The Limpid Sea

The soaked hem of the princess dress clung to Cynthia’s calves, causing her a slight discomfort. She sat atop a star-shaped bubble, swinging her legs in an attempt to shake off the moisture.

[Ding! Adjusting the Moe-style coquetry outfit... Adjustment complete! A Moe-style coquetry outfit perfectly suited for the current scene has been generated for the host!]

As the Moe King Cultivation System’s notification ended, a flash of pink light erupted. The ornate princess dress Cynthia wore instantly dissolved into fine particles of light, replaced by a cream-colored two-piece swimsuit. The top featured puffed sleeves trimmed with lace, adorned with a small pink starfish tied with a ribbon bow at the chest. The bottom was a skirted piece with layers of light tulle—both secure and practical.

[Loading matching Moe-style action~ Host, please pat your cheeks lightly, tilt your head, and say: "Ehehe~ I seem to have accidentally gotten wet, does this make me look even cuter?" ₍₍◟(∗˙꒵˙∗)◞₎₎]

Before Cynthia could react, the system began the forced execution.

Cynthia tilted her head slightly, her cool fingers touching her soft, porcelain-white cheeks. Her ruby-red eyes held a trace of confusion and innocence from the sudden change in attire as a soft, sweet voice escaped her lips: "Ehehe~ I seem to have accidentally gotten wet... does this make me look, look even cuter?"

"Yes!"
"Yes!"

Azathoth’s reply and the screen-filling "Yes" from the live stream answered her question simultaneously.

Cynthia felt so embarrassed she could have dug a hole in the ground with her toes. The dignity of the Abyss Demon King she had worked so hard to maintain had been sabotaged by this idiot system again!

"Azathoth! I command you to forget everything that just happened!" Cynthia said, her small face stern.

Azathoth looked down at the deep blue sea beneath his feet and gave a guilty "mm."

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a high-definition beach snapshot. It has been added to the cloud gallery. Special reward: Moe Power +5. Current Moe Power: 247/300 (Lv 2).]

Collecting everything will be your downfall, you idiot system!

Cynthia mentally noted the grievance against the system and pulled herself together. Just as she intended to continue searching for Rhea and uncovering the secrets of the seabed, the blue surface of the ocean underwent a violent change.

A massive amount of bubbles erupted from the depths, as if the entire sea were being boiled. Moments later, a blue figure was thrown out from the water—the very same youth with the fish tail who had left earlier.

The youth was in a wretched state. His long, water-blue hair, which had been as supple as seaweed when they first met, was now jagged and short. Several scales on his once dazzling blue fish tail appeared to have been forcibly ripped away, and the crimson blood seeping from the wounds quickly dissipated into the seawater.

"Azathoth," Cynthia called out softly. Azathoth understood instantly; with a flap of his demonic wings, he easily caught the falling youth.

The youth coughed violently in Azathoth’s arms, spitting out mouthfuls of seawater, his blue eyes filled with terror and pain.

"Watch out... it has awakened again!" the youth gasped with difficulty.

Cynthia followed his gaze. The seawater was being churned by an invisible giant hand, forming a massive vortex. Deep within the whirlpool, a vast, twisted shadow could be seen slowly rising. A terrifying pressure that made one’s soul tremble rapidly spread across the entire sea.

"What is that?" Cynthia asked in a low voice, her ruby-red eyes fixed on the center of the vortex.

A flicker of despair crossed the youth's face. "It is a monster that suddenly appeared in the Sea of Clarity. We call it the Kraken... it carries the aura of the Abyss tribe..."

"That is not the aura of the Abyss tribe; that is the aura of the Abyss itself!" Cynthia exclaimed.

The Abyss was once the territory of the Abyss tribe, but for unknown reasons, it had shown signs of massive collapse. The very last trace of the Abyss's source power before the collapse gave birth to Cynthia. Because she was a being born from the source power of the Abyss, the Abyss tribe was fanatically devoted to her, worshiping her as their King.

"The aura of the Abyss?" The youth looked at Cynthia with confusion before continuing, "You must flee! The Kraken devours and assimilates everything it encounters to strengthen itself... If you don't want to die, hurry..."

Before the youth could finish, the seawater below turned as black as ink. Countless twisted tentacles, seemingly made of silt and shadow, silently emerged from the surface, striking directly at Cynthia, Azathoth, and the youth.

"Azathoth!" Cynthia commanded.

No further words were needed. The two crescent twin blades, which had been disguised as ornaments on Azathoth’s back, flew out. Two dark, crescent-shaped beams of light precisely severed the encroaching tentacles. The severed limbs fell into the black water, quickly dissolving and transforming into even more, smaller shadows that crept upward.

The youth watched Azathoth and Cynthia, shaken, his emotions churning violently in his eyes.

"Can I trust you?" The youth suddenly struggled and slipped from Azathoth’s arms. As he was about to fall into the ink-black water, Cynthia immediately vacated the star-shaped bubble and lunged toward Azathoth. The moment Azathoth caught her, the satisfaction in his eyes was nearly overflowing.

The star-shaped bubble caught the youth just as he was about to hit the sea.

"I can trust you!" the youth said, his voice filled with relief and certainty.

Cynthia, sitting in the crook of Azathoth’s arm, looked down at the youth. "I recall the Deep Sea tribe are followers of the twins, Light and Dark. You should have placed your hope in the Twin Stars you worship, not in the Abyss tribe, who are spurned by the gods."

"I..." The youth hesitated, but finally, as if making a firm decision, he spoke: "We prayed to the Twin Stars of Light and Dark, and they bestowed upon us the Blade of Time to help us. But the existence of the Blade of Time has instead trapped the Deep Sea tribe beneath the Sea of Clarity in an endless cycle."

"The Blade of Time was given to you by the Twin Stars?" Cynthia asked, surprised.

"Yes," the youth replied.

"What a coincidence, the reward for this trial is the Blade of Time." Cynthia had a vague feeling that this sudden trial was, in all likelihood, the work of the Twin Stars.

Upon hearing this, the youth was stunned. "What? The Sea of Clarity is a trial ground? I was wondering why so many qualified candidates had come here. So that's how it is."

After his shock subsided, the youth turned his gaze to Cynthia. He could see that in this strange pair, Cynthia was the one truly in charge.

"Do you want the Blade of Time?"

"Asking an Abyss tribesperson if they want a tool crafted by the God tribe is extremely impolite." Cynthia squinted at the youth with visible disdain.

The youth offered an awkward but polite smile. "My apologies, I was rude."

"The coordinates of the Blade of Time."

The youth looked at Cynthia in silence, his eyes conveying a clear message: the person who just complained about rudeness must be a dog.

Receiving no answer, Cynthia patted the horn on top of Azathoth’s head. "Azathoth, let's go."

"It's on me," the youth said.

An exquisite dagger with a black-and-white color scheme was held out to Cynthia.