The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle

Su Qi followed the corridor, trailing behind An Nan.

Along the way,

there were extraordinary individuals hunched over masses of documents, members of powerful races furiously tapping on keyboards, demigods focused on various funds, stocks, and bonds in the exchange, as well as departments managing welfare systems, unemployment insurance, and the like.

Telephone rings were incessant.

To be honest,

it was quite the contrast; this place was nothing like what one would normally expect of demigods and the extraordinary.

Su Qi took in the scene as well.

He could tell

this confrontation was indeed unlike any before.

"This is our brain, the General Commander who coordinates everything," An Nan paused, standing in front of a closed door, "Let me take you inside."

Of course, he had a lot more to say, such as the identity of the General Commander, and that not every person of Heavenly Destiny could meet the General Commander—it was the General Commander who personally requested to meet Su Buxian by name.

"Also, a word of caution..." An Nan hesitated before adding, "When you're in front of the General Commander, take it easy. The old one has quite the temper."

Even with his background, he was extremely respectful towards the General Commander, not daring to show the slightest offense.

An Nan knocked gently on the door, heard a faint "Enter" from inside, and then pushed the door open.

"General Commander, this is the person of Heavenly Destiny Su Buxian that I've brought over."

Su Qi's eyebrows twitched, as the General Commander in front of him... was not human, but a cat sprawled on the desk, vigorously tapping the keyboard with its paws.

Seriously.

If it weren't frantically busy to the point its fur was standing on end, Su Qi might have thought the General Commander had gone to the bathroom.

Damn it.

It was actually a cat.

"Please, have a seat. I'm currently busy," the voice of the black cat in front was somewhat hoarse and solemn.

Su Qi and An Nan took their seats.

With eyes narrowed, Su Qi looked at An Nan with interest, "Your General Commander... is actually a... cat?"

An Nan shook his head, speaking seriously through telepathy, "No, it's from an ancient and powerful Divine Race, the Elemental Devouring Beast, a very powerful Divine being."

Su Qi raised an eyebrow but wasn't surprised.

It indeed resembled Brother Cat, and he had never thought of it as an ordinary cat.

An Nan said softly, "As a descendant, you probably haven't heard these three words. After all, the Elemental Devouring Beasts are exceedingly rare by nature and have faded away since the last great war."

Not to say I haven't actually heard of them.

"Without the protection of their Race's God, they are also easily coveted, for each Elemental Devouring Beast, even without having grown, is worth a galaxy."

"Not to mention they all possess extraordinary traits and potential."

I hadn't realized Elemental Devouring Beasts were so valuable; had I known, I would have kept Brother Cat by my side for a ready emergency fund.

Brother Cat: ???

Su Qi: "So, this Elemental Devouring Beast ancestor in front of us... is your General Commander."

He stroked his chin, mumbling to himself, "But why do I feel this isn't very reliable?"

Although Su Qi could see that the Cat Ancestor in front of him was busy and earnestly tapping the keyboard and clicking the mouse nonstop,

in fact... Su Qi glanced behind it to a picture frame bordered in fine silver, and with the powerful sight of his Spiritual Eyes, he saw a gaming screen.

The General Commander?

The Cat Ancestor?

Was actually playing a game while everyone was busy to the point of exploding!

Meanwhile, An Nan was taking the opportunity to explain softly to Su Qi,

"We...are all essentially a group of combat personnel. Although many powerful extraordinary beings, demigods, and the like possess tremendous strength and fear no battle—"

"But as you know, managing a city is beyond our ken. Many demigods are only now skilled in computers, information, trade, etc., after much learning."

"At one point, the whole city was nearly brought to collapse, if not for the Cat God..."

Su Qi's eyebrows lifted slightly, "What, it wasn't always with you?"

An Nan paused, "Elemental Devouring Beasts excel at space, and the Cat God General Commander parachuted here."

Parachuted? Is there a threshold?

Hmm, not quite.

Su Qi was somewhat astonished because according to An Nan, this black cat... had crossed over from the Old Days into this place!

This absurd Special Ability, could it even tear apart the terrifying Old Days!

"Anyway."

An Nan seriously said,

"The General Commander is really powerful. It is precisely because of it... that our City now remains stable, without collapsing under the various layers of invasion from the Abyss."

Su Qi didn't quite agree; he squinted at the Black Cat, feeling that... this was just too preposterous.

It seemed to sense Su Qi's gaze.

Or perhaps the game had finally ended.

The Black Cat gradually stopped its paws, lifted its gaze calmly and solemnly, and let out a breath, "Whew, there was a big loophole just now, but it's resolved at last."

"You've been waiting a while."

An Nan shook his head, "We haven't been waiting long."

Su Qi hesitated for a moment, "And you could tell the work was intense, even the keycaps popped off."

An Nan was used to it after all, since the style of the Cat God General Commander was just like that, often staying in the office for a whole day and quite fiercely at that. Plus, it wasn't easy for the Cat God with its paws; the keycaps would pop off from time to time, and there was always a need to switch keyboards, mice, and the like.

"It's just..."

Su Qi picked up a keycap from the ground, "QWER, don't say it... these keys obviously get used a lot."

The Black Cat's eyelids twitched slightly, somehow feeling guilty, but it didn't care and said calmly, "An, go outside, I have something to discuss with this newcomer."

"Alright."

An Nan was straightforward, but before he left, he suddenly paused, "By the way, Elder Cat God."

"?"

An Nan spoke earnestly, "I must attend something tonight and will not stay here any longer."

The Black Cat said indifferently, "We'll talk tonight."

An Nan looked somewhat torn and reluctant but sighed and walked out, opening the door.

After the door closed.

Su Qi looked at the Black Cat, and the Black Cat looked back at him.

The Black Cat assessed Su Qi; as an Elemental Devouring Beast, it had an extremely sensitive perception of others of its own kind, given their scarcity and particularly unique abilities.

And ever since Su Buxian appeared, it had distinctly felt... a strong trace on him.

Moreover,

These traces gave it a strong sense of familiarity.

The Black Cat's vertical pupils narrowed slightly, "Kid, don't you have anything you want to ask?"

It hadn't seen through Su Buxian yet but indeed discovered the presence of the World Tree Withered Leaf. Yet, it didn't care; a Seventh Rank little fellow couldn't hide anything in its presence.

Su Qi hesitated, "I indeed have many questions."

"Like... that wave under the tower, why did you run back when your teammates went in?"

"You're a support, the opposition is attacking, and you're still casting skills to fix the rickshaw?"

"And as an AP support, what's the deal with buying Infinity Edge?"

Each question struck the Black Cat God like a slashing knife.

Its pupils were truly dilating now.

"You actually saw that?"

Su Qi: "Yes, not only did I see it, but... just now, your account was reported for acting, dragging the team down, and verbal abuse. It's already been banned."

The Black Cat hastily looked at the screen, its eyelids twitching violently.

"F*ck! Damn it, really banned!"

It tore the space, cursing, "Your mother's kiss, I have to Open Box..."

Then it paused.

Looking at Su Qi in front of it, who was smiling but not smiling.

It closed the laptop calmly, "Now, let's talk about your issues."

Quite the topic shift it was.

"I'll just say it, I've sensed a quite familiar aura on you..." the Cat God's paw calmly and authoritatively tapped on the table, "You as a descendant, seem to have had contact with my race?"

To be honest, there are variances in the personalities of the Divine beings, but most are majestic, not to be looked directly upon, imbued with endless sanctity, inspiring awe in countless people. After all, to maintain the Power of Faith, their image has always been so.

Only having met many Divine beings did Su Qi know that among the gods, there could be exceptions.

Such as the Cat God before him... It was even sneakily clicking to appeal its banned account while questioning Su Qi.