Chapter 714

Chapter 99: Rebirth – Part Eight

The howling wind whipped up loose yellow sand, while dark clouds slowly drifted across the land, casting shadows. Sunlight occasionally pierced through the gaps in the sky, casting red beams that exploded with brilliance like fireworks. The knights, riding their beasts, rushed towards the scene, gathering in greater numbers as they approached…

But when Bishop Alersta gave his command, everyone looked at each other, eyes filled with shock and hesitation. No one immediately charged forward towards the injured man holding the sword.

“What…”

“What’s going on…”

“Are we really going to do this…”

“He’s Carlos Gonzales…”

Confused voices echoed across the barren land. The confused Grand Knight stood almost directly opposite Carlos, closest to him. When he heard the order, his feet instinctively moved forward, but then abruptly stopped. His mind was in chaos.

Compared to the Grand Knight, many of the newly arrived knights were even more bewildered. They hadn’t yet figured out what was happening, but they knew that they were apparently planning to confront the Pope’s Knights.

This wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Even for anyone, every second counted now. They had rushed here to understand what was happening and why the divine miracle had suddenly ceased. Yet, hearing that they were to attack a Pope’s Knight still left the “Grace Scales” elite soldiers, who always followed orders without question, feeling lost.

Time slipped away amidst the panic.

One second, two seconds passed…

No one took the initiative.

Seeing this, Bishop Alersta behind them turned red with anger and shouted from atop his beast, “What’s wrong! Didn’t you hear my order?! Grace Scales—! Don’t forget your duty! Time is running out, please follow my command! Otherwise, I will handle this according to the Church’s Knight Code!”

His voice sounded desperate and angry. Many knights turned back to look at him, their eyes showing disbelief, shock, and fear. They realized that the Bishop was giving a final order, but no one dared to move for a long time.

It wasn’t because they feared the opponent.

The warriors were simply stunned. Adhering to justice and strength, they felt an inherent resistance to attacking the Pope’s Knight.

Alersta was so angry his hands were trembling.

Damn it…

Just one step away.

Must we wait until the old Sword Saint returns?!

He opened his mouth to shout again, but a nearby monk leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Alersta’s expression fluctuated, but after listening, his frown slightly eased.

“My valiant knights, always remember! Regardless of who stands before you, your duty is always to be loyal to the Church and to protect the children of God with your lives—”

The young bishop’s cry echoed again across the barren land, but this time it sounded less frantic and emotional, more righteous: “Now, you see the situation! That which hovers in the sky is the divine spark stolen from the Holy Church in the year 800 AD! It is the great divine miracle bestowed by the gods, the highest symbol of faith!”

“It has been stolen by heretics for centuries! These demons have turned the great divine miracle into a tool of evil, a source of sinful power! And your mission is to recover it completely, return it to the Church, and to the great gods!”

As he spoke, he shifted his tone: “But now, someone stands in your way—”

“Even if he is a Pope’s Knight, so what! What you must do now is end evil, purify the divine fire, and restore purity to the world! It is a noble mission given by the gods! If anyone stands in your path, they are enemies of the gods, those who have strayed and stepped halfway into the abyss! No matter who they are or what their status, they should be brought to the Church court to face justice!”

“Knights of the First Order, let your sense of justice drive you to wield your swords with honor! The Church will remember your steadfastness and bravery, and your commander will know the choice you make today will bring great glory to the Grace Scales! I promise you this in the name of the Rossius family!”

In the midst of his passionate speech, some remained confused, others hesitant. But some, amidst the cold wind, gradually became resolute.

Then, beside Alersta, a holy golden light suddenly illuminated, and several monks began to chant in unison. The hum of a miracle rang through the air, and the young bishop, bathed in radiant light, shouted the command for the First Order to charge.

“Honor in my heart, belief with me, justice as my sword, defend our achievements, defend my glory! Divine knights who break the darkness—!!”

Whoosh—

The sharp wind whistled as several holy spears shot out from the golden light beside Alersta, flying towards Carlos, who stood holding his sword.

“Please join me in punishing the enemy of the divine light!”

The holy spears streaked past the heads and eyes of countless knights. At this moment, the wounded and silent swordsman finally moved. Lightning flashed around him, and without making any significant movements, he dodged the fierce attacks with nimble steps, his eyes fixed on the young bishop.

That gaze made people shudder.

Buzz—

In the next instant, a figure appeared amidst the humming of the miracle, enveloped in golden light, and appeared behind the swordsman. Nearby, the Grand Knight’s expression froze slightly. He recognized the monk Laryx, who had just been standing beside him.

“You just…”

Monk Laryx raised his right hand, and a white blade materialized from his palm, slicing down fiercely: “You hit me pretty hard! Mr. Carlos—”

Zzz—

In a flash, astonishing lightning surged from Carlos’ body, blue arcs shooting out like snakes, striking the translucent shield protecting Laryx and bouncing off. The blade slashed towards Carlos’ neck, but the man reacted quickly. Without evading, he swiftly grabbed the monk’s wrist with his left hand.

“How about another round?”

Swoosh—

The monk’s consciousness couldn’t keep up with the swordsman’s speed. Before he could react or dodge, he was thrown away by the man’s grip, crashing down meters away. Carlos crouched, his sword dancing fiercely in his right hand, then clanged as it blocked an incoming strike from the side.

Looking up, he saw the resolute and sharp eyes of the Grand Knight beneath his helmet.

“An order is an order. Mr. Carlos, I’m sorry…”

Blank…

Well, I can’t write anything satisfactory, so I won’t force myself to post a chapter update. I shouldn’t rush when I’m not in the right state. I’ll take a break today too.

Actually, I couldn’t write, and there was nothing else to do at night, so I sat in front of the computer, my mind blank. I wanted to play a game to change my mood, but even that didn’t work. I felt very tired but couldn’t sleep. It feels like I’m suffering from neurasthenia. For the past few days, I’ve been unable to focus on anything, and I feel I need rest, but I’m anxious and panicky about wasting time. It’s a vicious cycle, making me more melancholic.

So, since I can’t write and can’t sleep, I might as well say something.

Just talk about anything.

If you don’t want to waste time like me, you can close this. I can assure you that I’ll finish this volume soon. Pepé will appear in a couple of days. We’ll wrap up the transition chapters quickly. No more unnecessary chatter—I won’t rush it, but I’ll ensure everything is clear.

—

And, I must seriously tell everyone something—I often stay up late writing. I’ve seen many people in a similar state, staying up late at night and unsure if they make up for it during the day. As a result, they tend to stay up late the next day too.

What I want to tell you is, if you continue this habit of staying up late, unless absolutely necessary, it’s best to avoid it.

Out of necessity, please stop immediately. Reverse your sleep schedule, rest and wake up on time, ensuring you get enough sleep. Otherwise, you will regret it one day. I say this very seriously.

I am probably older than many of you. At least, I have graduated for many years.

The habit of staying up late likely started in university. Back then, there were two roommates who played guitar as a hobby, two others who danced street dance— I was one of them and could play the piano too— and another who was a great singer. We were all talented and enjoyed being lively, and we were all good friends who would chat idly after lights out at 11:30 PM, strumming guitars and singing, playing games until dawn, very late, often like this.

Back then, our dormitory was considered a model of harmony in the entire building because other dorms always had one or two people who didn’t get along or frequently quarreled, or had incompatible interests, making their relationships less harmonious. But we did not. Our atmosphere was very good, to the point that other dorms would come to our dorm to play and make noise even after lights out every night.

Everyone was very happy.

But we developed bad habits of staying up late and waking up early.

After graduation, everyone went their separate ways. I joined the workforce, and later started my own business. The more things I had to deal with, the greater the pressure became, and the busier I got, staying up late wasn’t just a bad habit anymore; it became a routine, a mindset that “I work harder than my peers” because while others were sleeping, I was still working and doing things. There was a period when I averaged only four and a half hours of sleep per day, and I felt quite proud about it for a long time.

Now, I can’t really say I regret it.

After all, during that time, I indeed received the corresponding rewards.

However, insomnia has been accompanying me ever since.

When it comes to insomnia, many people might not be able to fully empathize. They might think that although I stay up late, I can still fall asleep when I want to. As long as I want to sleep, nothing else matters. I stay up late simply because I don’t want to sleep; it’s not a problem. Even if I pull an all-nighter, I can still gather my strength the next day if something important comes up. I’m in good health — I don’t know if anyone thinks like this, but I used to think and act this way.

Now, it’s different.

Especially recently, how much impact insomnia has had on me — what I say might sound trivial, but for the past two months, my state has been roughly like this: unable to sleep, then staying up late to do things or write, feeling very drowsy during the day, but even if I have time to sleep, I still can’t fall asleep. Or, when I’m extremely busy with no time, I feel so sleepy that I can barely keep my eyes open. Even if I sleep well for eight hours at night, I still feel exhausted upon waking up, yawning and fighting to stay awake from breakfast onwards.

Last year, I saw a doctor, took medication, and rested for a while. Recently, it started again, and this state has worsened over the past two weeks.

After I stopped updating yesterday, I thought about resting properly, adjusting my state, and ensuring that I would regain energy today to resume double updates. However, the fact is that the night before last, I felt very sleepy early on because I hadn’t slept much the day before, and by around 11:30 PM, my eyelids were already struggling to stay open. Despite being so tired, I only managed to sleep for less than four hours, waking up around 3 AM and finding it impossible to fall back asleep.

But it’s okay, I still have a day to adjust my schedule.

So yesterday, I wasn’t sleepy in the morning, but I was sleepy at noon, so I tried to sleep but couldn’t. I gave up and toughed it out, going to bed early and sleeping until natural wake-up time. But by 6 PM, I was so drowsy that I almost lost consciousness sitting there, dozing off for about an hour, not knowing if I actually slept or not. I toughed it out until night, then only slept until around 3 AM, after which I couldn’t fall back asleep.

Despite being very sleepy.

But I just couldn’t fall asleep.

That state, I don’t know if any of you have experienced it, but I was utterly devastated.

This morning, I wanted to catch up on sleep, but couldn’t. Unable to sleep, I started writing, but after a while, I realized I didn’t know what I was writing. My mind was blank.

By 9 AM, I felt I couldn’t write anything more and wanted to take a nap.

But I couldn’t sleep.

At 2 PM, I drove out, losing consciousness on the third ring road, closing my eyes for a moment.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

After getting off the third ring road, I parked the car by the roadside and slept for an hour.

I arrived home at 4 PM, sat in front of the computer, wrote two lines, and started feeling drowsy again, my mind empty.

So I slept for another hour.

I thought, I couldn’t do double updates today, but at least I slept. This time, maybe I could write a chapter?

But I couldn’t write. My mind was still blank.

I wanted to sleep.

But I couldn’t.

It’s incredibly painful…

That feeling is different from writer’s block. Writer’s block is not knowing how the plot should develop and having to carefully consider how to proceed next, but I have a detailed outline now and know what to write next. The problem is that I can’t immerse myself into the characters—I’m not writing a novel or telling a story; I’m simply mechanically typing out words.

In such a mental state, I can’t fully immerse myself in the story or the emotions of each character.

Besides insomnia, this is also related to many things happening in my recent life.

A new wave of the pandemic has erupted, which is putting tremendous pressure on my team and work.

There is both mental and operational pressure.

I hope that we, the Chinese people, can once again overcome these difficulties. I hope that everyone’s life and every matter can struggle through the hardships, relying on the strong and reliable power of our country to take the next step firmly— but even with such thoughts and absolute confidence in our country, the pressure remains overwhelming and irresistible.

This is one of the reasons, apart from insomnia, that affects my writing, and perhaps also a reason why insomnia has worsened.

Another thing.

Perhaps some readers, and even my editor, Xiaolu, already know that I am preparing for my major life event—marriage.

Maybe it won’t come so soon.

But it’s inevitable.

Although it’s something to be happy about, it inevitably affects my writing sometimes, and I can’t help it.

To adjust my mindset among these things and completely immerse myself in Pepe’s world while writing is actually very difficult.

I won’t give up writing.

But finding a balance takes time— I really hope I can quickly adjust and maintain a good state, regardless of any big matters, without affecting my writing— I hope I can achieve this soon.

And I’m particularly willing to share those wonderful worlds and wonderful people with everyone. This is my wish, and it will always be so.

This won’t change, right?

Sometimes, I wish I could learn to have three arms or use the Shadow Clone Technique, where one person goes to work, another handles mundane tasks, one writes novels diligently, producing ten thousand words a day, and another—probably my true self—can watch the clones work while relaxing at home playing games.

Once, I dreamed of this.

It was so refreshing.

But it’s not possible, so I’ve been cutting down on sleep time—thus, the topic returns to what I said earlier about staying up late. You see the consequences I faced; mostly, I was forced into it. If you’re not in the same situation, please get proper sleep, otherwise, you’ll face serious problems similar to mine when you reach a certain age.

Disrupted schedules, and your body’s biological clock will be thrown into chaos.

Trust me, the feeling of being powerless is something you absolutely don’t want to experience firsthand.

Everyone, please don’t stay up late unnecessarily~

Haha, today is another day where I talk about whatever comes to mind.

Hmm…

Since I’ve mentioned this much, let me bring up one more thing.

The manga of *The Abyss* is expected to be released soon…

Hmm, estimated.

If everything goes smoothly, it will be very soon.

That’s all for now.

Let’s see if I can fall asleep on time tonight, and not wake up at midnight tomorrow… If I get a good rest, I’ll do double updates tomorrow, and I won’t have anything else to do.

Thank you to everyone who has been following and waiting for updates. I feel somewhat guilty towards you.

Also, thank you to everyone who likes this book. Your recognition is truly the only motivation driving me to continue writing. Although I don’t participate in discussions much now, I actually read every comment, review, and discussion thread without missing a single one.

I want to write truly good works, not just *The Abyss*. This requires time to prove, and I will strive for it, as writing novels is truly what makes me happy.

That’s all.

Xia Yu.