Chapter 743

Chapter 7: Stirring Up Trouble – Part 1

…Murder?

I froze in shock, my eyebrows knitting together.

The wind suddenly howled past my ears, and with a “whoosh,” the sailor I had just been talking to darted out, rushing toward the direction of the shouts from the bow. More people were charging towards the front of the ship, while the hoarse cries from the dock continued.

“Watchtower! Watchtower! Several people are dead! We can’t afford to wait any longer—”

“Shut up…”

Amidst the shouting, there was a low rebuke, followed by three heavy thuds, as if someone’s head had been struck hard. The man’s screams abruptly ceased, but the commotion at the bow surged. People were enraged; some had set up crossbows on the railings. Immediately after, several figures charged down the ship.

“Hold it!”

“Do you think we’re easy prey?”

“Halt!”

“Sixth Knight Order! Draw your swords and prepare for battle—”

“I’ll see who dares to make a move!!”

Voices, footsteps, clashing armor, and the ringing of swords. A few light crossbows were loaded and aimed at the dock below, ready to fire. The taut strings emitted shrill vibrations. Travelers and merchants eager to watch the spectacle started screaming and retreating. Those who reacted fastest, fearing even the slightest involvement, ran back in panic, brushing past me as they turned their heads.

…Trouble.

Frowning, I pondered as I navigated through the retreating crowd, slowly making my way towards the bow. The chaotic shouts continued. By now, the bow was packed with people, the atmosphere tense. I had no intention of joining the crowd but positioned myself behind the sailors near the railings, standing on tiptoes to peek over.

Through the din, the scene at the dock gradually came into view.

On the not-so-spacious wooden planks, more than ten knights faced off against the agitated guards and sailors who had just come down from the ship. Both sides shouted, while two knights had subdued one person, pressing his head to the ground. At first glance, I recognized him as someone who had been close to the captain. His position was unknown, but he was now covered in blood, unconscious and unmoving under the knights’ firm hold.

His injury seemed to have been inflicted by the hilt of a sword.

“Release him!”

“Church Knights! Don’t you fear being reported by the merchant guild afterward? You’ve violated the covenant!”

“Step back.”

“Release him immediately! We want to see the captain!!”

“Take us to the captain! We need to ensure his safety!”

“I said, step back—!!!”

“You must release him first!”

“We won’t retreat until we see our captain!”

The crew, daring to confront the Church Knights with weapons drawn and crossbows aimed, stood their ground without backing down. These sailors were undoubtedly formidable, each a fierce warrior. This was perhaps the fierce spirit of the Eastern Continent.

Yet, despite their bravado, they dared not act—certainly not initiate an attack. They believed that even if the Sixth Knight Order was strong, they couldn’t do much in this situation due to the numerous rules within the Church. The crew, who frequently dealt with the Sixth Knight Order, knew which rules could be ignored and which had to be strictly adhered to.

However, this time, events took an unexpected turn.

The tense standoff lasted less than five seconds before a figure, bathed in golden light, burst out from the night outside the dock, scattering wood chips underfoot. In an instant, the figure leaped over the knights’ heads with a loud thud, colliding with the nearest guard on the ship and sending him and those behind flying.

“Uh—”

“Mm!”

Amid the painful groans, bright blood splattered.

“K…Knight Captain…”

The sudden arrival of the golden light seemed to catch the knights off guard. As the figures collided were sent tumbling into the water with a splash, the one seemingly with knight captain status landed steadily, drawing his sword with a clang, and shouted loudly, “Surrender!”

This shout acted like a hammer, awakening everyone still in shock.

“Glocka—!”

“How dare you harm civilians!”

“Murder! The knight lord has killed someone—”

“Jump ship! We must run…”

Seeing the tension rise and the situation teetering on chaos, everyone’s hearts were filled with foreboding. The spectators left on the deck panicked and fled towards the stern. Some even considered jumping ship, unwilling to be caught in this calamity. But then, they heard the knight captain’s furious roar in the darkness, “No one leaves!!!”

Trapped in the pushing crowd, I saw the figure clad in golden light wielding a sword, directing the knights behind him to advance: “I suspect there are remnants of heretics among you! Sixth Knight Order, seize control of this ship! Shoot anyone attempting to escape! Let’s see who dares to run—”

This shout sent many on the ship into a panic. They instinctively froze, and when they looked back, they saw a knife-wielding guard knocked to the ground, and the remaining guards clenched their fists in anger. However, they dared not truly engage the Church Knights, and under the golden light’s intimidation, they dropped their weapons and knelt. The knights bound the fallen and quickly boarded the ship.

Outside the dock, more knights heard the commotion and rushed over.

“Oh…”

Watching the scene, I slipped back into the crowd, unable to hold back a soft sigh.

Trouble…

I hadn’t intended to get involved.

Indeed…

Even though I thought so, I felt little emotion about it.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I hid my small body amidst the throng, retreating faster. Then I turned and walked towards the stern. The newly arrived knights were busy commanding everyone to kneel, and no one noticed me.

When I reached the third mast lowered at the stern, I ducked behind the sail, grabbed my hood with my right hand, and drew a deep breath. Under the hood, my eyes glowed faintly blue. White frost condensed and vanished beneath my feet with a dull thud. Suddenly, the scenery blurred, and in the next moment, I was already hundreds of meters above the air.

Moon Step—

Thump thump thump thump thump!

The worn-out shoe soles of my sandals

Under the frost and cold currents, a series of explosions echoed in the pitch-black night sky. As the cloak flapped, the petite figure had already darted hundreds of meters away outside the port city under the night curtain. In an instant, she left far behind the merchant ship called “Caliver,” along with the noisy chaos on board, and swiftly rushed towards the direction of the distant tower.

“… Hm?”

On the deck, just as he kicked away the angry crew member in front of him, the Knight Captain of the Sixth Order looked up sharply, his eyes piercing the sky. He heard that explosive sound, but amidst the dim stars, there was no one’s shadow except for a few sparse, almost illusory white dots.

“To be continued…”

I arrived home around 1 a.m., sat in front of the computer for ten minutes in a daze, opened the new chapter, and initially wanted to write. But thinking about it, I realized it would probably take until dawn. Besides, I have a meeting tomorrow morning, and even if there wasn’t, given how I only slept for about five hours last night, I might not make it through writing the entire thing. Writing while exhausted would likely result in something I wouldn’t want to publish.

But I seem unable to sleep now either.

What should I do?

As I thought about it, I suddenly realized that it seems I’ve been in this kind of terrible situation recently: staying up late to write at night, revising and posting during the day, and even by the next day, finding no time to revise, pushing it back to the night again. But then, when revising and posting at night, I simply don’t have the energy to write another full chapter, even a half-finished one.

The result is that in two days, only one chapter was posted, and I feel very guilty toward the readers who follow and wait for updates. Out of guilt, I made a bold promise of double updates, which was also a way to pressure myself for the next day. Since I had already said it last night, I must write two chapters today, but usually, the result is—time flies by and it’s already night, and I haven’t written a single word.

Should I continue staying up late?

Can I ensure quality if I stay up?

Will I be able to write and update tomorrow with the same state?

I don’t know…

Suddenly, I started to miss the state I was in when I first started writing this book. The main reason for writing, aside from liking it and wanting to write, was to make good use of my free time, avoid nights out and useless socializing, and do something meaningful and enjoyable.

Back then, apart from my daytime work, I could almost entirely use my free time for planning and creating. Many “friends” at the time thought something was wrong with me because they couldn’t reach me at night anymore—those “friends” are mostly out of touch now.

Back then, even if I stayed up all night due to insomnia, I could still be energetic and full of ideas the next day, sitting in front of the computer, typing out scenes from my mind and turning them into stories to share with you.

I have to admit, I can no longer do that now.

I can no longer stay up all night.

During my free time, I start feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

I don’t have so much free time anymore.

My condition has been poor over the past two months. Many people have told me, “Xiaoyu, if you’re tired, take a break. You can slow down your writing, as long as you don’t abandon it, we can wait. Health is important…” Each time I read such messages, I feel warm inside.

Thank you, really.

Most of the readers of Abyss are gentle people.

So, I have considered taking a proper rest for a month… or half a month, to adjust my state and then continue writing once I recover.

Later, I felt I couldn’t do that.

Because I am very clear that if I really put down my pen now and take a light rest, it’s highly possible that Abyss will be left unfinished.

I am not a perpetual motion machine; I am human, and humans have moments of laziness.

Writing for me—at least at first—was a form of entertainment and interest, a desire to write something that could move others. If I put down this mood, after truly feeling relaxed, I might just want to stay that way forever.

I don’t know if I can regain the desire to finish the story.

The longer I rest, the less confident I become.

So, I cannot stop to rest as you suggest—I dare not stop, because I want to continue writing.

Especially recently, at this moment, my free time can no longer be entirely mine, like before. I need to spend time with the person who will accompany me throughout my life. Actually, my free time now belongs to her.

But I can only spare one day each week—usually Saturday—so I usually skip updates on Saturdays. Only this day can I spend quality time with her. More often than not, even seeing her, sitting down for a quiet meal together, or watching a movie together, is difficult.

Ha…

That silly girl doesn’t complain.

But when I can’t sleep recently, I often think, what kind of girl would want someone like me? Busy every day without a trace, it feels like living with air. If I were a girl, I’d think finding such a man is worse than having a dog—dogs at least wait for you at home.

But the more I have this mentality, the more I tell myself, I can’t stop…

I’m greedy.

I want to hold onto everything I love and cherish.

This book carries too many of my emotions.

And writing stories has changed me in many ways.

I still want to write well.

Finish the first, then the second, finish the second, then the third… Actually, I’ve already prepared most of the world-building, main character settings, and early plotlines for the next book, and I am very confident. It will surely be more exciting and interesting than Abyss—writing Abyss was spontaneous, with fewer detailed setups.

If I don’t finish it…

I will feel very sorry.

For Abyss as well.

…It seems I have digressed a bit.

In short, the recent updates… are in this state: sometimes I skip updates, sometimes I post single chapters, sometimes double chapters, but the next day, I might skip again… I don’t know when I can return to the relatively stable updates I had before… I hope to find that balance soon.

But regardless, updates will continue. There won’t be sudden long-term interruptions—should I have ample time in any month, I still want to achieve full attendance again. To be honest, since starting Abyss, I seem to have only achieved small full attendance once or twice.

This author is simply terrible.