I quietly watched Eugene Smithson forging weapons before me. The two streams of energy that appeared earlier had vanished, leaving me restless as I observed everything happening. I couldn't just ask them directly what they were doing—I needed to find a way to at least figure out what they were working on.
"Eugene Smithson, do you think my plan will succeed?"
I asked. At that moment, Eugene Smithson stopped, turned his head, and shook it as he spoke.
"Whether it succeeds or not, I promised you I would forge eighteen Infernal Weapons for you. As for what comes next, I have no way of knowing. These weapons are my greatest masterpieces."
I looked at the unfinished purple sword before me, its surface flowing with a powerful Hell Power. But I couldn't tell what effect this Hell Power truly had. As a force produced in Infernal Hell, its capabilities were endless—there were so many things it could do. For now, I could only recognize a portion of it; much of it remained completely unknown to me.
I stood up. At that moment, Jade Zeng, who was kneeling nearby, obediently followed me. Looking at the vine-like things protruding from her body—they were a fusion of soul and tree—I could sense the presence of Hell Imprints on her, just like on the clumsy Jean Xu before me. Jean Xu also bore Hell Imprints.
Jean Xu was still pestering Eugene Smithson, hoping he would help polish her sword. I had just seen her swinging the blade, and the cuts it made were all uneven. But looking at the orange-red sword itself, I felt it was anything but ordinary—a fierce, sharp aura emanated from it. Yet, for some reason, when wielded, it felt no different from a dull blade.
"Miss Jean Xu, how you use the sword is up to you. The forging of this blade is finished."
Jean Xu, clearly annoyed, slapped the orange-red sword onto the forging table. Instantly, the blade rippled like flowing water, releasing a thick orange-red mist. For a moment, I felt as if I was staring at a roaring waterfall. I'd never seen a weapon—other than Belle—create such illusions. Then I remembered: Belle was also forged by Eugene Smithson. At that moment, Eugene put down his hammer.
"Belle is with you, isn't she? She's in such bad shape now—let me repair her for you."
I stared in astonishment at Eugene Smithson. Behind me, Jade Zeng watched me with suspicion. With a wave of my hand, a pink glow shimmered out, and a beautiful, slightly curved sword with a faint pink aura appeared in my grasp. Though Belle's blade had been restored after melting, I could feel my power no longer flowed through it as smoothly as before.
Eugene Smithson took Belle from my hands. For a moment, his eyes were filled with sorrow.
"It's been years, Lady Cecilia."
As Eugene Smithson spoke, a bright light flared from Belle, and Cecilia appeared before him. She greeted Eugene with a bow and smiled softly.
But I noticed something was off about Cecilia's body—much of it was blurred, with only some parts clearly visible. Her power was extremely unstable.
"Ethan Zhang, you should've brought Lady Cecilia here sooner. She's already fused with Belle, and strength alone can't fully repair her. Right now, the sword's spirit is damaged. I'll help you fix it."
I let out a breath of relief. It seemed Eugene Smithson hadn't realized I wasn't Ethan Zhang. Jade Zeng stepped forward and bowed.
"Sir, should we add this weapon to the ranks of the Infernal Weapons? That way, we'd have one more Infernal Weapon."
I immediately shook my head.
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn."
Jade Zeng spoke up immediately. I finally understood why she had seemed confused earlier—it wasn't doubt about me, but rather, after I produced Belle, she wanted to prove herself in front of me. Still, I could sense this ghost was afraid of the way I looked.
Eugene Smithson slowly walked over to a nearby flaming pool, holding Belle. He placed Belle into the pool. I saw Cecilia clutch herself and crouch on the ground in agony. After only a short while, Eugene retrieved Belle, now glowing red-hot, from the flames.
The sound of hammering rang out as Eugene Smithson struck Belle repeatedly. I watched quietly. Cecilia sat on the ground, and with each rhythmic blow, the blurred parts of her body grew clearer.
Then I noticed Jean Xu walk over to the table, pick up a hammer, and strike her orange-red sword. But before the hammer even touched the blade, it melted into liquid. Jean Xu's eyes widened as she pointed at the sword.
"Are you messing with me?"
Eugene Smithson glanced at Jean Xu and sighed.
"You should practice on your own. Don't cause trouble here. If you keep disrupting things, Ethan Zhang might send you back down below again."
Eugene Smithson's words worked. Jean Xu could only clutch her sword, stomp her foot, and leave. I watched this unbelievable woman, utterly amazed.
Suddenly, I felt an intense aura behind me. As I turned, a black dress swept down—a beautiful woman with sharp cheeks and a wicked gaze stood before me. It was Black Shade.
"Why are you here?"
I had barely asked my question when Black Shade suddenly lashed out at me—but a hand pressed down on hers, stopping her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Black Moon had already stopped Black Shade.
"Of course, I was planning to run a test."
I gave a cold, mocking laugh.
"What exactly do you want to test, Black Shade?"
My tone was heavy. Black Shade looked at me even more suspiciously.
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"I've already told you—the Boss's consciousness is now completely fused with the one called Ethan Zhang."
"You haven't contacted us for so long, and only you, Black Moon, know the truth. Maybe you found a substitute to fool us. The others are on their way back, and this guy does have the Boss's aura—just much weaker."
I stared blankly at Black Shade, not answering. Black Moon had warned me before: no matter what happens, don't act rashly. As long as I could appease these wardens, peace in the Living World would last. I had to keep enduring—even when faced with this infuriating woman who tried to attack me the moment she arrived. I nearly struck back.
But now, all I could do was keep enduring. Black Shade still looked at me with disbelief.
"Are you really Ethan Zhang?"
I nodded. Black Moon smiled and stepped between us. Suddenly, Black Shade turned into a black stream of energy and vanished. I could sense she'd made a move—right behind me. I spun around and grabbed her fist.
"I'm not the same as before. You lot—have you gotten too comfortable since I've been gone?"
I didn't even know what I was saying—just pretending to be their boss. Black Shade grew even more suspicious. I gripped her fist tightly as she kept channeling power, but I could handle it easily.
"You really are different—finally starting to act like a boss."
Black Shade bowed to me. Suddenly, I sensed a powerful force—black sludge oozed up beside me, and a large, burly stone figure appeared. It was Black Stone.
Like Black Moon, they are wardens of the three outer regions of the Heart of Hell. I glanced at Black Stone—he pressed a thick hand against his round head.
"Boss, you're back, and you didn't even let us know."