Chapter 1701 The Wife's Initiative.
Kirin appeared more brooding than usual.
She almost looked like she was angry at Eren for something he didn't do. At least not deliberately.
Complaining to Eren about his unavailability to contact her for so long was Kirin's way of venting out her frustrations. The fact that they existed mattered more to her, no matter how valid his reasons were for not being able to contact her.
She trusted Eren to pull through any situation but at the same time, she also couldn't help but worry about his well-being.
Eren knew that Kirin could guess the problems he had to deal with in Labh Salem. So there was no need to explain, which was bound to make him sound like he was giving excuses. He only needed to convey 'I'm sorry' in some way. That's all he needed to curb Kirin's anger.
Eren needed to give her this win. He smiled at her bitterly and gave her an apologetic look, which softened her expression as well. 'I'm genius,' he patted his own back metaphorically as he defused the bomb that was Kirin.
The butcher had upgraded his communication access tier only a few days ago. The upgrade could allow him to communicate with allies from other worlds supported by the Mesh. He had tried to call Maya and others who had been separated from his group inside the Immortal Plane.
He couldn't communicate with them using normal means so he deduced the fact that they might have entered a different world from Labh Salem. Thus, he spent a significant amount of Menaka's Runes to upgrade his communication access tier.
Echidna also had the existence of gods and their followers. However, the divine paths and fellowship in Echidna were limited to a large extent. For the most part, they were only related to the pantheon of monster gods led by Goddess Echidna.
Thankfully, Echidna also had the Mesh, which enabled Eren and Kirin to communicate with each other. They couldn't communicate regularly due to some inherent restrictions. But they could spend a significant chunk of Menaka's Runes to contact each other every few months.
Kirin was one of the people whom Eren had tried to call as soon as he had access to Menaka's Blessing. It seemed that Kirin was not able to pick up Eren's communication request for some reason. However, she called him as soon as she was able to.
"I… I am doing fine by the way. I am in Echidna though."
Kirin explained to Eren how she landed in Echidna after her separation from him inside the Immortal Plane. The Immortal Planes were full of strange activities and even stranger beings. They were filled with opportunities and dangers.
As such, Eren didn't find it too surprising that Kirin had strayed away from their intended destination and landed in the world of monsters. The more he listened to Kirin the more glad he became that things had unfolded this way. 'Perhaps it's because of who she is,' Eren thought to himself as he talked with Kirin, listening to her side of the story closely.
'The intent-based magic in the Immortal Plane considered Kirin's roots as she explored that strange place after being separated from me. This was how she ended up in Echidna.
Or perhaps… it is because of that goddess… Goddess Echidna. Did she influence Kirin in some way while she was in the Immortal Plane?
Hmm. Quite possible considering Kirin has Oni lineage. Is this what that old hag meant when she talked about the Bloodline Shackles? Does she want something from Kirin? Or does she want to give something to her?'
A bunch of questions popped into Eren's mind as he chatted with his Oni wife. However, he didn't voice them and decided to act as a good listener.
"I am not sure how much time has passed in your current world but it's about 10 years by Anfang's standards since I landed in Echidna. I have been trying to contact you for over a decade," Kirin provided Eren with her progress in Echidna after she landed there.
She told Eren that she was trying to backtrack the way she came to Echidna. The Oni dungeon in Anfang was her targeted access point. This access point could be used in the future to allow some key figures from Eren's monster army to come to Echidna.
All so that they could grow at a rapid rate using higher-tier resources available at Echidna. The existence of the Mesh alone was a blessing in itself, literally and metaphorically.
It was clear that visiting Echidna could allow monsters from Anfang to break past their conventional limits. And no monster in their right mind would turn down such an offer if it was ever presented to them.
Kirin believed that her project was only a few months away from achieving success. It helped that she had the Oni lineage which made things a bit easier for her to do and arrange.
Baran, Ror, Kaalmaahen, Sharog, and a few other monsters from Eren's monster army were bound to join Kirin in Echidna. If possible, Eren's monster allies like Goblin Sovereign Loma, Gnoll Sovereign Parmar, and S-Rank Orc Sovereign Kayini would also enter Echidna after settling everything they needed to settle back in Anfang.
Kirin was treading on a distinct Path to Power as a half-monster. She had made ideal use of the opportunities provided to her in Echidna, allowing her to make huge personal gains on her Path. She was only a few years away from achieving a breakthrough in A-Rank and becoming Oni Emperor.
Kirin was treading on a distinct Path to Power as a half-monster. She had made ideal use of the opportunities provided to her in Echidna, allowing her to make huge personal gains on her Path. She was only a few years away from achieving a breakthrough in A-Rank and becoming Oni Emperor.
Eren was surprised by the progress Kirin had made in such a short time. He didn't hold back while praising her while also highlighting the fact that he missed her. Kirin tried to maintain a stoic face but even she couldn't help but flash a genuine smile after receiving such warm regards from her husband.
'Maybe it's good that Kirin separated from me and ended up in Echidna. She would have had a much harder time here in Labh Salem if she had managed to come here,' Eren concluded as he listened to Kirin's progress.
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