"What was that scythe, Master? Is it a high-Sequence item from the Darkness Pathway?"
"It's the 'Uniqueness' of Darkness. I'll explain it to you in detail later."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't ignore me!" Miss Xia Mi stood to the side, arms crossed(?), watching Lu Mingfei. "So this is your disciple? Looks pretty weak... Anything special about him?"
Huh? I can't even see this kid's weaknesses... But, I don't sense any Authority aura. What is he? No, wait, he feels somewhat familiar?
Xia Mi sat down on the sofa opposite the coffee table, facing the two of them.
"Master, who is this person? So good-looking, but why is she wearing a suit? And her figure is a bit..." Lu Mingfei scrambled up and whispered into Ji's ear.
"...I can hear you," Xia Mi said from across the coffee table, narrowing her eyes.
"Eek!" Lu Mingfei shuddered.
"Have you read the 'Dragon Clan Genealogy' I brought you from Cassell College?" Ji didn't answer but instead asked Lu Mingfei a question.
"Yeah! I read it every day after school. Once, Aunt saw it and thought I was reading a novel." Lu Mingfei scratched his head, picked up a bottle of cola from the coffee table, opened it, and took a drink.
"Hmm? I just remembered something. Did you tell your family where you are now?"
"Hah, I used Senior Brother Chu Zihang's phone to call them. Told them the typhoon was too strong, so Senior Brother Chu let me stay over for the night before going back."
"Alright." Ji tilted his head towards Xia Mi's direction. "king of earth and mountain."
"Pfft!"
The cola Lu Mingfei hadn't swallowed yet sprayed onto the floor.
"Heh, she can clean up the cola you spit on the floor..." Ji stroked his chin and laughed.
"What! I'm not your maid! Expecting me to do all the chores? At least give me a raise!" Ha Ji Mi huffed again.
"You mean that'Scourge of God,' Attila, is this..." Lu Mingfei searched for words, "...soft girl?!"
This was something Lu Mingfei had read in the textbooks Ji brought back. He had thought then, so many famous historical figures and events were actually done by dragons? That's just too bizarre.
"...I'm not Attila. Attila was my subordinate. He went on campaigns back then to please me. Pity that guy was blinded by lust and got taken out just like that." Xia Mi's tone was flat, as if it were an insignificant matter.
Lu Mingfei twitched the corner of his mouth: "Then what about the Great Explosion at the Wanggongchang Arsenal?"
"That was my brother's doing. I'm not too clear about the details then. I only know he released the Word of Power: Dance of Shiva to protect me."
"You have a brother?" Lu Mingfei sat up from the sofa.
"Cassell College's information is incomplete. Each of the four thrones holds twins, meaning there are eight Dragon Kings in total." Ji answered Lu Mingfei's question.
He pointed at Xia Mi and said, "This girl was peeking at us fighting from the overpass earlier, so I brought her over to use as a slave."
"What slave! You pay me, I work for you! It's such a normal relationship, and you twist it like that, you perverted boss!"
Xia Mi jumped up from the sofa, shouting angrily, making both Ji and Lu Mingfei burst out laughing.
...
After finding a room for Lu Mingfei to stay the night, Ji walked downstairs and saw Xia Mi still sitting on the sofa, gazing out the window.
What was she thinking about?
"Hey, Xia Mi."
Xia Mi turned her head: "Boss, you can drop the 'hey'."
Ji tossed something towards her. Xia Mi caught it with one hand and looked at it.
"A whistle? Such a thick aura of death... What is this?"
"A special messenger. Sequence 4 level. You can blow the whistle to summon it if there's a situation, or to send me a message under special circumstances."
Ji wasn't ready to tell Xia Mi his esteemed name yet. That would probably scare her.
"What are these 'Sequences' and 'Pathways' you keep talking about? Why have I never heard of them? And I've only seen them on you and Lu Mingfei..." Xia Mi looked up and asked.
"That will be part of the future employee benefits. When you trust me, and I trust you, we can delve deeper into this topic. Heh, you'll be interested. But for now, go clean the living room. The cleaning supplies are in the bathroom."
"You really are! It's late at night, can't it wait until tomorrow?" Xia Mi blinked her eyes, putting on a pitiful look.
But Ji acted as if he didn't see it, pointing at the floor in front of the sofa: "At least wipe up the cola Ming Fei spat out, right?"
"Ugh! Damn Lu Mingfei!"
And the damn Lu Mingfei, having just finished showering, was now lying on the bed wearing only his underwear, fast asleep.
...
July 3rd, 2004. Typhoon 'Dandelion' made landfall in this city. Torrential rain, gale-force winds of level 10. But it came and went quickly. The typhoon rapidly disintegrated shortly after landfall. This anomaly drew attention from various parties around the world.
Cassell College, Bell Tower.
Angers sat on a relatively clean sofa amidst a pile of garbage. His expression was grave, holding a folding knife, looking at Flamel opposite him.
"Old friend, what do you think about the message he sent back..."
"magistrate of the Styx... Lord of the Undead... Master of Death... Heh, quite the grandiose titles." Flamel frowned and pursed his lips. "But the key point is, if such a figure truly appeared, with an army of unseen scale, the God-King of norse mythology, and several humanoid Third Generation Dragons?"
"Could they have been influenced by some kind of Word of Power? This simply isn't scientific. You know, even all the alchemical ghosts of the entire Secret Party combined are far from reaching that level." Flamel tossed the documents onto the table littered with food scraps, leaned back into the sofa, and after a long silence, managed to say,
"Angers, if this is real, then we're not playing with fire. This is a nuclear bomb, more terrifying than the Tsar Bomba... If He shows hostility towards humanity, we're all finished."
"I know..."
Angers flicked open the blade. In its reflection, he saw his own eyes, brilliant and dazzling.
"I know."
Chapter 18: The Voice From Somewhere
The sky after the typhoon revealed an unprecedented clarity; at the edge of the horizon, the Sun was slowly rising. The sky was so blue, so blue that it made one want to just immerse oneself within it...
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Xia Mi! Get up! You lazy dragon! I didn't abduct you just so you could sleep in here!"
The sound of door-pounding and shouting came from outside the room. Xia Mi climbed up from the light blue bed, opened her beautiful eyes, and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back.
"Mmm~"
Hmm, very flat.
"Alright, alright! Stop shouting! I'm getting up right now!"
In fact, First Generation Species do not need sleep unless they are in a poor state; she only did this to better imitate humans.
Lu Mingfei, in the room next door, although currently still a human, was drifting further and further away from humanity... He hadn't slept for six days before last night.
The door of another room not far from Xia Mi's opened, and Lu Mingfei walked out, full of energy. Before he went to sleep yesterday, he had been listless... It seems the Midnight Poet still requires a little bit of rest.
"Master, why are you yelling so early in the morning... It's only 6:30. Are we going to fight monsters again by getting up so early? Today is Sunday... I wanted to go back and then hit the internet cafe to play games..."
Ji Eggers gave Lu Mingfei a flick to the forehead. "Stop playing games. You know today is Sunday; this is the day your spirituality is most abundant. It would be a waste not to train!"
Lu Mingfei covered his head and made a bitter face. "No~ School has been holding make-up classes lately, I don't even have any free time to play..."
"Wait until you promote to Sequence 7 before talking about that. Now, hurry up and go perform your role; you are digesting way too slowly!"
"Oh, alright... Geez..." Lu Mingfei walked downstairs, his voice trailing off.
"Hmm, Boss? Do you have any instructions?" Xia Mi opened the door, poked her head out, and whispered.
"Hmm." Ji Eggers took a stack of US dollars from his trench coat pocket. "Take this. Consider it an advance on your salary. Uh, many places might not accept US dollars right now, so you'll need to go to a bank to exchange them first. Buy a few sets of clothes suitable for a girl; it wouldn't do for someone as good-looking as you to not have nice clothes."
Stars twinkled in Xia Mi's eyes as she took the money with both hands and shouted, "Wow! You're a big spender! Little Xia Mi is so lucky! I'm going to go on a shopping spree! I'll buy dolls, figures, and food!"
"...You really are a grounded dragon. Go buy one for me too; I want an Asuka figure."
Before long, Xia Mi returned wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a light yellow long skirt, holding a plastic bag in her left hand, which contained a red box and a blue box...
Ji Eggers covered his face, speechless. "Seriously? I asked you to buy me an Asuka, why did you bring back a Rei Ayanami?"
Xia Mi had bought a Sakura and a Rei Ayanami.
"Hehe, Little Xia Mi didn't hear you clearly..."
"..."
I don't believe a First Generation Species wouldn't have heard clearly.
...
Huanya Building
Jude Mai lay on the bed, stretching her body, then hugged Su Enxi, who was busy making money nearby, causing her to let out some kind of strange, unknown sound.
"Potato Chip Girl, why do you think the Boss won't let Three-No come over? She's been waiting for so long."
Su Enxi tried to push Jude Mai away, but after trying a few times and failing to move her, she gave up.
"Sigh... How would I know? Maybe he's afraid the little white rabbit will have too high standards later? Maybe he's cooking up a special plan for Three-No?"
Lu Mingze suddenly appeared in the room.
"Phew... You guessed right, my girls~ If we can't make our little queen make a stunning entrance, then the 'King' might not be interested later on."
Su Enxi and Jude Mai were long accustomed to Lu Mingze's sudden appearances, but if Lu Mingze suddenly appeared before them, it was likely because...
"Hmm, the Boss appeared suddenly again; there must be new orders, right? Sigh... I'm so tired~" Su Enxi lay back; it was unclear whether she had fallen asleep or died...
"Mmm~ That's true, my girls~ Enxi, go look up information on the Chen family. Since that person has helped us take care of my brother, we must return the favor..." Lu Mingze smiled evilly.
"Maiyi, the information in Japan is left to you to collect. Be careful; I cannot provide too much help there, or I will be detected. However, if you encounter danger, don't hesitate to call me directly. You are my most beloved girls, and you must keep working for me~"
Jude Mai's face rarely lacked an obvious expression; she simply nodded. "Understood... Boss."
Lu Mingze slowly became transparent until he completely disappeared...
"Potato Chip, given Lu Mingfei's current state... do you think he will still choose..."
"Maiyi."
"Hmm?"
"The Holy Spirit is an indispensable part."
Jude Mai shook her head with a bitter smile, her face revealing sadness. "Yeah..."
...
An ancient bronze gate rose from the ground, and of course, the figure familiar to us emerged from within.
Ji Eggers held a compass in his hand, his expression quite troubled. "Damn! This thing is unreliable. Is this really an item of the Fool Pathway? It can't even divine a location. Where the hell is that Chen family? Forget it, let's go back for today..."
Ji Eggers slowly landed on the ground.
"You are looking for the Chen family; we happen to have their information." Dressed in a black tuxedo with a faint smile, Lu Mingze appeared before Ji Eggers.
Ji Eggers lowered the right hand he had just raised and shrugged. "Many books say that trading with a Demon won't bring any real benefits..."
Lu Mingze closed his eyes and shook his head, a look of disdain on his face. "That's because they didn't pay a sufficient price. You are different; you are worthy of obtaining this intelligence. However, let me confirm: you are looking for that vessel of the Black King, right?"
Lu Mingze snapped his fingers, and a file folder appeared in his right hand. He threw it forward, and the file folder spun through the air until a hand caught it steadily.
Ji Eggers examined the file folder and nodded silently, tacitly agreeing with Lu Mingze's statement. Inside were several sheets of paper filled with writing. "Looks quite official... You're really giving it to me?"
"Consider it compensation for taking care of my brother..."
"Fine."
Lu Mingze bowed and prepared to leave.
"Wait! Let me ask you something."
Lu Mingze, having his spellcasting interrupted, didn't look too happy, but he still sighed. "Sigh, ask away."
"Are you the Black King?"
"...No."
"Is Lu Mingfei the Black King?"
"No..."
Ji Eggers smiled and said in a low voice, "Heh, I understand. The Deputy Monarch of Heaven, is it?"
"What?" Lu Mingze was a bit confused.
"You are not the Black King, and Lu Mingfei is not the Black King. You are not the Black King, but the Black King is... you..."
Lu Mingze fell silent. He stared at Ji Eggers. After a good while, he smiled—a very sinister smile. "From now on, we can establish a formal partnership. Let's talk; we can pull that old thing down from the throne..."
...
'Do you want to escape from this place?'
"Who!" Chen Motong woke up from her sleep with a start. She had heard a voice coming from somewhere unknown, but after she sat up and looked around, she saw nothing unusual... The room was decorated very well. Among her many siblings, she had always received the best treatment and resources; no matter what conditions she had, the family would satisfy them, except for leaving.
She didn't like this home...
'Do you want to escape from this place?'
The voice sounded again, deep, solemn, and majestic.
"Who exactly are you?"
Chapter 19: Overcoming the Final Fear
Gloom, cold, fear...
Chen Motong didn't know how to describe this feeling; it was as if she were in the cold universe... all was silent... it was too quiet... like being abandoned in the cracks of the world.
'Prove your courage to me, and I shall show you the way forward...'
"Who are you! Come out! Stop playing ghost!"
The still-young Red-haired Miko stood on the bed, her long red hair smooth and tidy.
'Prove it to me... prove it to me... prove...'
The voice in Chen Motong's ear grew fainter until it vanished, but she couldn't relax at all.
Chen Motong lacked a sense of security. Her Mother's early death and the 'Profiling' ability she was born with made her sensitive and withdrawn. She disguised herself as a lively Miko who was indifferent to everything and gave herself the nickname 'Nono'.
She stood on the bed for a while, realizing the voice really wasn't coming back, and lay back down, but she didn't dare close her eyes; she was afraid that something terrifying would appear in the dark night.
Chen Motong didn't manage to fall asleep again until morning, which caused her mental state to be poor... her originally smooth hair also became slightly messy.
That voice... what on earth was it? Prove? How to prove? Do I really have a chance to leave this place?
...
This manor of the Chen family was stored in a special Nibelungen. Without sufficient prerequisites, it was impossible to use items from the Fool Pathway to divine its location. What surprised him was that the Chen family actually possessed alchemy technology capable of modifying a Nibelungen, but that didn't stop him...
It feels so good~ The feeling of scaring others makes my humanity erupt!
Ji Eggers used the Darkness Uniqueness to conceal himself, following behind Nono as she got up. He very shamelessly took advantage of Nono sleeping at night to use the authority of Concealment to play ghost, scaring Nono until she couldn't control herself.
Not a breath of death could be felt; there was even a certain gentle feeling. This Nibelungen was quite special. The people living inside probably didn't even know where they were, but well... controlling this Nibelungen was still very simple...
Ji Eggers crouched down, extended his left hand to stroke the ground, and Pale light gathered at his fingertips.
"Alright, let me see what kind of choice you will make? Chen Motong..."
The Chen family might have many such manors, but certainly not every one existed within a Nibelungen... When it collapses, what will you do? Will you show a reaction appropriate to your current age... or will you listen to the 'Justice' in your heart?
...
Ugh... I'm so dizzy... Damn! It's all because of that voice last night! It scared me so much that I didn't dare close my eyes for the second half of the night.
Nono shook her head and yawned, "Ha... forget it. If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster; if it's a disaster, it's unavoidable. Better go eat breakfast. Hmm? What is this?" A piece of black, hard square paper fell from above in front of Chen Motong. She looked up, but didn't see anything.
Hmm... the sky is very blue...
Chen Motong picked up the square paper and found words written on the back.
'If the world collapses, and you have a chance to stop it.'
'What would you do?'
"What? What does this mean? The world collapses? How is that poss..."
Chen Motong widened her eyes. She associated it with the voice from last night... Prove? Prove my courage? She turned her head to look around, wanting to find the source of this piece of paper... This was obviously a futile effort; the culprit was right behind her.
There were over twenty children in the entire manor, including Chen Motong... How pitiful... Controlled in this place, given sweet dreams, yet unaware they were experimental subjects.
A jet-black crown appeared in Ji Eggers' hand. Now, let the collapse begin.
0-18, Black Emperor Pathway Sequence 2 Duke of Entropy, can slightly distort rules.
The crown slowly rose into the sky, and the entire Nibelungen was surrounded by overflowing power. A few figures emerged from various places; their target was the crown floating in the air, but as they were about to touch it, their bodies were twisted... severed limbs of hands and legs fell everywhere.
Heh heh, I knew there was still something hidden. You want to influence a Sequence 2 level item? You'd need at least a humanoid Dragon King for that, right?
Ji Eggers found a place with a good view and, in a state of Concealment, constructed a high-backed chair to sit and watch the collapse of this Nibelungen. If Chen Motong couldn't find the exit within the specified time and close 0-16 through the backdoor he left, he would take the children who knew nothing in this manor out while destroying this place.
Perhaps staying in the Chen family was best for them... but there will always be someone who wants freedom.
After going out, whether they want to contact the Chen family or hide away, I will give them my blessing of Concealment. I hope their situation will be better in the future... After all, I came for Chen Motong... So, what will you do?
"What is going on? That thing? Is that what I need to prove? Prove what!" Nono looked up at the crown in the sky with an urgent expression. She saw those figures being twisted into unrecognizable chunks of meat, and she felt the world was collapsing...
"Right! That piece of paper!" Nono took out the black square paper, placed it in her palm, and began deep Profiling.
Nono saw a person wearing a hood and a black robe, but when she tried to see the person's face, it was blurry...
'You think pretty fast. At your age, I thought you would need someone else's reminder to realize this card... You have two choices: find my messenger and open the escape passage, which can only let you leave yourself; or... you can choose to stop that crown. I have placed the key to stop it in a certain place. I wish you make the choice I expect...'
Chen Motong lowered her head, panting heavily. The deep Profiling took a great toll on her. "Ha... ha... stop that thing... should I do this..."
Chen Motong was very distant from her half-siblings; they could be called familiar strangers. Since childhood, she had always received the most resources and the best training from the family... Socializing was not in her training range.
Several figures appeared nearby; one of them must have used the Word of Power, Mirror Image. "Miss, please come with us. The Master ordered us to protect you at all costs. We can leave this place through the back door."
"Leave... what about the others?" Chen Motong raised her head and asked.
"Their value is far inferior to you, Miss. They are resources that can be discarded at any time. You are very important, please leave with us quickly."
Chen Motong pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment. "...No... I cannot leave... unless you take the others with you."
"Then, excuse me, Miss." One of them stepped forward, wanting to knock Chen Motong unconscious and take her away by force. Before his hand touched Chen Motong, a skeletal arm reached out from the void and grabbed him...
"What is this thing! Quick! Use Time Zero!"
The bronze gate opened beside them. The powerful suction and the Pale arm reaching out from the door dragged them inside, not even giving them time to activate their Word of Power.
Nono knelt on the ground, eyes wide, covering her mouth. She couldn't believe what had just happened before her eyes.
Ji Eggers leaned his hands on his knees, stooped over, and whispered, "Cheating or taking shortcuts won't do, Red-haired Miko..."
...
Nono had studied knowledge related to dragons, but she had never seen a Word of Power released in that way. What on earth was it?
She stood up shakily from the ground and sat on a flower bed nearby.
Must find the key to stop that thing... otherwise everyone will... but, how to find it? Where would it be put... 'Prove courage', courage...
When she was young, she saw her Mother's soul being taken away when she died. At that time, she was expressionless when her Mother died, not shedding a single tear. Others said she was a cold-blooded person.
From then on, she was very afraid—afraid of loneliness, afraid of parting, afraid that one day the god who took away her Mother's soul would come for her.
"Mom... will you give me courage..."
Chen Motong looked at the crown in the sky, her eyes gradually becoming firm. "I need to find that messenger first... where would it be, Mom?"
In fact, the messenger was in Chen Motong's room. Ji Eggers didn't know where to put the messenger either; it would be troublesome if he put it somewhere Chen Motong couldn't find, so he simply let it hide under the room.
The solution was very simple... there was no key at all. When Chen Motong touched the crown, the crown would close. Ji Eggers had set Chen Motong as a friendly unit that would be affected but not harmed.
But she needed to overcome the fear of death to touch the crown. Perhaps she had already guessed it...
The reversed Justice card represents unfinished business, unfairness, dishonesty, and sticking to conventions leading to failure.
She needed to break it, to flip the upside-down Justice... to touch the truth.
Becoming a Beyonder is not that easy... Humanity needs to constantly contend with the potion... Without abundant humanity to support it, one will only become a Monster under the influence of the potion.
I hope this matter can give you sufficient humanity... Chen Motong...
However, well, how to touch the crown hanging high in the sky... It must rely on the messenger mentioned by Ji Eggers.
Chen Motong was running in the huge manor... The order had been broken, and the whole manor was in a mess. People were fleeing everywhere, but when they ran a certain distance outside the manor, they would find that they could see the scenery outside, but couldn't get out.
The fake sky was falling, the earth cracked open, and a strong wind blew in the Nibelungen. The elements in this area had already been disrupted.
"Where... could it be... ha... ha..." Nono was very familiar with the environment in the manor, but she had searched the whole manor and hadn't seen any suspicious places... except...
"My room!"
With a bang, Nono pushed the door open and rushed into her room. On her dressing table lay a bronze whistle that was out of place with its surroundings.
Nono walked up quickly, picked up the bronze whistle, and examined it. "Is this the messenger? Or the key? Whatever... not much time left."
Nono put the bronze whistle to her mouth and blew it. The whistle didn't make any sound, but Nono knew the messenger had come because the whole room became eerie and dark.
One, two, four, more and more bones floated up from the ground, forming a skeletal dragon under Chen Motong's eyes, but because it was too tall, its head went through the ceiling...
"Dragon?"
Nono tentatively stretched out her right hand to touch the giant dragon.
"Can it be touched? But why did the head and wings go outside..."
The giant dragon, with its head through the ceiling, lowered it to look at Nono. Pale flames burned in its eyes...
"...Can you take me to where that crown is in the sky?"
The giant dragon nodded and then walked through the wall out of the room. Nono quickly ran out to follow. She saw the giant dragon crouching on the ground, shaking its head toward its back.
"Thanks..."
...
Countless figures were beating and shouting at the boundary of the Nibelungen.
"Let me out! I am an heir of the Chen family... I cannot die here!" Similar shouts came one after another...
These poor children or servants of the Chen family had been instilled with the ideology given by the Chen family. There were indeed those with superior bloodlines, but the Chen family wouldn't spend a huge price to save them. This Nibelungen had already been sealed by Ji Eggers.
The attempts made by the Chen family outside were only to get Chen Motong out.
"Wait... look there! What is that?!"
Many figures turned to the direction the person pointing was shouting. They were stunned because they saw... in the distant sky, a dragon made entirely of bones and the distinct red figure on its back... It was Chen Motong...
A boy crouching on the ground was the first to recover. "What's the situation with that dragon? Can it fly when it's all bones? On its back... is that Chen Motong?"
"Ugh! Can you not fly so fast!" Nono lowered her head and hugged the back of the bone dragon because it was all bones, and it hurt her.
She raised her head, squinting against the wind pressure. The crown was right in front...
Suddenly she felt herself enter a strange domain. She looked at her hand, and the picture she saw was stretched to a strange angle. Her arms became very long, and then seemed to become very short.
"Ugh... is this the influence of that thing..."
The bone dragon hovered in the air, about ten meters away from the crown. Chen Motong stood up and turned to look at the figures on the ground.
"Hoo... come on..."
Every step she took was precisely on the dragon's skeleton as she started running. Her skirt was lifted by the wind and then elongated by the distortion of the crown. Her last step landed on the dragon's skull, and she leaped with all her might.
The length of time seemed to be distorted in this area as well... That leap should have been very short, but now it was frighteningly long.
"Hum..."
Chen Motong's fingers touched the crown. She smiled, smiling very reluctantly and ugly... The crown made a deafening humming sound. She was pushed out by a repulsive force, and then she saw the finger that had just touched the crown begin to dissolve from the tip—first the skin, then the muscles, and finally the bones, gradually spreading to her whole body. Chen Motong just disappeared into the air like that.
The bone dragon, biting Chen Motong's clothes, also gradually disappeared.
"Not bad... Miko..." Ji Eggers stood up, broke free from the state of Concealment, snapped his fingers, and shattered the barrier of the Nibelungen.
"Got another one. Hmm, now I can go home..."
Chapter 20: Justice
"Boss! What do you mean! Why her room—" Hmm, what's that sound... Am I not... dead? "Oh... the other rooms haven't been tidied up yet. When she wakes up, we'll change her room..." The voice became clear... No!
Nono opened her eyes.
"Hmm... a strange ceiling?" Why did I say that... Where is this?
Nono propped herself up by the bedside and looked around. Hmm, this room has good lighting, but it's not decorated much—very plain. From the style of the vanity, it should be a girl's room... There are figures of Sakura and Rei Ayanami on the bookshelf next to it?
"Hey! Pervert boss, that red-haired girl is awake! You brought her back! Go explain the situation! Then get out of my room!" In the corner of the room, on the sofa, a brown-haired girl in casual clothes pushed the young man in black sitting beside her...
Nono couldn't help but look back at that brown-haired girl, simply because she was stunningly beautiful. If the limit for beauty was 100, she was a 250...
"I can see that..." The man in black sighed, covering his face.
Did they save me? No, he... I feel a bit familiar with him... like... like that square piece of paper!
"Are you... that person?" Nono frowned, her voice trembling slightly.
"If you mean the person who took you away from that place, then yes, it's me," Ji replied with a smile.
"You made the right choice, Nono. If you had chosen to flee alone, I would have saved everyone who deserved to be saved, but you wouldn't have had the chance to join us."
"Fear is a biological instinct; courage is the hymn of humanity. You faced the threat of Death for those who weren't even that good to you. You are very kind."
"I have fulfilled my promise and taken you away from there. Chen Motong will no longer exist in this world. Now, only 'Nono' remains." Ji raised his hand, signaling that Nono could speak.
Nono opened her mouth and said hesitantly, "...Thank you. Is everyone okay?"
"Those who shouldn't die didn't die."
"I see... You said join you? What do you mean?" Nono perked up and began tidying her hair on the bed.
Ji pushed away Xia Mi, who was flailing at him, and walked to Nono's bedside to crouch down. "Literally. Now that you've broken away from the Chen family, where else can you go? You can only rely on us to support you, so you have to work for us..."
The girl paused her movements for a moment, then continued, "I don't have a Word of Power, so I can't be of much help. I don't know why you're looking for me, exactly... Well, I might be able to guess."
"You are very special. You can tell from your family's attitude towards you, right?" Ji pulled a comb from his jacket pocket and handed it to Nono.
"Thank you. I hope you won't mind me being a burden. After all, you have such great ability..."
"Heh, there are plenty of benefits to following me."
"Hey! Red-haired sister! Don't believe the pervert boss! He's just painting a rosy picture! I haven't seen a single benefit yet!" Xia Mi, sitting on the sofa, shouted.
Ji stood up, walked to her side, and gave her a flick on the forehead. He turned to Nono and said, "My name is Ji Eggers. You can call me Ji or magistrate. From now on, I will be your master. You also have a senior brother—actually, let's go with junior brother... Anyway, this good-looking shorty is called Xia Mi."
Xia Mi swatted away Ji's hand from her head. "Who are you calling a shorty! I'm still growing..."
"Yes, I can tell." Ji narrowed his eyes again.
"I'm going to get angry..."
...
In the living room, Ji sat leaning back on the sofa, with Xia Mi and Nono sitting opposite him. They had just come out of Xia Mi's room because Ji said he had something to announce.
"Ahem, first of all, I'll address something you're both curious about: what exactly am I..." Ji pointed at Xia Mi, who was still eating ice cream. This made her put it down and listen very seriously.
"Well, it's actually quite simple. I come from another world. Some kind of high-dimensional power brought me to this world..."
"Huh?" "Hmm?" Xia Mi and Nono were both confused.
"I joked before that I was Death, and it's actually close. Currently, no one in this world holds more authority over Death than I do. And this power comes from the supernatural system of my world, 'potion'."
"By consuming different potions, one can become a Beyonder in various fields. Through acting, digestion, rituals, and so on, one gains Beyonder authority..."
"We divide the Beyonder Pathways into 22, and each Pathway is divided into 10 Sequences. The smaller the number from 9 to 0, the stronger it is. Each Pathway is represented by a Major Arcana card from the tarot cards." After speaking, 19 tarot cards appeared in Ji's hand. He looked at the two focused girls opposite him. "Nono, pick one from these. That will represent your Pathway. I will guide you into the Beyonder world."
"Wait a minute, Boss, what about me~" Xia Mi flashed a sweet smile, her voice turning gentle.
"Nono is here because she only has us to rely on. You haven't earned my trust yet. We'll talk after we've spent more time together... For now, just watch."
"Damn it!" Xia Mi leaned back huffily.
"Um... aren't there 22 Pathways? There only seem to be 19 cards here," Nono said, observing the cards in Ji's hand.
"Yes, keen observation. A few of the 22 Pathways aren't very good—I don't mean the abilities are bad, but the acting methods aren't great. I removed those cards and left only 19. Now, shuffle and draw."
Nono took the tarot cards. The backs were pure black with gold patterns, and the fronts were cartoonish...
She tossed them directly onto the coffee table, gave them a casual scramble, then pressed her index finger on a card and moved it out of the pile.
"Flip it over."
"Okay."
Nono grabbed a corner of the card and flipped it...
A goddess with a cold expression, symbolizing Justice, sat on a stone chair. She held a long sword in her right hand and scales in her left.
Justice.
'Ding, mission complete. Distributing the materials for the Thinker Pathway Sequence 9 Spectator potion. No extra bonus, keep dreaming~' The bastard system had come out to do its work again after a few chapters.
Justice, the Spectator or Thinker Pathway... Heh, Spectator paired with Profiling? Will there be some level of enhancement?
Ji picked up the Justice card and showed it to Xia Mi and Nono. "Justice represents the Spectator Pathway, or the Visionary. This is a support-type Pathway in the early Sequences."
"You have a special ability called 'Profiling,' right? The Spectator Pathway is actually very similar. By becoming a Spectator, you will possess outstanding mental strength and keen observation. Everyone will seem like actors performing on a stage to you. However, it lacks direct means of defeating enemies; you can only guide and control the direction of the enemy's thoughts through the information obtained from observation."
Nono sighed. "Sigh, I actually quite hate Profiling. This ability lets me see everyone's secrets... I've never been very well-liked because of it since I was a child..."
"Yes, but we need you to use these abilities. Just don't use them on us; your mind won't be able to handle it. Ah, you can use it on your junior brother, but don't go too deep. He went to take an exam today. Speaking of which, it seems summer break starts after the exams? When he gets back, you can ask him any questions about Beyonder knowledge. I've told him a lot..."
"I know I can't use it on you... but who exactly is this sacred being?" Nono tilted her head at Xia Mi, who also tilted her head and smiled at her.
"king of earth and mountain, or rather, the King of Greed and Shut-ins..." Ji said expressionlessly.
"Hey! What's that for!" Ha Ji Mi hissed as usual.
"Ugh!... Unbelievable." Nono still knew what that title represented—one of the four great monarchs of the Dragon Race...
"You two digest what I've said. I'm going upstairs to concoct the potion for our Red-haired Miko. Oh, right." Ji stopped in the stairwell and turned to Xia Mi. "Xia Mi, come with me to Japan during the summer break. I need to get something from there..."
Nono asked Xia Mi in confusion, "Why does he call me Red-haired Miko..."
"Who knows?" Xia Mi took a scoop of the unfinished ice cream and stuffed it into her mouth. "This guy definitely isn't right in the head."
Are the smaller Sequences stronger? What would you be... Death, Sequence 0?