Chapter 256: Proficiency in Basic Special Energy Affinity

After handing over the matter, Constantine looked at Ma Ma Zhaodi: "What do you say? We must depart tomorrow morning. Do you have a place to stay?"

"I have money." Ma Ma Zhaodi waved his hand and said, "Do you know where there is an inn nearby? I can stay there."

"Fine, I'll take you there."

At the foot of the inn, Ma Ma Zhaodi declined Constantine's invitation to share a meal; he had long heard of this legendary figure's indiscriminate nature. According to his understanding, Constantine's narrow fetishes fell into only three categories: men, women, and non-humans.

Ma Ma Zhaodi's definition of him was: as long as it was a humanoid living thing with eyes, he might be able to get his hands on it—of course, those with a cock but no eyes would do too; as long as it looked good, there was nothing Constantine dared not fuck.

If this guy were reincarnated into the Warhammer universe, he could at least be rated as a Champion of Slaanesh.

"Alright." Seeing his invitation rejected, Constantine sighed with considerable regret: "Can I borrow your hat to study? This is the first time I've seen this type of magical artifact."

"Can anything that ends up in your hands run away?" Ma Ma Zhaodi laughed: "Given your reputation, I wouldn't even dare to think of an equivalent exchange transaction method, because you are a top-tier expert in deceiving people."

"Can't you give me a little trust?"

"Oh, I absolutely believe your conduct style and the rumors in the Jianghu are exactly the same, even exceeding them."

After bidding farewell to Constantine, Ma Ma Zhaodi checked the information on that "Namus," but It did not seem to be a recorded demon god with a name in occult classics. This led Ma Ma Zhaodi to basically confirm that the opponent was a native evil spirit born in the human world—meaning It could use one hundred percent of Its power to harm the human world.

This was not good, very not good.

On the night Ma Ma Zhaodi returned home, Constantine did not sleep.

He sat quietly by the window, lighting another Ska-brand cigarette for himself, gazing at the darkening streets, the bustling crowds and traffic. The dim streetlights shone on his profile, illuminating his dazed expression.

He saw a girl holding a spray can on the street; that girl was very beautiful, so Constantine kept staring at her graffiti outside the window.

Memories intertwined with the present reality, reminding him of his girlfriend Emma, who was on the other side of the world.

Lester thought she was in America, but she was actually not there.

She was dead.

Constantine stared at the street, sitting like this all night. The glow of the cigarettes flickered like fireflies, one after another, shining until the east turned white.

The next morning, Ma Ma Zhaodi received a call from Constantine—he had come to pick him up to depart.

It was already past nine in the morning. Ma Ma Zhaodi was still browsing Shangcheng. After learning what kind of thing they were going to deal with this time, of course he had to look for corresponding items; after all, there were still some small differences between fighting ordinary people, fighting superhumans, and fighting ghosts.

"Where are we going?"

"To find an expert—an anthropologist, though he also dabbles slightly in the occult." Constantine drove leisurely, flicking ash out the window with one hand: "Maybe a bit crazy, but his knowledge is reliable."

"Sounds good." Ma Ma Zhaodi flipped through the occult book in his hand.

Constantine glanced at the book in his hand and let out a disdainful laugh: "Stop looking at that thing; it's useless, pure nonsense for beginners. If you really follow what's in there to deal with evil spirits, you can just wait for your corpse to be collected."

"I know." Ma Ma Zhaodi continued flipping through the book: "I want to see if there is anything useful inside, after all, I spent several hundred dollars on it a long time ago."

"Damn, your money is so easy to earn."

Actually, since hearing Lester explain the ins and outs of the matter yesterday, the "Starving Glutton" quest had already been completed. Ma Ma Zhaodi had already obtained Proficiency in Basic Occult Knowledge, including some basic occult common sense and the simplest ritual formulas. At this moment, he just wanted to confirm how much of a rip-off the three classics he had bought earlier were.

After driving for a while, Constantine suddenly spoke again.

"Actually, buying fakes isn't entirely a bad thing. You might not know, but people in the circle know how dangerous these things are—this isn't a child's toy. If a toy's quality is a bit poor, at most it will cause a loss of money, but people outside the magic circle had better pray they never encounter a real magic book in their lives."

"Your advice is probably too late." Ma Ma Zhaodi replied: "I have already learned quite a bit of real occult knowledge; I can't forget it even if I wanted to."

After pausing for a moment, he continued: "But I am very clear that humans should maintain awe in the face of the mysterious; I never intend to accept gifts with unclear price tags."

Constantine looked deeply at Ma Ma Zhaodi.

"Smart." He said: "Magic and miracles are never free—but in my opinion, if it's not magic, then what about your hood and candy?"

"Oh, they don't seem much like magic, more like rules." Ma Ma Zhaodi replied: "In other words, they count as 'magic with fixed prices'."

"Magic with fixed prices—I've been in this circle for so many years and have never heard of such a good thing."

Constantine stopped speaking there, but in his heart he thought that people who signed contracts with demons also thought those contracts had fixed prices, but in reality, the devil's parchment always had more than one layer.

He vaguely had a guess that this man in front of him seemed safe and sound, but perhaps he just hadn't paid the true price yet—just like one of Constantine's old ritual friends, known as the Master of Paradox Magic, Zatanna.

Ma Ma Zhaodi did not notice Constantine's thoughts at this moment; he was looking at his own quest panel.

【Ding】

【You have a new gig available, please check】

【Trace the Source】

Quest Introduction: No one expected, no one expected, that this disaster spreading rampant in London actually originated from a scumbag friend located in Tangier. Having such a five-star good citizen who constantly thinks of the motherland is truly a blessing for Great Britain.

Note: The standard procedure of a suspense drama is for one question to lead to another. Although the answer to the first question is clear, more questions have sprung up—who exactly is this boy from? Who used this method to pour the evil spirit into his body? And what is the reason for doing so?

Status: Pending Completion (0%)

Reward: Proficiency in Basic Special Energy Affinity—Single Energy Type Limited】

Not bad, the system's reward is not bad. Ma Ma Zhaodi looked at this reward with satisfaction. If he guessed correctly, after finishing this gig, he would unlock his mana bar.

【Proficiency in Basic Special Energy Affinity—Single Energy Type Limited】

Price: 100,000 US Dollars】

Note: The source of energy lies in bloodlines, so don't ask why it unlocks mana instead of magic power—look on the bright side, at least you can be the first half-immortal in DC.】

(End of Chapter)