Chapter 294

Swish!

The armor on his body vanished in the light, and the three Core Coins at his waist, as if possessing self‑awareness, re‑merged into Jiang Xia's body in a ripple.

Jiang Xia put away the Ouz Driver and walked toward the astonished crowd.

They had never seen such an Ouz before; it was an unfamiliar combination, and the power of that combination also shocked them.

Quan Xinwu, who personally witnessed Jiang Xia absorbing the coins, noticed at first sight that the purple coin was exactly the same as the Core Coin inside Huo Ye Yingsi's body.

"This isn't the place to talk; let's go back to the multinational restaurant."

"Regarding the dinosaur combination and the coins inside Huo Ye's body, Hong Shang has already informed me of the detailed information and the reasons for their appearance; I will now tell you the solution."

Jiang Xia looked at the now‑quiet park that had returned to tranquility and spoke to them.

Multinational restaurant.

Anku, unable to hold back his temper, was the first to ask:

"That kind of Core Coin I've never seen before—why would it appear inside Yingsi's body?"

Quan Bina and Quan Xinwu also looked over, curious; strictly speaking, they both have some connection to the Core Coin.

To demonstrate the effect of the dinosaur coin openly, Jiang Xia rolled up his sleeves and held both arms out flat to show them.

"You may not yet fully understand what happens when a human truly devours a Core Coin; the consequences are more severe than you imagine."

Compared to lecturing, Jiang Xia now prefers to speak with facts.

Having said that, he turned his head toward Anku and spoke:

"Anku, restore part of your right hand for comparison, to show the difference between Greed and a human body."

Anku nodded, likewise extended his right hand, and revealed what originally belonged to his true form.

"This is a human arm, this is Greed's arm, and what I will now show is the aftermath of a human devouring a Core Coin."

After their gazes all focused on Jiang Xia's arm, the surface of the originally human arm instantly ignited with purple flames.

This purple flame first was crystal‑clear and transparent, then grew ever darker, as deep and bottomless as an abyss, an extremely rich purplish‑red.

The purplish‑red tinted everyone's pupils and also illuminated their nearly frozen gaze.

Now Jiang Xia's human arm was covered in a monster‑like skin, purple‑black scales broke through the skin, black claws replaced the fingernails, and the bones began to swell.

Quan Bina covered her mouth with both hands, her face turned deathly pale, obviously frightened.

She had thought she had grown accustomed to Anku's right hand during this time, but now she realized she still felt afraid.

Jiang Xia's originally jet‑black eyes had turned purple to the extreme; he spoke in a slow, low tone: "This is the fate of a Core Coin that has long resided within a human body."

The surrounding atmosphere fell into an unnatural silence in an instant; a few seconds later, Huo Ye Yingsi finally spoke slowly:

"Will I also become Greed? It really seems difficult to handle."

"This is the worst possible outcome."

"These Core Coins are a fusion of the powers of all fantasy beings; they were born in modern times, and there are ten in total."

Jiang Xia placed his hand, now transformed into a claw, on the table.

"One of the Core Coins taken by the betrayal group's Makoto Kiyoto was activated, yet no new Greed was born,"

"but instead, here they selected vessels that matched their desires; the desire represented by these coins is none."

After hearing Jiang Xia's words, Anku pondered for a moment, looked at Jiang Xia, and asked: "Who holds the remaining Core Coins, and why must we prevent Yingsi from transforming into Ouz?"

"Makoto Kiyoto has three in his hand, I have four inside my body, and the purple yummy is something Makoto Kiyoto created."

"As for preventing Huo Ye from transforming."

Jiang Xia paused, then spoke:

"Because Huo Ye's desire has disappeared, once the dinosaur Core Coin inside his body rushes out, the probability of going berserk will be very high."

"Just like the king 800 years ago, friend and foe are indistinguishable."

Anku closed his eyes, his tone tinged with an indescribable sorrow: "Is there any way to prevent the berserk possibility, or to directly remove the Core Coin from Yingsi's body?"

"Yes, the way to control berserk is also simple: let Huo Ye Yingsi regain his own desire, regain the true desire that belongs solely to him."

"At the same time, this is also the safest method to expel the dinosaur coin from the body: as long as the desire is recovered, one can control the Core Coin inside and then expel it from the body."

"That way Huo Ye can return to being human; the key is to find what Huo Ye Yingsi's heart most longs for."

"If the Core Coin is forcibly taken from the body, you, as Greed's Anku, should know what will happen, right?"

"The body will disintegrate."

Anku closed his eyes and spoke in a heavy voice.

Jiang Xia glanced at Anku and continued: "Well, if the three Core Coins inside the body are all lost, there is an extremely small probability that Huo Ye's body will disintegrate into cell coins."

"So unless it's absolutely necessary, I won't use such a method."

After hearing Jiang Xia's information, Anku learned that forcibly extracting the Core Coin from Huo Ye Yingsi's body also carried that possibility, and he silently abandoned the stubborn plan he had in mind.

Even if the chance were only one in ten thousand, he would not want to gamble on it.

He understood the feeling of being Greed: the senses are in chaos, like a person trapped in a dark, narrow cabinet where they can never escape.

"Yingsi, you can no longer use Ouz."

Anku looked at the perpetually silent Huo Ye Yingsi and said:

It's hard to imagine such words coming from his mouth; before, he eagerly wanted yummy to appear every day, then have Ouz deal with them, so as to continuously obtain absorbed cell coins.

"That point doesn't matter."

Huo Ye Yingsi laughed and said:

"Even if I don't transform into Ouz, I can still help those in need before me just as well; I think that's enough."

He felt no desire at all; the urge to keep helping people might merely be an obsession in his heart—Anku watched the indifferent Huo Ye Yingsi and thought.

Can a person who has lost desire still be called alive? Without desire, without pursuit, ignorant and unaware, only able to act on instinct—of course they cannot be called alive.

After sharing the information about the Core Coins, Jiang Xia rose from his chair; now he should go retrieve the dinosaur Core Coin inside Makoto's body.

This way he has seven dinosaur hard coins inside him; the power to destroy core coins is too dangerous, so it's better to recover them as soon as possible.

However, when he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back.

There's one more thing.

Jiang Xia approached Anku and, without speaking, said: "Dinosaur core coin, because the desire it represents is nothing, so purple yummy can nullify ordinary core coins."

As for Greed, a casual strike from it can destroy a core coin.

If a conscious core coin is destroyed, you will disappear; in human terms, that is death.

"Protect yourself." Jiang Xia looked at Anku and said.

Yeah, I know, I'll be careful.

Anku glanced at Huo Ye Yingsi, who was working part-time in the store, and nodded at Jiang Xia.

There's a high chance it'll go out of control; even so, if that idiot lacks me, he'll surely have a hard time too.

Besides, I haven't finished my year's supply of ice pops; Anku watched Jiang Xia's retreating back and thought.

"Anku, there are no ice pops left today!"

Huo Ye Yingsi, who had just served the dishes to the customers, responded that no thanks were needed, and as he cleared the tray, he glanced at Anku and secretly opened the fridge.

Huo Ye Yingsi quickly ran to Anku's front to try to stop him.

Young Lady Shizi had already shown him the bill; the money Anku spent on ice pops was nearly equal to his wages. If this continued, he'd have to work unpaid here, and would surely be kicked out.

Although it was promised earlier—one ice pop per day for a year—now, reborn Anku only eats ice pops; at this rate he won't even be able to afford tomorrow's underwear.

Seeing Huo Ye Yingsi blocking the fridge door to prevent him from eating ice pops, Anku's eyes flashed a hint of red, he raised his right hand, revealing his claws, and said:

"This is what you promised; do you want to go back on it?"

"No, it's just that we don't have enough money now."

Huo Ye Yingsi scratched his head, "If you keep eating, Young Lady Shizi will get angry; the bill is a bit..."

"Hmph, that's something you should consider; move aside." Anku shook his hair, ignoring Huo Ye Yingsi's somewhat pitiful expression.

He opened the fridge door, proudly waving the ice pop in front of Huo Ye Yingsi, casually tore off the wrapper, and the cold sensation quickly filled his mouth.

Feeling short on money, he should go work; desire is extreme craving. He eats many ice pops, yet the desire to help Huo Ye Yingsi recover money actually dares to block me.

Watch me eat all the ice pops in the fridge tomorrow; Anku ate with a clear conscience while admiring the busy Huo Ye Yingsi.

"Come on, remember your desire, Huo Ye Yingsi." Anku withdrew his gaze, sat alone on a chair, and silently pondered.

Anku tasted for a while; he found the ice pop delicious, but for some reason he now felt a hint of confusion in his heart.

Looking at the ice pop missing a corner in front of him, Anku realized the information about core coins in his mind seemed outdated.

He obviously doesn't know enough about core coins; otherwise he wouldn't be stuck in a situation where he can't do anything now.

The light's shadows continually fell on Anku's lonely back, clashing with the lively atmosphere around him, as if he didn't belong to this world.

Just then, a clear female voice sounded from beside Anku:

"Anku, eating ice pops all the time is bad for your health; even if you love icy things, you should moderate a bit."

Anku turned his head and saw Quan Binnai walking over holding an iron tray.

"'I already' — the moment Anku saw Quan Binnai, he instinctively wanted to say, 'This is no longer your brother's body, but mine.'"

But after seeing that girl's genuine concern for him, Anku swallowed those words.

He said, "I know, this is the last one; I won't eat any more today."

"'Mm, Anku.' Quan Binnai left, satisfied."

In a corner Anku didn't notice, Huo Ye Yingsi expressed his thanks to Quan Binnai:

"'Besides Mr. Jiang Xia, only you can stop Anku from eating more ice pops; who knows how many he's had.'"

"'Mm, even Anku, eating this many ice pops will make his body feel awful.'"

Quan Binnai softly said, "Anku is actually very like my brother; in some ways they're practically identical, so how could a brother not listen to his sister's words?"

"'Great, this way we won't be kicked out; thanks, Binna.' Huo Ye Yingsi laughed and said."

"'By the way, why does Anku listen to Mr. Jiang Xia's words?'"

"'Mr. Jiang Xia is likewise invaded by a core coin in his body, right? Why isn't anyone worried about him?'"

"'His two arms have turned into monster-like forms; isn't that worse than Huo Ye Yingsi's situation?'"

Quan Binnai really didn't understand; obviously it's the same situation, yet everyone assumes Jiang Xia is the one who can solve the problem.

Whether it's Anku or my own brother, whenever some unsolvable problem arises, they'll immediately inform him; even though his body has been assimilated into a monster, he still fights just the same, and even my brother was rescued by him.

Just because of a casual remark, he fulfilled his promise—what kind of person is he?

Quan Binnai had indeed wanted to ask these things for a long time, but seeing everyone's reaction, they didn't seem too surprised.

Whatever Jiang Xia does is taken for granted.

"'I'm not really clear either; I just know Jiang Xia is a mysterious alchemist.' Huo Ye Yingsi thought for a moment, then spoke."

Quan Binnai half-understood, nodded, and continued listening attentively.

Huo Ye Yingsi continued: "Jiang Xia is different from most of us; from the start he seemed to know everything, just like Chairman Hongshang, who also knows Oz very well."

"'Right, you don't know Chairman Hongshang yet; now Oz's equipment, including this little guy, are all provided by Chairman Hongshang.'"

Saying this, Huo Ye Yingsi took out a green grasshopper can from his pocket; the grasshopper can flipped in his hand and began to transform.

"'I've seen the same thing in my brother's study.'"

Quan Binnai examined the bouncing grasshopper can in Huo Ye Yingsi's hand.

"'Well, as for why Anku listens to him, I think Jiang Xia might have some connection with the person who created the core coin that made Anku 800 years ago.' Huo Ye Yingsi guessed."

"'Oh, I see—core coins are created by alchemists, and Jiang Xia also practices alchemy; Anku's relationship to him is similar to that of creator and created.'"

Quan Binnai seemed to understand something, so nobody worries that Jiang Xia will become a monster, because he is the creator of these things.

"'I understand, thank you, Huo Ye Yingsi.' Quan Binnai nodded and smiled."

Traces of an Alchemical Art practitioner?

Jiang Xia had just stepped out of the international cuisine restaurant when they received a notification from Hongshang Guangsheng.

'That's right, it's in Germany, Europe.'

Hongshang Guangsheng's eyes burned with excitement as they said: 'Happybirthday Jiang Xia! Ancient Alchemical Art is about to appear again!'

'You're notifying me now; you don't expect me to go with you, do you?' Jiang Xia rubbed their forehead.

'Absolutely correct!'

'As a modern Alchemical Art practitioner, what kind of sparks will you create with an ancient Alchemical Art practitioner?'

Even through the phone, one could feel Hongshang Guangsheng's excitement,

'There won't be any sparks; ancient things aren't necessarily stronger than modern ones.' Jiang Xia said.

'That's indeed the case.'

Hongshang Guangsheng continued: 'Today is a very important day, so I've decided to give you a gift.'

'The day the relics were unearthed?' Jiang Xia asked.

He truly didn't know what was important about today; it had nothing to do with any holiday.

'No, did you forget? Today is the one-month anniversary of our agreement; as partners we should naturally celebrate grandly.'

Hongshang Guangsheng was in the office, on one hand showing off the dance he had just recently learned, on the other hand speaking to Jiang Xia.

'It's only been one month, Chairman, are you considering acquiring me so I can go to Europe with you?'

'No, this gift is something I carefully selected, a sincere celebratory gift; it should have arrived by now.' Hongshang Guangsheng refused.

From far away one could hear the engine's roar, and a few minutes later a sports car was right in front of Jiang Xia.

It was pure white, and when driven it looked like a silver light streaking across the sky.

Lizhong's sunglasses blocked most of her face; she wore a black tight-fitting outfit and a pair of high heels.

'This car is the gift the chairman gave you; please accept it.'

Lizhong pulled out the car key and respectfully said to Jiang Xia.

'The gift choice is not bad.' Jiang Xia said.

I guess I've indeed truly become wealthy now.

'Why didn't I realize this earlier?' Jiang Xia thought upon seeing the car.

(End of chapter)