Chapter 3824: Members

Su Xiao leaned back in the single-seat sofa, only then feeling somewhat relaxed. Black Hole·Azule had consistently given him a sense of palpitations; that feeling that a slight mistake could lead to total defeat now seemed correct.

The commotion caused by Dancer·Fula'er's mental breakdown just moments ago had sent Serin rushing into the inner hall. Upon seeing the corpses of her family members, her aura faltered. The sight of them slashed to pieces made Serin cast her gaze toward Su Xiao. Seeing the dried blood trailing from Su Xiao's ear canal, she thought of something and asked tentatively:

"Mr. Bai Ye, is this woman... Black Hole·Azule?"

Truly one of the three candidates for the next generation of Moon Witches; not only was she not blinded by rage over the death of her family members, but she could also make a clear judgment based on the scene.

"Yes."

"Mr. Bai Ye, my family members, they died to deal with Black Hole·Azule, didn't they?"

Serin emptied two wooden crates and began to collect the remains of her family members.

"Black Hole·Azule is very difficult to deal with. It is thanks to them disregarding their own lives to hold Azule down that I was able to eliminate this formidable enemy."

"I... understand. I will convey all of this to the Patriarch. Also, thank you, Lord Bai Ye."

Serin, having finished collecting her clansmen's remains, bowed slightly to Su Xiao. As clever as she was, how could she not guess what had happened? That terrifying mental power outburst just now meant Black Hole·Azule could easily control the minds of these two family members.

Compared to being killed by allies for becoming the enemy's puppets, dying in battle against the enemy—with the result being the successful killing of this notorious villain—was clearly a more glorious deed. The subsequent compensation provided by the family to the families of the deceased would also be vastly different.

Understanding this, Serin said, "Thank you, Lord Bai Ye." It could be said that, aside from the fact that her being an admirer of Gelin·Gillian was a headache, Serin was the most capable among the three successors to the Moon Witch position.

Su Xiao opened his mission list and looked at the content of the third ring of the main quest, his gaze sharpening slightly. Last time he encountered Sha in the Reincarnation Paradise, he had sensed her Abyss aura. He hadn't expected that he would be opposing this old friend so soon.

If Sha truly became a mortal enemy blocking his path, Su Xiao would not show mercy. Both were technique masters, both were people accustomed to life-and-death confrontations. If he were to show mercy in a deathmatch, it would be the greatest disrespect, even an insult, to this old friend of the technique type.

If Sha really fought him to exhaustion and sat before him covered in blood, what Su Xiao should do was absolutely not let her leave like a stray dog because of their old friendship, but to strike with his blade, giving her the respect due to a formidable enemy in a life-and-death struggle. Press forward, win or die—that is the technique type.

Of course, this also depended on what state Sha was in now. If her heart had been completely eroded by darkness, then there would be no need for even half a moment of hesitation.

Closing the mission list, Su Xiao rummaged through his storage space and took out a photograph. In the photo, he was at a dining table with a plate of seafood fried noodles at his hand. Amu's mouth was stuffed with food, chewing contentedly. Beside Su Xiao, Xiang Bubu Wang had poked his head out to sneak a bite of half the seafood noodles. Although Su Xiao was holding him by the scruff of his neck with one hand, he hadn't let go of the noodles he'd dragged up, his eyes still fixed on the seafood noodles. At the adjacent seat, seeing this scene, Sha, who was holding a piece of roast meat with chopsticks, was captured in the middle of a hearty laugh.

Su Xiao placed the photo on the small round table beside him, tapped it with his index finger, and said to Serin, "Find her."

"Understood, Mr. Bai Ye. I will have them set out now. No, if there are no other instructions, I will go personally."

"Don't act rashly after finding her."

"Understood."

Serin picked up the photo and walked out quickly.

Su Xiao leaned back in relaxation. Only now did he have time to check the extra gains he had just obtained. He had killed Dancer·Fula'er while wearing the 【Old Hunter】 title, which triggered the loot effect.

【You have obtained a Loot Package (Upon opening, you can randomly seize one of Dancer·Fula'er's abilities and convert it into a skill scroll through the Reincarnation Paradise's notarization).】

【You have opened the Loot Package.】

【You have obtained Dark-Type Identification (Skill Scroll).】

【Dark-Type Identification, Lv. 1.】

Type: Skill Scroll · Knowledge Identification.

Prerequisites: Real Intelligence attribute 100+ points, Willpower 50+ points.

Skill Effect: After mastering this skill, you can identify the origin, characteristics, etc., of items with dark properties.

As a contractor, the initial feeling of obtaining this item was that it was a "chicken rib" (useless). Dark-attribute items with extraordinary characteristics would be preliminarily notarized 99% of the time, meaning their attributes could be viewed. Plus, this ability called "Dark-Type Identification" was incredibly expensive to upgrade.

The upgrade cost for this ability was between that of a normal passive skill and a technique-type passive. Such a high price caught Su Xiao's attention. Checking with his current Hunter authority, the result was that after this ability reached Lv. 50, one could choose an advancement.

There were two advancement choices: one was "Dark Object Formulation"—a system Su Xiao knew was very lucrative to develop—and the second was "Entry-Level Abyss Studies."

Seeing this result, Su Xiao decided to keep the "Dark-Type Identification" ability and invest enough resources to develop it.

The further he went, the more he could feel the connection between the Law-Extinguishing Shadow inheritance system and the "Abyss/Elements." The natural elements were fine, but regarding the Abyss, a slight carelessness could lead to immediate death. Therefore, having more understanding of this would allow him to avoid many risks in the future.

【Prompt: Detected that the exhibition match of this Golden Arena has ended. Your judgment related to the Golden Arena is about to be settled.】

【Hunter List·Blood Contract·Bounty 3·Golden Challenge.】

【Bounty Content: Become the champion of this Golden Arena.】

【Current Situation: Achieved.】

【Pre-paid bounty deposit: 2000 ounces of Space-Time Power.】

【Due to the "Hunter List·Blood Contract" multi-fold bounty + bounty adjustment, you will receive a bounty with a total value of 10000 ounces of Space-Time Power.】

【You have obtained Space-Time Stone Fragments ×450 (This is an equivalent, selling it to the Reincarnation Paradise can yield 4500 ounces of Space-Time Power).】

【You have obtained Secret Treasure Box ×2 (This item is equivalent to a value of 1000 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment).】

【You have obtained Brand Authority·Double Fingers (After obtaining this authority, your brand will add a "Stable Medium" effect, allowing you to wear two ring-type equipment simultaneously, and ensuring that the two ring-type equipment worn will definitely not interfere with each other. This is a permanent passive effect).】

【Your ring-type equipment slot +1 permanently.】

【Prompt: This authority is equivalent to a value of 4500 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment.】

At the First Tier, Su Xiao had wondered why there was only one equipment slot for rings, but as long as a ring was worn on a finger, it could trigger the ring's bonus. In this way, having only one slot for rings was simply useless.

Because of this, at the First Tier, in some situations, wearing several rings on one's hand could reflect a person's strength and wealth.

By the Second Tier, this situation disappeared. Ring equipment would interfere with each other; bonus invalidation was a small matter, but if things went wrong, interference bonuses could appear—meaning a contractor in battle might suddenly feel their strength weaken, then suddenly increase. In a life-and-death battle, such a situation meant certain death.

By the time they reached the Fifth Tier or above, any contractor knew that unless the ability's characteristics had bonuses in this regard, they would definitely only wear one ring or band.

In Su Xiao's view, the value of this additional ring slot was higher than 4500 ounces of Space-Time Power. In the later stages, it was all about the upper limit; having an upper limit slightly higher was a great advantage. Being able to acquire another Eternal-grade ring to wear now, the advantage was unimaginable.

There was no news from Sha for the time being, and the mission time limit was eight days. Su Xiao wanted to do some other things before Serin's family found Sha's trail. He took out his communicator to contact Caesar. After a moment, it connected, and he asked:

"Are the two of them in the Witch World?"

"Not here."

"300 ounces of Space-Time Power."

"Well, my dear friend, both Violent Rat and Toad have urgent matters. The difficulty of calling them here is too high."

"400."

"This is not a question of Space-Time Power."

"900, which is one or two days' time. You each get 300 ounces."

"My dear friend, I think, no matter what urgent matters Violent Rat and Toad have, they will rush here at full speed for the sake of their friendship with you."

Sky City·Top City, Ancient Sacrificial Ground.

This place was a circular venue several hundred meters in diameter, lowest at the center, with a very slight slope toward the periphery. The dense circles of ring-shaped steps on the ground made this slope very inconspicuous. Combined with the weathering of the rocks, it made the place look like a giant stone disc.

There were towering ring walls around it, with a relief carving every few meters. In the past, these were images of successive Moon Wizards, but at this time, these reliefs were all blurred, like half-melted candles.

A long time ago, Sky City was the place of origin for wizards. To this day, it remained one of the three main cities of the wizard faction, but it was extremely xenophobic. Civilians could enter and exit relatively loosely, but once it involved wizards, it was bound to go through layers of interrogation before they could enter Sky City, and they could only reach the Bottom City or Middle City. Outside wizards had no hope of entering the Top City.

The local wizard "Evil Mutation" probability in the Top City reaching 30% had long made the Moon Witch Guild and the Starry Sky Research Society in Moon Ring City vigilant. But as they were both of the wizard faction, they couldn't just fall out with Sky City directly. This was the place of origin for wizards; the oldest wizard families were all here, and there were even a few living-fossil-level old wizards.

Ash drifted over the ancient sacrificial ground. The giant vortex of dark clouds constantly rotating in the sky gave the place a sense of dimness and oppression, as well as an awe-inspiring ancient grandeur.

Three black vortexes floated more than ten meters above the ancient sacrificial ground. They were the original monitors of Sky City. As for who they would help, it depended on who had signed the initial contract with them. These ancient existences did not care about power or wealth, only valuing oaths, causality, etc.

These three existences were called "Council Elders." During the period when the Abyss invaded this world, the "Council" existed. By today, it had long since declined, but the status of the three "Council Elders" in Sky City was unshakable. Even the City Lord here had to maintain sufficient respect for them. There was also a saying that the three "Council Elders" were eternal and unchanging, while the City Lord of Sky City changed every few hundred years.

The ones who helped Sha master the "purest Abyss power" this time were these three. In return, Sha, who received this gain, had to avenge the former Twin Guards of the "Star Map Tower."

Mentioning the mysterious force "Star Map Tower" also involved the "Council." The "Council" was the predecessor of the "Star Map Tower." However, the "Council" was an alliance established to resist the Abyss invasion. After successfully resisting the Abyss and the world transforming into a transcendent one, the "Council," a force that was too powerful and chaotic, had no need to exist.

The "Star Map Tower" perfectly inherited the philosophy of the "Council," not pledging allegiance to anyone, existing only for the normal operation of this world. Moreover, its members were not judged by good or evil, as long as they did not violate the rules of the "Star Map Tower."

The known members of this force were:

Three Council Elders.

First Generation Sky City·City Lord (Deceased).

Ancient King.

King of the Great Swamp·Kalaiya (Deceased).

Death Witch·Doro (Deceased).

First Generation Black Hole·Azule (Deceased).

Strongest Filth-Bearer·Dark Prophet.

Moon Witch·Serithis (Former member, has withdrawn).

Dark Twins (Former reserve members·guards; after joining the Dark God Sect, they were expelled from the Star Map Tower's reserve member status).

Sha (Reserve member; needs to kill the Law-Extinguisher to avenge the former member·Dark Twins, and achieve the world's recognition to join).

Dancer·Fula'er/Madman (Reserve members; only one of them needs to become the true Black Hole·Azule to be eligible to join).

The ash drifting on the ancient sacrificial ground stilled. One of the three Council Elders spoke: "The Ancient King will awaken. Are we to interfere?"

The statement from one of the Council Elders caused the other two to speak one after another.

"No, it is... already time."

"The Evil Mutation is about to overflow."

"She has reached her limit. Everything is fated."

"Including the arrival of the Law-Extinguisher?"

"Perhaps, yes."

"He is the Heaven-Chosen, how dare we pry into his fate."

"No, he is only the Heaven-Chosen who possesses the 'World Stone,' not the only one."

Silver Moon Port·East Side, in a small town about 40 kilometers from Night City.

The cool summer night gave this small town a sense of tranquility. In a small noodle shop that was still open at midnight, there was only one customer. She wore a black robe and a hood. After finishing a bowl of noodle soup, she held the bowl with both hands to drink the broth, then threw the empty bowl onto a stack of bowls over a meter high.

With bandaged hands, she wiped the oil from her mouth with her palm. She reached into her bosom with one hand and pulled out a handful of paper money from her pocket. After tilting her head to look at it, those pitch-black eyes narrowed slightly. She tilted her head to the other side in confusion, then clumsily pulled out the largest denomination with two fingers and pressed it onto the table.

It could be seen that although she was unconventional in ordinary times, she was still very reasonable. She had to pay for what she ate; even while being eroded by Abyss power, this point was remembered by her.

"Customer, you paid too much..."

The noodle shop owner had only said half a sentence when he found that the customer sitting there had suddenly disappeared.

Almost simultaneously, in the shadows on the top of a three-story building opposite the noodle shop, a man blended into the shadows whispered repeatedly: "My lord, target disappeared! Target disappeared!"

At this moment, in front of the abandoned clock tower in the small town, Serin took off her communication headset, ignoring the target disappearance her subordinates kept repeating inside. Of course she knew the target had disappeared, because this target was ten meters away from her, and had casually flicked away the black robe she was wearing.

She had not forgotten Su Xiao's instruction to her to not act rashly after finding her. The problem was, the enemy's perception was too keen; now it was unavoidable.

Serin looked at the woman opposite her—eyes pitch black, hair in a ponytail, wearing a black vest, with a powerful aura. Her figure was not strong, but her back had a sense of wild power.

"I've seen many people like you, gaining power quickly by joining the Dark God Sect. But you don't know that your power is a castle in the air. Today, I'll let you see what true power gained through hard cultivation is."

Serin looked at Sha opposite her with a half-smile. While saying this, she had actually quietly contacted the stronger wizard closest to her. Trash talk to stall for time—it seemed to be working.

Was Sha really the kind of person Serin described, someone who suddenly gained power and didn't know how to control or use it? Of course not. Sha had always been stuck by her own physique, unable to advance even an inch. But her obsession with close-combat techniques had never disappeared. When Sha broke through her limit, her Close-Combat Master ability level soared to Lv. 93, 6 levels higher than Su Xiao's Blade Technique Master level.

This was not luck, but accumulated through Sha's crazy cultivation. Now with the gain of Abyss power, she was bursting with potential. This was Su Xiao's former close-combat teacher; how could she be all show and no substance?

"Hmm? Scared into silence? I don't actually like fighting people. If you leave now, it's still not too late."

Serin hugged her shoulders, appearing arrogant, but her inner feeling was: 'Get lost right now, don't force me to kneel and beg you.'

"You..."

Serin had just opened her mouth when, with a "whoosh," she heard a sound of wind breaking. Her eyes turned silver, and her body's energy erupted. But at this very moment, Serin felt an embrace from behind. Two arms wrapped around her waist, causing her erupting body energy to dissipate powerlessly in an instant.

After being hugged from behind, Serin's vision went black, and she knew nothing more. When she opened her eyes again, she was already lying in a ward at the treatment center directly under the Moon Witch Guild in Moon Ring City.

The white thin gauze curtains were blown by the morning breeze. Serin blinked and wanted to sit up, but discovered with slight horror that she could no longer control her body normally. She could only control the parts above her shoulders, such as her arms, neck, head, etc. Her body below the shoulders had completely lost sensation.

"Lord Bai Ye, I... lost."

"..."

Su Xiao, sitting on a chair beside the hospital bed, didn't speak. Xiang Bubu Wang and Baja were both on the side. The supreme President·Po. Yeen was also there. Last night, Serin's distress signal was received by him. He arrived on the scene quickly, saw Serin lying on the ground unconscious, and found the traces left by the enemy. But the enemy had an ability to disappear into thin air. President·Po. Yeen decided to treat Serin first.

"Bai Ye, you tell her. I've watched this child grow up since she was small; I can't bear to tell her this cruel fact."

The President sighed, walked to the window, and looked out in a daze.

Seeing this, Serin was clearly panicked. She said urgently: "Isn't it just nervous system damage? The doctors at the treatment center will surely be able to solve it."

"One good news, one bad news..."

Before Su Xiao finished speaking, Serin said: "Tell me the bad one first."

"Your central nervous system is damaged. That's not the key. Dark matter has severely eroded your spine and nervous system, which is why the doctors at the treatment center have no way to deal with it."

"Then... strip away the dark matter first? And then restore the nervous system?"

"The doctors are better at healing; they have no way to filter carbon smoke, glue, etc., out of a cup of ink."

Su Xiao's simple metaphor made Serin's face turn a bit pale. She asked: "Then... what's the good news?"

"The good news is, I know a little about pharmacology, as well as treatment in this regard."

Hearing this, the light in Serin's eyes immediately returned. She said hurriedly: "Lord Bai Ye, you must cure me."

"That is certain," Su Xiao paused here, then continued: "However, my past patients... had some slight complaints about my treatment methods."

Hearing this, Serin asked tentatively: "Why is that? Is the treatment effect not good?"

"Not at all. They said my treatment methods were a bit... rough."

"Is that all? As long as the treatment effect is good, please don't be polite with me."

Serin's tone was resolute, and she nodded forcefully at Su Xiao to show her affirmation.

"Really?"

"Really! Just go ahead."

Serin's face was filled with a smile. Compared to the treatment process, she cared more about the result.

That night, 7:00 PM, in the rehabilitation ward.

The lights illuminated the room brightly. Serin, her eyes unfocused, lay on the bed. All her injuries had been healed, and she could be discharged tomorrow morning. But for some reason, the light had left her eyes as she lay on the bed now.

Seeing this scene, Alanna, who was taking care of her beside the bed, said: "Why don't you just cry it out?"

Hearing this, Serin almost broke down on the spot, tears filling her eyes, but she held them back and didn't let them flow. It could only be said that she was truly an admirer of Gelin·Gillian.

Night fell deep. Star Fall City, the most remote District 29, near the south side water tower.

In an antique shop on the opposite street, a young man dressed in noble attire and with a witty demeanor was chatting and laughing with the shopkeeper's daughter behind the counter. The young man's wit and humor made the shopkeeper's daughter's eyes full of smiles. It could be seen that both were full of affection, but both were reserved people and were too embarrassed to speak first.

Such beautiful love was reflected on a wall at this moment. In a wine cellar one kilometer away from the antique shop, Su Xiao, Caesar, Violent Rat, Toad, and President·Po. Yeen were all there.

President·Po. Yeen didn't come to help; he couldn't help with what was about to happen. So this time, he was purely here to eat melon and watch the show. This was very much in line with Po. Yeen's style.

Po. Yeen watched the projection on the wall for a while and asked: "Is your plan really effective? Even if that's not a true Original Sin Object, it's a pseudo-Original Sin Object between an Original Sin Object and a Misfortune Object. It can also involve causality."

That's right, Su Xiao's purpose here was the "Misfortune Scroll," or rather, calling it the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was more accurate. "Scroll" was just a name due to its appearance; "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was the name of this pseudo-Original Sin Object at the causal level.

When Su Xiao killed Soul Shepherd·Xun, the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" escaped before the causal line was completely fixed. Even so, it couldn't completely sever the causality with Su Xiao. This led to the Tree of the Void teleporting the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" to the Witch World after Su Xiao finished the Golden Arena. In the judgment, this was one of Su Xiao's kill gains.

The previous kill prompt showed that Su Xiao had "30 natural days of Misfortune Causality," meaning this causal line with the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" would be maintained for one month. If he couldn't catch the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" within a month, then this pseudo-Original Sin Object would escape this world and go find another holder.

Most Original Sin Objects had the characteristic of not moving their positions on their own. The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was actually the same. The reason it kept changing positions now was because it had just lost its holder. Once it entered a dormant period later, it would have to let Su Xiao find it.

For Su Xiao, who held the "Book of Original Sin," finding the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was only a matter of time. The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" seemed to know this too, so it took countermeasures, which was to find a holder in this world. Once this situation occurred, the causal line between the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" and Su Xiao would disappear completely.

With Su Xiao's research and understanding of Original Sin Objects, of course he knew this. If he couldn't even figure out the purpose of a pseudo-Original Sin Object, he would have long been killed by the few big daddies he held.

Since the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" had a purpose, one must never try to change it, but rather go with the flow. As long as one could deduce the requirements for the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" to choose a holder, the taboos it faced, and its weaknesses, the subsequent situation would be simple.

Taboo 1: The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" will not choose someone from the Paradise faction as a holder.

Taboo 2: The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" will not choose someone from the Wizard faction as a holder; after all, it is only a pseudo-Original Sin Object.

Weakness 1: The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" cannot leave this world for the time being.

Weakness 2: The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" doesn't have much time to move on its own, so the area where it is located is the best area for it to choose a holder.

Requirement 1: The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" also needs to devour resources, so its target choice tends toward a member of a medium-sized force, and it is best if they are a young person who dares to take risks and likes to challenge the unknown.

Requirement 2: The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" wants to leave this world as soon as possible, so it is best if this young person has left the Witch World and has channels to leave the Witch World later.

The young man in the antique shop right now met all these conditions: a future patriarch of a medium-sized force, had left the Witch World, and the position he currently held was rare energy gem trading, which would occasionally take him out of the Witch World.

Su Xiao didn't think the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" would miss such a suitable target. What he had to do was wait, and ensure that the young man had a space mark on him, so he could activate it at any time and appear near the young man.

The truly troublesome part was creating a space mark that wouldn't be detected by the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll." This was the responsibility of Caesar, Violent Rat, and Toad. How effective it would be depended on whether the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" appeared next.

"It's here."

Caesar, wearing the Abyss Jar, spoke. In the state of man and jar as one, his sensing of Original Sin characteristics was very keen.

Su Xiao didn't take out the "Book of Original Sin" directly. In the "Book of Original Sin," which had a total of seven pages, the Blood-Bathed Mad Demon was temporarily taken out to make room for the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll."

"Right now!"

Caesar shouted low. The next instant, the "Book of Original Sin" appeared in Su Xiao's hand, the space mark activated, and he teleported into the antique shop.

Hum!

The fluctuation of the "Book of Original Sin" spread. The "Misfortune Ancient Scroll," located in the space gap, was shaken out. Causal lines wound out, followed by the sealing formula of the "Book of Original Sin," which dragged the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" into the third page.

Original Sin fluctuations spread. When the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was completely dragged into the third page, Su Xiao closed the "Book of Original Sin" with a "snap." The young man and woman in the antique shop were just about to speak, but after Su Xiao glanced at them, the two immediately dared not move until Su Xiao walked out of the antique shop. Only then did the two let out a long sigh of relief.

Su Xiao got into a stretched luxury car by the side of the road. This was President·Po. Yeen's car. Just after getting in, Po. Yeen asked: "Did it succeed?"

"..."

After Su Xiao sat down, he opened the "Book of Original Sin" and displayed the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" on the third page. It could be said that the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was treated quite well. Its neighbor on the previous page was the Book of Necromancy, the one before that was the Collector, the neighbor on the next page was the Scarlet Scepter, and the neighbor on the page after that was the Nether Bone Ring.

Under the welcome... ah, no, it should be the encirclement of these four big daddies, the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" was very quiet, as if it had arrived at its "final destination." Simply put, look at how "happy" this pseudo-Original Sin Object was; the information data under its avatar was even a bit garbled.

President·Po. Yeen looked at the "Misfortune Ancient Scroll" sealed in the book page. He didn't know what to say for a moment. As a supreme being, this was indeed the first time he had seen a pseudo-Original Sin Object fall victim to a honey trap. ===== CHAPTER 3825 =====