Chapter 940

Su Xiao and the Wolf Butler locked eyes. If this were in the past, the Wolf Butler would not have felt any fear toward Su Xiao, and would have even been looking for an opportunity to eliminate him at any time.

But now, the way Su Xiao looked at him—as if he wanted to dismantle the Wolf Butler and study his construction—instilled an instinctive fear in the Wolf Butler. This was a fear that an alchemical creature could not escape, no matter how powerful it might be.

"Fascinating."

Su Xiao withdrew that gaze, and the Wolf Butler's tense body relaxed.

"Why, still not planning to take me to the treasury? Since you are Alice's alchemical creature, then my reward this time..."

Su Xiao's meaning was self-evident.

"Rest assured, I won't make you my subordinate; I will only dismantle you and use your parts to manufacture other alchemical creatures."

Su Xiao's words sent a chill through the Wolf Butler's heart. To a certain extent, he was indeed Alice's property.

"Follow me."

The Wolf Butler turned and walked into the wooden house, with Su Xiao following closely behind. His previous words were merely a warning to the Wolf Butler; the Wolf Butler's hostile attitude was too obvious, having reached the point of using loopholes in the rules to obstruct Su Xiao.

Facing this situation, Su Xiao certainly wouldn't ignore it. He had previously discovered that the Wolf Butler's aura was similar to that of an alchemical creature. As for whether the Wolf Butler was indeed an alchemical creature, Su Xiao was only guessing.

Unexpectedly, Su Xiao had guessed correctly. The Wolf Butler, who had been arrogant before, was no longer so arrogant now.

Since he couldn't establish a friendly relationship with the Wolf Butler, Su Xiao took a different approach, choosing to seize the other party's weakness.

As the saying goes, "a local official is better than a distant superior." While it is true that Alice is the false god of the ancient castle, the Wolf Butler is the game's referee and host. The Wolf Butler's hostility toward Su Xiao had already affected Su Xiao's normal acquisition of rewards.

If Su Xiao hadn't said those words, the Wolf Butler wouldn't have known how long to stand there. Su Xiao was the winner of the fourth game, but there was no rule specifying when the rewards would be distributed. It could be after the game ended, or perhaps hundreds of years later?

That was exactly the Wolf Butler's plan just now: to drag it out. Once the fifth game ended, Su Xiao would leave. It wouldn't be that he hadn't distributed the reward—the reward would be sitting right there—it would just be that Su Xiao "didn't have time" to go get it.

The Wolf Butler and Su Xiao both walked into the wooden house. The Wolf Butler twisted a lamp base on the wall, and the house shuddered, beginning to descend slowly, just like an elevator.

The wooden house's descent speed grew faster and faster. Su Xiao let out a long breath; the reward should be within reach.

"You are very knowledgeable about alchemy?"

The Wolf Butler spoke suddenly. Unexpectedly, his tone was no longer as hostile as before.

"Hmm?"

Su Xiao glanced sideways at the Wolf Butler. This question from the Wolf Butler held too many implications.

"Is this place not under Alice's surveillance?"

"..."

The Wolf Butler remained silent, which was effectively an admission. Noticing this, a strange light appeared in Su Xiao's eyes.

"Sure enough, one shouldn't give an alchemical creature too high an intelligence. No intelligent being would be content to be a slave, let alone an alchemical creature, which is nothing more than a marionette."

In Su Xiao's understanding, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was not a servant; Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was a teammate, which is why Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang would always fight alongside him.

"..."

The Wolf Butler remained silent.

"Give it up. If my perception isn't wrong, you have at least ten thousand restrictive alchemical arrays inside you. Wanting to gain freedom is simply impossible."

"Could it be... that there isn't even a glimmer of hope? I have forgotten how many years I have served as the butler in this ancient castle, receiving batch after batch of players. You players don't feel bored when experiencing this game for the first time, but I... I have long since grown weary."

The Wolf Butler pressed his hand against his chest, where his core was located.

"You want to betray Alice."

"Absolutely not. Queen Alice is my creator; I would never betray her, under any circumstances."

Su Xiao looked into the Wolf Butler's eyes. The other party didn't seem to be lying. This made him think: since the Wolf Butler didn't want to betray Alice, and wasn't tired of the game—judging by his previous performance, he actually enjoyed it—

Excluding those two points, and adding the fact that the Wolf Butler wanted to shed his identity as an alchemical creature without betraying Alice, there was only one answer: the Wolf Butler didn't have much time left.

No matter how high-level an alchemical creature is, it has a "shelf life." For example, the Alchemical Raven Su Xiao manufactured had a shelf life of only about half a month. Once the half-month was up, the Alchemical Raven would be scrapped. Even if a new one were manufactured, it would be a different individual life; the previous one would no longer exist.

The Wolf Butler's situation was likely similar. Su Xiao's alchemy might not be as strong as Alice's, but no matter how skilled an alchemist is, they cannot change one thing: they cannot extend the existence of an alchemical creature. This is an unbreakable rule; no matter how superb one's alchemy is, it is useless.

Thinking that the Wolf Butler didn't have much time left, Su Xiao felt a chill. He was considering whether the Wolf Butler might try to take him down with him before being scrapped.

Given the Wolf Butler's loyalty to Alice, which was distorted to the point of deformity, this wasn't just possible—it was highly likely.

Suddenly, murderous intent filled the descending wooden house. Su Xiao didn't show any signs of nervousness; instead, he took out a cigarette and lit it.

As the blue smoke drifted, the Wolf Butler, an alchemical creature with a cleanliness obsession, frowned.

"The possibility of you breaking free from Alice's restraints is slim, but alchemical creatures have the potential to evolve to a higher level. To be precise, it is a high-risk mutation: the process of mutating from an alchemical creature into a biological organism. This process is irreversible."

"Impossible. Queen Alice has already tried many times."

The Wolf Butler flatly denied it.

"Just because Alice can't do it doesn't mean the existence behind me can't. Where do you think I come from?"

"..."

The Wolf Butler nodded thoughtfully. Noticing this, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Mutation? Don't talk nonsense; Su Xiao had thought of this 5 seconds ago—it didn't exist at all. He had to stabilize the Wolf Butler now, give this alchemical creature hope, and make him abandon the idea of a mutual destruction.

If Alice and the Wolf Butler really went to try it, Su Xiao would congratulate them—congratulate them on exploring a field that couldn't possibly exist.

"Mutation is very rare because the risks are too high. For an alchemical creature of your level, once the mutation fails, no one knows what will happen."

"What is the specific process?"

The Wolf Butler's interest was piqued. Although the hostility in his heart hadn't vanished, in the Wolf Butler's view, Su Xiao now had utility value.

"The mutation is divided into three processes: decomposition, condensation, and mutation. The specific steps are not something I can disclose, and as for other information, that depends on my mood."

Su Xiao's thoughts raced. He couldn't keep making things up; with Alice's knowledge, a fabrication would surely be seen through. What Su Xiao could rely on was the mystery of Reincarnation Paradise.

Su Xiao was gambling—gambling that Alice didn't know about Reincarnation Paradise.

With the situation developing to this point, Su Xiao actually felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, he had taken the initiative to clarify the Wolf Butler's identity. If the previous state had continued, the Wolf Butler would very likely have tried to take him down with him before he finished the fifth game; after all, the Wolf Butler didn't have much time left.

PS: (Promoting a friend's book, title: "Rising Up Like a Demon.")