Chapter 146: Blocking the Bizarre Torment

One human, one dragon, one deer, and one angel sat behind the curtain, and on the table in the middle lay two items.

"So what is this thing for, a trophy to collect?"

The so‑called eye stone is actually a stone shaped like an eyeball; it looks crystal clear and flashes with a bizarre violet light.

"My lord, this is actually the Eye Demon's core. Though it has undergone my holy purification eighteen times, it has not truly died."

If it hasn't died, does that mean it can still be rescued?

But I'm an adult male in an otherworld full of monster girls; why would I need an Eye Demon that masters hypnosis, enchantment, mind‑control, and has a bunch of tentacles?

……

"Um, so… I'm just asking, if you act, can you revive it?"

Xi Er Wei Ya simply shook her head.

"As an angel, my magic generally only works on living beings; even the gentlest part, when applied to a berserk creature, is already at the limit of its power."

"For a bizarre lifeform like this… sorry, I am powerless."

True enough, my honey, his arsenic; casting holy light on a person heals, but casting it on a ghost would just cause real damage, wouldn't it?

Then he turned his gaze to the other two colleagues.

"I can't even manage to sleep twenty‑five hours a day myself, how could I possibly do something like that?"

"Supreme Deity, this truly exceeds my capabilities; after all, I've never seen an Eye Demon, and even if I could conduct bio‑engineering, there are no samples now."

"My lord, I don't know why you care so much, but according to my clan's records, for an Eye Demon to revive it must absorb a great deal of bizarre and filthy qi."

In the end, Xi Er Wei Ya, who knows a bit about the Eye Demon due to her work, gave the answer.

"So if you truly wish to revive it, you could try your luck over at the ancient battlefield."

Ji Ming pondered for a moment.

"Then if we don't revive it, what purpose does this eye stone serve?"

"I know that."

Bu Long Fei Er De lifted her head, a thick book—tiny for her—clutched in her claws.

"The eye stone can amplify mind and spiritual spells; according to the folklore I read in a book these past two days, it seems the Lion‑Heart King died because of it five hundred years ago."

"The Lion‑Heart King was lecherous and flirtatious; in the end a high‑tier eye‑stone‑wielding succubus seized his mind, forcing him to restrain his temperament."

"The succubus died shielding him from a political assassin, but the hypnotic effect remained, turning him into a maniac who obsessively attacked succubi seeking psychological comfort—a pervert."

?

Wow, this history is really wild!

If that time‑traveler senior found out, wouldn't he jump out of his grave in fury?

"Wait, where did you get this book?"

"I read it in my spare time; Lord Will gave it to me."

That's too biased, why didn't you give me a copy to read?

【You have received a compressed package…】

Hold on, not that one.

【Received】

Ahem.

No one in the startup knows such spells, so this eye stone is essentially useless.

"Fine, then keep it as a collectible."

He tossed the sole hope of reviving the Eye Demon into the storage, and Ji Ming glanced at the mana conduit nearby.

"And this one—can it let us contact the so‑called Strange Council?"

"Yes."

One can only say that having an elder at home is like having a treasure.

Having a group of old folks whose combined ages approach twenty thousand years, helping with schemes, means they know every obscure piece of knowledge.

Xi Er Wei Ya did not touch the conduit directly; she first wrapped it in mana.

"Considering we don't know the origin of such an item and its previous owner was an Eye Demon, I wouldn't recommend using it under normal circumstances."

"But…"

She controlled the mana and pushed the conduit before Ji Ming.

"As a Supreme Deity, you are immune to all mind and spirit attacks; compared to you, they are negligible."

"Is that so?"

Ji Ming certainly didn't touch it directly; he first consulted the little boss for confirmation.

【If you want to play, just play a bit; just be careful not to kill the other side.】

Sure!

Thus Ji Ming's hand passed through the mana barrier and directly grasped the conduit.

Good news: nothing happened.

Bad news: nothing happened.

Xi Er Wei Ya could only add.

"You need to try releasing mana to communicate with it; that way you can establish a long‑term link with the other side."

Aaar!

I get it, I get it.

So this is like a telephone line, the other end a chat group, right?

Ji Ming chuckled, drawing mana from his sea of awareness to his fingertips, and touched the conduit.

In almost an instant, this ultra‑abstract magical conduit reversed its flow and connected to his own Sea of Consciousness.

After waiting quietly for less than three seconds, a tentative, high‑pitched voice came through.

【Who are you?】

【I am your father.】

Only the devil knows how much effort Ji Ming had to swallow that line.

He activated the curtain's built‑in concealment, warping his voice and amplifying it on a vast scale.

【I~am~your~father~】

???

The person on the other end of the line clearly froze for a moment, actually doing the math.

【I am 1,238 years old this year, so my father is…】

【Scram, you dare toy with me, a great Lich!】

There was nothing to hide, so Ji Ming had already set the conversation to public broadcast.

Listening to that comical voice that sounded like a little mouse, the four of them remained calm but felt a bit uneasy.

But the bumbling Lich at the other end kept clamoring, and its quality was low; two out of three sentences were laced with profanity.

【Damn it, this is Big Eye's communication channel—how did it end up in your hands? Damn, what did you do to it?】

【I warn you, our Strange Council is extremely powerful; including the Chairman, there are seven entities in total, each a great power of the Strange Realm!】

【You stinky dog can't provoke us; put Big Eye back now, and I might spare your life instead of kicking your butt hard!】

No, I haven't spoken yet—how did you already spill your own secrets?

Ji Ming pondered for a moment, then had a flash of inspiration.

【Heh, so powerful—unless your Strange Council can… possess a Stitch Monster! Otherwise you're just a swarm of ants.】

The Lich didn't hesitate and said hurriedly.

【Tch, what's a Stitch Monster? Our organization has Blood Clan; you're certainly not as strong as us!】

【Ew~ Blood Clan, such pale, pitiful stuff, is disgusting. Don't you have any stronger ones, like Beastfolk?】

【Ridiculous, what filthy lowly Beastfolk? We have a Titan Zombie! Have you ever seen the sentient intelligence born from a Titan corpse?】

No, that's just plain stupid, one set, one standard.

Ji Ming waved his hand and began jotting in his notebook.

【Pah, flesh‑giants are outdated; now everyone prefers stone giants!】

【What, as if I've never read a novel? The current version's answer is clearly a mother‑type Spider Queen!】

Amid the quarrel, Ji Ming and the Lich were like a pair of competitive children.

The Lich clearly didn't see the problem, and Ji Ming had just decided last night to call himself eighteen, so he wasn't embarrassed; after all

—It doesn't matter, I don't care about face.

Only that the racial information he revealed was basically false, while the Lich's statements…

【Bastard, you dare question me; I swear on my life box!】

Fine, it's probably true.

Finally.

【Dragon? What does a dragon matter? Our Chairman is a world‑rare Wendigo Archmage!】

One, two, three… seven, that's enough…

【No more?】

The Lich spoke too hastily and, very humanly, gasped several times.

【No more!】

【Thank you】

【Thank…?】

While the other side was still pondering what that thank you meant, Ji Ming quickly shut off his own microphone.

He rotated the panel, displaying the list of the seven members of the Strange Council before everyone.

Lich, Blood Clan, Spider Queen, Shadow Feather Person, Eye Demon, Titan Zombie, Wendigo…

"How about it, what do you know about these races?"

Xi Er Wei Ya extended a finger and divided the seven races into four groups in a 3‑1‑2‑1 pattern.

As a fantasy world with countless races, Yangyue naturally has its own classification system.

By type, they can be divided into six categories: Spiritfolk, Beastfolk, Humans, Subhumans, Magical Beasts, and Strange.

By innate talent, they split into six: Gray Tin, Black Iron, Refined Steel, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Like the goblins that have been rampaging in dungeons lately but are unwelcome in civilized lands.

Low talent, low potential, poor appearance—basically the weakest among the Subhumans, belonging to the Gray Tin sub‑race.

And the Leopard People, who have set foot in Yangguangcheng and even formed their own faction.

Their base white stats are higher than other Beastfolk, and they possess the unique skill "Immovable Claw," making them the Refined Steel sub‑race of Beastfolk.

As for the half‑elf who, despite a crippled body, can instantly slay countless bandits and has taught Ji Ming many combat techniques…

Having a trace of elf blood, they are already extraordinary, thus belonging to the Bronze sub‑race of Spiritfolk.

The Lich, Blood Clan, and Spider Queen in the Council also belong to this tier of the Strange, serving as the world's mid‑tier combat power.

Above Bronze, the Silver races—aside from pure‑blood elves—are mostly the result of bloodline mutations.

They are often regional lords with ruling‑level combat strength.

For example, the Wolf King who has been campaigning across the Savage Plains recently is what's called a Steppe Werewolf.

There are also the Shadow Feather Persons in the council; as a Feather Person variant, they belong to this group as well.

As for the Golden race, they are the beings that reside at the summit of the pyramid.

Eye Demons, Divine Favored, the current royal families of the various nations, the Golden Elves of five hundred years ago…

If history were extended indefinitely, they might look the same, but for at least a hundred years forward and backward, they are absolutely lofty.

Beyond these twelve intersecting classifications, there are two exceptions.

One is the Human race; like boiling water, their instability—whether mixed blood or chance encounters—can cause their bloodline talents to change.

Although their foundation can only be considered average, they are the black iron ranked alongside beastfolk such as wild rabbits and woolly sheep.

But their potential is limitless; regardless of rank, a human presence can exist.

The other is the "Legend" that has completely transcended the mundane world, even looking down on communicating with mortals.

They are few in number but have extremely long lifespans, so a mere flap of their wings can leave a mark in history.

Among them are dragons, angels, as well as Titan giants and Wendigo.

However, given that the one in the council is in the form of a Titan zombie, it may have already fallen to the Golden.

After the three colleagues before him finished analyzing the bizarre council, Ji Ming fell silent for a moment, then asked.

"If they were to attack us right now, what odds of victory do we have?"

"If we engage in close combat outside, we might fight to the bitter end and lose."

"Then what if it happens inside the dungeon?"

"With infinite energy plus infinite teleportation, they are inevitably doomed to lose!"

Damn, I thought it was a big deal, but it's just this.

"Very well, then I can rest easy."

With the numbers in his mind, Ji Ming now had room and courage to act.

He changed his sitting posture.

【You, speak!】

The lich, slow to realize, suddenly blurted out a line.

【Scammer, aren't you trying to trap me with words!?】

There was no hesitation at all.

【No】

【Indeed, only an even more shameless bastard can defeat the lecherous Big Eye!】

Amid the sound of objects being overturned and shattered, the lich gritted his teeth.

【You you you… you're finished, I'm going to report to the Chairman right now!】

But before he could finish, the other end of the communication channel was filled with a rather rich voice, as soft and warm as velvet.

【Little Bone, are you in contact with Zavala?】

【Chairman!】

The lich's voice sounded extremely delighted, as excited as if he had first recognized a wild father and then found his real father.

【Quick, Big Eye has been taken by them, and they're still trapping my words…】

The voice abruptly stopped, because in the next moment that feeling was clear, as if a heavy presence had connected to the line.

Then came

【Hello, friend】

Big boss is online?

Ji Ming furrowed his brows and sat up straight again.

【Hello, not-so-friendly friend】

The other's words were laced with thorns, yet the Wendigo's smile did not fade.

【Heh, some great being, I think there may be a misunderstanding between us】

【In fact, our bizarre council is just a loose organization; Zavala is an overly curious and impulsive Eye Demon who often acts alone, exploring unknown lands. We have tried to persuade him, but we didn't expect that a single failure to convince him would cause trouble.】

Such a clever line of speech not only threw themselves out, but also gave the Eye Demon a small escape.

Ha, a blood‑scented big deer head with a magnetic voice is indeed amusing.

If Ji Ming hadn't watched some anti‑scam videos and knew that a voice has nothing to do with a person's appearance, character, or stance, he might have truly been duped.

【If by "curious and impulsive" you mean luring surrounding creatures to ambush my fortress, I think our communication can end here.】

【So he actually caused such a huge disaster?】

Wendigo's voice trembled slightly, as if surprised.

【We are truly sorry, but we hope you can at least return his Eye Stone to us】

【I am willing to come and apologize, also to come and give thanks, and to present a sufficient amount of compensation and gratitude gifts】

The subsequent apology sounded sincere, and it proactively mentioned material compensation.

Every concern and every genuine feeling made it seem like a loyal, reliable, caring elder for companions.

—If Ji Ming did not notice, a subtly wrapped malice had been transmitted.

Just like the Eye Demon described by Sylvia, this group of high‑rank bizarre ones always likes to add extra terms during negotiations.

Unfortunately, this time he met not a legendary angel, but an absolutely unoffendable Supreme Deity.

So Ji Ming took a wooden fish from his chest, blew on it, and quietly picked up a wooden mallet.

Wendigo kept striking while the iron was hot, continuously transmitting psychic suppression while also coaxing.

【I am glad you are willing to consider seriously, so when can I come to pay my respects…】

Buzz~~~

……

Legendary beasts are indeed powerful; an ordinary weirdness hearing that would make one reincarnate immediately, yet Wen Di Ge only paused his speech for a moment.

Friend, you should believe my sincerity.

Amid that extremely strange, soul‑rending pounding sound, the mighty being that killed the Eye Demon pretended to be completely unaware.

What are you saying? I do believe you.

Zha Wa La, you fool, what on earth have you provoked!

The strange Chairman tried to resist, but one side was fully mobilizing its spiritual power while the other merely tapped a wooden fish intermittently.

In the clash, it is obvious who can outlast whom.

Helplessly, the Chairman could only utter a line.

Please consider it carefully again; I look forward to your reply.

Then the communication was closed.

"How is it, Chairman, have they agreed to release the big eyes?"

Beside the long table stood a little skeleton bound by black chains; from its bone structure it seemed to have been just over ten years old in life, the very lich who had previously challenged Ji Ming.

But unlike other liches, she wore not a black robe but an exceedingly elegant aristocratic dress, smooth silk adorned with gold threads and gems.

Raising his towering, mountain‑like frame, Wen Di Ge released the magical chains.

"It may still take some time, Ma Er Sha, but I will strive to rescue our friend."

He lowered his grim, terrifying skull, exposed like a rotting corpse's bones.

"So in the meantime, you must try not to cause trouble, understand?"

Saying that, he tapped Ma Er Sha's head with a fingertip thicker than her arm bone.

"Understood!"

The little lich was delighted, like an innocent, carefree girl.

Wen Di Ge slowly left, and as he stepped out the gate, two towering grassland werewolves stood there.

The Wolf King swept the wasteland, having already exterminated eighty‑one rebellious Tribes in succession; as fellow grassland wolves, they felt honored.

Yet when they saw Wen Di Ge emerge, they immediately lowered their raised heads in humility.

"Has the High Priest finished?"

"Hmm…"

"Remember, take good care of the lady."

Winter in the southern Wild Plains always arrives unusually early; Wen Di Ge lingered only briefly before vanishing into the biting cold wind.

After a long while, Ma Er Sha finally withdrew her gaze.

She hopped to the cliff edge, her hands carefully pressing against the rail.

"Everyone, push harder; many friends are waiting for us to awaken them!"

Below the snow‑white cliff wall, not a forest nor a sea of flowers, but a mass grave filled with corpses.

Flower leopard people, wild werewolves, leopard‑cat people, fully‑armed human mercenaries…

Amid the haphazard wreckage were even centaurs riddled with wounds and strange werewolves.

But now, they are merely raw material for the lich's undead army.

Countless skeletons moved through, dragging hard leather armor, slicing frozen flesh, constantly emitting creaking sounds.

Yet these nauseating noises could not cling to the clean cliff and were scattered by the cold wind, falling into filth.

Just like Ji Ming, his face twisted, biting his clothes while stitching his own calf wound.

After dealing with the strange council's affairs, he patrolled the dungeon once and hurried back to the Clinic.

When he swung open his bedroom door, he felt dizzy and accidentally stepped on the trap set last night.

He then recalled that, although tonight's events were as numerous as cattle hair, he had originally hidden in the dungeon to avoid disaster.

As the night passed, there was no assassination, no negotiation.

Nothing happened, as if An De Lu had completely forgotten me, truly…

Yay!

Now the dungeon is a pile of troubles again, and there are upcoming internal test items to prepare; the trivial matters of Sunshine City are better left fewer.

"So my sweat is from the hard stitching, and at worst it's tears of emotion, definitely not tears of pain!"

Even though my qi and blood have risen considerably, and the trap at the door serves mainly as a warning with little force.

But even if the clamp on the leg doesn't break bones, a result of skin tearing and flesh ripping is inevitable.

He stitched the wound a little, Ji Ming thought, and instead of using SpiritGathering Liquid he applied Rejuvenation Third Generation, then wrapped the gauze.

"Ah, how unlucky."

Dragging his still‑cautious injured leg, he sat behind the counter with paper and pen.

That so‑called 'dangling hair' An De Lu, wasn't he just worried his father was earning too little?

Fine, I'll fulfill his filial piety and conveniently raise the price!

So when AdaiEr arrived at the Clinic carrying breakfast, before she could ask the doctor about his leg, she stared wide‑eyed at the price list.

"Doctor, why have the prices suddenly jumped fivefold?"

Except that Rejuvenation Fourth Generation still costs twenty silver coins, all other medicines and treatment procedures have risen across the board.

Even the cheapest, Rejuvenation First Generation, which only required twenty copper coins per use, has vanished from the price list, discontinued entirely.

"Um…"

His face hidden in shadow, Ji Ming's tone carried three parts world, three parts shooting, and three parts returning qi…

Alright, he had a frantic cough for over ten minutes in advance, successfully hoarsening his throat.

"In the middle of the night, a fellow practitioner came to pick a fight, saying my prices were too low and interfered with their earnings."

"That also can't just be……"

"Enough, let this matter end here."

The shorter the lie, the fewer the loopholes.

Although the therapeutic effect of the Three Generations of Rejuvenation is far inferior to SpiritGathering Liquid, this wound is meant to be kept as evidence, so no matter what, I have to keep it on my leg for a day.

So throughout the morning, patients could see the limping Doctor Ji Ming, and hear his hoarse voice tinged with a bit of guilt.

"Ah, let the price hike be, doctor, don't blame yourself."

"This is the Inner City; even if Doctor Ji raises his prices, no other practitioner is more expensive."

"Indeed, just show your support and it's done!"

Thus it was clear that Ji Ming had earned several times more money.

In the patients' mouths, it became Doctor Ji's benevolent heart as a healer; clearly he raised the price but it was still cheap.

In the passersby's ears, it became Doctor Ji arguing firmly, battling several Lemon Sprite practitioners, and ultimately suffering a regrettable defeat.

When the small peak began at noon in the tavern, the dwarves clinking cups was none other than 'Rebirth Divine Doctor in the City'.