As the members of Section 6 moved into the distance, the string of tension in Xu Xiaoyou's heart finally slackened.
She hadn't expected that even after she had edited Bai Zhou's memory, the other party had still nearly recognized her. Was it fair to say that the senses of a grade 4 were truly that sharp?
If they knew that the luminous prism grade fixer appointed by the association, Dark Gold Rose, was actually just a person who had only recently touched the threshold of grade 3, one wondered what kind of expressions they would make.
Xu Xiaoyou shook her head. She had no time to think about such matters for now. The voice of the Heart of Desire was almost exploding in her ear; she could practically conclude that Anya was currently near the courtyard.
Judging by the abnormally flickering character card, she determined that Anya had once again fallen into a state of losing her sanity and had used some method to hide her presence. With the members of Section 6 nearby, she had to find her before this ticking time bomb that was Anya exploded.
Xu Xiaoyou quickened her pace, passing through the porch and meticulously searching every possible corner. Many house servants in the main courtyard noticed the girl walking in a hurry, but since the master of the courtyard had specifically reminded them of the golden-haired girl's status as an honored guest, no one stepped forward to stop her.
As she passed in front of a study, Xu Xiaoyou heard the conversation of two people coming from behind a screen.
"How is the distribution of the primordial blood going?" one person asked in a drawn-out tone.
Xu Xiaoyou's heart stirred. She used 【Breath Concealment】 and 【Optical Camouflage】 to hide her presence and form, then walked into the study. She saw two figures sitting cross-legged opposite each other behind a screen; one figure was thin and gaunt, while the other was unnaturally swollen.
"My Lord, the distribution is almost complete," the other person's tone carried a hint of fawning. "Whether it's those outsiders or the people on the island, most of them have consumed water sources containing the primordial blood."
Primordial blood?
Xu Xiaoyou recalled Fren from half a month ago. In her final moments facing her, Fren—who was hated by countless people—had begun transforming into the form of a primordial fish-man due to the power of a curse. The final result of such a transformation was becoming a mindless, bloodthirsty primitive fish-man species.
Furthermore, this person's voice sounded somewhat familiar to Xu Xiaoyou. She remembered now; it was the guy who was talking to the production team director on the bridge last night: the owner of this courtyard.
The former nodded with satisfaction. "Well done. I imagine the miracle is about to be triggered."
As if thinking of some extremely interesting scene, that person first let out a few soft hums, then suddenly began to laugh uncontrollably. It eventually evolved into a manic laughter that echoed through the room for a long time, refusing to dissipate.
"Those idiots who heard the Siren King's story still have no idea what they are about to face. Just thinking about that scene is amusing. The world's greatest artistic masterpiece is about to be born. Just wait and see."
Xu Xiaoyou stepped out from behind the screen and clearly saw the appearance of the two men.
The former wore dark red robes and sat before a tea table, one hand resting on his knee. Large sleeves adorned with plum blossom patterns hung down. Beneath fire-like long hair, his features were narrow and long, his expression gloomy. Between his fingertips, he held a woman's cigarette, flicking the ash.
Von Jay!
She recognized this man as well. When she had first arrived at the Star of Art, he had brushed past her. He had once blown up the entire stock exchange, creating a shocking explosion. Diesel Winter, a member of the board of directors, had died in that incident. He could be said to be the initiator of a series of disturbances, and he had been a fugitive ever since.
His face at this moment was very different from the original; he must have used some kind of voice mimicry or disguise technique back then. However, his gaze had not changed. Just like when he was cornered by the tuners back then, his eyes were dim, as if they were pupils that had lost all color.
News reports said this guy's whereabouts were unknown. She hadn't expected that after that incident, Von Jay would change his face and continue to operate in the shadows, only to meet again on this island.
Opposite Von Jay, the courtyard owner's appearance had changed since last night. His skin had turned a greenish-gray, and his gaze had become somewhat turbid.
After a brief silence, the man's words carried a few hints of hope:
"My Lord, I have done everything you asked. Is it possible to..."
"Of course. Take it. This will completely suppress your fish-man bloodline. From now on, you can stop being an ugly fish-man."
As if giving alms, a trace of pity flashed in Von Jay's eyes. He produced a few pitch-black pills from under his long sleeve and tossed them in front of the man.
"The Supreme Lord on the Stars will equally watch over every follower and person of faith."
Xu Xiaoyou stared at those black pills on the ground. Under her gaze, the black glazed coating of the pills became transparent,
Curled up inside were white, chubby insects covered in limbs.
Were those insect eggs?
The man crawled over as if he had obtained a precious treasure and picked up the black pills, slowly putting them into his mouth. Hope was frozen on his face until a few seconds later, when he discovered that his body had not changed at all. In fact, fleshy membranes began to connect his originally normal fingers, and his body began to secrete mucus.
"This, what is going on?"
The man let out a terrified 'cluck' sound. In almost an instant, his vocal cords completely degenerated. Immediately after, he clutched his throat as large patches of skin and flesh fell from his body, and the bones inside grew sharp spikes that pierced through his skin.
"This..."
"Cluck... cluck..."
In the blink of an eye, the man's eyeballs protruded significantly, glowing with an eerie, clear yellow light. Accompanied by bursts of mourning howls, gray-green scales covered his entire body. His shoulders bulged high, green veins popping out like a small hill. His spine also protruded sharply, with sharp bones growing out, infinitely approaching the form of a primordial fish-man.
His throat rolled, and dark green saliva slowly dripped down, corroding the wooden floor into small circular holes.
He tried his best to speak, but he couldn't utter a single word. The gills on both sides of his neck vibrated frantically, oozing mucus. He reached out a monster-like long hand, his five fingers already fused together, leaving deep claw marks on the ground. He crawled toward Von Jay, as if making a final plea, emitting sharp and unpleasant guttural sounds.
Von Jay watched this scene with pleasure. He loved the way life struggled uglily. He said, "Now you can be an irredeemable fish-slave. The Lord of the Pole Star would never need a disgusting follower like you."
"So hideous. To escape your own race, you've betrayed your kin many times, haven't you? You truly are the most disgusting race in the world. You deserve to be cursed."
"I'll reject you on his behalf. Watching over someone like you would only dirty the eyes of the Supreme Lord."
The man, who had completely transformed into a primordial fish-man, lunged from the ground like a madman, letting out a piercing roar. However, he was kicked to the floor by Von Jay, knocking over the tea table and the screen. The ceramic collectibles on the shelves fell and shattered into pieces.
Ignoring the fish-man's reaching hand, Von Jay raised his foot and crushed the man's unnaturally swollen head. Mucus mixed with crimson and pale substances splashed across the entire wall.
"Still, I must thank you. To think that countless people will watch themselves turn into this form and cry out in sorrow... it is truly wonderful."
Von Jay flashed a smile. Countless playing cards flew up from beneath his feet, all of the suits corresponding to clubs. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the spot.
In the darkness, Xu Xiaoyou, who had witnessed it all, revealed herself. Looking at the tragic death of the man on the ground and recalling the conversation between the two earlier, her gaze shifted. The keywords 'Siren King's story' surfaced in her mind.
Knowledge is a miracle, but it is also a curse.
A possibility suddenly occurred to her. Right at that moment, a few strands of silver hair drifted onto her shoulder. A black-gloved hand reached out from the shadows behind her, suddenly covering her mouth. Another sickly pale hand with protruding blue veins clutched her neck tightly, its long fingers nearly sinking into her flesh.
"That familiar scent..." Angelina sniffed her presence and said with a dark gaze. "You..."
"Who are you?"
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