Li Aozi spoke calmly:
"So tragedies are unavoidable. This planet is filled with all kinds of such events. If you try to solve everything, you would die of exhaustion."
"...Thank you."
Caral Snail took the handkerchief and wiped the dirt from the corner of his mouth:
"Did I kill the wrong person, Li Aozi?"
"Probably not."
Li Aozi said casually:
"I can awaken the dead, so we’ll know then—if you need to turn him into a Corpse, and ask him if he ate people before he died?"
Caral Snail gaped.
He lowered his head and noticed his fingers were trembling.
"Do you need to?" Li Aozi asked.
"...I"
Caral Snail’s throat choked up.
’What am I afraid of?’
Seeing his state, Li Aozi nodded in understanding.
He very much understood all of this.
Previously participating in the task called "Soul Casino" was a very torturous thing.
The prerequisite restricted the use of Martial Force, and one had to witness various frustrating events, unable to resist, and could only watch as the tragedies unfolded.
Anyone, after staying in such an environnt for a long ti, unable to use Martial Force, would increasingly blend into the local culture, feeling increasingly empathetic.
Especially for high-level players like Li Aozi and Caral Snail, who always have their sensory simulations maxed out, the experience is indistinguishable from reality.
"Forget it."
Li Aozi didn’t want to torture this kid anymore, seeing him so tornted, he softened for a mont.
"—Let him speak," Caral Snail said.
"Hmm?"
Caral Snail clenched his fists, the rain wet his hair and stuck it obediently to the sides of his ears, as if it could block out the external noise.
"Let him speak."
He opened his mouth and said clearly:
"If he was involved, then naturally there’s nothing to be said. My self-defense and retaliation need no repentance."
"But if he did not partake in cannibalism, then it is my mistake, and I must recognize this."
Caral Snail’s gaze was resolute.
"...After all, you’re a Descender, is there a need to take this so seriously?" Li Aozi asked.
"I don’t know..."
Caral Snail raised his hand, and the rain couldn’t wash away the blood stuck in his fingerprints.
"Maybe I’m too imrsed in my role."
"Actually, you can’t change anything."
"That doesn’t matter."
Caral Snail clenched his fist, his gaze hardened:
"Co on."
Without another word, Li Aozi raised his hand, and the divinity of "Prison of Death" was activated, imdiately turning Valena’s brother’s body into a Corpse.
The body shakily stood up, with an empty head and eyes lit with blue flas, standing there stiff and indifferent.
"Huh..."
Caral Snail took a deep breath, stepped forward, and after a mutual glance and nod of approval from Li Aozi, he turned to face the Corpse and asked:
"Did you eat people during your lifeti?"
The Corpse looked ahead stiffly and said:
"No."
A twinge of guilt nearly broke Caral Snail, he covered his head, montarily dumbfounded, and stumbled a few steps back.
"I have a poor stomach, I usually eat the at soup that my sister feeds ."
The Corpse explained further:
"My sister calls that stuff ’walking apes.’"
Snap!
Li Aozi deactivated the Corpse transformation, walked forward, and gently patted Caral Snail’s shoulder, whispering in his ear:
"You’re much braver than I am, silly boy."
Caral Snail’s emotions had been through a roller-coaster, temporarily causing his brain to stall, unsure of how to process everything.
It wasn’t until Li Aozi picked up the luggage, threw it into his arms, and pointed to the muddy road, signaling to continue on the journey, that he finally snapped back.
"Oh, coming right up."
Caral Snail was packing his belongings, ready to set off when he suddenly paused.
He turned to look at the corpses of a family on the ground and said, "I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for a mont."
"I’ll wait for you under the bridge ahead where it’s dry." Li Aozi dropped this remark and turned away.
"Hmm!"
Caral Snail turned back, buried the corpses in a pit, interring the family together, which cald him.
"Whew...speaking of which, isn’t there sothing left in the carriage? We should bury it with them."
With that thought, he ripped open the carriage’s compartnt, revealing a compartnt full of goods.
"Oh, looks like it’s all potions, what a pity. Better hand them over to the hospital."
Caral Snail opened a bottle of potion, fanned the scent towards himself, and imdiately frowned:
"This slls off..."
He quickly activated the "Eye of Truth," looked at the potion, and his expression changed:
"How can this be—this, this is drugs?"
He turned his head, looking at a carriage full of them.
The "Eye of Truth" revealed the truth of it all, the dense array of data and synthesis lists anchoring Caral Snail in place.
......
A dozen minutes later.
"The weather’s cleared up."
Li Aozi stood up from under the bridge, the Elent of Wind imdiately ca to please him, smoothing the wrinkles on his clothes.
He turned to look at Caral Snail, muddied and soot-smudged:
"You’re really slow, Snail."
"Dealing with the belongings took a bit of ti." Caral Snail brushed the grass ash from his hands, "Speaking of which, Li Aozi."
"What is it?"
Caral Snail asked, "I have a feeling, did you know from the start..."
"I didn’t bring any Arcane Energy." Li Aozi said flatly, "This was beyond my expectations."
"Really?"
Li Aozi looked at him and said:
"I’ve never lied to you."
[Perpetual·Willful——Activated]
[Your team mbers absolutely cannot question your decisions, they will believe you unquestioningly, even if you are wrong.]
"...Alright then."
Caral Snail smiled:
"Just realized, traveling with you is quite fun."
"You finally realize, good, good, I hope your emotional intelligence catches up soon."
"What a joke! I, Invincible Ah Niu have off-the-charts emotional intelligence, okay!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Ah Niu is aweso."
The two bantered and bickered, making their way along the highway.
"Green Jade City is just ahead, we’re entering the Void Emperor’s territory now."
Caral Snail looked at the map and said:
"According to the information we received, 22 cities have witnessed or listened to ’Rock Girl Xia Beiluo’s song. Carting a guitar, she’s been biking everywhere. The next stop should be here—tsk, we should have been here five days ago, hope she’s still here."
"This planet has no vehicles that can navigate these broken roads, indeed a bit troubleso."
Li Aozi was unhurried:
"Let’s head into the city. Hopefully, we can see her this ti."
"Once we get the guitar, the task is over, right?"
Caral Snail said.
"Yes, then it’s over. You can go back to your fighting and killing days."
"Yay—" Caral Snail lazily cheered, "But, I’m a bit reluctant, this kind of task is quite interesting."
Li Aozi glanced at him and said, "When have I ever had a good deal and not called you in?"
"Eh-hey, I’d prefer it being just the two of us, don’t you think the profits are higher that way?" Caral Snail rubbed his fingertips together.
His behavior was practically broadcasting his thought of hogging it all.
"Then opportunities like this will be rare." Li Aozi remarked casually, "Cherish such opportunities, I will be very busy later on."
"Oh co on, bro, Aozi big bro, you’ll forever be my big bro! Give more resources, will ya?"
"The resources I’ve spent on you are enough to support an entire company, you’re on your own after this."
"No, don’t—"
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