Chapter 76: Territory
Early at seven in the morning, the streets gradually grew lively, cars roared past, and the burnt aroma of fried pastries wafted through the air.
Su Xiao sat on the sofa, two black eyeballs placed before him. There was no doubt that these items had an unusual origin, but whether they were good or bad remained unknown.
Just as Su Xiao was pondering their origin, the shop door was pushed open. Li Murui, dressed in a dress, walked into the accessory shop. She looked sunny and pure. Su Xiao had a deep impression of Li Murui, after all, she had called him "Daddy" for half an hour, showing a complete lack of integrity.
Seeing Li Murui, Su Xiao casually picked up one of the black eyeballs.
"Catch."
Su Xiao tossed the black eyeball toward Li Murui. Although Li Murui was a new contractor, after being baptized by Reincarnation Paradise, her reaction wasn't slow, and she immediately caught the pitch-black eyeball.
"What is this? It looks weird."
Li Murui held the pitch-black eyeball in front of her face, curiously examining it. But soon, her complexion began to turn pale, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Save... me..."
Li Murui's voice sounded distant, as a strange fluctuation enveloped her.
Zzz~
A metallic wire shot out from Su Xiao's sleeve, wrapping around the eyeball and pulling it from Li Murui's hand.
Li Murui seemed to lose all strength, collapsing to her knees with a thud, gasping for air as sweat dripped down her pale chin.
Seeing Li Murui's reaction, Su Xiao's eyes seemed to gleam. He helped her up from the ground and guided her to sit on a single sofa.
"What did you feel just now?"
Su Xiao patted Li Murui's cheek, feeling she might faint at any moment.
Li Murui rested for a few minutes before recovering, her expression suggesting she might burst into tears at any second.
"I... I saw many eyes."
Li Murui glanced at the black eyeball with lingering fear.
"What is this? I'm not cursed, am I? Master, you can't harm me."
"I'm not your master, nor am I your father. As for the origin of this thing," Su Xiao glanced at Li Murui, then continued with a smile, "It's just an ordinary item brought back from a fourth-rank world. There should be no risk."
"I'm low-ranked, don't lie to me."
"Continue telling me what you saw."
"I saw..."
Li Murui frowned deeply, as if recalling something terrifying, and whispered, "I saw many eyeballs, and many people. They were all sitting on very tall seats, and in the center was a huge golden eye. That's all."
"Eyeballs, many people, a huge eye."
Su Xiao was even more puzzled. He saw nothing when holding the black eyeball, but Li Murui saw 'illusions' or something related to the black eyeball. As for those eyeballs, they were likely the Eye Chamber.
"Bubu, you try."
Bubu Wang was also curious about the black eyeball. He extended his dog paw and pressed it on the black eyeball, only to shudder.
"What did you see?"
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang shook his head, indicating he saw nothing, only felt a bad sensation.
"Amu, your turn."
Amu stepped forward. Upon touching the black eyeball, he also shuddered, and then nothing more.
"I'm hungry."
"..."
Su Xiao's gaze shifted to Li Murui, and his smile grew even more 'gentle.'
"I... I have things to do."
"No, you're free."
"I don't want to watch another horror movie! No, that's ten thousand times scarier than a horror movie."
"If you get valuable information, after the next world ends, I'll give you a permanent enhancement potion with a rating no lower than 200."
"I can hold on. Bring it on."
Li Murui's gaze was very 'determined.' Five minutes later.
"No! I regret it! Iya da, NO..."
Ignoring Li Murui, who was already somewhat exhausted, Su Xiao cut his finger and dripped blood onto the black eyeball. However, nothing happened.
Li Murui, Bubu Wang, and Amu all instinctively rejected contact with the black eyeball, but Su Xiao felt nothing. If it wasn't a difference in abilities or talents, then it was a matter of forced distinction, or perhaps aura.
Li Murui was the softest, so her reaction was the strongest. Bubu Wang often acted silly, so he felt something but not strongly. Amu had no fear of anything; when seeing something terrifying, his first reaction was always whether it was edible. If Su Xiao hadn't stopped him, after taking the black eyeball, he would have thrown it into his mouth to taste it.
Just as Su Xiao was about to continue his experiments, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Notification: The Hunter has returned to the real world. Current rank (Fifth Rank). You may freely designate an area. If more than 10 contractors engage in conflict within this area, the Hunter must intervene to mediate or suppress them to maintain real-world stability.]
[If a Fifth-Rank contractor already governs this area, the Hunter must engage in a practical combat data comparison with them. If either party questions the combat data, both parties may designate an area and engage in a life-or-death duel within a spatial barrier.]
[Please select your jurisdiction area. Once selected, the Hunter must ensure that no more than 10 contractors engage in conflict within this area. If Fifth-Rank or higher contractors clash here, a higher-ranked contractor will come to execute them.]
A virtual map appeared before Su Xiao, with a red circle covering an area roughly the size of a city. Su Xiao tried to drag the red circle; its maximum range was three cities, while the minimum was about the size of a town.
Of course, Su Xiao minimized the range. Preventing contractors from clashing in the real world had no benefits; it was a mandatory duty. Unless a contractor had a strong desire for control, they wouldn't make their territory too large.
Zooming in on the virtual map, Su Xiao dragged the red circle over the small town where he lived and tapped the area twice with his finger.
[Hunter has completed selection. Verifying...]
[No Fifth-Rank contractor governs this area.]
...
The process was simpler than Su Xiao had imagined. As soon as he finished selecting the area, Li Murui beside him cast a glance, her face full of surprise. After a moment of daze, she spoke:
"I just... received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise."
"What did it say?"
"Uh~, it told me to stay at least 0.2 kilometers away from you. It said you're the governor of this area? What's that?"
"Nothing, just a duty that requires meddling in others' affairs. Let's continue with our previous topic."
Su Xiao tossed the black eyeball in his hand. Li Murui got up and ran out of the accessory shop, quickly disappearing from sight.
Su Xiao didn't stop her. As for the area management duty, it was a very easy task. Most contractors wouldn't clash in the real world, and besides, there were people like the Scavengers to handle things. Only when the Scavengers couldn't solve a problem would Su Xiao consider intervening.
Although he had advanced to Fifth Rank, Su Xiao remained idle in the real world. He began studying the purpose of the black eyeballs.
After multiple attempts, Su Xiao summarized three characteristics of the black eyeballs.
First, they could be destroyed, but destroying them might cause unknown incidents.
Second, they couldn't be stored in the storage space; they could only be carried or discarded. They weren't bound; when Su Xiao was more than ten meters away from the two eyeballs, the faint connection was severed.
Third, if one's willpower wasn't strong enough, touching the eyeball would cause hallucinations and discomfort. Bubu Wang and Amu didn't see hallucinations, indicating their willpower was decent. Su Xiao didn't even feel discomfort.
Time passed quickly during the research. Su Xiao picked up the two black eyeballs from the table, planning to seal them in his exclusive room.
[A new derivative world (Fifth Rank) is about to open. Please prepare, Hunter.]
The sensation of teleportation gradually emerged. Su Xiao let out a long breath. He already had a clear idea about the Cyan Steel Shadow weapon and was ready to participate in the Summit War.
PS: (Two chapters today. Although the Summit War battlefield has been planned for a long time, there's still a small part to refine. After finishing the Netherworld World, I can finally perfect this part. Starting the Summit War tomorrow.)