Chapter 70: Fake?
On the stone platform covered in intricate carvings, Su Xiao held his blade in one hand while his other arm hung naturally at his side, preparing to activate the Dead Silence Descends ability. Though the hope was slim, he wouldn't close his eyes and wait for death.
The Blade Demon was also watching Su Xiao, but he hadn't stood up.
"Traveler, no need to be so wary. That's not the real deal."
The black mist figure spoke. He raised a hand wreathed in black smoke, snapped his fingers, and the tattered-clothed "Blade Demon" stood up.
Click, clack, click, clack...
A unique gear-grinding sound came from the "Blade Demon." Su Xiao realized this wasn't a living being, but more like some kind of mechanism.
Even so, Su Xiao could still sense the Blade Demon's aura from this humanoid mechanism—that distinct feeling was unmistakable.
"The Blade Demon is considered one of us, but he only came here once. After killing 'Leo,' we kicked him out. Getting a portion of his aura from him was mediated by 'Virgo.' Of course, I paid a considerable price too, since this 'puppet' is very useful in the Void. That guy... is insane..."
The black mist figure let out a low laugh. As he spoke, the puppet carrying the Blade Demon's aura had already walked far away, entering the thin mist at the edge, where chaos reigned and the destination was unknown.
Only now did Su Xiao have a chance to look around. He was on a circular stone platform about fifty meters in diameter, surrounded by chaotic thin mist from which faint strange noises emerged.
Those sounds included modern car horns, the roar of trains from the Industrial Revolution, even human-like shouts with a primitive flair, and animal roars from other places.
The sounds of different eras intertwined, some distant, some near, making one involuntarily immersed in the charm of space and time.
Other than that, there was nothing else on the stone platform. Moreover, if you didn't listen carefully, you couldn't even hear the surrounding sounds.
[Prompt: The Hunter has arrived in an unknown domain.]
[Coordinates being determined...]
[Determination failed. This is a special domain. No World Source exists. Unable to establish a spatial node.]
[Warning: The Hunter's current location may pose immense risks. Spatial protection mechanism activated.]
[You have obtained a temporary ability: Transmission (Active Lv.120). The Hunter can use this ability to return to Reincarnation Paradise. This ability will be revoked upon returning to Reincarnation Paradise.]
...
A large number of blood-red prompts appeared, and the black mist figure seemed to sense something.
"Affiliated with Reincarnation Paradise, huh? That one's not easy to mess with. The Seventh Generation Scorpio died over there."
The black mist figure seemed quite idle. Instead of urging Su Xiao to complete the transaction, he spoke in a leisurely tone.
Undoubtedly, this guy was incredibly strong—strong enough to fight the Blade Demon head-on, to obtain a small portion of the Blade Demon's aura through a deal, and even to sense the existence of Reincarnation Paradise.
"A rare Shadow of Law Destruction. What are you planning to offer for our trade? If you want power, forget it. You're not a native of a wild world. With Reincarnation Paradise backing you, we can't grant you power."
The black mist figure sat casually. From the voice, it was male.
"..."
Su Xiao roughly understood the situation. First, after crushing an unknown eyeball, he had entered the Starry Sky Seat, a very mysterious organization within the Void. Second, for travelers like him who accidentally entered the Starry Sky Seat, the members' approach was quite laid-back—complete a transaction with Su Xiao, then send him on his way.
Back in the Ghost World, Su Xiao had learned from a fifteen-eyed ghost that it had once traded with a member of the Starry Sky Seat. That ghost had exchanged a third of its soul for the potential to break through its limits, which was how it advanced to a fifteen-eyed ghost.
Su Xiao had also obtained information about the Starry Sky Seat from the Demon Race. This organization never fought over territory in the Void. Its members never exceeded twenty, and the exact number was unknown. They could be considered the most loosely organized group in the Void, but no one wanted to provoke them.
Moreover, according to rumors, the Blade Demon was the only known member of the Starry Sky Seat. As for the truth of this information, judging from the black mist figure's earlier words, it was likely a fact.
The Blade Demon wasn't entirely a member of the Starry Sky Seat either. That guy had entered the Starry Sky Seat, killed one of its members, and then was "kicked out." Whether this was true or false, it was just the black mist figure's side of the story.
Clearly, being able to trade with the Starry Sky Seat was entirely beneficial to Su Xiao with no downsides. As for what to trade, his first thought was the yield of the Black Maple Tree. If the Blade Demon hadn't traded with other Starry Sky Seat members, then the Black Maple Tree should be a very rare resource among them.
However, offering the Black Maple Tree's products carried some risk. After thinking for a moment, Su Xiao took a fist-sized crystal from his storage space. It was entirely cyan, with strong spatial-blocking properties.
"A cohesive crystal? Not bad. Jormungandr is on the verge of extinction, so this stuff is becoming rare too. Without you Law Destroyers protecting them, those big octopuses will go extinct sooner or later."
The black mist figure appeared contemplative, as if considering what to exchange with Su Xiao for the cohesive crystal.
Su Xiao had a basketball-sized piece of this cohesive crystal, so offering a fist-sized chunk for the trade didn't bother him.
"Let me look... Hmm, this should be of considerable value to you. To others, it's just waste paper—at least I can't read what's written on it."
The black mist figure pulled out a yellowed notebook. The edges were severely damaged, and the cover had a line of small text: "Record of 15,476 revisions."
"This is a notebook left by an Ancestral Law Destroyer, probably from the earliest generations. I originally wanted to use it to get some Black Maple leaves from the Blade Demon, but I ended up taking a slash instead."
The black mist figure tossed the tattered notebook, which stopped in front of Su Xiao.
"Trade complete. Farewell until we meet again, Law Destroyer."
The black mist figure's voice gradually faded from Su Xiao's ears. Su Xiao immediately activated the Transmission ability temporarily granted by Reincarnation Paradise.
The surrounding light twisted, and Su Xiao seemed to be forcibly dragged out of a world.
When his vision recovered, he was already sitting on the carpet of his Exclusive Room. Just then, another unknown eyeball he had placed in his chest earlier burst open, followed by a nearly violent pulling force.
After an unknown amount of time, a somewhat blurry voice reached Su Xiao's ears.
"Another traveler? Same old routine, huh? Bluff them and send them off. *Cough*."
After a light cough, Su Xiao heard the now somewhat familiar voice of the black mist figure.
"Welcome to the Starry Sky Seat, lucky— Eh?"
When the black mist figure saw Su Xiao appear out of nowhere, Su Xiao was also looking at him.
"How did you... come back?"
"..."
Su Xiao wanted to know too—how did he come back?