Chapter 31: Misfortune
Within the luxurious office of the Moon Witch at the Moon Ring City·Witch Guild Headquarters.
On the desk, a precisely structured and exquisitely crafted astrolabe slowly rotated. Su Xiao sat before the desk, watching the astrolabe, while across from him, the Moon Witch·Serisilis was reviewing a document, her brow slightly furrowed.
“These families in Sky City are becoming increasingly arrogant.”
Serisilis raised her hand, intending to insert the document into a shredder, but then, thinking of something, she refrained and instead opened a drawer, placing the document inside.
“Bai Ye, what brings you here this time?”
“…”
Su Xiao did not speak. He twisted the brake bolt of the astrolabe, watching it slowly turn.
Receiving no response from Su Xiao, Serisilis shifted her gaze from the document to him. After a brief stare, she set down the document and said, “It seems your visit this time bodes ill.”
“…”
Su Xiao remained silent, his eyes fixed on the astrolabe before him.
“I am, after all, the Moon Witch, the most powerful witch in this world. Is it really appropriate for you to ignore me like this?”
Serisilis looked at Su Xiao with a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“Have you heard the story of the hunter and the bear?”
As he spoke, Su Xiao pressed the central axis of the astrolabe, smoothly detaching its main body. He dismantled it by hand, using Spirit Shadow Thread to quickly take apart the core.
“No, I haven’t.”
The Moon Witch·Serisilis picked up her teacup, took a sip, and waited for Su Xiao to tell the story of the hunter and the bear.
“There was a highly skilled hunter who never missed his quarry, renowned far and wide. One day, he accepted an invitation to a small town where the residents made their living by logging. Recently, a brown bear had appeared there, so they offered a hefty reward for the hunter to deal with it. The hunter naturally agreed. Unfortunately, the bear was both strong and cunning. Though the hunter drove it away, he was badly injured. The townspeople paid him, but soon the bear returned. To deal with it and regain the townspeople’s trust, the hunter, on a friend’s recommendation, bought a hunting dog. It worked perfectly—the fierce dog bit the bear severely. Guess what happened in the end.”
Having said this, Su Xiao had already dismantled the astrolabe into a pile of parts. He picked up a slightly deformed ring, replaced it with a new one from a spare parts box, and began reassembling the astrolabe.
“What happened?”
Serisilis took a small sip of tea and slowly exhaled a warm breath.
“In the end, the hunter and the bear stewed the dog together.”
Su Xiao finished speaking, and with a click, he reassembled the astrolabe, reattaching it to the main shaft. The astrolabe resumed its rotation, emitting a pleasant mechanical hum instead of the earlier grating noise.
This time, it was the Moon Witch·Serisilis’s turn to fall silent. After a full half-minute, she let out a low sigh and said, “Wait a moment.”
The Moon Witch·Serisilis rose and went to the bedroom behind a hidden door. When she returned and sat down, she placed a black ring on the table.
“This is the weapon of Black Hole·Azler. Black Hole·Azler possessed three types of secret treasures: the Dark Blood of mental power, an Abyss Contract I’ve never seen, and this Light-Extinguishing Ring.”
The Moon Witch·Serisilis set down the Light-Extinguishing Ring. Matters had progressed to this point, and she was ready to speak plainly.
The story Su Xiao had just told was simple in content: it questioned the relationship between the Moon Witch·Serisilis and the first-generation Black Hole·Azler. On the surface, the first-generation Black Hole·Azler had died years ago, but Su Xiao had encountered more than one enemy who used feigned death to hide.
In this story, the Moon Witch = the hunter, the first-generation Black Hole·Azler = the brown bear, and Su Xiao’s team = the hunting dog.
The reason Su Xiao compared his side to a hunting dog in the story was partly because Bubu Wang was in the team, and partly because a hunting dog could potentially turn into a mad dog, which would kill everyone—a warning to the Moon Witch.
What the Moon Witch needed to do now was prove that she had not collaborated with the first-generation Black Hole·Azler. Otherwise, her commission would end here, and the payment she had put up would be lost.
This was not arrogance on Su Xiao’s part. As a Hunter with a Void Tree Reputation of -?, his understanding of the Void Tree’s arbitration rules far exceeded the Moon Witch’s. The commission was currently held by the Void Tree. If the Moon Witch was judged to have breached the contract, Su Xiao would immediately receive the payment.
“The one you’re dealing with now isn’t the real Black Hole·Azler. The real Azler died over a decade ago…”
Su Xiao raised his hand, signaling her to skip this part. He already knew all this. Everyone’s time was precious, so get to the point.
The Moon Witch said, “Have you heard of the ‘Astral Tower’?”
“Yes, I killed its former guardian, the Dark Twins.”
“I was once a member of that organization too. The first-generation Black Hole·Azler was also…”
The Moon Witch began to recount the secrets of the ‘Astral Tower,’ the ‘Council,’ and the three ‘Council Elders’ of Sky City. The more Su Xiao listened, the more he felt that this ‘Astral Tower’ seemed to be guarding—no, protecting something. The first boss he had faced in this world, the Dark Twins, were merely the gatekeepers for this ‘guarded object.’
If the Dark Twins, a boss-level entity, only qualified as gatekeepers, the importance of what the Astral Tower ‘guarded’ was unimaginable. When Su Xiao inquired about this, the Moon Witch did not hide it. She knew what it was but could not say it. Revealing any related information by any means would result in her being banished by the World Consciousness of this world.
It was hard to imagine that Serisilis, as the Moon Witch, could be banished from the Witch Realm. From her tone, even if the world couldn’t directly expel her, it would increasingly intensify its rejection until she was driven out.
“So, you actually know the identities of that Dancer and that Fanatic?”
“Of course not. Bai Ye, you must understand me. I am not omniscient. Fate is so marvelous that it always surprises us, so you’ll have to bear with these little interruptions.”
The Moon Witch’s eyes held a smile. Hearing this, Su Xiao nodded in agreement and said:
“I understand your difficulties, but understanding is mutual. You should also understand me once.”
Hearing this, the Moon Witch’s hand, which was lifting her teacup, paused. A strong sense of foreboding surged within her. She asked, “Understanding is necessary, but…”
“But it’s just a pseudo-original sin object arriving in this world.”
“!”
The Moon Witch set down her teacup, the smile vanishing from her eyes. Recently, she had become particularly sensitive to the term ‘original sin object.’
After staring at Su Xiao for a few seconds, she let out a deep sigh. In the past, this would have been intolerable to her. She valued the Witch Realm more than her own life. But since meeting Su Xiao, her bottom line had been lowered repeatedly. After all, compared to the impact of a ‘Book of Original Sin’ that sealed five original sin objects, a single pseudo-original sin object was entirely within acceptable bounds.
“Fine, I’ll pretend I don’t know about this.”
The Moon Witch closed her eyes and leaned back, her meaning clear: let her be alone for a while.
“Not yet. I plan to use this pseudo-original sin object. Considering the risks, I need a sufficiently safe location.”
“Such as?”
“Such as your office here. It’s not bad.”
Hearing this, the Moon Witch slowly exhaled. But before she could speak, Su Xiao said, “Serin is a good successor. You should get her a Library Badge from the Soul Library.”
“It’s not as simple as you say. The Soul Library doesn’t care about any person or faction’s courting. The Library Badges they give are bound to the recipient. They can’t be obtained through wealth, power, or influence—only by luck.”
Clack~
Su Xiao pressed a [Library Badge] onto the table. Seeing this, the Moon Witch was slightly surprised and asked, “Where did you get that?”
“…”
Su Xiao took out a cloth bag and tossed it onto the table. Opening it revealed over a dozen Library Badges inside. Even the Moon Witch across the desk was stunned for a moment. She had only seen two Library Badges in her entire life. After becoming the Moon Witch, she had tried to obtain one but found it impossible. The owner of the Soul Library, the Ancient One, was an existence similar to a Void Anomaly.
As for where Su Xiao got these Library Badges, the Ancient One had given them to him. The Ancient One hadn’t specified how to distribute them, which essentially meant Su Xiao could give them to anyone he deemed worthy.
Why was the Ancient One so generous to Su Xiao? Initially, it was because Su Xiao was a Law Destroyer, which probably earned him a +1 in favorability—already unusual, as the Ancient One hadn’t responded to visitors in the past century.
But after Su Xiao used the ‘Book of Original Sin’ to seal five original sin objects, his favorability with the Ancient One shot up to +80. If not for the Soul Library being arbitrated by the Void Tree and its rules unchangeable, Su Xiao might have been able to borrow all the library’s secret tomes and ancient texts for free.
The Soul Library had two purposes: 1. To store the knowledge developed by the Void and all realms, and 2. To seal original sin objects.
Su Xiao alone had sealed more original sin objects than the entire library. Naturally, the library’s owner and members regarded him highly and felt more favorably toward him.
Now, producing a Library Badge and specifying it was for Serin was actually a reward for her continuous intelligence. In dealing with Black Hole·Azler, Serin had provided many key clues through her family’s intelligence channels. She had even led the search for the Dancer·Fular, nearly dying in the process. A Library Badge as compensation was not excessive.
As for why not give it directly to Serin, that was another issue. Serin was one of the Moon Witch’s successors and had been ordered by the Moon Witch to assist Su Xiao. Any reward should go through the Moon Witch’s hands.
Su Xiao took out the ‘Book of Original Sin’ and a pitch-black contract. Seeing this contract, the Moon Witch across the desk frowned slightly and asked, “What is this now?”
After saying this, the Moon Witch sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her tone.
“An Abyss Contract. Not dangerous.”
Hearing Su Xiao’s words, the Moon Witch sighed again. She had been sighing more frequently lately, and her tolerance for abyssal items and original sin objects had noticeably increased.
The Moon Witch picked up her teacup and placed it on a display stand. The engraving on the bottom of the teacup activated the corresponding spell, gradually enveloping the entire office in a mystical formation.
Su Xiao paid no attention to the activation of the formation. He placed the ‘Abyss Contract’ on the table. Unlike ordinary parchment contracts, this one was as soft as fabric, about 0.5 centimeters thick. It felt like silk to the touch. Based on feel alone, Su Xiao determined it was made from divine skin.
As a ‘Contract Master,’ Su Xiao was very interested in this ‘Abyss Contract.’ The person who drafted and created it was also a contract master. Using this method to ‘desire’ power from the Abyss was far safer than direct desire.
Direct desire, even if it granted abyssal power, would be accompanied by loss of control, agony, and even madness-inducing power.
The ‘Abyss Contract’ set a threshold for this desire. Assuming the threshold was 100 points, no matter how the signer of this contract tried, they could obtain at most 100 points of abyssal power.
On top of this limit, ‘Restrictions’ and ‘Costs’ were added to minimize the side effects of bearing abyssal power.
Why had the Fanatic been in excruciating pain when Su Xiao cut him with a single slash? Because his cost included ‘Hundredfold Agony.’
Su Xiao took out a strange magnifying glass, half-mechanical and half-biological in structure, which he had found in the mapping room of the Eternal Light World’s underground area. He wore it over his right eye. Then, he took out gloves made from the belly skin of an Abyss Spawn and put them on to avoid risks while studying the ‘Abyss Contract.’
Watching this, the Moon Witch suddenly felt that if she ever encountered troublesome abyssal matters in the future, inviting this Law Destroyer to help resolve them would be a good choice. Though the fee was high, he was indeed professional.
The Witch Realm had been invaded by the Abyss, so its understanding of the Abyss surpassed that of other worlds. As the leader of the most powerful faction in this world, the Moon Witch naturally possessed more knowledge about the Abyss. Even she acknowledged Su Xiao’s expertise in this area, which spoke volumes about his skill.
It wasn’t that Su Xiao was particularly passionate about this field, but rather that his life depended on it. Under the supervision of five ‘strict teachers,’ his abilities in this regard could hardly be weak.
After studying the Abyss Contract for a while, Su Xiao understood its characteristics. On the surface, it seemed like a means to gain power, but in Su Xiao’s view, both the first-generation Black Hole·Azler and the Fanatic had used it like using a fountain pen as a dagger—a classic case of misuse.
Directly using the Abyss Contract to gain power, no matter what ‘Restrictions’ and ‘Costs’ were set, could not avoid the side effects of using abyssal power. As a Contract Master, Su Xiao recognized the skill of the contract’s drafter precisely because of the exquisite setup on this contract.
Directly desiring power from the Abyss was crude and high-risk. Therefore, the drafter chose to ‘desire’ learning ability from the Abyss. Using the Abyss Contract as a medium, they gained a boost in abyssal power, greatly enhancing their learning ability. Then, relying on this vastly improved learning ability, they mastered high-level transcendent knowledge and ultimately gained power through that knowledge.
Desiring learning ability from the Abyss also carried risks. To use an analogy, if the side effect of directly desiring power from the Abyss was 1000, then desiring learning ability was about 50 to 80.
To dilute these 50 to 80 side effects, the Abyss Contract set ‘Restrictions’ and ‘Costs.’ After passing through these, the side effects would be reduced to 1 to 3. At this level, a physique above the Ninth Rank could naturally metabolize them. As long as the Abyss Contract wasn’t used frequently, there would be no problem. Even one’s aura wouldn’t feel dark.
Such an exquisite setup had been brutally destroyed. The first-generation Black Hole·Azler, in order to obtain abyssal power more directly and in greater quantities through the Abyss Contract, had actually destroyed the contract’s ‘Core Threshold Structure’ to increase output. The stupidity of this act was akin to dismantling a transformer to touch the wires.
Upon careful inspection, Su Xiao found that the ‘Core Threshold Structure’ had only been roughly destroyed, not removed. He took out a contract engraving pen and attempted to repair it. After a while, the entire Abyss Contract began to change, from pitch black to a base of black with dark gold script.
Su Xiao planned to use this Abyss Contract to ‘massively’ enhance his learning ability, of course, only temporarily when visiting the Soul Library. As for the ‘Restrictions’ and ‘Costs’:
Restrictions: Cannot use this item long-term; single use cannot exceed 48 hours; cannot use this contract to directly peer into abyssal power; cannot desire easily obtained dark power; cannot fall into the Abyss.
Costs: Intense Misfortune, Moderate Weakness, Ten-Thousandfold Agony, Intense Spiritual Vision.
All four costs were severe, but they were not permanent. These severe costs would only take effect when Su Xiao activated the Abyss Contract’s boost. Normally, they were inactive.
This was a brilliant design by the contract’s drafter. If one hesitated, like the Fanatic who only set ‘Hundredfold Agony’ and ‘Malicious Appetite,’ because he gained too much and the costs were insufficient, these costs would become ‘Passive States,’ persisting whether the Abyss Contract was active or not.
The costs Su Xiao set were too intense, and what he gained was only temporary learning ability, not permanent power. This caused the activation conditions of these costs to be balanced by the contract into ‘Active Effects.’ If the Abyss Contract wasn’t activated, this active effect couldn’t trigger.
As the saying goes, knowledge is power. This was very true. If one blindly pursued power without mastering knowledge, they wouldn’t even know how to use a treasure after obtaining it.
Having resolved the Abyss Contract, Su Xiao opened the Book of Original Sin to the third page, where he saw the ‘Misfortune Scroll.’ Compared to their first meeting, the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ now seemed somewhat withered, wrinkled and listless. As a pseudo-original sin object, it shouldn’t have been like this.
Su Xiao released the ‘Misfortune Scroll.’ As soon as it broke free from its restraints, it tried to flee into a spatial rift but was caught by translucent threads.
He spread the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ flat on the table. Its edges had irregular damage marks, and among the mottled traces, some blurry names could be seen. These were people who had written their names on the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ to strengthen their souls, only to be devoured by it.
The method of using the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ was simple. Su Xiao borrowed a pen from the Moon Witch and wrote the name Kukulin Bai Ye on it. As for why he didn’t write Su Xiao, he wasn’t that arrogant.
As the name was written, the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ reluctantly activated. Over the following period, it would continuously impose misfortune on Su Xiao while enhancing his soul strength, until the holder either died from the misfortune or survived this stage.
This form of trial had five stages. Each stage imposed more misfortune and enhanced soul strength more. The holder had two outcomes: survive all five stages and end the holding relationship with the ‘Misfortune Scroll,’ or die from misfortune.
An ominous faint light emanated from the ‘Misfortune Scroll.’ But the next second, it writhed painfully twice and then lay limply flat on the table.
Why was this? Because Su Xiao had signed the name Kukulin Bai Ye. This name could represent him, but it also represented ‘Hunter,’ ‘Law Destroyer,’ ‘Holder of Five Original Sin Objects,’ ‘Holder of Origin Stone: World,’ and ‘Sealer of the Dead Silence Origin.’ None of these identities had simple karma.
No matter what, the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ was just a pseudo-original sin object. Imposing misfortune on Su Xiao meant affecting the Paradise faction’s judgment, the Law Destruction’s fate, the karma of five original sins, the Dead Silence karma, and the Heaven’s Chosen karma of Origin Stone: World. After enduring all this, the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ tore with a ripping sound.
This was not a metaphor; it physically tore apart on the spot.
Seeing this, Su Xiao’s expression turned serious. He immediately took out a solution made from ‘Original Sin Sprouts’ and poured it onto the ‘Misfortune Scroll.’ With the supplement of original sin characteristics, the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ barely held on, trembling.
“The activation method of this pseudo-original sin object is truly unique.”
The Moon Witch spoke, looking at the ‘Misfortune Scroll’ on the table. For some reason, she felt as if this pseudo-original sin object might break at any moment. The thought had just appeared when she smiled and dismissed it. How could an object with original sin characteristics be so fragile?
In reality, the Moon Witch’s feeling was correct. The ‘Misfortune Scroll’ was only slightly stronger than the ‘Primordial Mask’ as a pseudo-original sin object. After suffering such a brutal beating from karma, it had nearly shattered. Pseudo-original sin objects and true original sin objects were not on the same tier. And true original sin objects compared to daddy-level original sin objects were at least four to five tiers apart. Yes, it was that exaggerated.
Su Xiao checked his soul strength and found it hadn’t increased. This left him somewhat dissatisfied. The ‘Misfortune Scroll’ had quite a reputation, but in actual use, not only did he have to worry about it breaking, but the effect wasn’t as strong as expected. He thought, the ‘Greedy Life Tree’ was truly better to use. Not only was it sturdy, but it wasn’t picky—it could eat any strange thing and produce excellent life fruits.
Seeing the ‘Misfortune Scroll’s’ wilted state, Su Xiao didn’t reseal it into the ‘Book of Original Sin.’ He estimated that if he did, this pseudo-original sin object might degrade into a mere misfortune item.
The formation enveloping the office gradually faded. Su Xiao had basically achieved his purpose for coming here and had also learned about the secret organization, the Astral Tower.
A very important point was that the ‘Astral Disk’ he held was the Astral Tower’s supreme treasure. It had previously been held by the Astral Tower member, Death Witch·Doro, but after Doro was killed, the ‘Astral Disk’ fell into the hands of the Dark Twins.
It felt more like the Dark Twins were temporarily holding the ‘Astral Disk,’ which Su Xiao then intercepted.
After leaving the Witch Guild, Su Xiao returned to Falling Star City via the teleportation tower. By the time he rode back to the backyard of the City Lord’s mansion, it was already afternoon. He entered the workshop and saw Alanna, who was intently reading an ancient text. He asked:
“Ready?”
“Yes, sir. Please take off your top and lie down on this.”
Alanna put on a pair of round-rimmed glasses and began wearing various auxiliary devices. Using a mechanical arm, she picked up a black metal arm ring and snapped it onto Su Xiao’s upper arm, gradually activating the sealing spell on it.
Su Xiao needed to further strengthen the seal on the Blade Demon Spirit. Currently, the Blade Demon Spirit’s intensity was 560 points. With such high intensity, it showed signs of awakening shortly after killing the Glutton.
Last night, Su Xiao had dozed off briefly but suddenly fell into a dream. In the dream, the Demon Spirit was behind him, her arms wrapped around him from under his left armpit and over his right shoulder, her hands pressed against his chest, with faint, low laughter in his ear. She had become so bold, indicating that she sensed she was no longer suppressed by Su Xiao’s soul power.
Click~, Click~.
A total of four metal arm rings snapped onto Su Xiao’s left arm. After Alanna activated the sealing spells on them, Su Xiao felt his combat power suppressed by a notch. At 100% peak, it was now about 90% to 92%. If he wanted to go all out, he could instantly shatter the four sealing rings on his left arm by bursting with physical energy.
The problem was that these sealing rings were not easy to make. Alanna, whose sealing skills ranked among the top ten in the myriad realms, had put in great effort to create them. So, when fighting at full power, it was better to remove them gently, a process that would take about 20 to 30 seconds.
For a quick removal without damaging the rings, there was indeed a way: cut off his left arm with one slash.
The good news was that these sealing rings wouldn’t need to be worn for long. As long as he returned to Reincarnation Paradise with a full load this time, Su Xiao would find a way to boost his soul strength. Coupled with the continuous enhancement from the ‘Misfortune Scroll,’ reaching a soul strength of 1000 points shouldn’t be difficult. Then, he could undergo the final soul trial: the Soul King Trial.
As Alanna perfected the sealing rings beside him, Su Xiao, with his eyes closed in rest, began to contemplate his subsequent plans. Previously, when dealing with Black Hole·Azler, he had been in Falling Star City. Now, at the third ring of the mission, the core area should be Sky City, one of the three main cities.
Sky City was far more dangerous than Falling Star City—ancient and eerie. The wizard ‘Mutation’ probability of up to 30% was from earlier statistics. It was said that now, the mutation probability for wizards in Sky City could reach 60%.
Su Xiao had been in the Witch Realm for over ten days but hadn’t encountered any wizards from the ‘Madness Sequence’ or ‘Filth Sequence’ after ‘Mutation.’ It seemed that such enemies would not be few in the future.
“Sir Bai Ye, you’ve been so busy lately. You must not have slept well.”
Alanna, who had finished inspecting the sealing rings, spoke. Hearing this, Su Xiao opened his eyes, not quite understanding her meaning.
“Sir Bai Ye, I mean…” At this point, Alanna’s cheeks flushed, and she shyly continued, “I’ve developed a sleep aid device. Would you like to try it?”
As she spoke, Alanna quickly walked to a machine covered by a thick cloth and pulled the cloth off.
Seeing this sleep aid device, Su Xiao calmly stood up, put on his long leather coat, and walked out. No matter how much Alanna recommended and praised the sleep aid device along the way, he remained unmoved. That thing looked dangerous just by appearance.
To go to Sky City, he couldn’t use the space tower; there were multiple spatial seals there. Before understanding the situation, Su Xiao didn’t plan to use the ‘Law-Destroying Teleportation Array’ to go there, to avoid alerting the enemy. So, he would first go to Night City near the ‘Sigur River’ and then take a steamship to Sky City.
Inside the teleportation tower, the spatial fluctuations gradually subsided. Checking the time, it was already dusk. This was a more appropriate time to contact the White Bull’s second-in-command, Lucius. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Lucius’s subordinate delivered six ship tickets.
The full moon reflected in the water. The whistle of the luxury cruise ship reached his ears. As the giant ship set sail, the brilliantly lit Night City gradually receded.
After boarding the cruise ship, the happiest person was Serin, who was currently flirting with a young married woman in the entertainment hall. Amu was feasting in the restaurant, Baha was perched on the signal tower above, enjoying the sea breeze, and Bubu was impressive—swimming in the sea. That fool had suddenly gotten an idea to do a handstand to relieve himself and had fallen into the water.
A cool night breeze blew gently. Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the spacious deck. Just then, a figure draped in a black robe walked over and sat down casually a few meters opposite him. The newcomer’s hands, wrapped in bandages, had their fingers interlaced, and a pair of pitch-black eyes fixed on Su Xiao.