Chapter 3: The Con
The train sped across the gloomy wilderness. Aboard, the Eye Princess sat with restrained posture, her hood pulled low as she surveyed her surroundings with a pair of beautiful amber eyes.
Since Baha, the most skilled negotiator on Su Xiao's team, had yet to arrive, and the Eye Princess didn't understand canine language, Su Xiao had to handle this negotiation himself.
"Sit."
Su Xiao spoke. The Eye Princess on the diagonal seat nodded.
"Sit here."
Su Xiao pointed to the seat opposite him. The Eye Princess immediately stood up and quickly moved to sit there.
"The next questions are very important."
Hearing this, the Eye Princess obediently nodded and murmured in agreement. In truth, she was already considering how to escape this clutches.
"If you try to run, I won't hesitate to bottle you."
At Su Xiao's words, the Eye Princess looked confused, clearly not understanding what it meant to have her soul extracted and sealed in a container.
The jarred ghost girl and the bottled female hunter Tiffany were precedents. The Eye Princess's safety determined the success or failure of Su Xiao's main mission. If she kept thinking about escaping, the difficulty of protecting her would skyrocket.
Su Xiao took out a bottle of specially made Vitamin C. Regardless of anything else, the packaging and the production of the pills looked extremely precious. Never mind what it actually was; as long as it looked valuable, that was enough. He poured out one pill and placed it on a porcelain dish on the table.
"I'll be protecting you from now on. To avoid any foolishness on your part, eat this."
"What... what is this?"
The Eye Princess glanced at the pill on the dish, then at the man across from her. Her unease grew.
"A slow-acting poison. After taking it, you'll need to drink 100 to 120 milliliters of inhibitor every 16 hours, or the poison will take effect."
"?"
The Eye Princess was completely stunned, not only by her current situation but also by the man across from her, who kept speaking in a kind and honest tone while saying terrifying things like extracting her soul for bottling or administering a slow death poison.
"Can... can I not eat it?"
"Of course."
As Su Xiao spoke, he placed an arm-thick glass container on the table. The implication was clear: if she didn't eat it, she'd be bottled.
The Eye Princess's gaze wavered between the slow poison and the bottle for a moment. Finally, she shook her head and said firmly:
"You must want me to activate the ritual too. You're just trying to scare me. My life is worthless to someone as strong as you. What you need is for me to activate the ritual."
Su Xiao didn't respond. The Eye Princess was actually wrong. Whether or not her ritual activation was important, her life was very important to Su Xiao.
The protection mission clearly stated that after rescuing the Eye Princess, he had to keep her within 150 meters for 24 hours. If she exceeded that distance, the protection timer would reset to 24 hours.
"Alright."
As Su Xiao spoke, he stood up. The Eye Princess inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had won this small gamble. But she decided she would have to yield in the following matters and not push back against this powerful figure. He was clearly a top-tier evil faction boss, and just facing him gave her a faint sense of dread.
"Since you choose to be bottled."
Su Xiao pressed his hand on the glass container. The Eye Princess immediately grabbed the vitamin pill from the table, tossed it into her mouth, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and swallowed it with a gulp. Then she opened her mouth to show she had eaten it.
This max-level survival skill upon capture showed that being caught by major forces was routine for her. She instantly judged that after her defiance, this powerful figure really intended to act.
In her heart, the Eye Princess was already chuckling. Thanks to the physique modified by the Argal Academy since childhood, she could resist 99% of poisons. But to be safe, she decided to probe this person's identity to gauge the quality of the poison he had produced.
"Sir, may I know who I'll be following from now on? At least let me know who you are."
"Others call me the Law Destroyer. You can call me that too."
"Law Destroyer Bai Ye?"
"Hm?"
Su Xiao was slightly surprised that the Eye Princess had heard of him.
The Eye Princess across from him suddenly froze. Of course, she had heard of Law Destroyer Bai Ye. She knew him all too well. He was one of the top alchemists in the Star Realm. Several important potions she had drunk at Argal in the past were Holy Flame potions purchased by the academy through Void channels.
This made the Eye Princess, who had been chuckling because her physique could resist poisons, stop chuckling immediately.
Snap~
Su Xiao snapped his fingers. Shortly after, the alchemical maid brought out various delicacies. When the Eye Princess first boarded the train, she had been subtly sniffing the air, having caught the lingering scent of lunch.
Combined with the intelligence from Zuiyasi that the Eye Princess had been raised under house arrest by the Argal School, it was worth noting that not only did the Argal School lack high-tier chefs, but the entire current location of the Argal Academy, "Yinmi Maosi," probably couldn't produce a few decent cooks.
The Argal School wouldn't let the Eye Princess starve, but they would only give her enough to eat with relatively sufficient nutrition. Most likely, various ingredients were boiled together, with some oil and salt stirred in. As for the taste, sometimes it was barely edible, but most of the time, it was hard to swallow. After all, the "head chef" responsible for the Eye Princess's meals was primarily a secret potion brewer.
Please don't confuse alchemists with them. Nine out of ten secret potion brews by the Eye School involved a large cauldron filled with a special solution, into which various main ingredients—mostly eyeballs—were added.
You guessed it. The pot used to cook the Eye Princess's daily meals was that same cauldron passed down for dozens of generations. As a result, the rare non-toxic food in the Doom Star would inevitably carry an indescribable strange taste after being cooked in that cauldron.
Speaking of which, if Kaisa saw that cauldron, his eyes would definitely gleam with greedy light.
Inside the train, the Eye Princess, who had grown up eating all sorts of strange-tasting mush, saw the array of colorful and aromatic delicacies on the table. Though she kept her composure, she had already changed her mind. At the very least, she would finish this meal before escaping.
"Are you all going to eat now?"
The Eye Princess spoke, her gaze unsteadily drifting toward the roast chicken. In truth, having endured dark cooking for so long, she wouldn't pay much attention to complex dishes.
But this chicken, already cut up with the drumstick placed on top, had a strong visual impact. Moreover, the feast needed to unfold gradually to make the Eye Princess even more reluctant to leave the Lord's Train.
"This is your lunch."
At Su Xiao's words, the Eye Princess was slightly surprised. She tentatively asked, "Aren't you... eating?"
"We've already eaten. Don't hold back."
"Well... alright."
The Eye Princess immediately grabbed the drumstick, took a big bite, and began savoring the food. As she ate, she couldn't help but tear up. Her intuition told her that this was what food should look and taste like. What kind of hellish life had she been living before?
"Vinia will handle your meals for the next few days. If you're hungry, just tell her."
Su Xiao raised his hand, thumb pointing toward the alchemical maid Vinia in the train's kitchen behind him.
"Mmm mmm mmm."
The Eye Princess nodded while eating, speaking somewhat indistinctly: "You knight (you actually), boon nee giv mee dook (don't need to poison me), jist giv fud (just give me food)."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao's kind smile faded slightly.
"Actually, the ancient god scholars at the Argal Academy treated me very badly. But I had nowhere else to go."
The Eye Princess ate a yogurt bun, her eyes brightening. She decided to use her ultimate move: sincerity.
She ate quickly. Before long, over ninety percent of the food on the table was gone. After the alchemical maid cleared the dishes and had the Eye Princess wash her hands, she sat back down across from Su Xiao.
Full and content, the Eye Princess leaned back comfortably and patted her belly. After a moment of hesitation, she asked:
"Mr. Bai Ye, did you capture me to activate the ritual too?"
"Over ninety percent correct. For now, it's to ensure you don't die."
Su Xiao didn't deceive the Eye Princess. There was no need. Though this girl wasn't highly intelligent, her survival skills upon capture were maxed out. She had experienced many lies and schemes during captures. But if over ninety percent of what he said was true, she would soon be confused. This truly hit a blind spot in her knowledge.
Though the Eye Princess seemed composed now, she hadn't realized that her mindset had shifted from only wanting to escape to probing what this Law Destroyer's true intentions were.
The train slowed, the door opened, and Baha flew in. As the door closed, the train sped up again.
Throughout the entire negotiation between Su Xiao and the Eye Princess, Bubu Wang had been projecting a holographic feed to Baha, who was en route. This allowed Baha to seamlessly enter this scheme.
Yes, it was still a scheme. As for sincerity, sincerity was indeed a killing move, but it could also be used to dig traps. Nine truths and one lie were the most dangerous.
"You can try to escape."
Su Xiao spoke. Without needing communication, Baha already knew what to say next. But before Baha could speak, the Eye Princess said:
"Knowing you're Law Destroyer Bai Ye, I've given up on that idea. I heard those ancient god scholars discussing that you're one of the top hunters in the Star Realm."
"Is that so."
Su Xiao realized that the Eye Princess knew quite a bit about the outside world. That would make things easier.
"Nearly ten Supreme Peaks have come this time. Ninety percent of them won't kill you..."
"Wh-what-what?"
The Eye Princess stammered. At her age, having to bear the competition of nearly ten Supreme Peaks was indeed too much pressure. As the saying goes, if you feel life is stressful, just look at the Eye Princess now.
Baha cleared his throat and told the Eye Princess just how terrifying the lineup of Supreme Peaks coming to capture her was. As she listened, the Eye Princess grew numb. She had originally thought she was being targeted by the Underworld God or the Night Mother. Now it seemed that the newly ascended Supreme Peak Night Mother would have to step back.
"Actually, there's an even worse problem~"
Baha spoke with a sly grin, successfully taking over the negotiation.
"What?"
The Eye Princess looked warily at Baha.
"Let me be honest with you. We won't kill you. You're sure of that. The problem is, our feud with Arcane Eternal Star is a mortal enemy relationship between Law Destroyers and Spellcasters. You represent the clue to the 'Abyss Heart.' This time, Lady Soul has come. She might not get the 'Abyss Heart,' but she definitely can't let my boss get it. You're not stupid. You understand what that means."
Baha's sly grin deepened. He looked at the Eye Princess as if she were half-dead.
"Lady Soul will... kill me?"
"Bingo. But you can try to escape from us. My boss probably gave you that slow poison, right?"
Baha looked at Bubu Wang, who nodded in confirmation.
"If you can find a healer who can remove the alchemical slow poison, then congratulations, you've successfully escaped. If not... are you afraid of pain?"
"No... no."
"Good. Let me tell you, the effects of that poison are absolutely miserable. Tsk tsk tsk~"
Baha looked as if he couldn't bear to recall it. The Eye Princess swallowed hard. Seeing this, Baha tentatively asked:
"Eye Girl, when you activate that ritual, will you die?"
"No, but I'll be severely injured."
"Perfect."
Baha clapped his wings together as if clapping his hands.
"Per... perfect my ass! My body will crack open with fissures. Last time I activated the ritual, I almost died."
"Idiot. Besides making poisons, what else does my boss make? Healing potions, of course. By then, we'll prepare enough tailored recovery potions for you to drink. The process will be painful—can't avoid that—but it'll minimize the chance of you dying."
After hearing this, the Eye Princess's eyes lit up. Baha poured fuel on the fire:
"Think about it. Now nearly ten Supreme Peaks are coming for the 'Abyss Heart.' Activating the ritual is inevitable unless you die. After you survived the first time, your body probably has lingering damage, right?"
When Baha mentioned lingering damage, the Eye Princess clenched her little fists under the table. The reason she was so resistant to being taken by Supreme Peaks was that she felt she couldn't survive a second activation of the ritual.
"The first time you activated it, you almost died. If you do it again with your current body, you're dead for sure, Eye Girl!"
Baha's words grew more earnest. Then, he suddenly changed the topic:
"What if, I mean what if, you have to activate the ritual. Before that, a top-tier alchemist treats your body, various potions nourish you, and when you activate it, you drink the strongest healing potion in advance, with recovery potions ready for afterward. Think about it. Would you still die?"
"Well..."
The Eye Princess's gaze wavered as she considered. Based on her own estimation, if she activated the ritual under the same conditions as last time, she would definitely die. But if she followed the above process, she would almost certainly survive. It would be even safer than her first activation.
Su Xiao didn't speak. He raised his hand, and a tiny wound appeared on the Eye Princess's hand. A few drops of blood flew out. He stood up and went to the bedroom carriage at the back. At the preparation counter, he quickly concocted a tailored secret potion for the Eye Princess. Its effect was to heal some of the hidden damage in her body.
Returning to the main carriage, Su Xiao tossed the potion to Baha. Baha said, "Eye Girl, you've already taken the alchemical slow poison, so no need to worry about being poisoned again. Drink it."
The crystal vial of potion was placed in front of the Eye Princess. After a few seconds of hesitation, she picked it up and drank it. But as soon as the potion entered her mouth, she almost couldn't help spitting it out. It was so bitter that her scalp tingled.
Why was it so bitter? Su Xiao did it on purpose. This secret potion was too easily obtained by the Eye Princess. People always doubt things they get too easily. So he made the drinking process difficult. A treatment potion so hard to drink that it made one question life would make the Eye Princess feel she had barely managed to down it through great effort, rather than it being a free gift.
"Ah~!"
The Eye Princess almost turned into a groundhog in the valley, letting out a loud cry. But half a minute later, she suddenly froze. She felt her breathing become smoother. Her withered left lung had miraculously regenerated and was gradually resuming its work.
Not only that, but the changes in her other organs were also remarkable. Her only feeling now was relief—so much relief that she wanted to sleep beautifully. Her chronic severe insomnia seemed to have been cured.
The train stopped, and the door opened. Baha slammed a translucent potion bottle onto the table and said with conviction:
"This is the antidote. We need to protect you while we take you away. But if you don't cooperate, the difficulty of protecting you is too high. It would be better to let you go to one of the other peak-level figures. Then we'll seize the activated ritual."
This statement truly stunned the Eye Princess. But after only a few seconds of shock, she grabbed the translucent potion, stood up, and retreated near the door. Squinting, she asked:
"You... really let me go?"
"Of course. Because we suddenly realized that if you follow us, you have a way to live. If you follow other peak-level figures, you'll die."
Baha's words made the Eye Princess's hand, gripping the potion bottle, turn white from the force.
After some deliberation, the Eye Princess returned to her seat and slumped down weakly. She set down the antidote and suddenly said:
"Besides surviving, what else can I get?"
At this, Su Xiao and Baha knew the deal was done. Once the Eye Princess had this thought, she would transform from a hostage into an ally.
In danger, a hostage would create trouble out of self-preservation. But an ally would share a common hatred. Not only would they not create trouble, but if they sensed trouble brewing, they would shout out a warning to alert the others.
"Barring any accidents, we can send you to the Ten Thousand Races Realm."
"Ten Thousand Races Realm? Where's that?"
It was normal for the Eye Princess not to know about the Ten Thousand Races Realm, as it had only recently transcended. Her understanding of the outside world through the ancient god scholars was not timely.
"A Transcendent Realm."
Hearing "Transcendent Realm," the Eye Princess's gaze dimmed. Seeing this, Baha added:
"A Transcendent Realm without ancient gods. There, as long as you follow the law and don't court death, with your causal volume, you'll live well. You can do what you like and want."
"You... aren't lying to me?"
"Sign a contract?"
"No."
After saying this, the Eye Princess secretly glanced at Su Xiao. She wondered which ancient god scholar had such a loose tongue, even mentioning Law Destroyer Bai Ye's contracts to her.
"Excellent. Then we have a pleasant agreement. From now on, we're partners, not coercion. You need to understand that clearly. So, you can drink this."
Baha pointed his wing at the translucent potion. The Eye Princess hesitated, then picked it up and drank it.
"Very good. Now, tell me, who are your enemies?"
"I have no enemies. Since I can remember, I've been trapped in the Argal Academy at Yinmi Maosi. How could I have enemies? But someone is indeed hunting me."
As soon as the Eye Princess finished speaking, she suddenly covered her ears. In her perception, her surroundings began to vibrate slightly, and a ringing sound filled her ears.
"They're here."
Thud~
A heavy stomping sound came from the train's roof, followed by continuous such impacts.
Su Xiao stood up from his seat and walked toward the carriage exit. The pupils of his eyes faintly glowed with a sinister red light. Having ascended to Supreme Peak, he was eager to encounter an opponent. After all, a technique-type powerhouse couldn't just keep improving; they needed to intersperse their growth with enough real combat to clarify their future path.
Stepping off the train, he found over a hundred hunters around, their bodies fused with hunting armor and highly beastified. If he wasn't mistaken, these were the Wizard Hunting Group.
Dozens of meters away stood a five-meter-tall figure, resembling a werewolf but with fine tentacles covering its body. This was the hunting group leader, named Elm.
Hunting Group Leader Elm looked down at Su Xiao. Upon learning that the Eye Princess had been taken from the Beast Town, he knew the opportunity had come. The Argal School would come to ransom her. But after the pursuit, he found that this group didn't seem like ancient god scholars. Moreover, the leader's aura, while not weak, wasn't dangerous. This perception was more like encountering a slightly weaker peer.
"Finish this quickly."
As Hunting Group Leader Elm spoke, he suddenly noticed that the face before him seemed to resemble a certain divine punishment portrait in his memory. The more he looked, the more it seemed so.
"Retreat!!"
Clang!
It was too late. Su Xiao's hand had already pressed on the hilt of the blade at his waist. In an instant, dense slashes spread across the entire area. The members of the Wizard Hunting Group, who had been radiating cruel auras moments before, suddenly froze.
Their bodies began to crumble into sugar-cube-sized pieces. As they fell, they turned to ash due to the "Burning Blood Embers," burning up before hitting the ground. In an instant, ashes scattered everywhere.
Su Xiao gripped the hilt with one hand and drew the long blade.
Clang~
As the blade was drawn, Hunting Group Leader Elm's teeth chattered audibly. He felt a vast sea of blood rushing toward him. He wanted to turn and flee, but he was certain that if he did, he would die without a doubt.
As a Supreme, Hunting Group Leader Elm erupted with his aura, breaking free from the oppressive presence. He suddenly closed in to within three meters of Su Xiao, his claw gathering extreme darkness as he slashed at Su Xiao. If this claw touched anything, everything it touched would disappear from a causal level. This was his ultimate technique, Dark Devour.
The long blade swept lightly. Hunting Group Leader Elm suddenly felt numbness in the right half of his body. When the numbness faded, he found his right arm missing. Just as he prepared to use another trump card, he suddenly felt very tall, and rising higher. Looking down, he saw his headless body spurting blood.
Hunting Group Leader Elm couldn't understand why his regeneration wasn't working, or why his undying divine blood was useless.
With a thud, Hunting Group Leader Elm's head hit the ground. Su Xiao glanced at the heavy, massive head and concluded that below the peak level, even "Super Top-Tier Supreme" could be killed in one strike.
At that moment, a figure five meters tall but with a fifty-meter-level aura, draped in tattered animal skins and sporting a pair of antlers, approached from the distance.
Seeing this figure, Su Xiao knew that the opponent of his own rank he had been looking for had arrived.