Chapter 8 – Protagonist: … Come here.

“Become god?” Xiu’s lips tilted up as if he wanted to smile, but his pale, gloomy face made it look like a sneer. “Do you think … I can become god?”

Not only do I believe that, but it will certainly happen. Young man, you don’t know it but in another world there is an author1 who wrote “Mixed Blood.”

Du Ze found the right words to say after a few minutes of thinking: “… I have seen it.”

He really has seen it with his own two eyes, when he read the “Mixed Blood” novel.

“Your eyes are very beautiful, prophet.”

Xiu’s hoarse voice is slightly mocking. Du Ze instantly felt tragic. In “Mixed Blood,” there is such a thing as a Prophet who can predict the future. But these Prophets all have one extremely important characteristic – they are all blind. They can see the future and the price they pay for that power is not being able to see the present. Du Ze’s plan to disguise his foreknowledge of events as prophecy has hit a roadblock. Now the suspicion in Xiu’s eyes is getting stronger and stronger …

Countless explanatory words flowed into Du Ze’s brain but the fool founds the social barrier too hard to overcome and choked on the words, standing there silently. However, when he saw the black-robed Lich raise his death scythe in a defensive position, Du Ze said, seemingly calm, “Try me and you will know.”

The hand that held the sickle paused, and Xiu stared at Du Ze. The silly youth with a cold face was ready to play, trying to divert the protagonist’s murderous attention.

He looked at the death scythe and remembered that in “Mixed Blood,” the protagonist was rescued by the spirit beast. Afterwards, he began to study the metal body that he previously received in the Magic Tower. The piece of metal is indeed a magical artifact. It can absorb other weapons and take on their shape and abilities. This is a weapon that goes against heaven’s will and allows the protagonist to save money! With this item, he can go from level 0 to max without changing weapons. What’s more, the artifact will change to match the protagonist’s current form – the death scythe for the Lich, the sword for the Human, the bow for the Elf, the knife for the Demon, the staff for the Angel, the iron claw for the Beastkin, the spear for the Dragon, and the hammer for the Gnome – it’s awesome! Whether it’s single player or an online game, the most expensive thing to buy is the weapon for the main character, right? When Du Xe first saw it, Du Ze wanted to applaud.2

Xiu named it Qian Bian3. Right now it can take on two forms, the death scythe and Louis’ Magic Codex. In a fantasy setting like this one, a Magic Codex is very important for a Necromancer and embodies the essence of their knowledge. The Lich Louis wrote down all of his knowledge, experience, and research in this Magic Codex. Using this book, the protagonist learned the Necromancer’s skills and the way out of the Lost Land.

The Lost Land is just a legend for most people and no one knew that the Lich Louis had emerged from that place into the Chaos continent. From the Codex, Xiu found out that this continent is divided into two sides: the positive and the negative. The Lost Land connects both sides. That is why inside it one can see the marvelous sight of two skies, one above and one below. Louis came from the opposite side of this continent through the Lost Land, then launched the scourge of his undead army.

When Xiu opened the Codex after following Du Ze’s instructions, the protagonist immediately started looking at Du Ze differently. Du Ze seized the chance to sell himself. “I know a lot, you can use me.”

The black-robed Lich was silent for a long time. Du Ze’s face was still impassive, but inside he was crying out: protagonist, don’t hesitate, ah! You have to believe that you will become an absolute tyrant who makes everyone weep and wail.4

This activity took almost a day, from evening until dusk the next day. The reader was forced to stare across him at the protagonist who was almost as still as a statue. Seeing that his headset was running out of power, Du Ze had to remind Xiu of his purpose. “I will fulfill your wish.”

Xiu suddenly became alert and looked at Du Ze with dark eyes, in which the soul flame began to blaze. Unexpectedly, the Lich smiled and said hoarsely, “I want many things, can you give me all of them?”

Du Ze nodded confidently. He looked at the protagonist eagerly, hoping to quickly end the topic. His headphones are about to go on strike!

Xiu stared at Du Ze for a while, then suddenly said: “Come here!”

Xiu says come here

Xiu says “Come Here” with his hand out. Is he trying to seduce me – *cough* Du Ze?

That was the last sentence that Du Ze heard. The next second, all sounds, whether it was the wind or a voice, became faint and indistinct. Du Ze could only obey the last command he heard and went to stand in front of the protagonist, staring at that pale, bloodless mouth, for fear that the Lich might say something that he couldn’t understand.

Xiu’s lips moved. “… You … Agreement?”

… At this moment, Du Ze thought that Faraday, who invented the generator, is most certainly the greatest person on Earth. Du Ze was hard-pressed to make out what the Lich is saying. He can only try to read his lips and facial expression. Since he heard the words “you” and “agreement,” it seems that the Lich wants to sign a contract with him. In “Mixed Blood,” the blackened protagonist cannot trust anyone. All his companions signed the contract and became the protagonist’s younger brother.5 This was a disguised form of recognition … So the story of “Mixed Blood” can be twisted and f**ked a little bit?!

Now the key thing is, when midnight comes, will his restore ability erase the contract?

Now that he cannot hear, Du Ze does not want to speak. Neither does he want the protagonist to find out that he is deaf. Therefore, he cannot explain his golden finger now. He simply nods his head in agreement. At midnight if the master and servant contract is nullified, he will explain it. Then again, is this the first time that Xiu will make a contract? He suddenly felt very honored and worried that it might be broken.

– Du Ze’s moral integrity is dead, burn Joss paper as an offering.6

Seeing Du Ze nod, Xiu’s eyes half-close, covering the vibrant soul flame.

Then some silly, cute boy was so happy to see the protagonist take his hand, gently bring it up – wait a minute, what’s happening? Isn’t the contract dominant on the other side? What is written in “Mixed Blood” is that the master and servant contract is made when the master uses a finger to point between the eyebrows of the other person.7

Pain … pain … QAQ

Just now, Xiu bit Du Ze’s wrist. He looked like a delicate and handsome vampire. His thin, ice-cold lips were pasted on Du Ze’s wrist, hungrily and greedily sucking on his blood. Xiu’s long black hair fell down past his cheeks like two waterfalls. The beautiful face of the undead was three-dimensional and morbid.

Du Ze felt like his wrist was slippery. The icy tongue licked his wrist back and forth, then his hand was released. Except for being a little paler, his wrist looked the same. If Xiu’s lips hadn’t become a moist, dark red, Du Ze might even have suspected that he was just dreaming.

The red blood made the pale lips scarlet. Xiu did not notice Du Ze’s shocked reaction. Xiu pulled open his black robe, revealing his pale chest. Under the white skin, the blue blood vessels are almost visible. Xiu extended his right hand and, in a very natural-looking way, inserted the bones into the left side of his chest, where the heart is located.

Pale bones buried in his chest, Xiu frowned and spoke an incantation before pulling out his hand. Something flowed out of that spot – black and red blood. The blood formed a complex design on Xiu’s skin.

Du Ze’s brain finally unfroze. He could not believe his eyes. The red and black lines – this is the blood contract!!!

What about the master and servant contract?

Now Du Ze’s fear about the contract being nullified by his restore power, and Xiu becoming angered, is groundless. The master and servant contract is sworn by the soul. It only requires that the servant remain loyal to the master. If the servant betrays the master, he will be killed by the contract. But the blood contract uses the blood. The leader obtains the blood from the contracted person, then creates a blood contract beast within the leader’s body. The blood contract beast will remember the blood of the contracted person. The leader can then kill the other person at any time. If the contracted person should run away, the leader can find him using the beast. If the leader should die, then the beast will kill the contracted person – this is a permanent slave contract that can’t be revoked.

The first time the blood contract was used in “Mixed Blood” was when Xiu captured a harem member who hated him.

Du Ze: … Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Xiu pulled his robe back over his chest. The Lich’s mood seems very good. His brow lost some of its frown lines. Seeing Du Ze’s cold eyes, Xiu seemed to sigh. “…”

Du Ze… Du Ze had the urge to destroy the headphones that had died at the critical moment. He did not know that he had much more bitter experiences ahead of him.

Next, he started his miserable debt-paying life (as an abused shou/uke).1

Since he now held Du Ze’s little life in his hands, the blackened protagonist developed a variety of Du Ze’s functions, vowing to make full use of his first subordinate. Every night, Du Ze contributed half of his soul. When practicing the undead curse magics, Du Ze was the test subject. When practicing the undead plague magics,2 Du Ze was the test subject. When practicing the undead darkness magics, Du Ze was the test subject. When practicing undead alchemy magics, Du Ze was the test subject. When practicing the undead summoning magics … the bitter reader can finally just watch.

About to be abused, Du Ze almost wanted to create a memorial tablet of the author and embrace it while crying, “Hero! I was wrong!!! The Holy Saint is indeed the best person in this world! The world needs the Holy Saint! Please let the protagonist’s Holy Saint shine his light on the people around me (especially me)! Blackening is an illness, please treat it.”

poor uke

Xiu trying out a whole bunch of spells on poor, poor Du Ze. Notice how Du Ze’s face is still impassive but inside he is scared and crying.

“… Come here.”

Du Ze looked impassively at his arms where black lines were climbing up.3 The complicated pattern looked like a bunch of branches. Every hour, a knot grows. When his entire right arm was covered by the branches, innumerable black roses bloomed. The next quarter hour, the roses withered and the black flower petals fell. Du Ze blanched because the falling petals were his transformed flesh and blood.

This is a curse with a very literary name: Wither. It is said that over time the black branches of the curse will cover the entire body and turn that person into a skeleton, with only the heart inside remaining.

The legend of the curse has it that a Necromancer fell in love with a princess and was rejected. The undead cursed the princess, making her flesh slowly wither away. The Necromancer said to the princess: “If you accept me, I will stop the curse.” However, the stubborn princess never relented and became a skeleton. The Necromancer then picked up the heart of the skeleton and said, sighing, “Finally, your heart is mine.”

Reading this story before, he had felt ambivalent…4

“Mixed Blood” has this legend because later on, the protagonist used this curse on Princess Kelly. Of course, Princess Kelly has been pampered since childhood. Therefore, she was not as dauntless as the princess of the legend. She submitted the next day and became one of the harem members. The point is, in the “Mixed Blood” description of the curse, it only makes the flesh fall away but there is no pain!

F***ing protagonist, is it because you don’t know how to cast this curse properly? Or is it just gender discrimination?!!!

Du Ze was in despair that the world only pities the sister.

Xiu stood at his side and very earnestly looked at Du Ze with a kind of unblinking attention, as though he wants to greedily observe and collect each and every expression on the trembling Du Ze’s face. Du Ze’s cold sweat dripped down his neck to the clavicle that is outlined by a black pattern, as if it were dew on the black rose petals, but bringing a biting pain.

Seemingly satisfied, the Lich raised the death scythe in the air and drew a magic character which instantly burned and poured itself into Du Ze’s body. The pain of the curse disappeared. He recognized the spell. A few days ago, Du Ze experienced the undead magic that makes the body’s sensations grow numb.

… So the protagonist really is doing this experiment to use on the younger sister later on.

The yellow and purple moons once moved directly above his head once more. The one-third of Du Ze’s body which had been transformed into bones was restored to its normal state. He relaxed. This was the end of today’s exercises. Opposite him, Xiu opened the Magic Codex to prepare the next day’s lesson. Du Ze saw that the uppermost page had the following words written on it: “Lost bone curse.”5

Du Ze … Du Ze wanted to escape from this place and return when the protagonist had discovered his other forms. The undead’s taste is too heavy for him.

But he could read in the eyes of the Lich the message, “If you dare to flee, I will kill you,” so how could he break free?

“… Come here.”

– Seeking the way to freedom!!!

wither

The Wither curse.

*******

*******

“Why… why do you want to do this to me?” Lilia was crying. “Kill me! Why don’t you kill me? You devil!”

Xiu put his clothes back on to cover the lines of blood. He looked down at the girl who was crying on the ground and raised Lilia’s chin with his toes.

“Isn’t this good?” The Devil was grinning. “No matter where you run to, I can find you. No matter how much you want to kill me, in the end, you will die if I die. Also, nobody can turn you against me.”

Xiu maliciously drawled this out, speaking unhurriedly and one by one destroying the soles of her feet.6

“In the end, you are still just a demon’s possession, forever marked with my mark.”

– excerpt from “Mixed Blood”

*********

The author has something to say:

Protagonist: Come here.

Reader: The wind is too loud, I can’t hear you.

Protagonist: … Eight races tonight.

Reader: Eight!!! Your sister!

Author: What do you mean? *innocent expression on his face*