Chapter 1110: Chapter 154: Selfish Motives
From a personal standpoint, Luo Qiu did not really agree with Nero being a member of the club—because there was his Spirit Seed inside Nero’s body.
If possible, Luo Qiu did not wish for the ‘Nero Vision’ to be lost just like that.
However, based on the club’s most basic transaction principles… since the guest made a request, as long as the price could be paid, the transaction would be triggered.
You will fall into endless transactions, whether willing or not, but once the power reaches that level—it will never change.
This might be part of the lost freedom… a feeling of being beyond one’s control.
Luo Qiu knew that the moment might e quickly, but it could also be very late, yet it would certainly arrive—the most likely scenario was that he would bee like the previous owner, ultimately losing interest in all matters.
As per the club’s purpose, whatever you want, you just have to give something.
You will bee an eternal and indestructible Root Agent in the endless time and space, also being a puppet under the will of the origin… is it not equivalent?
Nero’s request was recognized by the altar—in fact, every transaction would be approved by the altar, and only then would the contract appear.
The power of the contract originates from the altar, Luo Qiu is just a witness and executor.
…
Nero’s greatest wish was to live—in the club, customers would always have their most original thoughts amplified.
Perhaps your spirit is strong enough, your will firm enough, you can resist… but you will eventually be stimulated, because you have been here long enough, because you have made enough transactions… because you set foot on a path of no return from the beginning.
She seems to just want to live, no matter in what way.
But the demand for living can be substantial—it can live until the world grows old, live eternally.
Obviously, such a cost for eternity is substantial, nearly incalculable… but it seems there is also a clever way—such as the path of being a Black Soul Envoy.
Perhaps this was Nero’s thought at the moment.
“You will lose your freedom, your body, your will shall no longer belong to you from now on. Your life, your death, from this moment on, will exist in a single thought, and you cannot betray my will. Moreover, during the execution of the task, you might also encounter possible lethal situations… even so, are you willing?”
This is a deal, unlike the conversion of Da Zhe—Da Zhe first became the club’s property, and then transformed by Luo Qiu, inherently having no choice.
At this moment, whether it was Da Zhe or Tai Yinzi, they were silently looking at Nero—because Nero might very likely bee their kin in a few minutes.
“Boss, is it really okay for you to do business like this?” Nero was looking at Luo Qiu’s eyes, “Aren’t you afraid the guests will bee unwilling?”
Luo Qiu smiled and said, “Once it’s clarified, there won’t be much debate in the future. Besides, the choice has always been in the hands of the guests.”
Nero calmly said, “But, the better things are always on your side, aren’t they? Despite the so-called choice… where else is there a better option than this?”
Looking at the goatskin floating gently in front of her, Nero effortlessly placed her palm on it, whispering, “I don’t want to be in pain anymore.”
The process of transformation was extremely simple, under the power of the club, the transformation process took less than ten seconds.
Nero abandoned her human body and obtained a body posed of Heteromorphic Origin.
The scars on her body disappeared at this moment, she looked at her new body, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease—even without medication… it didn’t hurt anymore.
——It doesn’t hurt anymore, the pain has flown away.
The voices of her parents suddenly flashed through Nero’s mind from childhood.
“It really doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Nero looked at Luo Qiu and smiled.
Luo Qiu saw a tear slowly flowing from beneath her eyes. This was the first time Luo Qiu saw such a smile from Nero.
Not cruel, not indifferent, not grim nor frivolous, without malice or bad intentions, just a very ordinary, mon person’s smile.
So ordinary.
…
…
A new Black Soul Envoy was added; the maid showed no considerable surprise—not even an unpleasant expression due to Nero’s transformation.
Over the past hundreds of years, having witnessed one outstanding individual after another being Black Soul Envoys, and seeing them perish in various difficult missions again and again, the maid had long grown accustomed.
The maid’s mood even seemed quite good—when Boss Luo pleted Nero’s transformation and returned to the study again, Tai Yinzi was surprised that he might not die?
The Black Soul Envoy belonged under the maid’s management… at this moment, the maid was carefully explaining the work of a Black Soul Envoy to Nero.
“First, it is prohibited to use coercive means to force the guest into a transaction, but inducement methods are allowed.”
Nero nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.
“Second, we have no real enemies, you must maintain the most basic respect for every guest who es here, even if they were once your foes.”
Nero still shrugged nonchalantly, indicating she understood.
“Third, the master is everything to us, any thought of betraying the master is not allowed to exist, especially one must not act wantonly, and must put on clothes the first time after a bath.”
Nero… Nero opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
The education was still ongoing, and it seemed it would take some time.
…
…
The underground medical room of Wolong Mountain Villa.
Mo Mo would e almost every day to visit Zhan—currently, Wolong Mountain Villa only had two logistics staff and one medical staff left.
Zhan’s current condition cannot be moved… Fortunately, when Wolong Mountain Villa was initially built, it was done with great care, allowing self-sufficient electricity to be continuously maintained—As for the thick fog, it is blocked outside by a barrier released by the Management Bureau.
Therefore, the medical instruments here can still be used.
If this barrier could be moved, it wouldn’t remain here but be applied to current movements within the fog, wouldn’t it?
Perhaps it is too boring to stay here, the nurse who was ordered to remain behind began to clean up—in particular, she intended to wash the clothes Zhan had changed out of.
The clothes still had bloodstains, removed during treatment and later placed in a corner, neglected until now—when she picked up the clothes, something suddenly fell out.
It was a small bell.
“This bell…”
The sound of the bell falling to the ground caught Mo Mo’s attention. He walked over to the nurse, picked up the bell from the floor, and shook it twice out of instinct.
The crisp sound seemed to carry a peculiar magic, capable of calming the heart.
“Mr. Mo Mo, is the item not damaged?” The young nurse looked at Mo Mo anxiously—she naturally knew the kind of people staying at Wolong Mountain Villa.
This unremarkable bell might very well be a magic artifact of those flying and escaping Taoists… if damaged, she could not afford to pay for it.
“No, it’s fine.” Mo Mo smiled and said, “You go ahead with your work.”
The young nurse then left quickly with a look of apprehension… Mo Mo peered through the glass at Zhan’s slumbering figure, feeling somewhat helpless, “You had this all along.”
This was something Mo Mo acquired on his first day at Wolong Mountain Villa, from Lai Caisheng, the current inheritor of the Clothed Daoist tradition—or rather, this was gifted by Lai Caisheng.
Mo Mo did not expect that Zhan had always kept this bell… Mo Mo shook his head, taking the bell in hand, and also stepped out of the medical room.
There was still a logistic staff member here, so there was no concern over lack of supervision.
Thanks to the barrier, the inside of Wolong Mountain Villa was spared from being engulfed by the thick fog… But looking out from the courtyard, it seemed as if Wolong Mountain Villa stood isolated in a small world amidst the fog.
The fog was so dense, making the villa appear dim as a result. Without checking the time, it was hard to tell whether it was morning or afternoon—yet Mo Mo didn’t expect to encounter… that enigmatic figure in the Bronze Mask causing an upheaval outside at this very moment!
Right in the separate courtyard held by the Clothed Daoist.
Mo Mo didn’t even know when the other person arrived or how they passed through the barrier… Right now, the Bronze Masked Man stood in the courtyard, looking up at the Firmiana tree within the yard.
Inside, Mo Mo was greatly alarmed… The only two logistic staff within the villa naturally couldn’t be relied upon.
Only he himself was left.
The only thing giving Mo Mo slight confidence was having retrieved his belongings after returning to the villa, regaining Dragon Tiger Mountain’s magic artifacts and talismans, so he wasn’t left to merely engage in melee bat.
He secretly clutched a powerful talisman in hand and entered the courtyard… Mo Mo had a feeling that this Bronze Masked Man’s arrival was seemingly to find him.
“Tianxin Seventy-First Generation! You dare intrude into Wolong Mountain Villa!” Mo Mo rushed into the courtyard, pointing the Nameless Black Wooden Sword from afar, shouting angrily, “What exactly do you want!”
“Your panion is alright now, isn’t he?” The Bronze Masked Man turned to Mo Mo, speaking calmly, “I heard he survived, am I right.”
Mo Mo gritted his teeth, “It’s all because of you, Zhan… Damn it!”
“As the saying goes, narrowly escaping death brings future fortune.” The Bronze Masked Man stated with a matter-of-fact tone, “He is like this, and so are you. It proves your destinies are strong… But a strong destiny does not mean it can be squandered recklessly. Perhaps you can see a new world, why not cherish it.”
“Cherish?” Mo Mo sneered, “That day, if we hadn’t been rescued, then… wouldn’t so many Taoist seniors and demon experts have been sacrificed? For your selfish desires, how can you condemn so many lives? Or whether they live or not, should they stay behind… Who are you to decide?!”
“Great achievements have always required sacrifice.” The Bronze Masked Man spoke calmly, “In ancient times, weak tribes abandoned the elderly and weak to survive, leaving more food for the remaining members, which is the same principle. They have exhausted their potential over the long years; even amidst Spiritual Energy Awakening, they cannot breakthrough further. Therefore, they placed their hope upon those with potential, willingly sacrificing themselves… In your view, is it just selfishness?”
“Were they… willing?” Mo Mo asked, with a startled mouth.
“You don’t know.” The Bronze Masked Man said, “The pain of not being able to advance further, the despair of nearing the end of life span without dying yet. You haven’t seen a clear path ahead but pletely blocked. After a hundred years of Taoist practice, ultimately it is all in vain, several cycles of hard cultivation until potential is fully exhausted, lingering on the edge of despair as days pass ruthlessly. Do you understand these?”
As the Bronze Masked Man spoke, scenes appeared before Mo Mo’s eyes.
One by one, Taoists who chose self-destruction out of despair…
One by one, demons roaring at the sky in anguish…
Hate, hate, hate!
Kill, kill, kill!
No knowing how long, perhaps just an instant, Mo Mo only felt cold sweat breaking out… That infinite resentment and pain seemed to pierce deep into his Soul.
The black wooden sword slipped from his grip and fell to the ground, with Mo Mo collapsing onto his knees powerlessly… kneeling amidst this endless unwillingness, anger, and despair… those lost in despair ever since the path of Immortality was blocked, both human and demon.
Until the sound of the bell suddenly rang out, it was like a lightning bolt piercing through the resentment, pulling Mo Mo’s heart and mind away from terror.
He gasped for breath, looking at the Bronze Masked Man before him… In his hand, unknowingly, he held that bell.
“Whether in the Taoist realm or the demon realm, it seems peaceful.” The Bronze Masked Man spoke slowly, “But how many undercurrents are surging within, you might not have realized yet… accumulating, this despair has always been accumulating, and the oppression strengthens day by day. When the day es, it can endure no more, when it can no longer be suppressed, madness will follow, perhaps truly reaching extremes. Do you know why the Management Bureau was established after the New Kingdom’s founding?”
Mo Mo shook his head in confusion.
“Because of even greater madness.” The Bronze Masked Man said calmly, “In secret, Taoists using human lives to break this shackle, demons long past being more extreme and frantic… they turned more secretive, while methods became ever more extreme and frenzied. Unable to absorb Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Energy, they absorb living human’s Essence Qi. Taoism’s purity and non-action have long vanished, how many adopted the Demon Path in secret and became human-eating devils. It spreads like a plague silently across the Tao and demon realms. Our destinies have but two options: perish in madness or seek a new breakthrough… and if no breakthrough is sought, only madness will lead to total destruction, even overwhelming the entire mortal world.”
“How could this be…”
“You should be thankful.” The Bronze Masked Man stepped closer to Mo Mo, “Grateful that they ultimately chose sacrifice over madness… grateful they are willing to open a path for you, leaving hope to you.”
Mo Mo looked up at him.
He watched him slowly remove the Bronze Mask from his face, “Now, do you still think what we did was just selfish?”
Mo Mo stared in disbelief, “It’s you!”
Standing before him… was Lai Caisheng.
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