Chapter 29 - Withered Poison Dragon
There were only two possibilities for Analytical Eyes to appear "Unable to determine"; one was that Joseph's strength was too low, and the other was that Joseph's strength was already strong enough to exceed his current maximum analysis limit. Obviously, Joseph was the latter, and he was still in the normal state of transformation. Despite Alan's murderous aura, in Chen Rui's eyes, Joseph, who was smiling, was undoubtedly more horrifying.
"Sirs, today, Master Aldas asked me to buy some Wrath Grass, so I came to Joseph's magic store to take a look," Chen Rui said, trying to calm the situation. He mentioned Aldas' name and pointed out it was Joseph's store to warn Alan. Joseph's demeanor changed slightly at the mention of Aldas' name, and a hint of arrogance and disdain seeped into his voice.
"Oh, it's Master Aldas's command," Joseph said, still smiling. "How much does Master need?" Chen Rui replied, "The Wrath Grasses here are not bad, but they're more expensive than what Master remembered. Perhaps the price increased. I don't have enough money, so I'll go back and report to Master first."
Chen Rui wasn't afraid of Alan, as he knew that with similar strength, even if he couldn't rival him, the probability of escape should still be quite high. However, the two great demons behind Joseph were a different story, let alone Joseph himself. The only thing he could do now was leave as soon as possible.
"Due to a shortage of goods, prices have inflated a little recently," Joseph explained. "However, since Master defeated Sandro and glorified Dark Moon City, I'll gift you 50 Wrath Grasses as a token of goodwill. Please pass it to Master along with the sincerest greetings from the Alvin family. If Master has any other needs, the store will sell it at the lowest price."
Joseph's intentions were clear. He was trying to build connections with Aldas, at least to flatter him. After Sandro's failed attempt to kill Aldas and his subsequent death, Joseph saw an opportunity to form an alliance. As the saying goes, there was no eternal enemy, only eternal interests. Fifty Wrath Grasses were worth at least 100 black crystal coins.
Chen Rui politely thanked Joseph, received the grass, and left. As he reached the entrance, Joseph suddenly spoke up, "Human, I heard that you're friends with the little princess and Athena?" Chen Rui turned around, smiled bitterly, and replied, "I'm not qualified for that. It's just that the little princess is very curious about me as a human. She likes to bring along Athena to pass the time with me."
Joseph's smile seemed false as he continued, "Yet, I heard that Athena publicly admitted you as a friend; I think the little princess also values you." Chen Rui sensed something off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Joseph then invited him, "I'm having a friendly match with the little princess at the arena early next month. Are you interested in visiting?"
Chen Rui's eyes narrowed slightly. He had never heard of this match from Alice or Athena. He replied casually, "Let's talk about it later. Sirs, I need to report back to Master now." After Chen Rui left, Alan clenched his teeth and said, "Joseph, you're afraid of the dark elf, but I'm not. Why not let me tear this damn human into pieces?"
Joseph sneered, not knowing whether it was for Chen Rui or Alan. "It's not the time to go against Shea publicly, so Aldas can't be offended. If you really want to deal with the weak human, I have an idea. Go spread the news that the human will compete on behalf of the little princess. If the human dies under fair play like Sandro, even Aldas can't say anything."
Alan's expression changed as he seemed to grasp the full extent of Joseph's plan. A sneer spread across his face, and he said, "Good idea! I'll join you and kill this human personally." Joseph shrugged, appearing almost indifferent, as if he had expected Alan's reaction. "Since you've decided to do it, then wait until the day before the match to spread the news, so they have no time to prepare."
Chen Rui returned to the lab and handed the Wrath Grasses to Aldas. Upon learning that Joseph had gifted them, Aldas took a moment to consider before accepting. Chen Rui understood that Aldas was aware of the Alvin family's intentions, but he chose not to comment. Instead, he went back to his room to rest.
In the following days, Alice surprisingly didn't visit Chen Rui, nor did she collect the owed story. Instead, Athena would occasionally drop by to listen to his tales from the Three Kingdoms. The lab was often filled with their laughter. During this time, Chen Rui accompanied Slee to Dark Moon City to investigate the source of aura, becoming familiar with the city's layout. Despite the warning from his previous encounter with a demon, he still faced some trouble. Fortunately, Zach from the "Guillotine" blacksmith store, who was loyal and well-connected, helped Chen Rui resolve the issues without exposing his strength.
Although the gains during this period weren't as significant as his first day, Chen Rui managed to increase his aura levels slightly. His total aura count was now close to 700, meeting the requirements to activate warehouse storage. However, activating it would leave him with only around 200 points. Since finding new aura sources was challenging at the moment, Chen Rui decided to wait longer.
As he became more integrated into the Demon Realm, Chen Rui gained a new perspective on this world, which was often described as horrific and cruel. He realized that the Demon Realm's advocacy for the survival of the fittest wasn't vastly different from the human world, which often hid its true nature behind a layer of elegance. Many demons were indeed hideous and cruel, but Chen Rui noted that the darkness within human hearts was comparable. The Demon Realm was like a reflection of the human world, but with a greater emphasis on power, combat, and a more peculiar appearance.
Chen Rui's thoughts were interrupted as he prepared to learn Dragon Inscription from Paglio again. Athena had been absent for two days, seemingly occupied with other matters. Using the excuse of gathering herbs, Chen Rui rented a tri-horned rhino and headed to the blue lake early in the morning.
Upon arriving at the familiar blue lake, Chen Rui initially planned to deal with Paglio's amnesia by bringing hot pot materials for the dragon to try. However, Paglio was nowhere to be found. The only remnants were a dried-up chessboard and scattered pebbles. Chen Rui was taken aback, concerned about Paglio's disappearance, as his life was now connected to the poison dragon's.
Just as Chen Rui began searching for Paglio around the lakeside, a whirlpool suddenly appeared in the lake, and a massive head slowly rose up. The yellow-brown head resembled a carnivorous dinosaur, with short horns on its head, fin-like structures on its cheeks, and a ferocious expression. Its sharp teeth and dark-golden eyes, flashing with an unsettling light, were fixed intently on Chen Rui.
This... should be Paglio!
Chen Rui's eyes widened in shock as the massive head emerged from the lake, its ferocious appearance sending a chill down his spine. He feared that the poison dragon, in this state, might attack him due to amnesia. The
However, the poison dragon's sudden outburst of "Damn Chen Rui!" caught him off guard, and a wave of relief washed over him. At least Paglio still remembered him. Chen Rui quickly urged, "Paglio, change your form. If not, it'll be easy to be discovered." He took a deep breath, trying to calm the situation.
But Paglio's demeanor didn't improve. The poison dragon swayed its head angrily, causing a large wave of lake water to splash over, intending to wet Chen Rui. Chen Rui reacted swiftly, jumping about 6 meters back to avoid the splash.
The poison dragon seemed surprised by Chen Rui's quick reflexes. Before Chen Rui could feel proud, the dragon head disappeared, and a figure suddenly appeared mid-air, kicking Chen Rui with incredible force. Chen Rui couldn't dodge in time and was kicked hard on his butt, flying through the air before landing with a thud, his body covered in mud.
"Paglio, WTF!" Chen Rui stood up, scolding the poison dragon as he felt intense pain on his buttocks. But to his surprise, Paglio was even more furious, rushing forward to hold his collar. "What happened to you? You almost got me killed!" Paglio's anger was palpable, and Chen Rui realized that something was seriously wrong.
The poison dragon's face, once a healthy yellowish-brown, had become pale and withered. Chen Rui's expression softened as he asked, "What happened to you?" Paglio snorted coldly, letting go of Chen Rui's collar. "I am the one who wants to ask! Around the second night after you took the venom, the symbiotic contract suddenly changed; it frantically swallowed my vitality and strength. Now my life span is halved! My power is greatly weakened!"
Chen Rui's eyes widened in shock as he recalled the events of that day. It was the day the Master Challenge ended, and the Super System started. He remembered the body cleansing and the initial evolution. The prompt had found high-purity life energy, which was then converted into aura for promotion. It turned out to be the power of the symbiotic contract. No wonder he became a Star Holder so soon! It seemed that Paglio had indeed suffered a significant loss.
Feeling guilty, Chen Rui decided to make amends by preparing a simple hot pot meal. "Let's make some food first and talk while we eat." Paglio's mood seemed to improve as he devoured the food quickly, praising its delicious taste.
As they ate, Chen Rui explained, "This is the case; the inheritance of my grand master was officially activated." Paglio listened intently, his expression still concerned, but his anger had dissipated, replaced by a sense of curiosity.
Chen Rui explained that the grand master's inheritance was responsible for part of the Super System's function, and that something had happened to the inheritance, causing it to grant him corresponding power. Moreover, this power would continue to increase. Paglio's expression turned angry as he realized that the inheritance was the one that had swallowed up his strength. "It was actually you who swallowed up my strength, damn guy! If this continues, my life will be shorter and shorter!"
Seeing that Paglio was about to attack again, Chen Rui quickly intervened, explaining that the symbiotic contract's power was only needed to activate the inheritance and that it was no longer necessary. He assured Paglio that the poison dragon shouldn't feel any strange changes from the contract again.
Initially, Chen Rui had been disappointed that the "high-purity life energy" from the initial evolution hadn't appeared again, which could have given him more aura. However, he now realized that even if there was a prompt, he wouldn't dare to simply agree. Staying alive was the most important foundation for strength, and if he could only live for a second, what was the use of invincibility?
After listening to Chen Rui's explanation, Paglio's anger began to dissipate. The dragon's lifespan was incredibly long, and even if it was halved, there were still at least a few million years left. Paglio considered that if he was sealed in a place for that long, he might not survive for even a few thousand years, and unexpected death was a possibility. In terms of strength, it could be slowly recovered and cultivated back.
What was more important was that Chen Rui's strength could be truly enhanced, which would help Paglio get out of trouble as soon as possible and reduce the possibility of unexpected death. The two had signed a symbiotic contract, and there was no need to dwell on it further. Soon, the scent of the hot pot calmed Paglio down, and his interest was piqued when he heard that Chen Rui had an attack skill passed down from the grand master.
Paglio's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked Chen Rui to demonstrate the skill.