Xia De stood there in a daze, staring at the water, while that pretty head was already pressed completely against his back. Countless dripping hands grabbed his Destiny Ring, stopping it from spinning, and legs shackled his body.
It was gradually enveloping him, and its mouth whispered into Xia De's right ear:
"People call me desire, but you are..."
It moved closer to Xia De, wanting to truly lie on his back, speaking intimately close to his ear.
However, by chance, as Xia De's gaze fell upon the pool of water, in the reflection, the silver-haired woman in the mirror still appeared blurry to Xia De, but the thing calling itself desire, lying on Xia De's back, actually saw the silver-haired woman in the mirror looking directly outwards.
It couldn't clearly see the silver-haired woman's face either, but those eyes...
Xia De couldn't hear the voice, but it could. Those silver eyes gazed out of the mirror, out of the water, gazing at the head behind Xia De:
"Only I can speak from this position."
The ancient language represented true antiquity. It was as if a wind from the distant past blew into the present, an archaic grammar that had traversed several epochs, making the woman's head recall the past, a very distant past, a past so worn out that even relics had forgotten it, amidst the Ancient One's language it had not heard for a long time.
It froze.
Xia De, however, suddenly frowned, then turned his head to look back, staring closely into the head's eyes:
"Wait, you said I'm a man, and that I'm from the sixth epoch?"
"What?"
The head saw the light of wisdom, representing normal thought, in Xia De's eyes.
"Of course I'm a man, but the Old God told me that, strictly speaking, it's not the sixth epoch right now. Wait, you don't even know that? Ha, I thought you were so powerful, I didn't expect to be bluffed by you."
At this point, Xia De, looking into those eyes, completely sobered up. He very seriously said to the head behind him:
"Also, don't, don't talk in my ear."
Only then did he realize he was entangled by the monster. After a moment of panic and disgust, he immediately knew what he had to do.
Behind him, the brass-colored gluttony and the black-iron-colored greed's spiritual light almost merged into one. The high-temperature wheel, spewing steam and rapidly rotating, forced those hands to release his Destiny Ring. At the same time, Xia De's right index finger pointed behind him:
"Silver Moon!"
In the narrow dark room, the extreme holy silver light erupted like the sun, and the legs that had locked Xia De's body gradually released him.
Plop~
Xia De felt his back lighten, then heard the sound of a heavy object falling into the water, and felt the splashing water wet his pants. But he didn't check the pool again; instead, he took a step, moving directly from one end of the pool to the door at the other end.
He wanted to rush out through the already open door, but the voice behind him stopped him. The head's voice was still sweet, but Xia De inexplicably felt that it was somewhat dispirited, yet it still asked, as if humming a song:
"You won. Don't you want to know how to obtain that golden one?"
Xia De didn't even move, and a string of water droplets flew from behind him, forming dense ancient letters before his eyes.
During the Sea Offering Ritual, that golden pearl would be buried in the heart of the gigantic Mermaid corpse that summoned the tsunami. A terrifying incantation could separate that pearl from the merman's abdominal cavity, and now that incantation was before Xia De's eyes.
"That golden pearl contains the power of a god, which is why I've been sealed until now. Those mermen still think I'm just a sea monster. But if you dare touch that thing, a god's gaze will fall upon you, the thief..."
She seemed to pause intentionally, waiting several seconds before speaking:
"But if you can defile the Sea Offering Ritual with blasphemy before touching the pearl, the god won't bother with you. After all, for a great one of higher dimension, it's not worth bothering themselves over a mere thief."
Xia De wanted to speak, but then he heard something else fly out of the water and land behind his feet.
He looked back and saw it was a small piece of fresh flesh with red blood on it:
"What do you mean?"
"I told you, as long as you look at me, I'll give you the answer, and a gift. This is the gift."
In the pool, only the woman's head was still above the water. Now Xia De knew what was beneath the surface, so he no longer had any fantasies about the body.
"What is this?"
The woman chuckled, leaning on the edge of the pool, and extended one of her arms, letting Xia De see the bloody wound on it. The perfect skin and flesh were damaged, but this only increased the charm of that pristine arm:
"Haven't you already guessed? This is my flesh. Eat it, and you will gain new power.
Your enemies are mermen, but are you sure you can defeat them in the water? You are only a Ring術士 of the second ring. I think even on land, you wouldn't be able to defeat them, right? My flesh can allow you to perfectly adapt to the aquatic environment, increase your lifespan, and give you temporary powerful strength. And even... other permanent powers."
Xia De had heard many times in this world the rumor that eating Mermaid flesh grants immortality. But the Mermaid race itself cannot live forever, so eating their flesh certainly wouldn't grant any special power.
The relic in the pool, calling itself desire, did indeed look like a Mermaid... a very strange Mermaid. Eating its flesh would be equivalent to eating a part of a relic.
This kind of thing sounded quite insane, but Xia De didn't hesitate much.
Waking up from the true reflection of desire, although he didn't gain any manifestable power, the Outsider felt a newfound determination. He truly understood himself, understood his heart, and this was more precious than any power.
The woman by his ear chuckled, and the woman in the pool also chuckled. The piece of flesh at his feet was rapidly turning black and putrid. Everything was up to Xia De to decide.
He endured the nausea, bent down, and picked up the fresh piece of flesh. This sticky thing was probably even more disgusting than the nastiest thing he had ever eaten, which were those frog materials.
"How is it?"
He asked in his mind.
"A pure aggregate of elements and spirit. Ingesting it will definitely affect your mental state."
"How will it affect me?"
"Cannot give you an answer."
"Also, just now I saw in the pool..."
Only this thought carried a hint of shame.
"Outsider, I don't mind anything, including your constant suspicion of me."
"What choice will your greed lead you to make? Or will your courage lead you to try?"
The head of desire looked at Xia De with a smile from the edge of the pool. If normal girls were leaning on the edge of a pool, one would see their smooth shoulders. But with this thing, only the head was visible:
"Do I need to swear to the Old God again that there's no malice this time?"
Xia De weighed the piece of meat, and answered in a serious tone:
"No need to swear, but can courage and recklessness truly be distinguished? No, in my opinion, the difference between the two lies only in the final outcome, not in the situation upon which the judgment is based."
With a light flick of his finger, the Moonlight between his fingers sliced off a small, thin piece of meat. His control was quite good; the piece of meat, as thin as a cicada's wing, was even completely translucent, yet Xia De could still see muscle fibers as fine as hair.
He carefully put the thing into his mouth, and a fishy, foul smell immediately spread throughout his entire oral cavity. Xia De didn't dare to chew or savor the taste, but directly swallowed it into his stomach.
Abundant spirit spread to every corner of his body. That wondrous feeling of power was even more effective than the soup on the Bone Pirate Ship.
"Can you make a further judgment?"
"No toxins, no curses. It can indeed temporarily provide you with the power of dark desire. But if you eat all the meat in your hand, even if you are currently in Divine Radiance state, your various desires will be amplified for at least a month."
The woman in the pool did not urge Xia De. Xia De stood in place, considered for a moment, closed his eyes, and stuffed all the meat he was holding into his mouth.
"Ugh~"
Swallowing it directly down his throat, a strong urge to vomit followed, causing him to tremble and kneel directly on the ground. One hand supported the ground, the other covered his chest. This feeling of nausea was not just because of the terrible taste, but also because after all the meat was swallowed, accompanied by the rapid accumulation of spirit within his body, his body seemed to absorb something from those pieces of meat.
His entire body's muscles tensed, veins bulged, and beneath his skin, it was as if tiny worms were wriggling. Dark patterns spread from his stomach to all parts of his body, as if Xia De's entire body was covered in black Ling Runes chains.
And in addition to the physical abnormalities, Xia De felt dizzy at that moment, as if he had fallen into a bottomless dark abyss. As he fell, various abnormal scenes, insane illusions that both frightened and captivated him, were displayed one by one before him.
His brain was completely unable to perceive true reality, and endless emptiness and frantic craving urged him to obtain the things he desired.
But the benefits of eating this mass of flesh also manifested simultaneously. The Destiny Ring, which Xia De had just retracted, automatically reappeared behind him. However, as the black-iron spiritual light gradually concentrated, no new Ling Runes were generated.
gluttony and greed, at this moment, subtly overlapped. The dual-colored spiritual light of the two was not intense; instead, it had a simple, heavy feel.
As Xia De continued to dry heave, supporting himself on the ground, her voice appeared in his ear, a murmuring sound still with a smile:
"In the Pool of desire, you beheld me. Do not fear dark desire; sin is also a part of you. You consumed the flesh of desire, and you gained power you had not yet discovered."
"relic - desire, has given you new power."
The black light spread to the entire Destiny Ring. That strange luster kept the woman in the pool smiling, her eyes slightly narrowed:
"Sin..."
"Outsider, you have gained Miracle - 【Great Sin Chains】. Chains forged from your desire, to shackle enemies with desire."
The black light on the surface of the Destiny Ring eventually, with the rotation of the brass ring, transformed into black flames burning fiercely, attached to the Destiny Ring. As the Miracle took form, these flames flowed from the Destiny Ring onto Xia De's body. The black patterns on his skin gradually merged with the flames, and with clanking sounds, solidified dark chains appeared in Xia De's hands.
Miracle - 【Great Sin Chains】, the name was a bit strange, and it wasn't a Miracle corresponding to a single Ling Rune; this new Miracle was simultaneously associated with both the gluttony and greed Ling Runes.
One must know that even Professor Garcia's Mystic Lock - Barren Field, only corresponded to three Ling Runes.
Although the Miracle's name was a bit intimidating, it had no offensive power. Its effect was very simple: this black chain, which seemed to absorb light, was not aggressive, but could be used to shackle enemies. And the stronger the enemy's desire, and the stronger Xia De's desire, the stronger the chain's sealing ability.
Not only did it restrict movement through binding, this chain could even seal a Ring術士's extraordinary powers. Although it couldn't directly enhance Xia De's combat ability, it was still a very useful Miracle.
As the Miracle took shape, Xia De's consciousness also recovered, but the fear and sense of nothingness from falling into the dark abyss lingered for a long time before truly disappearing.
After a good while, Xia De finally realized he was supporting himself on the ground, panting heavily.
The spirit within him had indeed increased. In his current state, combined with the witch's golden ring, it was almost enough for Xia De to incompletely use the Mystic Lock - the little match girl once. However, this power, which did not belong to him, was rapidly draining, so he could not waste time.
He looked down at his arms again; those strange black patterns had disappeared, and his stomach felt as if nothing was there. He shook the black chain in his hand, and the strange metal made even the Miracle's user feel a bit uncomfortable.
The dark metal was cold, like it could absorb light, emitting no glow whatsoever. Although it looked like a chain, each link was an ancient rune. All the rune patterns were different, but when translated into delarion common language, these runes had only two meanings:
Gluttony, greed.
More Miracle information was whispered into his ear by "her"; the length of the chain could be extended as needed, and Xia De could also manipulate the chain's movement, but it had to be within his line of sight.
"Such an advanced-looking Miracle, and it's not even offensive."
He recovered for a while before standing up, then felt something unusual about his body again.
"Hmm? Why do I feel... this body has become stronger again?"
He was already pushed to the second ring by his Divine Radiance, and his physical quality far exceeded that of Ring術士 of the same level. And now, he actually had that feeling of his physical quality temporarily strengthening again.
And it wasn't just the strengthening of his physical quality; that was probably a misconception, Xia De actually felt that his skin had also improved quite a bit.
The original owner was, after all, a vagrant, and a mere few months were not enough to reverse the effects of years of wandering on his skin. But now, although his skin was not as exaggeratedly good as the woman in the pool, it was definitely no longer in its previous state.
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