Chapter 170: King, I Want You (8000 Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter)
“As the saying goes, three women make a play, and with four arriving at my home at once this time.”
In the bedroom, Shaya sat on his soft, large bed, his heart stirring with anticipation. Despite the tense atmosphere, he looked forward to the evening. He wondered what the final order would be. Diris, the least competitive, had already reached the Sixth Ring, while the others possessed spiritual power that was Legendary in starting point. Even if they had never played that kind of card game before, they could quickly deduce the optimal solution for various situations with their powerful calculating abilities after a brief understanding of the rules, thus eliminating any disadvantage due to inexperience. In other words, the biggest factor determining the outcome of the victory would be luck.
With his spiritual power restricted from external probing, Shaya calmed his mind and regulated his breathing. Then, he heard a series of blurred magical broadcast announcements.
“Gu Ding Saber, Wine, Fire Kill…”
“Peerless, Conqueror of Ten Thousand Armies!”
Someone scored the first kill so quickly? He wondered which of the girls in his fish pond would be the last one for the night…
However, Shaya forcibly suppressed the heat in his heart. Before anything else, he decided to resolve the main issue. With a slight motion of his mind, a small, white Holy Grail was summoned.
“My respected Master, what can I be of use for this time?”
Before Shaya could speak, text appeared on the body of the Sage’s Grail.
Shaya thought for a moment, “Tell me all the information about that little snake that flows with Quicksilver blood.” He extended his hand and sketched a few strokes, using magic to depict the appearance of the quicksilver Ouroboros.
“Master, you’ve made contact with that entity?”
Looking at the Ouroboros pattern Shaya had drawn, the Grail swayed slightly. “But for a great Master like you, it’s not surprising.”
However, as if sensing Shaya’s dissatisfaction with its chattiness, the Sage’s Grail’s body quickly condensed new text. “To my knowledge, it has had many titles, such as ‘Serpent of Sacrifice,’ ‘Wyrm of the World’…”
“However, its most resounding title is ‘Fate Serpent.'”
“This is the name of a deity renowned in the Second and Third Eras… It is said that its authority isn’t suited for combat, but it is directly related to fate itself.”
“And with this ability, the Fate Serpent was able to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune. It is said that it never participated in the God Wars at the end of the First Era, thus avoiding the fate of returning to the Astral Realm or falling into the Abyss, unlike other participating deities.”
“Then, it rapidly rose to prominence during the Second and early Third Eras, when Mythical Creatures disappeared after the God Wars, establishing its own divine kingdom and angelic family on earth.”
“And during the calamities at the end of the Third Era, the Fate Serpent quickly went into hiding. To my knowledge, several True Gods personally descended onto the Western Continent in the late Third Era searching for it, but to no avail.”
“And in the Fourth Era until now, even with my connection to the Spirit World, I haven’t been able to find any news of it from the Spirit World.”
“Master…” The Sage’s Grail swayed its body. “As an answer in exchange for equivalent value, please answer my question—”
“Did you make contact with the angelic family ‘Quicksilver Blood’ created by the Fate Serpent?”
“No.” Shaya shook his head. “I seem to have captured its true form directly. It’s still locked in my Spatial Pocket, your neighbor.”
Grail:?
However, shortly after, Shaya grabbed the Sage’s Grail and put it back into the “small black room.”
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Shaya pondered for a moment before taking out the Quicksilver snake from his Spatial Pocket.
“Goo, kill me.”
It was still the same familiar line. However, Shaya didn’t resort to threats or enticements this time, but spoke softly.
“I seem to have had a misunderstanding regarding you before.”
“Because your appearance was too coincidental, I mistakenly thought you were in league with those Abyss Evil Gods who were preparing to descend into the Imperial Capital and endanger my second wife.”
“But I understand now… The Fate Serpent has never sided with the Abyss from the First Era until now, and you haven’t shown any hostility towards me before.”
“In other words, we are not enemies.”
Shaya’s voice was calm. Although he bore the golden title of “God Slayer,” Shaya was not so insane as to kill every god he saw. Offending the Twilight Ancient God before was to save his wife Sylvia. The Lord of Ashes later attacked him, prompting a purely defensive counterattack, and the Crimson Moon was the same. After that, the Evil Gods of the Abyss side viewed him as a mortal enemy, so Shaya, by his nature, wouldn’t wait for their schemes to materialize but would proactively plan and strike.
However, when facing a neutral or even an orderly deity like the Fate Serpent, even if their chosen paths were different, Shaya would not blindly oppose them. Otherwise, he should have paved the Holy Divine Kingdom and the Dawn Holy See by now.
The Fate Serpent did not participate in the God Wars of the First Era, meaning it was not opposed to his teacher, who was suspected of participating. The divine kingdom and angelic family established in the Second and Third Eras, regardless of their starting point, did bring order and faith to the Land of Calamity after the God Wars.
“Since our positions are not opposed, I have no reason to continue imprisoning you.”
“Furthermore, I probably won’t gain much even if I kill you, a darling of fate who is adept at avoiding misfortune. I might even contract bad luck.”
“However, if possible, I would like to make a deal with you and ask you some questions…”
“Of course, I’m a poor person, and the only thing I can offer for trade that might interest your True God is probably this.”
After Shaya finished speaking, he took out the Giant King’s skull from his Spatial Pocket. This was once a supreme holy artifact of the Lord of Ashes, but it was heavily drained by Yin when it advanced to the Legend Species. Afterward, it performed a descent ritual, helping Shaya open a passage through the river of history. Now, the power within the Giant King’s skull was almost depleted. Shaya didn’t know how much trading value it still held.
Having done all this, Shaya sat on the bed and waited quietly. The Quicksilver snake looked at the Giant King’s skull before it. After a long while, it gently flicked its small tongue and hissed again in its ancient language.
“The skull of a demigod-level Mythical Creature, later transformed into a holy artifact by the Lord of Ashes…”
“Although the power of faith and divinity within it are almost depleted, it still has some reference value. Tell me, what do you want to ask?”
Shaya thought for a moment. “I want to know, after the God Wars of the First Era… what is the current state of my Golden Elf teacher?”
“I asked the Sage’s Grail about this, but it was created only at the end of the First Era and cannot know about matters that occurred before its creation.”
Shaya’s words caused the Quicksilver snake to pause slightly. It widened its pair of golden snake pupils. “You said… the Sage’s Grail, and a Golden Elf?”
Shaya nodded. “Yes, I have subdued the Sage’s Grail to serve me.”
“And Heiser Zeguin, the ‘Eternal Page’ of the Black Tower, is my teacher.”
“Without my teacher’s help, I would never have reached this point.” He tapped his fingertip, displaying a trace of Heiser’s aura. This was a matter Shaya had been concerned about for a long time.
Originally, he thought his “Shī Jiang” simply had a penchant for wandering around and was constantly traveling through dimensional rifts and the void, not returning to the Prime Material Plane for decades. However, after Shaya asked for Heiser’s help once in the Historical Echo of Escarnia a thousand years ago, he sensed something was amiss. The reason his Golden Elf teacher had never returned to the Prime Material Plane, but instead wandered in the Astral Realm, seemed not to be due to her playful nature. Rather, it was more like she had encountered some form of banishment based on rules.
Later, after Shaya ascended to the Legendary Seat in Eden and his spiritual power was sublimated to perfection, transforming into a Spiritual Ocean, allowing him to overlook his soul and mind from a higher dimension— he re-examined his past memories and was even more certain of this judgment. The Golden Elf mage who took him as her only disciple outside the main tower of the Black Tower when he was young was not her true form. Rather, it was more like a projection or an illusion, which Shaya couldn’t see through at the time.
In other words— For some unknown time, perhaps one Era, perhaps three Eras— The true form of that Golden Elf maiden had been drifting in the deepest parts of the dimensional void. Only when the barriers between the Astral Realm and the Prime Material Plane occasionally weakened could she briefly interfere with the mortal world. In three full Eras… through millennia and tens of thousands of years of darkness and emptiness, she could briefly feel the light of the human world in an instant.
However, every time Shaya asked Heiser, the Golden Elf maiden would skillfully evade the topic, unwilling to converse with him.
Listening to Shaya’s sincere narration, the Quicksilver Snake stared at him blankly, its golden snake pupils contracting into nothingness.
“That… the sole disciple of the Golden Elf.”
“And that annoying fake cup has recognized you as its master.”
At this moment, it finally had a faint premonition. Why had the fate that it had always relied on, which had never erred… this time, would lead it to be reborn before this black-haired, black-eyed youth? Fate could not err. All the gifts of fate had already been marked with a price.
“I agree to the trade.”
“However, I do not need the Giant King’s skull.”
The Quicksilver Snake gazed at Shaya. “As the bargaining chip, I want to establish a contract with you.”
“A contract?” Shaya raised an eyebrow. “I have no interest in selling my soul.” In the extraordinary world, there were never a lack of greedy individuals who chose to contract and trade with demons and evil gods of the Abyss for various reasons. And the end of these people was often quite tragic. For example, the Viscount Lorrie, the former owner of the ‘Thorns of Sin’ club, had entered into an equal contract with a certain Abyss demon. Then, as expected, he was cheated by the demon and his head exploded in a game of roulette with Shaya.
“No, not an equal contract, but a Master-Servant contract with the highest binding power.” The Quicksilver Snake’s eyes burned. “Master is you, Servant is me.”
Upon hearing the other party’s reply, Shaya’s gaze immediately became profound. A Master-Servant contract. And a top-tier Master-Servant contract with the strongest binding power, that was no joke. It meant that regardless of their status or difference in spiritual power… the contractor as the Master had absolute control over the Servant, and betrayal was impossible. If the Master dies, the Servant dies. At any time, Shaya only needed to say, “Die, Lancer,” and the Quicksilver Snake, as the Servant, would have no choice but to stab itself to death, and there was no limit to the number of commands.
Because of this, Beast Tamers mostly chose to raise their Familiars from infancy or as pet eggs… because Familiars that had reached maturity could not, in the vast majority of cases, sign a Master-Servant contract with a stranger. Even so, the Master-Servant contracts that Shaya had signed with Yin, Shan Shan, and Chi Hong were not of this highest binding type.
Shaya looked at the Quicksilver Snake before him. “To sign a Master-Servant contract with me, why?” His Soul Pact Slots were indeed quite empty now. Besides Augustina’s unusual Fourth Soul Pact— his Sixth and Seventh Soul Pacts were also currently vacant. The space for the Sixth Soul Pact was occupied by a certain sycophantic Grail, which seemed to have no intention of leaving. However, his newly opened Seventh Soul Pact was completely unoccupied. This was mainly because Shaya currently had no suitable Soul Pact target. With Shaya’s current Status, contracting with young Emperor-Rank creatures or pet eggs and raising them would be too costly. And frankly, ordinary Emperor-Rank species Familiars, even if raised to the peak of Emperor Rank, would provide Shaya with very limited assistance.
As for Legend Species Familiars, they were too rare. Even a fully evolved Legend Species Beast King was rarely seen by most Beast Tamers, let alone the opportunity to contract with a young Legend Species Familiar or a Legend Familiar egg. Even with behemoths like the Freista Empire, the Holy Divine Kingdom, and the Alliance of Lieges on the Western Continent, their entire national effort could only cultivate Familiars to the peak of Emperor Rank. As for the final small step from peak Emperor Rank to Legend Rank – the so-called Legend required no external force, and it was the same for Familiars. This was an incredibly difficult chasm that could only be overcome with time and opportunity. For example, Isadorella’s Crowned Griffin in the Void had painstakingly advanced through that final step over several centuries with massive resources.
Regardless of how unsuited the Fate Serpent’s authority was for combat, and no matter how poor its condition was immediately after its revival, it was still the Status of a complete True God. Since this little snake dared to propose it, Shaya dared to sign it.
“Because, this is a gamble, and also my investment.”
“An investment that will allow me to survive the Fourth Era.”
The Quicksilver Snake flicked its small tongue and coiled around Shaya’s finger. “As a gesture of sincerity, I can answer your question first.”
“Your guess is correct. Your Golden Elf teacher has indeed been banished to the deepest part of the Astral Realm and cannot return.”
“And all of this originated from the God Wars at the end of the First Era.”
“I did not participate in those God Wars, so I have no knowledge of the details.”
“However, for your teacher to return from her three Eras of banishment, there is only one method…”
…
The bright moonlight streamed through the window onto the white bedding. Shaya slowly opened his eyes.
[Species Name: Quicksilver Snake (Unique)]
[Soul Pact Status: Seventh Soul Pact (Master-Servant Contract: Shaya Egut)]
[Combat Level: 5]
[Racial Level: Mythical Species]
[Familiar Skills: Wheel of Fate (Mythical Skill), Fate Rewind (Mythical Skill)]
The contract process was smoother than Shaya had imagined, without any disturbance. Looking at the azure light screen that appeared before him, Shaya’s gaze fell upon the “Combat Level: 5.”
5? This was the combat level of an Awakened Stage Familiar. In comparison, it was not much stronger than a rooster, and considering species counter-relations, it might even be defeated by one.
The Quicksilver Snake, which had just completed the contract and felt a lot closer to Shaya due to the Master-Servant contract, paused slightly. It sensed a hint of pity in its new Master’s gaze and was pathetically patted on the head by Shaya.
“So, if I hadn’t taken you away, you might have been snatched by a passing eagle and become its meal, right?”
“Poor level-5 snake.”
? This was the first time in its life that I, a dignified Mythical Creature, had encountered such insult! And what do you mean by being snatched by an eagle and eaten? Do you understand the value of controlling the threads of fate? The eagle wouldn’t even see me!
Shaya played with the Quicksilver snake in his hand for a while, about to examine the functions of the two Familiar Skills in detail. However, immediately after, Shaya heard the sound of high heels stomping up the stairs from below.
This fast? Shaya blinked and threw the indignant Fate Serpent back into his Soul Pact Space, adding several layers of perception seals to create a new “small black room.”
However, speaking of which, while he was talking to the Quicksilver Snake, he had vaguely heard broadcast announcements from the living room, such as, “Frenzied Slaughter,” “Siyuan Overlord, Unbeatable in Chaotic Times,” “Hmph, White Tower, you’ll never return,” and “Those who trespass on Imperial territory will be struck down and destroyed.” He wondered which of the girls in his fish pond had activated some kind of cheat.
Shaya’s confusion didn’t last long, as the footsteps soon stopped at the door. Then, Shaya saw the silver-haired Empress with a smiling face, and the Royal Succubus obediently following behind her.
Thus, Shaya understood the outcome of that card game. It seemed his childhood sweetheart from the north had ultimately become a “broken army” under the saber, a golden-haired loser.
Isadorella stood with her arms crossed, looking down at Shaya on the bed, a faint smile gracing her beautiful face. “I’ve kept you waiting.”
Behind Isadorella, Diris also sat obediently by the headboard. A faint purple light flowed and surrounded Diris. When the light dissipated, the seemingly well-behaved and calm student council president had transformed. The bright moonlight shone on her side profile, making her appear both pure and alluring. However, the most striking features were the slightly protruding white horns in her hair, the dark wings extending from her well-defined back and gently flapping, and the heart-shaped tail swaying in the moonlight.
The next moment, a magnificent and dreamlike illusion, along with a rosy mist, pervaded the room. In that magnificent rosy mist, the new Empress of the Empire sat on Shaya in a riding position, staring directly into his eyes.
“I know I’ve fallen far behind Little Ai. I met you, encountered you, and fell in love with you later than she did.”
“Even the romance in the Historical Echo was earlier for Miss Sylvia than it was for me.”
“But because of this, I feel even more unwilling to accept it.” She lowered her head slightly, her soft hair brushing against Shaya’s cheek. “In my life, I have never been inferior to others.”
“Whether it’s cultivation, politics, military affairs… or pursuing love, it’s all the same.”
“Since I haven’t left my mark in your past memories.”
“Then what I must do is create more memories that belong only to you and me in the days to come.”
Warm breaths tickled Shaya’s neck. “So, are you ready?”
“My Black Knight, my Sword Holder…”
“And, my husband.”
Feeling the softness on his chest, Shaya closed his eyes, experiencing the surge of affection and emotions in his heart. It was still a dream created by the Royal Succubus… but this time, the person by his side was not an illusion, but real.
“It really is a dream come true moment.” Shaya smiled. Then, following the most primitive impulse from the depths of his heart— he embraced the silver-haired girl before him in the dissipating magnificent rosy mist.
“King, I want you.” Shaya felt the Empress in his arms nod slightly.
“Okay.”
The night deepened…
(End of Volume 2, “Thorn Throne”)
