nyslfriends Chapter 128 The Strange Methods of Outsiders
Chapter 128 The Strange Methods of Outsiders
Chapter 129 The Strange Methods of Outsiders
Hick was stunned. His mind raced, instantly overturning all his previous guesses.
He considered everything carefully, even suspecting that his mentor might have left behind some secret treasure trove he hadn't discovered, or that some ancient and unknown object he had collected from other dangerous places in the Silent Forest had unexpectedly attracted the other's attention.
But he never expected that the "item" described as crucial and worth retrieving at all costs was ultimately aimed at—
He would inexplicably point to Raf, the very person whose power he had studied for a long time but never fully understood, who was casually killed by his subordinate Labour and whose source of power he had never been able to fully comprehend!
Ralph — an outsider — a mysterious and inexplicable special power —
Several keywords collided and connected in Hick's mind like lightning, allowing him to instantly grasp a certain possibility.
He turned to Lilith, his tone questioning and seeking confirmation: "Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? Is this the very thing you've been searching so diligently for?"
"Of course! The compass has never reacted so strongly! There's absolutely no mistake!"
Lilith's answer was resolute, her tone filled with the certainty and eagerness of finally finding her target, as if she had extreme confidence in the magical artifact in her hands.
"Oh well."
Hearing Lilith's affirmative answer, Hick did not raise any further questions, but a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes as he casually waved his hand.
Gah!Gah!Gah!
A few piercing caws rang out, and several glossy black ravens swiftly flew out of the shadows, deftly carrying over the sealed crate containing Ralph's remains and placing it heavily on the open ground between the two sides.
Seeing the compass needle in his hand vibrating wildly, almost jumping off the dial, Hughes' face was instantly filled with immense excitement and greed, and he couldn't help but take a step forward.
Boom!
The dull thud of the box hitting the ground made Lilith and Hughes' hearts skip a beat.
The two of them almost simultaneously reached out to open the box and examine it, their eyes fixed on the cold lid.
Hick simply watched quietly, making no attempt to stop them, like a detached bystander, with only a cold calculation flashing deep in his eyes.
As the lid of the box was eagerly opened, the scene inside instantly stunned the excited Hughes—a boy's face with only a severed head, soaking in some kind of pale yellow preservative liquid, was none other than Ralph!
"This—this—"
Hughes looked at this seemingly ordinary boy with disbelief and astonishment on his face, as if he could not accept that the goal they had been pursuing was actually like this.
"How can it just be a container?!"
He quickly crouched down, ignoring the pungent liquid, and his withered fingers moved rapidly through the air, casting various detection and analysis spells. Streaks of pale green light swept across Laf's corpse.
A moment later, Hughes abruptly raised his head, his face turning ashen, his voice shrill with extreme anger and disappointment: "Damn it! That cunning bastard! He separated his most core source power and injected it into this damned, ordinary native kid! We've all been tricked!"
Hearing Hughes's furious roar, a knowing glint flashed in Hick's eyes.
No wonder all the information I had gathered during my investigation indicated that Ralph was just an ordinary hunter not long ago, but then suddenly possessed strange powers.
It turns out that the power did not belong to him!
"The primordial power? It was given to him?"
Hick's voice rang out at just the right moment, carrying a perfectly timed hint of curiosity, as if his interest had just been piqued.
He took two steps forward, his sharp gaze fixed on Lav's pale, stiff corpse in the box, as if trying to dissect it thoroughly from the inside out.
"Interesting. You mean, this dead boy wasn't the outsider you were looking for, but merely a vessel for—or rather, a temporary custodian—of some real outsider?"
"That's probably right!"
Hughes's face was extremely ugly at this moment. His previous flattery and fear were replaced by intense anger at having his plans disrupted and being tricked.
He growled irritably.
"That guy must have sensed that we would track him down or even wipe him out, so he took a risky gamble and extracted the most core, most elusive part of his original power beforehand, forcibly injecting it into this—this local kid's body!"
He pointed at Ralph's body, his tone filled with resentment and indignation: "The energy structure remaining inside this body is very peculiar, like an elaborately designed lock or a disguise, which almost fooled all our tracking methods before!"
It perfectly simulated the boy's originally ordinary life force, concealing the trace of foreign, outsider-like primal power exceptionally well, until it was fully revealed at such close range, thanks to this magical artifact specifically designed to target primal forces!
He shook the vibrating compass in his hand violently, as if he wanted to crush it.
"No wonder----"
Hick muttered to himself, a look of sudden realization flashing in his eyes.
This reasonably explains his many previous doubts.
Lilith's face was equally gloomy, almost dripping with water, but she forced herself to calm down faster than Hughes.
She took a deep breath, turned to Hick, her gaze becoming incredibly serious and grave: "Lord Hick, you already know the situation. This corpse, or rather, the remaining portion of primal power within him," is far more crucial and important than we previously anticipated.
Her tone hardened, carrying an undeniable resolve, even a hint of barely perceptible threat: "We must take it! We still agree to all the previously agreed terms and will pay as soon as possible."
The atmosphere inside the cave instantly became more subtle and tense; the air seemed to freeze, with only the occasional soft ticking of the experimental instruments remaining.
Hick remained silent, his gaze shifting between the agitated and angry Hughes, the seemingly calm but barely concealing Lilith, and the strange corpse of Raf in the box.
He originally thought it was just a "strange object" worth studying, but the secrets it uncovered and the value it represented seemed to far exceed his imagination.
The other party values this so-called "primordial power" so much that they are even determined to obtain a corpse that may simply be a vessel for it.
The benefits and knowledge hidden behind this probably far exceed a few meditation methods and experimental manuals.
Moreover, "the inherent strength of outsiders" —
This statement itself is full of mystery and allure.
Hick's heart skipped a beat.
He harbors the strongest desire to explore and possess all unknown, powerful forces that relate to the essence of the world.
Now, a part of that power is right here on his territory, right before his eyes.
So you just handed it over to the other party so easily?
A cold, enigmatic smile slowly curved Hick's lips. He raised his hand and gently waved it.
quack!
Several ravens hidden in the shadows flew out again in response. Two of them neatly closed the lid of the box with a soft "snap," while the others used their strong claws to grab the edge of the box and instantly lifted it off the ground, as if to lift it back into the shadows.
"etc!"
Lilith shouted urgently, taking a step forward, her pink mental energy field fluctuating uncontrollably.
Hick raised a hand, making a gentle yet firm gesture of cessation, stopping her from saying anything more.
He looked at Lilith and Hughes, his eyes calm and unwavering, yet carrying a suddenly amplified, undeniably powerful aura.
"Ms. Lilith, Mr. Hughes."
Hick's voice was slow and clear, each word striking the other's heart.
"I think the foundation and premise of our previous transaction have now fundamentally changed and need to be reassessed."
"You previously claimed to be looking for a stranger," or "items possessed by a stranger." But the reality is now...
He pointed to the box that the raven had caught.
"This is merely a pathetic vessel used by that true outsider," a corpse retaining some of its former power. It doesn't quite fit your initial definition, and it far exceeds my initial expectations."
"Therefore, out of good faith, I cooperated with your search, and you did indeed find the item. The promised reward must naturally be paid. As for him—"
Hick's gaze returned to the box, his tone calm yet resolute.
"As my spoils and possessions, you cannot take them away."
Hughes's expression changed drastically, his soul fire flaring wildly: "Lord Hick! We had an agreement! You can't go back on your word! This—"
Lilith yanked Hughes's arm hard, forcefully stopping his almost out-of-control words.
She stared intently at Hick, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly, flashing with a cold and dangerous light, like a venomous snake about to strike: "Lord Hick, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to raise the price? Or are you planning to forcibly swallow something that doesn't belong to you? You'd better think carefully; some things are hot potatoes. Taking too much might backfire. Making an enemy of us is definitely not a wise move."
"To be an enemy?"
Hick chuckled as if he had heard something amusing, shook his head, and remained composed.
"No, I never actively make enemies; that's too inefficient. I'm just stating a simple fact—since the nature and value of the goods have undergone a radical change, the transaction terms previously reached based on erroneous perceptions naturally need to be adjusted accordingly and reasonably."
This is the most basic principle of equivalent exchange among wizards, isn't it? Or is it that your organization is accustomed to exchanging one price for something ten times more valuable?
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the box firmly guarded by the raven, his tone casual yet full of absolute control: "Or, you can choose to give up, leave behind the reward you promised in exchange for search assistance and information, and then leave."
As for this troublesome container, I'll leave it to myself—I'll figure it out slowly. I'm happy to take on this hot potato.
His tone was extremely calm, yet it carried a certainty that he had the other party completely under his control, as if he had already seen through their inability to give up.
Lilith and Hughes's faces instantly turned extremely pale, alternating between ashen and ashen.
Give up? How could we! We've tracked him for so long, put in so much effort, and even bowed down to this dangerous guy. With our target right in front of us, are we just going to go home empty-handed?
Moreover, the organization's mission was a death order, and it had to be completed! They couldn't afford the consequences of failure!
The air inside the cave seemed to have completely solidified, so heavy it was suffocating.
In the shadows, the skeletal skeleton Kabus, which had remained silent as a mountain, seemed to have its two crimson eyes glow slightly brighter, silently radiating an even more chilling pressure that made one's soul tremble, pressing down on Lilith and Hughes' hearts as if it were a tangible weight.
Lilith bit her lip so hard it almost bled, as she struggled intensely with her inner turmoil and weighed her options.
The organization's rules, the unfathomable Hick before them and the terrifying presence behind him, the dire consequences of mission failure, and the target so close at hand—
Countless thoughts battled fiercely in her mind.
Finally, as if all her strength had been drained away, or as if she had made an extremely difficult decision, she almost gritted her teeth and squeezed out a sentence: "Then, what else do you want?"
Hick's smile deepened; he knew that the biggest piece of the pie had firmly fallen into his hands.
He once again firmly grasped the initiative.
"It's very simple!"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if discussing tonight's experimental menu.
"In addition to ensuring that all previously agreed-upon material conditions are delivered as quickly as possible without missing a single item—"
He paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening like a knife, piercing the very souls of Lilith and Hughes. His voice, though not loud, carried an undeniable force: "Tell me, what exactly are these 'outsiders'? Where do they come from? Why have they come?"
"And what exactly is that secretive organization behind you? Why are you so eager, even at any cost, to reclaim this primordial power?"
'
His questions, like cold daggers, precisely and ruthlessly pierced the other party's most core and sensitive secrets!