Chapter 306

After getting mercilessly pecked by over a dozen hundred-zhang mega chickens, the Snake Spirit instantly realized it had walked into a trap within a trap and hastily tried to disengage and evacuate.

But even though its reaction was already fast, it still couldn’t outpace those old hens eager for an extra meal.

Seeing the delicious “black-and-white worm” trying to retreat, several enormous chicken feet nearly simultaneously pierced through the barrier between the Dream Realm and reality with a series of “puffs,” pinning half of the Snake Spirit’s body into the ground.

Right after that, more than ten old hens rushed in with their “gobble-gobble-dah” cries, delivering a storm of brutal pecks at the Snake Spirit, who was full of terror. “Wait!”

“Gobble-gobble-dah!”

“Damn animals! Get lost!”

“Gobble-dah-gobble-dah!”

“Wait! Let’s talk! I can offer you… ah!”

“Gobble-dah-gobble-gobble-dah!”

“Spare… spare my life! Please!”

…

So it ended like this? Watching the Snake Spirit being pecked bloody by a group of hens, Leon couldn’t help but click his tongue, feeling a belly full of complaints but unsure where to start.

Just now, while he was in the Dream Realm, he had seen the Snake Spirit’s true form.

That massive snake, curled up yet still nearly a hundred meters tall, resembling a small mountain ridge, had fallen into the ritual set up by Senior Tom and ended up being severely injured by a bunch of broody hens, almost unable to hold on any longer.

This level of weakening was truly… too unreasonable, even somewhat underhanded.

“You mustn’t think about negotiating terms with it.”

Glancing at Leon’s complicated expression and misunderstanding his thoughts, the lazy youth quickly warned:

“I can control it now because we caught it off guard, half due to our planning and half because it underestimated us, not even looking back before choosing to escape through the gap between the Dream Realm and reality.

Though the colorful Dream Realm is hundreds of times easier to escape from than reality, it’s also hundreds of times more fragile and breakable compared to the heavy monotony of reality.

If we can seize the moment it tries to slip into the gap and drag it into the ritual circle that suppresses Holy Spirits, we’re essentially using the power of true existence to crush the false and fleeting dream, turning it into a worm that chickens can peck to death.

But if we really let it out, allowing it to cross that threshold, then it will be the giant snake you saw, capable of destroying a small hill with sheer physical strength alone, and it’ll be us who have to run.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Leon nodded upon regaining his senses, indicating he wasn’t foolish enough to listen to an enemy’s plea for mercy. He then seriously responded:

“Senior Emma said that only when an enemy has completely lost their ability to resist can one negotiate terms. I’m not interested in negotiating with it; it’s just… um… feels a bit too quick…”

“Is it because I prepared too quickly, or did it lose too quickly?”

“A bit of both…”

Looking at the messy henhouse before him, Leon couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head and exclaimed incredulously:

“I was thinking that even if you could handle this Snake Spirit, it should’ve been a match, with at least a few rounds of exchange before anything decisive happened.

But you just broke off a piece from its statue, crushed the snake eggs used to build the secret shrine, and casually made a henhouse with these materials, which somehow subdued it. It’s really too fast.”

“Hehe, you’re not just saying it’s fast, are you? You mean it’s sloppy too, right?”

“A bit… But although it’s sloppy, the effect is undeniable. A Holy Spirit with a status close to a True God has no room to fight back against you, Senior. That’s truly remarkable!”

…

Perceptive, this kid… cough cough… this future True God is actually quite approachable~ Glancing at the stunned look on Leon’s face, the lazy youth couldn’t help but crack a slight smile at the ticklish sensation.

While this person might become annoying in the future, forcing me to act across timelines, he’s currently a straightforward rookie, smart and reliable, following orders without question, highly efficient in execution, and speaks well. No wonder the Bureau Director likes him so much.

“The gap between me and this Snake Spirit isn’t actually that big.”

After slightly changing his view of Leon, the lazy youth cleared his throat and waved his hand as he responded: “The kind of back-and-forth situation you described applies to battles between Emma and the Bureau Director. Their style is like arm-wrestling, where the stronger and more skilled person will win, but the loser won’t usually suffer serious injuries if they’re not too far apart in skill.

My method is more akin to tripping someone up. While it’s not guaranteed to find the right spot to trip them, it requires prior setup. Once successful, the person falls directly into a trap and loses all resistance, making the gap appear larger. Actually, anyone else could do the same.”

“Senior, you’re being modest.”

Looking at the Snake Spirit in the henhouse, clearly breathing more out than in and having lost most of its life force due to the hens’ pecks, Leon couldn’t help but shake his head and sincerely commented: “Tripping someone up may not be difficult, but knowing how to trip them, where to trip them, and what kind of trip can take down a Holy Spirit—these aren’t things just anyone can do. Only you, Senior, can accomplish this.”

“Ah… I’m not that amazing either.”

The slightly dimmer right eyeball blinked faintly as the youth used some means to detect Leon and found he was genuinely speaking the truth. His mouth was practically impossible to keep closed from the praise, and he chuckled as he suggested: “Well, I see potential in you. How about… I teach you when you have time? Although without the corresponding anomalous items, the effect might be lacking, but it’s still a useful survival skill… uh… wait a moment, I need to retrieve that snake before the hens really peck it to death.”

…

After finishing a pleasant conversation with his considerate junior, the lazy youth rubbed his shoe on the ground, disrupting the ritual circle he had just built, and then rescued the barely alive Snake Spirit from under the hens’ beaks.

“Dear Lord Snake Spirit, we meet again.”

Holding the black-and-white worm with two fingers and shaking it, the lazy youth grinned and said:

“Come on, hand over the person.

You know our Clearing Bureau’s methods. Rather than holding onto unrealistic hopes and enduring until you’re torn apart, why not simply hand over the person? Wouldn’t you agree?”

“…”

Upon hearing this, the black-and-white little snake struggled to lift its head and glared at him with hatred.

“Don’t glare at me, I’m doing you a favor.”

Speaking strange lines akin to an undercover agent interrogating prisoners, the lazy youth dipped a bit of sulfur powder on his fingernail tip, lit it, and pinched the snake spirit’s neck as he earnestly persuaded: “If you cooperate and hand over the person directly, your master might pay the price to get you back. And I actually quite enjoy your Scale Gold Religion gatherings since they’re free… cough cough.

“…”

“Right?”

“Don’t! Don’t pinch! Ah!!!”

Hearing the subtle popping sounds of sulfur combustion, feeling the increasing pressure on his neck, and the intense pain as his Holy Spirit body was contaminated by Hell Sulfur, the Snake Spirit finally couldn’t help but scream after wriggling a couple of times, vomiting out a jade-green pearl.

“Hand! Hand! The person is yours! Hurry up and remove your hand!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll remove it~”

Dipping a bit more sulfur powder on his nail, leaving a burning fingerprint on the snake’s head to completely seal its resistance, the lazy youth rummaged through his pocket, pulled out a dirty transparent glass bottle, stuffed the powerless snake inside, and then tossed the bottle to Leon.

“You people… don’t celebrate too soon…”

After catching his breath a bit, the Snake Spirit, like countless classic villains after failing, forced itself to rise in the glass bottle, looking at the green pearl in the lazy youth’s hand with a mixture of hatred and satisfaction:

“One mistake leads to a chain reaction!

“The woman from your bureau has been trapped in the [Emerald Dream] bestowed by my god. She has died there over three hundred times, and she has already suffered irreversible contamination!”

“Huh?!?” Hearing the words of the Snake Spirit, Leon couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart, then looked down at the snake in the bottle, resisting the urge to ask:

“What do you mean? What happened to Senior Emma?”

“My point is, even if you bring her back, it’s useless.”

The snake coiled at the bottom of the glass bottle, sneering as it said: “[Emerald Dream] is a holy relic remodeled from the broken [Paradise] of the Agricultural God. Originally, it was an independent world. Having died hundreds of times there, her soul is deeply entangled with the Emerald Dream, making separation impossible.

The only way to release her would be for her to sincerely believe in my god and become a loyal follower, or for the dead Agricultural God to resurrect. Otherwise, she can only wander alone in that emerald jungle forever!”

Looking at Leon’s furrowed brow through the bottle, noticing the anger in his eyes, the snake at the bottom of the bottle couldn’t help but laugh and added:

“Even better, she has an undying body that can infinitely replenish its chances. This means she cannot even commit suicide and will remain like a ghost in the Emerald Dream, wandering endlessly until her soul is completely eroded by time!”

“Shut up.”

Lifting his hand and pinching the air toward the snake, igniting the sulfur mark on its head, causing it to cry out in pain repeatedly, the lazy youth turned to Leon and reminded him:

“It’s trying to provoke you to kill it outright.

We haven’t left the Scale Gold Religion gathering yet. If it gets killed here, without needing its True God’s intervention, it can buy its life back from Deathscape with its own accumulated merits. Don’t fall into its trap.”

“…”

So… Is everything it said true? Can Senior Emma never come back?

Indirectly obtaining the answer from the lazy youth’s reaction, remembering Senior Emma’s care for him, Leon couldn’t help but sigh and asked with his last hope:

“Senior Tom, aren’t your two dice able to increase the success rate of all matters to sixty percent? Can you…?”

“No, it won’t work.”

The lazy youth shook his head upon hearing this: “My ability is to forcibly increase the success rate of ‘possible tasks’ to around sixty percent, and it only works below the True God level. Beyond that, due to insufficient personal status, it will encounter significant interference.

This case belongs to almost impossible success and involves more than one True God, which happens to be the type I am least adept at handling. I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.”

I see…

Hearing this, Leon fell silent for a while and then requested:

“Senior Tom, since I can see the information of anomalous items through contact, can you temporarily…”

“Here.”

Before Leon finished his sentence, the lazy youth handed over the [Emerald Dream], then consoled him: “Don’t be too discouraged. Though I can’t help now, if I surpass human limitations in the future and reach the Director’s level, I might be able to roll out a result.

Besides, the Director might have ways. The General Bureau has many anomalous items with special functions. Perhaps one of them can save Emma. If not, we could try briefly reviving the Agricultural God, which might… Hmm?”

Seeing Leon’s tense expression suddenly ease after stroking the [Emerald Dream], the lazy youth blinked in surprise, then his expression changed as he hurriedly asked:

“What’s wrong? Did you discover something?”

“Yeah, I got a bit of insight.”

Looking at the characteristic mark labeled “Holy” after the name of the [Emerald Dream], and then at the [Proxy] badge that allows unconditional use of “Holy” anomalous items, Leon couldn’t help but smile and replied: “I just realized that this thing actually… Senior Tom? What’s wrong with you?”

Watching Senior Tom’s sudden cyanotic complexion, clutching his throat in agony and making hoarse sounds, Leon was greatly alarmed and quickly took out the [Infected Blood Bandage] to treat him, but…

“Pop~”

With a sound like a bubble bursting, the blood-stained bandage in Leon’s hand instantly disappeared, transforming into a peculiarly glowing coin, and a gentle voice came from behind Leon.

“Don’t worry, he hasn’t been injured and doesn’t need your treatment.”

Discarding the dirty bandage in her hand, a beautiful woman with a clear face slowly stepped out from the Dream Realm and smiled faintly at Leon, who was standing stiffly in front of Tom.

“As for why he became like this, it’s because I bought all the air in his body at once, including the air in his lungs that hasn’t yet combined with his blood… Also, I paid for it.”

“Wah!!”

As the mysterious woman finished speaking, the lazy youth hidden behind Leon collapsed with a thud, hundreds of small round coins strangely surged out of his nose and mouth, mixed with large amounts of fresh red blood, spewing out from his weakly obstructed fingers.

Following this, the clothes on Tom’s chest instantly shattered, and numerous silver diamond-shaped coins with exceptionally sharp edges squeezed out of his skin, shooting out like nails from firearms with a series of “puffs,” creating a dazzling silver-blood mist before Leon’s eyes.

(End of Chapter)