Chapter 67

“THOUSAND YEARS! THOUSAND YEARS! THOUSAND… WHATEVER!”

Dudes dressed all in black with their faces wrapped in cloth are raising their arms and shouting. Wait, shouldn’t it be “ten thousand years” if we’re going continental here? Why are they praising some king under an emperor?

“HEAVENLY HORSE MANIFESTATION! TEN THOUSAND HORSES BOWING!”

These guys move like a military drill team. When they shout “ten thousand horses,” they all bow deeply in perfect sync.

“GOD TEACHING INVINCIBLE! DEMON WAY TO DOMINATE THE WORLD!”

They rise up, wave their arms around, then bow twice more. It’s like some bizarre religious flash mob or something.

A strangely muscular figure appears across from me – wait, is that a woman? No, definitely a man in drag…

Their hips are kinda jutting out weirdly, like some kind of hormonal imbalance maybe? But yeah, totally a dude.

“Are you the one known as Seasonal Chaos who leads the martial gods?”

His voice is super high-pitched but still masculine somehow. Definitely forced, though it doesn’t quite fit right.

In my foggy memories, I recall someone calling this guy Ancient Heavenly Horse… sounds kinda ridiculous if you ask me.

Ancient Heavenly Horse, huh? Oh right, that guy from the sect of sun and moon. Even though my knowledge about him is fragmented, I do remember he was some mid-boss who got killed off.

The guy who mastered inner energy techniques that messed with his gender identity… But what’s this about “martial gods”?

Let me think… If we’re talking harvesters, we can rule out ones from weird alternate worlds or non-human harvesters…

Considering only the main ones, not counting the first world, there aren’t that many options…

The most likely candidate…

“Could you possibly mean Eunjai?”

At this, murmurs ripple through the crowd. They seem to be saying this isn’t the person they had in mind. Guess I guessed wrong.

Crap, did I mess up?

Then the man in front raises his hand, and everyone immediately falls silent, bowing deeply. He’s got serious charisma.

This kind of cross-dressing wouldn’t be allowed in just any society, so if this isn’t Eunjai’s world, the culture must be completely different.

“That’s the martial god’s real name. Very few know it. Seems you weren’t completely off-base though.”

The cross-dressing man steps closer to me. Up close, his disguise is even less convincing. The skeleton just doesn’t match a woman’s build.

He’s undergone some feminization, but it’s obvious there’s a limit to how far he can take it.

Why would someone like this call me here?

“Seasonal Chaos. A legendary monster said to appear before despairing souls, emitting indescribable energy before vanishing. However, back when the martial god was still called Heavenly Horse, after being attacked by so-called righteous bandits, he met Seasonal Chaos and gained a new body and transcendent power…”

He points at me with his whitened fingers.

“You there, spirit possessing that body. Are you Seasonal Chaos?”

If that’s really Eunjai, then yes.

But for now, I’ll deny it.

“No, I don’t have that name.”

The faded man’s name is something I could never use, so I’ve given up on naming myself altogether.

Besides, I don’t really need a name to gain warmth.

“But if you’re asking whether someone received what some might call a ‘blessing’ from Eunjai… Yes, that was me.”

I always tell the truth. Sort of. Someone did call it a blessing, though the actual effects were… different. I infused myself into it and mutated it.

Still, technically true. Always good to leave yourself an out.

“You talk just like that dirty schemer I know. Smell of a lowly trickster all over you.”

Suddenly he frowns and takes a step back.

Whoa, did I say something wrong?

Before I can figure it out, he snaps his fingers.

A second later…

Something starts wriggling inside my head. Brain worms? Tiny bugs crawling around, stimulating pain receptors.

Ow ow OW!

Multi-legged insects are burrowing through my brain, messing with my frontal lobe, occipital lobe, spine… biting nerve clusters…

HURTS!

Wait…

Compared to coldness, this is nothing. Time for counterattack.

“QUADDDEUK!”

Oh no, made a mistake.

The bug bursts out of my skull, twisting into grotesque shapes. Live harvesting only distorts them into monsters.

And they keep growing bigger without eating anything…

What gives with conservation of mass here?

The insect contorts into an asymmetrical, useless form…

But its survival time was short anyway.

“MASTER!”

“HIS HOLINESS!”

The surrounding people shout in alarm.

But the cross-dresser’s hands move faster.

Black energy gathers instantly, forming a line of crimson-black light that slices the bug in two. He shakes off his blade-edged hand casually – must’ve been a barehanded kill.

Strong.

Seriously, was I supposed to manipulate someone THIS powerful?

Still, gotta increase the harvest count somehow…

As killing intent flows toward me…

“CRACK.”

A giant fissure opens where my head used to be, then disappears, replaced by a purple-haired woman.

That’s me.

“I see you let parasites in your body grow THIS big. How primitive.”

Clearly, these bugs are meant for mind control.

Meh, doesn’t bother me.

Not my real body anyway. Feels like watching an avatar get status ailments in a game. Though I did wonder if it would wear off on its own – guess it did.

Checked for other abnormalities – just the one.

Just one.

Pretty shocking scene, right? Might as well use this to seize control.

“Alright, enough with the petty tricks. Let’s get to introductions before discussing the contract.”

Meaning putting bugs in people is considered “petty” around here. Good to know.

FYI, I’m an expert at reading expressions. That slight twitch in the cross-dresser’s face means my plan worked.

He looks seriously uncomfortable and tense.

Hehe.

Time for some literary artsy talk. Martial world = artsy, right? Language skills should still be intact.

“I am a very cold sea. I watch the light from beneath the surface, yearning for its warmth. My warmth is insufficient. Very insufficient. I desire warmth. For warmth, I will do anything. That’s why I’m here.”

I take a step forward.

The fissures are slowly healing, but we’re approaching the limit. This world could shatter like the first one if I’m not careful.

Probably only one regeneration left.

Still, better to pretend I’m more confident than I am. This seems like Eunjai’s world, pretty standard wuxia stuff.

Especially since these people revere and obey strength.

Looking weak would just make me a target.

“This is my name.”

Introducing myself while looking at Mr. Crossdresser.

“Heavenly Horse.”

Just one word, like he doesn’t need any other names. Surrounding people start listing titles – Sect Leader of Heavenly Horse Religion, Great Lord of Mount Whatever, etc. All describing his accomplishments.

After a moment, he raises his hand again.

Everyone immediately shuts up.

To me, it just looks like multiple sources of warmth.

Time for serious negotiations.

“So… formalities are done? Let’s get to business.”

Dismissing their previous ceremony as worthless while getting straight to what I actually want.

“I’ll give myself to you. In return, when you’ve finished everything, I get everything you have. Sound good?”

I extend my hand to the cross-dresser.

No, wait, this line needs more flair…

“Do you desire power?”

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