Imprint

Wait. Zhang Shou didn't dwell on that thought any further. Instead, he looked Siberian Rat up and down again and asked, "Then what's your deal?" "Me? What's wrong with me?" Siberian Rat froze, pointing at itself with a forepaw, thoroughly puzzled. Zhang Shou said crossly, "Since this world used to have humans, and the dragonmen outside are most likely transformed humans, what about you? What's the deal with a rat like you?" "What's wrong with being a rat? Did this rat eat your family's rice?" Siberian Rat bristled instantly upon hearing that. Zhang Shou pinched the scruff of Siberian Rat's neck, lifted it up, and said, "Does a normal rat browse the internet? Does a normal rat speak human tongue? There's definitely something very wrong with you!" Besides, this world's civilization had regressed rather severely. Although the dragonmen had rebuilt a civilization, Zhang Shou felt their technological level wasn't high at all—they were nowhere near an internet age. "Don't think about lying to me, or I'll slice your soul into ribbons and take my time studying it," Zhang Shou added immediately when he saw Siberian Rat's eyes darting around. Siberian Rat felt as though a blade had scraped across its soul, sending a shiver through its whole body. It had no choice but to say in a small voice, "Actually, I'm a transmigrator. I was originally human." "..." Zhang Shou fell silent. A transmigrator from novels—he was actually seeing a living one in the flesh? He stared at Siberian Rat in astonishment, and only after quite a while did he ask curiously, "Were you male or female before you transmigrated? How old were you? How long has it been since you came over? Do you have a golden finger? What does transmigrating feel like? Is it fun?" "I was a local from this world. After I was killed by the dragonmen, I suddenly woke up one day to find I'd become like this. Also, I can use anything, and whatever I use shrinks down to a size suitable for me." Knowing it couldn't hide the truth, Siberian Rat answered with a face full of despair. *So that's how it is.* Zhang Shou finally understood. He glanced at Siberian Rat's laptop, as well as the various appliances. He hadn't paid attention earlier, but now he realized none of these electronics were plugged into power, yet they were all running normally. "Do you plan to spend the rest of your life like this?" Zhang Shou asked after taking in the signs of living around them. Siberian Rat said helplessly, "What else can I do?" "Do you want to head over to Little Nora's side?" Zhang Shou suggested after some thought. Siberian Rat's eyes lit up immediately, and it nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I'd love to!" "I'll have to ask Little Nora first, though. If Little Nora isn't willing, I can't force it," Zhang Shou said. If it were Yu Xian, things would be simpler. Little Nora never refused any of Yu Xian's requests. But Zhang Shou couldn't do that; he wasn't Little Nora's big brother, so he could only suggest, not insist. "Alright, next I'm going to check on that Demonic Dragon. Do you want to come?" Zhang Shou asked, setting Siberian Rat back down. Siberian Rat nodded vigorously. It was also very curious about what state the Demonic Dragon was in now. If anyone else offered to take it, it wouldn't go even if beaten to death. But since Zhang Shou was going, it definitely wanted to tag along and watch the show. After learning what a Mighty One was, it figured the Demonic Dragon probably couldn't even withstand a single glare from Zhang Shou, so it was completely safe. "Alright, let's go!" Zhang Shou placed Siberian Rat on his shoulder, then rose to his feet. Emerging from Siberian Rat's hiding spot, he flew straight into the air. His intent swept across the surrounding city. At first, thinking about how the dragonmen had exterminated humanity left him feeling somewhat displeased, and he had been ready to slash the city with a blade strike. Yet when he noticed that some young dragonmen didn't really look much different from humans, he sighed again. In truth, the dragonmen were humans too, merely mutated under the influence of dragon blood in their bodies. There was still a difference between him and Yu Xian. In all likelihood, Yu Xian would kill them, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Next, he locked onto the Demonic Dragon's location and slashed directly with his intent. A spatial rift tore open before him in an instant. He stepped through, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Demonic Dragon's slumbering grounds. At the planet's core, the Demonic Dragon had carved out a pocket space where its colossal body lay coiled. With each breath it took, the power of the entire planet converged toward its body. The moment Zhang Shou and Siberian Rat appeared, the Demonic Dragon slowly opened its eyes, its purple pupils instantly locking onto Zhang Shou. "Holy crap, what a terrifying gaze," Siberian Rat said in terror. Zhang Shou simply shot a glare back. The Demonic Dragon was instantly suppressed, unable to move a muscle. This was the effect of his skill, Saber Might Suppression. By now, the skill had completely merged into Zhang Shou's instincts. Put simply, the ability meant he had formed the intent to slash his opponent, but held back from actually striking. Merely raising his hand was enough to strike sheer terror into the foe. After subduing the Demonic Dragon, Zhang Shou stepped up close to it. It had to be said, the creature was truly massive—a single scale was the size of several football fields. Zhang Shou landed on one of the scales. His intent scraped across the Demonic Dragon's entire body like a blade, after which he frowned slightly. Nothing! Indeed. Not only was the Demonic Dragon's power free of evil, it was brimming with light. "Strange. Could I be mistaken? Was it not affected by the demonic fall phenomenon?" Zhang Shou muttered to himself, somewhat perplexed. He then carefully inspected the Demonic Dragon's body, soul, and consciousness, finally discovering something within its soul. "Is this... an imprint?" With saber light glinting in his eyes, Zhang Shou stared at the Demonic Dragon's head, the symbol of a three-clawed bird reflected in his pupils. "Have you ever seen this imprint?" Unable to make anything of it, Zhang Shou simulated the three-clawed bird symbol with saber astral qi and asked Siberian Rat. Siberian Rat looked at it and shook its head, indicating it hadn't. That was only natural; had it seen such a thing before, it would probably have been long dead. Helpless, Zhang Shou had no choice but to contact Little Nora, asking her to contact Yu Xian to see if he had more intelligence. A moment later, Yu Xian appeared before Zhang Shou carrying a plate. Holding it out toward him, Yu Xian said, "We're holding a banquet over there to celebrate you successfully shattering the void. Why don't you have a bite? At least... get a sense of participation." "Alright, then." Zhang Shou smiled, picked up a pastry from the plate, and swallowed it in one gulp. Then he exclaimed in surprise, "Delicious! Did Little Huangquan make this?" "Who else could make something so good?" Yu Xian said proudly. Little Huangquan was a girl of few words who preferred to quietly study culinary arts. Over the past thousand years, she had never abandoned cooking, and had long surpassed the realm of a God of Cookery. Any ingredient that touched her hands turned into a divine delicacy. The two chatted and shot the breeze for a while before turning together to look at the Demonic Dragon. "This thing can be called a dragon? It should be called a slug," Yu Xian roasted at once. Zhang Shou nodded. "I was thinking the exact same thing just now. Too bad you weren't here, so I didn't say it." "See, roasting only feels satisfying when you do it with someone who gets it," Yu Xian agreed with a nod. Zhang Shou couldn't agree more. Roasting something by oneself was just too silly. Now that Yu Xian was here, it was far more convenient to roast things together.