Without question, the two people who chose "yes" were bound to be Lisi and Yaxiu.
That was precisely why everyone was so stunned—it was one thing for Lisi, who was still young and naive, but how old was Yaxiu to still be so childlike?
Annan and Banjie could be excused, as neither knew much about the trio's past, but Igola and Harvey felt it most intensely—after all, Yaxiu knew their histories inside and out.
One was a necromancer who had slaughtered countless people and played with corpses, while the other was a swindler who peddled wishes and harvested the gullible. Without the constraints of a Contract, Yaxiu was actually willing to cooperate with them sincerely?
No wonder Everlasting Presence refused to acknowledge you as one of their own. If the Four Pillar Cult had more talents like you, the god would probably have uprooted them long ago... Wait, no, they'd already been uprooted.
The Four Pillar Cult had suffered rotten luck picking up a genius like you.
The gaze Igola directed at Yaxiu was a mix of sneering mockery and begrudging admiration, tinged with emotions too nebulous to describe. Harvey merely glanced at Yaxiu before closing his eyes, a cat grass cigarette dangling from his lips as his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
"...The three questions are finished. Lisi has two points, while Yaxiu and I have one point each." Annan clapped her hands. "Which means that aside from Lisi, who gets her wish granted for free, everyone else will have to work in exchange for their rewards."
"If Yaxiu hadn't been so utterly unpredictable, Lisi would have gotten every single one right." Igola's tone carried an intriguing edge.
"Children always have better luck than adults. A cute little girl having better luck than us is only natural."
At first glance, there was nothing wrong with the statement.
The problem was that the person saying it was Harvey.
Yaxiu, bound by the Contract to protect his daughter, immediately pulled Lisi into an embrace. Annan and Banjie eyed the necromancer warily, and even Igola took a step back from him.
Harvey looked somewhat helpless. "What I praise is not necessarily what I covet. Besides, my hunting range for humans is from eighteen to eighty-eight. Lisi doesn't qualify yet."
"Eighty-eight?!" Everyone backed away even further.
"You don't understand the exquisite beauty of decay exuding lifelessness... Time rusts every gear, and the creaks of old age play the rhythm of death's march. The elderly are like the final curtain between us and death; I need only reach out a hand to lift the veil of the Grim Reaper... Freezing a vibrant youth in a single moment is breathtakingly beautiful, to be sure, but imprisoning death forever inside the body of the elderly is an art worthy of savoring."
Previously, everyone felt that Harvey's smoking habit wasn't great, considering cat grass took quite a toll on one's lifespan and sanity. But now, they all thought: *You should really just go back to smoking.*
"I will fulfill my promise first. Banjie, prepare the gift for Lisi." Annan looked toward Igola and the others. "So, are you willing to take on my tasks to earn your rewards?"
"You won't harm our credit scores anyway," Igola said indifferently. "Why not?"
"If it doesn't harm my credit score as long as I don't get my own hands dirty, I can accept tasks with a fairly broad leeway," Harvey said. "After all, most of the time, work is rare entertainment for me."
"In that case, can I transfer my work to Harvey?" Yaxiu raised his hand. "As they say, the able should do more work..."
"Then once you complete your work, I will satisfy your requests." Annan took a box handed to her by Banjie, drew out a pink bracelet, and offered it to Lisi. "Waterproof and temperature-resistant. It binds upon wearing, and no one else can use it. It connects directly to the Curtain, and the account already has a balance of ten thousand copper coins. While its messaging feature is restricted, Lisi can still use it for shopping. Oh, and it can also be used to open the Book of Gospel."
Watching Lisi happily slip on the bracelet, Igola rubbed his own ring and asked thoughtfully, "Were our rings... stripped of most of their features?"
Their rings could only be used to open the Book of Gospel, possessing none of the other features like connecting to the Curtain, let alone shopping.
"I haven't mistreated you in the least. Your rings are expensive luxury goods." Annan glanced sideways at him. "This ought to be the same across all nations: the more expensive a luxury item, the fewer functions it has. On the contrary, cheap items made for commoners are packed with features."
"Indeed. Only the wealthy purchase sports cars that can't handle most road conditions, whereas ordinary people buy cars that are fuel-efficient, durable, spacious, and crash-resistant." Igola nodded. "Giving a bunch of people living in the mud a pointless sports car—what a despicable set of shackles."
"I'd actually prefer to call it an employee benefit." Annan flashed a sly smile. "Well then, please excuse me. I wish you all a pleasant stay."
Once Annan left, Yaxiu immediately draped an arm around Lisi's neck. "Lisi, you don't need that much money to buy clothes. Why not give it to me first? I'll save it for you, and when you marry a husband in the future, I'll return it to you—"
Lisi didn't push away the grubby adult, merely tilting her head. "But Daddy, you don't even have an account right now. How would I transfer it to you?"
"Oh, right." Yaxiu looked crestfallen for a moment, but quickly rallied. "Then would Lisi like to buy Daddy a present?"
"Of course I would." Under Yaxiu's expectant gaze, Lisi said, "As long as Daddy finds a mommy, I'll buy you a present!"
"Hmph, fine, just say no if you don't want to."
Yaxiu waved to the necromancer who was about to leave. "Harvey, give me a pack of cat grass."
Igola asked immediately, "Are you tired of living too?"
"No. Since I have some free time lately, I want to test the Substitute's poison resistance. Besides, to master a sorcery spirit, you have to use it a lot, right? Using the Substitute for housework doesn't seem to increase my proficiency much anymore, so I need to explore its uses more deeply..."
Poisoning a Substitute can increase mastery over a sorcery spirit?
What kind of unorthodox Four Pillar Cult cultivation method was that?
Igola shook his head and nonchalantly followed Lisi, who was heading into the library.
Noticing the Swindler following behind, Lisi instantly grew wary and guarded her bracelet. "The bracelet is already bound. It won't do you any good to steal it! Plus, I'll call Daddy over to beat you up!"
"If you want to, I don't mind you calling Yaxiu over."
Igola ushered Lisi into the library and closed the door behind them, looking very much like an evil queen scheming against a little princess.
"Lisi, it's time to settle our accounts."
Seeing this, Lisi shrank back in fear and hid behind the desk, trembling as she stammered, "S-Sorry! I won't call you Aunt Bojin anymore..."
"Mm, that really is a big issue, but that's not what I came to talk to you about today."
"In fact, I'm not even here to see you."
Igola crouched down to meet Lisi eye to eye.
"The one I'm looking for is the other person hiding inside you."
Chapter 230