Chapter 540, Page 539: The Definition of Death
"Boss, give me a heads-up, what are you planning to do by cultivating a Virtue Holder?" Puji rubbed Xilian's shoulder with her mycelium tentacles while carefully choosing her words. "I don't mean anything by it, I'm just worried that if I accidentally do something... well, it might affect your plans, so I wanted to ask you first."
However, Sirius's face showed a genuine expression of confusion.
He tilted his head slightly, his emerald green eyes staring directly at Puji: "What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly."
"Huh?"
Lin Jun originally thought that Vera was a sacrifice holder intentionally raised by the Divine Tree, but now that the other party is behaving like this... it turns out that's not the case?
There was nothing to hide, so Lin Jun told Vera that she had received a "sacrifice".
“He actually… received a ‘sacrifice’…” Xilian repeated in a low voice, a hint of surprise flashing across his face before turning into a regretful understanding. “No, it is indeed possible for him.”
Finally, he sighed softly, "Oh well, perhaps this is his fate."
Lin Jun was completely baffled by Xi Rui'an's reaction: "What's wrong? What's wrong with getting a title?"
Xilian glanced at Puji without leaving a trace: "There's no such thing as a free lunch. All power comes at a price."
"The price? It seems to me it's just amnesia. If it can change your fate at a crucial moment, it's worth it!"
“What do you think death is?” Sirian didn’t answer directly, but instead posed a question.
"Um... the soul leaving the body?" Lin Jun answered based on her observation.
“Memory is the very foundation of your, my, and his existence. Without memory, you are no longer you, I am no longer me, we are all just blank raw materials of the soul. And someone like Vera, once she gains extraordinary power, will almost inevitably be drawn into a greater crisis, and how good can her end be?”
Xi Rui'an sighed with the air of someone who had been through it all.
"Is that so?" Lin Jun recalled the rage; only when the body was completely burned could it be considered a true death.
However, for ordinary people, losing their memories might indeed be considered death.
Lin Jun thought of the Yellow Book again; it must think the soul is more important than memory.
Regardless, Lin Jun still felt that having the power to choose was better than being powerless when facing problems.
“Speaking of which, boss,” Puji leaned closer, the mycelium waving ingratiatingly, “aren’t there some other secrets hidden among these great sins and Medley heads?”
Lin Jun tried to extract more information, after all, besides [Greed], she also had an inactive [Rage] ability.
Xi Rui'an patted his trouser legs and stood up: "Now that I know the location, I won't delay any longer."
After saying that, he went straight to the rift where Lin Jun had hidden, stepped into the Puji Dungeon, and went up, as if he hadn't heard Lin Jun's last question.
Old Deng, the riddle master!
Remember this grudge... huh?
Wait a minute, speaking of which, Vera seems to have... forgotten who this old guy was?
...
In the makeshift camp, the campfire crackled softly.
“Vera, you really don’t remember Sirion at all? You mean the elf druid who was traveling with us all along?” Phil asked again.
Vera pondered for a moment, then finally shook her head.
Fei Yin added, "She's the one who's even prettier than my sister."
With a perfect armbar, Filyn effortlessly dealt with her talkative sister without any expression, and then turned her attention to Vera.
"Vera, you haven't forgotten us, have you?"
“Uh… of course I remember.” Vera answered quickly this time.
"Do you remember when you were little, my mom mistook you for a girl and insisted on putting you in my floral dress..."
"Stop! Hold on!" Vera quickly raised her hand to stop her, her ears turning slightly red. "What nonsense are you trying to recall! I remember you two very clearly, but Sirion... who exactly is he?"
The group is unaware that Vera has received a "sacrifice," since not everyone is like Inanna, who has an expensive magical device at home that can monitor her condition at any time.
After repeated discussions yielded no results, they could only temporarily attribute the amnesia to the head injury and planned to seek professional treatment when they returned to their base.
Pop!
A soft sound came from the side, and a round mushroom cap emerged from an inconspicuous hole in the ground.
The moment the noise was heard, Vera and Filyn became alert and their hands were already on their weapons.
But after realizing it was a poop, they relaxed.
As long as they don't attack first, Puji are harmless; this is almost a consensus among adventurers.
At least, they had never heard of a wild puppies hurting people for no reason.
Instead, stories often circulate about how a seriously injured adventurer, on the verge of death, was transformed into a Puji by a passing Puji who casually sprinkled some spores on him, thus saving his life.
With the addition of the Mushroom Clan, no one would bother a Puji anymore.
Filson sighed, "The nearby creep has been almost completely eaten up by those slimes. I didn't expect to see Puji here."
With a few quick, toddler-like steps, the little dog moved to Fei Yin's side, who had just been "physically lulled to sleep" by her older sister, and naturally snuggled up to her.
"Haha, it tickles! What is that?" Fei Yin was startled by the rubbing and sat up, her eyes immediately meeting the round mushroom cap that almost filled her vision.
She instinctively shrank back, but then plopped closer again.
Filyn and Vera, watching from the side, found it amusing, their faces showing smiles of schadenfreude.
"It seems to like you quite a bit," Fei Ling teased.
"Why? I'm not a Puji Master!" Fei Yin was a little at a loss.
"Maybe it's a mushroom creature?" Vera guessed.
"How is this possible..."
But Puji's enthusiasm was simply too much to handle.
Helpless, Fei Yin had no choice but to take out a small bottle of basic magic potion from her pouch and carefully pour a few drops onto Puji's mushroom cap. Puji happily rolled around on the spot, looking completely satisfied.
And so, this scout, Puji, managed to infiltrate the team by rolling around and acting cute.
Foolish humans, always so easy to fool!
Of course, this is just a temporary measure. Lin Jun can't spend her attention on teasing humans for long. She'll bring Number Five over after a while.
As for now!
...
That night, Vera had a nightmare.
He dreamt of a strange spirit whose face was breathtakingly beautiful, but whose heart was as venomous as a snake.
The elf sneered as he personally set fire to the mushrooms stored in the warehouse for the winter. The firelight illuminated his cruel yet pleased profile, while the villagers could only endure hunger and cold in the dead of winter.
He also engaged in usury, driving Anton's family to ruin and leaving him with no family.
They even secretly drugged the three of them, wanting to... wanting to...
As the elf with a wicked grin gradually approached her, Vera felt she was facing the greatest crisis of her life.
Vera sprang up from her simple bedding, her chest heaving violently, her back soaked with sweat.
All around was silent, with only the steady, long breaths of Fei Ling and Fei Yin.
The little Puji that had sneaked in earlier was now quietly curled up at Fei Yin's feet.
Vera covered her face and took several deep breaths before she could recover.
He felt he might have actually been hit on the head, otherwise why would he have such a terrible dream?
Most of the details of the dream had quickly faded away like morning mist, but that face, so beautiful yet so hateful, was deeply imprinted in his mind.
"It was just a nightmare... How could there be such an elf in this world..."
(End of this chapter)
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