Chapter 491: The Good Ones Aren’t Common

Chapter 491: The Good Ones Aren’t Common

“Even if it isn’t needed later, you should still keep one now.” Oss said, looking at the Special Combat Suit. The model matched his. Hmm, the so-called model was also something the Creator ‘accidentally’ revealed on the Forum. It was a standard body measurement chart, with models corresponding to most people with standard body types. Some tailors thought this sizing chart was good and kept it.

After all, people who custom-made clothes were basically the wealthy, or Adventurers and Mercenaries. Commoners just bought whatever was available, or made their own. With this comparison, once it fully circulated in the future, it could attract some related commoners to buy clothing.

“Got it. Given the situation outside, such equipment is still necessary.” Green said. The Special Combat Suit had an advantage besides being durable: it was tight-fitting. After putting it on, it wrapped the whole body tightly, covering even the wrists. It was also more comfortable and freer than armor.

Garcia glanced at Green. The way he spoke, this guy seemed to be trying to please that woman, Lena. Garcia admitted that woman had charm, but when he thought about the ‘god’ he believed in, tsk, her mysterious charm was just average. As for Fred, that guy was a block of wood. Lena’s mysterious charm didn’t have much effect on him.

Zheng Yichen’s Underground Base started operating again. In the Laboratory, Zheng Yichen rubbed his chin, considering his future plans. As he created more and more things, even though the power of Magic could multiply productivity.

With more and more products, the expansion plan naturally had to be brought forward. Pondering this, Zheng Yichen glanced at a sealed file he had placed to the side. “Tsk, what’s this about needing to increase the area for expansion? After learning the Spatial Expansion technique, what does area even matter?”

But this technique always gave Zheng Yichen the feeling of an elementary school student trying to learn high school math problems. It was really frustrating. So, was there any shortcut?

After struggling for a while, Zheng Yichen picked up the sealed file, sighed slightly, and opened it. He threw the things inside into his Personal Space. Better to study properly. Whether you learn it early or late, you still have to learn it eventually. Since that’s the case, might as well endure it now. Probably, he would get used to it in the future, right?

Ugh, annoying!

After handing the new order to the Ghost Maid, Zheng Yichen went to check Loris’s room. Seeing that Loris still hadn’t returned, he slightly pouted. So where exactly had this fake Loli gone?

Returning to the temporary workspace, Zheng Yichen pulled out the things from the file. He looked at them with frustration and difficulty. The information contained in the stack of papers, about two fingers thick, according to Irene, was just a preliminary contact, not even an introduction!

That meant even after reading all the content, his understanding of Spatial Expansion operations would only be preliminary. Being able to practice it simply was still far, far away. No wonder they said this was a frustrating technique.

Of course, if he could get past the introduction and try making an Expansion Pouch, that would mean a steady stream of wealth. Even if he couldn’t advance further in the future, just this one skill would be a secure source of income. Unfortunately, not many people could get their hands on this ‘secure income’. Zheng Yichen’s goal wasn’t just to get past the introduction.

This technique was also very useful for high-level combat. Sometimes, in some high-level fights, why couldn’t enemies dodge attacks that looked slow and leisurely, even feeling slower than supersonic speed? Many of those were frontal attacks!

That was the power of Spatial Manipulation. Spatial Expansion and such were just the introduction, a simple operation within Spatial Manipulation. Irene didn’t tell Zheng Yichen about these back then, purely because… he couldn’t even do Spatial Expansion, let alone more advanced operations. The operations included Spatial Expansion, and also contraction or folding parts, which were even harder.

Those seemingly slow, leisurely long-range attacks that could hit very powerful enemies were related to these two special methods. Hmm… However, very few beings mastered this type of technique, so the chance of encountering it was low. But facing Irene, you’d definitely suffer from this Spatial Manipulation technique.

“Sigh… it’s really a dark road with no end in sight.” Zheng Yichen thought about the series of steps for Spatial Manipulation and muttered with a headache. With a click, the door of his Portable House opened. Zheng Yichen looked; it was Lena. She naturally sat down opposite him, glanced at the thing he was gripping with a frustrated expression, and couldn’t help but say, “Aha.”

“You finally couldn’t resist and started learning this technique?”

“Whether I learn it early or late, it will give me a headache for a while now! Might as well endure it now.” Zheng Yichen shook the paper in his hand. Just this one sheet would probably keep him pondering for a whole day. Learning this technique was a gradual process, an S-shaped curve. Once you understood some, that part of introductory information could be learned relatively quickly. Then, after reaching a certain height, it would slow down again… then speed up later.

Gradually, it would become more linear, and the fluctuations would get smaller and smaller.

Zheng Yichen didn’t want to say anything about this. Whether it was S-shaped or linear, for him, it was a long process. “Girl, do you know any shortcuts?”

“No. If you can’t even grasp this preliminary understanding stage, then don’t think about truly learning it.”

“Then aren’t you afraid of what others might think, coming to see me alone like this?”

“What is there to be afraid of?” Dan Marina waved her hand slightly. “I came to discuss business. There’s reason and basis. What others think is none of my business?”

“What business?”

“I want to order a few Special Combat Suits, not the standard issue ones.”

“A small matter.” Zheng Yichen agreed without even thinking. With Alchemy Magic’s treatment of materials, he didn’t need any assembly-line production machines. He could make them himself here. “Anything else important?”

Dan Marina wouldn’t come here at this time just for a few custom Special Combat Suits. She spread open her palm. It was a small tadpole… uh, a small flesh ball with a hair growing from it. Zheng Yichen was stunned seeing this thing. The Sanctuary Church was on guard against it, and you’re holding one in your hand!!

“This thing is a bit interesting.”

“I know it’s interesting, but if someone from the Sanctuary Church discovers you with this kind of thing, be careful of being locked up.”

“It’s fine. This one is already ‘dead’.”

Dan Marina said. Zheng Yichen was stunned, motioned for her to wait with a hand gesture, and his expression became vacant. This Alchemical Avatar entered a managed state. Not long after, Zheng Yichen’s attention shifted back. He placed a stack of materials on the table. “Research materials from Irene’s side, related to this Flesh Seed. Do you want to look at them first?”

She immediately picked up the stack of materials and read through them quickly. Her reading speed was so fast that even Zheng Yichen, a seasoned bookworm with the speed to scan ten lines at a glance, couldn’t compare.

“Almost. This Derivative Witch inherited the Undying Witch’s undying nature. It doesn’t have much connection to Soul-related abilities.”

After hearing this, Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but tsk. It had no connection to Soul-related abilities. What could he say about that? The missing part was all focused on the undying nature. Then this Derivative Witch’s undying nature was probably insane. “Are all these Derivative Witches this troublesome…”

“Hmm~ Can’t exactly say troublesome. It’s just that their abilities are too extreme. If they faced the Undying Witch, they wouldn’t have any ability to resist.”

Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but roll his eyes. These Derivative Witches were all results of some of the Undying Witch’s preparations going out of control. They wouldn’t have much resistance against the original owner. But the problem was that the original owner couldn’t be released now. If she was released, wouldn’t she immediately try to kill him?

“Also because of this extremeness, their individual combat power isn’t that strong, but they are troublesome.”

“More than just troublesome. The Sanctuary Church has directly cordoned off the area as a Forbidden Zone.” Zheng Yichen shook his head a bit helplessly. Extremely enhanced undying nature; the trouble it brought was almost like something from a horror comic.

“Hehe, don’t forget, even though she is a Derivative Witch and didn’t inherit the Undying Witch’s Soul-related abilities, there is still a connection. She came near the Stone Forest, plus this undying nature, can produce some… interesting reactions.”

“Those Human Forms?” Zheng Yichen immediately realized the main issue Dan Marina was getting at.

“Yes. Look at this yourself.” Dan Marina showed Irene’s research materials to Zheng Yichen. After reading them, Zheng Yichen’s head hurt. Obviously, it was a huge matter, but in this woman’s mouth, it became ‘interesting reactions’?

The Flesh Seeds were scattered by that Derivative Witch. These Human Forms were like dummies, not having much combat power, but they had an extremely special carrying capacity—they could carry Souls. This was a result related to the Undying Witch’s Soul ability. It wasn’t an active ability but a passive one.

The Human Forms could passively carry any Souls they came into contact with. Although it said Souls, the range wasn’t limited to Souls; Soul Spirits were included too. The combat power of the Human Forms was average, but if they carried another Soul or Soul Spirit, their combat power would immediately improve by leaps and bounds. More importantly, the carried Soul didn’t actively enter; it was also passively absorbed.

Zheng Yichen rubbed his forehead. Just imagine thousands of Human Forms pouring into the Stone Forest. The place would immediately become a special troop-spawning base. Originally just a bunch of level 5 weaklings, but after a stroll inside, their levels immediately got boosted by x10 or x20. How could you even fight that?

Irene’s research on the Flesh Seeds was extremely thorough. In short, this thing could be described as… an enhanced, weakened version of Fujiang.

It had characteristics similar to that Fiend, but not all of her traits. However, its troublesome nature was still sufficient. According to Zheng Yichen’s description, even if you found her true body and annihilated her without leaving a trace, it wouldn’t mean much. Because after this Derivative Witch’s undying nature became extreme, it was no longer an undying nature symbolizing ‘life’, but one related to ‘death’.

To put it simply, this Derivative Witch removed the concept of death… perhaps not absolutely, but many ordinary and extraordinary methods wouldn’t work against her. Of course, this was her only special point. Everything else about her was easy to target.

For example, this characteristic of the Flesh Seeds carrying Souls, inheriting and reproducing the original combat power of the Soul. Although powerful, those things were more like puppet-like existences. They had the original combat power but not their original consciousness. They still fought passively based on instinct.

Wanting to deal with these Flesh Seeds was easy! Annie could easily wipe them out in an instant.

The Derivative Witch with extreme undying enhancement could remove the concept of death from herself, but the Flesh Seeds she differentiated didn’t have this characteristic. Encountering a Witch of Life like Annie meant they were countered to death. No matter how many there were, tens of thousands, she could turn them to dust with a single thought…

This was suppression through absolute ability countering!

However, against this Derivative Witch’s true body, Annie could only prolong her ‘rebirth’. After killing her, prolonging it for ten or twenty years wouldn’t be a problem.

As for the previous Soul Perception Witch, when Irene provided these materials, she also gave corresponding countermeasures. As long as Qin acted, she could interfere with that Derivative Witch’s Soul Perception. However, she wouldn’t act easily, especially since the Sanctuary Church directly got involved. The possibility of Qin acting was even lower.

So, basically, forget about that Witch. Unless the Sanctuary Church chose to withdraw and no longer participate, Qin might possibly join the fight then. For now, let the people from the Sanctuary Church worry slowly.

Zheng Yichen silently flipped through the materials Irene sent. When he saw the last page, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. The Undying Witch… really a special nuclear bomb. Even after being defeated, the residual nuclear radiation would cause long-lasting problems. Based on the characteristics of the two Derivative Witches that appeared, Irene speculated that the Undying Witch’s ‘abilities’ might have been split because of her leftover revival preparations!

Because her true body was Sealed, those leftover preparations, as they went out of control, began ‘competing’ for parts of the ‘abilities’ left by the Undying Witch. These abilities were complete, but after being competed for, they split into several or even more portions. Then, as they became independent, they returned to being ‘complete’.

This meant the number of Derivative Witches with single, extreme aspects of the Undying Witch’s abilities wouldn’t be small. Of course, this wasn’t entirely bad either. Those who competed for part of the abilities could continue to act as Derivative Witches. Those who failed in the competition naturally ceased to exist because they lacked the foundation to maintain their existence. Even if they could become Derivative Witches… hmm, they couldn’t be called Derivative Witches.

They would be derivatives based on the power left by the Undying Witch, inheriting some characteristics similar to hers. They might have some power or traits similar to the Undying Witch, but definitely not the corresponding abilities. Moreover, those powers, lacking the support of the corresponding abilities and not having a Witch’s characteristics, calling them derivatives was already giving them too much credit.

There wouldn’t be too many of this type because, lacking the ability portion as a foundational support, most existences that didn’t obtain abilities would end up dissipating. So, Zheng Yichen didn’t have to worry that the Undying Witch’s possibly dozens, hundreds, or even several hundred backup preparations could produce a large group of Derivative Witches causing trouble everywhere.

Having ten would be pretty good. The remaining derivatives could mostly be ignored. They wouldn’t have the Undying Witch’s related memories, only some leftover traces. For example, if they one day saw someone the Undying Witch knew and had a deep impression of, they might involuntarily feel a strange sense of déjà vu, like “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

Even so, Zheng Yichen’s head still hurt a lot. Having about ten Derivative Witches was ‘pretty good’? Think about ten Witches with extreme single abilities; each one was a disaster. The first one that appeared, the Soul Perception Derivative Witch, could be understood as an invincible existence in one-on-one combat. Directly reading Souls was much more useful than so-called mind-reading, and that was area-of-effect.

The effect was very powerful. Plus, Derivative Witches were also Witches; their power level wasn’t too low. You could see how troublesome she was from her fight with the Sanctuary Church’s Saintess, where she didn’t fall behind at all. Even a proper Witch, without one who could interfere with her ability, wouldn’t have much advantage fighting her.

The second one directly went in the direction of a horror movie female lead. Her ability was almost unsolvable. Zheng Yichen couldn’t get a transparent sphere to put her in. Besides, this one could also spawn troops… plus the characteristics of the collapsing Stone Forest…

Just thinking about the third, fourth, fifth… yet to come, the exciting life had just begun!

“Honestly, I think I can understand why the Sanctuary Church is so enthusiastic about eliminating Witches. Taking down one Undying Witch could cause such huge harm…”

“Ah~ Ha, this is still considered small. Let me tell you, if it weren’t for me, the series of leftover problems would be even bigger.”

Zheng Yichen looked at Dan Marina’s self-praising manner and slightly pouted. Well, she wasn’t exactly bragging. Without her planning from long ago, dealing with the Undying Witch wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as if the protagonist had cheats. “I’m a bit curious, if you ran into problems, what would be left behind?”

“You actually asked such a heartless question!”

“I’m asking to be more determined to protect you!” Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes.

“The problem would probably be… the Threads of Fate in this world becoming chaotic… Not a big problem.”

Could that really be called ‘not a big problem’? Zheng Yichen didn’t understand what would happen if the Threads of Fate became chaotic, but the problem definitely wouldn’t be small. Otherwise, wouldn’t this woman have been acting recklessly all this time?