Chapter 549: Tricking the Junior?

Chapter 549: Tricking the Junior?

Knowing the Prophet’s usual tricks, Zheng Yichen was extremely cautious about Liliya’s proposal. He did not want to become a stepping stone or a crowbar in some Prophet’s hands! Even though he did not even have the qualification to be a stepping stone, after establishing a contract, something might be discovered, so it was better to keep a low profile.

“Uh, don’t refuse so quickly… Actually, I’m really good.”

“Oh.” Zheng Yichen let out an indifferent “Oh,” just not giving the woman in front of him any substantial reply. A contract was out of the question. The more Zheng Yichen knew, the more cautious he became about many things, because the more one knows, the more they understand their own ignorance. In short: “A contract is impossible.”

“…” Liliya stared at Zheng Yichen for a while, thinking this dragon really lived up to being associated with Witches—so difficult to deal with. He didn’t even ask for a reason, just stubbornly refused to give in, which made her very uncomfortable. Prophets had their own aspirations too. Though she hated to admit it, most Prophets aimed to match the level of Witches.

After all, when someone reached a certain height, it gave others a better pursuit. Dan Marina was a perfect benchmark among Prophets. So, knowing that Zheng Yichen might have been affected by some method used by Dan Marina, interfering with others’ Prophecy Art, she wanted to see if she could learn something from it.

Since Prophecy Art was useless against Zheng Yichen, and getting close to one of his Alchemical Puppets was also useless, she could only use some common Prophet methods, slowly prying with a contract. If she pried something open, then everyone would be happy—she might be able to learn something from it.

Unfortunately, Zheng Yichen seemed to know about this common sneaky operation of Prophets. Well, for Prophets, especially those who mastered some special methods, signing a contract with them wasn’t entirely one-sided. Look at the protagonists in those Legend novels—they all got help from Prophets along the way, killing everything in their path. When they faced danger, Prophets even helped clean up… pah, solve the problems.

“No, I don’t want to get involved with any Prophet.” Zheng Yichen still refused bluntly. His eyes looked a bit distracted. In reality, he was already secretly chatting with Dan Marina. He told Dan Marina Liliya’s name. After listening, Dan Marina rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment.

“Oh, this Prophet, I think I have some impression of her.”

“You forget things?”

“Of course not. Hmm, right, I think I taught her Prophecy Art before.” Dan Marina lightly tapped her palm and said, looking at Zheng Yichen with a strange expression. She continued, “Nothing strange about it. At that time, I still had a complicated relationship with The Church. Teaching was also within the limits of the contract. Not just her—many Prophets in The Church were taught by me.”

“You’re really amazing… No, The Church’s people are really bold!” Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but say.

“Pretty much. Anyway, there was nothing wrong with what I taught. Prophecy Art relies heavily on Talent. After starting, besides related branches of Prophecy Art, how far one can go depends entirely on their own exploration. The Prophecy Art suitable for each person differs slightly, like fine-tuning in Magic. As for me? I’m the Fate Witch! Of course, I’m an exception!”

Seeing Dan Marina’s “I’m so awesome” attitude, Zheng Yichen was no longer surprised. “Continue.”

“Hmm~ Liliya’s Talent in Prophecy Art was pretty good. She has a rare ‘Mirror Trait,’ so I taught her a bit extra. Now she’s set her sights on you, huh? Looks like this kid has hit a bottleneck.” She rested her chin on her hand, lightly tapping her cheek with a finger. “Actually, this kid has always been quite dependent, even though she always tries to act mature.”

“But several years have passed, and she doesn’t seem to have improved much. She still wants to seek help from her elders.”

“Wait, wait—several years!?” Zheng Yichen was shocked. If Dan Marina had said decades or something, he wouldn’t have found it particularly special, but now she said several years? Thinking about it, except for the people he met early on whose appearances matched their age, almost everyone he met later were pseudo-Lolis or pseudo-young girls!

“Specifically, seven years ago. She was ten years old at the time. Oh, by the way, she’s the once-in-a-millennium genius in those novels you write for fun.”

“…Better than me?”

“No comparison, no harm.”

“Then please don’t hurt me further.” Zheng Yichen said. Isn’t that how it is for Humans? Facing some races with outstanding Talent, ninety-nine percent could be considered mediocre. But if that remaining tiny fraction produces one or a few freaks, they can overwhelm other races!

“So, about her, how should we handle it? Just leave her be?” Zheng Yichen asked. Dan Marina thought for a moment, her finger still tapping her cheek. “Using this contract or not is up to you. If you want, I can draft a contract for you. I know her fairly well. The contract I draft would be acceptable to her. If not, then solve it through a trade. After all, her Talent is genuinely good, and it’d be a shame to waste it.”

“I feel like you’re one of those villains who have nothing better to do than train protagonists to kill themselves.” Dan Marina’s words made Zheng Yichen roll his eyes.

“Hey, did she introduce herself to you?”

Zheng Yichen nodded. Dan Marina continued asking, “Did she not have a surname?”

“Alright, she has a story too?”

“Otherwise? Let me think… The Mirror Trait is also quite rare in Prophecy Art. Actually, signing a contract with her is fine. For you, it’s purely gaining something for nothing. The method she learned to gain a new stepping stone through a contract was also taught by me. You have no Threads of Fate entangled on you, so this method is ineffective on you. Instead, you can… heh.”

Listening to this woman’s sinister suggestion, Zheng Yichen’s eyelids twitched. Was it really okay to casually start tricking her own apprentice like this? So just how dark is this smiling woman inside?

“The contract isn’t actually impossible. The content must be decided by me.” Shifting his attention back from Dan Marina, Zheng Yichen looked seriously at the girl in front of him. Her furrowed brows relaxed. She was still worried about how to get Zheng Yichen to agree, but then Zheng Yichen suddenly agreed?

“If it’s too difficult for me, I’ll choose to give up.” Liliya said seriously. When Prophets seek to sign stepping-stone contracts, it’s mostly for their own convenience, not to sell themselves. Zheng Yichen’s sudden agreement made her worried—did this guy plan to trick her? Prophets are Human too, and they can be tricked…

“Don’t worry, absolutely not difficult!” Zheng Yichen said with an air of importance, diverting a bit of attention to read the contract Dan Marina had drafted…