Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 261 – The Tricks of Evolution

(A thank you to: Besta who likes saxophones, Quiet Green Bamboo’s Stantler, and all the readers who have been following and donating. Traffic has been slow lately, so I’m relying entirely on the donations from my dear patron readers to get by. Here’s an extra chapter for today!)

The atmosphere in Dormitory 46 was much more lively than the dead-silent rooms before it.

Perhaps it was because most of the residents here were newcomers who hadn’t been completely brainwashed into idiots by that “Heavenly Illumination Glory.” Several girls were sitting around a lower bunk, their eyes still holding a spark of human intelligence.

“Ruyan, your skin is so nice.”

The speaker was a short-haired girl from the opposite bed named Yumi, also a level-one Evolved being.

She stared at Lin Fan’s flawless face, her tone tinged with envy. “I used to be a print model, but after a year of fleeing for my life out there, I’m as dark as charcoal. How do you take care of your skin?”

Lin Fan leaned against the headboard, his peach-blossom eyes curving slightly. His voice was so soft and sweet it was practically dripping. “It’s probably… natural? Besides, my previous captain took good care of me and would share some of the better supplies with me.”

Yumi pouted and didn’t reply.

In the apocalypse, it was an open secret that beautiful women received “extra care.” There was no need to spell it out.

“Hey, who do you think the Divine Emissary will wear tomorrow?”

Another round-faced girl scooted closer, her face full of anticipation. “At the last sermon, the red Divine Robe the Divine Emissary wore was just gorgeous, like the sun goddess herself had descended to the mortal world.”

“The Divine Emissary looks good in anything.” Sha Zhi, who was tidying her bed, turned around upon hearing this, a fanatical look on her face. “That kind of aura is simply beyond what any mortal can compare to. Even those big celebrities from TV back in the day wouldn’t be worthy of carrying the Divine Emissary’s shoes.”

Lin Fan keenly picked up on these keywords.

Stunningly beautiful, aura, Divine Robe.

It seemed this Divine Emissary was not only a master of pyramid schemes but also an idol who knew how to package herself.

“Sister Sha Zhi.”

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Lin Fan blinked, leaning his body forward slightly and putting on the look of a curious child. “Is the Divine Emissary… really that beautiful? More… more beautiful than me?”

As he spoke, he deliberately puffed out his chest. The assets of Liu Ruyan’s body were faintly visible under the tight-fitting linen robe, creating a powerful visual impact.

The dormitory fell silent for a moment.

The girls looked at Lin Fan’s devastatingly beautiful face, then at each other, their expressions a little strange.

Objectively speaking, Liu Ruyan’s looks were top-tier.

But here, evaluating the Divine Emissary didn’t seem to be just about looks.

“It’s different,” Sha Zhi said, shaking her head as her tone grew serious. “Ruyan, your beauty is… it’s the kind that… oh, I can’t quite describe it. But the Divine Emissary’s beauty is sacred. It makes you want to kneel and worship at first sight. You’ll understand when you see her tomorrow.”

Lin Fan sneered inwardly.

Sacred?

On the Dragon Spirit Continent, I’ve seen more than my fair share of “sacred” things.

So-called “sanctity” was nothing more than the pressure a high-level lifeform exerted on a low-level one.

When a high-level Evolved being released a bit of their aura, in the eyes of a level-one rookie, wouldn’t that look just like a god descending to the mortal realm?

“Then…” Lin Fan opportunely changed the subject, asking the question he was most concerned about. “Sister Sha Zhi, the Holy Water Aunt Meidaizi mentioned earlier… can you really evolve just by drinking it?”

As soon as he said this, the relatively relaxed atmosphere in the dormitory suddenly turned strange.

Yumi lowered her head and picked at her fingernails, the round-faced girl’s gaze drifted to the ceiling, and even the most enthusiastic Sha Zhi’s cheeks inexplicably flushed red.

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“Of course, it’s true.”

After several seconds, Sha Zhi finally spoke in a low, somewhat muffled voice. “I broke through to my level-two strength enhancement only after drinking the Holy Water three times. Otherwise, on my own, I would have been stuck at level one for the rest of my life.”

“It’s that miraculous?” Lin Fan’s eyes lit up, and he leaned in closer. “Then… then how can we get the Holy Water? Is praying piously enough?”

Sha Zhi’s face grew even redder, all the way to the tips of her ears.

She stammered for a long time, her eyes darting away. “Well… piety is the foundation. It also… it also depends on the Divine Emissary’s mood. And… and…”

“And what?” Lin Fan pressed.

“Aiya, why are you asking so many questions!” Yumi suddenly interrupted, annoyed. She pulled her blanket over her head and turned her back to Lin Fan. “You’ll find out tomorrow! Go to sleep!”

The round-faced girl also gave an awkward laugh. “Yeah, yeah, Sister Ruyan, let’s get to sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Sha Zhi let out a sigh of relief and switched off the only dim desk lamp in the dormitory. “Let’s sleep, let’s sleep. We need to be well-rested to show our best selves to the Divine Emissary tomorrow.”

In the darkness, the innocent and naive look on Lin Fan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, playful contemplation.

Something was wrong.

Definitely wrong.

He had only asked how to obtain it, so why were they reacting as if they’d been caught with a secret lover?

Shyness?

Embarrassment?

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Or… was it something unspeakable?

Lying on the somewhat hard bed plank, Lin Fan listened to the breathing sounds that gradually rose around him, his mind racing.

If it didn’t involve a core secret and was merely some kind of ritual, there would be no need to be so secretive.

Unless the ritual itself was humiliating or… special in some way.

“Tsk, don’t tell me it requires some kind of sacrifice?”

Lin Fan muttered to himself.

In the past, if he had encountered such charlatans, he would have just slapped them to death and been done with it.

But not now.

The effect of that “Holy Water” was too tempting.

Evolving without Crystals—what did that mean?

It meant that as long as he mastered the production method, he could mass-produce an army of Evolved beings!

Crystals were finite, and the risk of obtaining them was not low.

But if this stuff could be artificially synthesized…

That would be a paradigm-shifting advantage!

This wasn’t some evil cult; this was clearly a pioneer who had mastered core technology!

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“A pity that Mental Strength control can only be used for puppetry. If only I could read memories directly.”

Lin Fan turned over with some regret.

It seemed he would have to keep up the act.

First, he’d trick them into giving him the technology, and then he’d turn that Divine Emissary into a Skin. That was the way to maximize his gains.

As for these followers…

He’d turn all the women into Skins, and have Long Yan take all the men back as laborers.

The night deepened.

The underground space was not quiet; the soundproofing was poor.

Lin Fan could hear soft sobs from the next dormitory and the heavy footsteps of patrolling guards in the distant corridor.

Amid this oppressive atmosphere, he could even faintly hear a strange sound coming from deeper underground.

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes. His Mental Strength extended downwards like tentacles but was blocked by a special energy barrier.

“A Mental Strength Evolved being, are they?”

A cold smile touched the corners of Lin Fan’s lips.

This little place under Mount Fuji was hiding quite a few secrets.