Book 3: Chapter 38: Path

“Apostle 70053, you have killed one unranked Reincarnator. You have completed one Death Hunt. Your hunting reward will be issued when you return to Shattered Starry Sky.”

“Note: Apostle 70053, according to the hunting clause in the Apostle Covenant, Shattered Starry Sky will conceal the law data fluctuations from this Reincarnator’s death until the originally scheduled stay duration ends. If there are any Soul-bound items among the loot, please refrain from using them temporarily to avoid unnecessary danger.”

Above Matthew’s body floated a small crimson cube, its bright bloody stripes emitting an eerie glow.

“I’ll take this cube as payment for saving you. You don’t mind, do you?” Qin Lun reached out and took the cube, turning back with a smile as he asked.

Junko silently nodded, her cold yet beautiful face showing a trace of confusion. She didn’t care at all about Matthew’s Bloody Cube; the deaths of her two companions left her feeling empty inside. The Japanese girl felt that all her efforts had been in vain. Now she was alone again, just as lost and confused as when she first entered this space.

Seeing the despair on the girl’s face, Qin Lun gave a faint smile and stood up, preparing to leave.

He hadn’t considered killing Yoshida Junko. For one, there wasn’t much gain from her. Even Matthew, who had obtained the Phantom Demon bloodline, hadn’t reached rank yet—how much benefit could killing Junko possibly bring him? Additionally, he simply didn’t want to engage in such tasteless killing.

“Wait!” A trembling voice called out from behind him. “Can loyalty really not earn companions?”

Qin Lun turned around and was surprised to see two streams of glistening tears on the girl’s cold, beautiful face.

“Living until now has been so hard for me… I finally found a team… Why, why do they still not want me? I’ve stopped fighting for anything already… Sob, sob…” Junko’s usually icy face was now covered with tears and snot as she sat on the ground crying like a child.

Watching the sobbing girl, Qin Lun’s vision blurred slightly. The darkest corner of his heart stirred faintly, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

“Loyalty certainly can earn companions, but you’ve misdirected your loyalty!” Qin Lun crouched in front of Junko and wiped the tear stains from her face with his finger. “Did you see what Pan Hu did for Lou Ying? They became companions through life-and-death adventures, each possessing the other’s loyalty…”

“Are you saying I should learn from Matthew and join a team like the Fūma Group?” Junko asked softly between sobs.

“No, teams like the Fūma Group are already stable. New members might have to go through a series of tests before being accepted.” Qin Lun shook his head faintly. “Matthew wasn’t wrong about one thing—he had the ability to survive those tests. But you and Jote probably don’t meet the entry standards for large teams until you’ve accumulated sufficient strength.”

“What should I do then?” The girl widened her tear-filled eyes, looking at Qin Lun expectantly.

Qin Lun hesitated, his eyes flickering slightly. He wasn’t keen on making decisions for others, but the crying girl reminded him of a young boy from his past.

He finally sighed and said quietly, “You can choose companions from among the newcomers—those with firm beliefs who also value loyalty. First, earn their loyalty, then decide whether to give yours in return.”

“Isn’t that just like that liar Matthew?” Junko muttered distractedly.

“Matthew’s survival principles weren’t wrong. The problem was that he exploited your loyalty without giving his own, choosing to sacrifice companions to gain strength!” A faint smile appeared on Qin Lun’s face. “But you can choose to help those newcomers who possess loyalty and beliefs, delaying your own strength growth in exchange for reliable companions!”

As Qin Lun spoke softly, Junko’s eyes gradually brightened, regaining their dazzling sparkle. After a while, the girl wiped her face and returned to her usual cold, beautiful demeanor as she stood up again.

“Thank you!” Junko bowed respectfully to Qin Lun.

“You’re welcome!” Qin Lun’s eyes shone with a strange light—both regretful and expectant.

The path he had pointed out to Junko wasn’t easy. It was most likely to benefit others at her own expense! If possible, he would have liked to stay in the DF space as a Reincarnator to see how far this girl could go.

“Qin Lun, can I follow you in this world?” Junko’s face reddened slightly as she spoke somewhat shyly.

“Follow if you want!” Qin Lun smiled indifferently.

“What should we do now?” Junko asked curiously. Having overcome her inner demons, the girl’s mood had improved considerably.

“Now that the Phantom Demon boss in the Undersea Temple is dead, the senior experts from both major factions probably won’t pay attention here anymore. They’ll likely rush to other Phantom Demon bases.” Qin Lun’s eyes flickered as he spoke slowly.

“Our strength is too weak. The fact that we’ve come this far is actually thanks to the Phantom Demon Rumors Record. For us, staying in the Undersea Temple to clear out scattered Phantom Demons is the best choice. There’s no competition, and we can accumulate more Faction Reputation.”

“Mhm!” Junko nodded without raising any objections.

In reality, she didn’t know that Qin Lun’s main target wasn’t Faction Reputation, but the other Time-Space Nodes in the maze. Originally, if Qin Lun had been alone, he would have planned to return to the space already. But now with Junko’s help, he could collect a few more Time-Space Cores.

Qin Lun had only taken two steps toward the exit passage when he suddenly paused, turned to look at Matthew’s body, and lowered his head in thought. Although Matthew had obtained the Phantom Demon bloodline, because it was a Reincarnator’s Law Body, it didn’t turn into a pile of ashes like real Phantom Demons.

“What’s wrong?” Junko stopped in surprise.

“I want to conduct an experiment!” Qin Lun smiled and summoned the black bear BEN, giving it a command: “Eat him!”

“Ugh!” Watching the pus-covered, strongly stinking black bear devour Matthew’s body, Junko couldn’t help but vomit in disgust. “We have Law Bodies… Your summon, even if it eats Matthew, can’t obtain the Phantom Demon bloodline, right?”

“Heh, actually I’m just speculating. I’m wondering if after a Reincarnator dies, their flesh loses its law properties. If that’s the case, my summon might absorb some of Matthew’s Phantom Demon genes.” Qin Lun closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes in black bear BEN’s body.

Qin Lun didn’t reveal the whole truth. If Bloodline Items could be obtained through a summon’s feeding, why would they be so precious?

However, black bear BEN had absorbed an incomplete Gene Potion in that maze room, which was the same type as what Matthew obtained. By devouring Matthew’s corpse, even if the black bear couldn’t complete the bloodline conversion, it should at least slow down its bodily collapse and deterioration.

Junko stopped talking and walked far away, not wanting to hear the sound of the black bear chewing on the corpse.

Qin Lun’s guess was correct. After devouring most of Matthew’s body, black bear BEN’s condition did change. The deterioration of its summoned flesh slowed, though it still appeared listless.

Qin Lun waved his hand and recalled the black bear to the Summoning Space, breathing a soft sigh of relief. Now he felt more confident about extracting a complete Bloodline Item from the black bear after returning.

Another piece of good news was that the Energy Points consumed to maintain the black bear’s life had decreased. He no longer had to worry about the 36-hour stay limit, effectively saving that Self-Healing Crystal.

“While you were on that damaged ship, did you obtain any items?” After reuniting with Junko, the two walked toward the exit.

“I didn’t get much. But I found something strange…” Junko tilted her head in thought, then took a small wooden doll from her bosom and handed it to Qin Lun.

This doll seemed unfinished, with only a rough outline for its face. It wore casual clothes, with one hand supporting its elbow and chin—a modern style of dress.

“This doll isn’t a plot item, but it’s so strange. According to logic, the Phantom Demons’ invasion of Paris connected the Phantom Demon World to the modern world, but that ship had been abandoned for a long time. During Japan’s Warring States period, this style of doll shouldn’t exist… Huh? What’s wrong with you?”

Junko muttered a couple of sentences, then turned to see Qin Lun pale-faced, with dense cold sweat on his forehead, clutching his chest as if having an asthma attack while gasping for breath.

“I… I’m fine!” Qin Lun endured the sharp pain in his chest, his gaze fixed intently on the small doll in Junko’s hand.

He was quite sure this was his first time seeing this doll, but for some reason, the sight of it made his chest ache inexplicably, as if he had lost something extremely precious.

The doll’s pose—one hand supporting its elbow and chin—gave him a very weird feeling, as if he was looking at… himself!

“Put it away. Let’s leave this place!” Qin Lun forced himself to look away from the doll. Once his breathing stabilized, he called Junko to leave the Shipbuilding Room.

An hour later, the two appeared in a stone chamber. It was a small storage room found using the Phantom Demon Rumors Record, located in a remote area with no Phantom Demon guards.

Both of their stamina had nearly reached their limits, especially Junko’s, who had not only lost a lot of blood but also experienced a major battle. After discussing, they both decided not to search anymore today, opting to rest first and resume searching the Undersea Temple and outer maze tomorrow.

“You rest first!” Qin Lun said with chivalrous courtesy.

“Alright, wake me later!” The girl didn’t refuse and curled up in the corner of the stone room like a kitten, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Qin Lun sat cross-legged in another corner of the room, pulled out the Bloody Cube obtained from Matthew, and slowly traced its bloody stripes with his fingers…