Make Me Your Slave

Holding the Evolution Source Blood, Bai Pu suddenly recalled the last thing he had asked Qin twelve hours earlier—

How to quickly kill Blood Hand Colen without causing trouble.

It was difficult. The best way to avoid trouble was poison, but as an Aberrant, Blood Hand Colen's body was influenced by Evolution Instinct. Any foreign substance that did not benefit evolution would be naturally rejected.

Put simply, Aberrants had maxed-out poison resistance.

Fortunately, Qin had provided a solution: Stimulation Blood.

It was the essence of Bai Pu's blood and contained the power of Evolution Source Blood. The Evolution Instinct within Blood Hand Colen's body would not reject Stimulation Blood. On the contrary, it would eagerly welcome and actively absorb it!

Qin had refined the Stimulation Blood a second time, adding just a tiny little bit of Blood Thistle Toxin. After Bai Pu injected it into Blood Hand Colen at precisely the right moment, he quietly departed.

Blood Hand Colen's death did not leave Bai Pu a treasure chest, only a reward of 3,000 Spirit Energy Points. Bai Pu did not care about that either. His true objective was already in hand!

As for how Bai Pu had predicted Sting Squad's Main Quest in advance?

It looked difficult, but in reality, it only required reasoning through it step by step.

First, Bai Pu and Sting Squad were most likely enemies. He had inferred this from his Trial Mission—the second vial of Origin Blood required to complete the trial was in Sting Squad's possession!

Since the Spirit Realm Will had arranged the Trial Mission this way, it would most likely place Bai Pu and Sting Squad in opposing factions within the same region! Bai Pu had entered the Plane World early while at an absolute disadvantage, so he had priority of choice.

Especially after Bai Pu had dealt with Blood Hand Colen, the leader of the Blood Ring Faction, causing a severe imbalance in the strength of the two factions in Brandenburg Northland. Once Sting Squad entered, there was a ninety-nine percent chance they would be assigned to the Blood Ring Faction to salvage the situation.

After confirming the enemy's faction, Bai Pu began considering what their Main Quest would be. In other words, he was predicting the Spirit Realm Will's next means of intervention.

After Sting Squad entered this plane, they would face a leaderless Blood Ring Faction in Brandenburg Northland. They would not even be able to trigger the second phase of their Main Quest! The importance of a faction leader was beyond question. Bai Pu had called for Columbus to be captured rather than killed precisely to prompt the Spirit Realm Will to issue Sting Squad a mission to rescue Blood Hand Colen!

With the groundwork laid in advance, everything that followed naturally fell into place.

"Is this what you wanted?" Qin's figure appeared behind Bai Pu.

"This is the 'mysterious substance' you mentioned. It has another name: 'Evolution Source Blood.'" Bai Pu turned and replied.

Qin carefully took the test tube from Bai Pu's hand, studying the Evolution Source Blood as she softly said, "Evolution Source Blood... What an apt name. So, can you tell me your identity now?"

Qin had personally witnessed Sting Squad being banished. It was only natural that she would begin to question Bai Pu's identity.

Bai Pu sighed softly. "Sorry, I cannot voluntarily tell you anything."

Qin did not blame him, because that statement itself contained a great deal of information.

She blinked and said, "It isn't that you don't want to tell me, but that some restriction prevents you from speaking voluntarily. I can only guess... is that right?"

Bai Pu silently praised Qin's intelligence. Indeed, the Spirit Realm Will prohibited Awakened from voluntarily revealing the existence of the real world to natives. Eight hundred years into the Spirit Energy Era, this was a taboo known even to ordinary people.

Qin's brown eyes remained fixed on Bai Pu as she continued guessing. "I once heard rumors of visitors from other worlds. Could it be that, like those three people, you came from another world?"

Bai Pu's gaze remained calm. At a time like this, not denying it was equivalent to admitting it.

"Your world must be wonderful."

Qin gazed into the distance dreamily. "I really want to visit your world someday..."

Bai Pu said nothing.

"Enough! Let's not think about such meaningless things. Come with me!" Qin returned the Evolution Source Blood to Bai Pu and smiled again. "I still owe you a promise, don't I?"

A notification from the Spirit Realm Will arrived:

Main Quest II: Sever Blood Hand, completed. You have gained an additional 8 days, 11 hours, 58 minutes, and 54 seconds of free exploration time. Your current total free exploration time is: 8 days, 23 hours, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. This time will automatically take effect after all your remaining stay time has ended.

Based on your mission participation, you have received the reward: 100 Merit Points; you have gained the qualification to fuse Evolution Source Blood.

Bai Pu and Qin had agreed that after Bai Pu obtained the second vial of Evolution Source Blood, Qin would help him complete the fusion.

Sitting on the laboratory bench, Bai Pu felt as though he had returned to Ward 3072. However, this time, the doctor responsible for fusing the Origin Blood was no longer Dean Zhao, but Qin, a native scholar of the Spirit Realm.

Qin seemed to be in a very good mood as she made preparations, continuously humming a Nordic-style tune.

"Qin, you don't actually need to be angry." Bai Pu suddenly spoke.

"I am not angry." Qin turned her head and glanced at Bai Pu. "I'm in a very good mood!"

Bai Pu continued as though she had not spoken. "I'm very grateful to you. You spoke for me before the duke. Whether it was capturing Blood Hand Colen alive or poisoning him to death in the end, you have been helping me all along."

Qin fell silent for a moment, then tossed aside the feather tube. Her expression turned icy.

"Yes, I've been helping you all along! And what did I get? An excellent experimental subject! A man smarter than me! Setting aside the fact that you could disappear at any time, I've truly gained so much!"

Sure enough, Qin was angry because Bai Pu had come from a "Different World." That meant Bai Pu could leave the world of Flesh Plague: Origin at any time.

"I never intended to deceive you. I simply had no choice."

Bai Pu spoke calmly. "Compared to me, you have hidden far more things from me... haven't you?"

The frost on Qin's face swiftly faded, replaced by curiosity. "Tell me, then. What have I hidden?"

Bai Pu took a deep breath. "You came from the Blood Ring."

"You came from the Blood Ring."

The moment Bai Pu said that, the curiosity on Qin's face vanished without a trace, replaced by seriousness.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Qin slowed her tone, sat before the laboratory bench, and asked each word distinctly.

"I do."

"Your evidence?"

"Evidence..."

Bai Pu thought for a moment. "There is too much. Your exceptional mastery of Flesh Alchemy, your familiarity with Blood Ring Fortress, your unusual relationship with Duke William..."

"Go on."

Qin narrowed her eyes and folded her arms on the laboratory bench, sitting properly like a primary school student.

Perhaps feeling that her chest was too heavy, she simply propped it up on the bench as well. From Bai Pu's elevated angle, the sight was rather indecent.

"Let's start with Flesh Alchemy. The first time you saw me, before examining my body, you noticed my unusual constitution. Even Mr. Jialan, the Court Wizard beside the duke, failed to notice that..."

"Isn't it too far-fetched to suspect me based on that alone?" Qin said. "Perhaps I simply happen to be a genius of Flesh Alchemy."

Bai Pu said, "It isn't just that. Your understanding of the meteorite, your clear knowledge of Evolution Source Blood, and your familiarity with the Blood Ring Control Curse Seal cannot be explained by the word 'genius.'

"You must have personally seen, perhaps even personally studied, Princess Christina, the Ultimate Host! You were very likely one of the alchemical scholars Gustav invited to consult on the princess..."

At that point, Bai Pu fell silent.

Because he had already received a notification from the Spirit Realm Will:

Brandenburg Court Advisor: Qin's Affection Level toward you has risen sharply! Current Affection Level: Admiration.

"Go on. Why did you stop?"

Qin smiled sweetly. "All-knowing Mr. Dio, why not guess who I really am? There'll be a reward if you guess correctly..."

She straightened up and moved closer and closer to Bai Pu. The breath she exhaled carried a tempting sweetness, like an overripe peach.

"Considering your unusual relationship with Duke William, the answer is already obvious. There is no need to say more. Only, it is a little strange that Yvette did not recognize you, though that is not impossible..."

Bai Pu shifted backward with some difficulty and said helplessly, "Qin... you're pressing against me."

That "Qin" made her stop advancing.

"Fine!"

Qin shrugged, sending a surging ripple through her chest. "You showed me your intelligence. What exactly do you want? A rational man like you should not be a male peacock flaunting his feathers because he's in heat."

"I hope that when you help me fuse the Origin Blood, you won't tamper with it." Bai Pu laid his cards on the table.

Qin was equally frank. "That's right. I planned to make a small adjustment while helping you fuse the Origin Blood. In the end, you would successfully fuse with it, but you would become an Aberrant. Then I would use the Blood Ring Curse Seal to turn you into my slave..."

A chill ran down Bai Pu's spine. A trial participant who lost self-awareness and the ability to act independently could not return to the real world. Qin's plan really could have succeeded.

Qin continued, "After all, I promised to help you fuse the Origin Blood and develop your power. I never guaranteed anything else. You promised to be my experimental subject, but you broke your word.

"You're so smart that there's no point in deceiving you. I might as well tell you plainly." Qin finally stared into Bai Pu's eyes, a trace of cunning in her brown gaze. "So, clever Mr. Dio, how do you plan to persuade me?"

If he wanted to play word games, Bai Pu had not technically broken his promise either, because he had never promised how long he would serve as an experimental subject.

But Bai Pu could not argue that way. Otherwise, the negotiation would certainly collapse.

"Qin, you should know where I came from. Aren't you curious how the first vial of Origin Blood in my body was successfully fused?"

Qin frowned. "Scholars from your world must have helped you fuse it."

"Correct. However, they did not use Flesh Alchemy, but an entirely different technique."

Qin's eyes lit up.

Bai Pu said softly, "A stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade. If you turn me into an Aberrant slave, all you gain is an obedient toy. But if you help me successfully fuse the Evolution Source Blood and allow me to travel freely between worlds, you will gain the knowledge of an entire world."

"The knowledge of an entire world..."

Qin smiled. "That is quite a weighty offer. But I think it still falls a little short compared to my losses."

A trace of helplessness and frustration flashed through Bai Pu's heart. Qin was the best candidate to help him fuse the Origin Blood. He had done his best to persuade her, but a woman's heart was impossible to fathom.

Qin traced a circle over Bai Pu's chest with her fingertip. "So, to make up for my losses, you must give me another promise..."

"What promise?" Bai Pu asked.

"I hope... after you fuse the second vial of Origin Blood, you will make me your slave!"