Symbiosis Ritual

Theus suddenly heard a voice whisper in his ear, "Is this true?"

The voice was thin and weak.

"Of course it's true, you..." Theus replied instinctively, turning toward the direction of the sound, and then he froze.

Before his eyes lay that ugly, repulsive monster.

Was it that?

It had spoken to him!?

Theus went rigid, his hand moving instinctively toward his holster, but he stopped just before grabbing it.

His pistol could only fire once, and besides, it wasn't the time to shoot.

It was daytime, and he was surrounded by his subjects and soldiers. The monster before him looked as weak as a piece of rotting meat; it didn't look like it could threaten him, so there was no need for an overreaction.

Calm down, calm down, take a deep breath.

While trying to steady his nerves, he turned his head to look at the people around him. To his surprise, he found that they were acting normally. Had they not heard it?

No, that shouldn't be. With so many people, could he be the only one to hear it? That seemed impossible.

Just then, the voice came again.

"The water, the water pressure, and the Deep Sea you mentioned earlier... are they true?"

Theus looked at the "strange fish" sprawled on the ground. He was certain now that it was the one speaking to him, and that this voice was audible only to him; no one else could notice it.

Transcendence! This was definitely some kind of transcendental power! A power outside the Church!

Theus felt his throat go dry. He had a loaded pistol in his coat; with one shout, his soldiers would lay down their lives for him, and the monster before him was merely gasping for its last breath.

This might be a good opportunity to make contact with Transcendence.

Staring intently at the lump of flesh on the ground, Theus tried to answer in his mind, "Are you the one speaking to me?"

"Yes." The voice replied quickly, revealing a hint of urgency. "So, is it true?"

Theus paused, weighing his words before speaking in his mind, "I don't know your specific situation, but these are judgments I made based on the knowledge I possess. I can only guarantee that I am not deceiving you."

The strange fish on the ground was silent for a long time. When it spoke again, Theus vaguely felt that its tone was trembling. "I see, so that's it... the truth is actually like this..."

What on earth was it talking about? Why did it sound so bitter and resentful?

Before Theus could figure out how to probe further, the strange fish's voice came again.

"I have a... request."

"I want to bring this knowledge back to my kin, so that my people... will no longer suffer from this curse... the torture of water pressure."

"But... as you can see, my time is running out."

"So... would you be willing to sign a... Symbiosis Ritual with me..."

The strange fish's voice on the ground began to stutter, its weakness and decay visible to the naked eye.

Theus frowned.

The monster's claim sounded far too much like a scam.

It was supposed to be a creature of the Deep Sea, yet it didn't know what had happened to itself.

It could communicate, yet it had only spoken to him just now.

And that so-called Symbiosis Ritual sounded more like some form of parasitism. It would gain vitality, but what would he lose?

Thinking about it carefully, the timing it chose was also highly suspicious. It didn't die sooner or later, but the moment it said a few words, it acted as if it were about to die. This was too much like a swindler's tactic—creating a sense of urgency so you wouldn't have time to think and would make an irrational decision.

So, the choice was clear.

"Very well, how do I perform this ritual?"

"Touch... me... and then..."

Theus reached out without hesitation.

Joking aside, even if it were a scam, this was genuine transcendental power. "Lord Theus" was merely a shell; he had already burned through several shells without even brushing against the edges of Transcendence. Even if it were a trap, Theus would jump in just to see.

Besides, no matter the contract, the worst-case scenario was simply dying on the spot and switching to a new shell. Theus could fully afford that consequence.

As for whether this contract might have deeper implications, preventing him from finding release even in death...

Theus chuckled inwardly. He truly didn't believe this contract had the power to drag his soul out from the Golden Throne.

Although he didn't know what the Golden Throne actually was, it was certainly an existence that transcended death; no matter how he looked at it, its status couldn't be low.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. He could accept whatever the contract entailed; at worst, a single thought would send his soul back to the Golden Throne.

However, he still instinctively moved his left hand to the belt of his coat, where a hidden pocket held his flintlock. He carefully pushed the hammer, ensuring he could fire with a mere twitch of his finger.

Unlike what he had imagined, the flesh of the strange fish didn't feel slimy or disgusting; it was cold and smooth, a very peculiar sensation.

The monster's voice echoed in his mind at the same time: "Thank you for your... trust. I will tell you about... what!? How is this possible!!!"

The monster's voice rose sharply, filled with shock.

Theus was startled. What had happened?

He only felt the cold, slick sensation on his hand turn scorching hot. At that moment, his senses and the monster's seemed to connect, and he could read the emotions directly from the monster's mind.

Theus's face turned pale rapidly, while in contrast, the wounds on the monster's body healed, and its dry, cracked skin began to glow with luster.

A wave of dizziness washed over him.

Ah, as expected, this ritual was draining his vitality to heal it. So, was he going to die?

Theus's hand under his clothes gripped the pistol. It was just a layer of fabric; if he pulled the trigger, the ball would pierce the monster's weak flesh. At this range, he couldn't possibly miss.

Should he fire?

Perhaps it was the effect of the ritual, but he could vaguely sense the monster's thoughts in his mind. From the emotions radiating from that rotting, swollen flesh, there didn't seem to be any malice.

Theus sighed inwardly, pressed the cocked hammer back down, and then pulled his hand away.

The flintlock fell back into his pocket.

Since he had placed his bet, he might as well see it through to the end.

At worst, he would die.

Theus watched the people rushing toward him, his vision beginning to blur.

In the moment before his consciousness faded, Theus tried hard to look at the monster on the ground. He was being killed by this creature, so he had to at least remember what it looked like.

The monster's condition had clearly improved significantly. Although it still looked pale and swollen, it had more spirit than before.

And on its ugly face was an expression of shock.

Shock? What on earth was it shocked about? It was the one who proposed the ritual; could something have gone wrong?

Perhaps it didn't want to kill him? Was it all just an accident?

Am I really that unlucky... Theus thought with a bitter smile.

His vision went completely black.