The Exchange

"If your skull is damaged, you will die," Hope said.

He didn't know if the other person would die; this was just a test.

"You can't do that." Elizabeth didn't mention her own fate:

"In that case, your friend will die. You'll use her hair as a temporary vessel for her soul, but her soul won't completely leave the skull."

"Her hair can only prolong the existence of her soul."

That's right.

"Then," Hope said, "Since her soul will vanish anyway if I do nothing, why don't I do something?"

Elizabeth remained silent.

Hope raised the Skull No. 1 high, slowly backed away from the other party, and said:

"Nobody knows how many years this skull has been there. It may have been incredibly hard before, but now it's definitely no more solid than a salted biscuit. Believe me, if I threw it on the ground, it would shatter into many pieces."

"Now, go back into the skull and let Elizabeth's soul return to her body, or I will make you both die."

He took a breath:

"I don't really know much about these things. I don't know how much longer her soul can hold on, nor how much time you need to finish. So I'll only give you ten seconds to think it over. After ten seconds, I'll smash the skull. If you want to cast the spell, you can always try to see who's faster."

"Now. One!"

"You won't do that." Elizabeth watched Hope back away without making a move.

After a moment of silence, it shook its head and said:

Watching a friend be killed by someone else is a completely different thing from killing your own friend.

Hope retreated to another corner, counting down repeatedly. "Seven!"

There might be some truth to what it says.

Although Hope had made preparations, he himself was unsure whether he would have the courage to immediately smash the skull after counting.

But now, all he needs to do is make it look like he's going to do it, so the other person thinks he will...

In fact, all he needs to do is arouse the other party's suspicion.

Elizabeth sighed, "Perhaps we can reach an agreement on some other points."

"Six!"

"Listen," Elizabeth said.

"We don't need to be enemies. I know you care about your friends, but I can offer you some compensation."

"Four!"

"My magic is called 'Exchange'," it continued. "Everyone can exchange goods with others, but I can exchange for much more."

"Three!"

Hope began to tense up; he held the skull in one hand, but put the other behind his back.

It wasn't because he wanted to do anything; it was just that his hand was shaking.

He wouldn't let himself think about anything else, constantly repeating in his mind:

Count to one, then smash the skull.

Count to one, then smash the skull.

But...

But at the same time, another thought kept surfacing:

What if Professor Armitage arrives right after he smashes the skull?

There's absolutely no need for a lose-lose situation, no need to go to such extremes. We could simply stall for time and wait for possible rescue.

However, he couldn't be sure how long this simple soul container could sustain Elizabeth's soul.

Hope tried to appear as tough as possible, constantly reassuring herself that she was tough.

But the other party continued to explain its magic at a leisurely pace, which made Hope even more nervous.

"For example, right now, I'm exchanging souls with the original owner of this body," Elizabeth said.

"Of course, it's an equal exchange. My soul for her soul."

"Two!"

"But even in an equal exchange, because I am the one in control, I can use something I don't need to exchange for something decent."

Elizabeth remained calm. "I can give you something of low value, but very interesting, as compensation..."

"One."

Upon stating this number, Hope abandoned the idea of smashing the skull.

Compared to Robert, his enemy's mentality this time was far better than he had anticipated.

But just as he was about to hold the skull back in his arms, Elizabeth fell silent.

All sounds instantly receded from Hope's side, and silence enveloped him.

The light dimmed, and he kept his eyes open, but he couldn't see anything.

skull...

Hope thought in alarm.

He tried to retrieve the Skull No. 1, only to find that he had nothing in his hands...

No, to be more precise, he couldn't feel his hands at all.

He couldn't feel anything—his arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, or face.

Damn it...

"Don't panic," a voice suddenly said. "Please calm down, this won't hurt you."

The voice was unfamiliar, old and weak, reminding Hope Old Whateley lying in his hospital bed.

But Hope knew instantly that this was the same guy inside Elizabeth.

"This is my second spell," the voice said.

"It's called ' Communication,' which allows people to disregard distance and begin a short conversation. This Communication lasts about five minutes, while time outside is practically still."

Hope did not respond to it, waiting for it to explain why it had started this "Communication".

"Until the very last second, I believed you wouldn't smash your skull," the voice said.

"But you guessed right, a shattered skull would mean certain death, so I'm not willing to gamble at all. I've only just found a usable body."

It continued, "' Communication ' can only be used once a day on the same person, but it can ignore distance. As long as you've seen the other person, as long as they're alive, no matter where they are or what state they're in, you can call them out to Communication. How does that sound?"

Hope remained silent.

"I can trade it to you. Just one rank is required."

The aged voice said, "You can decide which attribute to lower yourself. Don't worry about lowering too much affecting your life; you can combine the four attributes to create a rank."

Rank... Attributes...

Hope silently repeated the two words.

The four attributes should refer to agility, physique, eyesight, and mana.

Yes, it refers to "physical constitution" as "Spirit Body".

The "rank" seems to be a number following the attribute, with one rank representing a value of "1.00".

"Which God do you worship?" the voice asked.

"You don't need to worry about your attributes being too low. After acquiring ' Communication,' with two spells, you will inevitably be nurtured by the Cult and given your first Ascension Ritual. Your God will compensate for your attributes."

The Cult... the God...

Does this mean everyone is a cult member...?

Ascension Ritual... another unfamiliar term, but it sounds like something that can boost attributes... However, "the God will make amends for you"... perhaps it's not that good...

"As long as you swear to hand over the skull after the ' Communication ' is over, the ' Communication ' is yours," the voice said.

"Accept it. I can't go back into the skull, and killing a friend with my own hands is too Affliction."

Hope tried to respond aloud, "Can you hear me?"

"Can."

It felt no different from my usual way of speaking.

"Judging from your voice, you're a man, right?"

"What does this have to do with our conversation?"

"You old scoundrel and pervert, you even target pretty young girls after changing bodies, you're a disgrace to the God behind you."