"Heh heh, there are stronger sides of me that you haven't seen yet, Doctor."
Ling Xi merely gave a mysterious smile. After all... his reward had arrived: Infinite, Snake Seal!
Once he gathered all three cores, he could add some duration, extend the time, reduce the cooldown, then add damage. Stack it for ten years until Finality, and then...
Ten years was roughly three hundred million seconds, and every second increased total damage by 35%. Three hundred million seconds would be...
About a hundred million times the damage. Herrscher, huh? Finality, huh? I only want to beat everyone here to death—or be beaten to death by all of you!
Of course, that was just wishful thinking. Infinite stacking required support characters and ELF units, and he still did not know how snakes worked in the real world. Besides...
He had only obtained a single Infinite Imprint so far. To truly play with snakes infinitely, he needed at least three basic Imprints, one core Imprint, and... three enhanced Imprints. The core was unlocked by collecting the three basics, so...
Aside from the one he already had, he needed at least five more Infinite Imprints!
Unfortunately, he still did not know the exact method for obtaining Imprints. He would have to ask Sirin later!
Mobius: "..."
Naturally, Mobius had no idea what Ling Xi was thinking. As for his claim that he had stronger qualities...
Mobius could only respond with a silent sneer...
"Ling Xi, let's head back."
Having spoken her heart to Ling Xi and confirmed their new relationship, Mobius was in an excellent mood. At the same time... she was a little hungry!
"Huh? We're going back already?"
Hearing that Mobius was leaving so soon, Ling Xi felt a little regretful. Tonight... what a perfect opportunity. Though he could not completely win the Doctor over, getting closer to her would still have been nice.
Too bad they had been interrupted. What was that organization the Doctor had mentioned? Poisoned Pupae, right? Sooner or later, he would scatter even their ashes to the wind!
"Beep..."
At that moment, a horn sounded. Sitting in the driver's seat, Mobius called out, "If you don't get in now, I'll make you walk home!"
"Coming, Doctor!"
Ling Xi stopped overthinking and hurried into the car. If he walked home from here, dawn would probably arrive first.
This Wife of Mine Didn't Seem Very Bright...
Side quest completed: Received reward, Infinite Imprint draw attempts ×1!
After getting into the car, the familiar notification immediately sounded in Ling Xi's mind.
To Ling Xi, Imprints counted as an entirely new system. Over the past two months, Sirin had only given him Supply Card missions, and his power system had consisted solely of Stigmata. But now...
Infinite Imprint!
Honestly, aside from Infinite, the effects of most other Imprints could rival a five-star Stigmata. Some even vastly surpassed five-star Stigmata!
As for Infinite, at least in the Elysian Realm, it was basically useless before it took shape...
Though he still did not know how Imprints functioned in the real world, it was an entirely new power system. It should bring him some improvement, right? Besides, even if it really turned out useless, having it was better than not having it. And...
This was his Doctor's signature Imprint. As long as he stayed by the Doctor's side, would he need to worry about being unable to trigger missions to obtain Infinite Imprints?
Ling Xi glanced at the system inventory. There was an Imprint card inside, and only after using it would he know what Imprint it contained. Still... according to the Elysian Realm's rules, the first three draws should all be basic Imprints. Only after collecting three Imprints of the same type could he unlock a core Imprint!
After taking a look, Ling Xi returned his attention to reality. After all, the Doctor was right beside him, and he should not tell her about his cheat system. At least... not yet!
The two drove back into the city together, found a random restaurant for dinner, and then Mobius drove Ling Xi to the entrance of his apartment building...
"Ling Xi!"
After parking the car, Mobius smiled at Ling Xi. "I'll drop you off here."
"Doctor, it's already so late. Why don't you rest at my place tonight?"
Ling Xi checked the time. It was already eleven at night, and Mobius had driven for another hour earlier. She was probably exhausted by now.
"Oh..."
The corners of Mobius's lips curled into a mischievous smile as she deliberately asked, "What's this? Can't wait any longer?"
"Pfft..."
Ling Xi nearly spat out blood. He said irritably, "Of course not. I'm worried that you're too tired, Doctor. Besides, it's not like you've never stayed at my place before."
"Just kidding. Although I have stayed here before, still..."
Mobius could not help laughing. "I don't seem to remember that time very clearly. But thinking about it now, I still want to thank you. You saved me again tonight."
"Protecting the Doctor is my responsibility."
Ling Xi smiled as well. When he saved Mobius before, it had purely been because of a mission and because he could not stand by and watch injustice. But saving Mobius now was his responsibility—and even more so, his duty.
"Responsibility..."
Mobius smiled faintly. "In the future, you might have even more responsibilities. Are you prepared?"
"Uh... honestly, no."
Ling Xi scratched his head, but he still answered truthfully. Prepared? Prepared for what? Two hours ago, he had never even imagined that something could happen between him and Mobius. Yet...
He had only gone out to keep the Doctor company and help her clear her mind, but somehow, he suddenly gained a wife.
"Hehe, that won't do. You need to be prepared, because..."
Mobius leaned closer and lay directly against Ling Xi's chest. Looking down at him from above, she bared a grin. "I came with the determination to win, you know. And I really like you too, little one, so... you understand what I mean, right, Ling... Xi?"
"Uh..."
Facing such an assertive Mobius, Ling Xi had considered resisting, but...
Sorry, she was just too big!
The surface area of a planet crashing into him—this feeling...
"Mmph..."
Then Mobius took the initiative again, pressing her lips to his. Her mood tonight... was truly wonderful, and she was incredibly happy, because...
She had gained so much.
Her only confidant, an absolute source of support, and... the Doctor's personal bodyguard?
As well as the other half she had been missing!
In short, Mobius felt that she had never been in such a good mood before. In the past, she would not say that she had looked down on human love, but she had only considered it an instinct of genes. Now, though... well, it really was wonderful!
It seemed that before liking someone and after liking someone, a person's thoughts could change dramatically.
Besides, she was human too, so... ahem, there was nothing shameful about following her instincts. Yes, absolutely!
A moment later, the two finally ended their exchange of mucosal cells. Mobius smiled faintly at Ling Xi. "All right, I should go back now. You should get some rest too!"
"Doctor, how about... going back tomorrow instead?"
Seeing Mobius like this, Ling Xi was tempted, but he was even more worried. The Doctor had drunk a cup of alcohol earlier.
Though it was only beer, his Doctor's alcohol tolerance was terrible, so Ling Xi was a little concerned. After all, she still had to drive home.
"I'd better not."
Mobius shook her head and smiled. "I still have several experiments unfinished, so I need to go back and wrap them up tonight. But you don't need to worry. I'll be free in a few days, and then I can come over to your place."
"No... Doctor, that's not what I meant..."
Ling Xi hurriedly tried to explain. He really was not trying to become Xu Xian tonight!
"Mm-hmm, I believe you..."
Mobius simply looked at Ling Xi with a smile. Then, bracing one hand against his chest, she got off him, fastened her seat belt again, and said with a smile, "All right, you should go home now. Remember to come to the lab earlier tomorrow."
"Doctor, are you... really all right? Do you want me to drive you?"
Seeing that Mobius seemed completely unwilling to believe him, Ling Xi could not be bothered explaining anymore. Let the misunderstanding stand. Sooner or later, she would become his real wife anyway, and then he could get his revenge. But right now, Ling Xi truly could not stop worrying about Mobius. She had been drinking, even if it was only beer!
"No need. You think one can of beer can get me drunk?"
Mobius pouted and looked at Ling Xi with displeasure. "Anyway, hurry up and go home. It's not like I can't find my way back!"
"Sigh... all right. Then drive carefully, Doctor."
Seeing that Mobius seemed a little angry, Ling Xi did not dare persuade her further. Besides, Mobius was right. Even someone with terrible alcohol tolerance could not possibly get drunk from one cup of beer, so...
There should be no problem with letting Mobius drive herself home.
"Mm, bye-bye..."
Mobius smiled and waved, then slammed her foot down on the accelerator and shot off...
Crash—whoosh...
The roadside trash can flew into the air...
Ling Xi: "..."
He suddenly felt like his wife did not seem very bright...
Forget it, forget it. No matter what, she was still a Doctor. Though she got a little weird when drunk, there probably would not be any problem... right?
"Let's go back and see what Infinite does..."
After Mobius left, Ling Xi turned around and prepared to go home. He was already... dying to see the effects of the Infinite Imprint.
Infinite, the Imprint of Contract!
Infinite Imprint: Upon use, randomly obtain one Infinite Imprint. The first three uses are guaranteed to yield basic Imprints!
After returning home, Ling Xi looked at the card in his hand and decisively chose to use it.
Obtained Imprint: Fangs V Fangs V: Infinite basic Imprint. You may choose one target to form a contract with. Upon successful contract formation, your total damage permanently increases by 10%. When the target dies, the corresponding contracted bonus ability will also disappear. Current maximum number of contracts: (1/1) A contract may only be formed when the target's favorability toward the holder exceeds 90. Both parties must agree to the contract. Once the contract is successfully formed, it cannot be canceled! (Activate more Imprints to unlock more subsequent abilities.)
Ling Xi: "..." Favorability? Contract?
Are you sure this was an Imprint system and not a summoned beast system?
Still, it seemed like it was not very useful. Contracting one person only increased damage by 10%, while the mainstream 5.0-version Stigmata sets from when he transmigrated could generally provide at least 200% combined bonus damage. So this 10% really was not much to look at.
But that seemed to fit Infinite's setting in the Elysian Realm as well. Weak in the early stages, invincible once complete. Though he did not know whether it would truly become invincible after taking shape, the part about being weak early on seemed to be true...
He guessed that he would be able to contract more targets later, and the abilities unlocked through contracts would also increase. After all, Infinite's playstyle involved support Valkyries and ELF units. Since the real world did not have such settings, then...
It had become a contract mechanic instead.
Mm, that was all right, he supposed. Though 10% damage was not much, for his current self, it was basically equivalent to 10% final damage. After all, Aslaug increased fire damage, while Tesla increased lightning damage, so...
The 10% total damage from Fangs V would multiply with them, meaning there would be no dilution at all!
However, there was another problem: who should he contract with?
First, they needed to agree willingly. Second, they needed over 90 favorability. The first requirement was not too difficult, but 90 favorability... only the people closest to him could probably reach that. This seemed a little troublesome...
And damn it, there was not even a progress bar. How was he supposed to know what anyone's favorability was?
Forget it. He would try asking the Doctor tomorrow. Maybe it would work.
Of course, it might not work either. After all, he and Mobius had only known each other for around ten days. Even though their relationship had changed beyond recognition, he really was not confident that her favorability had reached 90.
He would see tomorrow. If the contract succeeded, it would mean Mobius had not lied to him today—she genuinely wanted to be with him. If it failed... it would not prove that Mobius was lying, but he could still hold some things back from her, because...
If he wanted to survive in the Pre-Collapse Civilization, he really needed to be cautious.
"Next, let's try the Supply Cards."
After drawing the Imprint, Ling Xi planned to draw from the Supply Cards. His last draw had been two months ago. He wondered whether he could get anything good today.
He happened to have ten cards now, so... time for a ten-pull!
"My turn, draw!"
Ling Xi directly took out ten Supply Cards, and then...
The familiar nine blues and one purple...
Before you continue