Shen Ye crossed the dance floor, passed the dining area, and went all the way to the other side of the hall, where he jumped onto a table.
This put him much farther from the three "accomplices" watching him.
"Friends!"
He spread his arms and called out:
"Watch closely! I may be an elf, but I can turn into a human!"
At that moment, not only Lanny and the surrounding elves, but even the three accomplices were staring at him.
They listened intently to Shen Ye, then suddenly relaxed.
"Turning into a human—do either of you know Spellcraft like that?" one "accomplice" asked.
The other two "accomplices" shook their heads.
"Feren loves showing off. Leave him alone. Let him have his fun."
"Yes. The more he fits in with the elves, the easier it'll be to act tonight."
Their conversation over, the three fell silent again.
Shen Ye stood on the table with his back to the wall and said with a smile:
"I just counted. There are only twenty-nine people here, but this magic trick of mine requires thirty-three people present to work."
Everyone jeered, disbelieved him, laughed, applauded, and whistled.
The atmosphere grew lively.
Lanny called over a few little girls and hurried out of the room, dragging in several patrolling elves from outside.
The patrolling elves had no choice but to look toward Shen Ye.
"We have enough people!" Lanny shouted.
"Here goes-watch closely, everyone!" Shen Ye said.
He took off the Crown of Pale Shadows.
In an instant, he changed from an elf into a human boy.
The room fell silent, then erupted in deafening cheers.
What a spectacular trick.
Before everyone's eyes, this brave soldier from the front lines had actually turned into a human!
"This one's for you, Lanny!"
Shen Ye waved to the elf girl.
Lanny flushed bright red and clapped happily.
"Wait," Shen Ye called out. "It's not over yet. I'm going to change back!"
"Of course!" Lanny shouted encouragingly.
Shen Ye pressed his hand against the wall behind him.
An elven wooden door appeared.
"Here's how it works," he said with a smile, meeting everyone's gazes. "I can turn into a human because I'm wearing this thing-"
He tossed the Crown of Pale Shadows to a patrolling elf who looked quite powerful.
"And my three brothers are wearing these too. Once they take them off, they'll turn into undead!"
The word "undead" dampened the mood in the room considerably.
The patrolling elf caught the Crown of Pale Shadows, his amused expression gradually turning grave.
The other patrolling elves gathered around to examine the Crown of Pale Shadows together.
"Once my three brothers have all transformed, I'll be right back, and I'll turn into an elf again!"
As soon as Shen Ye finished speaking, everyone looked toward the three "accomplices" on the other side of the room.
Seizing that moment,
Shen Ye fell backward into the door in the wall.
The door closed.
The door vanished.
At the same time, the patrolling elf abruptly blew a shrill bamboo whistle.
"Everyone, on guard!"
The other patrolling elves drew their scimitars, charged forward, and surrounded the three "accomplices."
"Is there some mistake? We're soldiers resting after coming back from the front."
One "accomplice" pointed to the badge on his chest and spoke calmly.
A voice suddenly rang out from thin air:
"I meant to play along with you a little longer, but unfortunately-"
The elf leader appeared out of nowhere, a hint of regret on his face.
"You undead wanted to infiltrate my village, yet you never imagined the Human Race had already infiltrated your ranks and even taken charge of your mission."
"How ironic."
Thick vines shot up from the ground and bound the three tightly.
"My lord."
The patrolling elf presented the Crown of Pale Shadows.
"A high-level shadow Spellcraft from the Dark Abyss, and a permanent one at that. This truly exceeded my expectations."
The elf leader glanced at it and murmured to himself.
"Undead Race killers have infiltrated every village... With this physical specimen, we can identify its weaknesses and counter it."
"We owe someone a favor this time."
A vine removed all three killers' Crowns of Pale Shadows.
In an instant,
they all turned into undead!
Lanny bit her lip, then suddenly turned to look toward the other side of the room.
Seeing this, the elves seemed to remember something, and all looked toward that wall.
"Once my three brothers have all transformed, I'll be right back, and I'll turn into an elf again!"
That was what the human boy had said.
But the wall was blank and white.
He was not coming back.
A door silently appeared on the white wall.
The door opened.
Shen Ye landed in the empty classroom.
He took out his phone and checked it.
It was only a little past ten. Still early.
But Chen Haoyu had sent a message:
"Why aren't you here yet? Did you fall into the toilet?"
Looking at the message, Shen Ye let out a long breath.
I made it back alive!
That situation had been far too risky.
He had to remember this lesson and never be so reckless again.
Never!
Speaking of which-
He turned back to the wall, pressed his hand against it, and silently said, Gate.
The door appeared again.
Through its glass window, he could still see that eerie corridor.
In other words, although he had visited the Elf Territory, the point in space connected to his Gate ability was still where Big Skeleton was.
Big Skeleton had already returned.
He crouched in the corridor, holding a grotesquely shaped corpse and gnawing at it, bite by bite.
Anger welled up in Shen Ye. He could not help slamming his hand against the door and shouting:
"I was fighting for my life in the Elf Territory, while you're enjoying a feast here?"
Big Skeleton whipped his head around.
Through the glass, he saw Shen Ye.
He dropped the corpse and rushed over, clinging to the door as he looked Shen Ye up and down.
"You're still alive?"
Big Skeleton asked in a dry, hoarse voice.
-This was the first time he had spoken to Shen Ye.
"You damned thing. You deliberately gave me that Crown of Pale Shadows to send me to my death, didn't you?"
Shen Ye raised his middle finger through the glass.
"How did you survive? Tell me exactly what happened," Big Skeleton said.
"You think I'd tell you that?" Shen Ye sneered.
"Tell me. I'll pay you equivalent compensation," Big Skeleton said.
"This isn't about compensation anymore. You nearly got me killed, and I hold grudges," Shen Ye said.
"Tell me," Big Skeleton said.
Shen Ye raised his hand to take down the exercise book nailed to the door.
-This was the contract between them. Once destroyed, it would become invalid.
Big Skeleton suddenly shouted, "Wait!"
The next instant,
the exercise book nailed to the door opened, and small, glowing words sprang onto the page:
"The other party has shown considerable sincerity and, in accordance with the principle of 'equivalent exchange,' has prepared a powerful undead Spellcraft for you. The value of this Spellcraft-"
"You think you can buy me off with a little something?"
Shen Ye clenched his fists and roared:
"You're insulting my integrity!!!"
Big Skeleton stiffened.
Shen Ye reached out to tear up the contract.
"Wait!" Big Skeleton suddenly said. "I gave you the Crown of Pale Shadows because you still had a chance of surviving. If I'd gone instead, my only possible outcome would have been death."
He pressed both bony claws against the door.
All the small words in the exercise book vanished, replaced by several new lines:
"As an apology, the other party has gone beyond the principle of 'equivalent exchange' and decided to give you an Inheritance Nightmare Crystal." "Inheritance Nightmare Crystal: contains three top-tier evolutionary undead talents. You may choose one and merge it into your soul, thereby gaining its ability." "Special note: this Inheritance Nightmare Crystal is a foundation of the Undead Race's existence and is incomparably precious. Even across the entire Nightmare World, few such treasures can be found."
Immediately afterward, a line of small, glowing words silently appeared before Shen Ye:
"A 'talent' is a personal trait ability that can be successfully used without expending any power."
Dead silence.
The dead silence lasted quite a while.
"I'm a man of firm principles."
Shen Ye cleared his throat softly and said solemnly, "I only deal with sincere business partners."
"I've shown all the sincerity I have," Big Skeleton said.
"...Very well. I'll forgive you this once. But remember, there won't be a next time," Shen Ye said.
"There won't be a next time," Big Skeleton promised.
Shen Ye pressed his hand against the exercise book.
The contract was sealed at once!
A crystal orb radiating endless multicolored light fell into his hand.
Crack.
Shen Ye crushed the crystal orb outright.
Golden mist billowed out, swirled around him, then swiftly sank into his body.
Shen Ye fell into a daze.
Everything around him seemed to dissolve into nothingness.
In his haze, he seemed to arrive inside a vast palace built entirely of white bones.
High upon a throne of bones sat a giant crowned skeleton, at ease, holding a sword that he pointed toward Shen Ye from afar.
Three constantly spinning masses of light immediately appeared above Shen Ye's head.
Within the first, green mass of light appeared a clear, translucent Frost Crystal.
The second mass of light was grayish-white, with a bone inside.
The third mass of light shimmered gold, yet held a metal scepter.
"Choose. You may select one of these most ancient inheritances. Press it to your head, and you will gain the Inheritance Talent within!"
The thunderous voice rang in Shen Ye's ears.
He looked up at the three inheritance items, and countless pieces of information immediately flowed through the air into his mind.
The Frost Crystal hidden within the green glow contained an undead talent:
"Dark Whisper."
"Basic (evolvable)."
"With corpses as the medium, the dead must answer your call, climb out of Hell, and truthfully tell you what they know. Only then will their souls find rest."
"-Death is the most profound education."
The bones wreathed in grayish-white light also contained an Undead talent:
"Sacred Bone Body."
"Basic (evolvable)."
"Any power capable of killing you will forcibly transform your body into the Sacred Bone Body, temporarily freeing you from the sway of all fates of death for 5 seconds. It can take effect again after one day."
"-Those who seek to dictate whether you live or die never come to a good end."
As for the last scepter, shrouded in golden light, it contained the third Undead talent:
"Undead Resurrection."
"Basic (evolvable)"
"Create a ball of soulfire and place it on an Undead who has fallen in battle. The soulfire will merge with the corpse, bringing them back to life."
"There are many kinds of resurrection Spellcraft, but this is an exceptionally sophisticated art of primordial mysteries that can bring the Undead back to life."
"-The fundamental power of the Undead Race."
After reading everything carefully, Shen Ye could not help sinking into thought.
Which one should I choose?