The Origins of Formless, an S-Class Alchemical Item (Part 2)

Li Ming had maintained a lighthearted, humorous tone throughout his account, but Su Bai had keenly noticed a few key details.

They had intercepted Thanatos for five hours. Old Gu had gone down first, and after eight or nine hours, Thanatos had escaped.

Could it be... that after Gu Jiuge lost the ability to fight, Li Ming waited in vain for reinforcements from headquarters, so he changed the "interception" mission into an "elimination" mission himself-and nearly succeeded?

The two third-tier Transcendents stationed at the Tomb Sweepers' headquarters had fallen to Thanatos one after another, yet Li Ming had forced Thanatos into a corner with only a fourth-tier bloodline. His true combat power... was genuinely terrifying.

It seemed Chu Ning had been right. The captain really was a freak.

Su Bai could not help feeling a surge of respect for Li Ming.

Li Ming took a sip of tea, frowned, and said thoughtfully:

"I don't remember the details of the fight very clearly. I only remember that my final strike chopped off half of Thanatos's head. I thought it was bound to die, so I instinctively let my guard down and forgot to finish it off. I didn't expect it to hop around on the ground a couple of times, then escape while clutching the half of its head it had left. My injuries were too severe, and I really didn't have the strength to chase it. I passed out not long afterward.

"Later, the people from our team arrived. Qingxue carried me on her back, Chu Ning carried Old Gu, and Lin Luo drove us to the hospital for surgery. Then people from headquarters came and retrieved half of Thanatos's head. They said they wanted to study it.

"Two months ago, after I woke up, I learned through internal channels that Thanatos's attack on the Tomb Sweepers' headquarters had actually been part of the Monster Association's plan. The reinforcements headquarters sent were held up by the Monster Association, which was why they couldn't get there in time. The Monster Association's reach runs deep. As your bloodline level rises, you'll gradually become more familiar with it, so I won't say any more.

"As for Thanatos's half a head, I heard the Tomb Sweepers' alchemy department made it into two S-class items. One was a crystal pot fashioned from half its skull, named Boundless. The other was a mask fashioned from half the skin of its face, named Formless.

"Thanatos's Oracle was Chaos, ranked twenty-first in the sequence. Chaos's only attribute is 'falseness,' so both of these S-class alchemical items possess the 'falseness' attribute.

"Since you know about alchemy, you should know that only alchemical items made from the bodily tissue of a transcendent creature with a top-thirty Divine Oracle Sequence and a third-tier bloodline can be regarded as S-class.

"Under those stringent conditions, S-class alchemical items are exceedingly rare anywhere in the world. Great Xia possesses only these two. Since I was the one who took that half a head, headquarters said that as long as I met the conditions for using these two S-class items, I would have first choice.

"Boundless's effect is that roughly once every sixteen hours, you can unleash a mental attack that ignores bloodline level and Divine Oracle Sequence. It throws the other person's mind into confusion, plunging them briefly into bewilderment and illusion. The side effect is that while the other person suffers the mental attack, you also have to suffer a mental attack of the same intensity. It's powerful equipment, all right, but it's easy to get yourself killed using it.

"Formless's effect is that once you put on the mask, you can change your appearance, voice, bearing, and even your bloodline level and Oracle at any time. Of course, the change isn't real; it's a 'false' change. Although the effect isn't as powerful as Chameleon, it lasts almost indefinitely. The side effect is that every time you change your image, your consciousness splits. If you use it frequently, you might create a state where multiple consciousnesses coexist, similar to schizophrenia.

"I wouldn't have set my sights on either of these items unless I had no other choice. The Hunter Guild's bounty recently thrust you into the teeth of the storm. Your photograph has already spread to Transcendent organizations all over the world. By now, I believe many people have already set out to hunt you down. For your safety, I've decided to use your S-class reward and my right of first choice to obtain the right to use Formless.

"That's why I asked you to sign this document. If you have any questions, you can ask them now."

Su Bai was deeply moved and could not speak for a long time.

These two S-class items could be said to have cost Gu Jiuge and Li Ming half their lives, which was why Li Ming had earned his hard-won right of first choice.

Su Bai's S-class rating, too, was the result of Li Ming personally calling headquarters and having them amend the document.

Now it seemed that from the first day Su Bai joined the Grave Keepers, Li Ming had been paving the way for him. That was why he had personally named Su Bai to take part in the Hunter Guild incident.

He had been paving a road-a road that would let Su Bai obtain the right to use Formless as a matter of course.

And the reason for all of this was Wrath.

Li Ming and Gu Jiuge knew they could conceal Su Bai's Oracle for a short time, but as his bloodline level rose and Wrath revived, his Oracle would inevitably be exposed one day.

That was why they were so anxious to obtain Formless. With this S-class alchemical item, even if Su Bai used Wrath, he could disguise it as another Oracle.

In other words, the real purpose of obtaining the Formless mask was not to change his appearance and evade assassins, but to change his Oracle and make everyone believe that his Oracle was Red Tassel.

It was an immense kindness, like parents casually handing their child the savings they had spent a lifetime struggling to earn and saying, "Take it and buy a car and a house, or you might not be able to find a wife."

Li Ming was not only the captain of the Grave Keepers' Suzhou team, but also the head of their family, a selfless giver who was like both an elder brother and a father.

He hoped his teammates, his children, would reach greater heights and travel farther.

So he would not allow these young children to fall along the way.

Perhaps only a leader like that was worthy of everyone's loyalty, the dawn on the eve of darkness.

Su Bai stood up, bowed deeply to Li Ming, and said sincerely for the first time, "Thank you."

Only at that moment did he truly become part of the Grave Keepers' team, becoming one of the "cold-blooded lunatics" people spoke of.

Li Ming, however, looked completely bewildered, quite unable to make sense of it.

He might never have imagined that an arrangement he had made on the spur of the moment would completely change a child's life.

"...Wait, Su Bai, you mean you can't go anywhere alone until you get Formless?"

"Right. Captain Li's exact words were that headquarters would need a few days to approve the paperwork, and I should pray for good luck in the meantime. I figured I'd feel safer staying close to my teammates. But Gu Jiuge is off on a mission somewhere, and I can't find him. Chu Ning is injured, and Qingxue is looking after her, so I couldn't very well bring danger to them. After thinking it over, you were the only one I could come to."

"So... you shipped yourself straight to Sanya like a parcel?"

"Strictly speaking, Sister Yan gave me a lift. She said she had documents to deliver to you and was coming to Sanya to find you. I saw there were several empty seats on the helicopter, so I hopped aboard."

"Gave you a lift? All right, you really are a parcel."

The coast of Sanya, a private villa.

Su Bai lay comfortably on his side on a cushioned lounge beneath a canopy, drinking coconut juice and admiring the distant coastline. He sighed:

"A few days ago, I was on leave, and Chu Ning pinned me to the ground and beat me up. I was black and blue every day. I never expected your vacation to be so pleasant. Look over at the beach: sunshine, seagulls, beauties, and more beauties. What a sight for sore eyes-what a sight! Sure enough, men understand men best. For your taste, I give you this."

Su Bai raised a thumb in appreciation.

Lin Luo smiled, took off his sunglasses, picked up the document on the table, and handed it to Su Bai. "Let's leave my taste aside for now. Let me explain. I've been in Sanya these past two days, but I'm not on vacation. I'm waiting to carry out a secret mission from Section Seven. The mission's difficulty is unknown, and it has a relatively high level of confidentiality within Section Seven, so I announced publicly that I was on vacation."

"A mission?"

Su Bai was completely confused as he examined the document in his hands.

"Yes, a mission." Lin Luo nodded slightly. "Otherwise, why did you think Sister Yan came to Sanya to find me at a time like this? She came to deliver the information to me personally. I've read it. It's a simple security job, only D-class. It's just that the mission target's identity is rather... how should I put it? Their identity is rather sensitive, I suppose, so the confidentiality level was raised."

Su Bai opened the document and quickly read through it.

Mission difficulty: D

Mission target: Carrot

Mission duration: Three days

Mission reward: 100,000

Mission description: Carrot is in trouble. Requesting backup.

Su Bai stared at it in utter bewilderment. "Holy crap, Defend the Carrot?"