Su Ming's Unearned Misfortune

Su Ming considered it for a moment. The technical personnel familiar with the Dome Mountain coal mine were indispensable for implementing his plan. "Alright," he said.

I do need you.

"I am honored that you have taken a liking to me, sir!" Hansite said happily, bowing again.

"However, I still need to erase your memory." Su Ming raised a finger, gathering his magic power once more; he didn't want to leave any risk factors behind.

Hansite's face stiffened, then he made up his mind, "Then you can call me before you leave, and I will definitely agree to follow you."

Su Ming cast the spell again, and this time Hansite did not dodge. His eyes flickered, and then he looked at the two of them with a confused expression.

"Do you know where I can find good quality smokeless coal?" Su Ming asked him, "Better than here."

Hansite quickly lowered his head in thought; the two people in front of him were clearly not to be trifled with. "Sir," he said, "the Taisi Coal Mine in the Eastern Continent and the Black Shadow Coal Mine in the Western Continent both produce top-grade anthracite coal, slightly superior in quality to what we have here."

Su Ming nodded. "Thank you."

Qiluo Luo tossed down three gold coins, "Old man, this is a reward for you."

The old man bowed and expressed his gratitude, then the two turned and left.

"Miss Qiluo, why didn't your friendliness work on him?" Su Ming asked after walking a short distance.

The unicorn snorted, "Who knows what that old man went through when he was young? There are plenty of hidden talents and powerful figures in his life."

After a while, she asked again, "Are you really going to the Sacred Mountain?"

"We'll rescue some people and, while we're at it, scam the Plundering Clock. You wouldn't be thinking of betraying us, would you?"

"That depends on your sincerity," the unicorn said, putting his hands behind his back. "For example, give me some more dark, bitter candy as hush money."

"Dark, lumpy, bitter candy?" Su Ming quickly realized, "You went through my fridge!"

That chocolate bar was something he brought from Earth when he traveled through time, and he carefully hid it in a corner of the refrigerator to prevent it from melting.

I wasn't sure what species the Zijin was, so I didn't dare give it to her.

"The fragrance was so strong, it was what lured me in first!" Qiluo said matter-of-factly.

Su Ming clearly remembered that he wrapped it in three layers of plastic bags, and the packaging was still unopened. Are mythical beasts' noses that sensitive?!

However, as far as he knew, theobromine was toxic to many animals, most notably horses and dogs.

Su Ming wasn't sure if the unicorn was included. He asked anxiously, "When did you eat it? Do you feel unwell?"

"While I'm waiting for the maltose to ferment," Qiluo replied, spreading her arms and spinning around. "What's wrong? I'm fine, I don't feel unwell."

Su Ming looked her over carefully and confirmed that she was normal.

"Alright, this is called chocolate," Su Ming said to Qiluo. "But I'll have to wait until we meet next time to make it for you. Chocolate processing is complicated, and we don't have the raw materials right now."

Cocoa fruits also exist in this other world, but the people here use them to eat the pulp; the fruit's uses are yet to be explored. If fate allows, Su Ming wouldn't mind satisfying the unicorn's cravings.

****

The next day, Su Ming woke up rather late. His mental state had improved, and he had recovered a lot of his Magic Power.

In the workspace, Su Ming noticed that the maltose on the table had been eaten. There was a beef patty and soy milk there, apparently reserved for him.

After Su Ming finished breakfast, the girls were still nowhere to be seen. It had been two or three days; they were clearly busy with something important. He activated the White Bone Mark, causing Stars nodes to appear around him, and examined the state of the White Bone Fortress. The runes were normal, but a lot of energy was being drawn to the second-floor tail compartment. It seemed the two girls were causing trouble there.

Su Ming was about to put away the mark when he noticed something faintly flowing behind the Stars nodes of the White Bone Mark.

He thought for a moment, then re-engaged his senses. Something seemed to be blocking his entry, but this resistance was far greater than the obstruction he had encountered at the bottom of the coal mine. He calmed his mind, focused his gaze, and his mental domain rapidly collapsed into the depths.

The surrounding real-world scene is shown as the fragmented light moves away until it disappears.

In the pitch black, Su Ming opened his eyes in the spiritual world. The original darkness seemed to be sliced open by countless sharp blades, crumbling inch by inch in all directions. He found himself in a blue ocean, where large numbers of runes moved like swimming fish, regularly changing their formations.

Looking outwards, the fish are clearly divided into multiple layers, with a specific rhythm, extending into deeper layers, drawing and mobilizing energy from the endless void.

This is the true form of the White Bone Mark; the seemingly empty starry sky when unfolded is actually the origin of its vast sea of runes. Its complexity and magnificence are worthy of being a forbidden-level creation.

Su Ming folded the mark and took a moment to come to his senses. While pondering how to analyze this complex system, he went down to the second-floor cabin.

Pushing open the door, the stern was brightly lit, the floor was covered with crisscrossing magic circles, and the air was filled with the smell of alchemical materials. Sure enough, the two girls were inside.

In the very center of the arena lay a body draped in a white cloth—it was Yexiya, the Saint Rank expert they had killed on Water Chestnut Island. Mist swirled around her, clearly indicating that a cooling spell was in effect.

"What are you doing?" Su Ming asked.

The scholar sat at a table, flipping through a large book with the title "Stars Calendar 230-" on the cover.

"A Collection of 250 Years of Journal Articles (Undead Volume)," published by the Supreme Knowledge Association.

"Transform Yexiya into Dread Skeleton," she replied. "Preparations are almost complete. After using her as material to unleash the Comprehend Languages, we can make the final preparations."

"Comprehend Languages won't work, will it?" Su Ming said. "It's been too short since we last received the spell."

Their language skills, which had been severely depleted, hadn't recovered. Now, whether through magic or normal means, they made absolutely no progress in learning other languages.

"Of course not me, let Beianqi do it," Zijin said. "There's no other way; the longer the corpse sits, the worse the effect. It's better than nothing, though."

It's better than nothing because Comprehend Languages magic erases all information containing emotions and memories of events, thus protecting the recipient's self-awareness and spiritual purity.

This results in very little linguistic knowledge being gained from a single corpse, rendering it largely ineffective.

****

Su Ming approached the table, and sure enough, there was more research material related to undead creatures on it; no wonder he hadn't found these books in the library.

In Zijin's hands, there was also a Dread Skeleton technology manual that had been seized from the Plundering Clock.

"We've been working for three days. The technology of the Plundering Clock really does preserve a considerable amount of the combat power of those who were alive before death." Zijin put down her book and stretched. "Beianqi and I have completed most of the work. We can start the conversion once we leave here."

Converting undead creatures also generates magical fluctuations, especially the more powerful ones, so it's necessary to leave Brown Gold Island first.

"The corpse of Saint Rank expert, plus so many materials," Su Ming surveyed the scene. "The price was quite high."

"Yes, hopefully it'll be worth the price."

Beianqi walked over, put down the magic array materials she was holding, and gulped down more than half a glass of water. "Su Ming, the rice-scented candy you made was really delicious, thanks!"

"Are you able to work now?" Su Ming asked her.

"Daily life is fine now," Beianqi explained. "Yexiya's mental attack has a sealing effect; I need the dwarf saintly shepherd Hughes the Wanshi to help me break it."

Su Ming looked at Yexiya's corpse with some emotion, "He really was a Saint Rank expert."

If it weren't for the sudden encounter at Clear Spring Reef that severely injured her, and the serendipitous timing of her meeting with another half-orc Saint Rank, this powerful warrior might not have been killed by them.

Especially in a perfectly normal clash of cold weapons, suddenly encountering the super-hard blades of industrial civilization, her death can be considered unjust.

Su Ming stepped forward, considering whether he should offer incense or something.

Even after someone dies, debts remain, and their body is still used. It's still acceptable to wish her a peaceful journey.

"Don't get too close, Yexiya isn't wearing any clothes," Zijin said. "Even though she's dead, let's show some respect for women."

Su Ming nodded and stopped. Just as he was about to turn around, his right wrist suddenly lit up. He was uncontrollably pulled next to Yexiya's body, and his right hand was even placed directly on her chest.

Inside the cabin, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Su Ming swallowed hard. The white cloth covering Yexiya's body had only been draped over her, and it had slipped off in an instant. Thanks to the preservation of magic, the Saint Rank magic swordsman's body didn't look creepy at all. Apart from being bloodless, her well-proportioned body and exquisite muscle lines even presented an unusual beauty under the light.

Especially the furry wolf ears and tail, which are considered taboo by non-humans.

"This hand moved by itself, do you believe that?" Su Ming was so embarrassed he felt like he could dig a new cabin out of the floor, but he still couldn't pull his right hand back.

The next moment, the light on his wrist intensified, and the illusory image of a bracelet appeared. Su Ming immediately recognized it as the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet!

Zijin noticed it too, "Is this the bracelet you got in the mine?"

"Yes, but actually something's not quite right." Su Ming began trying to control his right hand; he had already realized what was going on. "I didn't actually obtain the bracelet itself; I only got its concept."

Each time Su Ming summons something from Earth, he only transmits the concept of the object's order, which is then reassembled in another world using materials. This teleportation across space three days ago was merely the first step.

In other words, this is the next step: gathering materials and combining them!

Yexiya's body was covered in light, and then began to decompose, turning into specks of light that attached to the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet.

"How could the material be a corpse?" Zijin asked, puzzled.

Su Ming's condition had not fully recovered, but the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet clearly had its own ideas and did not allow him to refuse. As Magic Power was continuously drained, Yexiya's body was quickly decomposed into more than half, and a part of the bracelet gradually solidified.

Fortunately, the Magic Power consumed by the reconstruction was not too great, and he could barely bear it.

****

Suddenly sensing something, Zijin looked up with a surprised expression. Above the cabin, the Divine Favor Scepter materialized in the air.

"Ailisha, what are you doing?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"I didn't summon it!" The former saintess was equally bewildered.

The Divine Favor Scepter unfolded, golden lines outlining the shape of angel wings. Then, a soul was released—the soul of Yexiya, who had been devoured earlier!

The soul returned to Yexiya's broken body and joined the sequence devoured by the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet. Everyone could hear the mournful cry of Saint Rank expert's soul being torn apart.

Beianqi took a step back, her worldview almost shattered. This was the most vicious soul-binding alchemy, and the one involved in all of this was none other than a true chosen one of the gods!

Sensing the powerful fluctuations, the unicorn galloped into the cabin, only to be met with this horrifying scene.

The soul-devouring Divine Favor, Su Ming who lewdly cuddles a female corpse, the troublesome Belladonna scholar, and the sister who wants to kill her— Qiluo's feelings are truly indescribable.

The light gradually faded, and everything calmed down. Yexiya's body and soul had completely disappeared, leaving the white cloth empty.

The bracelet on Su Ming's wrist dimmed again, and he fainted. He could have handled it if it were just Yexiya's physical body, but with the addition of a soul, he didn't even have the energy to curse.

The bracelet, without any regard for right or wrong, absorbed the large pile of alchemical materials on the ground.

Zijin reacted quickly, immediately embracing Su Ming and sitting down on the ground. The angel wings on the Divine Favor Scepter disappeared, flying back to her side, and the cabin became quiet.

A series of colorless ripples quietly spread from the scholar's body, then quickly receded.

The unicorn trotted to the center of the arena. Her expression was solemn, and her divine aura continued to rise.

Beianqi stood beside her, facing the titled scholar.

"I'm at my peak condition, and I don't want to kill you," Zijin sighed softly. "Stop going through the formalities, just leave."

"You can explain, we're willing to listen," Qiluo said, flicking her mane.

I am speechless and unable to defend myself.

The two people and the beast looked at each other.

"Alright, it truly is inexplicable." Zijin said seriously, "The matter of Yexiya's soul was handled by the Divine Favor Scepter itself. As for this bracelet, Su Ming said it was given to him by a Archlich."

There's no such thing as Archlich in this world; this topic is impossible to discuss. Beianqi almost choked on her saliva.

"There's one more thing. I just tried it, and the Natural Rhythm can't analyze this bracelet at all," Zijin continued, "So I don't know what it is."

"This is impossible!" Qiluo exclaimed.

Although Zijin has not officially entered the Saint Rank, her research in the Natural Rhythm Domain gives her a significant advantage in analysis. With her profound understanding as the only Titled Scholar in the world, she has already reached the pinnacle in this area.

This means that the power level of this mysterious bracelet can only be above the Saint Rank!

"I just went out on a business trip, is it really that big of a deal?" Beianqi sighed. She had originally thought she would encounter the Saint Rank expert Yexiya at sea.

She had already used up all the bad luck in her life. But little did she know that was just the beginning, and now it was directly beyond the boundaries of human cognition.

The unicorn's long horn lit up, and a transparent yet tangible power unfolded, radiating light upon everyone. However, this time, the light emanating from Qiluo was a sacred, pure white, representing lawful goodness.

She wasn't the only one who changed. The white light emanating from Su Ming was purer than it had been a few days ago, and the scholar even revealed a hint of golden light.

Zijin had concealed this before, but after Qiluo released her true power, it became impossible for her to hide it.