The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?!-Chapter 1324 - 810: Asura, Let Me Witness Your True Strength! (Part 2)
The old butler raised his hand and said.
"Alright."
Liu Zheng walked through the door with composure.
The room was empty, with only a large table and a fireplace behind it, aside from bookshelves lining the walls.
The owner of this study and indeed the entire mansion sat cross-legged on a high-backed chair behind the table, quietly watching him.
"Hello, Mr. Alekseyevich."
Liu Zheng approached him and gave a slight nod in greeting.
"Hello, delivery man."
Alekseyevich responded blandly.
Contrary to what he imagined, the master that the old butler spoke of turned out to be a frail, beautiful youth.
He had long, curly, brown-black hair that wrapped around him like a cloak, so much so that he was sitting on his own hair.
Inside the study, it was even colder than at the entrance, forcing Liu Zheng to maintain his four-armed Asura mode to prevent himself from freezing, but Alekseyevich wore only a linen shirt and thin wool shorts, not even wearing socks.
"Your fire is quite nice,"
he remarked, looking at the flames on Liu Zheng’s body.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Liu Zheng replied.
"Help me add some firewood, please."
Alekseyevich indicated the fireplace behind him.
There was no pile of firewood inside, only a small silver-white flame struggling to burn.
"Sure, where is the firewood?"
Liu Zheng asked.
As soon as he asked, he was already prepared. If Alekseyevich dared to suggest using himself as firewood, he would go all out.
As long as they couldn’t stop him from settling the instance, they were rubbish. If something goes wrong, just fight. If he couldn’t kill them, he would wait to be killed instead.
"Those books are the firewood."
Alekseyevich pointed to the bookshelves.
"Oh my, book burning? You and Emperor Qin Shihuang must have a lot in common."
Liu Zheng muttered under his breath.
"Can I just grab any book?"
he asked.
"If you can pull it out."
Alekseyevich replied.
"Alright."
He walked over to the bookshelf on the right and glanced at the neatly arranged books.
None of the books had titles on the covers, nor any illustrations to help identify the content.
So he didn’t hesitate, randomly picking a thick book with a red cover, and tried to pull it out with force.
Predictably and unexpectedly, the book didn’t move an inch.
Liu Zheng didn’t waste time; finding he couldn’t pull this one out, he immediately moved on to the next.
After five attempts, he finally succeeded in pulling out the seventh book.
It was a book with a purple cover, about the size and thickness of a tissue box.
Curious, Liu Zheng flipped open the pages, only to find them all blank.
"Only members of the Romanov family can see the contents inside. But there’s actually nothing special to see, the content is just like an ordinary book, merely a trick of mystique. The important thing is the book itself."
Alekseyevich explained.
"Alright, excuse my rudeness."
He shrugged, walked over to the fireplace, and tossed the book into the silver-white flame.
The fairly thick book melted away like butter with a sizzle, and the small flame instantly swelled to the size of a fist, its color tinged with a layer of purple hue.
"So warm."
Alekseyevich stretched lazily, his back to the fire.
"As long as you feel comfortable. Shall I fetch another?"
Liu Zheng asked.
"You can, if you still have the strength."
Alekseyevich replied with an enigmatic tone.
Not thinking much of it, he returned to the bookshelf and began to try again.
On the fourth try, the book finally loosened again.
Just as Liu Zheng was about to exert force to pull it out, a suffocating sense of powerlessness surged from the depths of his soul.
"Indeed, there’s no such thing as a free lunch."
He pouted, but inside, his competitive spirit was reignited.
If extracting books consumed Soul Power, then Extreme Fury Asura itself also possessed a soul.
"Let this guy see our true strength, Asura!"
He theatrically shouted in his mind.
"Roar!"
The Artificial Body responded with a roar.
The Eternal Purgatory Shura Great Dharma Wheel turned silently but instead of appearing above Liu Zheng’s head, it manifested on the Asura phantom overlapping with him.
The phantom of Asura extended two equally ethereal arms, joining him in grabbing the book, and then exerted force to pull it out.
"Boom!"
The phantom vanished, and Liu Zheng plopped down on the ground.
The exhaustion of his soul surged like a tide, making him wish to just lie down and sleep for a thousand years.
"Swish!"
Liu Zheng drew "Anger" and sliced off his own eyelids.
Blood stained his vision red, but he didn’t mind at all.
"I’ve got it!"
Liu Zheng lifted the black-covered tome, smiling as he spoke.
"Interesting, an Artificial Body with a soul, and it’s a product of multiple soul fragments fused together. Do these kinds of good items exist on the market now?"
Alekseyevich showed interest as he scrutinized him, or rather, his Artificial Body.
"I don’t think so. I got this rare piece through a friend, cost me a billion."
Liu Zheng bragged a little.
"A billion? Did your friend swindle you?"
Alekseyevich asked with a peculiar expression.
Though the Artificial Body had some intrigue, it fell far short of a billion’s worth.
"It’s a limited edition, always with a premium. And it still has potential. I believe it’ll one day exceed a billion."
Liu Zheng patted his shoulder in encouragement.
Apart from the initial clash, he and the Extreme Fury Asura worked quite well as a team, already having formed a relationship akin to comrades. And as comrades, encouragement was necessary.
"Spending a billion on an Artificial Body, no wonder you’re the delivery man who made the Peacock suffer."
Alekseyevich remarked.
"You’ve heard about my story?"
"I rarely go out. My biggest pleasure is collecting rumors about the big names in Metropolis, especially when they’re embarrassed; it makes me very happy."
Alekseyevich unapologetically admitted.
"I greatly appreciate this kind of pleasure that transcends high class taste."
He gave a thumbs up.
"Light the fire. I’m feeling a bit cold again."
Alekseyevich said, shivering slightly.
"Alright."
Liu Zheng walked to the fireplace again and threw the book he was holding into it.
The fist-sized flame swelled to the size of a human head, and the blaze was strong enough for him to feel some heat.
"Ah, it seems I can have a good nap later."
Alekseyevich sighed comfortably.
"Before you sleep, could you sign for the delivery? My time is running out."
Liu Zheng glanced at his phone and said.
"What’s the item?"
Alekseyevich asked.
"Scary Apple."
He took out the dining box and opened it in front of Alekseyevich.
"Generous restaurant. Give it to me."
Alekseyevich extended his hand.
"Alright."
Liu Zheng placed the Scary Apple in his hand, carefully avoiding physical contact.
The moment the Scary Apple touched Alekseyevich’s palm, its eyes widened in terror, burst with green and red veins across its surface, and its tongue protruded long.
Yet it couldn’t scream because both its flesh and soul were already frozen.
"Scare level 60? Five levels lower than last time, was it because of the comforting fire?"
Alekseyevich mumbled, opening his mouth to take a bite of the apple.
His bite landed right on the eye, instantly oozing.
The red liquid, indiscernible whether blood or juice, smeared his lips, giving him an oddly beautiful yet sickly look.
"Please sign here."
Liu Zheng produced the delivery slip and pen.
"Is there such a procedure?"
Alekseyevich furrowed his brows.
"I’m not sure, but it’s reassuring."
He replied.
"Alright then."
Alekseyevich didn’t refuse, taking the pen and signing his name on the delivery slip.
"Go, he’s coming."
He returned the delivery slip to Liu Zheng.
"Alright. I wish you safety."
Liu Zheng sincerely wished.
"It’s just a delivery, it can’t kill me. If the restaurant could take a bit more, my burden would lessen."
Alekseyevich said indifferently.
