Chapter 59

Chapter 59

“You’re certain of victory. But what happens if I win?”

Excitement flashed in Victoria’s eyes. “You know I have victory in hand, yet you still want to wager against me. What stakes could you possibly offer?”

Xiao Huai’s voice was cold. “If I die, I’ll be nothing but ashes, my soul gone to the underworld. But if I stake my soul in a trade with you, then even after I die, you can keep it in your grasp and torment it over and over, can’t you?”

Victoria laughed. Xiao Huai was right.

She could not suppress a quiet chuckle. “Yes. You’re right.”

“Then am I qualified to join this wager?”

“Of course,” she replied, unable to contain the excitement in her eyes.

Xiao Huai walked up to her and met her gaze calmly.

“If I win, I want your blessing after you leave this world.”

Victoria pinched her chin and looked him up and down. “You’re remarkably greedy for a human.”

A god’s blessing was not something casually bestowed upon a player.

Not unless the player possessed matching value.

“No matter how interesting you are, you’re still only a newcomer stuck at the second stage. Do you have any ability worth my investment?”

Xiao Huai turned his gaze away. The cold wind tugged at his hair and swept over his lashes, leaving an aloof desolation in his eyes, as though all things were no more than passing smoke.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted, and he laughed softly. “Perhaps.”

Victoria’s gaze went unfocused for a moment. The sight had been so beautiful that she could not help losing herself in it. Covering her mouth, she laughed. “You truly suit my tastes. To me, beauty is justice. The wager is accepted.”

She raised one hand, and a contract appeared before her.

Xiao Huai recognized it. He had seen and used one before.

It was a Soul Contract.

This one contained the terms of their wager. The system would serve as witness, while Victoria was named as the beneficiary who would receive Xiao Huai’s soul if it was repossessed.

If Xiao Huai won, he would obtain Victoria’s Blessing, containing ten percent of Victoria’s supernatural ability.

It was only ten percent, but it would be a true divine blessing.

Hanako and Joseph were merely bosses inside their instances, not true gods.

They were false gods. Victoria was a true one.

The Goddess of Slaughter.

Her supernatural ability was certain to be connected to killing and battle.

Victoria had already signed her name. Seeing Xiao Huai continue to study the terms, she said, “I’ll warn you in advance. If you truly receive my blessing and then die, that power won’t return to me. So don’t die carelessly and make me feel I’ve wasted it.”

She folded her arms and looked at Xiao Huai.

He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. “Does that mean Miss Victoria subconsciously expects to lose?”

“Hah?” Victoria rolled her eyes. “What nonsense are you spouting, brat? Give you a lamp and you think you can light the entire universe.”

Xiao Huai laughed. “How would I know unless I try?”

Archimedes had even claimed that, given a fulcrum, he could move the entire Earth.

Humans always had ideas. They were creative by nature.

If humanity ever lost the instinct to think, extinction would likely not be far away.

Their entire conversation lasted less than five minutes. Whenever Victoria mentioned certain key terms, it was as though the NPCs around them were automatically blocked from hearing. None of them knew what was truly taking place.
Victoria slipped back into character and clapped her hands. “All right, then. Back to the matter at hand. My lord, do you have any promising candidates for seeding?”

The Count stepped forward and examined Xiao Huai with an icy gaze.

“His skin should be capable of cultivating the most beautiful diamonds. Send him to the laboratory first.”

Mischievous delight flashed through Victoria’s eyes at the prospect of more drama. Hiding a laugh, she said, “Of course. Whatever you wish.”

At the Count’s command, a group of people in laboratory uniforms surrounded Xiao Huai and gestured for him to follow.

Xiao Huai lowered his eyes and went with them.

People holding all manner of instruments crowded around the cold examination table, inspecting Xiao Huai like a piece of merchandise.

They whispered among themselves. “The Count actually accepted a human-skin trade with a diamond fiend.”

A white-bearded man cuffed the speaker on the head. “You really are a clueless rookie. These people are the most valuable merchandise of all. Besides, this isn’t the Count’s first time working with diamond fiends. Don’t you know that’s how his diamonds became bestsellers around the world?”

After the white-bearded man finished, another man coughed lightly.

“Ahem. You’re being far too blunt. The Count doesn’t allow us to discuss these matters.”

The white-bearded man rolled his eyes. “You’re all cowards. The Count isn’t here. How can he control what we say? All right, enough. Let’s draw his blood so I can go enjoy myself at the bar.”

A nurse brought over a syringe as thick as an arm. Several people nearby could barely stand to look at it.

“Dear God Almighty, did the Count really ask for that much blood? The boy is going to lie down and meet his maker on the spot.”

The white-bearded man snatched up the syringe, found a vein, and drove the needle straight into Xiao Huai’s skin without even disinfecting it.

Xiao Huai’s expression did not change in the slightest.

The white-bearded man raised an eyebrow. He gave Xiao Huai’s neck a long look, then waited until the entire syringe was full before speaking.

“You really are a man. There aren’t many diamond fiends like you. I only hope you can hold on to your reason and survive the next two days.”

Xiao Huai met his gaze. His instincts told him one thing.

This man knew a great deal.

Xiao Huai only smiled and said nothing.

A nurse’s voice came from the doorway. “Mr. Xiao, the Count says that once the tests are complete, you are to join him in the dining room for dinner.”

Xiao Huai frowned. The loss of blood had already left him severely dizzy, and now he had to socialize over dinner as well?

He was afraid he would lose control.

Yet all he said was, “Mm. I understand.”

The corridor to the dining room seemed to stretch without end. Xiao Huai’s lips were pale. His fingertips trailed along the cold wall as he moved forward one step at a time.

Then a hand reached toward him from behind. Xiao Huai instinctively dodged sideways, and in the dim light, he saw the white-bearded man.

The man pressed an index finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh. I’m a good person.”

Xiao Huai frowned.

What kind of person introduced himself by claiming to be good?