chapter 130
In the pitch‑black basement.
Underworld Fire was being used frequently in small bursts.
Light, then dark.
Dark, then light.
In Bosi’s hands, the Scales were constantly being ground down into the same shape. One piece pressed against another, overlapping layer by layer, until they formed a tidy, elongated strip.
He reached into the pile of Scales and casually picked one out, comparing it to a Scale in front of him that he was using as a size template.
If it was smaller than the template, he threw it away.
If it was larger than the template, he took it, ground it to size, and attached it to the strip.
The long strip made of Scales was then joined end to end, forming a circle.
It was just the right size for a person to wear around their neck.
The width also happened to be almost the same as Lu Li’s previous Neck Collar.
Bosi then pulled a ball of yarn from thin air, tugging the strand out to feel its texture between his fingers.
Soft and fluffy.
He then touched the Scale Neck Collar he had just finished.
Hard as a board.
And with Scales jutting outward both inside and out, the wearer would probably get hurt just putting it on.
When they were set against each other as competing products, both meant to be worn close to the skin, his creation was obviously several grades inferior to the yarn.
So Bosi took off his gloves.
He ran his fingertips, bit by bit, over the overlapping inner Scales, over every uneven bump, every jagged, razor‑sharp edge.
Whenever his fingers, carrying the heat of Underworld Fire, left a certain area, that section became perfectly smooth and flat.
Bosi smoothed and polished the inner side of every Scale.
He thought, like this, it won’t chafe.
Even if there’s no intact skin left, even if it’s all wounds, it still won’t chafe.
With that, plus Lu Li’s rosy filter toward anything made of Scales, maybe this could compete head‑to‑head with a knitted scarf.
He adjusted a few more details, then added several magic circles, making absolutely sure that once Lu Li accepted it, no one would ever be able to take it away from him.
Bosi fell silent, staring at the finished product in his hands.
He had actually spent an entire afternoon, using so many Scales from his true body, to make Lu Li a brand‑new Neck Collar.
It was truly absurd.
He couldn’t just send the Neck Collar out as a simple gift.
If he did, Lu Li would definitely become even more spoiled by his favor, even more unrestrained in front of him, and eventually forget that he was the real boss here.
Lu Li needed to pay a little price.
–
By the time Lu Li met Bosi, it was already night.
He had returned to the room for [Game Night].
Lu Li had changed into a turtleneck to hide his neck. He took out Paopao’s Collar, planning to show it to Bosi and say something.
Before he could open his mouth, Bosi suddenly stood up. “I was cleaning the Palace today. There was too much stuff inside.”
“This ended up as surplus.”
All of Lu Li’s attention was instantly drawn to the thing hanging from Bosi’s hand.
Once upon a time, a single Scale had already stunned him. Now, Bosi was holding hundreds of them.
“It looks like a Neck Collar,” Bosi said. “And it just so happens to be made from the thing you’ve been dreaming about, so I brought it to ask if you want it.”
“It’s so beautiful!” Lu Li’s eyes lit up. “Is this a gift you’re giving me?”
How did Bosi know he had just taken off his previous Neck Collar!
He had actually been considering whether he should just wear turtlenecks from now on. Aside from the so‑so fabric being a bit scratchy on his neck and chin, everything else was still tolerable.
“This is not a gift.” Bosi observed his reaction, confirming that Lu Li really, genuinely wanted it.
Because of Lu Li’s happiness, the corner of his lips curved up in a barely noticeable arc.
Bosi named a price that should count as fairly expensive, but still within what Lu Li could afford. “If you take it, I’ll deduct one hundred thousand Points from your salary.”
He added, “After all, you can’t have it both ways.”
“One hundred thousand Points, or this-pick one yourself.”
Lu Li could hardly believe this price. “One hundred thousand! That cheap?”
Bosi hesitated, then immediately raised it a bit. “Then two hundred thousand Points.”
Lu Li had never seen anyone hike the price on the spot like this. He hurriedly stopped him, grabbing Bosi’s Arm with both hands in a plea. “Okay! I want it! Don’t raise the price anymore.”
Deal complete.
Bosi asked him, “Put it on now?”
Lu Li pulled his collar up higher.
He still didn’t know that Bosi had already seen his neck-seen how ugly it looked after the Neck Collar came off.
He thought it was too ugly.
He didn’t want Bosi to see it.
“Can you put your candle out?” he asked.
Showing something so ugly in front of Bosi made a panic rise in him for no reason at all.
Fear.
That kind of fear.
And it was a hundred times worse than what he’d felt in front of Luo Jia Bai and Mirella.
“I-I’ll take off the original Neck Collar first,” Lu Li said, forcing a smile at Bosi.
Then, in a low voice, he told a clumsy lie.
“After that, I’ll put on the new one you gave me.”
He added, almost pleading, “Or… could you turn around?”
“You’re the Underworld King, so you might not understand,” Lu Li said, grasping for excuses, “but for humans this is… a private thing…”
Before he could finish the sentence, the candle went out.
Darkness flooded the room.
The darkness gave Lu Li a sense of safety.
Only then did he finally relax enough to tug his collar down.
He tried to remove the Neck Collar.
It wouldn’t open.
His breathing tightened.
He grew anxious-he wanted to get it off and put the new one on as fast as possible.
But he was also afraid Bosi might relight the candle.
In the next moment, a pair of hands took the Neck Collar from him.
Those hands opened it with ease.
At the same time, they added a magic array onto it.
Lu Li heard the sound clearly from above his head.
A voice, frustrated with itself: “I forgot to add the user’s name.”
Then Bosi moved closer.
Bosi’s arms wrapped around him, enclosing him.
Lu Li felt a cold sensation on his neck.
The Neck Collar was placed onto his neck.
It fit with an eerie perfection.
It covered the sunken patch of flesh completely.
In the dark, Lu Li tipped his head up and asked, “Did you make this?”
“This… this gift-did you make it for me?”
Inside Bosi, two voices argued.
One voice said: Deny it. Hurry and deny it.
If he finds out you made it yourself, that you spent so long on it, the consequences will be unthinkable.
Ever since you met this human, everything has started going wrong.
You can’t keep going like this.
The other voice said: Are you sure you want to deny it?
Do you really not want Lu Li to know it was carefully prepared?
Do you really not want him to know what it means?
Time passed.
Bosi didn’t answer.
But Lu Li had already guessed.
He followed the way Bosi was holding him.
He rose onto his toes.
Then he lifted his arms and hugged Bosi back, mirroring the embrace.
Lu Li had to strain to reach him.
Bosi should have pushed him away.
Instead, he stiffened.
He bent down awkwardly.
And Lu Li clung to him even tighter.
Soft, silver hair brushed against Bosi’s cheek.
It tickled.
The skin it touched began to heat up.
Warm breath spilled against Bosi’s ear.
“You must have worked on it for a long time,” Lu Li murmured.
“Thank you, Bosi.”
“This is the best gift I’ve ever received.”
In the darkness, Bosi didn’t speak.
Lu Li asked again, “What exactly is it?”
Bosi’s voice was low, hoarse. “You don’t need to know.”
Lu Li didn’t need to know.
He didn’t need to know that a Scale stripped from the true body carried that body’s awareness.
Or that it could restrain the true body itself.
For an Evil God-and for certain Advanced Evil Spirits that could partially fuse with a beast form-one’s complete true body was an extremely private thing.
If someone of comparable strength stole a large amount of material taken from another’s complete true body…
They could use it to cast curses.
They could even erase the other entirely.
But Bosi was the strongest existence in the Underworld.
That rule didn’t apply to him.
It wasn’t fear that kept him from exposing his true body.
It was dislike.
He hated having his things stolen.
That was why, outside of his basement, he rarely returned to his true form.
Bosi lowered his gaze.
This Neck Collar had been given away by his own hand.
Other than Lu Li, there would never be a second user.
And Lu Li wasn’t stronger than him.
So what if he’d handed his own weakness to Lu Li?
So what?
Lu Li didn’t need to know any of it.