Chapter 973: It's Ithaqua Again |
Since Liu Xing had reclaimed the character card "Liu Xing" from Ithaqua, he had no knowledge of Sirius's whereabouts. In the memories associated with the "Liu Xing" card, Sirius didn't play a role. At that time, Liu Xing considered two possibilities—either Ithaqua silenced Sirius, or Sirius successfully persuaded Ithaqua to let him go, even having Ithaqua help him acquire a new body.
Before seeing Sirius today, Liu Xing leaned more towards the first possibility because, in his view, Ithaqua and Sirius were "peers." Their mythical creature species both belonged to the technological side. Although Earth's Ancient Ones Clan had been somewhat discredited in recent years, their accumulated technology was formidable.
Rivalry among peers.
Liu Xing thought Ithaqua would be very willing to see him, a peer, depart.
So, meeting Ithaqua now was unexpected.
"Liu Xing, I'm still in class, so let's talk later. You guys sit here for a while. There's food in that cabinet."
Sirius said and returned to the classroom.
After Sirius left, Mai Yuqiang couldn't help but ask, "Liu Xing, how did you meet Bao? You two seem pretty close."
Liu Xing thought for a moment and decided to tell Mai Yuqiang and the others some information about Sirius. "Here's the situation: Sirius is actually a mythical creature from the deep sea's Ancient Ones Clan. You've probably heard of the Ancient Ones Clan, right?"
Li Hanxing, who was nearby, chimed in, "That's right. I heard about the Ancient Ones Clan from a friend. Simply put, the Ancient Ones Clan was completely defeated in a war years ago and was also killed off by the very species they created. They were forced to abandon all their cities and strongholds on the surface and hide in various deep-sea cities. Logically, any Ancient One active on the surface now is probably one that, for various reasons, didn't manage to retreat to the Deep Sea City. For example, being captured by other mythical creatures on the battlefield or being trapped in a certain place."
"Exactly. Sirius's situation is that he couldn't retreat to the Ancient Ones Clan's Deep Sea City in time due to certain reasons, and thus he became a spiritual entity. He's been trying to restore his body all these years. However, some time ago, I lost contact with him due to other matters, and it turns out he has already found a new body," Liu Xing stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Hearing Liu Xing's explanation, Mai Yuqiang frowned, "So, does that mean Sirius possessed someone else's body?"
Liu Xing sensed the underlying implication in Mai Yuqiang's question—essentially, Mai Yuqiang wanted to defend Bao.
"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. Based on what I know, Sirius couldn't have directly possessed a human body because it involves too many issues. If something went wrong, Sirius could disintegrate instantly. That's why he has maintained his spiritual state for so many years... Moreover, if Sirius could indeed directly possess a body, my body would have been taken over by him long ago," Liu Xing said seriously.
In Liu Xing's view, Bao's body wasn't a human's but a body created by Sirius.
Because Liu Xing recalled that Sirius had mentioned to him that ordinary human bodies were useless to him. Therefore, he had never considered possessing a human body, as it would just be another cage for him.
Thus, Sirius had been thinking of creating a new body for himself over the years, much like his fellow Ancient One Chrisiano who cooperated with the China Dao Sect.
It seemed Sirius was doing well now, as Bao's body looked excellent, reaching the peak of human physical capabilities.
"So, all those things about Bao make sense now. No wonder his past experiences were untraceable. He was an android after all," Mai Yuqiang sighed, "But why did he come to Morio Town?"
Liu Xing also wanted to know the answer.
Why did Sirius come to Morio Town?
Logically, after acquiring a body, Sirius had two paths. The first was to return to his clan and go back to the Ancient Ones Clan's underwater city. However, Liu Xing thought the likelihood of Sirius choosing this path was very low because Sirius was abandoned by his clan back in the day. That's why he stayed in the Soul Casket as a "recluse" for thousands of years. Therefore, while Sirius's relationship with the Ancient Ones Clan wasn't completely broken, he certainly didn't want to return to the underwater city to meet his clan.
Moreover, the Ancient Ones Clan had a unique reproduction method, leading to a lack of the concept of "family." So Sirius didn't have the obsession of "having family waiting for him underwater."
Therefore, compared to the first path, Liu Xing believed Sirius was more likely to choose the second path—cooperating with humans, just like his fellow Chrisiano.
Since he didn't want to return to the deep sea, it was better to live on land. Besides, human society's entertainment was diverse, and Sirius could always find an activity that suited him.
Of course, Sirius could also choose to cooperate with Ghouls, Deep Ones, or other mythical creatures, but Liu Xing felt Sirius would ultimately choose humans.
The reason was simple. Firstly, Earth's land was still under human control, so if Sirius wanted to move freely on land, he had to cooperate with humans. Secondly, Sirius hadn't forgotten why he was left on land, so he wouldn't join his former enemies.
Finally, and most importantly, the Ancient One technology Sirius possessed didn't hold much allure for Deep Ones or Ghouls because it wasn't particularly useful to them.
Humans, however, were different. Modern humans were also on a technological path, albeit in its early stages.
So, Sirius cooperating with humans now meant he would receive excellent treatment. It's like humans still playing queueing execution—if one day someone brought an entire set of automatic rifle technology to support you, wouldn't you gladly accept and take care of them?
Such a person would be a boon, instantly boosting your strength.
Therefore, Liu Xing hadn't considered the third path—seeking a pastoral retreat.
What kind of ghost situation was this?
Could it be that Sirius, having spent too long in the Soul Casket, suddenly realized the value of a simple life and, after acquiring a new body, disguised himself as Bao and hid in Morio Town as an art teacher?
Liu Xing absolutely couldn't believe Sirius would make such a choice.
So, what was Sirius really up to?
Looking at Liu Xing's puzzled face, Mai Yuqiang and the others didn't say anything more. They just drank tea and waited for Sirius to finish his class.
After a while, Sirius's art class ended.
After sending the children away, Sirius sat down and said, "Liu Xing, you should have told Mai Yuqiang and the others about my situation, right?"
Liu Xing nodded and got straight to the point, "Yes, but I'm still puzzled about one thing: why did you come to Morio Town after acquiring your body? I believe you understand the situation in Morio Town."
Sirius smiled and nodded, "Yes, I know what's going on in Morio Town. Isn't it Swollen Woman's territory? As long as I follow her rules, Swollen Woman won't bother me. As for her undercover agents and killers, they can't hurt me, so I have nothing to fear."
It seemed Sirius was indeed well-acquainted with Morio Town.
"As for why I came to Morio Town, it's to fulfill my promise. The person who helped me create this body set one condition: after adapting to this body, I must live in Morio Town until 2020," Sirius added.
Element recognized.
Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "You're talking about Ithaqua."
"Exactly, Ithaqua." Sirius replied without hesitation.
In Liu Xing's impression, only Ithaqua could help Sirius recreate a suitable body.
After all, ghosts know how much high-tech Yis People can master.
But why would Ithaqua help Sirius regain his body and make him come to Morio Town?
Why?
Liu Xing couldn't think of an answer right away—or rather, he didn't dare to think deeply.
Because upon closer consideration, Liu Xing felt that Ithaqua was scheming against him. How else could Sirius, who was staying in Morio Town, be waiting for his arrival?
So, how did Ithaqua lose to him initially? If Ithaqua could still predict that the current "Liu Xing" was being controlled by him?
Liu Xing shook his head, not expecting that despite thinking he had shaken off Ithaqua's entanglement, Ithaqua's shadow still lingered around him.
At this moment, Mai Yuqiang couldn't help but ask, "Since Bao—or rather, you, Sirius—know the situation in Morio Town, you should also know about the Morio Town Protection Association, right? Recently, we've noticed some odd behavior from you. You've been going berserk by the seaside at midnight, crashing into the rocks. Can you explain why? So we can lift the surveillance on you."
"Ah, actually, I've just started adapting to this new body. This body isn't just flesh and bones; it incorporates a lot of special materials and uses many of our Ancient Ones Clan's advanced technologies. So, I needed a long time to adapt to it. That's why I chose to open an art studio in Morio Town—to stay there all day or just be idle all day to adjust to the body. Recently, I've finally adapted to it, so I went to the seaside to test the limits of this body," Sirius explained seriously.
After speaking, Sirius extended his left hand.
In the next second, Sirius's left hand transformed into a curved blade, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"I see. I'll report your situation to the Morio Town Protection Association and lift the surveillance on you. But Sirius, are you interested in joining our Morio Town Protection Association?" Mai Yuqiang asked with a smile.
Sirius quickly shook his head, "No, no, no. Thank you, Mai Yuqiang, for your kindness. I'm well aware of how terrifying Swollen Woman is, so I don't want her to target me. I'll just honestly work as an artist in Morio Town. After 2020, I'll leave Morio Town."
Mai Yuqiang shrugged and eagerly suggested, "Alright then. But now that it's come to this, Sirius, wouldn't you like to have a proper fight with me? If possible, let's spar at the Martial Arts Hall tomorrow."
Sirius was taken aback for a moment, then scratched the back of his head, "Well, to put it bluntly, Mai Yuqiang, you're still human and haven't overcome your innate limitations. So the difference in our strengths is quite significant. Besides, you wouldn't want me to hold back during our spar, right?"
Hearing Sirius say this, Liu Xing suddenly worried that Mai Yuqiang might pull out a Stone Mask from a four-dimensional space and say, "I won't be human anymore, Sirius."
Fortunately, Mai Yuqiang didn't possess space magic spells or a Stone Mask. "I understand what you're saying, Sirius. I know my physical condition still has a certain gap compared to yours. But I want to test my limits and see if I can push beyond them. So I want to have a proper fight with you, as long as you don't eliminate me."
Seeing Mai Yuqiang's serious expression, Sirius finally agreed to Mai Yuqiang's request. They planned to have a sparring session tomorrow noon at the "Platinum Star" Martial Arts Hall in Morio Town.
Indeed, this "Platinum Star" Martial Arts Hall was Bai Xing's Industry and the only Martial Arts Hall in Morio Town. Most importantly, the venue was specially designed, so Mai Yuqiang and Sirius's fight wouldn't damage the Martial Arts Hall... after all, they were two humanoid beasts.
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Chapter 974: Ithaqua's Escape Route