Chapter 418 – Cathulhu's Unexpected Servant
Jungwoo returned and informed Xiaomao of Zhuge Liang and Lee Jinyong's message.
"They said they've come in peace, but their strength surpasses the limit of this place. What should we do?"
"How strong, munya?"
"I see the brackets behind their levels. It's 18,000 and 35,000."
Xiaomao hesitated if he should trust them. However, Diaochan reminded Xiaomao of his strength.
"You're also a monster yourself, kid. When was the last time you checked your level?"
"My level, munya?"
Xiaomao looked up. The floating number showed 9,999, and the bracket behind it was 50,000.
"Hah?" Xiaomao was speechless. The last time he saw it, it was barely 20,000. Then, he recalled that Eve's butterflies migrated into his dantian universe and created many stars for him.
"I guess Eve gave me a boost, munya."
"She sure did. Your foundation is a bit lacking though. Have you ever fought gods?"
Lilith's spirit emerged from Xiaomao's shadow and answered for him, "Did he just wipe the floor with Clem? He's strong, you know?"
"Right. I forgot that you destroyed them. By the way, what technique did you use?" Asked Diaochan.
Xiaomao waved his hand and changed the subject, "Let's not worry about my techniques. Jungwoo, go tell that group that they can join us, but there are three conditions. First, I get to call the shot what to do with the dragon's dantian crystals and soul orbs. Secondly, the carcasses of the dragons are mine. We can use them as our primary source of food, and I can grow stronger by eating them raw. And lastly, whatever items we get from the dungeon, we will take them all."
"In short, everything they killed is ours. What we killed are still ours?" Jungwoo liked the idea.
"Exactly, munya."
"Alright. I'll go tell them."
Jungwoo flew back to relay their message.
.
Jungwoo returned to Zhuge Liang and Lee Jinyong. He said exactly what Xiaomao had told him to.
"All soul orbs and items? Your master is quite greedy, man," Lee Jinyong complained.
Zhuge Liang had another opinion, "Tell them that we also have a condition."
"What condition?" Jungwoo was wary of the strategist. He readied his mind that he could get scammed.
"In the scenario that dragons do not wish to fight, please allow us to convert them into our followers. As you can see, we've reached the bottleneck of the immortal realm. We need more followers to become a god."
"…"
Jungwoo sighed. He was tired of being a messenger, but he had to do it. He returned to Xiaomao.
.
"No."
Xiaoamao was firm. He had no intention of letting any dragon live as he needed lifespan. Moreover, he was aware of this universe's nature – Mu-Nyang would get stronger and healthier if Xiaomao and others gave the soul orbs to him.
Jungwoo grumbled, "How about you go and tell them to their face? I don't want to keep flying back and forth. It's tiring."
"Sure. I also want to talk to them."
Xiaomao kicked the ground and flew south. The others also followed after Xiaomao to escort him.
When Xiaomao and everybody arrived together, Zhuge Liang laughed and cupped his fist. He bowed, "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Miao Xiaomao. I've heard a lot about you."
"Who are you exactly, munya?" Xiaomao sensed a bad vibe from Zhuge Liang. He felt like he talked to an old fox instead of a young man.
"I was once a disciple of your father's sect, Lord Miao. In fact, I had studied under him for a while before hell broke loose. In this life, I assisted Lady Cao Cao, I mean, Lady Devil in her quest for world domination. Too bad that Solomon messed with the game world so much that we are trapped here."
"Don't sidetrack, munya."
"I simply answered your question. I'm your father's disciple. That's my answer."
"Fine," Xiaomao couldn't argue with that, so he changed the approach. "Why do you want the dragons alive? Is it related to your title?"
Xiaomao glared at the floating title and level of Zhuge Liang. As a strategist, he was supposed to be weak. However, he was even stronger than Lee Jinyong, who looked like a cool-looking Korean protagonist from a manhwa.
Zhuge Liang calmly explained and brightly smiled, "One of my secondary classes is Omnipotent Tamer. I can tame pretty much everything, including players, humans… and anyone."
Xiaomao narrowed his eyes, "Including me, is that you wish to convey, munya?"
"Yes. If I had any ulterior motive, I would have enslaved you before we could even talk."
"…"
Zhuge Liang laughed and fluttered his fan. He gazed toward the north, "I also know that you are destined to head north and attack the dragon's nest. I've calculated the future and foreseen that everybody here will die within 24 hours."
"What?"
The group emitted killing intent. Even Xiaomao was irritated by the proclamation.
Amon, Diaochan, Mao Xueyan, Mao Dandan, and Lilith were more experienced. They pinched their fingers and calculated their karma as well. They couldn't see far into the future, but they saw a mighty dragon in the depth of the volcano dungeon.
Amon was the only one who recognized the dragon.
"Aw, shit. Belial is here."
"Belial, who?" Diaochan and others were interested.
"One of the few quasi-sage underlings of Solomon. His level is stuck at 99,000 something for a long time. I think he's about to cross the six digits soon."
"…"
Jungwoo, Bianca, and the women's expressions were pale. They weren't confident that they could take on a sage with their current strength. However, Xiaomao scoffed at the fortune teller.
"Are you sure you see my future correctly, munya?"
Again, Zhuge Liang giggled, "I saw how you died. You ran out of lifespan in my vision. Isn't that why you impose the conditions that you need all items, soul orbs, and dantian crystals in the first place?"
"Since you know everything, I'm going to tell you straight away. I will not spare a single dragon, munya."
As the elder fisherman's techniques consumed a lot of lifespans, Xiaomao needed to kill and eat as many dragons as he could. He didn't change his mind.
However, Zhuge Liang refuted him, "That path will be your downfall. You need to spare the dragons and let them live. Otherwise, you will die without fail."
"You…"
At that moment, Xiaomao understood how Guan Yu and Zhang Fei felt when they first met Zhuge Liang. Even Xiaomao had the urge to chop him into pieces since his advice was too cryptic and didn't make sense.
DING
Xiaomao forgot someone important. He also had a personal fortuneteller in his soul.
[Foresight]: "Zhuge Liang is correct. You will die if you kill all dragons in this world."
Xiaomao flinched. He took several deep breaths and asked both Zhuge Liang and his Senpai at the same time.
"Explain in a version that idiots can understand!"
The Senpai started first, but Zhuge Liang didn't hear him. Thus, they ended up talking at the same time.
[Foresight]: "Dragons are indeed our enemies, but some of them are also your hidden allies. Lilith's former subordinates are forced to join Solomon's army, so they might be waiting for an opportunity to break free. Before you hunt down the local dragons, be sure to consult with Lilith first."
Zhuge Liang's expression was solemn when he explained, "Your father has many wives. Some of them are related to dragons, such as Lilith, Leviathan, and Clem. Also, many ancient dragons are his friends, namely Nero. I've located Nero's whereabouts, and he is currently working as the dungeon core protector. Because of his status as a protector, most dragons respect him and are willing to follow his order. If you show your grace and rescue them from Solomon's tyranny, they will help you recover your lifespan. But if you fight them, you will lose most of your lifespan before you confront Belial, which will spell your doom. Not even Mu-Nyang can rescue you if you meet Belial in that condition."
"…"
Hearing the thorough explanation, Xiaomao calmed down. He reminded himself that Zhuge Liang was worshiped in China for a reason.
"Fine. I'll spare the dragons we meet along the way, munya. But does it necessary to hand them over to you? You know that I have a slave master class, right? If I want subordinates, I can subdue them myself."
Zhuge Liang smirked, "Hoarding resources and manpower inside you will do you no good, Lord Miao. A good leader always distributes tasks to his talented subordinates to free himself from the burden while ensuring the efficiency of the jobs. If you entrust them to me, I can be your proxy."
"In short, I should be lazy and push my jobs to others to be a good leader? Is that what you're saying, munya?"
"I didn't say that, but you get the gist of it."
"…"
Xiaomao facepalmed while the girls were frustrated. Diaochan whispered to him, "Can I kill the fool?"
"No, munya."
"But he seems poisonous. He's also a protagonist. He will fight you for resources in the future."
"If we're fate to fight, then we'll fight eventually. For now, I'm in danger, and I need extra manpower, especially other protagonists. I can't always rely on Jungwoo, Bianca, and you all to cover my back."
Diaochan couldn't refute it. She sighed and let Xiaomao handle the talk.
Xiaomao made up his mind. He extended his hand, "Alright. I accept. I hope we can get along."
Instead of shaking hands with Xiaomao, Zhuge Liang knelt and cupped his fist as if he was paying respect to his lord.
"Young Master Miao Xiaomao. I shall use the best of my abilities to help you in this world domination quest. I'll make sure that your father will be proud of you!"
"Hey, I didn't ask for that, munya!"
It was too late. Zhuge Liang suddenly created a magic circle underneath him and completed the Dao Oath. A light tattoo appeared on Zhuge Liang and Xiaomao's forehead, serving as proof of their bonds.
"What are you? Why did you have to do that?" Xiaomao couldn't understand Zhuge Liang.
"I'm just repaying for Lord Mao Miaomiao's kindness. In my previous life, he gave me hope and a dream-like life that I couldn't have imagined. Now that his descendant is in trouble, it is my duty to help you like how he helped me!"
It sounded corny. However, the women and Jungwoo were relieved.
On the other hand, Lee Jinyong's expression was complicated. He felt like he had been watching a cliché drama.
"Oh, no. The cringe…"
Lee Jinyong died from the inside.