NOVEL WEB Chapter 223: You Are a Natural-Born Viper
Rick held a brush and hose, meticulously cleaning each of Black Jade's scales until they shone like black gemstones, reflecting his image back at him. His health was only at 3%; since moving in with Black Jade over 20 hours ago, it had never been full. He didn't even bother wasting potions to heal himself, as Black Jade would simply drain him again. Staying at 3% meant Black Jade couldn't beat him too harshly, fearing a single blow might kill him.
Black Jade lazily commented, "If you don't want me to drain your stats, I suggest you heal up to full."
Rick paused, then reluctantly took out some restorative food and healed himself to full health.
Black Jade chuckled, "I don't know whether to call you smart or foolish. You have nothing to your name, so how could you dare betray the only powerful ally you had for the sake of a creature you know so little about?"
Rick stared at his reflection in the scales, lost in thought, before finally replying, "She wasn't my ally; I was just her servant."
Black Jade snorted, amused. "So, you've just changed masters?"
Rick shrugged, "If I'm going to be a dog, might as well serve the stronger one."
After receiving a portion of Black Jade's bloodline, he'd gained four new abilities. In addition to **[Law of the Jungle]**, which allowed him to drain strength from weaker blood relatives, he had **[Hibernation]** for invisibility, **[Death Grip]** which could instantly amplify his arm strength a hundredfold, and **[Shadow Hunter]** which allowed him to hide in others' shadows.
Each of these skills was ranked A, but using them came with a price: each time he activated one, his body would acquire more snake-like traits. Rick knew that Black Jade's "gift" was laced with malice, yet he accepted it. He wouldn't use the skills unless his life was at risk, but if that moment came, survival would outweigh any concern over side effects.
Once he finished cleaning Black Jade's scales, Rick barely had a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow before Black Jade flicked him with the tip of his tail, sending him head-first into a pile of dung nearby. As he crawled out, Black Jade shoved him back in, repeating the process until Rick started losing health from asphyxiation. Only then did Black Jade finally relent.
Covered in Flood Dragon waste, Rick knelt on the ground, glancing at the date—it was only the night of the 17th.
Only the 17th!
Less than 40 hours had passed since he bonded with Black Jade, yet it felt like he'd aged forty years…
He knelt there for half an hour, knees numb and the muck on his skin dried up, before slowly turning towards Black Jade, illuminated by the moonlight. "Have you heard of the S-Rank gift, **[Gourmet Deity]**?"
Rick looked pitiful, undeniably miserable. But unfortunately, Black Jade had no heart to pity him.
Black Jade didn't even bother opening his eyes. "Never heard of it."
"It's my talent," Rick said, his tone steady as he listed his skills.
Black Jade remained unresponsive, already aware of all this information.
Finally, Rick asked, "Is there any way to restore my lost talents?"
Black Jade scoffed, "Why should I help you?"
Rick replied, "I can work for you. I'm your servant now. If I regain my talents, I can help you more effectively. We can sign a more binding contract if needed."
Black Jade ignored him, not even interested in explaining that the stolen gifts from the **Thieving God** were unrecoverable.
But just as Rick was about to press further, Black Jade suddenly spoke, "I know of a demonic scholar who can teach you how to steal others' talents."
Rick straightened up, excitement flashing in his eyes as he knelt upright and eagerly asked, "What would it cost?"
In his mind, he was already adding every S-Rank **Divine Gift** he knew to a mental shopping list, even considering the B-Rank **Fate Gear** that Rita possessed.
This time, Black Jade opened his eyes, savoring the glimmer of hope in Rick's gaze before extinguishing it mercilessly. "When you help me achieve full dragon transformation, I'll tell you."
Of course, that was impossible. Although he didn't fully understand how Nivalis had managed it, Black Jade knew he couldn't win against her. With just the help of Blue Star humans, Nivalis had taken off 7% of his health with a single shot. If Nivalis and Rita joined forces, Black Jade wouldn't risk it. Besides, Nivalis had already publicly aligned with Blue Star's interests, giving them an advantage in negotiations.
Rick, understanding the impossibility, sighed. Still, he asked, "Would you want an additional servant?" Not waiting for a response, he added, "If you can reverse our contract, could you reverse other people's contracts too?"
Now Black Jade was intrigued, not even needing an explanation to understand. He recalled Rick's earlier words about being nothing but a servant to "that woman." "So you're also bound to that Su woman?"
Rick confirmed, "Yes."
Black Jade laughed heartily, "You truly are a natural-born viper! But it's a pity—I can't, even if you are my property."
Rick finally resigned himself to reality… but he wasn't giving up on that demonic knowledge. If he continued to serve Black Jade well, he might one day gain access to what he needed.
…
In the same private room sat Shadow.Q, Asher, and Meow.Q, but across from them was now only Zoey.
Shadow.Q got straight to the point. "I can show you the exotic beasts currently in Special Affairs Bureau's possession."
Zoey, however, pressed her hand against the catalog without even glancing at it. She didn't want to be tempted. "Just tell me your bottom line. I assume the demand for beasts has plummeted."
She wasn't wrong. After the Black Jade incident, the market for exotic beasts had cooled dramatically.
Shadow.Q maintained her smile but, before she could respond, noticed her sister Meow.Q itching to speak. Remembering the recent praise Meow.Q had received for her successful negotiations, Shadow.Q gestured for her sister to proceed.
Meow.Q sat up straight, took a deep breath, and began, "The Black Jade incident allowed us to gain invaluable insight. After a thorough review, we've strengthened our understanding of exotic beasts, developed new strategies, and crafted a holistic approach to integrate Divine Gifts with players to foster a symbiotic bond between beasts and—"
She never finished, as Shadow.Q reached over to silence her with a hand over her mouth.
Shadow.Q forced a smile at Zoey, her facial muscles stiff and strained, as if her brain was issuing commands her face was unwilling to follow.
Meow.Q: ?
Zoey: Almost got up and left right there.
Asher: What… was that? I feel like I just heard a bunch of words, but none of them made any sense.