"You're saying a monster with a snake's head and a human body turned this [Parasite Beast] into this?"
Back in the inner room, the drunkard repeatedly confirmed Lu Fei's words. This was also Lu Fei's decision after much consideration. He felt he had already hidden too many things from the drunkard, and the latter treated him with sincerity. There was no need for him to hide anything further.
"That's right! I saw it clearly. It also had vertical pupils. Just a glance at it, and I almost lost control of my bowels!"
Recalling it, Lu Fei still felt a bit embarrassed.
"What other characteristics did it have?" the drunkard pressed.
Lu Fei recalled slightly, "It can control other berserk contract beasts."
The drunkard was startled and instinctively moved closer to Lu Fei.
"Anything else?"
Lu Fei decided not to hide anything anymore.
"It can also speak human languages!"
*Bang!*
A crisp sound echoed. The wine gourd in the drunkard's hand dropped to the ground. His face was filled with shock and horror, as if recalling something terrible.
He grabbed Lu Fei with one hand.
"Are you sure?"
Lu Fei nodded, feeling a bit bewildered.
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Lu Fei nodded again.
The drunkard took a few steps back, muttering to himself.
"Could it be that it really exists?"
The drunkard's voice was very low, so low that Lu Fei could only see his lips move slightly.
"Handsome, what's wrong?" Lu Fei asked, confused.
The drunkard let out a long sigh.
Then, he slowly said, "Do you know how berserk contract beasts come to be?"
Lu Fei pondered for a moment.
"The World Government said that berserk contract beasts are caused by some kind of infection." He paused, Lu Fei's brow furrowed slightly as he recalled what the snake-headed monster had said that day. He added, "But I don't think things are that simple. The snake-headed monster I encountered that day personally said that those berserk contract beasts were being eroded by it."
The drunkard's eyes lit up, showing some surprise.
"I didn't expect you to have such a miraculous encounter, and to have survived."
*Damn it, so the mortality rate of this trial is very high!* Lu Fei couldn't help but retort in his mind, rolling his eyes involuntarily.
The drunkard sighed, turned his back, and clasped his hands behind him, exuding a rare sense of solemnity. "Some things were inconvenient to tell you, and saying too much would be a burden to you. But since you've already encountered it yourself, I'll tell you."
Lu Fei became serious and sat down on the bench with the drunkard.
"The reason the World Government says that berserk contract beasts are caused by infection is to prevent panic among the residents and avoid unnecessary trouble."
"But that's not the truth."
"I am older and know some hidden secrets." He looked at Lu Fei seriously and said, "The so-called berserk contract beasts are actually souls that have been corrupted!"
Lu Fei was stunned.
So, what the snake-headed monster he met said was all true? But how would the drunkard know such a secret? Did the drunkard also meet it before?
As Lu Fei pondered this, the drunkard continued.
"And this so-called soul corruption is caused by the snake-headed monster you mentioned!"
"It is called, [Sephiroth]!"
"[Sephiroth]?" Lu Fei repeated to confirm. He vaguely remembered this name, as if he had seen it somewhere before. After much thought, Lu Fei finally recalled it.
"God of Plague, Sephiroth!"
Lu Fei remembered the words he had seen in ancient books in the library. It was a chance encounter. After finishing the letter left by Aidus, the eunuch who transmigrated, Lu Fei had gone to the library to consult some materials.
He wanted to know if Karl, Atom, and Aidus, mentioned in the book, had any records in history. But unfortunately, Lu Fei did not find any relevant contract beast information.
However, he stumbled upon a legend of the Beast Taming Continent. The legend recorded that in ancient times, there was a deity named Aidus, who represented the end, or in simpler terms, destruction. At the end of his writings, another name was mentioned: Sephiroth!
A synonym for plague.
At that time, Lu Fei did not pay much attention because it was the ancestor of humanity, not the ancestor of contract beasts. It was just a coincidence of names. But thinking about it now...
"You are correct. This name was given by the human who discovered the monster, and it is the same as the ancient God of Plague, Sephiroth."
The drunkard's voice interrupted Lu Fei's thoughts.
He instantly sobered up, realizing he might have been overthinking it and it was just a coincidence of names.
Lu Fei was somewhat curious, "Then why choose to conceal it? Since it's just a monster and not a deity from mythology, with so many strong individuals and advanced technology on the Beast Taming Continent, can't it be eliminated?"
"Eliminate?" The drunkard laughed inappropriately. "Humans can't even track its movements."
"We can only passively wait for the beast tide to erupt. The World Government then secretly issued a confidentiality order, instructing all local associations to capture the leader berserk contract beasts in order to research the secrets of Sephiroth."
"As for Sephiroth himself, after humans encountered it about a few decades ago, they have never met it again, as if it had evaporated into thin air."
Upon hearing this, Lu Fei couldn't help but gasp. He never imagined that he would encounter such an existence unintentionally, and his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
In a daze, Lu Fei recalled the words the snake-headed monster suddenly said to him.
It had asked him how he had restored its corrupted contract beast to its senses. So, the reason it found him then was because it sensed that [Parasite Beast] had recovered its senses from its berserk state?
But even now, Lu Fei didn't know why that [Parasite Beast] had suddenly woken up. He only remembered that unlike other berserk contract beasts, that [Parasite Beast] still possessed a trace of sentience.
Later, Lu Fei also asked Brother Ji, but Brother Ji was also unaware of the [Parasite Beast]'s recovery.
"Kid?"
"Kid?"
The drunkard called out several times, but Lu Fei didn't hear him.
"Huh?"
Lu Fei responded, snapping back to reality.
"What are you thinking about? Recalling it gives you chills? Scared?"
The drunkard looked at Lu Fei's sweaty forehead and teased.
Lu Fei smiled and said, "Handsome, do you think berserk contract beasts can regain their sanity?"
The drunkard laughed and shook his head repeatedly.
"That's impossible. I've captured a few berserk contract beasts. These guys have long lost their sanity. To put it bluntly, they are just empty shells."
Hearing this, Lu Fei's brow furrowed even deeper.
Lu Fei said seriously, word by word, "Handsome, I wasn't lying to you just now. This [Parasite Beast], which has turned into a dried corpse, was indeed in a berserk state when I encountered it. But for some reason, it has regained its sanity!"