Chapter 1742: The Perfect Vessel

Li Laide swallowed nervously.

Even though he had witnessed this unbelievable ability last night, he still held a glimmer of hope. But when he saw the whole process clearly again during the day, the last shred of fantasy in his heart was shattered...

If the other party possessed such an ability, wouldn't it mean that no matter how he tried to escape, he couldn't?

Undoubtedly, this man in brown was terrifyingly strong.

But why would such a powerful existence... insist on making things difficult for him? Would he really care about the bounty offered by the authorities?

Li Laide had countless questions in his heart, but he had no other choice at the moment. He had to obediently sit down at the dining table, pick up a piece of bread, spread the butter evenly just like Chen Ling, and then eat it elegantly, bite by bite, like a true young noble gentleman.

He wasn't afraid of Chen Ling poisoning him; if Chen Ling really wanted to kill him, he would have died a thousand times last night.

The two of them silently ate everything on the table.

In fact, Chen Ling ate very little; the vast majority was eaten by Li Laide. He really seemed starved, his hands unable to stop. But even so, he stubbornly maintained his elegant demeanor, taking only small bites, and ensuring the butter was spread evenly.

When Li Laide finished the last piece of bread, Chen Ling's cold voice sounded:

"Go wash the dishes."

"?" Li Laide glared at Chen Ling. "I am not your servant!"

Chen Ling raised his eyes to look at him, and the next second, Li Laide's words were forcibly reversed and swallowed back.

"Servant a not am I—?"

Li Laide's eyes widened, his expression as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly.

"If you want to continue playing this boring game to pass the time, I can play with you all day," Chen Ling said calmly. "If you want to get something from me... for example, information, power, freedom, or..."

Chen Ling raised his hand casually, and several gold bars clattered onto the table, making Li Laide's eyes go straight.

"Then, go wash the dishes."

Li Laide's breathing grew heavy.

He wanted gold, but he didn't just want gold. He knew that relying on others' charity or gifts for a long time would only turn him into someone else's dog. So, while these gold bars were indeed attractive, what he found truly hard to refuse was power, freedom...

And, who exactly is this mysterious powerhouse before him?

Li Laide's dignity and his desires fought wildly in his mind. He was silent for a full ten seconds before standing up and walking into the kitchen with the plates, without saying a word...

The sound of running water came from within.

The corners of Chen Ling's mouth turned up slightly.

In fact, Chen Ling really had considered last night whether to just kill Li Laide... Chen Ling knew better than anyone what this absolute genius of the Path of the God of Thieves would grow into in the future.

He would become a nightmare for this world and a stumbling block for the Twilight Society. Snuffing him out in his youth seemed like a good way; in the second-to-last world simulation, Chen Ling had indeed done exactly that.

Without the Silver King, the Twilight Society's development went much more smoothly, and everything proceeded according to Chen Ling's plan... But the result was also obvious.

Conventional restarts, conventional endings; in the end, they still couldn't solve the Red Star.

Chen Ling wanted more than that.

Since Li Laide had the potential to contend with the Red Star, it would be a pity to snuff him out now... Chen Ling actually already had some ideas on how to solve the Red Star, but his ideas were too crazy. If they failed, it would easily doom the entire Earth, and there wouldn't even be a chance for a restart.

Since that was the case, Li Laide, a character who could play "hide and seek" with the Earth and the Red Star, was very important.

Rather than snuffing out a possibility in the cradle, it was better to try to guide Li Laide to become an asset to the Twilight Society and even all of humanity... Chen Ling knew this might be a bit crazy, but so what?

The Fifth Red King chose to bet the future of humanity on a world-ending disaster; wasn't that even crazier?

But Chen Ling knew that changing a person wasn't that easy. He needed to observe for a while; if that didn't work, he would have to use another extreme method.

While Chen Ling was thinking, Li Laide had already walked out of the kitchen with a dark face...

"Done washing," he said coldly.

"Very good."

Just as Li Laide looked at Chen Ling with anticipation, the latter lifted his chin and ruthlessly spat out a sentence:

"...Sweep the floor."

Li Laide: ???

……

Chengtian Domain, Taishi Bureau.

"...He actually repaired it?" An old man wearing flashy official robes looked at the Domain Train parts before him in surprise. Strands of white hair fell from his temples, covering a purple scar on his cheek.

"It is indeed surprising." Beside the old man, a young man walked out slowly.

It was a figure with Western features. Although he was also wearing official robes, there was always a strange sense of disharmony. His hands were covered in various gemstones, and his emerald eyes were fixed on the parts.

If Chen Ling were here, he would recognize this "acquaintance" at a glance...

It was none other than Brand, the former vice-president of the Witchcraft Association who later took over as president, a strategist for the Wuji Lord Lou Yu, and the one who personally refined several Philosopher's Stones.

Brand at this time was much younger than in Chen Ling's memory, but that coldness and cunning were already etched into his features.

"The Alchemy Association spent so much effort to create these Domain Train parts, yet he repaired them so quickly... Other followers of the Path of the God of Craft can do it, but the degree of completion is nowhere near this high..."

"Brand," the old man said coldly, "watch your words... There is no Alchemy Association anymore. We are the Taishi Bureau, established by imperial decree, the Emperor's personal guards."

"My oversight, Uncle... oh no, Lord Chong," Brand smiled and bowed to the old man.

"There is one more point you didn't fully grasp," Lord Chong said quietly. "Building a Domain Train requires the combined efforts of 'Craft' and 'Witchcraft'. The damaged parts on this component are not just the material foundation of the Path of the God of Craft, but also the alchemical creations of our Path of the God of Witchcraft. Usually, the Path of the God of Craft can only repair the material parts... but this Li Shangfeng was actually able to repair the broken metal creations as well..."

"I'm afraid the path he has stepped onto is... [Stitcher]."

"Stitcher?" Hearing these three words, Brand's eyes lit up instantly. "Is that the Stitcher who can create 'artificial humans'?"

"Correct... Besides repairing external objects, a [Stitcher] can also create human bodies. And the human bodies he creates are absolutely perfect works of craftsmanship, as well as the most perfect artificial soul vessels..." Lord Chong's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Which is... the Philosopher's Stone."