Chapter 719: Hesitation, Attempt, and Acceptance
Chapter 719: Hesitation, Attempt, and Acceptance
Buzz!
As Princess Veronica's ears turned red with embarrassment at Lyon's shameful declaration, an invisible roar began to rapidly spread within his mind.
With the milky white glow emanating from the badge panel, Lyon's consciousness felt as if it were being pulled out of his body by an invisible giant hand, then forcefully flattened and spread out, instantly covering the entire square, "linking" with nearly ten thousand souls.
This seemed to be just the beginning; the nearly ten thousand souls in the square and nearby areas appeared to become the "pillars" of a bridge, supporting Lyon's spread-out consciousness, rapidly extending further away.
In just a few breaths, Lyon's consciousness expanded a thousandfold, almost enveloping the entire capital city. He could even vaguely "link" to the Virgin Bureau in the administrative district, where he saw the red-haired Director staring intently at a crystal ball.
So... even the Virgin Bureau, which was affiliated with the Police Department, was considered part of Princess Veronica's "assets"?
Before Lyon could take a closer look, the souls of nearly ten million residents of the capital city linked into his consciousness, like scattered stars in the Milky Way, becoming the second batch of pillars that supported his consciousness as it continued to spread further.
Mountains, rivers, railways, waterways...
Whether it was living beings or inanimate objects, population or mineral resources, everything that could be defined as an "asset" was connected to Lyon's consciousness through the invisible milky white radiance, releasing a signal that could be "summoned."
As Lyon sensed his "field of vision" continuing to expand and the objects in his consciousness almost at his beck and call, his soul even had a strange illusion.
At this moment, he felt like a "god," not the kind that the red-haired Director could easily eliminate, but a true master of everything.
If he wished, he could, with a wave of his hand, excavate an entire unmined mountain, alter river courses with his will, or even empty the large lake east of the capital city and move it into the sky above, causing a catastrophe that would...
Damn it, why am I having such a terrible thought?
Realizing that his state seemed off and even the tiny blood vessels in his nasal cavity were bursting under the mysterious pressure, releasing a substantial amount of warm, rusty-smelling liquid, Lyon quickly released his arm from around the Queen's waist, forcibly interrupting the effect of 【Man Behind the Queen】.
As he gave up, the effect of the Soft Rice Badge ceased, and Lyon's consciousness, which had been spread out, instantly withdrew from the vast world and reluctantly returned to his mind.
Too dangerous!
After a few rapid breaths, Lyon reflected on the wonderful feeling of controlling everything and felt not only a lack of eagerness to try again but also a sense of resistance.
As his consciousness was pulled out and began to spread, his thoughts and even his "self" were diluted, and his self-control rapidly declined.
Moreover, the more dangerous aspect was that as he "linked" with more and more living beings, his consciousness, like using an anomaly artifact, also underwent some degree of contamination.
Although no one, including the Director, was consciously influencing him, even the random thoughts that surfaced unconsciously, when multiplied by several million, significantly affected his thoughts.
So, while this badge was extraordinarily powerful, using it also carried significant risks. If he wasn't careful, he might genuinely lose himself and become completely immersed in the feeling of controlling everything.
With his current soul strength, Lyon felt that summoning half the capital city was already his limit. To summon an entire kingdom without losing himself, he would probably have to transcend the boundary between mortals and gods...
No! Even becoming a true god might not be enough!
"Lyon?"
Noticing Lyon's sudden stiffness and his rapid breathing, Princess Veronica blushed for a moment. But sensing something was wrong, she turned around and was startled by Lyon's expression.
"Why are you bleeding from your nose? And you look so pale!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine..."
Taking the handkerchief she frantically handed him, Lyon wiped the blood from his nose and weakly waved his hand, feeling a splitting headache. "I just tested that thing. It was my first time using it, and I didn't control the intensity well. I received too much information, and my brain... um... overloaded. It won't happen again."
"Phew... good that you're okay..."
Seeing Lyon's complexion gradually improving, Queen Veronica heaved a sigh of relief. She quickly moved away from him and asked with concern, "Lyon, are you sure you're alright? Do you want to see a doctor?"
"I'm fine. I know my condition. It's just a bit like overthinking. A rest and a good night's sleep will do the trick. We shouldn't interrupt the parade; you can continue."
"Alright then..."
Seeing Lyon insist he was fine, Queen Veronica didn't persuade him further. She only instructed him to inform her immediately if he felt unwell and urged the carriage driver to speed up the rest of the journey.
Lyon, whose mind was dizzy from the scattered and complex thoughts of the millions of residents in the capital, obediently stopped his greetings and closed his eyes, leaning back against the carriage seat. He checked his status.
His recovery was swift, and his body was fine, but his head ached, and his nose was bleeding. It didn't even need treatment; it would heal on its own soon."
However, his soul had suffered a severe impact, as if tens of thousands of different voices were arguing inside his mind, stirring up his soul. He estimated that it would take three to five days to calm down, hoping it wouldn't cause any delays...
Wait a minute!
While checking his soul's status, Lyon noticed something amiss. He quickly opened the badge panel and searched, finally finding several prompts he had overlooked.
【Warning: Current soul load is too high. Please deactivate the badge immediately.】
【Warning: To prevent irreversible damage, the badge effect will be forcibly deactivated when consciousness becomes chaotic.】
【Heterochromatic Badge "Man Behind the Queen (Milk White)" has been deactivated. Soul load is decreasing, and normal levels are expected to resume in 5 seconds.】
【Your soul has adapted to the excessive load and has slightly expanded.】
【Your Contamination Value has increased.】
【Current Contamination Value: 35.7】
Thirty-five point seven? Is that considered a slight increase? Lyon's eyes widened in shock as he saw his Contamination Value surge by more than 10 points. A surge of euphoria filled his heart.
Previously, his Contamination Value was only 20.5. Although increasing it by 20 points in three and a half months was an astonishing pace, it still placed him in the middle range of Level Two Cleaners.
But now, with a Contamination Value of 35.7, he had surpassed the 30-point threshold and successfully entered the realm of Level One Cleaners. From now on, when facing the Slaughter King Guild, he wouldn't have to endure...
Oh, but they all start at 60 points. Never mind then.
Remembering his formidable opponents, Lyon's smile faded slightly. However, as he looked at the "Soft Rice" badge in the panel, his eyes gleamed with appreciation.
Just one "overload" had directly increased his Contamination Value by 10 points! This speed was incredible.
Moreover, he possessed several scattered abilities, and there was no threshold for using them until he reached 60 points of Contamination. As long as his soul and body could handle the load, he could devour multiple Soft Rice badges and ascend quickly!
Even though his soul might suffer from overload and require recovery time, making consecutive use unlikely, and subsequent effects might not be as potent, this was still the fastest method he had found to increase his Contamination Value! Compared to the rapid rise in Contamination, what did it matter if he suffered a few social embarrassments?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
