The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

Ha ha.

Hehehehe.

I've heard that people laugh out loud when they're speechless. Now I believe it.

but……

For true gamers, this level of difficulty is nothing special.

Ex wiped his face. There was still time; he had to give it his all.

It's just a matter of simultaneously facing the risks of exposing the dead, the expiration of the resurrection status of the dead, and being hunted down by other assassins...

Having a lot of debt is not a burden.

So what if I die? Well, really die again.

So after the police finished taking his statement, took the body away, and politely said goodbye... only after there were no outsiders left did X have time to seriously study himself.

First, you must figure out exactly how you are living right now.

According to Angel's information—

[Special Ability 2: Soul Anchoring. Effect: Grants the contractor the "Resurrection of the Dead" status. This effect cannot be dispelled, but requires continuous consumption of "Living and Dead Energy" to maintain.]

Based on my own information—

[Status: The deceased has been revived. Time remaining: 17 hours and 15 minutes.]

Clearly, the so-called living-death energy sustains its remaining time.

Ex opened his mouth and asked, "Angel, what is living energy?"

"Huh? I... I'm not quite sure..."

So my resurrection was indeed a coincidence.

"Think about it again. I'm living on 'living energy' right now."

"I only have a tiny bit of the memories inherited from the fairy lineage..."

"Is that so? I knew it..."

"All I know is that some relics contain this kind of energy called 'living energy.' For example, the 'Tears of the Virgin Mary' exhibited at Windsor Castle last year, when all the roses in the exhibition hall bloomed out of season."

Ax sat up abruptly.

The energy of life and death, originating from sacred relics? Relics of saints? Or relics with legendary stories and experiences?

"In short, relics automatically collect and gather 'living energy' from the air, according to the inherited memories. 'Living energy' itself floats in the air, but relics accumulate it more easily."

Relics are usually hard to find, but now...

The list of exhibits for the World Expo immediately flashed through my mind—the medieval antiquities section in the East Wing of the Crystal Palace did indeed have three precious relics marked "certified by the Order of the Holy See".

But he immediately recalled a report in The Times last week: all the relic exhibits in the medieval museum had been fitted with silver barriers and were guarded by two Templar Knights 24 hours a day.

According to fragmented memories, the barrier is a type of fairy magic. And the Templar Knights are the true enforcers of the Royal Holy Order.

With a barrier in place and Templar Knights guarding it, it's clearly not a suitable target.

Ax immediately searched through the workshop and quickly found the guide map for this expo. He flipped to the back and saw the exhibit examples, and soon spotted a target.

In the British Pavilion's exhibition area, the exhibit is labeled "Special Exhibit from the Ethiopian Mission: A Replica of the Ark of the Covenant." The word "replica" is circled in red ink, and next to it in small print it says: Contains fragments of the True Cross brought back by missionaries in the 18th century.

Another item is the silver lamp in the Persian Pavilion, which is said to have been left by a saint.

These two are not well-known, and their authenticity is particularly uncertain, so they are not guarded by Templar Knights.

"Two targets." Ax folded the guide map into a paper airplane and threw it to Angel. "The 'Eternal Flame' silver lamp in the Persian Pavilion, and the fragments of the True Cross in the British Pavilion."

Angel caught the paper airplane, blinked, and then her blue eyes curved into crescents: "Master, do you want... both?"

AX smiled, revealing a hint of white teeth: "Just to be on the safe side."

"So what do we need to prepare?"

"All you need is a little understanding and cooperation. Also, a suitable set of clothes."

"clothing!?"

"Appropriate clothing for visiting the expo. Otherwise, others are very likely to notice something."

Even though I went there to steal things.

But that's precisely why... it's better to act like a tourist as much as possible. Ideally, not even as an Axe.

"If only there were a tool that could change one's appearance..."

But that's not difficult.

Angel suddenly grabbed his hand, her blue eyes sparkling: "Master, your magic! We can create one!"

Indeed, he was now a true alchemist, capable of creating anything.

Like... the Creator?

Ha, I'm overthinking it. The skill descriptions in the system already say it's not a panacea... Let's get the heartbeats sorted out first.

■

The new clothes obtained through equivalent exchange are somewhat comical.

Axe's dark gray tailcoat was stained with artificial coffee, and there was a small tear in the left cuff, making him look like a down-on-his-luck artist. Angel's maid outfit had been changed into a blue cloth skirt, her pointed ears were hidden with ribbons, and a white daisy was pinned in her hair—that too was a disguise prop conjured up through equivalent exchange.

In addition, there were the disguise props created—which were actually various cosmetics. But under Angel's control, the two people in the mirror really didn't show any trace of their original selves.

X felt that even if the parents of this body stood in front of him, they would not recognize X at all.

And X also completed all the basic physical characteristics. The cost was that a small portion of the workshop's assets disappeared.

But Ax felt it was worth it.

Right now, my heart is beating, my body has temperature, I have a pulse, and I can even sweat...

X added every function he could think of to himself, and for that he ate a lot of chocolate beans.

My own corpse is now indistinguishable from a real person!

Perhaps that's why Angel stared at him for most of the day.

"We're like father and daughter." Angel twirled around, her skirt kicking up fine dust, her blue eyes sparkling.

Ex frowned: "Like a master and servant."

Angel stuck out her tongue, not daring to refute.

When the door was opened, the fog outside the workshop had not completely dissipated.

X checked the remaining time of the Living Dead Energy again: 16 hours and 15 minutes. "Hold on tight," he whispered, leading Angel into the foggy alley.

The patrolman on the street corner was yawning. Axe deliberately let the watch chain slip out, revealing the naval insignia on it—a prop conjured through an exchange of equal value.

Since he's been transformed into a stranger through makeup, X needs to explain himself properly.

"From Yorkshire," Ax said in a broken Yorkshire accent. "I brought my daughter to see the fair."

The patrolman's gaze fell on Angel's blue cotton dress, then swept over Ax's "coffee-stained" tuxedo, and he didn't ask any more questions.

Soon, the fog completely dissipated, the sun appeared, and Axe and Angel arrived at the Crystal Palace in their carriage.

The glass curtain wall of the Crystal Palace is dazzlingly bright in the sunlight, and the curvature of the dome extends along the path of the sunlight. Each piece of glass is like a crushed star, refracting rainbow-colored light and mist.

Angel gripped Ax's wrist and stood on tiptoe, her eyes fixed on the Crystal Palace, her breath trembling. "Wow, look at that roof! Doesn't it look like it's made of colorful clouds?"

"Be careful not to fall," X whispered, but didn't let go of Angel's hand.

Angel ignored all of that. She pulled him towards the entrance: "Hurry! I just saw a huge dinosaur skeleton inside!"

Her voice was reflected back through the glass, and even the guards at the door couldn't help but laugh.

The ticket inspector at the entrance stared at Axe's face for three seconds—probably because his deathly pale face was too ashen. Angel coughed at the opportune moment and said in a timid London accent (probably a natural performance):

"My father... came from Yorkshire to visit, he wasn't feeling well, but he was really looking forward to the exhibition."

The ticket inspector immediately looked away and stamped a wax seal on the booklet ticket.

"Thank you, sir," Angel said sweetly, her pointed ears twitching beneath the ribbon.

X pulled her into the Crystal Palace, his heart—or rather, his magical heart—pounding wildly. It gave him a sense of being alive.