Brain bloom

“Even if it’s just a leaf, it’s absolutely unacceptable.” Melia’s attitude was firm, but she was also curious, “However, why is it okay if the leaf is taken away?”

Dandelion remained mysterious, not revealing anything. Since Melia didn't know anything about the Four Seasons' Branches and Leaves, this became her advantage. She didn't intend to poison Melia, because that might upset Sen Shi. She simply wanted to use her as a trump card.

Mori continued with the question that had been interrupted.

"I have a question. Aren't the creatures that are swallowed by the Evil Mist already dead? Can they still talk after they're dead?"

"They are all walking corpses, incapable of speaking, and their souls will be obliterated."

"...Then why can the thing that just plucked my leaf talk?"

The atmosphere turned cold, and everyone stared at her in astonishment.

Perhaps the whole situation didn't unfold quite as they had predicted...

Just as the three were about to ask more questions, something unusual interrupted them. A change that needed no words to prove began to unfold on the deck. Something seemed to have appeared in the air—a leaden-black mist, wisps of it intertwining, as if the Night Market was piercing through a rain-soaked cloud.

Mori knew, of course, that this was not car exhaust, but the true form of the Evil Mist.

It was similar to those clumps that were attacking from afar and being swept away by Daniel's dragon breath.

The ominous mist was no longer concealed, causing panic to erupt throughout the ship. Even those who lived peacefully in Silvermoon City knew that the ominous mist would devour everyone it encountered.

People abandoned flour, disregarding their missing body parts, and surged forward like a tide, all to find refuge in the ship's cabins. Lord Balzac had no choice but to maintain order while remaining vigilant against the ominous fog.

Yuan found it strange that the Evil Mist had suddenly lost its intangible nature. She looked at Sen Shi.

"Maybe it's because I added some salt to the leaves and gave them to them along with the leaves," Mori explained casually. As for whether it was the poison or the salt that had an effect, that was anyone's guess.

Immediately afterwards, fluctuations of spatial magic emanated from the ominous mist. Severed limbs, severed hands, facial features, and other body parts fell to the ground in a soft, continuous drizzle.

Then, a portal suddenly opened—

This completely skipped the normal and complicated door-opening steps, forcing the person out directly. Mori was pleased with his cleverness, tossing his long sky-blue hair.

"The body collector's true form is about to emerge, be careful!" (This is a quote from a player, likely a player who reacts quickly.)

"Even though it was swallowed by the Evil Mist... what's there to be careful about? It's just a corpse collector." Melia gently flicked Yuan's cheek—"Don't waste your life force on such a pointless thing."

Mori kept his eyes fixed on the other person, because the ambiguous name field, which had been appearing and disappearing for so long, finally appeared.

[Level 95 - The Invisible Corpse Collector]

The corpse collector's true form is a monster that has been hiding in another dimension. Although it is called a monster... its true form is actually similar to a human, because it has been collecting parts of human bodies to build its own body.

In fact, it is a monster that imitates human appearance and has an extreme pursuit of "beauty".

Therefore, what crawled out of the portal was a woman's body so beautiful that it instantly aroused Mori's phantom limbs, completely uncovered. It was the ultimate beauty, the supreme human form achieved by piecing together all the beautiful parts of the world.

Sen was shocked and ashamed. Before he could imprint every detail in his mind, dandelions covered his eyes: "Don't look."

"...This is the art of the human body!"

"It's a monster."

"Tsk! Then you're not allowed to look either..." Mori said unhappily, his hand still flailing in the air, trying to cover her eyes as well.

"I'm only interested in you, not monsters, don't worry." Although Dandelion said this, her mouth was actually agape. "How many years did it take to collect all these materials to make this body so perfect?"

Melia scoffed, arms crossed, looking down at me condescendingly: "A mere body with no substance, you're far inferior to me."

Beside her, Yuan's interest was also low. As the adopted daughter of the ancient Demon King, she was already used to directly observing souls, but the souls of the corpse collectors were not attractive.

"He was seriously injured and corroded by a deadly poison, but he's still alive and hasn't been completely swallowed by the Evil Mist... Speaking of which, am I the only one who cares about these serious matters?"

"It's just not worth paying attention to." Melia put away her giant axe with a bored expression, because there was no need for the weapon to be used. She simply pointed her fingertips at the corpse collector and said, "Come and pay your debt. Interfering with my business will have a high price to pay."

"Please... help me." Strangely, the person who collected the corpse cried out for help.

Volume 1, Chapter 150 - Second Update

"Help you?"

“I…don’t want to become a slave to the Evil Mist.” The corpse collector looked up and pleaded, “I was being chased and bitten by the Evil Mist, and this ship I encountered during my escape…I just wanted to gather some power so that I could fight against the Evil Mist and then leave.”

Dandelion looked at the unclaimed parts on the deck, but wasn't particularly angry. Everything in this world harms others in order to survive, even the corpse collector is no exception. Perhaps its purpose is to pursue beauty, but the prerequisite is to survive.

Mori asked, dissatisfied, "Then why did you pick my leaves? The leaves of the Four Seasons don't match yours at all."

"...Because it was the first time I'd seen this kind of decoration, I wanted it too."

"Hehehe, you're asking for it. It's not just an ornament."

However, the corpse collector appeared extremely pained and weak. The surrounding ominous mist merely lingered around it, not surging forward to devour it all at once; perhaps the salt from before had taken effect. Sen Shi thought for a moment and then sent Fu Fu to disperse the ominous mist around it.

Fearing the pure salt, the ominous mist could only linger around, waiting for its chance.

In the darkness of the night, the corpse collector's skin had a strange texture. It was entirely white, yet devoid of any color. It wasn't the pale white of bloodied flesh, but rather a faint blackish tinge.

This was caused by the evil mist flowing through her body. She may be in great pain, but that doesn't change the fact that the corpse collector is a bad thing.

Therefore, Mori Toki spoke first, stating his position—

"Even if these three vicious demons beside me... the Queen of the Banshees, the successor of the ancient demon king, and the princess of the Four Seasons, spare you because you are also evil, I will not let you go."

"I'm not the heir, Mori Toki."

"Just call me Little Melia, or..."

"...Mori Toki! We, the Four Seasons, are a race blessed by nature, glorious, kind, friendly, hospitable, environmentally conscious, and peace-loving. Don't you feel ashamed to include me among us?"

Mori ignored his princess's lies and decided to personally demonstrate the evil of the Four Seasons.

She looked at the struggling, beautiful body and said viciously, "Give me your sheet music, or I'll take it myself."

That's exactly what Moritoki wants; every corpse collector has their own story. They'll specially compose melodies as a method for activating spatial magic. This is also a rare and dreamlike material, and Moritoki has already decided to use it together with the Trillion Star Chart.

"If I give it to you, will you help me?" the corpse collector asked, looking up.

"Help me? I'll kill you."

"Really? That's wonderful... Please evaporate my body and soul into ashes without leaving a trace."

Having said that, the corpse collector showed a hint of relief. She raised her hand again, straining to summon a narrow, alternate dimension, from which she retrieved a small box. Reluctantly, but still, she used all her strength to toss it towards Mori. From beginning to end, her movements were exquisitely elegant, a true embodiment of feminine beauty.

"Let me be free."

The person who collected the corpse silently awaited death to end the suffering, giving up the struggle.

It was accidentally entangled by the ominous mist, and before being completely swallowed up, it struggled and tried to escape.

Along the way, it encountered a ship sailing in the air, carrying many vibrant humans. This gave it a glimmer of hope—perhaps it could recreate a physical body to survive... and escape from the clutches of the Evil Mist.

But out of curiosity, before leaving, she picked the highly poisonous leaf mixed with pure salt... This poison was even more painful than being devoured by the Evil Mist; just touching the body was enough to seep into the soul.

Death is inevitable, and it accepts it calmly—but death comes in different kinds, and it does not wish to become a slave to the ominous fog.

That was an extremely ugly way to die.

As Mori accepted the box, he silently told himself that it was the memento of this beautiful lady.

"Do you need my help?" Melia asked gently.

"I can do it."

With a touch of respect, Mori forgave her for stealing the leaves and decided to attend her funeral.

She took out her staff and set in an exquisitely polished ruby.

A melodious voice soared from her lips, disappearing into the interplay of starlight and murky mist—it was the chanting of a magical incantation, a farewell farewell.

"Close your eyes and begin to relax.

(Close your eyes and relax)

You will enter a safe place where nothing can harm you.

(You are going to a safe place where nothing can hurt you.)

Spiritual energy surged through her staff, and the ominous mist seemed to tremble in fear, recognizing this as magic of considerable power. Consequently, the ominous mist that permeated the entire ship began to shift, no longer attempting to devour the corpse-scavengers, but instead displaying fear.

An untimely bird call rang out.

A delicate bird formed from flames gently landed on Mori's shoulder.

Its color is as bright as the sun, and every time it opens its pointed mouth and "chirps," it exhales a cute and delicate flame-like breath.

Before the first bird's song had faded, more and more birds appeared. If this weren't a battlefield at night, and there were no troublesome enemies lurking around, even if these birds were formed from flames, one could still feel as if they were in a forest.

As a hundred fiery birds circled around Sen, everyone else, looking uneasy, retreated to a distance.

"Go..."

Sen Shi waved his hand, and the staff gently fell.

The ruby, imbued with the power of fire, shot towards the corpse collector who waited with his eyes closed. The birds, reluctant to leave, obeyed the command and flew away from the forest, forming a dazzling circle of fire around the corpse collector, as bright as day.

This is the light from the pure fire.

“Qi Ming,” Sen Shi said softly.

In an instant, a hundred fiery birds cried out in unison, their voices melodious and clear, yet they were the sounds of a funeral procession. The corpse collector's pain gradually subsided, as if his soul was surrounded by the fragrance of the forest, and then, succumbing to a peaceful dream, he sank into it.

The birdsong subsided, the flames dissipated—the exquisitely beautiful female body, like a beautiful dream, departed in a splendid manner befitting its existence.

The light on Senshi's staff dimmed, and all the birds flew away. She knew she had solved a troublesome problem.

"Are you tired?" Dandelion was the first to walk over and wipe a few drops of sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her robe.

"It's alright, it's alright."

For the first time, Mori used advanced magic against a living enemy, and he was deeply shaken. It was a feeling of dominating the elements of the world, a sense of power as if he could do anything. Powerful mages certainly had the right to feel superior.

This is much more refreshing than just casually making an ice arrow to cool off.

She reached into her bag, took out a bottle of liquor, and casually bit off the cork. But before she could even take a sip, a golden object appeared before her eyes, along with the smell of a stimulant.

Melia handed it to him with both hands, glancing at the bottle in Senshi's hand from time to time: "How bold of you to use a bottle to hold blue potion, and you're drinking mine."

"...Your father taught you the term 'blue medicine,' didn't he?" As soon as Sen Shi said it, he realized he had inadvertently admitted it again.

Volume 1, Chapter 151 (Third Update)

"Of course, that's what my dad taught me."