On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

As for optimization

Since the nun from the original dream hadn't been used much, Liao Ji immediately tried it out first, naturally using himself as the subject.

Chapter 173 This good thing is gone, all gone!

As a beam of holy light shone down, three branching dialogue boxes appeared in front of Liao Ji.

[Optimization 1: Strength +30%]

[Optimization 2: Each attack converts 20% of the damage dealt into holy damage, which cannot be dodged or reduced.]

[Optimization 3: Equipment slots increased by 1]

Liao Ji quickly understood that the optimized terms were random each time, and he would choose one from them. Of the three in front of him, Liao Ji did not hesitate and would definitely choose optimization three.

With his original abilities, he could only equip one "Calamity" level Turbid Touch equipment, or two "Disaster" level equipment. But now, after optimizing himself, Liao Ji immediately went back to the house to find the Dragon Girl. When he returned, in addition to the Holy Armor on his chest, there was also a pair of burning red wings on his back.

Compared to before, the size of these wings is quite different. Back then, the Dragon Girl's wings were over ten meters long, and when she flew in the sky, the shadows cast by the sunlight could cover a large area, truly blotting out the sun. Now, they are only one or two meters long, which can be described as a miniature version.

After equipping the Crimson Lotus Wings, Liao Ji realized he seemed capable of equipping another one, so he decisively called Ah Xue over and used the Touch of Turbid Calamity on the catgirl as well.

The seemingly delicate catgirl actually transformed into a large, emerald-green cleaver. The attribute bonuses were negligible since she already possessed the Holy Armor and Crimson Wings. However, it aligned with the Shaman class's Natural Power effect, restoring a certain amount of health and mana after each attack, which was quite helpful to Liao Ji.

Standing beside her, Irene looked at Liao Ji, who was wielding a large emerald green sword, wearing holy armor, and with fiery red wings on his back, and felt very envious and jealous. Not jealous of Liao Ji himself, but jealous of the equipment he was wearing.

Of the five contractors around Liao Ji, only she is left who hasn't "attached" to the vehicle and hasn't "got on board" yet.

Despite her sour feelings, Yilin understood that it wasn't because Liao Ji was neglecting her, but simply because she bore the responsibility of being a "detector."

On the other side, Liao Ji, fully armed with three Turbid Touch equipment, still felt unstable, but this was the limit he could reach.

Without further hesitation, he put on the Dream Terminal 86 again. The Dream Terminal is a product of the Turbid Touch, which is a "prop" and does not have the same burden as equipment for Liao Jiyuan, so it can be used simultaneously.

It's also very simple to reconnect to the Black Elf through the Dream. Liao Ji just needs to tell 86 to switch from "monitoring mode" back to "energy saving mode", which is equivalent to actively turning off the firewall.

Upon activating the terminal, Liao Ji was immediately enveloped in a deep, dreamlike state.

Liao Ji thought he would first encounter the fake maid named "Kong Kai" in his dream, but who would have thought that when Liao Ji opened his eyes again, he was already in the familiar turbid space shrouded in darkness, as if a brownish-red aura was flowing everywhere.

And equally familiar

There was also the only other person in this space besides him.

However, unlike before when it was clearly premeditated and well-prepared, the dark-skinned elf hovered high above the turbid space, sitting on the cross with his legs crossed and looking down at her with a playful gaze as if he were watching his prey.

When Liao Ji found the black-skinned elf in the Turbid Space, the elf was lying on the cross like an octopus, snoring loudly, as if it were using the cross as a bed and was sleeping.

The sleeping posture of the elf part is quite ungraceful. One hand hangs down from the side of the cross, while the other hand is pressed under the head. The lower body has two smooth, brown legs that are half-bent, and one of them is raised from time to time to scratch the tentacles on its back as if it were an itch.

The reason for the scratching is that its unseemly sleeping posture seems to have been inherited by its tentacles. Several tentacles are now twisted together, forming a knot like a pretzel, making people sigh that even octopuses can sleep well or have ADHD.

All of the above were just things Liao Ji quickly glanced at.

The next moment, facing the dark-skinned elf who seemed oblivious to him and was still sleeping and resting, Liao Ji didn't say a word. He swung the Crimson Lotus Wings on his back at high speed, raised the emerald green cleaver in his hand, and charged forward, slashing at the opponent's vitals.

Bang!

After a muffled thud, Liao Ji was forced to distance himself from the black-skinned elf again. A strong recoil force came from the blade in his hand. Just as he approached the elf to within ten meters, the tentacle on the elf's back reacted. The thickest one lashed out and collided with his blade.

Liao Ji shook his head regretfully after failing to launch a sneak attack. At this moment, he understood why the dark-skinned elf was sleeping lying down; those tentacles on its back were the best warning system.

Although his sneak attack was hasty, the opponent was only passively defending against it without realizing it, yet he was still able to block it and even forced him back a bit. This showed that the dark-skinned elf's strength was even more exaggerated than he had imagined.

Next

It looks like it's going to be a tough battle.

While Liao Ji was still sighing to himself, the dark-skinned elf also woke up.

A dangerous signal from the tentacles, indicating an impending attack, startled Polica awake. She quickly scrambled up from the cross and was initially delighted to see Liao Ji's figure opposite her. However, upon seeing the emerald green cleaver in Liao Ji's hand and the cuts on her own tentacles, Polica immediately realized what was happening and flew into a rage.

Despicable scoundrel!

They actually attacked her while she was sleeping!?

Damn!

Polica never expected that the Ash Emperor would behave in such an uncivilized manner, and she was even more furious that he hadn't told her sooner.

If she had said so earlier, she wouldn't have gotten up now, and she would have restrained herself from defending against the tentacles!

What happened? She was injured by Ash's sneak attack while she was sleeping because of carelessness. She could only watch with resentment and unwillingness as her enemy, who was far weaker than her, used despicable means to humiliate her while she was unable to move. All that good fortune was gone!

It's hard to describe how angry Polica is right now. If I had to describe it, it would probably be like the feeling when "This resource has been deleted" appears on the screen.

Polica, leaping from the cross, gritted her teeth and said to the young man opposite her, "Ash, you... have disappointed me greatly!"

Liao Ji shrugged at this.

He naturally assumed that the dark-skinned elf was referring to the sneak attack, while Liao Ji felt no qualms about it. On the contrary, seeing the enemy sleeping soundly in front of him, he thought it would be foolish not to launch a sneak attack.

"But... Ah, Ashes, I was right back then, wasn't I? You will definitely come back, you will obediently and voluntarily come here to see me again."

Polica quickly changed the subject, her arms crossed as the dark-skinned elf haughtily raised her head, a mocking smile playing on her lips as she looked at Liao Ji, as if she had him completely under her control, giving off a vibe of "running away from home? He'll have to obediently come back to me later."

Liao Ji: "I have a small question."

"Problem? Ash, don't you understand the situation? You're the one who came to me with these demands! You should know that if you miss the first time, the second time you try, well, the price you'll have to pay will be much higher."

Before Polica could finish her triumphant speech, Liao Ji shook his head and interrupted her.

The young man then pointed to the crucifix where Polika had just been lying and asked:

"No, what I mean is, you haven't been waiting here for me since yesterday, have you?"

Chapter 174 Go to hell, kill me!

After Liao Ji spoke, Polika paused. She instinctively wanted to refute him, but the soreness all over her body, especially her neck, which felt painful even with the slightest twist, clearly indicated that she had a stiff neck, leaving her speechless.

There was nothing she could do; the cross was like a rock, cold and hard. After lying on it all night, she was still doing alright. This made Polika miss her soft body in the nest before, when she was so delicate.

Polica initially thought Ash would return soon, but after waiting for an hour and two hours, she began to hesitate. She considered leaving temporarily, but then she thought that if she left, the previous two hours would have been wasted. So Polica persisted for another four or five hours, but Ash still did not return.

Maintaining the Turbid Space also consumes energy. Exhausted, she wanted to leave, but then she thought again that so many hours had passed, and the probability of Ash returning should be getting higher and higher. Who knows, he might be back in the next second? If she left now, what if Ash returned just in time? Wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?

So, after countless "next seconds," Polika waited and waited, and unknowingly fell asleep on the cross. When she woke up again, this was the scene before her.

But it's okay.

Polica quickly cheered up again, and in response to Liao Ji's question, she countered with her own attack:

"Heh, Ashes, you didn't have a good night either, did you? It's because you realized you couldn't solve that nun's problem on your own that you've come back to me now, seeking the truth and the answers, right?"

She was indeed suffering and losing face waiting here in the Turbid Space, but everything has to be compared. Polica could imagine how Ash was chased all the way by that corrupted nun last night, and she felt that what she was going through was nothing, and was actually quite worthwhile.

As expected, after she spoke, the young man opposite her showed an indescribable expression on his face, as if even his legs trembled with fear. Polica could tell just how terrifying the battle Ash had faced last night.

In contrast, she had only spent one night sleeping on a cold, hard cross in the dark and lonely turbid space. In this round of competition, she had clearly won big.

"Okay, if you want to chat, I can make time for you next time. But I remember you said before that if I beat you, you would give me everything I want, right?"

“I would never be as despicable as you humans, lying and lying. I, Polika, always keep my word.”

Liao Ji frowned: "Polika?"

Seeing that Ash had indeed noticed, the dark-skinned elf revealed a hint of smugness and joy on his face, and said:

"This is your reward for daring to challenge me. Feel honored, Ash. You are the first person to know my new name."

"I see."

Liao Ji nodded as if he understood. The biggest manifestation of individual consciousness is the name. The dark-skinned elf opposite him no longer borrowed the name Anno, but started to give himself a name, which surprised Liao Ji quite a bit.

Regarding the dark-skinned elf, Liao Ji had also asked the succubus, and Lena's answer was simple: although she didn't know the elf's origins, she was certain that it wasn't the dark-skinned elf that devoured Anno, but rather that Anno did it intentionally. In other words...

This is part of the Elf Project.

As a "guardian", Anno wanted to protect his former contractors and couldn't bear to see them perish over time, which is why Blackpolika was born.

Looking at the subsequent Old Alliance, although the nature of it changed, the original goal was indeed achieved. Bar is only alive now because of Polica's power.

Liao Ji was actually skeptical of this explanation, feeling that Lena was still hiding something from him, and that Anno's plan was probably much more than that.

Unlike characters like Styutia, Zero, and Jiuyou, who have no background and were either adopted or bought, Lena and Anno, who joined later, are different. One is a princess of the succubus clan, and the other is a knight with noble elven royal blood.

That's why they would definitely have more ideas than the other three, which was something Liao Ji had anticipated. Since the two of them chose to hide some things from him, there must be some reason, so Liao Ji didn't pursue it too much. Or rather, he could find out the truth step by step on his own.

His thoughts drifted a little, and Liao Ji took a deep breath. His first step was to subdue Polika in front of him and extract the Tear of the Elf.

Liao Ji now fully re-equipped himself with several pieces of "Touch of Turbidity" equipment that he had prepared in reality.

The burning flames instantly illuminated this dark and turbid space, and waves of scorching heat emanated from the fiery red wings behind them.

Immediately following, the Holy Armor of Healing covered Liao Ji's body, and the sacred radiance was like a series of blessings bathing the youth, transforming him into an indestructible and powerful warrior.

Finally, the emerald green blade in his hand, though not as powerful as the previous two, seemed to merge with the youth, its sharpness unstoppable. The rich natural power unexpectedly resonated with the Healing Armor, specifically designed to suppress all evil forces.

Liao Ji's lavish display and the sudden, immense increase in power and aura truly startled Polika, almost causing her to flee again, as she had barely emerged from the shadow of the ashes.

However, after discovering that Ash was merely borrowing someone else's power and had not truly regained his original strength, Polika breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, she comforted herself, thinking that this was just a virtual space, so what if the Emperor really returned?

On the contrary, it is more like

That's right.

That's right!

This is the battle she has been waiting for, the battle between her and the Ashes that she has been anticipating for so long!

From Liao Ji's perspective, after he appeared in this enhanced set, the dark-skinned elf was not panicked at all; instead, he showed an even more pleasant, even enjoyable, expression on his face.

Liao Ji actually felt this way to some extent as well. After all, it was hard not to look forward to a thrilling battle between old rivals from five hundred years ago, if we set aside the issue of their positions.

After all, they were once among the world's top players, and perhaps for Polika, she was the only one who could truly be her equal.

With Liao Ji's side making their move, Polica also adopted her strongest stance.

The murky mist began to surge wildly beneath the dark-skinned elf's feet, blowing her gray hair wildly. The tentacles on her back danced incessantly, forming a terrifying shadow as large as a small mountain. Each tentacle seemed like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows, ready to strike her vital points at any moment.

Polica's aura exploded several levels like a rocket, her fiery eyes reaching straight to Liao Ji. Liao Ji could feel the surging fighting spirit within her, that eager desire to fight him.

Liao Ji was also infected for a moment, and even felt a sense of mutual respect. A strong fighting spirit surged from his eyes. This should be considered his strongest enemy so far, and it was a test for him to fight alone.