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

Dr. Loka then extended his other hand to Irene's feet and looked at the girl with a pleading gaze.

Irene did indeed lift her foot again.

But this time, the target wasn't her hand, but the gray-coated man's head. The disgusted girl now understood that any extra action was a "reward" to this kind of mentally deranged pervert.

Seeing that the irritable Irene was about to kick Roca in the head, Liao Ji, who was behind her, quickly stepped forward and stopped the girl.

"Creator! Creator!!" The young man in the gray coat was so overwhelmed with joy that he almost fainted. He shouted it out with all his might, trying to express his worship for Liao Ji.

After all, if Irene's existence was a flawless and exquisite work of art to Dr. Loka, then Liao Ji's image in Loka's mind was that of a sculptor, the creator of this work of art he had always dreamed of.

Loka was obsessed with the girl; he longed to touch and appreciate the artwork.

But for the youth, she was a supreme being, someone he needed to look up to and revere. She was the goddess who created him, the creator above all gods!

"shush"

Liao Ji squatted down and pointed to his mouth, signaling Dr. Loca, who was lying on the ground, to calm down and not be in such a hurry.

The man immediately nodded vigorously and shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

After all, this was an order from the Creator.

No, it should be said that it was his honor to receive the command of the Creator.

"Tell me, was any nun brought here around noon or this afternoon?"

"Yes! Yes! She was one of the few I personally participated in the experiment with over the past few months who could withstand the high concentration of the turbidity reagent and remain conscious! It's incredible. The turbidity pollution in her body was clearly far beyond the standard, yet she was able to persist for six years. I suspect it's related to her nun's blessing. The higher one's devotion to the goddess, the more one can gain an ability to resist turbidity from the unseen realm. She also..."

When asked about Liao Ji's question, Dr. Loka acted like a student answering a teacher's question, racking his brains to report everything related to the topic to Liao Ji.

Unbeknownst to them, the girl beside her, Irene's expression had changed several times, especially when she was first told she was being used as a test subject; her heart almost broke, but thankfully...

"Okay, answer my next question: Is she still alive? Where have you put her?"

"Alive!"

Dr. Loca's first sentence relieved Irene, but his second sentence immediately made her feel suffocated.

"At least she was still alive when we handed her over to the church!"

teach.church

Irene froze at the word, but Liao Ji wasn't too surprised. He nodded and continued to ask:

"Tell me about the church. How did they collude with Kaleva? What other secrets do you have between you?"

"Back then, the Church unearthed two 'Emperor Relics' from the [Ruins Cave]. The priest gave one of them to us, Kaleva, asking us to use the Crimson Star to continuously provide him with experimental materials so that he could research the other, more advanced and powerful 'Emperor Relic'."

"So, you mean that your factory is actually just one link in the production chain? You process ordinary people first, select those with the potential to become Evil Beings, and then send them to the church as advanced experimental subjects for more advanced experiments?"

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty the Creator!"

"I see, I understand now." Liao Ji nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the next question is the last one."

"No! No, no, no! To the Creator, I am willing to answer any number of questions! I will do everything in my power for you! It is my honor, it is my destiny!!"

Upon hearing that Liao Ji was about to end the questioning, Dr. Loka became anxious and his emotions began to surge again until Liao Ji gave him a quiet gesture.

"Tell me, what is the 'relic' that the priest in the church has?"

"I'm so sorry! Damn it! I deserve to die! Creator... I... I don't know the specifics either. They keep this a closely guarded secret. I only managed to glean a little information after making numerous inquiries. I only know the appearance of that 'relic'... it seems to be..."

“A ‘relic of the Emperor’ that resembles a heraldry or clan crest!” Dr. Loca’s eyes lit up with reminiscence.

Liao Ji could tell from the description of the appearance.

So it was a brand.

【Marks】are part of the Evil One development system in the game, belonging to the major branch of "Equipment". However, unlike ordinary external equipment such as swords and spears, marks are equipment installed "internal". They can provide Evil Ones with various buffs and special effects. In the context of Xianxia-themed games, they are probably similar to internal martial arts techniques.

The attention to detail in *The Fall* is remarkable, resulting in distinct forms of "brands" for different races. Humans are branded like emblems, as Dr. Loka just mentioned, while machine races have chips, elves have runes, and orcs have totems.

The question is whether the "brand" the church unearthed is a "set" or "individual pieces." If it's "individual pieces," then which part (top, middle, or bottom) is it, and what are its effects?

Since Dr. Loka can't even understand the most basic [Evil Source Matter], Liao Ji doesn't expect him to be able to answer his questions.

Having obtained what he wanted to know, Liao Ji stood up.

At this moment, Dr. Loka saw that Liao Ji was about to leave, and hurriedly crawled over on all fours to try to catch up. He pleaded with Liao Ji:

"Are you leaving? Please, take me with you! Let me stay by your side, let me serve you! I... I can be your assistant, I'm willing to do anything for you! I only beg the Creator to allow me to learn from you, even if... even just for a year... a month... no, no, even a week!!"

Loca's ability to become the chief doctor of Kaleva and develop the [Turbidity Reagent], a technology that is quite advanced for a world five hundred years later, naturally demonstrates his formidable strength.

We cannot deny his potential just because of his current humble attitude.

With Loca's addition, at the very least, taking control of Kaleva would be a breeze, which would indirectly be equivalent to controlling most of the Black Hole settlement.

Behind the young man, Irene hesitated several times before speaking to Liao Ji, but ultimately said nothing, pursing her lips and looking down at the ground.

After all, she had no right to interfere with Liao Ji's decision.

In this regard.

Liao Ji did not refuse Roca. Instead, he seemed to think for a moment before opening his palm to the mad scientist.

That doesn't mean we're going to pull this PhD up.

But

A spiraling vortex of red mist rapidly rose from Liao Ji's palm. The mist spun faster and faster, then condensed more and more, until finally, in the blink of an eye, it completely transformed from a "gaseous" state to a "solid" state.

Under Dr. Loca's stunned expression, a brand-new dark red crystal appeared out of nothing and floated in Liao Ji's palm.

[Small Turbid Crystal]

Yes, after Irene finished cleaning up the Kaleva factory, the huge amount of experience points allowed Liao Ji to smoothly jump to level seven.

Not only did it add an extra "contract" slot for the Evil One, it also unlocked a new power for the protagonist—"Crystallization".

Liao Jineng can now use his experience points to actively produce [Turbid Crystals], although it's still limited to small-scale production.

"Creator... This... This is!!"

"This is for you."

"Well, consider it a reward."

Liao Ji didn't lie; he kept his word and casually tossed his newly created [Turbid Crystal (Small)] to Dr. Loka on the ground.

The man in the gray coat hurriedly took it, utterly flattered.

He was completely unaware that once he left Liao Ji, the dark red crystal began to radiate turbid pollution violently into the surrounding area; all his attention was now completely absorbed in this beautiful crystal.

In just a few seconds, the turbid red mist emitted by the crystals had already seeped into the man's entire body through Dr. Loca's nose, ears, mouth, and even eyes. Although he was very knowledgeable in academia, he was just an ordinary person. The result of being infected by such a concentration of turbid mist was predictable.

"Ughhhhhh!"

Finally, Dr. Loca, who had personally turned countless innocent ordinary people into murky monsters, also became a murky monster while holding his most beloved and dreamlike treasure, the crystal.

Liao Ji thought this ending suited him quite well.

"What are you still standing there for?" Liao Ji's urging voice woke up Irene, who hadn't yet come to her senses because everything had happened so fast.

With a swift and clean stroke, the girl ended the life of Dr. Loca, who had been reduced to a murky corpse.

[Ding! Your Evil One "Irene" has successfully killed [The Fallen Mad Doctor Loca], and you have gained 329 experience points.]

Current Level: Lv7

[412/1200 points away from the next level]

"Hmm, looks like I've found another great shortcut to leveling up. Infect those high-ranking officials with crystals, turn them into monsters, and then kill them. This way, it's like getting something for nothing, gaining a lot of experience points for free."

"Uh, it sounds a bit like something a villain would do. Oh well, let's not use this trick unless absolutely necessary, hmm."

Liao Ji is quite stingy. Doing experiments is one thing, but Dr. Loka stole the experience points from the heads of many gangsters and Falm, so Liao Ji has to make him give them back.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the young man began to mutter to himself in a way that he couldn't understand.

Irene couldn't hold back any longer and finally asked the question that had been on her mind for so long.

"I...I thought you would."

"What can I do? Really take him under my wing, or give him the same contract as you? Do you think he deserves it?" Liao Ji retorted.

"he"

He was certainly not worthy, and Irene knew that very well.

This is what led to another problem for the girl.

Does she even deserve it?

From the moment she and the old antique entered Kaleva's factory until now, Irene recalled the self-introduction Liao Ji had given in the [Ruins Cave].

The simple introduction, consisting of only seven words, reads: "I am the Ash Emperor."

Looking back now, even if Irene were blind, she would be convinced that Liao Ji was indeed an extraordinary figure five hundred years ago. After all, the crystals, the relics, and the magical contract all proved this.

Or, is there even a possibility, just a possibility?

What the old man said is true.

He...he really is

Irene dared not think any further.

And what was she, in contrast? A tomb raider? A petty scavenger? Someone who had even once pointed a sword at Liao Ji? Seeing the gruesome death of Chief Kaleva and the Doctor's transformation into a monster, Irene felt it was a miracle she was still alive, a true miracle.

"Hey, Miss Irene, stop overthinking. Even if you change your mind now, it's no use. You've consumed so many of my resources, I'm not going to let you leave. I'll at least squeeze every last drop of value out of you."

Liao Ji spoke fiercely to the girl, looking every bit the stingy and mean landlord. Yilin was speechless for a moment, then lowered her head and remained silent for a while before finally uttering two words softly.

"Thank you, thank you."

"Hey! This is making me want to start a CPU training course." Liao Ji shook his head.

"Let's go. Although I have a feeling that Auntie is still alive and well and will definitely be fine, it would be better if we hurry."

Irene wanted to say that it was a church, completely different from a gang like Kaleva, and she didn't want to drag the young man down because of herself.

But seeing the indifferent expression on Liao Ji's face, Irene knew that perhaps in her eyes, the Church, the largest and only official force in the Holy Kingdom, was a behemoth in the eyes of this young man.

It really is