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

And Irene's answer was

"You're right, but that's precisely why love can turn into hate, isn't it? It's true that the great emperor saved this world from the brink of collapse, but in terms of personal conduct, especially in his private life, he's rumored to be an absolute scoundrel!"

"That emperor was not only extremely lustful, requiring his personal guards to be incredibly beautiful women, but he was also particularly fickle, easily bored with the old and eager for the new. Once he had his fill of a guard, he would discard her without hesitation, treating her like a tool, and then go looking for the next new guard."

Liao Ji: "."

"The most compelling evidence is that the emperor's five personal guards came from five different races, ranging from noble elves to alluring succubi, and even mechanical androids were not spared! You can imagine how debauched that emperor must have been!"

Perhaps because she was also a woman, Irene's face was full of indignation as she spoke.

And Liao Ji.

Liao Ji: "."

"No, maybe that emperor simply found them pleasing to the eye? Or is there another possibility that the emperor didn't even touch those five personal guards?"

"Clam!?"

Even though the female scavenger was tied up, it didn't stop Irene from giving Liao Ji a look that suggested he was an idiot.

"You're a grown man, how come you're still as naive as a child? Oh, there's a beautiful woman in front of you who's infatuated with you, and you just stand there watching, enjoying the sight, without doing anything? Then you're even worse than an animal!"

Liao Ji: "."

"Hmph, that emperor is a complete beast. It's said he often enjoys some very perverse games, like handcuffs, whips, and oil wax. Every night, he has to have his five personal guards take turns serving him, sometimes all five at once, and sometimes..."

As Yilin spoke, she became more and more excited, her eyebrows dancing with enthusiasm, but Liao Ji, standing next to her, was already looking utterly exasperated.

Fall is a legitimate game.

It's not some adult-themed eroge on a Steam platform!

"stop!"

"Where did you get all this nonsense from?" Liao Ji asked angrily.

Irene: "These? There are plenty on the dark web."

"Hey, what's with that look? You haven't even read a single one of them, have you? Come on, some of them actually have pretty good writing and plots. How about it? If you let me go, I might consider giving you these books... *sound of spitting out*!"

Irene's cheerful voice abruptly stopped, quickly turning into a sobbing protest with wide, angry eyes.

Liao Ji took a deep breath.

It seems that people in the post-wasteland era are living too comfortably and too easily.

"Alright, that's all for my questions. Now it's your turn to ask me a question, but I have to remind you that you only have one chance, so I hope you'll think it through before you speak."

With a wave of the young man's hand.

Irene regained her voice.

It was clear that the female scavenger had intended to exhale a fragrant breath, but ultimately she held it back. Irene dared not waste this hard-won opportunity.

Fearing that Liao Ji might change his mind, she immediately asked her most pressing question.

"What exactly did you do to me?!"

"I knew it," Liao Ji shrugged. "I think you probably guessed it too, right? I helped you advance to become a Calamity Transformer, but it comes at a small price. For example, I can restrict some of your behavior."

Liao Ji originally thought that if Yilin were to refuse, it should be the latter.

Unexpectedly, the female scavenger opposite her seemed to realize that the worst-case scenario had occurred as soon as she heard the words "the scourge," and her face immediately fell.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to become a Calamity-Borrower?" Liao Ji asked, puzzled.

After all, in the setting of "The Fall," the Evil Ones are the hope of the wasteland, the most powerful fighting force that people can use to resist those monsters and Evil Ones.

But what Yilin said next made Liao Ji realize that times had changed.

"Heh...heh, you mean there's a 70% chance you'll go berserk and lose control within a month, becoming increasingly mentally unstable as time goes on, and being wanted by local governments and guards wherever you go. Once caught, you'll spend your life in a dungeon, or be executed. All your relatives and friends will be implicated because of you, causing your family to be destroyed, your wife and children to be separated. You've paid so much just to gain that pitiful power of a Calamity-Transformer?"

Irene's speech grew faster and faster, eventually reaching a peak, filled with an inexplicable anger, and even a painful memory in her eyes.

"Who the hell wants to become one of these damned monsters—the Cursed One!"

After shouting that sentence, the female scavenger seemed to have all her strength drained away, and she became dazed and lost.

A brief silence fell over the sealed room.

Then, it was Liao Ji who spoke.

"I apologize, but I take back what I just said. I didn't know you had such a strong aversion to those who have been corrupted by evil. However, as far as I know, berserk and out-of-control behavior mostly only occurs among those who have been corrupted by evil at the 'Disaster Level' or higher, and the probability is far less than you claim."

But what Yilin said next took Liao Ji by surprise.

"Are you kidding me? A Calamity-level Calamity-level individual who can remain mentally sound is already extremely rare, and a Calamity-level Calamity-level individual might have been seen two or three hundred years ago, but without exception, their fates were either to lose control and cause natural disasters or to go berserk and transform into monsters. Is this what you mean by low probability?"

The information provided by Yilin made Liao Ji fall into deep thought.

He seems to have indeed fallen into a misconception. Whether it is the birth of the Calamity-Transformer or the subsequent enhancement of abilities, the source is the Turbid Calamity.

In the original wasteland world, the pollution of the calamity was everywhere, so those corrupted by the calamity were not uncommon.

As for high-level Evil Ones, in Liao Ji's impression, there should be plenty of four-star "Dangerous" ones, and while there are fewer five-star "Disaster" ones, they are not that rare. The kind that only appears once every hundred years, as described by Irene, should be the highest six-star "Calamity" ones.

Now, in this new era five hundred years later, the source of the "turbid calamity" has been eliminated, so not only have the number of natural disasters and monsters decreased significantly, but the number of calamity-afflicted individuals has also decreased.

Furthermore, people's primary needs are no longer about surviving in the wasteland, but about development and progress. Just as firearms become illegal items after entering civilized society, perhaps for the new century five hundred years from now, these "evil ones" will be equivalent to firearms? For the sake of peace and stability, they must be strictly prohibited and dealt with immediately upon discovery.

As for the extremely high berserk rate of the Calamity-Borrowers mentioned by Irene, which is far higher than I had imagined, it may also be related to the scarcity of "Turbid Calamity".

Liao Ji secretly guessed.

In short, after digesting the information he received from Irene and gaining a deeper understanding of this world he had traveled to in his "second cycle," Liao Ji let out a sigh of relief.

He can now understand Irene's attitude to some extent.

It's like someone who has just survived a major ordeal, only to be told that they have incurable cancer.

But that's precisely why.

Liao Ji smiled.

"Miss Irene, rest assured, I can assure you that as long as our contract remains in effect, no matter how recklessly you use your power, the turbidity within you will never go berserk."

"Once I find your replacement, I will help you break the contract and take back the evil spirits within you. At that time, you can continue to enjoy your life as an ordinary person."

"I know you might not believe me, but as a free bonus, I'll answer one of your previous questions and tell you who I am."

Under Irene's indescribable astonishment, Liao Ji slowly nodded, then said, word by word.

"I am the Ash Emperor."

Chapter 9 Holy Healing

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

But it was only for a moment.

Irene quickly felt ashamed that she had actually gone completely blank for a moment and believed the young man's words.

"Pfft, I didn't realize you were such a good joke teller."

"What, you don't believe me?" Liao Ji asked rhetorically.

Irene gave a disdainful sneer.

"The Ash Emperor? Do you mean someone who carefully steps over corpses, afraid of getting the filth on their clothes, or someone whose breathing becomes disordered when the smell of blood fills the air? Or perhaps a novice who doesn't even know how to tie someone up?"

Liao Ji admitted that he might have underestimated the female scavenger.

His first impression of the other person was that they were a loudmouth and a blabbermouth.

Unexpectedly, many of her unconscious little actions, typical of modern people, were noticed by Irene.

Perhaps at this moment, they could also guess what Liao Ji was thinking.

"Hmph, don't underestimate the eyes of us scavengers. We're still making a living, and I'm pretty good at judging people. Someone like you is practically a carbon copy of those pampered young masters from the upper class in the base cities."

"Oh, no, I almost forgot, you're even better than them. At least you're quite innocent. You're still a virgin whose body will subconsciously stiffen and tense up when touched or approached by a member of the opposite sex."

When it came to the last part, Yilin gave Liao Ji a provocative look, as if she were retaliating for all the things Liao Ji had done to her before.

Liao Ji did not intend to defend himself, but simply spread his hands helplessly.

“Okay, just kidding, but I really am from five hundred years ago, which is the old wasteland era you mentioned, and I have a close relationship with the Ash Emperor. In the end, for some reason, I was put into hibernation in this stone coffin.”

Clearly, judging from the expression on the female scavenger's face, at least the first part of his statement was very convincing, making her believe it.

This perfectly explains why I had so many "common sense" questions about the world before.

For Irene, a person from 500 years ago, while shocking, was not unacceptable, since there were living examples to support her.

The five personal guards who once served the Emperor, and who are now the highest rulers in the world, came from the wasteland of the old era.

This is why there are still many madmen in the shadows, including some big shots in the base cities, who still yearn to become Evil Ones. Besides the powerful strength, they also want the "Turbid Evil" to bring them a youthful and vibrant body and a lifespan extended by hundreds of years.

“I’ve actually been talking to an ancient relic from five hundred years ago.” Irene murmured to herself.

However, she quickly grasped the key point and anxiously asked Liao Ji, "You said before that you could control Zhuo'e, and even make me turn back into an ordinary person afterward!?"

“That’s right. Whether it was the battle just now or our conversation now, did you feel any influence from the Turbid Infection? Isn’t that the best proof?”

After Liao Ji spoke, Yilin fell into memories.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the Calamities; on the contrary, she would never forget the scene from "that night," which is why she was so certain that Liao Ji's words were true, and that she really was different from the other Calamities.

"Alright, let's finish our friendly conversation after we leave this awful place."

Just as Irene said.

Liao Ji could no longer bear the sight of the corpses scattered throughout the secret chamber of the underground cave, nor the pervasive stench.

He walked up to Irene and untied the ropes binding her.

However, when Liao Ji saw that the female scavenger's already tattered trench coat was now torn in several places, revealing bloody wounds underneath, he stopped what he was doing.

These wounds were probably inflicted by Irene when she was chasing the kobolds. Although they were small, and given the physical condition of the Evil Ones, the wounds had already scabbed over. However, if not properly treated, they would still leave scars on the skin.

As Liao Ji looked around, he could see that there were quite a few similar scars on Yilin's body. When Yilin noticed his gaze, she didn't seem to care, as if scars were not a big deal to a scavenger.

but.