Chapter 230 - 229: Bring on More of This Price

Chapter 230: Chapter 229: Bring on More of This Price

Lloyd currently only knew the methods for the first five stages of Transcendence in the Twisted System; he had yet to acquire the knowledge for the ones that followed.

But he could make a pretty good guess that they would involve all sorts of suicidal and anti-human ’shenanigans’...

At the end of the day, if a normal human wanted to dabble in this system, their only option was the steady, conservative path.

Which brought him back to the same question: what kind of ’freak’ was this ’orthodox path’ even designed for?

As this thought crossed his mind, Lloyd suddenly let out a strange chuckle and shook his head.

’Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on it. The Twisted System is just awesome, and that’s all that matters!’

’Besides, my progress on the conservative path isn’t slow. I don’t need to Twist three or four different systems, and I can miraculously raise the Training Level of two systems at once. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. What’s not to love?’

However, Lloyd also had a long-term plan. If, in the future, he could no longer achieve Transcendence in both systems simultaneously, or if he needed a third system to support the Twisted one, he would venture into the Manifestation System.

Although, considering the choices of many others and factors like functionality, the Wisdom System might have been a better choice for overall improvement, Lloyd had a different idea.

’When I’m in my ’Dual Soul and Body’ state during Infiltration, I can’t do much without a physical form. I really hope I can Manifest an ’arm’ or some other kind of physical aid. That would let me perform a lot more actions.’

’Besides, having an extra hand in daily life would be great too. Dissecting Demons would be smoother, drawing Orbits more efficient, my cooking more profound... and in a fight, I’d have an extra hand for a gun.’

’All in all, it would certainly make things much more convenient.’

’Plus, when I get back to Elolo, I could at least hold her, or maybe give her lovely feet a little squeeze...’

’Of course, that last part is just a bonus, not the main goal.’

Coincidentally, by analyzing that Unknown Fragment earlier, he had accumulated some basic knowledge of the Manifestation System. It was enough to get his foot in the door, at least, which saved him some time.

But this was all long-term planning. Lloyd hadn’t even reached Tier Three of the Veto System yet, so these plans were just idle thoughts for now.

But to raise his Training Level in the Veto System, he needed to have an Audience with the Saint, which meant he had to borrow the bell from Meditis.

He could use the music box as a substitute, but its effect ultimately wasn’t as good as the bell’s. And since Lloyd prided himself on being a young perfectionist, he naturally wanted to use the best tool for the job.

The only problem was... their last interaction had ended on a strangely sour note. The atmosphere had been quite awkward, and they hadn’t spoken in the days since...

’I should probably go talk to her. Maybe invite her to dinner, if I have to? I could even cook myself to show my sincerity.’

Mulling it over, Lloyd went to wait for the elevator.

When the doors opened, he was met with the sight of Meditis, who reeked of alcohol.

"Er..."

Lloyd hadn’t expected to run into her so coincidentally and didn’t have time to think of an opening line.

Instead, it was Meditis who spoke first.

"Hmph... Stingy jerk..."

She began with the inexplicable insult, then continued.

"I’ve already forgotten about that unpleasantness from last time. I don’t mind anymore, and I’m not mad at you. At the end of the day, it was my..."

As she spoke, she suddenly became hesitant, as if struggling with what to say next.

After several seconds, she finally continued.

"I... Even if I’m the worst woman in the world, I’m not that petty. Here."

With that, she pulled the bell from her pocket and tossed it to Lloyd.

Then, without waiting for Lloyd to get in, she hurriedly pulled the control lever and went up by herself.

She looked rather flustered, as if she were running away...

Lloyd, meanwhile, held the bell, still a bit stunned and not quite understanding the situation.

’Is her Mild Madness acting up again?’

’Or maybe, since I didn’t come by yesterday, she thought I was still angry? And so she came looking for me to make up?’

Lloyd thought about it and decided the first theory was more likely.

’As expected, the thought processes of the mentally ill are beyond me...’

’But in any case, the bell is in my hands now. I should be able to borrow it from her normally in the future, right?’

And so, Lloyd returned to his office with the bell, closed the door, and had the little kitten stand guard. He then deftly prepared the Orbit and, holding the Saint Statue, entered the Thought Realm.

Lloyd sat cross-legged on the grass. Aided by the Orbit, his 170 points in Cognition, and his Focused Learning skill, he quickly entered a perfect state of Self-forgetfulness.

Beside him, an invisible power materialized, coalescing into the unseen silhouette of a young woman. She gently embraced Lloyd from behind, one arm around his waist and the other hand caressing his chest, like an affectionate girl from next door.

But after holding him for a moment, the "girl-next-door" seemed to feel it wasn’t enough. She changed her position, actively snuggling into his arms and continuously rubbing her cheek against his chest.

Her movements, however, seemed a bit clumsy—not as smooth or natural as Elolo or Evelor, and not even as practiced as Weiya.

’Perhaps it was due to some inner modesty? Or maybe she just hadn’t mastered this ’skill’ for very long and needed more practice?’

The invisible "girl-next-door" lay in Lloyd’s arms for a long time. It wasn’t until the Orbit’s effect ended and Lloyd awoke from his state of Self-forgetfulness that she vanished without a trace, precisely at the last second.

"Mmm-hmm-hmm!"

Lloyd let out a comfortable groan, stretched vigorously, and said with great satisfaction:

"What a haul!"

He felt that he had received a great deal of knowledge about the Veto System. If his progress toward Transcendence could be displayed as a progress bar, this one Audience had advanced it by at least 15%.

This was an absurdly high rate of progress and the most he had ever gained in a single session.

According to the Chief Judge’s notes, an ordinary Extraordinary Being with average talent would typically make less than 1% progress in a single Audience with the Saint...

Even a genius would struggle to exceed 5% in one session.

’As I thought, my talent isn’t much worse than my sister’s. We truly are a genius Extraordinary sibling duo!’

Lloyd allowed himself a small moment of pride.

Corresponding to this progress was a wealth of new knowledge that gave his Veto Declaration skill the ability to immobilize low-risk Demons.

The vast majority of risk level 1 and 2 Demons would have their mobility Vetoed, turning them into living targets unable to escape.

With further progress, he should be able to Veto their physical attacks, turning them into training dummies that couldn’t fight back.

Once he reached the final stages of progress, he should even be able to Veto their Extraordinary Abilities, Defense Power, and more.

’The Veto System really is all about taking one step at a time, focusing on steady improvement.’

Lloyd briefly summarized his thoughts, then opened his status panel and saw a slew of notifications he had unconsciously ignored.

He froze for a moment, then understood why his gains had been so much greater this time.

[Ding! Madness Value +800]

[Ding! Madness Value +1000]

[Ding! Madness Value +1200]

’Holy crap. Not only does an Audience with the Saint cause Spiritual Contamination, but it was even stronger than last time!’

’So this rapid progress came with a price?’

’But if this is the price, then bring it on! I can take it!’

Lloyd didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, though he wasn’t particularly surprised.

He had encountered a similar situation during a previous Audience with the Saint.

That time, however, he had only suffered 3,000 points of Spiritual Contamination. This time, the string of Madness Value gains added up to over 7,000—more than double the previous amount.

Combined with what he’d gained from the execution earlier, it had actually caused him to level up again.

Lloyd first allocated the five points he had just gained to Cognition, raising it to 175—the same as his Rationality and Spiritual Power—to keep his stats perfectly balanced.

As for the 100 points in inspiration...

’It’s fine. Three planks are enough to make a bucket.’

After allocating his points, Lloyd scrolled back through the panel notifications, scratched his head, and reviewed the new knowledge that had taken root in his mind.

He discovered that this Audience hadn’t yielded any knowledge from the Twisted System.

’Is it because my gaze and attention were focused on the white part of the Spiral Tower?’

The last time Lloyd had suffered Spiritual Contamination during an Audience, he had assumed it was caused by knowledge from the Twisted System. But now, considering this session’s results and his growing understanding of the Saint, Lloyd overturned his previous conclusion.

This Spiritual Contamination, much like the burden he’d shouldered for Elolo, must be coming from the Veto Saint.

’Judging by the fact that simply holding the Saint Statue doesn’t cause Spiritual Contamination, does that mean having an Audience with the Saint is a more intimate act?’

’It seems the ’double EXP’ event isn’t completely over; it’s just found a new way to stick with me?’

’In any case, this is a win-win situation. I get Madness Value, and the Saint’s burden is eased. It’s a win on top of a win—a win squared.’

So, not only did Lloyd not mind, he felt grateful and honored. As soon as he left the Thought Realm, he immediately addressed the Saint Statue with the utmost respect.

"I am always willing to share your burdens, and I am honored to do so."

The Saint Statue did not reply, but it emitted a gentle power that brushed lightly across his forehead and cheeks, as if comforting him for his efforts in return.

Lloyd was about to say something more, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

He went to open the door and saw that it was that familiar ’arm’ again?