leonardwarren #274 - Willemina Tooke
#274 - Willemina Tooke
Chapter 272 Wealthy Woman · Wilhemina Tuck
If he had known that Number Five's family was so wealthy,
he wouldn't have bothered trying to find Blade Beasts to play 'escape from the fortress'!
After a brief tour of the manor near the spire with Number Five, Daoist Wang was… particularly moved.
Most of Number Five's wealth was inherited.
The previous holder of her core circuit was clearly a powerful figure in the Spirit Cultivation civilization. Not only was the subspace spacious and grand, but all sorts of rare materials were piled up everywhere!
Wang Jixuan's eyes burned with envy.
How long had it been since he had used these top-notch treasures?
However, the Daoist quickly regained his composure, not showing any desire, only looking at Number Five with a bit more gentleness and respect.
The respect due to a wealthy woman in this world.
Wang Jixuan had already decided that if he could help Number Five recover her strength later, he would lend her a hand.
This was definitely not out of greed for the various treasures accumulated in Number Five's subspace, which resembled a sect's treasure trove.
It was purely because of Number Five's excellent sealing ability and the deep revolutionary friendship they had begun to build!
'This poor Daoist is somewhat shameless.'
"Here, this is my inherited spire!"
Deep within the luxurious but overgrown cliffside manor, the Number Five Spirit Cultivator pointed to the ground-level door of the spire, saying in a crisp voice:
"Do you want to tour it from the bottom up, or go directly to my top floor as a guest?"
Wang Jixuan smiled and said, "Let's go from the bottom up. I also want to systematically understand you."
Shen Qionglin nodded immediately.
She couldn't wish for anything more.
Number Five waved her small hand twice, and two heavy doors slowly opened, revealing a wide space before them, filled with soft white light.
Like Old Sophie's spire, the internal volume of this spire far exceeded its external appearance.
This involved the use of Qiankun formations. In their cultivation world, to stably achieve this effect, it was necessary for an experienced senior who was proficient in Qiankun formations to set it up. But here with the Spirit Cultivators, it seemed to be the application of some kind of circuit.
Was this a bit of superiority of the Spirit Cultivation civilization?
Perhaps.
Wang Jixuan controlled the battle puppet to step inside, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
The layout here was like a magnificent palace, with gorgeous curtains everywhere. The tone was heavy, adding a bit of dullness.
Behind the curtains were mostly bookshelves, with stacks of books on them. In the corners were several sets of uniquely shaped armor, one set covered in barbs, resembling a hedgehog suit.
The ceiling was obviously carefully designed.
A skeleton resembling a giant python was attached to the ceiling, appearing to roar in anger. The area directly facing the head of the skeleton was a relief sculpture of a starry sky.
At the innermost side of the ground floor hall were two passages, with a huge portrait hanging on the wall in the center of the passage entrances.
The woman in the painting was Number Five's original appearance, Number Five · Large Size, full of charm and authority.
"How is it?"
Number Five crossed her arms, a smile suppressed at the corner of her mouth, indicating that she was in dire need of praise.
Wang Jixuan nodded and smiled, "It fits my aesthetic imagination of Spirit Cultivators, not bad."
Shen Qionglin said, "Can I read these books?"
"They're not written in the language of your planet," Number Five said casually. "I don't want to act as a translator for you. I haven't learned your language yet."
She walked forward with her hands behind her back, "Come with me, there's an ascending staircase here."
"Elevator, just say elevator, what's with the ascending staircase… eh."
Wang Jixuan's teasing voice came to an abrupt halt.
It really was an ascending staircase.
It was a spiral staircase that slowly rotated upwards.
Wang Jixuan and Shen Qionglin stood on the same step, rising on their own, and the structure of each floor of the spire came into view.
This spire was twenty-three stories high, much larger inside than Old Sophie's spire.
Wang Jixuan didn't know what the number of floors meant, his attention quickly drawn to the 'contents' of each floor of the spire.
Spirit slaves.
A large number of spirit slaves.
Unlike the spirit slaves in Old Sophie's spire, who were almost all in the form of dried corpses,
the spirit slaves in Number Five's spire were physically no different from ordinary people. They were sealed in amber. From the degree of damage to the robes on their bodies, it could be seen that they had been seriously injured before, and most of the wounds were left by the blade limbs of Blade Beasts. The skin at the damaged parts of the robes was intact.
This should be a special ability of Number Five or the spirit energy users under Number Five's command.
Moreover, Number Five was very particular. These spirit slaves were stored separately by gender, men on one floor, women on one floor, humans on two floors, and alien races on two floors.
Speaking of alien races, most of them were actually humanoid, some were taller, some had different facial proportions… Daoist Wang speculated that they and Earth humans had the same origin, constantly 'transformed' by the gravity and natural environments of different planets.
This also indirectly showed that Spirit Cultivators had previously ruled many planets, and were indeed the overlords of this star field.
The closer to the top of the spire, the fewer the number of sleeping spirit slaves.
Wang Jixuan slightly probed with his spiritual sense and found that the spirit slaves on the upper floors had stronger soul power and more spirit energy remaining in their bodies.
From the bottom up, the first floor was the palace hall.
The second to ninth floors were sleeping B+ level spirit energy users, with a total number of about nine hundred.
The tenth to thirteenth floors were sleeping A+ level spirit energy users, with a total number of about three hundred.
The fourteenth to eighteenth floors were sleeping S-level spirit energy users, with a total number of more than forty.
This was the remaining combat power after they broke out of the Blade Beast encirclement.
On the nineteenth floor slept four women, all with somewhat aged faces.
The condition of these four was very bad. One of them was still on the verge of death. Although she was wrapped in colorful black amber, her body was still uncontrollably collapsing.
"They are my high-level spirit slaves, all with SS-level power, and also my maids. There were actually nine of them before—according to the Spirit Cultivation Covenant, there can only be a maximum of nine high-level spirit slaves. When we fought the Blade Beasts, they gradually sacrificed themselves. These four desperately protected me, so I could break out of the encirclement."
Number Five was a little sad.
She whispered, "When I regain my strength, the first thing I will do is save them."
Wang Jixuan smiled and said, "You are quite sentimental."
"Hmph," Number Five said unhappily, "I am not a despicable person like Old Sophie. Even if spirit slaves are spirit slaves, they shouldn't be used as firewood to keep oneself warm."
The staircase slowly ascended.
The twentieth floor of the spire was fully revealed.
This should be a conference room, with a round table in the center, and murals on the four arc-shaped walls, depicting a fair-skinned 'goddess' spreading the gospel in the starry sky.
That 'goddess' was obviously Number Five.
The Number Five Spirit Cultivator's infusion wall and awakening wall were displayed here, with four walls each, which could be used to infuse spirit energy users and awaken spirit energy users.
The twenty-first and twenty-second floors were Number Five's rest area, decorated luxuriously.
The huge princess bed covered with black gauze left a deep impression on Wang Jixuan.
Number Five's only exclusive spirit slave—Xiang Tiantian—was wearing a maid outfit, tidying up short skirts and shirts in the corner.
From last night to now, the entire spire was obviously cleaned by Xiang Tiantian.
Xiang Tiantian was almost exhausted, her eyes a little dull.
Wang Jixuan and the other two passed by, but Xiang Tiantian didn't even notice.
Number Five muttered, "This guy is really lazy."
Their destination was the top floor, where the layout was a little different. The entire space was very wide, with a turquoise lake serving as the ground, and a stone coffin floating in the center of the lake.
A faint light appeared on Number Five's wrist, and a bracelet materialized in the light.
She gently shook her hand, and a moon boat fell with the light, filled with snacks and drinks.
"Come on up, I can only use these to entertain you."
"Then thank you for your hospitality."
Wang Jixuan habitually cupped his hands.
Shen Qionglin saw it and imitated him, cupping her hands and clasping her fists.
Number Five seemed quite happy, jumped onto the moon boat, returned to her exclusive soft bed and lay sideways,得意地道: "How is it, my spire is much stronger than Old Sophie's spire."
"Yes," Wang Jixuan's battle puppet found a corner in the cabin and sat cross-legged.
Shen Qionglin was holding a notebook, frantically writing something.
Number Five smiled and sighed, her eyes a little dull as she looked at the low 'sky', whispering:
"Wang Zheng, I'm going to talk to you seriously.
"If you can help me restore my strength, I will definitely not become your enemy.
"I know you are wary of the Spirit Cultivation civilization. Many times, we don't seem like good people, and those three old guys are a huge threat to you.
"But as long as I can subdue them, I can protect you… The Pillar-level Blade Beasts are about to wake up, and only I can stop them. Their power is extremely terrifying."
Wang Jixuan put away his smile and sat there, thinking with his head down.
He asked, "Why are you so sure that I can help you restore your strength?"
"It's very simple," Number Five shrugged, "If you continuously refine pills, you can refine at least several thousand pills for my use in a month, and using them will restore at least 30-40% of my strength."
Wang Jixuan couldn't help but laugh: "The effect of repeatedly using the same kind of pill will get worse and worse."
"What?"
Number Five was stunned, turned her head and glared at Wang Jixuan's battle puppet, angrily saying:
"Why didn't you say so earlier! I've been fantasizing for a long time!"
The Daoist smiled without saying a word.
He asked again: "I should have other means to help you, but we need mutual trust."
"How to trust each other?"
“I want to probe your memories.”
“That won’t do,” Number Five shook her head. “This concerns the dignity of a Spirit Cultivator, unless… we share our memories, and I get to see yours too.”
Wang Jixuan chuckled, “My greatest advantage right now is the technology in my brain that you don’t have.”
“Same here, you’ll also see our Spirit Cultivator techniques, and you have a core circuit now too.”
Wang Jixuan pondered carefully and said slowly, “Let’s wait until we understand each other better, or we can do it in stages. For example, I show you one percent of my memory, and you show me one percent, like that.”
“That could work.”
Number Five sat up excitedly, “I can actually divide my memories into segments! Can you do that?”
“You can teach me that skill.”
Wang Jixuan smiled and shook his head:
“But before that, let me see if I can help heal you first.”
“That’s the real matter.”
“Okay!” Number Five stood up directly, “Wait for me! I’m going to change clothes!”
Wang Jixuan wondered, “Why do you need to change clothes for that?”
“Stupid, if I get bigger, won’t my current clothes tear!”
Number Five jumped to the lower level as she spoke.
Shen Qionglin and Wang Jixuan's battle puppet exchanged glances.
The battle puppet had a metal mask, so its expression couldn't be seen; Shen Qionglin's expression, however, carried a hint of strangeness.
The two communicated using transmitted sound.
Shen Qionglin said simply:
“Teacher Wang, my subjective feeling is that this Spirit Cultivator isn’t showing any signs of lying. She also has enough respect for her spirit slave.”
“Analyzing from her words and actions, she’s following the Spirit Cultivation Civilization Convention in many things, and she also has a desire for power.”
“The starting point of this desire should be to prove herself.”
“What’s reflected behind it is actually a blurred sense of values. She doesn’t have a clear desire, so she simply set ‘gaining recognition from her own race, her own kind’ as her ideal.”
Daoist Master nodded and responded with transmitted sound, “Continue to observe; my judgment alone might be biased.”
“Okay,” Shen Qionglin picked up a bag of snacks.
Available at Fortress 76’s vending machine.
Shen Qionglin wasn't polite either, tearing open the packaging and eating small bites, staring at the stone coffin in the distance, constantly observing.
A few minutes later.
“I’m here!”
Number Five jumped up from the lower level. The light membrane similar to a barrier on the lower level disappeared. She also wore a black dress that almost dragged on the ground.
Daoist Master smiled and said, “Hurry and transform.”
“Diagnose me quickly, it will be very uncomfortable when I get bigger because of my injuries.”
She jumped back onto the boat, stood in front of Wang Jixuan, closed her eyes with a solemn expression, opened her hands, and slowly raised them, just like the scenes of blessings in those murals.
In the shimmering light, Number Five's figure slowly grew taller, her ear-length short hair fluttering backward, and strands of deep blue, soft, and shiny hair were pulled out one by one.
What was peculiar was that her upper body didn’t change significantly during this process. Her curves were graceful, her bosom sinful, and her short legs became straighter, rounder, and slender, and her neck also became noticeably thinner.
The temperament between her eyebrows had changed, adding a bit of divinity and losing the quirky feeling she had before.
Wang Jixuan also knew that he wasn't here to admire Number Five's appearance today. His hands quickly formed seals, and a silver needle flew into Number Five's shoulder, and a wisp of spiritual consciousness probed inward along the silver needle.
Soon, Daoist Wang frowned tightly.
Number Five seemed fine, but the condition inside her body was very bad. The Spirit Cultivator's core circuit was constantly being eroded by a corrosive force. Her internal organs could only be described as a mess. The entire body was like randomly pieced-together building blocks, which could collapse at any time.
More than ten minutes later;
Number Five's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, cold sweat oozed from her forehead, and her snow-white skin became even paler.
Wang Jixuan finally withdrew the silver needle. Number Five breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't wait to return to her yellow-haired loli form, plopping down into her soft seat.
The Moon Boat swayed gently.
Number Five asked weakly, “How is it, Doctor Wang?”
“There's hope,” Wang Jixuan said slowly, “Although it's troublesome, I can tell you clearly that I can heal your injuries… This still needs to be kept secret from your companions.”
Number Five nodded immediately, her eyes shining!
“Come on,” Wang Jixuan said proactively, “One percent of each person's memory, can be mutually designated.”
Number Five blinked, “I want to see one percent of your memory from when you first had memories, when you were a tiny little thing!”
Wang Jixuan thought carefully, nodded slowly, and said, “You are over seventeen thousand years old, then I want to see your memories from the most recent one hundred and seventy years.”
“Ah?” Number Five was stunned for a moment, “Then won’t you see all the important intelligence about our Spirit Cultivators’ war with the Blade Beasts?”
“If you want to go back on your word, then let’s talk about something else, and just pretend this suggestion never existed.”
“It’s not that it can’t be done, anyway, what I want is equal respect.”
Number Five gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and rolled up her sleeves, saying:
“Then come on!”
“Let’s go outside, my main body needs to cast the spell, and you still need to teach me how to display my memory in segments.”
“Eh, okay… By the way, how many years of memories do you have in total?”
Wang Jixuan couldn't help but laugh, “Only about a hundred years in total.”
Number Five: …
Spirit Cultivation curse words!
She was at a big loss!