Vyke’s Finger Maiden (3K)

Wuxin and Wushang both frowned. Wuxin especially felt that something was increasingly off about Heaven’s Will. In the past, she had merely possessed a somewhat strange personality and a way of thinking unlike ordinary people.

But now, watching Heaven’s Will interact with Mercenary Tao, he felt that the two of them were starting to resemble each other.

Neither Bai Cangshu nor Heaven’s Will seemed to notice the unusual reactions of the others. Or rather, they simply did not care.

Bai Cangshu accepted the tea from the woman’s hand, and Heaven’s Will continued smoothly.

"So-called Tarnished is a special title. They are not bound by the Golden Order. Naturally, the power of their Grace is no longer as strong, but they retain the two most important characteristics."

"First, they possess the trait of Return to the Erdtree. So long as an Erdtree survives in the world they are in, Tarnished can be resurrected through the Erdtree after death."

"Second, under the guidance of a Finger Maiden, Tarnished can likewise use the power of Runes to strengthen their own abilities."

Bai Cangshu drank the tea. It was not especially delicious, though it had a delicate fragrance of its own.

He turned to look at the Erdtree outside the window. Rather than continue asking about the Tarnished title, he abruptly changed the subject.

"How did 9527 obtain this thing, and how did it end up being destroyed?"

Although God-Human Hiranaka Minoru was mediocre in strength, that was because he himself was merely an ordinary person of low strength, without the boost of any special bloodline. Moreover, the Erdtree in the Naruto World had only just been planted, so he had not received much Grace.

But for 9527 to seize several Erdtree saplings, they must have entered a world where the Golden Order was at its peak.

In a place like the Lands Between, even the Dragonlord and giants had been swept aside by the armies of the Golden Order, and even Outer Gods could be sealed. To gain such enormous spoils in that kind of world was simply not something a farming team renowned only in the Second Tier or even the Third Tier could accomplish.

Heaven’s Will did not hide anything. This matter had already been settled. All the turmoil had merely been a means for her to completely wipe out the farmers of 9527, along with the greedy Information Brokers and diviners who came afterward.

"Mr. Mercenary Tao probably also wants to ask how I, as a slave, managed to kill those veteran reincarnators instead…"

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the imposing Li Qingzi. Li Qingzi noticed the woman’s look as well, and her expression became even colder. This woman truly resembled Mercenary Tao, constantly radiating a peculiar malice.

Just that single look was clearly intended to drive a wedge between her and Mercenary Tao.

She was implying that Li Qingzi might be able to kill Mercenary Tao too.

Li Qingzi appeared meek and submissive, but it was naturally impossible for her to have completely surrendered. Having such thoughts exposed in advance still made her lower her eyelids.

Wushang grew increasingly curious about this masked woman. Such a powerful presence did not belong to some unknown nobody. He was thinking over which notable reincarnators had recently become involved with Mercenary Tao or disappeared.

Bai Cangshu calmly sipped his tea, paying no mind at all to such provocation. In his eyes, the restless thoughts of the others were all futile.

In this world, only strength was real and undeniable.

He could control Li Qingzi not because of the contract, but because he had defeated her. That had been true back then, and it was even more true now that he had become far stronger.

He was stronger, and therefore he was the master.

Heaven’s Will also seemed to have made the remark casually, without any intention of provoking anyone. She continued explaining.

"Many times, even if I have nothing, so long as I can make others believe that I can give them many things in the future, those people will be influenced by me…"

With just a few words from her, Bai Cangshu understood this woman’s methods. Just as in the Naruto World, she was probably exceptionally skilled at intelligence, assessing situations, and strategy.

She was the typical "Sage"-type reincarnator from traditional Infinite Flow stories.

Thus, she helped 9527 find ways to trigger Hidden Missions and events with extremely high rewards, eventually obtaining those rewards at the cost of a few sacrifices.

Among farming teams, there was not much affection between members. Sacrificing a small number of people for greater benefits was easily accepted by the team.

This woman had done precisely that. Little by little, she weakened 9527 while accumulating wealth for the team and making the team trust her "strategies."

In the end, just a bit of information caused 9527, already depleted in members but laden with excessive resources, to collapse and become prey to be hunted.

Snap!

Heaven’s Will rubbed her fingers together and snapped. A woman in a long robe stepped out from behind the Erdtree, white strips of cloth hanging down from either side of her hood to cover her neck.

Slave Shackles hung around the woman’s neck. Yet unlike the Plot Characters in the market who had been reduced to sex slaves, this woman’s eyes were lively. She was clearly the expensive kind brought out together with her thoughts, memories, abilities, and other information.

She was a Finger Maiden, a witch who believed in the Two Fingers and possessed both the ability and duty to guide Tarnished.

"When exactly will you let me go back? Vyke will go mad if he cannot see me. I have to guide him… He is the one who will eventually become Elden Lord…"

The woman shrank back slightly, both hands clasped before her chest in fear.

But when she mentioned the man named Vyke, light appeared in her eyes.

Seeing this, Bai Cangshu’s expression shifted.

Tsk, Lord Contender Vyke’s witch…

Wuxin immediately stepped forward to explain, but Wushang roughly walked over, grabbed the Finger Maiden’s hand, and gained the ability to exchange Runes for power beneath a golden radiance.

The Finger Maiden looked extremely unwilling, but Wushang merely said,

"You do not want Vyke to see nothing but your Corpse Body and go mad, do you?"

This petite Finger Maiden obediently began guiding the power of Grace for him.

This method of adjusting Grace through a Finger Maiden was a helpless measure used by warriors of the Golden Dynasty in the Lands Between after losing their Grace, but it was the ideal method for reincarnators.

Upon hearing Vyke’s name, Bai Cangshu understood the point in time where 9527 had entered, and even roughly guessed the woman’s methods.

She had simply used the powerful forces of the ancient dragons and the Golden Dynasty to form alliances and maneuver between them, then acted when the Elden Ring shattered. She successfully "stole" the rewards and, before leaving, captured the witch of Vyke, the powerful dragon knight who had hopes of becoming the new Elden Lord.

Light flashed in Bai Cangshu’s hand. It was the Golden Rune that Heaven’s Will had traded to him earlier.

He toyed with the Golden Rune. Rather than hurriedly ask about the Tarnished milestone, he suddenly asked,

"You are very afraid of me. Why?"

The question was extremely abrupt. Even Wuxin, who was comforting the Finger Maiden, turned around, unable to understand what madness Mercenary Tao was indulging in now.

Only Heaven’s Will understood what Bai Cangshu truly meant.

Indeed, Mercenary Tao’s Fierce Reputation was well known. It was perfectly normal for ordinary reincarnators to fear him.

But ordinary reincarnators would at most think about not offending him or staying away from him.

This woman was different. Whether in the Naruto Derivative World or after returning to the space, she had acted excessively attentive, as though she feared provoking even the slightest dissatisfaction from him.

Giving him a Golden Rune, sharing a major event, and voluntarily taking on the risks caused by that major event.

Such an almost fawning attitude did not seem like the conduct of a Sage. Or rather, a true Sage must have seen a reason why she had no choice but to act this way before making such a decision.

What Bai Cangshu was asking about was precisely what Heaven’s Will had seen.

Heaven’s Will considered it briefly, then nodded. She raised her right hand and suddenly shared an information panel.

Talent: Mr. Mouse · Second Tier (Hundred Click) (Similarity 94%) (S-)—Your special soul grants you the ability to interfere with probability worlds. You can foresee multiple worldlines based on your mental power and choose among them. Unchosen worldlines will disappear. Observing probability worlds will damage your brain and mind. Continuous observation will cause deviations in your existence. Repeated observation of the same world will generate Probability Entropy. Excessive Probability Entropy will cause your own worldline to disappear.

"Mr. Mercenary Tao, you are very abnormal. I suppose you have noticed your own abnormality as well. Though you do not know it, because of this talent, I fully experienced your terror in the Naruto World."

"I am not some Sage. I merely made mistakes more than a hundred times, then chose the sole correct answer. That is all."

"And, Mr. Mercenary Tao, it seems your talent has not yet stabilized?"

"I understand all too well how powerful that kind of talent, one difficult for the space to anchor, becomes once it finally takes shape. Mr. Mercenary Tao, fearing you is a reasonable and correct choice."

Heaven’s Will said much in one breath. Li Qingzi finally raised her eyes and looked seriously at this woman, who was also somewhat psychologically twisted. She truly was clever. At the very least, Li Qingzi herself had not realized this before fighting Mercenary Tao to the death.

Bai Cangshu also noticed the words Second Tier in the woman’s talent. He recalled how the Goddess had previously implied that he should let Her help anchor his talent and choose advancement.

That was a path to rapidly becoming stronger.

Now that he saw this woman’s Second Tier talent, its effects were indeed powerful enough to overturn his understanding of talent abilities.

It was almost more outrageous than any Chosen he had seen.

Although Mr. Mouse’s ability in Juni Taisen could be considered a "BUG," considering the limitations of that world’s user’s upper limit of strength, it could not truly be called invincible.

But in the hands of reincarnators, special beings who could continuously strengthen themselves so long as they did not die, this talent that allowed one to thoroughly make mistakes and then choose the optimal solution was, in a sense, immeasurably valuable.

Bai Cangshu’s gaze shifted to the woman. The greedy malice that flashed through him in that instant was caught by Heaven’s Will.

What a truly greedy monster… Mercenary Tao.