Chapter 234: The Administrator's Surrender

Saul stood still, his guard up. “What do you want?”

The young administrator’s facial muscles twitched continuously, and his eyes gradually turned red as he stared at Saul.

Seeing this, Saul grew more cautious. He tucked the book in his arms away, but his lips curved into a faint smile.

“Did you come here specifically to ambush me?”

At that moment, the white mist around them suddenly thickened. Except for the area where they stood, the fog elsewhere abruptly became so dense it was like a wall.

Saul lowered his shoulders and raised a hand. Several translucent gray worms began drifting around his arms.

Last time, this guy and the old administrator had tried to persuade him to buy a book, only for the Tower Master to suddenly appear and snatch one of the volumes away.

Since the Tower Master hadn’t said anything afterward, Saul hadn’t pursued the matter. He hadn’t expected these guys to still be so persistent. It seemed they were ready to make a move themselves.

He remained on guard, but unexpectedly, in the next second, the young administrator suddenly bowed deeply to him, his face twisted in a grimace.

“Please take me with you!”

Saul blinked in surprise. “What do you mean? Speak clearly.”

The administrator raised his head but kept his back bowed.

“I wish for your permission to follow you.”

Willingly offering himself as a servant?

This guy was a librarian, one of the Tower Master’s subordinates, yet he wanted to follow Saul?

With the thick fog isolating them completely from the outside world, the setting didn’t seem fitting for a pledge of loyalty.

Saul didn’t lower his guard. He looked down at the awkwardly bowed administrator. “Why?”

“I’ve been trapped in the library of this Wizard Tower for over a hundred years. Even before Lord Gorsa moved the Tower here, I was already confined to this place, never once setting foot outside. My only companions were the books I couldn’t read and this never-dissipating white fog. Eventually, I got so bored that I split myself into three personas based on my life experiences.”

So it was true—the young, middle-aged, and old administrators were all one person.

Because they never appeared at the same time, Saul had assumed they simply changed forms. He hadn’t expected them to be actual separate beings.

He’d sliced himself into parts?

“So you want me to take you out of here?”

“Yes, my lord. If you take me out of the library, I will sign a contract with you and serve you for a hundred years. After that, I ask only for my freedom.”

“You belong to the Tower Master. How could I possibly have the authority to do that? Or are you saying I should go and ask the Tower Master for you?”

“You don’t need that authority, my lord. You can simply take me away in secret. We’ve already discovered the special Soul Resin on your body.”

Saul’s heart stirred, and he stretched his right hand forward. “My Soul Resin? Can you recognize it?”

But the young man only looked at Saul’s outstretched hands and let out a bitter laugh.

“You look completely different now, but I know that you once possessed Soul Resin, and a very special kind.”

“Are they after the plastic bones?” Saul thought to himself. “Even though I haven’t tested them with the soul fragments yet, the Soul-Devouring Resin is definitely of higher quality than those bones. He probably can’t see it because fleshcrafting magic has disguised its nature under this simulated skin.”

“I did have Soul Resin once, but it was very low-level and only lasted a few days. Maybe you’ve made a mistake.”

“No, my lord! The old man and I personally tested… it.”

His voice trailed off toward the end.

Saul frowned. “Tested?”

He suddenly recalled a strange incident before the administrator sold him the book. The old man had deliberately taken the book from his hands and returned it.

So that was a ploy—to make contact and test him.

“But at that time, my hand was already skeletal, and the Soul Resin was in my pocket,” Saul muttered, puzzled. Maybe they weren’t referring to his plastic bones after all.

The young administrator lowered his head, his voice low and heavy. “Yes… When we touched you, a part of our soul was taken from us.”

Taken?

Saul was completely unaware of such a thing. He’d never noticed any soul fragments of theirs inside him.

But he hadn’t had any Soul Resin on him at the time—how could he have absorbed someone else’s soul?

Suddenly, he glanced at the diary while the administrator still had his head bowed.

Could it have been the diary working behind the scenes?

The diary could absorb excess evil thoughts in Saul’s body—could it also directly absorb a wraith like this administrator?

“Get up. I can barely hear you when you’re like that.”

The young man straightened up, only to see Saul standing directly in front of him.

A thrill surged in his heart. Was this Saul accepting him?

But to his shock, Saul suddenly reached out and grabbed the administrator’s arm.

Yet the administrator’s soul didn’t fragment at all.

He was the one who panicked, more than Saul. “Huh? Your Soul Resin—it’s gone?!”

Yes. When Saul tried to grab the administrator, his hand passed right through, just like a normal person would pass through a wraith.

But Saul merely looked thoughtful.

He pulled his hand back and narrowed his eyes slightly. His mental energy began to circulate through his hands.

In an instant, Saul’s hands became nearly transparent—his bones clearly visible, the rest of the tissue seemingly vanished.

He reached for the administrator’s arm again.

And this time, wherever Saul touched, the administrator’s body disappeared.

Saul drew his arm back and studied it. “I see. It seems I do have the ability to take you.”

But then his hand returned to its normal pale-gray form.

He crossed his arms and glanced around at the thick mist. “Still, I don’t see why I should risk angering the Tower Master for your sake. Dispel the fog. I’ve been here long enough—it’s time I left.”

The administrator’s joy quickly turned to panic. He didn’t remove the fog right away.

Saul’s expression darkened. “What, are you really thinking of using this mist to trap me? Threaten me?”

“No!” the young man quickly protested. “This fog temporarily blocks outside perception. I only wanted to speak with you in secret.”

“So you are hiding it from your master. And I’m supposed to trust that?”

The young man gritted his teeth. “No one will find out.”

Saul said nothing, studying him.

A wraith who had lingered in a Wizard Tower for who knew how long was bound to be dangerous. But a library administrator… now that was tempting.

This guy must know a lot. Maybe even the Tower Master’s past—and what he’s doing now…

It was a risk. But one worth considering—if Saul could minimize the danger. At the very least, this administrator had to show more sincerity if he wanted to change masters.

The young man glanced around cautiously.

Only mist rolled around them. No sound. No shapes.

Then he spoke again. “Since I split into three parts, each persona can rest for long stretches. Once I leave with you, the other two can cover for me. For at least three or four years, no one will notice. If the Tower Master looks for me, they’ll pretend I’ve been devoured by the white mist of the library.”

“That simple? And the other two won’t resent being left behind?”

The young man gave a bitter smile. “You’ve seen the middle-aged one’s personality—he’s scared of everything, doesn’t dare take risks. As for the old man… last time, he tried to hide in the Ethereal Book to sneak out with you. But the Tower Master caught him and shattered him. He still hasn’t reformed.”

Saul folded his arms and thought, So there really was something off about that book last time. I hadn’t expected a wraith to be hiding inside. But judging by the Tower Master’s reaction, he doesn’t want them to leave with me. If I accept this guy, will I be found out and punished?

He raised a hand to rub his forehead, using it as an excuse to glance at the diary again.

Even if I can take you, and you can hide the truth… There’s still a very important question left.

The young man waited tensely.

Saul lowered his hand, a charmingly sly smile on his face. “Why should I take that risk for you?”

Saul: Name your price.

(End of Chapter)

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.