Right now, his job was to strengthen Xi Zhao's physique whenever needed, so the boy could make full use of the Snow Mastiff Armor, until the day Xi Zhao no longer needed him and could summon the Snow Mastiff Armor on his own.
But that would still take some time. After all, Xi Zhao was only six years old. Even with decent talent for cultivation, it was unrealistic to push his body to that level too quickly.
If it hadn't been Xi Zhao's own wish—plus the fact that after the armor exterminated mutant beasts it could plunder a portion of their energy to enhance the host's physique—they would never have agreed.
"That would be too late."
The same godlike figure lingered in Xi Zhao's mind—the one who had said the future would not be peaceful, that to protect his loved ones he must possess great power.
So he wanted to seize every moment to grow stronger.
"Don't forget you're a six-year-old brat. Kids should enjoy their childhood properly."
"When the sky falls, there will be taller ones to hold it up. There's no reason a six-year-old child should be standing in front of us!"
"Early-matured little brat."
The man beside him rubbed Xi Zhao's head, moved by the boy's words, a complex look in his eyes.
This era was far too cruel for them.
When the future finally settled and humanity had completely suppressed the mutant beasts, then the era of spiritual energy's revival would be beautiful. But this present time was the most tragic era, because countless people would have to sacrifice themselves.
Just like in China back then: it was precisely the heroic struggle of innumerable martyrs that gave later generations a good life.
And now, it was their turn to be heroes.
"Let's go. Just this one mutant rat for today."
"Go back and eat two extra eggs and have a glass of milk. That's how you'll grow taller faster."
"Okay."
Xi Zhao nodded and followed him. One tall and one small figure walked toward the Aura Bureau.
Others stayed behind to clean up the battlefield.
Only, because of the armor's particular nature, the mutant beasts would explode after death, which meant they couldn't collect the corpses of the mutant beasts.
That was fine too. Although mutant rats did have spiritual energy, if they could help it, no one wanted to eat their meat.
Even if, after proper processing, it didn't taste bad.
"I didn't expect you to choose to strike a deal with me."
"Shendu."
Brandon White looked at the person messaging him privately in the chat group, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"In this entire chat group, only you and the group owner are transmigrators. Even if the others have also watched memory replicas of my world, what they know is still just the plot."
"As for whether anyone has purchased the Shuttle Token, I don't know. No one can say for sure where on that world it would drop you."
"Even if they made it there, they wouldn't necessarily know the exact location of Jackie and the others."
"Angel Yan, and you—you are the best trading partners in my view."
"But I can't choose the angels."
A crimson light flickered in Shendu's eyes.
"If you have demands, speak them plainly."
"Other than the Mouse, Tiger, and Dragon Talismans, you may choose freely among the Twelve Talismans."
It was not a small stake, but—
"I want the Book of Ages."
Brandon spoke calmly.
Among the Twelve Talismans, the only one that interested him was the Mouse Talisman.
He had already purchased the Mouse Talisman, so in Shendu's world there was only one thing he cared about—the Book of Ages.
The Book of Ages was practically the script of Shendu's world; altering history, rewriting cognition—such things were done with ease.
In terms of capability, it was even stronger than the Time Stone; yet correspondingly, there was an extremely high chance the Book of Ages could only be used in Shendu's world.
But he didn't care. He only wanted to see whether the Book of Ages could exert any effect on the [Authority of Nature].
Just like the Mouse Talisman had.
If it benefited the [Authority of Nature], so much the better. Even if it didn't, the Book of Ages would still fetch a high buyback price.
There was no way he would lose.
If not for the chat group's rule that going to someone else's world required the consent of that world's group member—with no exception even for the group owner—then the Book of Ages from Shendu's world would have long since been taken by someone else.
It was precisely because of this that, even though the Book of Ages wasn't in Shendu's possession at this moment, he still chose to put it on the table as a bargaining chip.
Red light flashed again in Shendu's eyes—clearly, he was hesitating.
It wasn't that he wanted to do anything with the Book of Ages. Although he hadn't seen the memory replica, he had learned from the group owner that even after using the Book of Ages he would still fail; thus the book's allure wasn't particularly strong for him.
What he valued was merely the points that equaled the Book of Ages' worth.
That lofty figure was more than enough to raise his strength to a new tier.
But if resurrection was impossible for him, then getting the Book of Ages was idle talk.
There was no shortage of ways for him to earn points.
Magic, talismans, demonic chi—even his brothers and sisters—
And those immortal artifacts that had sealed him!
At that thought, Shendu's gaze turned cold.
"Fine. I accept."
"Then the contract is sealed."
Brandon purchased a Shuttle Token from the chat group.
"Ding. Detected: group member Child of Nature wishes to go to your world. Do you consent?"
The chat group's voice sounded at Shendu's ear.
"I consent."
Shendu answered without hesitation.
Then, in the very next second, the Shuttle Token Brandon had bought emitted a gentle radiance. When the light faded, Brandon had already arrived in another world.
"My strength hasn't diminished."
"I can communicate with the world's consciousness."
"The [Authority of Nature] hasn't been weakened."
Sensing his state after crossing into the new world, Brandon found the answer a little surprising.
None of his abilities had been reduced. He could even feel the Earth's consciousness favoring him now.
Nature, omnipresent, still eagerly furnished him with power.
The sky, the land, the ocean—
"Is it because this is also Earth?"
Brandon murmured.
Perhaps, because both were Earth, to the Earth of the Jackie and Jackie Chan Adventures world, he was like a son from a parallel world—or maybe a nephew dropping by for a visit? So Brandon's abilities had not been diminished here.
"Or is it because of the chat group?"
In the chat-group novels he had known in his previous life, the abilities a member could exert after traveling to other worlds were not weaker than in their own. Perhaps the chat group had endowed him with some rule.
A guarantee that he could exert his full strength in other worlds as well.
Brandon closed his eyes to attune himself to this world. When he opened them again, he glanced toward Shendu's location, a faint smile touching his lips.
"I didn't expect them to gather all the Talismans so quickly."
"Because they don't know the contents of the memory replica, even their methods of seizure became more hesitant and cautious—in the end, they even sped up Jackie and the others' collection of the Talismans."
"Had you already planned the trade back then?"
As expected of you, Shendu.
(End of this chapter)