After a comparison.
The difference was clear.
Ian had a good idea now.
He felt that compared to the nightmare world he entered every night, his own silly system was his most reliable partner.
It asked for nothing in return.
It gave him no missions.
Only selfless dedication.
Quietly helping Ian record every bit of his growth—yes, the experience value, in Ian's eyes, was merely a record of his growth. But this did not stop him from being touched by the System's selfless record-keeping.
"Why is your face not only pale, but your whole body is also shaking a little now?" The female powerhouse tilted her head slightly. Her dark eyes were filled with confusion regarding Ian's changing expression.
"Hypoglycemia, shaking from hunger, desperately in need of a kind person to feed me." Ian's eyes once again fixed on the black sphere in the female powerhouse's hand. He truly wanted to know what he would gain by eating it.
A new profession?
Or explosive experience points?
Swallow a black pill into the stomach, only then do I know my fate is in my own hands!
Ian was full of anticipation.
But the female powerhouse had no intention of granting his wish.
"I can't give you this. It needs to be properly dealt with." The female powerhouse gently tapped the surface of the black sphere with her fingertip, and dark red nebula immediately surged inside the sphere.
"Just a touch?"
Ian tried to reason with her.
"I promise not to put it in my mouth."
His assurance did not earn the female powerhouse's trust.
"Your father was right... you really have Pica, don't you?" The female powerhouse covered her forehead with her other hand. She didn't think Ian's "sincere" expression was convincing at all.
"But it's my spoils of war." Ian wanted to keep pulling, he genuinely couldn't give up the temptation of [Compatible Data]—even though he didn't know what it was, his Super-Intuition told him it would be greatly beneficial.
"Your spoils of war?" The female powerhouse glanced at Ian, as if this was the first time she had encountered a life form so bold in her presence. "I've been watching you all along."
"This is clearly your father's spoils of war." She ruthlessly exposed the truth that while Ian had a role, his part was minor, and he didn't play any decisive factor.
"Huh?"
Ian really wanted to reply that this was just how ordinary NPCs were. No matter how emotional or decisive the moment, it wouldn't be him. The blame could only fall on the group that set the main tone for a universe like DC.
"What were you trying to say?"
The female powerhouse sensed Ian's hesitation.
"But what my father has is mine, right? I should at least get a third, and then if I beg Jonathan and Jordan, the remaining two-thirds will definitely be mine too."
Ian ultimately chose to continue reasoning.
There was genuine logic to that.
The female powerhouse opened her mouth, speechless.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
A moment later.
"This thing is not a toy, nor is it some source of power... Now that it has left the current world, I cannot allow it to return. That would be a blight upon our world."
The female powerhouse sighed helplessly, speaking in a very tired voice. "Don't worry, your contribution won't be forgotten. We will give you a sufficiently generous reward."
"You want power, we will give it to you." It must be said that, aside from being unable to read Ian's mind, the female powerhouse had a sharp eye and saw why Ian wanted to consume the fragment of the outside world.
So.
This incarnation of the supreme cosmic rule gave Ian a promise.
"Okay, okay, come on! Show me!" Ian was also a person who knew when to be content. He knew he could always find other fragments and quickly swallow them when the powerhouse wasn't looking.
For now.
He only wanted the curse of eternal life.
"..."
The female powerhouse saw Ian spreading his arms wide, ready to receive something. She felt that in her years of existence, she hadn't been speechless as many times as she had been in these past few days.
She stared at Ian for a long time.
Seeing that Ian had no intention of lowering his arms.
[Death Refusal: You will be permanently immune to death for the rest of your existence. Even if you are reduced to neutrinos, you cannot truly die—Perhaps Death really doesn't want to see you every day.]
Sighing, the female powerhouse touched Ian's brow with her finger. Just like that, the temporary curse in Ian's status bar became a permanently lasting status.
"I'm immortal now? Does that mean I'm eternal?" Ian became greedy again. His contentment was Schrödinger's contentment; he was only content when he had to be.
"Trust me, that would not be a reward. Some rules exist not merely to restrain." The female powerhouse shook her head and did not accept Ian's suggestion.
"Okay."
Ian blinked.
He chose contentment again.
He had finally gotten what he wanted. The DC Universe finally truly had its own Deadpool! Ian believed he would definitely be much more popular than the Deadpool of the Marvel Universe!
"This is my small personal reward to you. As for our official commendation, you will feel it in your future life." The female powerhouse spoke as if she was about to turn and leave.
Ian did not want to miss the opportunity to probe for information.
"Wait, um... could you explain a bit about the merging worlds? No other meaning, just purely academic curiosity. You know, I'm a diligent student at school."
Ian's attempt to cover up his real intention was not very subtle.
At least the female powerhouse didn't seem suspicious.
"Other universes are currently merging into ours, but this merge is difficult to perceive because it is not a savage invasion. The beings within the universe will have no awareness of it."
"Everything operates in a reasonable manner. Even we find it hard to detect. It's like mixing different colored inks into clear water; the more similar the colors are, the harder it is to distinguish them after blending."
The female powerhouse's voice carried a hint of heaviness.
At this moment, Ian seemed to realize why his world recognition, or Status Weight, hadn't increased after becoming a [Death Knight's Retainer].
The Death Knight was also an external integration, just like him!
"So, is this good or bad?" Ian cautiously probed. He felt that even with his "legitimate identity," he needed to plan ahead.
What if.
The powerhouses of the DC Universe were determined to eliminate all external factors.
"Some are good, some are bad. Since detectable cases are too rare, even we are still unable to determine which is good and which is bad."
"Of course, there is definitely an impact, like salt dissolving in water—you can't see the salt grains, but the water tastes salty. The only thing we can guarantee is that the operation of the world will not be severely affected."
"After all, in such a merger, all that the universe is seeking from another universe is mere survival." The female powerhouse's attitude sounded relatively lenient toward cosmic merging.
She, or They, only specifically targeted the invasion of shattered universes. It must be said that this was probably a very good piece of news for Ian.
"Do you want to ask anything else?" This powerhouse was noticeably different from when they first met. She was now clearly explaining things to Ian with great patience.
And there was a reason why the female powerhouse was doing this.
"If you discover similar abnormalities, you can tell me. I will always maintain a state of listening to your prayers—I think you actually know who I am now, don't you?"
The female powerhouse looked at Ian with deep meaning in her eyes.
"..."
Ian was clearly feeling a little guilty.
"How could I discover something you can't? I'm just Superman's son, and an adopted one at that." He attempted to use self-deprecation to mask his guilt.
The female powerhouse saw through this.
"Yes, adopted son. That might be the reason why you are special... Kryptonians are far from being this unique." The female powerhouse's voice was as soft as a feather brushing past.
She raised the black sphere in her hand again.
As if examining it.
"Due to the rules, we cannot directly touch things like this. Your father's first action led us to discover it, but how to force it to manifest again became the problem."
"This is why I needed someone to assist me... and the reason I chose you is because I have no choice." The female powerhouse's words left Ian feeling confused.
"What do you mean? Can you do some reading comprehension for me?" Ian blinked, hoping the other party wouldn't be a riddle-master. Riddle-masters shouldn't have good endings outside of Gotham.
"You ask me, who should I ask? I'm waiting for you to figure it out yourself and tell me what the reason is." The female powerhouse smiled slightly, as if she wasn't desperate for the answer.
Her figure began to fade.
Along with the black sphere in her hand, which was also disappearing.
"To be able to block my omniscience is, in itself, a miracle. And to be able to interact with me like this is certainly not because of the patronage of the old man you serve."
As Miss Death gradually vanished.
"I am the personification of the rules. Not every life has the right to look upon me and remember me... Little one, think carefully, what kind of existence might you be?"
Her final lingering voice left behind one meaningful remark.
Immediately after.
The black and white faded.
The world resumed its operation.
***
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