"Hardly anyone believes me, either... It's really strange, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this voice, Su Zhou's expression slowly grew serious. He frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something.
But just then, a Zhengguo squad passing through the small tourist town drew his attention.
It was a rather peculiar squad. Its members were a mix of fat and thin, tall and short, completely defying Zhengguo's fine tradition of squads with uniform body types that made them look like clones if they covered their faces. Some even wore modified long robes and had long hair. They looked less like a rescue team and more like teachers from an Academy.
Strangely, no one in town paid any mind to this odd squad, as if they didn't exist. Someone within the team noticed Su Zhou's gaze and let out a soft sound of surprise—but since they had a mission, they didn't stop, instead continuing toward the mountain forest.
"What's wrong? See something unusual?"
"It's nothing. Just saw a very rare Seed... Say what you will about those people, but they have a sharp eye. A talent like that, even if not used as a sacrifice for one of those vicious rituals, could become a pillar of their organization after being brainwashed for the New Era."
"Tempted? Aren't you going to ask? Seeing isn't always believing. You need to run proper tests to confirm his potential."
"Forget it. We have more important things to do. And there's no need to worry too much—in one year, the national college entrance exam, the 'Holy Ascension Selection Test,' is undergoing a massive change. The major Academies will all be showing off their Divine Techniques to select the most capable. A kid with such outstanding Talent will naturally stand out. He doesn't need any special treatment from us."
"For now, we need to focus on what exactly the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association was doing here."
The squad's conversation was extremely discreet. They even used some special method to contain the sound waves, so the sound only existed between the few of them. An ordinary person would never have heard it.
But Su Zhou was different.
A small, blood-red snake crawled out from behind Su Zhou's left ear with a soft RUSTLE. It had been hidden in the gap between the young man's sideburns and his ear, allowing him to clearly hear every distant sound.
And Su Zhou asked in his mind.
'Hey... Do you think they'll find anything?'
'Like you... or the traces I left behind?'
The blood-red snake lazily flicked its needle-thin tail. "Relax. They won't find a thing."
"The last of my power destroyed all traces and threads of Cause and Effect there. Even if an Angel descended or a True Immortal appeared, they wouldn't find anything. The only thing they'll know is that a Void transaction on the level of a God's descent occurred there. They won't be able to figure out anything else."
"Is that so..."
Su Zhou fell silent for a moment at the small snake's confident, almost dismissive words. Then he sighed. He recalled the many visions he had seen during their contract and couldn't help but ask, "What should I call you, then?"
"Holy Snake Spirit, or perhaps Candle Dragon, Xiangliu, the Eight-headed Great Serpent? Or Ananta Shesha, Ouroboros, the Ancient Serpent Satan?"
"What... are you, exactly?"
Su Zhou's mind was filled with deep confusion. It should have been a difficult question to answer, but the other party had no intention of hiding anything.
"Yes, and no."
A light, quick tone rang out. The small snake with a body of blood sounded cheerful, and Su Zhou could even faintly hear it humming a Holy Song as it spoke in a rap-like cadence, "Don't you guess, don't you test~ I am Typhon, and also Apophis. I am Vritra, and also Kukulkan."¹
"They are not me, but I am all of them."
"Son of Man, you are too far from the truth. Instead of worrying about my 'True Form,' you should be more concerned with your own future."
"However, you may call me 'Yara' (Yalla·יאללה)."
It seemed genuinely happy. Even though it was completely powerless now, it twisted and writhed freely on Su Zhou's ear like a Zhu Country snake dance, which tickled him a little.
"Alright, I don't really care who you are anyway... So, Yara, about the contract we made. We still haven't discussed the terms. What is it you want me to do?"
Su Zhou looked up at the moon. As its bright light shone on him, he felt as if he were faintly absorbing something. "I know the Continuous Prayer Meeting failed to summon you. You should have been furious, but instead... you made a contract with me, the one who stopped them, saved my life, and gave me a new one."
At that moment, the young man raised his hand as if trying to grasp the moonlight. He could feel its warmth, smell the air, and catch the fresh fragrance of the plants. He could sense the speed and direction of the swirling wind... Standing perfectly still, Su Zhou felt as if he could perceive everything around him. He could see the branches and green leaves on a distant tree trunk trembling in the wind, and he could see the ants and beetles crawling through the bushes.
A cleansing of marrow and sinew? A total Rebirth? This complete upgrade of his senses brought a feeling of new life, but also endless questions.
"I find it hard to understand. Why didn't you make a contract with the Leader of that Continuous Prayer Meeting?"
This was indeed a question Su Zhou struggled to comprehend. It felt as absurd as an enemy commander defecting at the start of a major battle, a truly baffling and surreal situation.
[We, your subjects, were ready to fight to the death! Why did Your Majesty surrender first?!]
[—By the Bedouin High Priest]
"Su Zhou. I'll call you by your name. I am an existence you cannot imagine right now. I know full well what it means to use, what a transaction is, and what Faith is."
The little snake calling itself 'Yara' still sounded cheerful. It seemed to be enjoying the current environment and atmosphere, so it paid no mind to Su Zhou's serious tone. "Of course, the most important reason is that you're young, handsome, and have Talent... Why would I sign a contract with a shabby old man who doesn't believe in me, isn't handsome, and has mediocre talent? You think I'm not that picky?"
"And don't worry. The pact I made with you doesn't even involve your freedom. The terms are so broad they're practically nonexistent. In my name, this is truly the most honest deal you could get. There are no hidden clauses. Not even... is as reliable as I am."
At this, it seemed hesitant, as if afraid to speak a certain name. The blood-red Snake Spirit lowered its voice, "If you're willing to help me break my Seal, that would be for the best, of course—but if you're not, it doesn't matter much. As long as you want to grow stronger, it's a good thing for me. It will slowly loosen the grip of the Seal on me."
Hearing this, Su Zhou couldn't help but fall silent, lost in thought. 'Of course, I don't fully believe the Snake Spirit's words. Would a liar admit they're a liar? But this Snake Spirit calling itself Yara is different. If it wanted to trick me, it wouldn't have needed to say so much. It didn't even need to trick me at all. After all, it was the one who saved my life.'
'It was a transaction and a contract, but the timing of that 'contract' was its greatest value.'
¹ The names above are those of various snake gods from around the world.