CHAPTER 431: CHAPTER 431: MY NAME, NOAH

Wu Liji was momentarily taken aback. The Sequence contaminator himself didn’t know about Sequence contamination? Was this real, or was this guy, Lu Luo, putting on an act?

"You really don’t know anything about Sequence contamination?"

"I don’t know. What about it? Is there something strange about that? I don’t even know when your period is, is there any problem with that?"

Looking at Wu Liji’s expression, Lu Luo appeared quite matter-of-fact. Not knowing simply meant not knowing; there was no need for pretense. Even if this matter was important, he truly had no knowledge of it, so there was no reason to pretend otherwise at this point.

Wu Liji’s expression turned to surprise. Judging by the way Lu Luo acted, he seemed genuinely ignorant of anything concerning Sequence contamination. But if Lu Luo knew nothing of Sequence contamination, where did the contaminating nature affecting him come from?

"You are very strange."

"Hmm?"

"You, you have a problem!"

Lu Luo was a bit puzzled; he had Zhang Changming summon these people, and it certainly wasn’t to create problems for himself. "Minister Zhang, what’s the deal with this woman? And what about Sequence contamination?"

Zhang Changming shook his head slightly. "The Imperial Princess’s case is quite special; let’s put aside the conflict between the two of you for now. You both have leverage in my hands right now, so, taking this opportunity, I think you should clarify things. And if there’s a chance, perhaps you can even cooperate."

Zhang Changming’s suggestion took Lu Luo by surprise. Did someone like him actually advocate for cooperation?

"And about the Sequence contamination?"

"I do know some about this issue, but what I know is just the official explanation. It’s not really helpful to your current situation. The Imperial Princess is different; she knows much more. So for this matter, she can truly be of help to you."

After finishing these words, Zhang Changming turned to look at Wu Liji. "Your Highness, I apologize for my earlier rashness and impoliteness. Now you can talk to Lu Luo. About Sequence contamination, please explain in as much detail as you can."

By the time the conversation had reached this point, all three had largely calmed down. Wu Liji nodded, looked at Lu Luo, and then beckoned to him.

"The eye you used before, can it be controlled?"

"The eye? You mean this?" Lu Luo pointed at the top of his head, where there was originally nothing at all. But as Wu Liji and Zhang Changming focused on that spot of air, a red eyeball suddenly appeared. The sensation was as if an eye had abruptly opened in the middle of the air.

Zhang Changming stared at the eyeball, his expression sinking into deep confusion. This type of Sequence power was also something he had never seen before. But even though it was unfamiliar, he felt the immense power radiating from the eye.

Looking at Lu Luo, Zhang Changming thought to himself, This guy didn’t even use Sequence last night! What else is he hiding?

Compared to Zhang Changming’s puzzlement about Lu Luo’s strength, Wu Liji’s expression was much more animated. "Chaos, disorder, filled with a sense of repulsion towards external powers. When the Sequence Energy reaches a certain level, it can even extract power from the Sequence world and alter the state of reality. Yes, that’s the feeling. Sequence contamination!"

What Wu Liji described stirred something in Lu Luo. As for using Sequence to influence reality, he had already achieved it before, though that state required the activation of the Doomsday Disc. The power of Sequence had to be maximized before dragging the enemy into the Sequence.

"It’s truly an outrageous power! In some perceptions, Sequence is a virtual force. Yet, it’s also special. It can be used and genuinely exists, but it doesn’t belong to any conventional type of power. Each Sequence is a unique energy, distinct and unparalleled. When a Sequence is strong enough, it will produce a radiative effect on the environment. Most of these effects are malignant, with only a minority being benign. Malignant contamination can cause mental confusion, agitation, and unease in others; these negative emotions are concealed but can manifest under certain circumstances. A Transcendent who has suffered Sequence contamination might undergo mutations. This is one of the sources of Transcendents’ anomalies."

Wu Liji’s explanation wasn’t very detailed, but Lu Luo had grasped the gist of it. Moreover, he had previously experienced the contaminative nature of Sequences. Very powerful, very useful. He had even used it once while locking gazes with Luo Muqing. But now it seems this power is highly controversial in the Empire!

"I roughly understand the situation you’re describing. So the question now is, is this power prohibited in the Empire? Why forbid it? Don’t you and Zhang Changming also have Sequences?"

These questions had truly troubled Lu Luo for a long time. He had inquired about these matters from various sources before but had never found any answers. Now, it seemed he might get the answers he wanted.

"Sequences are indeed prohibited in the Empire because the Sequences of Sequence holders are too random. To some extent, they are highly unstable and destructive. Transcendents with Sequences often possess powers far stronger than ordinary Transcendents. These Sequence holders, if left unregulated, would pose a significant risk. Due to their randomness and uniqueness, they could easily band together, forming groups of Sequence holders. Once a Sequence society is formed, their threat level would definitely be much greater than ordinary societies. This is something the Imperial Family doesn’t want to see. So, Sequence holders must be captured. However, these Sequence holders are not killed by the Empire but taken to a specific place. There, the Sequence holders are subject to unified planning and training. After confirming they are no longer a threat, they are even offered a legitimate official job."

Lu Luo almost laughed out loud upon hearing this. Unified planning? Training? And then confirming they’re not a threat? The Imperial Family really knows how to present brainwashing in such a dignified manner.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I’m not laughing; continue."

Wu Liji frowned. Lu Luo’s attitude was a bit too nonchalant. To be honest, although he had the looks, his personality wasn’t her type.

"Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you over this kind of thing. The Imperial Family may centralize Sequence holders, but there are exceptions. First and foremost, the Imperial Family’s own Sequence holders are exempt from capture. And Minister Zhang is one of those educated by the Imperial Family, confirmed not to harm the Empire. Our Sequences are officially recorded and legal."

"I see! Since registering a Sequence is so complicated, why do polluters still emerge? Shouldn’t pollution not occur unless a Sequence is cultivated to a certain level?"

Lu Luo uttered these words instinctively, but as soon as he spoke them, Wu Liji and Zhang Changming both looked at him.

"Lu Luo, you just mentioned Sequence cultivation... producing pollution?"

"Uh... did I say something wrong?"

Zhang Changming and Wu Liji exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other’s eyes. Isn’t Sequence contamination supposed to be related to the Bizarre King? Why did Lu Luo say his Sequence contamination came from cultivation? Is this thing also something that can be cultivated?

Wu Liji expressed skepticism. Because throughout history, no Sequence contamination in humans has ever been unique to an individual. Every life form that has produced Sequence contamination has had contact and intersections with the Bizarre King. This pollution is precisely what has been transmitted from these Bizarre entities to human life forms.

Wu Liji was skeptical about what Lu Luo said, but she thought it was possible that Lu Luo didn’t quite understand his own situation. He thought the contamination was the result of cultivation, when in fact he had been contaminated by some other pollution source. Hmm, this possibility seemed the most likely.

With this thought in mind, Wu Liji tentatively asked, "Lu Luo, have you ever come into contact with some terrifying creature before?"

Lu Luo’s eyes lit up. A terrifying creature, hm... If you’re talking about Exotic Species Monarchs, I’ve seen quite a few of them. Noah, Nightmare Demon, and even more outrageous entities like the Doomsday Serpent Meiqi. There was also the sky-shrouding beast Leviathan. In my memory, all of these should count as terrifying creatures. Not sure if they do.

"Uh, allow me to ask again, what kind of creature qualifies as a terrifying creature?"

"An Eighth Order Bizarre King is what I refer to as a terrifying creature. A Bizarre entity of the Eighth Order already possesses a certain contaminative nature. Their power can spread, which is why they are called kings, also known as the Bizarre King."

"If that’s the standard, then I have seen quite a number of terrifying creatures..." Lu Luo’s expression was a bit hesitant, and he looked like he was lying.

However, Wu Liji showed an expression that seemed to say, I knew it. Lu Luo’s contamination still came from the Bizarre King; there was no such thing as self-cultivation. He just didn’t know he had already been contaminated. In other words, if Lu Luo really could cultivate Sequence contamination on his own, what would that make him? Would he be considered a Bizarre King-level Bizarre entity? That’s a joke; Lu Luo, a human, and quite a handsome young man at that, how could he possibly be considered a Bizarre entity? Although he’s gotten a bit too strong, a bit unnaturally so, who knows what kind of feed he grew up on? But humans are humans, and the difference between humans and Bizarre entities is quite significant.

Seeing Lu Luo’s hesitant manner, Teacher Wu Liji officially started her lecture. "Lu Luo, you might not quite understand the terror of a Bizarre King. Their contamination isn’t the kind you might imagine, which requires contact, or is similar to a virus or something like that. Sequence contamination means the source of your Sequences has come into contact at some point. This process sounds complicated, but actually, this contact doesn’t even need to be physical. Sometimes, just a look between two beings, or a single breath, and the contamination is already achieved. So, my guess is that your Sequence contamination came from one of those Bizarre Kings you’ve encountered before. You mistook it for the result of your own cultivation, but that’s not it. Do you understand now?"

This woman... a real Ms. Know-it-all. She thinks she’s got everything figured out. Seeing Wu Liji say so much, Lu Luo really didn’t have the heart to interrupt her. And his situation was somewhat different from what she described. The Observer’s Eye... is one of the twelve Sequences of the Doomsday Halo, after all. In terms of intrinsic level, this object is much more advanced than Exotic Species Monarchs and the like.

"COUGH, COUGH... Maybe I’m just a special case!"

Lu Luo wanted to argue, but Wu Liji seemed quite confident. "Then tell me about the powerful beings you’ve encountered before. Perhaps I can identify the source of your contamination from those creatures you mention."

Looking at Wu Liji’s confident expression, Lu Luo couldn’t help but find it amusing. However, the strong creatures I had once encountered...

"I have seen many strong creatures, but the ones I’ve actually had more contact with, there are only three. First, the one I had the least contact with, but who is the strongest: The Tenth Angel Envoy, the Doomsday Serpent. She possesses incredibly powerful strength. Just how powerful she is, I’m not quite sure, but in my perception, she is several times, even ten times stronger than a typical Eighth Order Monarch. She controls the Nether River, manipulates life and death; Netherflame is her servant, and the Nether River is her nurturing ground. She is undoubtedly an extremely powerful and terrifying creature.

The second is one with whom I have a closer relationship: The Dream King - Nightmare Demon. Although she is a Bizarre King, she often appears before humans in the guise of a little girl. She is adept at deception, loves games, has an exaggerated personality but isn’t overly malicious. As a disciple of the Doomsday Serpent, she too has mastered the power of Netherflame. Unmatched in strength.

The last one is the Intelligent Machine Monarch, Noah. He controls intelligent machinery, leads intelligent devices; any that exist can be influenced by him, even controlled. He is extremely wise, calm, and cunning. Every one of his plans is premeditated, as if he were a designer. Like the hidden hand behind a game. If we talk about harm, I have always believed that Noah poses the greatest threat among the three."

After Lu Luo finished speaking, Zhang Changming and Wu Liji were already stunned. Zhang Changming gave Lu Luo a subtle pat. "Lu Luo, I asked you to talk about the Bizarre Kings you’ve seen, not to tell a story. We’re all adults here, and telling stories like this is a bit dull."

And Wu Liji was even more exaggerated. "Bizarre creatures, how could they have so many abilities? If they were that powerful and intelligent, they wouldn’t have been driven off this continent by humans. Lu Luo, you really have a way with words, but what you say is quite interesting. Which novel did you get this from? I’ll buy a copy someday."

Their reactions left Lu Luo feeling rather disappointed. You haven’t seen them, so why judge so readily? The three Exotic Species he spoke of are real entities. And they were ones he had truly encountered. He hadn’t spoken of the likes of the Stone Mother or Leviathan because he hadn’t met them in person. Yet speaking the truth, he was doubted, which made Lu Luo uncomfortable.

"You don’t believe it? Fine, don’t believe it!"

As the three were conversing, at the border of Ganbei District, a disheveled man appeared. The signs of frost, sun, and some unknown battles had left many marks on the man’s body. But these were not important; what mattered was that he had finally arrived at this place.

"HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!"

"Hey, you over there, want a lift?" A woman dressed in adventurer’s garb, with a clear ulterior motive in her eyes, waved at the man. Her two companions showed equally meaningful smiles.

However, the man seemed oblivious to it all, nodding with a smile, "Sure!"

Once on the vehicle, the woman asked casually, "Most people coming here are gold diggers. Hey, what’s your name, got any loot?"

The man nodded. "Loot... indeed, quite a lot. Also, my name is Noah!"