111: Can I borrow your snake for a bit?

Since this skill didn't require conscious activation, Consultant felt the difference after the system's voice faded.

He could now sense two strange, eerie auras!

One of the eerie auras was extremely powerful and nearby. Consultant knew this was emanating from the Star Bell Tower.

The other was some distance away.

This aura wasn't strong, but it was hidden very deeply, not like a location or an item, but more like... a person?

A person?!

Realizing this strange guess, Consultant excitedly opened his eyes, picked up the Slime, and headed out the door.

He hadn't planned on bringing Black Marsh, because Black Marsh was allied with the Calamity. If he brought him, something unexpected might happen at the scene.

However, Black Marsh saw through Consultant's thoughts.

"What are you doing, human? Come back to this King!"

"Did you hear me? Are you forcing me to act?!"

"Damn it, human, my final warning... ah, no warning. Just wait for this King!"

Seeing Consultant about to run out of the room, Black Marsh swiftly shifted his form, and his body began to enlarge.

But of course, Black Marsh was still relatively restrained at the moment.

If he caused a big commotion, things might be hard to clean up. So, he only transformed into a giant python several meters long.

Just as Consultant grabbed the doorknob, before he could leave, it tightly coiled around his ankle, and then its entire body wrapped around him!

"Holy crap!"

Consultant couldn't help but curse, only then realizing something.

Beast Taming Power could only prevent Black Marsh from attacking him, but it couldn't control Black Marsh's actions.

This was precisely the situation.

Black Marsh had no intention of harming Consultant; he merely coiled around Consultant's body, neither exerting force nor biting, simply wrapping him in place.

And this resulted in Consultant truly being unable to run!

"Let go of me!"

"If you don't leave, I'll let go!"

"You let go, and I won't leave!"

"You promise not to leave first, then I'll let go!"

"Alright, to be honest, I have to go!"

"Then let's just stay here forever!"

Consultant and Black Marsh argued with each other, neither willing to back down first, as if they intended to remain entangled like this until the end of time.

Suddenly—

"Thump, thump, thump... creak!"

As the two were in a stalemate, footsteps approached the door, followed by a knock and the sound of the door opening.

A head filled with curiosity peered in—

"Brother, what are you doing? So noisy..."

Zuo Dao pushed open the door, then one second later.

"Ouch, holy crap! I must still be dreaming, yeah!"

Zuo Dao mumbled, rubbed his eyes, slowly pulled his head back, and then slammed the door shut.

What did he see? He saw a giant python, dozens of meters long, in Consultant's room. Was this something that could appear in a room?!!

"…"

Watching his actions, Consultant and Black Marsh were both stunned for a moment.

But before they could react, the door in front of them was suddenly burst open again.

Zuo Dao now held a medicine bottle.

"Hmph, snake demon, don't harm my brother! Die for this lord!"

Zuo Dao struck a strange pose, which, in Consultant's eyes, looked exactly like a master exorcising evil spirits under a bridge.

He brandished the medicine bottle in his hand, muttered incantations, and then flung it!

"No, wait!"

However, it was too late. A large amount of orange-red powder instantly covered Consultant and Black Marsh's faces.

"Oh crap, my eyes!"

"Damn it, what is this stuff? It's choking this King to death!"

Zuo Dao threw out a bottle of powder, but instead of separating, Consultant and Black Marsh both fell to the ground, twisting and writhing.

Zuo Dao looked at the man and snake in the room, his face full of shock, and the scene of a snake speaking, covering his mouth and nose, he let out a surprised cry—

"I might really be dreaming..."

Ten minutes later, in Consultant's dorm room.

Consultant wiped snot and tears from his face, looking as if he had just survived a disaster.

Beside him, Black Marsh had also reverted to his a dozen-centimeter form, lying on his back next to the Slime.

Zuo Dao, meanwhile, sat in a chair, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy, clutching a handful of the same powder from earlier.

"Alright, alright, put that stuff away, cough, cough..."

Consultant coughed, then waved his hand at Zuo Dao, "This snake is a magical beast I just subdued. Our relationship isn't quite harmonized yet."

Zuo Dao heard this and smiled awkwardly:

"Brother, if you had told me earlier that this was a magical beast you just subdued, I wouldn't have acted!"

"…"

Did you give me time to speak?

Consultant glanced at Zuo Dao, speechless for a moment. After wiping his face, he gestured with his chin at the empty medicine bottle Zuo Dao had just used, "What was that stuff you just threw? It wasn't poisonous, was it?"

Zuo Dao quickly waved his hands, "No, no, don't worry, it's just ordinary realgar powder... Uh, speaking of which, your magical beast won't die, will it?"

"Realgar powder? It should be fine, this guy isn't that fragile."

Consultant looked at Black Marsh, who looked like he was about to pass away.

He wasn't worried about Black Marsh's condition.

After all, if an Eighth-Order Magical Beast like this was killed by some realgar powder, that would be too ridiculous.

Zuo Dao, however, was very interested in Black Marsh, squatting beside him and gently poking Black Marsh's belly with his finger.

"Brother, quickly tell me, where did you get such a small snake? And why did it sound like it could talk just now?"

Consultant worried Zuo Dao might get hurt by Black Marsh, so he quickly pulled Black Marsh back.

He originally wanted to introduce Black Marsh to Zuo Dao, but before he could speak, Black Marsh spoke first:

"Lighter, this King is almost tortured to death!"

"Holy crap?!"

This time, Zuo Dao heard it clearly, his eyes widening as he plopped onto the ground.

Even without Consultant's explanation, Zuo Dao clearly understood that a magical beast capable of human speech was definitely not an ordinary low-level magical beast!

Consultant didn't explain much, just wiggled his index finger and thumb.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Dao's expression changed from confusion to realization, and finally to astonishment!

"Eighth... you're not saying this snake is an Eighth-Order Magical Beast, are you?!"

Consultant still didn't speak, just nodded silently.

"Damn!"

Zuo Dao cursed under his breath, swallowed with some difficulty, and his gaze towards Black Marsh gained a hint of reverence.

Black Marsh noticed the shock in Zuo Dao's eyes, violently shook his snake head, flicking off the remaining realgar powder, and then, with a slight curl of his lip, proudly raised his head.

"Human, you have good taste!"

"Now, tell this King your name, and I shall take you as my pet!"

"In the future, when my Lord Omen descends again, you too shall obtain..."

Black Marsh didn't finish his sentence, and Zuo Dao didn't seem to listen closely. Instead, he turned to Consultant, a strange smile on his face, and asked:

"Brother, can you give me this snake of yours? I feel like I could use it to create many miraculously effective medicines!"