Chapter 22: As Long as My Rationality is Low Enough, I Can Ignore the Problem

"Oh, you gave me a scare," Te Kelei felt the breath behind him and almost got startled.

Gu Shanhai saw several yellow-brown lines emerge on the other's neck during their moment of tension, something he found familiar.

Something like fungi but not entirely so.

He hadn't noticed before, but it had become apparent when the other was tense, revealing a tiny flaw that he caught.

"How are we doing with the materials needed for the exorcism magic?" Gu Shanhai asked.

"I need to prepare some magic potions, you know, we don't have magic power here, so to unleash it, we need magic potions as support," Te Kelei began focusing on his work.

An idea surfaced in Gu Shanhai's mind: could he have obtained a magic inheritance?

From the other's actions, he was certainly not some wild mage, but rather seemed professionally trained.

Otherwise, mere memories would not suffice to reach this level.

'Too bad, can't pry it open,' Gu Shanhai felt some regret, as he didn't know any soul-searching spells, and even if he did, he wouldn't have the strength to cast them with his current power.

However, having acquired some of the gene biological technology related to flesh was enough for him; he could tailor further improvements to the Golden Bell Shield Iron Cloth Shirt, Child Skill, and Yunling Technique once he returned.

These four cultivation techniques might not seem related to the flesh technology, but their effects were quite similar, both transforming the human body.

For him, as long as it was useful, that was enough.

"How much longer will it take?" Gu Shanhai asked.

"At least half an hour," Te Kelei replied. "You know, that protoplasmic life form is known as a mythical creature in its own universe."

"Exorcising it is not an easy task; moreover, we need to open a portal in the universe, which is not simple."

Te Kelei muttered some words that made Gu Shanhai suspect his mental health might be compromised.

Moreover, the phrase 'mythical creature' put Gu Shanhai on edge. Science fiction, mythical creatures, magic—all these terms together made him think of the Cthulhu universe.

A sci-fi world transitioning from version two to version three.

Indeed, it was the world of the Cthulhu Mythos, where the more you knew, the harder it became—a strange world that would form terrifying missions the more you probed into its secrets.

The death rate had always been high.

Gu Shanhai hadn't been there; after all, with such a high death rate and a system incompatible with his past life, he had only heard about the situation on forums.

Even if invited, he wouldn't go, because unlike other players, how could he not know about the Cthulhu circumstances?

As a transmigrator, he'd probably face disaster the moment he entered.

Furthermore, he avoided worlds with settings like Weird Cultivation, Warhammer, and the like. These settings were too horrific, and the players who mixed in were at extremes: either they did exceptionally well or died horribly.

Some would even deliberately spread secrets on forums, and the new players who learned these secrets would run into trouble the moment they entered such worlds.

Unexpectedly, in this instance, he encountered a mythical creature from the Cthulhu series.

If that were true, then he'd have to be more cautious with that piece of flesh technology.

As for the magic inheritance in Te Kelei's mind? He kept his distance from it.

The flesh technique was likely a new form of knowledge Te Kelei formed by combining the protoplasmic lifeform, magic inheritance in his mind, and modern biological knowledge—the balance heavily leaning towards modern knowledge. It made his scalp tingle probably because of the medium.

The knowledge wasn't the problem; the parchment was.

Most likely, it was an original parchment that held the magic inheritance, which Te Kelei later took and wrote down the corresponding techniques in his lucid moments.

Gu Shanhai also had some guesses about the origin of the parchment; it was probably brought over from the Cthulhu universe by the protoplasmic lifeform that claimed to be a mythical creature.

It definitely couldn't affect him; cut off from the Cthulhu universe, such a being would retain barely any of its once mighty power. Moreover, it was more directed at the mental aspect, and with his true spirit as a reborn, he was easily immune to its influence.

In time, that parchment would likely become an ordinary one...perhaps.

"It seems you've gleaned quite a bit of magic knowledge," Gu Shanhai suddenly asked.

"Not much, just some accidents from the past, nothing worth mentioning," Te Kelei also realized he might have said too much, not noticing any issues with his mental state.

In the Cthulhu universe, so-called magic...was more akin to technology, only deemed magic because it defied understanding.

As Te Kelei carried on with the potion preparation, Gu Shanhai could see the threads moving beneath his skin.

'This is indeed using sanity to make magic potions, what a trap.'

Cthulhu's magic was tied to sanity rather than magic power due to incomprehension, which meant the more recklessly one used magic, the crazier they became. Te Kelei was slightly better off, being outside the Cthulhu universe and in a different world; although the impact was minimal, there was still a price to pay.

Quickly, several bottles of magic potion were concocted.

"Alright, we can set off now. What are you staring at?" Te Kelei asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, just admiring your skill," Gu Shanhai looked at the anomalies on Te Kelei's skin without confronting the matter.

He estimated that even if Te Kelei successfully blended with the protoplasmic lifeform and gained great strength and eternal life, he would ultimately go mad.

Because the other was already half-crazy, at least suffering from some mental disorder, otherwise, how could he possibly ignore his own issues?

"I'll still need your help then. I can only assist from the side," Te Kelei immediately said, trying to deflect the responsibility.

Being mentally problematic didn't mean he was lacking in intellect.

"Of course, but where is the protoplasmic lifeform kept? Saint Mary Hospital isn't small," Gu Shanhai didn't want to walk around for half an hour.

"Don't worry, we have specialized equipment," Te Kelei said, and then fetched a forklift from the storage: "We'll take this over."

"That'll save a lot of time," Gu Shanhai hadn't thought of that, primarily because the forklift was too far inside for him to see.

"Naturally, we have other vehicles too, but unfortunately, they're located much farther away," Te Kelei climbed onto the forklift and motioned for Gu Shanhai to come aboard.

Gu Shanhai didn't hesitate and climbed aboard as well, and the forklift charged out of the logistics warehouse.