America: The Cremator

Chapter 172 The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!

Surong looked at Byron, who had readily admitted defeat, and nodded slightly: "You are also very strong. Come to think of it, I did not completely defeat you in your field."

This wasn't Su Long being deliberately modest.

Byron was very skilled in using the rules of moonlight; his terrifying refraction attacks and mirror defenses did indeed cause him considerable trouble.

If it weren't for the abnormal regenerative power of the [Flesh and Blood Overlord], which allowed him to forcibly withstand the beam of light at close range, it would have taken much more effort to determine the winner in this battle.

Byron shook his head, his tone calm and serious: "No, the outcome is already quite clear."

"During our sparring just now, I completely forgot about the stage area, but you were still able to focus on strategizing and even forced me to the edge of the dance floor. That speaks volumes. In terms of control over the rules and the remaining energy in the fight, you won."

After saying this, Byron stepped forward and, as he passed by Suron, tilted his head and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "After the banquet, please wait a moment; I have something to discuss with you."

After saying that, Byron stepped down from the field, sat back down in the secluded corner, and continued to flip through the black notebook.

Surong couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. This Byron had a mysterious background and acted strangely. Moreover, he had only met him once, so why would he ask him for a favor?

But Su Long quickly suppressed these doubts for the time being.

Now is clearly not the time to delve into it, since he hasn't even gotten his hands on the mithril coins yet.

He turned and looked around at the young exorcists with varying expressions, then asked loudly, "Is there anyone else who wants to come up and spar?"

The entire banquet hall was completely silent.

The young exorcists, who had just been eager to try and thought Su Long was arrogant, now looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Are you kidding me? Go up there and have a spar?

They don't even have a domain, so how can they spar with Su Long? Not to mention his terrifying recovery speed; they could be worn down to death by him.

After waiting a while, seeing that no one dared to step forward to fight, Hedley walked into the arena, clapped her hands, and said, "It seems that the outcome tonight is already decided."

Everyone present applauded, and Hedley took the opportunity to hand the mithril coin to Suron, praising, "Mr. Suron, your talent and future far exceed everyone's expectations. This mithril coin is a well-deserved trophy."

"Thank you for your generosity, Mrs. Hedley," Suron said politely, then carefully pocketed the mithril coin.

Hedley then looked at everyone present and said with a smile, "The rest of you don't need to be discouraged. Tonight's sparring has shown us endless possibilities. The future of exorcists lies in you young people. I hope that you can maintain this spirit on your future exorcism journey."

After saying that, she gestured and invited, "Now, please welcome Mrs. Valéry to the stage to give a speech."

The crowd applauded again, and under the complex gazes of the young exorcists, Su Long walked off the dance floor and returned to Elena's side.

His pure white haute couture shirt on the left side was completely ripped, the fabric hanging miserably at his waist, revealing his newly reconstructed left arm, the newly formed muscles full and firm, exuding an explosive sense of power.

Elena looked Su Long up and down as she handed him the dark black suit jacket. She sighed and said helplessly, "The haute couture shirt I spent a fortune to prepare for you has been ruined by you."

Su Long took the suit jacket, put it on, and gave a dry laugh.

Elena straightened his suit collar and sighed softly, "What exactly happened to you on Little St. James Island? Not only has your regenerative ability become so outrageous, but you can even unleash your domain at will. With your current strength, I'm afraid even I can't beat you."

Su Long casually replied, "By constantly flirting with life and death, your potential is naturally forced out."

As the two conversed, Valéry, in the center of the dance floor, delivered his speech: "The banquet tonight has officially ended. Thank you all for your participation. You may now leave."

The guests walked toward the door one after another. Rodney and Edith stood on either side of the castle's open gate, shaking hands with each of the departing young exorcists to say goodbye.

Seeing Sulong come out, Rodney nodded to him, his attitude much warmer than when he first entered, clearly acknowledging the strength Sulong had just displayed.

Surong responded politely, then walked out the door with Elena.

The two walked along the smooth stone path, across the wide lawn, and when they reached a pavilion covered with flowering vines, Su Long suddenly stopped.

Elena looked at him questioningly: "What's wrong?"

Surong turned to look at the castle gate and said softly, "No rush, someone wants to talk to me about something."

As soon as she finished speaking, a steady sound of footsteps came from the other end of the stone path. Elena turned her head and saw Byron walking slowly towards them.

"Mr. Suron," Byron greeted Suron first, then looked at Elena beside him and said, "Miss Elena, good evening."

Elena nodded slightly in response.

Looking at the uninvited guest before him, Su Long cut to the chase: "What brings you here specifically to discuss this matter?"

Byron didn't answer immediately, but instead looked Su Long up and down before slowly saying, "At the banquet just now, when Mrs. Hedley took out that mithril coin as a prize, you reacted strongly, and afterwards in the battle, you spared no effort to win the match."

He paused for a moment, then made his judgment: "You seem to be—short of mithril coins."

Su Long chuckled a few times, offering no rebuttal: "So, you're planning to sponsor me as a favor?"

Byron nodded, took a mithril coin out of his pocket, and tossed it to Suron: "I came to this banquet to see if there were any young exorcists in America who were as capable as me, and I didn't expect to actually meet one."

"You want to find someone to collaborate with?" Elena, who was standing nearby, sensed the underlying meaning.

Byron nodded, readily admitting, "I've been in America for three months now. During these three months, I've been investigating a strange entity, but its abilities are extremely difficult to deal with; only young exorcists can contend with it."

After saying that, Byron changed the subject: "But your field is very strong, especially your domineering way of forcibly changing the rules, which is very helpful in defeating it—I need a teammate like you."

Su Long, holding the mithril coin, asked with a smile, "So, this counts as a deposit?"

Byron nodded, then shook his head, adding, "Not entirely. This mithril coin is also a gift from the Wick family. If you don't want to join, I won't make things difficult for you."

"If you're willing to cooperate with me, I'll give you another one after it's done."

Surong carefully put away the mithril coins, looked up at Byron, and said seriously, "The stakes are indeed tempting. But before that, I need to know all the information about this monster."

"After all, nobody wants to go and die without knowing why."

"Of course, intelligence sharing is the foundation of cooperation."

Byron took out a brown paper document bag from inside his coat, pulled out two printed files, and handed them to Suron and Elena respectively.

[Code Name: B-027]

【Name: False Crow】

[Alternative names: The Raven Imitator, Karanuakjerisky]

[Rank: Upper B]

[Description]: The False Raven is a complex, multi-form entity capable of switching between three different configurations. It has a longitudinal slit in the center of its chest cavity, with scorched, curled edges. Inside the slit is a continuously, slowly rotating, grayish-white vortex, one of the sources of the False Raven's abilities.

Its common form is a "giant crow" with a body length of 1.8 to 2.1 meters and a wingspan of 4.0 to 4.5 meters. In this form, it can emit infrasound waves with frequencies exceeding the lower limit of human hearing, which can cause unexplained chest tightness and anxiety.

When entering battle mode, the False Raven transforms into a "half-human, half-raven" being approximately 1.9 meters tall with a wingspan of about 1.2 meters. Its head retains the complete skull structure of a raven, and its beak is sharp. Its upper limbs are human arms, but the outer side of its forearms has two rows of sharp, short feathers that can easily cut through steel.

The "Gray-Robed Elder" is a special form of the Pseudo-Raven, appearing only when the user is near death. In this form, the elder is 1.65 meters tall.

The silhouette is that of an elderly man who is 1.75 meters tall and has a hunched posture. Grayish-white, misty tentacles extend from the cuffs of his sleeves. Any action that requires manual operation can be completed by the tentacles.

[Environmental Characteristics]: This strange phenomenon relies on the existence of human groups of a specific age group. It often appears in nursing homes, maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units, and high-density areas where the elderly and newborns coexist. When it appears, people within a certain range will experience chest tightness and anxiety. Long-term effects can lead to hearing loss, myocardial strain, asthma, and depression. In severe cases, it can cause endocrine disorders and sudden death.

[Ability Overview]: When entering combat mode, the fake crow will shake off its own feathers, causing those who come into contact with the feathers and the materials they come into contact with to age rapidly in a short period of time, eventually causing the contact person to die suddenly due to multiple organ failure, and the contact material to become unusable due to structural aging and rusting.

The False Raven can release a Stasis Field, which can temporarily slow down the flow of time within the field, achieving an effect similar to time freezing. This freezing effect severely restricts the actions and thoughts of creatures within the field.

When severely injured, the grayish-white vortex on the chest of the false crow will light up and rotate in reverse, thus reversing its own time and restoring itself to the state 1 second before the injury.

[Physical Hazard]: Medium to High. The shed feathers accelerate the aging and oxidation of the contacted material until the contacting person or the contacted material completely ages and dies. This process can be reversed after defeating the false crow.

[Psychological Harm]: Low to moderate. It can cause psychological pollution to witnesses and those who come into contact with it, leading to intermittent fear and anxiety about aging. In severe cases, it can cause depression, and even after recovery, it can cause serious psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the same time, it can cause witnesses and those who come into contact with it to experience a temporary loss of time perception, which usually subsides on its own after 2 to 8 weeks of separation.

"A B-level high-ranking official, is this the strange thing you've been investigating lately?" Su Long shook the A4 paper in his hand and looked up at Byron.

Byron nodded in agreement, "That's right, I came to America three months ago, commissioned to deal with this strange occurrence."

He suddenly said with a self-deprecating laugh, "To be honest, I've already encountered it once and suffered a bit of a loss."

Su Long raised an eyebrow: "You went alone?"

"How could that be? I'm not so arrogant as to go and die alone to deal with a single anomaly involving the rules of time. I went with an A-rank family elder." Byron spread his hands helplessly.

Elena, listening nearby, frowned: "An A-rank exorcist, plus someone like you who can condense a triple moon wheel domain, how could you possibly suffer a loss?"

Byron sighed and pointed to the description of the domain in the file: "This guy can deploy a ghost domain, and the internal mechanism is even more disgusting than described in the file. It can forcibly devour lifespan and accelerate the passage of time."

"I do have the ability to break its rules, but it will take some time. According to the last calculation, about forty years will pass within the Pseudo-Raven's domain during the process of me breaking through it."

"So, as long as you go in, you'll be forcibly aged 40 years?" Su Long pondered.

Byron nodded: "That's right, but don't worry. Once the false crow's domain is broken, the aging effect caused by the time flow will be removed, and the body's functions will return to their state before it entered."

"However, the problem lies precisely in these 'forty years'."

He recalled the scene, his face turning grim: "Middle-aged and elderly exorcists rarely survive until the domain is broken. My elder was already over fifty, and during the process of shattering the domain, his body was forcibly accelerated to the age of ninety-two."

"That's an A-level expert! If I had broken the formation a few seconds later, he might have really died of old age inside."

""

After listening, Surong finally understood Byron's intentions: "So that's why you came to this banquet, to find a few young, strong exorcists who can withstand at least forty years of time acceleration to help you?"

Byron nodded in agreement: "As long as we are young enough and have enough vitality, even if time is accelerated, we can at least maintain our fighting ability. Once we break through the domain, everyone will be back to normal."

Su Long glanced down at the file again and asked, "Is this anomaly a single individual, or part of a large population?"

"Of course it's a single, unique entity. Although it can regenerate after it dies, it will take a very long time."

Upon hearing Byron's reply, Suron couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Although this strange situation was tricky, Byron offered a reward of two mithril coins, which was quite tempting.

Secondly, this is a single, unique entity. As long as he completely burns this entity to death, he can obtain a complete Soul Crystal! This thing is a strategic resource for him now, directly related to the advancement of his four-star attribute.

Of course, what Su Long coveted most was this guy's time-related abilities—whether it was an attack that accelerated aging, a delaying control ability that slowed down the flow of time, or an ability similar to the American Dream to rewind time and restore the body.

No matter which term he extracts, he'll make a killing!

Having thought this through, Su Long had already made up his mind.

He not only wants to wade into this muddy water, but he wants to make a fortune from it!

He stuffed the mithril coins in his hand into his pocket and held out his hand, saying, "I'll join."

"However, I have a few conditions."

Byron raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are the conditions?"

"First of all, I must decide the specific timing of the operation to eliminate the false crows."

Seeing the doubt on his face, Su Long explained, "I still have a problem to solve. Only after I solve this problem can I find the time to help you deal with the fake crow."

Byron thought for a moment and said, "The movements of the False Raven are hard to predict. If it drags on for too long, I'm worried it will move to another place. So I can only wait for you for two weeks at most. If you can't keep your promise after two weeks, I will choose to act alone or find other partners."

Su Long nodded readily: "Deal, two weeks should be enough."

He then put forward a second condition: "I cannot guarantee that the operation will be 100% successful. After all, this involves the B-level high-level mystery of the time rules. If something goes wrong and the operation fails, you will still have to pay me the full amount of the mithril reward you promised."

Byron did not show much resistance to this request.

For the Wick family, the loss of two mithril coins was well within their acceptable risk range.

He nodded slightly, acknowledging the condition.

"As long as you do your best, even if you fail to kill the fake crow in the end, I will still pay you the reward."

"Great." Su Long smiled and raised his third finger. "Third, during the battle, you must follow my commands and never interfere with my judgment."

Upon hearing this condition, Byron immediately showed a hesitant expression.

As a genius that the Wick family had been grooming, he was used to giving orders and taking control of the overall situation.

He was somewhat resistant to handing over command to someone he had only known for less than two hours.

But then he recalled Su Long's precise control of the battle rhythm and his ingenious tactical design during the battle in the banquet hall, and finally compromised, nodding in agreement to the request.

Seeing that Byron had agreed to the third condition, Suron spoke up with his final request: "One last thing, after killing the false crow, its carcass must be handed over to me for disposal."

Byron was stunned, completely unprepared for Suron to make such a request.

Exorcists kill supernatural beings primarily to obtain spiritual materials or fulfill commissions; few are interested in their corpses. Furthermore, the corpses of supernatural beings often retain extremely strong contamination, making them very troublesome to dispose of.

"What do you need a contaminated corpse for?" Byron couldn't help but ask.

Su Long shrugged: "Personal preference."

Byron had no interest in the corpse and immediately nodded: "No problem, as long as you can get rid of it, you can do whatever you want with the body."

Having reached an agreement on all four conditions, Byron took a business card from his trench coat pocket and handed it to Surong: "The number on this business card is my personal number. Contact me anytime once your troubles are resolved."

Su Long nodded and put the business card in his pocket: "Okay, wait for my news."

Byron said no more and turned to walk out along the stone path.

Watching Byron walk away, Elena, who had been standing silently to the side, finally spoke up: "You, a B-rank high-level time-related weirdo, also took on an extraordinary task with ease."

Su Long turned his head and chuckled lightly: "That's good, they're troublesome. Haven't you heard the saying, 'The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!'"

Elena shook her head helplessly and casually asked, "Is everything settled? Is there anything else?"

"That's all, let's go back." Su Long shook his head and then casually tossed the Cadillac Escalade's car keys over.

Elena instinctively reached out and caught the key, then paused for a moment.

Su Long had already turned and walked towards the parking area, waving his hand without looking back: "I had a fight tonight, and I'm exhausted. I need to rest for a while. You drive back."

Elena gave a soft hum, but knowing that Su Long was telling the truth, she did not raise any objections.

Once in the car, Su Long habitually lowered the seat back a bit, then closed his eyes, his consciousness completely sinking into the system space deep within his mind.

It's time to see how to allocate the two mithril coins I just acquired.