What Should I Do After Picking Up the "Dragon Proud Sky" Protagonist as a Pet? (Transmigration) - Chapter 10

The Grimoire bloomed with a pitch-black luster in Murphy’s hands. Its hazy, eerie light caused the minds of those who saw it to falter; in an instant, both people in the room were involuntarily drawn to its power.

Su Feng’s eyes clouded with a moment of infatuation. This was the Soul-Sucking Secret Codex bewitching the human heart to scout for a suitable successor. Crane was not the first to come into contact with the Codex only to be utterly consumed by it. The book had possessed many owners throughout history, but in the end, none of those individuals were qualified to master it.

Murphy gripped the book tightly. He lifted his face, his purple eyes clear and flawless, emitting a faint black glow. The pages of the Codex flipped slowly in his hands until it actively chose to merge with him. This signified that the Soul-Sucking Secret Codex had chosen Murphy. Su Feng, his teeth clenched and his head throbbing with a splitting pain, struggled to break free from the bewitchment just in time to witness this scene.

A colossal presence stood there, black hair swaying wildly behind him, his purple eyes striking and soul-stirring. A faint smile touched his lips. His hair was excessively dark and his skin was unnaturally pale, like an old aristocrat stepping out of an oil painting. The Codex in his hand rustled as if it had finally found a suitable host, sounding almost like someone letting out a soft chuckle. The aura emanating from Murphy became more dangerous than ever before. In the original novel, it was precisely his opening of this Codex that turned nearly half the city’s population into his puppets.

“This cannot happen!” Su Feng thought.

Su Feng’s long whip lashed out, striking at the book in Murphy’s hand. Murphy instinctively blocked the blow. The Codex whispered a seductive suggestion: the soul of the person before you cannot be controlled for now, but you can choose others, for instance, the remaining prisoners within the Mage Tower.

Murphy hesitated for a fraction of a second. Before he could react, Su Feng swung the whip again with a sharp crack. Murphy pivoted, but a blood-red lash mark quickly surfaced on his right hand. Murphy looked down at the wound and smiled softly.

“The Soul-Sucking Secret Codex has chosen me,” Murphy said.

Su Feng stared at him coldly. “Put it down, or give it to me.”

Murphy replied, “Give it to you? Why?”

“I am going to destroy it,” Su Feng stated.

Murphy chewed on those words, finding them amusing. He continued, “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

Su Feng hesitated. He watched as the Codex slowly merged with Murphy. In his anxiety, he felt a sudden urge to hack off the hand holding the book. He did not understand why the Codex had chosen Murphy, but it seemed that no matter what he did, the final outcome aligned with the plot of the original novel.

Was it because the power of the World Consciousness and the plot’s progression overrode everything? Or was it because Murphy was simply born this way, cruel and wicked by nature, making his future actions his own choice?

Su Feng drew the long blade from his waist. The two men, who had seemed harmonious just moments ago, were now at each other’s throats. The tension reached a breaking point. Right then, the System spoke:

[You may make your choice.]

1. Persuade Murphy to give up the Soul-Sucking Secret Codex (25% success rate).
2. Forcibly seize the Soul-Sucking Secret Codex (78% success rate).

“The success rate is only twenty-five percent,” Su Feng thought. He wavered for a moment, feeling that Murphy was beyond saving, yet he still spoke: “Give it to me. That is an order.”

Murphy looked at him calmly. “The Codex only chooses one successor. Even if you snatch it from my hands, you will never gain its recognition.”

Murphy seemed to be advising Su Feng to give up. Su Feng replied, “That does not matter. I am simply going to destroy it.”

“Destroy the Soul-Sucking Secret Codex?” Murphy asked.

Murphy seemed to find this hilarious. “I know how important a legacy is to a mage. Even Crane, a Master Mage, could not escape its bewitchment. Yet you say you want to destroy it? What arrogance, what a joke.” Murphy added, “Are you kidding me, My Lord?”

Su Feng looked at the stubborn young noble master who refused to back down. He slowly raised his blade. The System’s voice rang in his head, but he ignored it. He heard the final notification: Choice failed.

“The Soul-Sucking Secret Codex is an evil object that everyone should seek to destroy,” Su Feng said. “Why must you choose this?”

Su Feng looked at Murphy with confusion, but he could only see the purity in Murphy’s gaze. Sometimes, a person’s greatest evil is a childlike wickedness. Murphy countered, “I do not see the problem. You just want to fight me for the legacy. I do not blame you for that, yet you claim I should not choose it.”

Murphy shook the severed head in his hand; Crane’s gloomy face flashed by. Crane had originally been a low-level mage with mediocre talent; it was the Codex that allowed him to stand out. Seeking power is not shameful. What is shameful is coveting power while making grand, hypocritical excuses for oneself. Murphy had always been true to himself. He asked, “Do you really think you can escape its bewitchment?”

The moment Murphy spoke, the Master-Servant Contract took effect. His brow furrowed slightly as purple light flickered in his eyes. The Codex glowed with increasing intensity. The power of the Master within the contract forced Murphy down to his knees, inch by inch. He struggled to lift his face, only to see the cold expression on Su Feng’s face. This young noble was looking down at his pathetic state with an air of mockery, disappointment, and condescension. Sweat beaded on Murphy’s forehead, but a faint smile remained on his lips as he whispered, “You cannot gain its recognition, so you are going to kill me instead?”

After a pause, he tilted his head and asked, “Master?”

Murphy’s bones felt as though they were being snapped by the contract’s power, but he stubbornly supported his body, half-kneeling before Su Feng. Trembling, he reached out and handed the legacy to Su Feng. As Su Feng snatched the Codex, a flicker of resentment finally appeared in Murphy’s eyes. He had to watch as the Codex, which had already begun to harmonize with his aura, was taken away. His dignity was being broken piece by piece. In that moment, Murphy stared at Su Feng with burning eyes: he believed Su Feng was going to take the Codex and become the successor himself.

As for Su Feng’s words, Murphy did not believe a single one of them. He believed the claim of destroying the Codex was just a way for Su Feng to beautify his own greed. Murphy did not believe such a selfless person existed. If Su Feng actually destroyed it, it would only prove he was a fool, and Murphy would truly be impressed by such stupidity.

The Codex turned in Su Feng’s hands, exuding a careless, seductive charm as if scrutinizing its new holder. The moment he grasped it, Su Feng’s expression froze. A soul-seizing power surged into him. This was a magical force that placed him above all others, granting him control over souls and a thousand puppets. It could make Su Feng the master of Blackthorn City overnight. One complex, profound, and mysterious pattern after another flashed before his eyes. Su Feng instinctively held his breath. This was knowledge he had never heard of or seen before. The Spirit-Contracting Black Magic was only a small portion of what the Codex offered.

In that moment, even though Su Feng knew exactly what disasters this book would bring, and even though he knew everything that happened in the original story, he was still tempted. He could not help but think: “What if I do not use the Black Magic? What if I only use a portion of its power? Not all Black Magic leads to disaster. I only need just a little bit.”

Murphy watched this play out. He lifted his face and said softly, “Do you really think you and I are any different?”

Su Feng’s breath hitched. His fingers trembled slightly. In that instant, his contempt and disdain for Murphy slowly receded. Moments ago, he had judged Murphy for having a weak will and being unable to resist temptation. When Murphy held the Codex, Su Feng had even thought: “See, he really is that kind of person.”

But now, Su Feng truly realized the temptation and the magic of a sudden ascent to power. The way he looked at Murphy became complicated.

The man was half-kneeling on the ground, his face pale, yet his spine was ramrod straight. Now, it was Murphy’s turn to look at him with a light smile, a look that seemed to carry a hint of irony as he observed Su Feng’s lapse in composure. Yet, in that moment, Su Feng thought: “He lost the Codex, and I have escaped its temptation.”

Su Feng let out a breath, his mind clearing completely. Under Murphy’s watchful gaze, Su Feng turned and threw the Codex directly into a nearby furnace.

Faint, ghostly screams echoed out. The crimson flames licked at a corner of hell as black mist rose and struggled within the fire. Su Feng hesitated for a second, then pulled several bottles of combustion-enhancing magic potions from his robe and tossed them in. As the magical flames roared, the black mist, howling with an eerie power, finally began to dissipate. A corner of the Codex slowly melted in the furnace, turning into a skull-like shape of black wax before being completely incinerated.

Su Feng watched the scene quietly. He reached out to warm his hands, his fair fingers sweeping through the air like a conductor’s baton controlling the fire. The flickering shadows of the flames danced across his handsome face, reflecting a gaze full of complex emotions.

Su Feng took a deep breath. He finally felt a belated sense of numbness in his scalp and sweat on his back. But as he watched the Codex be utterly destroyed, he wondered: “If I had only practiced a portion of that Black Magic, could I have avoided my own fall?”

He was immediately struck by a sense of shock and disgust at his own thought. Su Feng slowly turned around, finally remembering the presence of the protagonist, only to see Murphy still kneeling there. Murphy was watching him with a complex, deep gaze, as if looking at a madman or a total idiot. Yet, a sense of wonder still lingered in Murphy’s eyes. He lowered his head, sighed softly, and said nothing more.

Su Feng walked toward him and extended a hand. “Stop kneeling. Get up.”

The hand suspended in the air wavered. Murphy felt the constraints on his body loosen. He took Su Feng’s hand and stood up, thinking this guy was the biggest fool on earth. Yet, having watched Su Feng actually throw the Codex into the fire, Murphy found himself staring at the man’s silhouette under the firelight, unable to look away.

How could those cobalt-blue eyes be like the deepest sea, reflecting the light before them while looking so beautiful? It drew others in only to be swallowed by that blue. Murphy was gripped by an irrepressible curiosity. Everything about Su Feng suddenly gained a layer of mystery and attraction. He gazed at the man, wondering: “What on earth is he thinking?”

Murphy’s fingers were ice-cold. As Su Feng pulled him up, he felt Murphy’s skin, which was smooth and slick like a snake brushing against his palm. He suppressed the urge to fling Murphy away. Looking at him now, Su Feng no longer felt that Murphy was simply someone who could not control himself or resist the Codex. He felt embarrassed, having despised someone one moment only to almost fall into the same trap the next.

Su Feng felt that even now, the lingering bewitchment of the Codex was shaking his resolve, making him feel regret, hesitation, and uncertainty. But he swallowed those feelings like bitter stones. He looked at Murphy and wondered: “Did he just go through the exact same temptation I did?”

The two locked eyes for a moment before both looked away. Murphy’s expression turned cold again, but his tone sounded more genuine: “Burning the Codex directly was such a waste.”

Su Feng said, “What happened just now was your own fault. However, stop calling me Master. I do not need you to call me that.”

Murphy had not expected him to care about that. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Shouldn’t I be the one feeling displeased? I believe we have already discussed this.”

“The little liar,” Su Feng thought.

Murphy brushed the dust off his clothes. He would remember this scene forever. The Codex, something that should have been perfectly compatible with him, a power that felt like destiny, had slipped through his fingers. But there was nothing to be done; he was only a Mid-level Mage, while Su Feng was a Sword Master.

“If I had greater power, then the one kneeling there would have been Su Feng,” Murphy thought. Thinking of that scenario, Murphy smiled inwardly. That seemed like it would be quite interesting.

Su Feng stood there, looking at the protagonist with hesitation. After what had just happened, he began to wonder: “Have I been too harsh on him?”

Driven by preconceived notions, he had always believed Murphy would become the world-destroyer, obtain the Codex, and commit endless evil. But the Codex was destroyed. Should he continue to treat him like the final villain?

Su Feng still had doubts. He asked, “Why exactly did you want to accept the Codex? Could you really not escape its temptation just now?”

Murphy looked at the young noble. He did not seem surprised that Su Feng would ask such a naive, almost laughable question. Murphy simply said: “I was brought here as a prisoner of the Mage Tower. I do not know my origin or my identity. I was reduced to an experimental subject. I knew Crane was torturing the other prisoners, and I knew that sooner or later, I would die.”

Perhaps because of what they had just experienced, Murphy, who had always kept his heart closed, finally opened up a sliver of his true thoughts to this stranger he had been with for days. He said softly, “Young Master, your warehouse is filled with countless books and grimoires. But I am a Mid-level Mage. I only know one thing: if there is an opportunity to turn my life around, I must grab it at all costs.”

“Even knowing what the Codex would bring?” Su Feng asked.

Murphy arched an eyebrow. “So what? You have seemed to hate me this whole time. You say I have many choices, but in reality, there was only one path I could take.”

As if a long-standing mystery had been solved, Su Feng’s eyes flickered. The person before him was wicked, mad, and unscrupulous, but there were reasons for it all. What if Murphy did have other choices?

Thinking of the original plot, Su Feng said, “Do not call me Young Master.” He turned to walk out, then glanced back at Murphy. “Keep up, idiot. Since you mentioned my library has many grimoires, aren’t you curious about them at all? Seeing as you helped me, I will let you into my study. I will also give you the corresponding resources.”

Murphy gave him a steady look before stepping forward to follow. Su Feng did not bother to check the expression on the man’s face anymore. He thought, “Stop thinking about that messy Black Magic all day; can’t you learn something decent for once!”

Murphy followed behind him. He was still a Mid-level Mage, still a personal valet, and still sticking close to Su Feng just as before. Everything looked the same, yet everything felt different. Murphy looked down at Su Feng. His eyes darted around; he was truly curious about what went on inside this guy’s head. Su Feng’s overcoat brushed against him occasionally. Because the fabric was thin, it sometimes outlined Su Feng’s supple waist like a beautiful work of art.

The look in Murphy’s eyes slowly changed. He suddenly realized that Su Feng had a very firm rear.

Murphy said, “You want to help me, give me resources, and have me be your personal valet.”

Su Feng replied, “How can you not understand human speech?”

Murphy hesitated for a moment. He was as handsome as a painting, his gait effortless, and his face untainted by the world’s filth. Murphy asked, “What is our relationship now, then? Are we master and servant, or the young noble and his lackey?”

Su Feng paused in his tracks. “You are my personal valet.”

With that single sentence, the two walked out of the Mage Tower. They saw that the originally clear sky was now shrouded in dark clouds. A pitch-black gloom was churning in the distance like a noisy warning, rolling toward Blackthorn City. Su Feng narrowed his eyes, but he could not see anything clearly. However, an uneasy premonition had already formed in his heart.

Murphy also sensed that something was wrong. Su Feng said immediately, “Let’s go. We must get back to Blackthorn City first!”

In the sky completely shrouded by the pitch-black darkness, a Dark Mage emerged from the mist. He was wrapped in a black robe, his appearance gloomy and terrifying, revealing only a pale chin and strands of grey-white hair. In his hand, he held a crystal ball. The luster of the ball was dim, yet it pointed in one direction: the coordinates of Blackthorn City.

“He may be an idiot, but he is still my, Lanna’s, eldest disciple,” Lanna’s voice was hoarse. He said, “If that piece of trash is dead, I shall recover his corpse and then destroy this city.”

Having said that, streaks of spirits surrounded the Dark Mage. His pace was incredibly fast as he shuttled back and forth between the Spirit Realm and the mortal world, rushing toward Blackthorn City with extreme speed.

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