Chapter 247 - Chapter 247: Taboo ACE-005
Chapter 247: Taboo ACE-005
“The Taboo ACE-005… you had already given it to me?” Qing Chen’s voice carried a mix of three parts doubt and seven parts surprise.
If such an important item as the Taboo had been given to him, how could he not have noticed?
However, Uncle Li Dong had never deceived Qing Chen.
At this moment, the hover car had already flown over Prison No. 18, lightly landing in the wilderness.
Uncle Li Dong, with Qing Chen following on foot, headed toward the secret entrance leading to the prison’s cold storage, the two of them walking one after the other in the narrow corridor, which was lined with tritium lamps.
If nothing went wrong, those tritium lamps could last for 20 years or even longer.
Uncle Li Dong, walking ahead, said to himself, “I really did give Ace-005 to you, and I had been waiting for you to ask me for it so I could surprise you, but you were just too stubborn to ask. So, in a strict sense, I’m the first elder to give you a Taboo, and next time you go to Taboo Land 002, remember to let those old fellows know, lest they always think I’m stingy.”
Qing Chen followed blankly, thinking to himself, do they also compete over things like this?
As he walked behind Uncle Li Dong, he searched through his memories, trying to list all the items Uncle Li Dong had given him and then determine which one could be the Taboo ACE-005.
The corridor was somewhat dim, and Qing Chen quietly reminisced.
Meanwhile, Uncle Li Dong laughed ahead, “Don’t think too much; it’s not time for guessing games. When you beat me at chess before, I said that winning a game could grant you a request, and then you chose the Genetic Potion from Liu Dezhu. Later, you brought me the sheet music for classical music, and I said I owed you another request. Actually, I was waiting to see if you would ask me for the Taboo; if you had, I would have given it to you.”
Qing Chen paused momentarily.
Uncle Li Dong chuckled, “I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn, keeping that opportunity unused until now.”
Qing Chen spoke softly, “Of course I also wanted to have a Taboo, like other Time Travelers, which can transfer between the two worlds and is indeed very beneficial for the Outer World. But that was your item, Master, and I never really thought about asking for it. Plus, I now have the Puppeteer, which is quite good. Of course… if you insist on giving it to me, I wouldn’t mind.”
Uncle Li Dong expressed his sentiments, “I’ve been busy trying to help you regain your youthful heart; it seems my efforts weren’t in vain.”
As he spoke, Uncle Li Dong turned back to look at Qing Chen.
But in the dim corridor, Qing Chen saw a strange cat mask with red patterns on his master’s face.
All the answers became clear, and he asked, “Master, is the Taboo ACE-005 that big cat by your side? So, Master, your ability to change your appearance at will, is it because of it?”
So it turned out, the Taboo ACE-005 was that big cat!
Qing Chen clearly remembered that ever since the cat mask appeared, the big cat that often dozed off on the table had suddenly disappeared; the two had never appeared simultaneously.
A living creature that had turned into a mask; such a thing could only be done by a Taboo of the Inner World.
Moreover, Uncle Li Dong had indeed once given him this item, but later he had returned the mask!
Qing Chen felt complex emotions realizing he had once possessed a Taboo long, long ago.
“Master, how did you get this Taboo?” Qing Chen asked.
“A friend gave it to me,” Uncle Li Dong naturally replied.
“A female friend?” Qing Chen questioned.
“Why are you so nosy too,” Uncle Li Dong puzzled.
“Like master, like disciple,” Qing Chen calmly responded, “I can’t see anyone being so generous with a Taboo other than you, Master, and the will of the forebears in Taboo Land 002.”
Uncle Li Dong proudly laughed, “ACE-005 is most suitable for a Knight, so it’s only natural to give it to a Knight. The Knight’s Breathing Technique changes the voice, and Taboo ACE-005 changes the face, so it’s a Taboo that naturally should be possessed by us Knights. And most crucially, it’s very cute when it turns into a big cat.”
After hesitating for two seconds, Qing Chen asked, “Is that last reason serious?”
“Of course it’s serious,” Uncle Li Dong said, “Maine Coon Cats are known as gentle giants, very clingy, and a Taboo won’t shed fur! You’ve definitely never raised a cat, so you don’t know how rare it is to have a cat that doesn’t shed!”
“Alright,” Qing Chen said, “You’re the boss.”
At that moment, Uncle Li Dong took off the cat mask and placed it in Qing Chen’s hands, “From now on, it’s yours.”
Qing Chen silently looked at the cat mask in his hand, “Master, how many years was it with you?”
“18 years,” Uncle Li Dong said somewhat sentimentally, “Back then, your master did a lot of unscrupulous things with it, but honestly, being able to change into someone else’s face at any moment is really thrilling, perfect for framing others, a must-have divine artifact for home and travel.”
Qing Chen was speechless; he could even imagine the things his master had done using the Taboo ACE-005!
“Master, what are the conditions for containing it?” Qing Chen asked.
“The first step is a blood drop,” Uncle Li Dong took Qing Chen’s wrist, then plucked two hairs from his head with his other hand.
True Qi infused between the strands of hair, and the two strands, originally soft, immediately straightened like needles.
“Master, why pluck two strands?” Qing Chen asked in confusion.
Uncle Li Dong calmly replied, “Your hair is too thick, I plucked too many.”
Qing Chen: “…”
As he spoke, he threw one hair away, keeping only one strand, which he then lightly slashed across Qing Chen’s wrist. Deep red blood flowed from the wrist onto the mask, seeping into it bit by bit.
“Second step, call its name,” Uncle Li Dong said with a smile. “Do you remember what it’s called?”
Qing Chen frowned, as he rapidly searched his memory only to realize that he had never known the large cat’s name from beginning to end!
If it were someone else, they might think their memory was flawed, considering how often the large cat appeared; it was improbable that no one ever called it by its name.
However, Qing Chen was certain: neither Xiao Xiao nor Ye Wan had ever mentioned the large cat’s name, perhaps they also didn’t know what it was called.
“Master, what is its name?” Qing Chen asked.
“Da Fu,” Uncle Li Dong said with a smile. “Those who know its name can become its master. This is the containment condition for 005. Now that the mask has your blood in it, you only need to call out its name to become its master.”
“Da Fu…” Qing Chen murmured. “Who named it such a down-to-earth name?”
The next moment, as if sensing Qing Chen’s call, the Cat Face Mask transformed into a large Maine Coon Cat over a meter long, lying confused on Qing Chen’s arms.
It shook its fluffy fur and meowed at Uncle Li, and Qing Chen surprisingly understood its meaning in his mind: “You old man, you gave me to your disciple?!”
Uncle Li Dong smiled and said to Qing Chen, “Put on the mask, we need to return to the prison. Remember, don’t tell anyone its name, that way even if others get their hands on it, it will be useless.”
Qing Chen asked, “Does no one in this world know its name anymore?”
“Hmm, I’ve deleted the records,” Uncle Li Dong said. “Those who knew have also been deleted.”
Qing Chen thought this was the first time he felt the word ‘delete’ had such a fierce implication. With a thought, Da Fu shrank back into a Cat Face Mask.
This time when Qing Chen wore it on his face, the Cat Face Mask was no longer a piece of stiff, cold metal.
Uncle Li Dong said, “Try changing your appearance, it might be difficult the first time… go ahead and give it a try.”
He was about to say that the difficulty of first-time use was because, although you know the appearance you want to change into, you may not remember all the details of the other person’s face.
So most of the time, changing faces needs to be done by comparing with photos bit by bit until achieving about ninety percent accuracy.
However, Uncle Li Dong knew his student was a bit different; a memory expert didn’t need to compare with photographs, everything was already memorized in their mind.
Qing Chen pondered whom he should change into. First, he transformed into Xiao Xiao’s appearance, even imitating her voice with the Breathing Technique, saying, “Master, is this right?”
“This Taboo Item, ACE-005, really suits you,” Uncle Li Dong remarked. “Every time I change faces, I have to compare with a photo for half an hour. With you, it changes in a breath, even I can’t tell it’s fake.”
Qing Chen then changed into Ye Wan’s face, but although his face could change, his body was not as burly or tall as Ye Wan, so it looked rather odd.
It seemed that in the future, he needed to find someone with a similar build when changing faces.
“By the way, Master, what level is this Taboo Item ACE-005?” Qing Chen asked. “Does it have a second-stage form?”
“Strictly speaking, it should be A-Class, as the Transcendent who derived it is A-Class,” Uncle Li Dong said. “But I have not yet figured out what its second-stage form is like. In fact, within forbidden items, those that require sacrifices are easier to explore, like Da Fu, whose containment conditions are somewhat bizarre, can make one feel confused because you don’t know which direction to start with.”
At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly thought of something, “Master, how many people are in the Spades Organization?”
“The ones with numbers, from Spades A to Spades 2, total 13 people,” Uncle Li Dong replied. “These are the core members of Spades, with hundreds of peripheral members, but the real Transcendents should be these 13, with varying strengths.”
“Is there a Spade Member who has a similar build to mine?”
“There is indeed one.”
Now, Qing Chen knew what appearance he needed to adopt: “Do you have a photo of this person?”
“I do,” Uncle Li Dong said with a mysterious smile. “Xiao Xiao will give it to you when we get back to prison number 18.”
The two continued walking deeper into the corridor. Qing Chen asked, “Master, will there be any danger to those students protesting?”
“No,” Uncle Li Dong replied, “Someone will be there to escort them.”