Chapter 269: Chapter 269

Jiang Ye's eyes flickered as he asked directly:

"Why won't this work?"

The Nomadic Merchant offered no explanation but demonstrated instead—

With a wave of his left hand, he instantly swapped it with the Void Mirror Puppet's left hand wrapped in the black ribbon.

Before the Nomadic Merchant's left hand could fully attach to the Void Mirror Puppet's limb,

The thing grew its own left hand anew!

Of course, this newly regenerated left hand bore no black ribbon.

Simultaneously, Jiang Ye was once again wracked by the searing agony of Lightburn.

Then at the Nomadic Merchant's two severed hands, and blurted:

"What kind of logic is this?!"

The Nomadic Merchant pondered briefly before offering a concise explanation:

"The black ribbon is fundamentally a runic artifact.

Its mechanism involves excising the player's Lightburn-infected 'corrupted soul fragment' and sealing it within a physical organ—be it a hand, foot, or others."

Indeed, Jiang Ye had sealed his Lightburn in his left hand, while Wang Lingling had confined hers to a foot.

The Nomadic Merchant continued: "That sealed fragment of conscious soul still endures Lightburn's torment.

But because this suffering is completely isolated from the main soul, it creates the illusion of suppressing the pain."

"As for the Void Mirror Puppet's uniqueness—it inherently lacks discrete organs.

Its entire body functions as one complete organ.

Thus, Lightburn transference cannot be achieved through this vessel."

Jiang Ye grasped the explanation, yet one puzzle remained:

"If the Void Mirror Puppet's whole body is a single organ...

And this organ already contains the Lightburn-infected 'corrupted soul fragment,' where does the uncontaminated soul fragment reside?"

The Nomadic Merchant seemed baffled by the question, replying matter-of-factly: "Dual-soul fusion, obviously.

Normally, if the body were truly a singular organ, there'd indeed be no space for the pure soul fragment... ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ noⅴelfire.net

But the Eternal Witch Gui is special—it can exist purely as a soul, so storage space isn't an issue."

Fine. Jiang Ye reluctantly accepted this.

Swapping to a clone with normal organs shouldn't be problematic.

He promptly shifted the Eternal Witch Gui into a discarded clone's body,

Then bandaged the new left hand.

This should now permit a successful hand exchange and Lightburn transference.

Yet just before the swap, Jiang Ye suddenly realized:

This Lightburn-sealing left hand... contains a fragment of my Lightburn-corrupted soul?!"

Recognizing Jiang Ye's belated epiphany, the Nomadic Merchant admitted frankly:

"This is unavoidable—Lightburn resides within the soul. Even during transference, complete separation is impossible."

Transferring Lightburn would inevitably give the Nomadic Merchant a portion of Jiang Ye's tainted soul!

Previously oblivious to this, Jiang Ye had considered the hand exchange inconsequential,

Assuming his precautionary "Lightburn-hand redemption" backup plan would remain unused.

Now he realized he might indeed reclaim that hand someday...

Lightburn and its infected soul fragment were inseparable—

The affliction had become an inalienable part of him!

Myriad thoughts flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.

Abruptly, he asked: "Does the left hand you're giving me contain your soul fragment?"

"Of course—" The Nomadic Merchant paused. "No."

This perfectly timed pause left Jiang Ye speechless.

Why did this deal suddenly feel so one-sided?

Nevertheless, Jiang Ye proceeded with the hand exchange.

The Nomadic Merchant's new left hand merged seamlessly with his black robe via the ribbon.

Jiang Ye flexed his acquired Nomadic Merchant hand—identical in strength and sensation to his original.

But now wasn't the time to examine this new appendage.

Jiang Ye's Administrator 4444 clone finally addressed the primary agenda:

"With special circumstances addressed, let's advance our deal for the Reincarnation Key and Clone Replication Mirror."

Remembering Zhou Qiming's request, Jiang Ye added:

"Regarding the Reincarnation Key's transfer method, Zhou Qiming wishes to negotiate a trade—offering his assistance in securing it as leverage."

The Nomadic Merchant's hooded face revealed nothing, but his tone was agreeable: "Acceptable."

Jiang Ye emphasized meaningfully: "Shall I summon Zhou Qiming then?"

This wasn't mere courtesy—

He needed confirmation that the Nomadic Merchant wouldn't expose Administrator 4444 and Jiang Ye being the same person.

Fortunately, the telepathic merchant proved accommodating: "Rest assured."

Thus reassured, Jiang Ye swapped the Void Mirror Puppet with Zhou Qiming's clone from the Reincarnation Graveyard.

Zhou Qiming materialized instantly within the merchant's space.

Due to the earlier "facial recognition" confusion, Zhou Qiming still wore Jiang Ye's appearance.

His initial shock at the environmental shift vanished upon spotting the robed merchant, transforming into exhilaration!

As predicted—the Administrator had accelerated dealings with the merchant!

Before Zhou Qiming could strategize his approach, the hooded figure's languid voice inquired:

"You claim possession of a Reincarnation Key transference method for our trade?"

The merchant's tone betrayed no emotion.

Yet Jiang Ye felt sudden unease—

If the omniscient, near-telepathic merchant existed,

How could Zhou Qiming possess knowledge beyond his grasp?

Logically, this trade should be impossible,

Given Zhou Qiming's worthless bargaining chip.

Unaware, Zhou Qiming stood poised with confidence,

Responding with dignified assurance: "Correct.

Moreover, proper execution might grant you direct control over the Reincarnation Graveyard."

The merchant controlling the graveyard?!

Jiang Ye hastily silenced his internal outcry.

His other clone recalled consulting the Silent Tombstone—

No method existed for the merchant to usurp graveyard control swiftly.

Zhou Qiming's claim was likely negotiation posturing.

As Jiang Ye steadied his thoughts,

The merchant displayed remarkable patience:

"Very well. What do you seek in exchange for this transference method?"

Zhou Qiming inhaled deeply, posing his own question:

"Jiang Ye mentioned you can manually extract Glyph Pattern Abilities—is this true?"

The merchant nodded: "It is."

Zhou Qiming pressed further: "Can you transfer an extracted Glyph Pattern Ability from Player A to Player B?"

Another nod: "Possible."

Zhou Qiming's eyes gleamed.

He shot a furtive glance toward Jiang Ye's direction,

Then declared resolutely:

"Then I request—transfer one of my Glyph Pattern Abilities to Jiang Ye!"

Truthfully, Jiang Ye had anticipated Zhou Qiming's motive—

Undoubtedly tied to the Glyph Pattern Ability from the Jade Flask,

Seeking to sever his connection and evade Lin Ling's vengeance.

But Jiang Ye never imagined—

The man aimed not merely to reduce Lin Ling's hatred,

But to redirect it entirely onto Jiang Ye himself!

So their Reincarnation Graveyard "life-saving grace" was pure fabrication.

Zhou Qiming remained hellbent on his destruction!