Yan watched his master sit back down the bed, crossing his arms.
"Well? You've been yappin' for me to hear you out, and I'm gonna hear you out now. So spill it, I don't have much time to waste."
Yan's thin eyelashes fluttered. Harker noticed that this eyeball's eyelashes were golden. It framed his crimson iris well.
"You're scared of big numbers, My Lord?"
"Don't get it twisted. I feel guilty when I owe someone so much…. Or something, in your case. So it's not the numbers that troubles me, it's the debt." He told him. "And 'nuff 'bout that 'Master', 'My Lord', 'new Demon Lord of the West' bullshit. My name's Harker Jones, I'm not anyone's superior. I'm just a simple guy tryin' to live a simple life."
He sighed. "But seeing that I just ate a whole demon girl earlier and talking to a flying eyeball right now, I guess that's no longer possible."
Yan flew up and down, as if nodding. "Yes, Mast– er, Harker!!! The faster you accept that, the better! You are now involved with the greatest forces in this world! The world of monsters and cultivators!"
"What is this 'cultivator' crap I keep hearing about?" Harker asked.
"I'll try to explain as simply as I can!" Yan said enthusiastically. "You see, there is divine energy all around us. The divine energy could be called qi or mana, whichever you prefer. Cultivators follow paths to cultivate different types of divine energy."
Harker can't help but find it weirdly amusing how this eyeball may have a deep voice and disturbing appearance, but he speaks in such an enthusiastic way that could be called adorable.
"So basically guys with superpowers. Like in comic books." Harker said.
"Well…. sort of. Superheroes may have their powers and skill set in a fixed state. But cultivators usually need training to get cultivate their powers, hence the name. The divine energy is like a muscle, it can get stronger and also regress over time."
"I see. Is Xi Hua a cultivator, then?"
"Yes. All monsters are cultivators. Monster is the general term that I would use, but they include all supernatural beings, 'good' or 'bad'. We call them Yao. They have a connection with divine energy and are aware of its presence, so they naturally choose to cultivate it for survival."
Yan showed a holographic screen portraying a mountain and a river.
"Xi Hua and most Yaos come from this mountain. Mt. Kunlun. They then bathe in the Yellow River or Huang He to achieve a human form and blend with civilization. Though Master Xi Hua did not really need it as her parents were both monsters that appear human enough."
Harker clasped his forehead. "Ah, the parents. They'll be after me once they realize their daughter is missing for sure! But luckily, Xi Hua told me that her parents have no idea that she rented this hotel to have a tutoring session with me. She also used a dummy credit card to pay for things and sign under the name 'Lucy Westenra'. That buys me some time."
"Oh, that makes sense. Her surname Xi means 'West' and Lucy is her favorite English name." Yan told him. "She planned to use it once she got away from her parents and married an American. Her first name Hua means 'flower' as she was born during the fall of peach blossoms."
"And she smells like peach blossoms too." Harker said. "That must be the flower scent I smelled since she came here."
Yan nodded. "It's the scent of her mother, Lady Aixiang. Lady Aixiang's name means 'fragrance of love'. She's a Yao that is similar to the idea of a succubus."
Harker scoffed. "So that's why the smell got me so drowsy. But what about the snake thing?"
"Xi Hua's hair and snake-like quality are from Lord Xi Jiaoshe. Lord Jiaoshe is currently in Las Vegas for a business trip, while Lady Aixiang is in her home in the suburbs of Long Island."
Harker frowned. "So this Lady Aixiang might find out the news soon, she's just nearby."
He wondered. "Do all these monster people have this system thing you're talkin' about? The holographic screen? It's hard to imagine ancient monsters having futuristic flying screens showing them game stats."
"No, Master Xi Hua was the first of her kind. Ever since she had freed me from a crypt, she had gained the system. She doesn't have the same cultivation type as you though. She already has the ones she inherited from her parents."
"You have been freed from a crypt?"
Yan nodded, crying once more. "For thousands of years!!! It's been so lonesome, Mas— Harker! I was so happy to be freed and to serve a new master after so long!"
"You see, Yan is actually a very good system assistant! I transcend space and time itself! I once belonged to the Omniscient One, Quan Zhi! He who knows everything and sees all!"
Harker recalled Xi Hua mentioning the Omniscient One before she ate him.
"What happened to this Quan Zhi guy, then?" He asked.
Yan went silent.
He said in a somber tone: "He perished."
Harker had never heard him sound this sad, so he feels a little sorry for him. "My condolences."
Yan just 'shrugged' with his wings. "It's alright. I know of a way to make you as powerful as Master Quan Zhi! With a cultivation type like yours, it's possible for you to be the next Omniscient One!"
Harker was a little dazed by all these information. Of course, the typical human would jump into this oppurtunity. You can get everything you wanted, be extremely rich, or change the world. But....
If the Omniscient One was so powerful, why would he perish? And why wouldn't he change the world in order to not perish and have everything on his control?
He still doesn't trust Yan, despite his seemingly innocent demeanor.
It's not a safe bet. He can't throw it all away just because a flying eyeball demon he knew nothing about told him he had the secret to eternal happiness.
So with this distrust on Yan, Harker shook his head.
"No thanks. I don't plan to become a god. I just want to find a way to feed my family three meals a day and repay the Fausts. They have spent so much for our hospital bills….."
He broke a sweat again, remembering the expenses. "I can't live in debt from them forever."
"Debt is a very big thing to me. I'm only listenin' to you now because you told me that your 'system' is the one that helped me survive Xi Hua's attack." Harker told him. "I owe you my life, so the least I could do is spare yours and hear you out. But I don't want to be this next 'Omniscient One'. I'm sorry."
"Hmm….. Then how about this?" Yan thought. "I know of a way to quickly heal your family's illnesses and have you achieve a simple, easy and peaceful life."
"How?" Harker raised an eyebrow.
"You see…. When Master Quan Zhi was defeated, his powers were stored inside this orb. The Orb of Omniscience was shattered, and the Shards were scattered around the world of monsters. Not just Chinese yaos, but also the monsters of the West."
Yan added: "Master Quan Zhi had the power to shift reality itself! So you can temporarily use the power of the Orb to improve your family's lives, and become a normal human again."
Harker rubbed his chin. "That does sound like a tempting offer. But how many Shards are there? I'm going to have to mess with a lot of monsters to complete the Orb, right?"
"There are 13." Yan said. "One Shard was passed within the Xi demonic clan, but it was broken into two pieces by Lady Aixiang and Lord Jiaoshe."
"Great, I have to deal with Xi Hua's folks too." Harker sighed. "But at least I get to return to my normal life again. Still… What will you do with the Orb once I make my wish?"
Yan shrugged. "I only live to serve a master. I'll go look for one that is worthy of Master Quan Zhi's powers."
Harker thought more about it. As much as it was risky to steal the Shards from demons and monsters, it's still less riskier than trying to survive as a Demon Lord in this world. He can't let his family find out about this or they would be heartbroken. He needed to be human before they could even realize.
And.... He wanted to learn more about this Omniscient One, and this Quan Zhi who apparently can control reality itself yet still perished.
Plus he had no choice but to be involved in this 'World of Monsters and Cultivators' anyway. He owes this eyeball his life, so the best he could do was to help him find a new master to serve. He will steal these Shards as peacefully as he could, gain the Orb of Omnisience, and wish to be a normal human again that has nothing to do with this unknown world.
"Alright then. I'll help you collect the Shards and fix this Orb."