In the Nightmare Dreamscape Realm, floating in the middle of starry space, was a gigantic, grand palace, seemingly made with twinkling stars; this was Nyx’s home she conjured with her ability.
Everything was luxurious and aesthetic in this castle, especially the center, where a grand, fantastic hall was like an ethereal rainbow filled with countless stars and cosmic phenomena.
Nyx, in her goddess form, wearing a beautiful queen’s dress, sat on a floating rainbow throne that seemed to be part of this hall, giving off a regal air like an Empress as her starry eyes glimmered with anticipation.
At this moment, Jacob appeared clad in black, and his appearance was the same as he became a skeleton.
Jacob cocked an eyebrow as he noticed the rainbow theme and commented, "You change this place again?"
Nyx pursed her lips in disappointment when Jacob didn’t react and annoyingly scoffed, "Thanks to a certain someone, I had ample time in my hands."
Jacob gave her a reproachable glance before summoning a simple chair and sitting in front of her. He retorted impassively, "And instead of wasting it on useless aesthetics, you should be doing research and making progress in your alchemy profession. What’s the point of allowing you to analyze everything in my possession? You have almost the same knowledge as me and infinite resources; I’m expecting more from you than this. You’re wasting your talent!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, and I’ve already made more progress than you. If you don’t believe me, I can show you!" Nyx protested as she felt wronged and indignant by Jacob’s impassive attitude.
Jacob nodded, "I believe. How about you get to the point? Unlike you, I want to spend time developing my powers and abilities since I’m more aware of the danger out there."
Nyx clenched her fists as she really wanted to bite Jacob. However, she knew that Jacob’s authority was still superior despite her absolute control over this place. She didn’t want to earn his irony since she wanted access to the star network, and only Jacob could give her that.
Nyx didn’t try to butt head with Jacob anymore and tapped on her throne in exasperation.
A black ethereal glow gathered in front of Nyx the next moment, and Jacob observed it closely.
Thereupon, the black mist took a spherical shape and became solid, yet on this sphere was a dark purple pattern like flickering flames, giving one a nightmarish sense of dread.
The sphere soon solidified and turned crystalline, and the purple flame pattern came alive, making it look like an alive flame within this sphere.
"This is Nightmare Sepsis Fruit of that dumbass Blackwell. I had to admit, he was one tough nut to crack and almost managed to pinpoint the Nightmare Sepsis’s location. He would’ve had a slight fighting chance if not for his mindset and constant attack of Zodiac Beasts. But only slightest…" Nyx sneered with a proud expression, as she clearly knew how Blackwell had died since she could observe him through Nightmare Sepsis.
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Jacob’s eyes were locked on the Nightmare Sepsis Fruit as he nodded, "You did well. That ghost can only blame himself for crossing me. So, how should I consume this fruit? Eat it?" He asked,
Nyx pursed her lips and replied, "Tsk, tsk, you still like to eat everything, huh? But no, this Nightmare Sepsis Fruit can only be consumed through my power or the holder of it, and it needed to be consumed in my realm. If it appeared outside, it’ll be destroyed.
"Since you are my Nightmare Contractor, you meet all the conditions to consume it. But you even need an ability related to me. Currently, you have the Nightmare Eater ability, which makes it perfect to consume this fruit. Such a waste, though; you never used it on others." She muttered softly at the end before quickly saying, "Anyway, just hold it and activate the Nightmare Eater ability; you know how to. Within an hour, not only will your soul force reserve increase, but you’ll also get 40% of random memories of that ghost."
’So, it can’t be consumed by others, but only Nyx and I can consume this fruit…’ Jacob thought as he finally grasped the complete function of Nyx’s new abilities and their limitations.
Nonetheless, Jacob was pleased since he didn’t have any intention of letting others consume his benefits.
With such thoughts, Jacob raised his hand to grab the Nightmare Sepsis Fruit, but just as he was about to touch it, Nyx tapped her finger on her throne handle, and it instantly vanished, and Jacob grabbed nothing but air.
Jacob’s expression sank, and he looked at Nyx coldly, "You’re still on it?"
Nyx’s heart raced widely under Jacob’s icy glare, but she tried her best not to show and quickly said, "You promised!"
"I said I’ll think about it." Jacob replied matter-of-factly in a cold tone, "And I’ve also told you, I won’t be threatened into it!"
Nyx bit her lips as she gathered her courage and stood him from her seat, and under Jacob’s cold glare, she came close to him before she shakily sat on his lap, but Jacob didn’t even flinch and remained stoic.
A hint of disappointment yet anger flashed in her eyes as she wrapped her hands around his neck, looked him dead in the eyes, and softly said, "I’m not threatening you; I’m just asking you to grant me this reward. It’ll be the first and last time I’ll ask of this. You meant more to me than anything else in this world; I would never jeopardize you, jeopardize US!"
Jacob frowned, seeing Nyx’s resolute front and her bold actions. Although he didn’t want to give in, Nyx could be helpful if her schemes became reality. The most crucial point behind his hesitation was his lifespan, and now, Nightmare Sepsis Fruit is another precious resource that Nyx can create.
Although he didn’t want to admit it, Nyx was tremendously valuable to him, even more than Autarch, since she could directly affect him. He never retaliated despite her tactless behavior; he wanted to keep her happy and ensure her loyalty remained the same.
He even knew she was attracted to him, but he feigned ignorance since he had no interest in sleeping with her. He also knew Nyx in front of him was just a façade; the Primordial Nightmare Beast had no gender.
She had probably taken this form because of his influence on her, and it would benefit her if Jacob fell for her, whether she was doing it instinctively or intentionally.
After all, Nyx can also gather information through her nightmare conqueror seeds and experience almost anything with her nightmares.
Most of all, Jacob knew Nyx’s nature; she was inquisitive and wanted to experience the world out there; maybe it was her imprisonment in the trial plains, but she craved adventure, and now her personality was acting up.
Now that she wanted to enter Virtual Star World, which was a chance to roam free and interact with the outside world freely, she became bold and acted in a way that could help her achieve it, and it was seducing Jacob!
She was doing it without even realizing it yet, and another reason was her mentality as a woman had taken root in her mind at this point. She emulated it perfectly without even noticing it.
So, her fear and respect for Jacob turn into attraction and maybe even love. But Jacob was different, for he dreaded forming bounds the most in this world, especially when his end goal was Immortality, and no woman could replace Hope in his heart.
But this didn’t mean he wouldn’t take advantage of love to fuel his progress. Since Nyx was showing such signs, he would take advantage; this way, he could control her even better.
Jacob looked at Nyx, who was inches away from his place, and he could feel her hot breath, but he showed no signs of infatuation and mercilessly pushed her away, startling Nyx as she snapped out of her strange state. This was a completely new experience for her, and a hint of confusion surfaced in her eyes as she didn’t know why she felt hurt.
Jacob spoke at this moment, "Alright, you can try entering the Virtual Star World, but if it doesn’t work, give up on it and continue developing as I told you to. But in case it works…’
Jacob looked at dazed Nyx meaningfully and said, "Let’s create some rules you absolutely can’t break…!"