Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 675 The attached soul bone

The young man took a deep breath, and for the first time, his eyes lit up: "It's like a life that was cut off has been reconnected."

Xingluo did not say congratulations, he just looked at the suture point quietly: the junction of the exoskeleton and human flesh was glowing with a faint silver light - that was the connection between the source of magic and the nerves.

"You did," he said finally, "but you wanted to do more than just heal."

"Of course." Monica closed the light board, her back like a knife. "I want to transform the entire human race into a species that can no longer be slaughtered, completing its evolution."

The academy's praise didn't last long. Controversy surrounding the "external soul bone" quickly escalated: some called it "the freedom of a second body," others denounced it as "human betrayal." The Holy See of Light issued a decree: anyone who equips an external soul bone is considered a "rebellion against the gods." Some in the city lit bonfires to burn her research copies; others knocked on her door at night, whispering, "I am willing, please help me," and then took out their only copper coin and pressed it against the crack of the door, as if suppressing a glimmer of hope.

Monica's door opened and closed again and again. Her eyes grew colder and her words shorter. Someone tried to persuade her to stop, but she shook her head.

"When the gods take souls as taxes, all I have to do is return the bodies to humanity."

The college council issued her two written warnings, and the third resulted in expulsion. That day, the hall was empty. Xingluo came down the stairs and gently placed a sealing order on her desk.

"You can walk slower," he whispered. "Once the situation in Requiem Valley becomes clearer and we gather more support, the external spirit bone can be used as 'field medical'."

Monica smiled, a glint in her eyes: "Xingluo, you always find a roundabout way to save the country. But I like to take the straight path."

“At the end of the straight line, you may be criticized by people and even killed by gods.”

"That knife has fallen many times." She lifted the white box and looked up at him. "I am your apprentice, but not your shadow. You go your way, and I go mine."

The moment she turned around, her white dress swayed gently, like a flower blooming in the snow.

After leaving the academy, Monica led the first group of external spirit bone test subjects to the north. There, the winds were strong, the snow was cold, and the influence of the Church was weak. She set up camp near a village burned by the Church of Light and opened a "bone workshop," rescuing people during the day and crafting external spirit bones at night.

Soon, another piece of news arrived: Monica had reformed deserters, bandits, and black marketeers in the Northland in exchange for "bone contracts." Over a dozen people had died on the stage due to "bone contract conflicts." The Vatican sent divine messengers to suppress them, and she had hung their wings on the wall with bone hooks as specimens.

"You're crazy." Xingluo held her wrist in the crowd and lowered his voice, "You've crossed the line."

"I just stopped begging." Monica pulled her hand out of his palm. The bone hook was dripping with the blood of the messenger. She looked up at him and smiled as if she had a fever. "Have you ever thought about using the gods as test subjects?"

"But you treated people as vessels and went to a place I didn't want to see."

"Look," she leaned forward slightly, her breath close to his ear, "you still prefer a clean path. But Xingluo, our world is no longer clean, so I will walk this path for you."

That night, she took half of the test subjects, rebelled against the human city, and built her own "Bone City." Thick, externally attached soul bones climbed along the walls, and the wind blew through the broken bones, emitting a low, melodious sound. The underground forces called her the "Bone Queen."

On the night the requiem bell rang, a valley wind blew from all directions, heavy as if to drown out all the arguments. Starfall stood in the valley, softly plucking the silver bell. The Moonfall Blades were already arrayed, and the dragons folded their wingtips in the higher night.

"Does the bell sound nice?" A voice pierced the wind from the valley's mouth, carrying a familiar mockery. A figure in a white cloak, wrapped around bone armor, emerged from the darkness. Monica paused at the firelight, her gaze casually scanning the formation before landing on Xingluo. "Your mercenary group is more 'civilized' than I expected."

"Are you coming to surrender?" Ballock held the Hammer of the Void, his eyes fixed on her armor.

"Surrender?" Monica laughed. "I'm here to help him." She raised her hand and pointed at Xingluo. "I'm only here to help him."

The surroundings fell silent for a moment. Pandora looked at her, her eyes slightly colder. Isabel pulled her cloak inward half an inch, blocking the faint glimmer of fallen divine power between her fingers.

Xingluo didn't say welcome, nor did he say no. He just walked closer step by step until he could see the weariness between her eyebrows and eyes: "Reason."

"I don't help humans, nor do I help gods." Monica lowered her hood, revealing her sharp face. "I'm helping you. Call it a teacher-student relationship, or a prejudice. You're the only powerful person on this continent who doesn't treat humans as raw materials."

She paused, lowered her voice, and said, as if passing a hot fire in the wind: "And I like you."

Xingluo raised his eyes. The wind lifted his cloak, then dropped it again. His voice was as cold as ice. "This is not your bargaining chip to come back."

"I didn't ask for bargaining chips." Monica shrugged, her bone armor making a small friction sound. "I only brought the fourth generation of external soul bones—adjustable, removable, and able to revert back to human combat external soul bones."

She raised her hand and a new type of spirit bone was carried onto the stage. "External Spirit Bone - Leaf-shaped, battlefield-equipped. Can revert to human form in three breaths. The core rune reads 'Consent' - it cannot be activated without the wearer's consent."

"You finally made it into a 'tool' instead of a living humanoid life form." Xingluo's eyes softened a little.

Monica looked at him, her eyes suddenly bright as fire: "I just want you to say 'yes'."

Xingluo was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Monica suddenly smiled, as if a muscle had loosened: "Then let's start making it, teacher."

The night the fourth generation of external soul bones came off the assembly line, the workshop bustled until dawn. Monica stood at the edge of the stage, swiftly and accurately attaching leg and shoulder bones to the thirty members of the Displacement Team. A rune pen inscribed the runes for "retreat" and "stop" into the bone fragments. Xingluo sometimes wondered why the magic language in this world was Chinese, especially since this language was even more powerful than Dragon Language, directly drawing upon the power of the very source of magic. Even the gods and the abyss were inferior to this language. As she worked, she whispered:

"Don't be superstitious about it. It can only magnify you, but cannot replace you. If you rush too far, it will only magnify your death."

"Understood." The captain of the displacement team responded, his eyes shifting between her and Xingluo, suppressing a smile, "Bone Queen, your blade is very gentle."

"Go away." Monica said without even looking up. "Call me Monica."

Pandora leaned against the doorpost and suddenly said, "If you walk slower, Xingluo will wait for you."

Monica paused for a moment, not looking up. "I can't wait. I'll walk faster, at least I can block the knife for him first."

Isabel glanced at her and said softly, "You are one-sided."

"I know." Monica finally looked up and smiled neatly, "But I like this feeling."

The first test was a Bone Wing airdrop. Thundermane Oros created a low-pressure trough in the clouds, while Skybreaker Rush spread his four wings, slicing downdrafts. Thirty Shadow Dancers equipped with Leaf-Broken Bones descended with the wind. Monica stood at the cliff's edge, her hands invisible in the air, her fingers moving rapidly, providing the minimum amount of assistance and the maximum amount of braking to each bone.

"Number Six, don't be greedy." She said coldly, "The bones you have now are just your 'boots', not your 'feet'."

"Got it." Number Six said briefly.

Xingluo fell beside her and glanced sideways: "You have learned to be slow."

"I've learned to spend time with people who deserve it," Monica said, tilting her head and smiling. "When did you learn to praise people?"

"I'm just stating it."

"Okay, I'll keep this 'statement' in mind."

The conversation between her and Xingluo was like two knives colliding in the air. There was no spark, but both of them knew where the sharpness lay.

Monica's Bone City hadn't relocated, but her "Bone Team" remained stationed west of Requiem Valley. News reached Bone City: the black marketeers and deserters she had once sheltered were refusing to accept her "terms of consent," believing the fourth generation to be a waste. She returned, took away those who "agreed," and expelled those who "did not."

"You are more cruel now than before." Xingluo saw her return, her cloak still covered with bone powder ash.

"To those who are unwilling, the more gentle you are, the more cruel you are." Monica took off her bone gloves, revealing her slender white fingers. "To those who are willing, the more harsh you are, the more kind you are."