"I think we better just forget about it," said Fu Yi.
"I agree." Huai Shi nodded. "No academic ace is innocent!"
Feeling the malice from the academic underachievers, Jonathan immediately panicked. "Wait a minute, I'm actually very useful, and really strong..."
As Jonathan spoke, he waved a claw. The pile of iron materials Huai Shi had stacked in the corner was suddenly enveloped by an invisible magnetic force, abruptly condensing into a mass and floating in midair.
"See? I absolutely won't drag you down. If I exert my full strength, I can control a geomagnetic repulsion force of up to thousands of tons!"
"Wow, Universal Pull!" Huai Shi, cracking sunflower seeds, applauded. "Impressive, impressive... Awesome, awesome..."
Huai Shi kept praising him non-stop, with seemingly endless compliments, yet showed no sign of agreeing or relenting. He just looked at Jonathan with his large, basket-sized eyes, waiting for him to finish.
"...Alright, there is indeed a small drawback," Jonathan sighed, resigned. "I'm completely vulnerable when controlling magnetism, and if I overclock for too long, it can lead to shock from insufficient blood supply."
Once he said this, Huai Shi finally understood.
Oh great, he's looking for a tank.
"I don't care about the spoils of war or exploring during the Witches' Night. Any gains can be entirely yours. I just want to find a bodyguard to survive longer and collect more data for my papers."
"If it doesn't involve life-threatening situations, I'll assist you unconditionally. You just need to leave a survivor for me to finish off now and then, so I can accumulate Evolutionary Power..."
Jonathan sighed. He didn't want to waste time on this, to him, pointless negotiation. "This is my final offer, Mr. Huai. If you agree, I have additional information for you. If not, please say so now, and I can try to find someone else."
"Agree! Why wouldn't I agree?" Seeing he was about to get everything he wanted, Huai Shi immediately clapped his paws enthusiastically. "You see, I'm just a bit slow on the uptake. Don't be hasty, Brother Jo."
"It's Jonathan..." the Stone Lizard corrected helplessly.
"Same difference." Huai Shi enthusiastically extended a paw and shook Jonathan's. Regarding the Scholar's conditions, he lamented that they were all family, so why act like strangers!
After all, if he was taking one, he might as well take two. Might as well bring them both along!
"So, the information you mentioned..." Huai Shi licked his nose. "Is it impressive?"
"I'm not sure if it's impressive, but it could certainly be considered special." Jonathan heaved a sigh of relief, a clear weight lifted from his shoulders.
Finding a bodyguard these days isn't easy. The capable ones are often unreliable and might stab you in the back, while the honest, loyal ones often can't defend against open attacks or hidden schemes. A bodyguard like Huai Shi—exceptionally strong, with proven integrity, and only a bit mischievously cunning—is truly a rare find.
He had also been afraid Huai Shi might refuse.
As for the information, he was confident it was exclusive.
"This nation sustains itself with the blood of Giant Beasts," he began. "To be precise, all surviving nations do."
"What?" Huai Shi was taken aback.
"This is the true nature of the Endless War," Jonathan said. "A war to screen gods and survivors before Doomsday arrives."
Crystal Lizards are an offshoot mutation from Petrified Giant Lizards. As a gemstone-type Alien Species, they often possess special organs and abilities corresponding to their specific gemstones. The path Jonathan chose during his Metamorphosis was to become a Magnetic Crystal Lizard, a form closely aligned with his specialty.
However, something apparently went wrong during the Metamorphosis process, rendering his four legs useless and severely diminishing his mobility. In exchange, his innate Talent was greatly enhanced.
Now, he could not only detect faint changes in the planet's magnetic field but also read fragmented records from chaotic magnetic fields in areas rich with magnetic minerals.
This included... "Experimental records preserved from the previous epoch."
Jonathan said solemnly, "Before the Witches' Night, this experiment was conducted many times in the Abyss. The related laws and theorems became quite developed. The earliest Explorers weren't us, but various Abyss Hordes that strayed into it."
"Many of the genes and lineages of those Hordes have been passed down here, which explains why we see so many types of creatures here."
"But, without a doubt, Doomsday has struck many times before."
"So, epochs are separated by Doomsdays?" Huai Shi asked.
Jonathan nodded. "Furthermore, a rather sophisticated method for dealing with Doomsday has evolved here... what they call the Endless War."
"The gods they worship were themselves among the elite of the Giant Beasts! You should know this from the piece of Holy Remains on the altar, right?"
Jonathan's lizard face revealed a cold smile. "Do you know where the Sacred Oil burned by those monks comes from? It's Giant Beast Blood from creatures that have undergone seven or more Metamorphoses... This nation has persisted to this day by burning the Giant Beast Blood once buried underground, just like all the other nations."
"This isn't limited to this continent; it's likely the same on other landmasses and even in the Sea. Similar Endless Wars are probably underway across the entire realm!"
"What the heck?" Huai Shi, who had thought this place was the entire map, was stunned. "Are we in one of those progression fantasies where each volume introduces a new map?"