Chapter 380 - 313: The Evil Book’s Suggestion, Part 2

Chapter 380: Chapter 313: The Evil Book’s Suggestion, Part 2

"How could this be, True God."

"Ah, there was a bit of an accident," Shire said calmly. He had already accepted his current goblin appearance and could speak of his experience without agitation. "It’s just a curse, nothing more."

"What kind of scoundrel would dare commit such a presumptuous act?" The book’s words materialized quickly, the script even becoming somewhat sloppy and magnified, clearly conveying the "writer’s" shock and anger.

"Alright, I’m already used to it." Shire gave a self-deprecating smile and reached out to close the book.

"Wait, True God! In a situation like this, this humble one can offer some ideas." The book’s script returned to its previous neat appearance.

"Ideas? You can remove this kind of Curse Magic?"

"My apologies, this humble one cannot do so at this time."

"Then what are you trying to say?" Shire glanced at the page, waiting for the Evil Book’s reply. He had originally thought this High-Level Magic Item might be able to change his situation, but it seemed he had gotten his hopes up too soon.

"Although I cannot remove the Magic, I can provide you with a potion formula for soul strengthening. Concocting a potion according to this formula will fortify your cognition and increase your Soul Strength."

"And what good is that?" Shire asked with intrigued interest. ’Is this where the trick comes in?’

"You must understand, the most insidious part of these Transformation Curses isn’t just the physical change, but the change to your soul as well. This corresponds with your cognition. If you are cursed for only a few days or months and then immediately change back, it’s no big deal—nothing more than a ’nightmare.’ But if you are cursed for years, or even a decade, you will gradually come to accept this altered body. The lifestyle habits will imperceptibly invade your consciousness, eventually changing your very soul. After more than ten years, even if you lift the curse, these deeply ingrained habits will make it impossible for you to return to your old life. You will feel that everything in the world is out of place. You’ll even grow suspicious of the gazes of those around you. Even a well-intentioned greeting will be interpreted as them mocking you for something, until finally you..." ℴ

The words on the page stopped appearing, clearly afraid of angering Shire. But Shire just smiled and said softly, "Until finally, I can’t stand the people around me and either choose to leave and go back to living as a goblin in the forest, or just..."

He didn’t say the words, instead just swiping his thumb across his neck.

"Yes. That is why the formula I am offering you can temporarily enhance your Soul Strength and fortify your cognition. You just need to drink it periodically."

Shire didn’t say anything immediately. He just began to reflect on his recent experiences. He was shocked to realize that he was no longer repulsed by his goblin identity. He no longer felt annoyed at having to look up when talking to people. Previously, when he spoke with Agatha, he would sometimes deliberately stand on a small stool, specifically trying to recapture the feeling of a conversation between two humans.

’This doesn’t necessarily mean my cognition has started to change,’ he muttered to himself. However, Shire then recalled a news story he had seen before about couples from Europe and America who would come to Tokyo University to adopt children and raise them in the West. After many years, those children no longer identified with their own yellow skin, instead considering themselves European or American. Even if they later returned to Tokyo University, they would seem completely out of place.

"Alright, give me the potion formula first," Shire nodded and said to the Evil Book. He planned to get the formula, then find Agatha to brew some and see. In any case, once it was made, he could call up his status panel to check it. If there was a problem, he could just choose not to drink it and then find some Holy Water to "pickle" this Evil Book.

Soon, words began to appear on the page. Shire immediately found a notebook and copied down the potion formula. Then, he reached out with both hands and grasped the book by its ends.

"Are you certain you don’t need the ’Immortality Plan’ this humble one can provide?" The book’s words appeared again.

"No. Compared to not being human, or being someone else, I’d rather just be myself." Shire smiled, then brought his hands together, slamming the Evil Book shut with a SLAM.

The rust-colored cover began to squirm under Shire’s gaze. The title on the cover, *Mushroom Spores and Life Form Variants*, started to shift again. Shire had heard from Little John that when he first got this thing, its title was *How to Attract Female Pigs for Mating*. But now, after a bout of squirming, a new title had appeared—*Your Forever Faithful Servant, Little Book*.

’A faithful servant, huh? Where should I put you?’ Shire chuckled, scanning his stone house. The small space contained nothing but a bed, a desk, a low cabinet, and a pile of various items in the corner. But he didn’t dare put the Evil Book in the corner, because a sealed wooden barrel was there, and inside it was the Demon Lord’s Angry Long Horn.

’Forget it, I’ll just put it on the desk for now.’ Having no other choice, Shire tossed the Evil Book onto a corner of his desk. That spot was where he used to keep his Little Tin Soldier, but One-Eyed had borrowed it to study for carving, so the space was now free.

’The most important thing right now isn’t the potion, but the group of goblins that will be arriving soon. I wonder when Broken Tooth will be back.’ Shire stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the stone house. Inside the underground Fortress, the goblins were moving about in an orderly fashion.