Chapter 36: Little Black Stone Has Truly Turned Into a Black Stone

"Delicious... this is just too delicious!!"

Beside the campfire, Liu Hen devoured his meal, wishing he could swallow his own tongue along with the meat. Between his past life and this one, it was the first time he had tasted such food. It was pure, natural roasted meat without a single chemical additive, yet it possessed an intensity of flavor that was staggering. Even as a transmigrator, he couldn't help himself—let alone little Black Stone beside him.

Liu Hen hadn't forgotten her. While eating, he smiled and said, "We’re having meat tonight, and there's a portion for you, too." He had already started cooking the second piece, so he naturally wouldn't overlook her share.

"Mm-hmm, thank you, Master..." Although Black Stone felt that eating like this was incredibly wasteful, she truly couldn't resist. The aroma was so potent that it nearly caused her, someone who had never tasted meat, to lose all reason.

Soon, the second piece of roasted meat was ready. Liu Hen handed it to Black Stone and began roasting the third. He intended to be self-indulgent tonight and eat his fill. After all, he had over two hundred pounds of meat; a little luxury now and then wouldn't hurt.

Little Black Stone took the meat and couldn't wait to take a bite. Upon doing so, her eyes widened in shock.

"This..."

She was stunned, wondering if this was food meant for the gods. With that single bite, a profound sense of happiness flooded her heart. The deliciousness was simply beyond description. In that moment, she was conflicted; she couldn't bear to finish such wonderful food, yet her body acted against her will, and she found herself devouring it just as ravenously as Liu Hen.

While the two were feasting, a hundred meters away, the Wu siblings were salivating, unable to stop themselves from inching closer.

"Do you think this food was made by Master Liu Hen?" Wu Yuanxia whispered.

"It’s possible. There shouldn't be anyone else nearby." Wu Yuanming swallowed hard, his voice filled with uncontrollable greed. "Food this delicious—I’d believe it if someone said eating it makes you stronger."

Of course, it was also possible that eating it would kill them. The aroma was so incredible, acting like a specific kind of temptation that drew them in, even though they knew they risked angering an Esper. The scent was a delicious trap, making it impossible to resist.

Before they could even see the source of the intoxicating smell, a scavenging squad appeared from another direction, moving forward with greedy eyes. It was a group of four men carrying hardwood pickaxes; they were likely miners from nearby. Seeing this, Wu Yuanming’s heart stirred. He suddenly led his three subordinates to rush over, shouting, "Stop them!"

The three others were taken aback, but accustomed to following orders, they obeyed without question.

...

Inside the house, Liu Hen had finished his first piece of horse meat and was waiting for his second. It was then that he noticed a change in Black Stone. The girl, who had appeared quite thin, was filling out at a rate visible to the naked eye. Her sunken eye sockets slowly returned to normal, and her gaunt frame began to flesh out.

The most obvious change was that the thermal suit—which he had specifically tailored for a normal twelve or thirteen-year-old girl—was now being stretched tight. The once loose fabric finally filled out, revealing the slender, curved silhouette of a young girl.

Liu Hen was dumbfounded. Was this even a normal human occurrence? Black Stone, however, was so focused on her food that she seemed entirely unaware of her own transformation.

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting broke out outside. Liu Hen felt a jolt of tension; he grabbed his All-Purpose Pickaxe and hurried to the window to look out.

Fifty meters from his home, the Wu siblings were clashing with the others. Both sides were fighting with lethal intent, but the Wu siblings clearly had the upper hand—they were stronger, and even with their injuries, they outperformed the other four. Most importantly, they spent their lives hunting monsters, giving them combat prowess far superior to ordinary scavengers.

Since the conflict hadn't reached him yet, Liu Hen didn't rush out. Instead, he turned his attention back to Black Stone. Under normal circumstances, she would have been the first to stand up, as her duty was to keep watch. Yet, eerily, she continued to eat, completely unresponsive to the chaos outside.

As she consumed more of the roasted horse meat, her dirty face gradually rounded out. Though still covered in grime, she was at least visibly beautiful. Her hair, which likely hadn't been washed since birth, became supple, though it remained oily and tangled. A skeletal, withered girl had, in the blink of an eye, turned into a beauty who would be quite lovely if you ignored the mud.

The sight made Liu Hen’s skin crawl. He didn't dare make a sound, preparing to unleash his air cannon at any moment. Finally, Black Stone finished her meat. Tears streamed down her face, but strangely, her expression remained devoid of any emotion as she stared blankly at Liu Hen.

"Thank you, Master. It is time for me to go," she said slowly.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" Liu Hen asked, frowning. He felt that the person before him was definitely not the Black Stone he knew, but someone else entirely. But how could this happen? They had been together the entire time; there had been no accidents.

*Wait... back in the cave, after Black Stone had that nightmare, she had been very quiet, as if she were a different person.*

He had been too careless to notice. Could it have started back then?

"Master will understand once you see this memory."

Black Stone extended her hand. Her fingertip split open, and a drop of blood flew out, instantly sinking into Liu Hen’s mouth. Liu Hen’s expression shifted, and he instinctively tried to spit it out, only to find a memory flooding his mind.

In that instant, he wondered if he had transmigrated again. In the memory, he was a five or six-year-old girl, overwhelmed by a deep, crushing sense of weakness. The world was pitch black; the girl kept walking, searching for food. But the weather was freezing, and the darkness was absolute—there was no food to be found.

Finally, on the verge of starvation, she encountered a stone that was black but emitted a faint blue glow. The girl was so hungry—or perhaps hallucinating—that she mistook the glowing stone for food and tried to bite it, but it was too hard. Ultimately, she died holding the stone. Her final thought was a wish to be warm and full.

Then, he didn't know what happened, but the stone in her arms merged with her body, and she opened her eyes once more.

Liu Hen snapped back to reality, staring at the "Black Stone" before him.

"Did you see, Master?" she asked.

"Are you... that stone?" Liu Hen asked in a low voice.

"Yes, and no. My other name is the 'Wish Stone.' I can grant the final wish of someone on the verge of death. It must be a deathbed wish; if an accident occurs and the person does not die, the rule of the wish is not triggered," Black Stone explained. "However, I have no consciousness of my own. Only when the rule is triggered do I inherit the wisher's thoughts, memories, and habits to fulfill their wish. My essence is a 'Rule Stone.' While fulfilling a wish, I can be considered a kind of spirit, but that is only a temporary state."

"A Wish Stone?" Liu Hen frowned. "So, what is your situation now? Are you still the Black Stone I know?"

"I have always been me, but I did not know my own nature before. Because I have no thoughts or memories of my own, all my actions were the autonomous behavior of this body. Theoretically, even without my possession, she would have made the same choices. The owner of this body died at six years old, seven years ago, after wishing to be warm and fed. I became one with her then. So, the person you know has always been me. Only recently, after I was finally full and warm, did I realize my own identity."

"I see." Liu Hen let out a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't been possessed halfway through. "Then what about now? You said you were leaving—where are you going?"

"The wish of this body's owner has been fulfilled. Naturally, I must return to my true self—a stone without thought—and wait for the next person in need. However, because the owner of this body felt such deep attachment to you, bound by the rules of the wish, I require you to make a wish for me."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Liu Hen became vigilant. It seemed this stone only worked for those at death's door.

"Master, you misunderstand," Black Stone explained. "You seem to carry two death marks. You can use one of them to make a wish upon me, which will trigger the rule." She murmured to herself, "Master’s situation is strange; it is as if you have died twice."

*Died twice?* Liu Hen realized instantly that the so-called death marks were likely from his past life and the original owner of this body.

"If I make a wish, what’s the catch?" he asked guardedly.

"There is no catch, Master. I cannot harm the wisher; the rule only triggers when a person is dying. If you wish upon me, the only cost is the consumption of one death mark, which will have no impact on you, as the mark is useless to you anyway."

It might not be useless—just because it was useless now didn't mean it would be later. Liu Hen thought for a moment and said, "What if I wish for you to remain in this state and truly become the girl who follows me?"

"The wish of the deceased, I cannot refuse. Wish rule triggered..." Black Stone closed her eyes. "I will sleep for a time to fully merge with this body and its memories. After this wish is fulfilled, I will never again be able to grant wishes for others. During this period, I will reside within your other death mark until I awaken."

As her voice faded, she vanished. In her place sat a black stone the size of a fist. The small room was silent. A moment later, the stone flew toward him and merged into his arm. Though he couldn't see the skin beneath his thermal suit, he could sense a new mark appearing on the back of his hand.

"...You just leave like that, without even saying when you'll wake up."

Liu Hen felt a complex mix of emotions. A living person had suddenly turned into a cold stone, and it was hard to accept. Just then, the sounds of fighting outside intensified and drew closer.

"Damn it! Fighting, fighting, always fighting! Give it a rest!"

Frustrated, he grabbed the All-Purpose Pickaxe, kicked the door open, and stormed outside.