Ball of Nothing

It took a long time before Ruth finished his meal. It wasn't satisfying but the vampire was thankful for whatever he was given. Not all slave masters were as kind. Many had perverse tendencies and he was glad that perverts didn't exist in Baal's castle.

With some food in his system, Ruth felt the drowsiness take over him and winced when he felt his body stitch back wounds that were left unattended for too long. It wasn't as if Zero was coming back soon so Ruth let himself take comfort underneath the warm blanket and fell asleep quicker than he did in last few years.

Meanwhile, the young doctor had one last matter to attend to before he turned in for the night. Zero was reminded about Christmas all over again. Checking out surprise gifts and purchases were similar. The apprentice simply couldn't wait to find out what other interesting things there was. He might be able to find a few things that contain unique abilities that he could absorb.

Baal and Ruth retired early, not that Zero minded. After a long day of work for his best friend and traumatising experience for his patient, Zero approved of the much-needed rest. Coux had to accompany Baal for the trial early tomorrow and make the necessary preparations so Zero sent her to bed as well, assuring her that he would be fine on his own. The secretary refused to leave until Sekkin and Qin Yun vouched to watch over Zero.

"You have to work tomorrow," Zero frowned at the snow fox spirit.

Qin Yun shook her head. "I'll be returning to the village with the first party after the trial. Amaraline will be coming with me too so we'll be closing Belles and Begonia for a while. The notice has been put up so our regular customers know about it."

"Why so soon? What about Wiser, Coux and Sekkin?"

"We will stay here," Sekkin answered. "Lord Baal still requires our help. Wiser will not be returning to the village any time soon and Coux has to oversee the new business expansion as well as the negotiations with Lord Mammon. Help me to tell Mitchnew that I love her and kiss her for me, will you?"

Zero sighed. "I don't think I can return to the village very soon. Lucifer's eyes are still not fully healed and I need to take care of Ruth..."

Sekkin laughed. "No, I'm talking about when you return. I'll be staying in the abyss to train and become stronger and won't know when I'll return to the village. Lord Amon has agreed to help me improve my combat skills. We will spar once every week and I shall assist Coux with the heavy lifting required."

That news surprised the young doctor. He thought that once everything was over, things would return to normal. A part of him felt guilty. If only he hadn't fallen unconscious, none of these would have happened. He felt responsible for separating the lovers and hated becoming the reason why others were suffering. He was a doctor for crying out loud! He should be bringing smiles to people's faces and improving their lives, not making it worse and more miserable.

The spider demon sensed where Zero's thoughts were going and placed a heavy hand on the teenager's head. Zero might have experienced quite the growth spurt but he was still the same softy Sekkin knew from the village.

"It was a choice that I made, Zero. Don't do that. It's not as if I won't ever be returning... I will come back from time to time. Mitchnew already knows. I've written her a letter. She said that she would kick my butt if I do not improve when I return and you know how strong she is..."

The brunet smiled softly. Sekkin was trying to make him feel better and even if Zero knew that not everything was necessarily true, it was working. "I understand. I will pass the word and kiss her for you. You mustn't slack off then!"

Qin Yun chuckled when Sekkin reassured Zero that he wouldn't. Although it wasn't in the ex-assassin's nature to skimp on training like a certain Demon Lord, he would often avoid the strenuous path if he could. It was an old flaw of his that Mitchnew hasn't quite gotten around to correcting but Zero didn't have to know that.

"Shall we check the items?" Qin Yun asked and led the way. Zero bounded after her, eager to check out the spoils of his first negotiation.

The first guest room contained all consumable items won at the auction house and Zero quickly deemed half of them as perishables. "It's such a waste! I don't know if Zoe can cook using such strange ingredients but it should be better than leaving them to rot, right?"

Qin Yun inspected some of the perishables that Zero sorted out. "There are some rare medicinal plants in this bulk that can only be found in Hell. Don't you want to try and grow them?"

Zero blinked. "Medicinal plants?"

The snow fox spirit grabbed a bundle of purple grass with yellow bulbs. "This is known as Lucid Rattle. It is known to cure strong paralysis but has a terrible side effect of nausea and hallucination."

"Is there no way to counter the side effects?"

Qin Yun shook her head. "The medical skills in the abyss isn't advanced enough to develop anything like that. However, if there is a way to negate the side effects, this herb can counter any paralysis effects up till the Black Grade."

Zero blinked. Black was the third most powerful tier in terms of rarity and power. Was this herb really so potent? It screamed of an opportunity to him and Zero made the decision to keep it for now in his void storage to preserve the shelf-life of this herb.

"Are there any other medicinal plants like that in this pile?" he asked.

For the next hour, Sekkin and Qin Yun spent time sniffing out all the medicinal plants while Zero inspected everything, sorting them according to their rarity grade. Some perishables were only good for garnishing and spices without any notable effects. Those went in the crate to be sent to Belles & Begonia. There were some consumables that could be used for potions and alchemy. They went into a small box that Qin Yun would deliver to Lovina. A small sample has been set aside for Wiser to analyse. Zero also kept some seeds that he thought were good for crop planting. Famine was common in the abyss and the seeds he set aside were known to be very resilient against the harsh and extreme climates. Baal's domain seemed like the perfect place to grow them. Lastly, Zero stashed away a large bundle of medicinal herbs of all variety. He had an inkling Hua Tuo might be interested in creating new kinds of medicine from them.

There were a few notable mentions that Zero couldn't help but want to experiment with.

Name: Blood-Eating Scarlet

Type: Fire Element, Flower

Description: Commonly found growing beside lava lakes

Uses: Good for cauterising wounds when used externally. Beware of severe burns.

Name: Blue Banoberry

Type: Ice Element, Fruit

Description: Can be found growing on the back of an Ice Turtle Demon King

Uses: Treats fevers with immediate effect. If used on a person with weak inner qi, might result in hypothermia and death.

Name: Clone Shrooms

Type: Earth Element, Fungi

Description: Usually found growing in near a void gate.

Uses: Allows rapid cell multiplication for a short period of time. Requires light magic for effect to take place. Effects of cell multiplication are permanent, unskilful light magic manipulation may result in deformity.

While Sekkin tidied the room, Qin Yun accompanied the excited brunet to the next room. The second guest room had a grand total of five crates and a casket. Zero raised an eyebrow at the odd choice of packaging. It smelled somewhat stale in the room and Zero didn't think it was due to the lack of maintenance to the room.

Deciding to tackle the elephant in the room, Zero walked confidently to the casket. The stale smell was stronger and Zero stopped breathing, thankful that it was merely optional for him to do so. Qin Yun kept her eyes on him from the doorway, unable to stand the stench coming from the beautifully decorated box.

After inspecting the box and confirming that it wasn't a threat, Zero blasted the lock open with magic and pried the lid off. He didn't know what he was looking at initially but made a disgusted face after reading the description provided by the system after inspection.

Name: Fingernail Clippings of a Tanuki

Description: The clipped fingernails of a shapeshifting demon. They sparkle with a little bit of trickery and mischief. Random transformation effect last for 5 minutes per clipping, use at your own risk.

While there was a transformation skill in that casket, it wasn't what Zero was looking for. It's a disposable item that only lasts one use. Zero was expecting more from something with Silver Grade so it was a major letdown. Moreover, the smell emitting from the fingernail clippings were unbearable. Zero quickly absorbed it into his void inventory to spare everyone the misery. Thankfully smell was non-existent in the void storage. Items were isolated so his precious medicinal plants wouldn't be affected.

"Thank you," Qin Yun breathed as soon as the casket was gone. The smell lingered but it wasn't as bad as it was before.

Sekkin soon joined them after they finished going through the contents of the second crate. Zero saw how most items in the second room were things that were once 'alive' in a sense. There was a preserved lizardman's tail that Zero absorbed and gained a colour-changing ability. While that was useful for stealth operations, Zero didn't think running around naked was a good etiquette. Zero donated the Butter Moth Wings to Sekkin who accepted the delicacy gratefully. The Spider Demon claimed that they tasted good when fried with batter but Zero politely declined the taste test.

"What's this?" he asked Qin Yun when he opened the fourth crate.

The snow fox spirit looked at the multi-coloured conical shell and blinked. It looked very similar to the shelled homes of Gypsy Slugs. Surely it was something rarer than a commonly found shell back on Earth... Qin Yun didn't want to believe it because they bought it from the auction but no matter how she looked at it, that was an ordinary conical shell.

Zero wondered if it was due to the unique colour that the item was sold at the auction house. He had to admit. The splash of purple, green and blue with black spots on the shell's exterior made it appealing to look at. Maybe Zenobia would like this unique looking shell.

"What do you think? Should I cut it open and make some accessories out of it? I'm sure Zenobia would look good wearing a necklace made out of this shell..."

Sekkin chose not to comment and Qin Yun fumbled for an answer. "It's the thought that counts, I suppose..."

Zero scrutinised it closely once more and shrugged. It really was a normal shell, there was nothing much that could be done with it.

"You could carve it into a magical weapon," Bob supplied from his mindscape. Zero was startled, thinking that Bob and Mii had retired for the night.

"What do you mean?"

The dragon smirked. "If you calculate the airflow angles and poke holes at the right places on this shell, you can create a musical instrument. Write a little spell to enchant it and voila! You just made a magical weapon."

Zero's eyes lit up and he thanked the dragon. The young doctor would task the lab members when he returned to the village to turn this beautiful shell into a beautiful weapon. In that way, the village had one more ace up their sleeves for if it was ever attacked again.

It didn't take too long to sort the items in the second room. There were three piles with one for research, one for gifts and the smallest pile for Zero to absorb. Those in the smallest pile were either absolute garbage or had unique abilities that Zero wanted.

"I'm surprised we still haven't found anything that would allow me to gain the flight ability or the shape-shifting ability..."Zero sighed.

Zero inspected himself and the status screen was starting to get long.

Name: Zero

Race: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Magic Affinity: Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Light & Dark

Qi Cultivation: 0/100

Unique Skill: Absorption, Energy Conversion

Title: Inheritor of Sins

Magic Skills: Magic Perception, Healing Mastery, Tranquil Mind, Slumber, Binding, Health Boost, Warrior Spirit, basic Elemental Mastery, Mana Conversion, Beacon, Judgement

Active Quests: 6

Blessings: Mind's Eye, Wisdom, Karma, One-Hit Kill, Charmer, Adaption, Gaia's Blessing,

Absorbed Abilities: Grapple, Intuition, Camouflage, Dark Vision, Echolocation, Skill-transfer

Locked Abilities: 7

"Let's move on to the third room and finish up for the night," he told Sekkin and Qin Yun.

Qin Yun remained behind to tidy the gifts while Zero and Sekkin took a peek into the final room. It was rather spacious compared to the first two rooms that were cluttered with items. There was only one huge crate in the room and Zero looked at Sekkin curiously.

"Did we miss anything?"

The spider demon shook his head. "Coux said that it was special and had Baal set up a protective barrier around this room earlier."

Zero became giddy with excitement when he heard it. "I can handle this alone. Please help Qin Yun and retire for the night. Thank you for packing up!"

Sekkin bowed and wished Zero goodnight before leaving. Zero then turned his attention back to the solitary crate in the room. If he was not mistaken, this was the one item on the list of goods that he looked forward to checking out. After ensuring that the door was closed, Zero summoned Mii.

The strawcherry fairy materialised and hovered over the crate eagerly. "Is this it?"

Zero beamed. "You bet it is... I only hope that the protective barrier Baal prepared is strong enough. You might want to stand back or return to the mindscape for a little.

Mii took Zero's advice and vanished. Zero took a deep breath and blasted the protective charms placed on the crate. The crate shook violently and Zero shielded himself when it exploded into wood splinters. Seriously, was it really necessary for such a flashy entrance? If Zero didn't know better, he might have thought that the creature of this object was an idiot.

"Systems rebooting, running scans."

Mii appeared with a pop sound and clapped her hands at what Zero had named 'Robo Mike'. Robo Mike was a golem created by Merlin from a very long time ago. He had been washed away by the strong currents of River Styx when collecting precious alchemy materials for the Wizard God and was lost ever since. Although the stone golem looked intimidating and extremely strong, it excelled in not combat but housekeeping - perfect for what Zero wanted.

"Scanning is complete. Systems are functioning as per normal. Unknown strong presence detected. Hostile presence none. Please state your business."

"I'm Zero!" the young doctor introduced. "I'm looking for someone to help me manage a village and farm. Do you think you're up for the job?"

The golem's head spun in two circles before stopping. "Affirmative. Registering new master... Kindly provide Housekeeping Golem #Amethyst001 with a preferred name."

Zero beamed. "You shall be called Robo Mike!"

"Registering name as Robo Mike. Registration successful. Please provide Robo Mike with orders to fulfil."

"Eh? I don't have any now. Is it alright for me to store you in my void storage until we can return to the village?"

The stone golem spun his head in three circles before stopping. "Order received. Please proceed."

Without another word, the young doctor sucked the huge golem into his storage. It was a good thing that the void storage did not have size limitations. Storing a stone golem as huge as Camie could be problematic. Zero looked at the ceiling of the room and winced. The chandelier was smashed and the floor had golem footprints embedded in it. It was nothing that Baal couldn't fix but Zero knew he would be in for a lot of questioning when tomorrow came.

Oh well... that was it for tonight. Zero stretched and yawned. He should follow Baal's word of advice to leave tomorrow's worries for tomorrow. There was no use losing sleep over something that couldn't be helped after all.