Chapter Twenty-Eight: Overclocking

"Ouroko's Akulos..." Xia Xiu watched the white worm, a flicker of intrigue crossing his eyes.

Ouroko, one of the four saints of the Sarkic cult.

Ouroko’s titles were the Horned Beast, the Savage Lord, and the Pale Hunter. Its represented domains included strength, war, violence, wildness, hunting, and two seemingly contradictory concepts: loyalty and betrayal.

The white worm in Harry’s eyes had another moniker during the Sarkic Empire: the "Sacred White Worm." Its designation in the Sarkic creation code was [BIO-006].

During the era of the Sarkic Empire, specimen 006 was identified as a symbiotic organism found within Sarkic cultists and their creations. It existed as a secondary immune system, allowing its host to resist disease and enhancing their regenerative capabilities.

In the imperial era, 006 was also believed to be linked to the physical mutations of Sarkic cultists who lacked a specific lineage. Furthermore, it increased resistance to the "God’s Feast," enabling those with a Sarkic lineage to remain immune to a portion of the [Cognitive Collapse] that occurred during the ritual.

Moreover, it possessed an extremely high compatibility with the "Three of the Return."

"We are all followers of Ion, and He embraces believers across the infinite! We are brothers who should naturally help one another. I will certainly do my utmost to help you find Yaldabaoth’s creation," Xia Xiu declared with righteous indignation to Harry.

"That is good to hear," Harry smiled with satisfaction.

Standing to the side, Dorn watched the two men exchanging pleasantries with such fervor and could not help but curl his lip.

What hypocrites.

Harry was highly decisive. After some perfunctory social pleasantries with Xia Xiu, he decided to begin the ritual on the spot. He asked Xia Xiu to open the field, and Xia Xiu, naturally, did not object; he immediately enabled the shared location for the Sarkic lineage.

Following the requirements of the ritual, Harry instructed Xia Xiu and Dorn to stand on opposite sides of the Seal of Nadox. The positions and distances between the three formed an equilateral triangle. Harry then struck the ground once more with his wooden staff.

The shadow behind Harry actually stood up; it appeared over two meters tall and began walking toward the storage room.

After a while, the shadow returned carrying seven robust rats. It placed them in the center of the Seal of Nadox, then split into seven shadowy chains that bound the rats tightly. The shadow’s hand transformed into a sharp blade.

The first rat was beheaded.
The second rat was castrated.
The third rat was suffocated.
The fourth rat was bludgeoned.
The fifth rat was blinded.
The sixth rat was impaled.
The seventh rat was beaten to a pulp.

"Strength is forged by the suffering of the weak. Here, the weak die. Here, the strong are born. I drive myself, from the pale reflection of Ion’s flesh sacrifice to the strength of the arduous, shedding my fragile shell," Harry chanted loudly.

*Boom—*

All the rats were reduced to a pulp of flesh. Their blood flowed along the markings of the Seal of Nadox, and soon, the entire seal was covered in fresh, red blood.

[Yaldabaoth's Reminder: You have entered the [Overclocking] phase. Consumption exceeding your authorized limit will be deducted at a rate of 10 EVE particles per second. When your balance is insufficient, you will be added to the [Overclocking List].]

*Damn it!* We’re already in overclocking... Even Eden isn't this stingy!

Xia Xiu thought silently, speechless.

Overclocking, also jokingly referred to by players as "advancing consumption of transcendent abilities," could be a unique state, ritual, or technique. For example, if a Stage 1 Thaumaturge wished to cast a Stage 2 spell, they had to perform a limit-breaking maneuver—[Overclocking].

Like Harry’s current ritual, it was clearly something a Stage 1 could not execute; it involved the domain of [Omniscience].

Setting aside the technique of entering [Overclocking], one had to consider the price paid afterward.

The first stage of [Overclocking] involved the deduction of EVE particles, known as the [Price-Offset Stage]. As long as one managed to survive this phase, they would avoid the dreaded [Overclocking List] and the soul-crushing [Contractual Compensation].

The [Overclocking List] was a special registry used by the think tanks of major lineages to track overclockers. This list was also known as the "Wage Slave List," the "Big Loser List," or the "Exploited by Heartless Bosses List."

Lineage holders on the Overclocking List were required to complete tasks assigned by their respective think tanks, and these tasks varied depending on the institution.

For instance, at Eden, the payment tasks usually involved hunting down cultists, or if one were lucky, simply performing good deeds for a month.

But the Heteromorphic lineage was absurd; the tasks assigned by their think tank often involved sacrificing an entire city or going out of their way to harass a rival lineage.

In his past life, when Xia Xiu was in the Heavenly Kingdom lineage, he would see these "big losers" coming to the cathedral to die every month. He vividly remembered the look of pure misery on their faces.

Following an outrageous boss meant meeting an equally outrageous end.

The sacrificial offerings and requirements in the current ritual were a form of prepaid [Overclocking] costs—a special method to preemptively block the outrageous demands of a boss.

Alas, some bosses really had no bottom line.

If he couldn't survive the EVE particle offset stage, Xia Xiu would immediately terminate the ritual.

He would rather be an Eden wage slave than a big loser for Yaldabaoth!

Fortunately, Yaldabaoth was not entirely unreasonable. A simple locating ritual was not enough to throw someone onto the [Overclocking List]. After consuming 200 EVE particles, a circular mirror began to emerge from the Seal of Nadox, reflecting a peculiar scene.

A harbor with an "L-shaped" waterway appeared in the mirror. The image zoomed in, and zoomed in again, until a large sign appeared: [Port Authority Grocery Terminal].

Groceries, roll-on/roll-off ships, lumber, and scrap metal...

The image finally settled on a man and a woman. The man, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking exceptionally disheveled, was holding the hand of a woman wrapped entirely in a trench coat.

*Crack—*

The mirror shattered after reflecting their figures, and the Seal of Nadox beneath Xia Xiu’s feet dissipated instantly.

"Do you know where that is?" Xia Xiu asked the excited Harry.

"Tilbury Docks. It is the main port of the Fog City, located on the north bank of the Thames in the eastern suburbs," Harry replied excitedly.

"We must set off now to find those two. They likely intend to use the port to flee the Fog City area. We must catch them before they manage to leave!" Harry decided on the spot.

Xia Xiu and Dorn naturally had no objections, so the three immediately set off for Tilbury Docks.

...

Fog City, Tilbury Docks.

"Toot—"

A cruise ship was docked near the harbor, beginning to drop its anchor. In a dim warehouse near the ship, March was holding Lisa’s hand.

"Lisa, once we smuggle ourselves out of the Fog City area on this ship, we will be free." Light shone in March’s eyes.

"Free—" Lisa spoke in a clumsy, human tongue.

"Yes, free!"