Chapter 244: Kopan

"Sacrifice? A soul?" Staring at the familiar pair of hands and listening to the baffling words, Zhang Wenda suddenly put two and two together. "You’re Kopan?"

Once he figured out what this ball of black mist was, the incredibly tense Zhang Wenda instantly relaxed, especially after hearing the emotion in its voice.

’It looks like this guy has a real problem with me freeloading his power over and over. Seeing that I went to Ahava to buy another Sacrificial Knife, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and decided to show up and call me to account.’

"So you finally recognize me? I’m telling you, this is international fraud!" Kopan’s voice was filled with fury as he spoke.

Zhang Wenda laughed when he heard this. He really hadn’t expected Kopan to sound so amusing. The god had none of the imposing presence he’d imagined.

"How is it fraud? Your Sacrificial Knife never said I had to sacrifice my own soul. Was there an instruction manual? I can freeload off you because I’m good at it. If you’re so tough, why don’t you kill me right now?"

Zhang Wenda looked completely unfazed. He’d figured it out. Between the darkened windows and the unresponsive Song Jianguo, he could tell this place was nothing more than a dream.

’So after all that, this guy is just threatening me in a dream. In that case, there’s even less to be afraid of.’

’It makes sense when I think about it. This guy wouldn’t dare cause trouble for me at Bureau 507. Ouyang’s Security Department isn’t just for show.’

"You despicable outsider! Just you wait! The Mayan Pantheon is not to be trifled with!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Zhang Wenda cut him off.

"Don’t think I don’t know anything about the Mayan Pantheon. Don’t forget, I’ve been where you’re from. I did my research before I went. You aren’t even on the same side as the Moon God and the Feathered Serpent God."

He remembered Ahava’s description of Kopan: a moody, unpredictable god. It was hard to even find a proper altar for him, and the other gods wanted nothing to do with him. ’And this guy is trying to pull a fast one on me, riding on their coattails.’

Zhang Wenda’s words instantly sent Kopan into a rage. He was about to attack, practically roaring at Zhang Wenda.

"Mortal! I curse you! The putrid breath of Ah Puchi shall forever accompany you. Your flesh will abandon you to nourish maggots! When you finally fall, the gates of Xibalba will not open for you. Your soul shall wander the dust of the mortal world for all eternity!"

As Kopan spoke his curse, Zhang Wenda felt a cold sensation creep slowly up from his heels. His heart began to beat erratically, as if disaster was about to strike.

Even though Kopan’s true form wasn’t present, he could clearly use his special abilities to make Zhang Wenda’s life difficult.

But this was precisely the time Zhang Wenda couldn’t back down. He jabbed a finger at the entity and shouted, "Are you, in your capacity as a god, personally attacking a member of the Third Line? Are you declaring war on the Third Line on behalf of the Mayan Pantheon?"

"When I wake up, I’m calling your Feathered Serpent God. We’ll see how many divisions the Mayan Pantheon has then!"

Kopan said nothing, but the strange sensation gradually faded from Zhang Wenda’s body. He knew his words had hit their mark. ’Just as I thought,’ he mused, ’the most effective way to deal with a spoiled brat is to call their parents.’

"You! You...!" The black mist on the ceiling billowed, its hands trembling with rage. It was obviously furious, but there was nothing it could do about Zhang Wenda.

Regardless of how the other gods might react, if word of this actually got out, the aloof Moon God—who preferred to stay out of worldly affairs—would definitely cause problems for Kopan.

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Zhang Wenda’s tone suddenly softened.

"It’s just two souls I owe you, right? I never said I wasn’t going to pay. If you’d just talked to me about this sooner, we could have sorted it out already." He was, after all, Teacher Rabbit, an expert at handling unruly kids.

Kopan paused, stunned by his words. "So you don’t intend to welsh on the deal?"

"Of course not. I’m with the Third Line, after all. Think of the shame it would bring to Bureau 507 if I did."

Zhang Wenda waved at Kopan on the ceiling and squatted on the bed. "Come on down. Let’s have a proper discussion about how to repay those souls."

Kopan’s eight-fingered hands twitched rapidly, crab-like, as they dragged the mass of black mist from the ceiling down onto the bed.

Frowning at the little creature before him, Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but ask, "How come you’re only showing two hands? Don’t you have a body?"

A trace of embarrassment tinged Kopan’s voice. "A god’s true form is too conspicuous. Your people would sense it."

"Oh~ so you snuck in illegally." ’So this guy was just putting up a brave front.’

’The last incident with the Little Immortals made it clear that gods aren’t omnipotent here. A god with absolutely no believers is worse off than a stray dog.’

"Forget it, it’s not a big deal. Two hands it is. Let’s talk about the souls." Zhang Wenda thought for a few seconds before speaking again. "You know, things don’t have to be so tense between us. You want souls, and I want your power. We can complement each other. We can cooperate."

"Just help me out whenever I need you, and in return, I’ll give you the souls of all my enemies. How about that? It’s a bargain, isn’t it?"

’Since Kopan has shown up and is this naive, it’d be a crime not to take him for a ride.’

’If this works, not only will I be able to borrow Kopan’s power whenever I want, but more importantly, I won’t have to be the one paying the price.’

’A single Sacrificial Knife costs 400,000. That’s just too expensive. Even if he hadn’t come looking for me, I couldn’t afford to use it more than a few times.’

Kopan, however, did not agree to Zhang Wenda’s proposal. "That’s not a good deal. The enemies you have me fight get stronger every time, but I only get one soul per use. I’m clearly getting the short end of the stick."

"Besides, you’re fighting the Big Circle Gang. We have the Hague Convention No. 3 with the United Nations. All Pantheons are forbidden from military intervention in the internal affairs of other nations."

"Something like that actually exists?" Zhang Wenda was surprised, but he immediately started thinking about how he could get around the convention and continue to freeload Kopan’s power.

Seeing that Zhang Wenda was being reasonable, Kopan wasn’t as angry anymore, and his tone softened considerably. "Fine. I don’t want the souls you owe me. We’ll call it even. Let’s just go our separate ways. But don’t you dare use the Sacrificial Knife to steal my power again, or else..."

"Or else what?" Zhang Wenda shot him a sidelong glance, looking completely fearless.

"Or else... or else I’ll have my High Priest send a cease and desist letter to your Third Line’s international legal department!" Having delivered this ultimate threat, the entire dreamscape began to collapse.

As Zhang Wenda felt a growing sense of falling, he knew he was about to wake up.

Seeing his free source of labor about to get away, Zhang Wenda grew desperate.

"Wait, I’ve got an idea!" Zhang Wenda’s words caused the collapsing dreamscape to solidify once more.