Jason watched calmly as the Edward in front of him, who looked exactly like himself, then glanced at the box in the middle of the road, his eyes pensive.
The night breeze blew softly.
The scent of blood from inside the box drifted with the wind, spreading across the street, while Troys' decapitated head on top of the box still had its eyes wide open, pupils full of intense shock and disbelief.
And the piece of paper on the forehead fluttered back and forth with the night wind.
The words 'boring, not fun' on the note became distorted.
Suddenly, under the night sky, this blood-drenched head illuminated by the streetlight took on an additional sense of the bizarre.
The other party was completing a 'transformation' ritual.
This 'ritual' was different from the previous 'reincarnation'; it was a transformation of one person into another.
The two rituals must have some kind of connection.
Or to be precise, a 'brand new' Edward would be the true fulfillment of the 'reincarnation' ritual.
Or more accurately, why did they choose his 'book'?
You see, his book was quite ordinary compared to the real masterpieces, hardly worth mentioning.
Not only was it less famous, but it also contained quite a lot of loopholes.
Jason instantly thought of the words Edward had just said, 'My world must be... perfect!'
"To completely 'patch up' the loopholes in my book!"
"Is making it perfect also a part of this 'ritual'?"
Jason asked looking at Edward.
Edward, donning Jason's appearance, clapped his hands, his face revealing a touch of admiration.
"Worthy of being my chosen replacement. Although your writing really is mediocre, your mind responds quite well."
"Being able to replace you in this world might be the right choice, the only pity is..."
"You're quite average-looking."
"To put it plainly, you're ugly."
"This clumsy body, these coarse features, utterly devoid of any aesthetic sensibility."
"And besides, you have no sense of dress."
"As a man, you truly are a failure."
Edward, with a condescending tone, evaluated Jason's physique and face, the contempt unmasked on his face.
While saying this, the orchestrator of everything lifted a hand, touching his own coarse cheeks with a somewhat mournful air, sighing.
Such an action would not be strange for a normal person.
But at this moment, what Edward possessed was... Jason's face.
What would a disdainful and mournful 'Jason' look like?
Jason himself did not know.
He habitually hid his emotions.
Not only did he know, but he could also see it clearly.
Jason's contemptuous frown gave rise to an impulse to smash this 'impostor' before him to pieces.
The conscious John and Brian also saw it.
The corners of their mouths involuntarily curled up, but they both knew that now was not the time for such expression, so they needed to contain themselves, and their smiles returned to normal.
However, as they looked at 'Edward' again, the just-returned-to-normal corners of their mouths curled up once more.
Then again, they controlled themselves.
After just two or three cycles, John and Brian began to twitch at the mouth.
Finally, laughter broke out.
John and Brian almost laughed in unison.
"Sorry, I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it," they said to Jason, full of apology, but they had to cover their mouths, trying to control their laughter.
In response, Jason remained silent.
Only the coldness in his gaze, directed at Edward, grew sharper and sharper.
"Your smiles bring me joy,"
'Edward' did not seem to mind at all, waving his hand dismissively, and then commanded, "John, could you find me a proper suit later? Not a modern suit, I need traditional nobility attire, with white lace trim, a wig, a coat that's mainly red and black, and also white trousers."
"Oh, and can you fetch me a pair of leather shoes as well? Preferably black calf leather with heels, to complement my white trousers."
John would not even consider 'Edward's' request.
His eyes mocking, he watched silently.
Then, the next moment—
"Yes, Your Highness," John said.
As he spoke, John placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
When he finished this gesture, John suddenly paused, confused.
How could he have saluted the enemy?
"Don't be puzzled, my knight,"
"These are what you are supposed to do," 'Edward' continued.
"Yes, Your Highness," John responded.
After his words fell, John returned to his senses, staring at 'Edward' as if seeing a ghost.
Brian quite decisively drew his gun and pointed it at 'Edward'.
"My knight, this isn't how you should behave," 'Edward' frowned.
"Sorry, Your Highness," Brian immediately apologized and holstered the gun.
And as the gun went back into its holster, Brian, like John, widened his eyes in disbelief at 'Edward'.
However, at this point, 'Edward' turned his attention to Jason.
"This is the power of the 'Protagonist'."
"Without doing anything, you gain the most loyal subordinates."