There was something terrifying in the thoughts that were currently brewing in Jacob’s mind. He never expected to fully ponder what he would do if he worked with the Plague Doctor, instead of against.

But he had earned his name of Grandmaster Strategist for a reason. And if he had to guess, the Plague Doctor already knew what he was capable of, callousness-wise. And one of the reasons Bob accepted was probably because he thought Jacob would be responsible for more than one genocide in the near future.

Was he wrong?

That was the question that was haunting Jacob while he listened to the Plague Doctor make small talk. It was as if time had froze, as if it had become jelly, leaving him with enough to ponder what kind of trigger Jacob was going to pull.

If he really allied with the Plague Doctor, nothing was off the table. They could probably even work on body-enhancement. The Plague Doctor was good enough he could probably facilitate Jacob’s ascent to power.

Jacob would bet his ass that the Plague Doctor was even capable of enhancing his talent somehow. The man was too famous to not have some neat trick like that in his sleeve. And what if he ordered the Plague Doctor, once under a Soul Contract, to help him become stronger. And not just that, he could even order him to help his close friends, the people in St. Peter, the old people who could barely function even after gaining a cultivation base.

Could he turn the Plague Doctor in a weapon and also a new Saint?

“I know you are thrilled, Jacob. I am myself, to be honest. You smell of Alchemy, and not the normal haphazard medicinal scent; no, it’s lighter and more subdued, but also more refined and elegant. If you are thinking about the things we could do together, you are right: we can probably turn over the entire medicine world. And yes, I know the famous story of the Blady Tyrant, the low talent, the fight to get on top of the world…”

“Jacob, I don’t like this,” Juliet said with a concerned expression.

She could feel the enormous ambition that was brewing inside Jacob, the dreams of grandeur that he was hatching, ready to take over the entire world.

“He’s a monster.”

Juliet voice didn’t really have an effect on him.

“I am, but I am a very useful monster. My life in exchange for eternal service to the mankind. I’ll sate my thirst with other species and I’ll just hope that you will kill each other without me.”

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Juliet’s flame started rising higher and higher. They became a deep golden yellow, a step from pure light.

“He’s a monster, Juliet, but if he’s truly willing to sign a Soul Contract prepared by me and Epagogia, he could save countless lives, he could become a true Saint.”

“But he just said he hopes that we will kill each other!” Juliet suddenly burst out in anger. Her fists were clenched so tight she thought she would burst a joint.

“That bothers you because you are young. He’s a madman. We know that. And you know what? We’ll keep our friends close, and our enemies closer still.”

Jacob was smiling now.

He had rarely smiled with such passion since he had been back. But this was a boon of unprecedented proportions. The Plague Doctor wanted to sign a Soul Contract and become an ally?

Fuck.

They would poison the entire fucking sea and wipe Nerea’s empire off the maps.

“I can brew a plague that doesn’t kill humans, but that will accumulate in the Sirens and Tritons who eat them. We spread that wherever The Eater is hunting and you will weaken that monster. I can help your warriors, your mages, your sicks. The ‘Doctor’ part in my epithet is as strong as the ‘Plague’ part, young lady.”

Bob was now gently smiling toward her.

He was a monster, but a practical one. Unlike Max, he wasn’t a true madman, but just a psychopath. He wanted to still play his game and be the best at it, which he wouldn’t be able to do if he died here.

“Jacob, we should probably kill him,” Juliet said with a furious look in her eyes. “He killed hundreds of innocents and will keep killing everything out of the bindings you will put on him. Civilians are bound to suffer because of him.”

“We are not killing him, Juliet,” Jacob slowly said, “we are going to use his talents. We will put him to work. Whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“Are you doing this because of your low-talent?” Juliet stomped her foot on the ground with so much strength the entire apartment trembled.

“That’s one of the reasons,” Jacob said nodding. “My expertise combined with his could forever change Alchemy and Medicine. I can even force him to teach what he does. We could have cultivators doctors all around. We could field them when someone is hurt or has a magical disease. There are conditions that not even I can cure!”

“But I can,” Bob said calmly. He decided that staying on his feet was getting annoying, so he sat. His usual tic came back and he started scratching his leg.

“You want to use this monster because you are too weak?”

Jacob felt that Juliet was on the verge of exploding. He couldn’t lie and she knew very well what kind of ambition had just been sparked in his heart.

“Yes. And I will use him to help me kill the biggest monsters we will ever face. We can all become stronger. And you know that my intentions are true, Juliet. I want to help humanity. But I can’t fucking help humanity if I’m so damn weak. Not just that, but the strategic coefficient that Bob would provide us is—”

“What strategic fucking coefficient?! This man is a mass-murderer!”

Bob was waiting calmly, careful not to make wrong moves and get killed by the angry teenager.

“Juliet, for God’s sake. Just listen to me and don’t act like a fucking child!” Jacob raised his voice.

Juliet’s eyes narrowed.