Orochimaru had charted his final course. In his current, critically weakened state, there was no suitable vessel for the Body Replacement Technique nearby, and without Shen Mo, he had mere moments left to live. His only viable option, the path to immortality, lay in becoming a Lich.
"Master Shen Mo," Orochimaru addressed the merchant, using a respectful term that carried the connotation of a teacher or superior. He sought to secure every possible advantage. "May I inquire about the crucial precautions I must observe during the process of becoming a Lich?"
"You are indeed clever..." Shen Mo acknowledged, meeting his gaze. Orochimaru, sensing the merchant's investment in his potential, was attempting to extract vital guidance—even a few words might entirely change the outcome, much like the corrective sermon Shen Mo had delivered during his brief possession.
Shen Mo didn't prolong the silence. He quickly accessed the Guild's knowledge base for the Lich class change and then made a simple gesture.
The small, dark box on top of the stone coffin floated gently away.
"While Liches possess a body as a container, they are fundamentally beings of unlife," Shen Mo explained. He used telekinesis to open the box, revealing a small, green-tinted vial inside. "Therefore—"
The vial floated out.
"You must first die."
"..."
Kabuto Yakushi swallowed audibly. That single, simple statement was all the proof he needed of the sheer, terrifying danger of the process.
"And this?" Orochimaru's expression remained calm, his curiosity overriding any fear as he focused on the vial. He was now fully immersed in the mindset of a Necromancer, conditioned by the chaos of the Jars to confront death directly.
"Poison," Shen Mo replied, gently shaking the vial to show the liquid's thick viscosity.
"This is a custom-prepared toxin. One vial... would be enough to extinguish every living being in your current world."
"Poison... the entire world?" This time, Orochimaru was momentarily stunned. Millions? Hundreds of millions? All contained in that tiny bottle?
"Do not worry," Shen Mo assured him, seeming to read his mind. "You are required to drink every drop of this vial, and I advise you to lick the residue clean."
Orochimaru: "...(⊙＿⊙;)..."
"The Lich class change ritual is already inscribed upon the coffin," Shen Mo continued, tossing the vial carelessly towards Orochimaru. "All you must do is lie within it, consume the poison, and then find a place for interment. If you die, you are spared the trouble of separately acquiring a coffin. Is that not convenient?"
"Indeed," Orochimaru nodded, looking at the stone sarcophagus. "Remarkably efficient."
He finally understood the coffin's purpose. To choose the Lich path was to accept that you might never awaken. The coffin was both a ritual vessel and your final, true grave.
"And finally, this small box," Shen Mo held out the ornate phylactery box.
He did not elaborate.
Orochimaru's expression tightened as he accepted the box. It was covered in miniature, swirling magical patterns and radiated a dark, cold, evil aura, like an ancient curse. He knew this box—the Phylactery—was the single, most important element of the entire transformation.
He took one last, deep look at Shen Mo before turning back to the remaining Jars. "Let us finish the remaining ones first."
He swiftly opened the last three. Regrettably, there were no further Destiny items. The most significant pull was a staff topped with a crystal skull.
The Uluyan Staff. Its features included augmenting necromancy spells, reducing resource consumption, and the highly useful Ghost Scream skill feature. It was a perfect piece of equipment for his impending job change, but not a Grand Prize.
Orochimaru hesitated. Should he risk buying more Jars?
"If you succeed in the class change, you will be granted access to the special Lich Series Jars," Shen Mo stated, providing the final incentive.
"Then..." Orochimaru's voice was unexpectedly calm. "Let us commence."
"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto Yakushi cried out, unable to hold back.
"Kabuto." Orochimaru looked at him, a wide, husky smile returning to his face. "If I fail, my entire inheritance will belong to you. You are free to pursue your own destiny with Master Shen Mo."
"My destiny..." Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his voice shaking. "My destiny is to follow you, Lord Orochimaru. If you die, I have no purpose to live."
For Kabuto, purpose had been lost the day he killed the orphanage director, Nono Yakushi. He only found meaning in servitude to Orochimaru.
"There are moments when everyone is lost," Orochimaru murmured, his voice gentle. "But to dedicate one's entire life solely for the sake of others is a tragic fate. I will not guarantee 100% success—that is the unchangeable fact of existence. But should I fail, I hope someone, at least, inherits all that I have sought."
Orochimaru's approach to the job change was the polar opposite of Tsunade's or Hiruzen's. He didn't demand success; he accepted failure, embraced it, and prepared for it. He had truly tasted death once and learned from it.
Kabuto stared, his surprise giving way to a solemn nod. "I understand, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru was satisfied; he had planted a final seed of independent purpose in his most loyal subordinate.
Shen Mo watched, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. In this stark moment, there was pure, genuine connection between the two, stripped of deceit. It was a measure of Orochimaru's complex character that he could inspire such desperate loyalty.
"Let us begin," Orochimaru stated, gripping the vial and the small box, unwilling to delay any longer.
He lay down in the stone coffin.
He raised the vial of custom poison and drank it until the last drop. He licked the glass clean, as instructed.
Then, he closed his eyes, accepting the finality of the poison. He asked no more questions. Like all Mages who choose this final transformation, he accepted his last hope of survival with longing, not desperation.
Kabuto Yakushi, his face pale and drawn, used all his remaining strength to slam the heavy coffin lid shut.
Only he and Shen Mo remained.
"Sir," Kabuto Yakushi asked, turning to face Shen Mo, his eyes intensely focused, "How long does this transformation typically take?"
"Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps ten years, a hundred years, or perhaps never," Shen Mo replied, looking at Kabuto with unnerving interest. "It is best to bury him where he lies and assume he is dead until he emerges."
Kabuto's expression hardened. He was now faced with the most difficult choice of his life: to wait, or to fulfill Orochimaru's final wish and seize his own destiny with the mysterious merchant.