I'm Really Not The Demon God's Lackey

From Lin Jie's observations, pickles didn't exist in Norzin.

Lin Jie had also read webnovels in the past. The male protagonists in such stories brought with them to the new world things that didn't exist yet. The books in Jie's bookstore were similar in a sense. They held many technologies and information that didn't exist in Norzin.

It was just that Lin Jie was too lazy. Regardless of where he was, he liked being an idler.

In other words, even if he had been blessed with a cheat code, Lin Jie didn't really want to rise in the world.

However, if he handed out all those books with technology from Earth, wouldn't he disrupt the technology tree here? As a proper transmigrator, Lin Jie felt that he needed to be responsible and not impact Norzin on such a great scale.

See, the current Norzin was exactly as it had been since he had transmigrated.

But at this point, Lin Jie felt that he also couldn't just contribute nothing.

The book before him, How To Pickle, was a technical read.

Lin Jie felt that giving Zachary this technical book was equivalent to imparting the latter with a self-sufficient technique.

Well, the burden of being Norzin’s 'Father of Pickles' will fall to you now...

Zachary watched as Lin Jie slowly placed the book in front of him.

His breath caught in his throat as an immense surge of power washed over him. He strained to read the book's title, and the twisted words drilled into his mind like some sort of horrible music.

—Necromancy Fragmentation

These words were like a shrill, sharp scream that pierced through his eardrums and went straight to the brain.

When Zachary saw the book, his fear toward Joseph immediately vanished. It was as if he had been devoured by a ferocious beast and was already in its abdomen before he could even resist.

He even seemed to hear the distinct sound of swallowing.

Zachary felt like he was in an endless tunnel, and the book was a gateway for him to listen to the voice from the deep recesses of this tunnel.

In the dark recesses of this abyss, unknown and eternal divine entities seemed to beat some giant unseen drum as a strange piper played softly beside—the sounds of woodwind were both nauseating and incomparably monotonous.

Zachary just stood there in the never-ending darkness. Every single one of his nerves was clamoring, and even his internal organs trembled. Pain enveloped him, yet something had bound his soul, making him incapable of escaping.

His body that was accustomed to enduring hardships and pain broke out in cold sweat and actually soaked his shabby clothes.

Zachary wanted to stop reading, but the book had a mesmerizing power of bewitchment. It piqued every ounce of inquisitiveness in him.

With a trembling hand, he flipped open the cover for the book and saw the first chapter—

Living Corpses.

Zachary's were so wide they nearly popped out of their sockets as he gasped for air like a fish stranded on land.

Lin Jie was already accustomed to this manner of exaggerated reading from Zachary. Most that bought books from here were like this.

It was actually rather understandable. Gaining knowledge was actually a pleasurable event.

However, most of the stuff he had given out previously were books brimming with chicken soup for the soul. Or rather, books that had a plot and were easier to read. This time round, though, it appeared that Zachary was reading such a purely technical book without pause.

Could he truly be a pickled vegetable genius that only appears every once in a hundred years?

Had it not been for the fact that he seemed so pitiful, Lin Jie wouldn't have been that generous as to give him this book.

Haa... It's really much better to teach a man to fish...

"So, what do you think?" Lin Jie asked abruptly, interrupting Zachary's immersed reading.

Thunk.

It was like a bell striking hard on Zachary's head.

"Ah—huff, huff—" Zachary gasped while sweating profusely. "This book… this book is actually…"

"That's right. It's a rather old technique that mainly talks about how to preserve certain vegetables." Lin Jie folded his arms and propped them on the countertop while glancing at the open How To Pickle on the table.

"Vegetables?" Zachary mouthed that word with a trembling voice. He lowered his head to stare at Necromancy Fragmentation in disbelief.

"That's right, vegetables! Vegetables on their own can't last long, rotting quickly and becoming inedible," Lin Jie explained with a smile.

Vegetables? Rotting? Zachary's eyes widened in shock, and he glanced down to take a second look at the book.

Could... vegetable be referring to a 'corpse'? Like making puppets or mummies?!

Zachary had once been a believer of the Church of the Dome. Later on, that faith was flagged as a cult, and the police had come to his door to help him identify what a heretic cult was. One officer mentioned that a cult would use a sacrificial method to make ordinary people kill themselves.

But ever since Zachary witnessed the scene at 67th Avenue, he was completely in the belief that divine entities existed in this world.

And this smiling young boss in front of him with a scholarly demeanor might be that kind of terrifying existence.

He views human corpses as foodstuff...

"This book will tell you how to preserve them and make them more delicious," Lin Jie subconsciously licked his lips as he continued the explanation... Truth be told, he hadn't had any pickled vegetables since he had arrived in Norzin, and just mentioning them tantalized his taste buds and made him salivate.

Zachary couldn't breathe. He stared wide-eyed as the young boss spoke excitedly about how to cultivate living corpses...

After taking sometime to think of a response, he said cautiously, "Perhaps this method of preservation can give them new life, right?"

"Exactly!" Lin Jie was impressed by Zachary's precise metaphor.

That's right, pickled vegetables gave new life to normal vegetables. Lin Jie, for example, didn't like cabbage, but pickled cabbage was a must for fried rice.

The combination of spicy cabbage and fried rice with sausage, ham, and eggs was simply the best.

"You're totally right." Lin Jie was now aware that his drooling seemed slightly indecent, and he quickly put on a mask. "Besides increasing the shelf life, it also gives it more tastes and uses."

Besides sacrificing human corpses, there are other uses for cooking mummies and undead warriors?! Are they to be eaten after being used?

"Don't look down on this technique. It's actually rather scientific," Lin Jie concluded calmly.

"W-why me?" Zachary struggled to ask.

"No reason, just that I like to help those that are lost," said Lin Jie like an otherworldly expert. "Perhaps you can use this book to change yourself."

Zachary froze.

"But speaking of which, you're really penniless now and won't really be able to truly get back up even after I have given you this book," Lin Jie mulled for a moment.

Indeed, even if I really want to kill and sacrifice people to create living corpses, I don't have the guts nor ability to do so… Zachary thought nervously.

"By the way, Mu'en," Lin Jie voiced out, having thought about it and decided to help out all the way. "I recall that Father Vincent's Sun's Faith often helps the poor..."

Mu'en's eyes narrowed. As the next highest-ranking in the room after Boss Lin, she could clearly see the book in Zachary's hand. On it was the title, Necromancy Fragmentation.

"That's right, Boss Lin." Mu'en nodded.

"Great," said Lin Jie with a smile. "I recall that there's a Sun's Faith church in the area around 23rd Avenue. Go find him. At least there would be a place for you to stay."