Chapter 35: Sage-Level Relic [God's Gift Box]

“Power? You are too weak. The power I possess is not suitable for you.”

This once again demonstrated the other party's strength, a fact that Shard believed without a shadow of a doubt.

The woman paused for a moment before continuing, as if in thought. Meanwhile, the temperature in the room had returned to the same level as the corridor, indicating that her mood had returned to normal

“But I happen to have a decent [Relic] on hand, though its value is far inferior to that statue of the Old God. It is not the [Box of Darkness]; that is merely a Poet-level (Grade 5) toy. I will give you a Document-level (Grade 4) relic and tell you the secret of the [Mercury Blood] to help you avoid danger, in exchange for the address and the incantation. How does that sound?”

“No problem. Thank you for your generosity, Madam.”

Since speaking pleasantries cost nothing, Shard was more than happy to use the "Northern Common Language Mega-Pack" in his mind to translate his Mandarin into the accented, otherworldly speech of this realm to compliment her.

But this time, Shard did not proactively reveal the content of the incantation. The woman behind the door, of course, understood his meaning

“Recently, a Sage-level [Relic] has appeared in Tobesk City.”

The first sentence was somewhat surprising. He had thought the woman was going to discuss a Keeper-level relic related to the [Mercury Blood], the [Forged Philosopher's Stone], which Shard had seen on an Academy bounty notice at the doctor's office.

Fortunately, it was only Sage-level (Grade 2), not Angel-level (Grade 1). But on second thought, it was unlikely he would suddenly encounter an Angel-level relic; after all, Shard had a certain level of confidence in his own luck.

The woman in his mind laughed again.

“It isn't actually a secret; at least the Church and the Academy know about it, as do other fellows with spies in the area... That Sage relic is the [God's Gift Box], an implement once used by a certain Old God who possessed the power of creation.”

The woman behind the door spoke in a teasing tone

“Currently, the one in possession of this Sage-level relic is indeed the [Mercury Blood]; they have been designated as an illegal organization.

For certain reasons, the [Mercury Blood] cannot move this relic for the time being, so the [God's Gift Box] remains in Tobesk City. The power of the relic is immense; every Circle Warlock who touches the box for the first time will automatically learn a synthesis formula. By inserting specific relics into the box in a specific order, one can synthesize a more powerful relic that is guaranteed to suit oneself. Detective, do you understand?”

“I believe I do.”

Shard carefully memorized this information. This was the first information he had encountered regarding a [Sage-level] relic.

“It is somewhat similar to synthesis in alchemy, but the side effect of Sage-level relics... Diak, the 'Silver-Eyed One' of the [Mercury Blood], seems to believe that through that box, he can master the synthesis method for the Angel-level (Grade 1) relic, [Mercury Blood]...”

The woman was laughing, but her laughter was far less pleasant than the laughter currently echoing in Shard's mind.

“The Silver-Eyed One attempts to use this immovable Sage-level relic to synthesize the true [Mercury Blood]. This was also the original purpose behind the formation of the [Mercury Blood] organization—to pursue a [Relic] that might not even exist... That is why this group brought a mess of things to this city, including that statue. It is said there are several other excellent [Relics], but unfortunately, I only want that statue for now.”

“Then, what is your view on that Sage-level relic, the [God's Gift Box]?”

Shard asked hesitantly. He was quite suspicious that if everything the woman said was true, whether the Academy that knew of this would tell the truth to the local correspondence Circle Warlocks.

If they told the truth, then that bounty notice seemed to be glossing over the most important details. Therefore, the Academy bounty notice he saw at the doctor's was likely that "searching for the traces of the [Mercury Blood] organization" was the true objective, and the [Forged Philosopher's Stone] was merely a secondary matter.

The Academy currently had no intention of sharing this intelligence with the correspondence Circle Warlocks.

“I have absolutely no interest in that object. I know exactly what that box is, so I will never touch it. It appeared in the autumn of the year 1068 of the Fifth Epoch—it is very ancient and very powerful. If I were you, I would definitely spend the next few months hiding from the [Mercury Blood] in this fog-shrouded Steam City. Those people are nearly driven mad right now.”

“Very well, Madam. Thank you for the information. Here is the incantation...”

After taking a few seconds to memorize the woman's words verbatim, he proactively recited the six-syllable incantation. After finishing, he added that he was only able to know it due to the effect of his core spiritual rune.

But the woman didn't seem to care about that statement, just as she didn't care why Shard could cause the [Box of Darkness] to lose control so easily.

“Very good, Detective. I admire people like you. This was quite a good commission. Now, please take this [Relic].”

The sound of a drawer being pulled open came from behind the door, followed by the sound of footsteps. But when the door was finally pushed open, only a young maid stepped out. She looked to be in her twenties, wearing a classic, heavy black-and-white maid uniform.

Her long black hair was held in place by a white hair accessory. Since she wasn't working in the kitchen, there was no apron over her long maid skirt, contrary to what Shard had imagined.

This was certainly not the lady Shard had been speaking to. The silhouette of the lady behind the door had been outlined in golden hues in the darkness just moments ago, making her look very different from this black-haired maid.

After opening a small door at the corner of the bookshelf, the maid immediately returned it to a half-closed state, not giving Shard a chance to look at the "noble lady" inside. Then, she very cautiously approached Shard, holding a small square box in both hands. The box was wrapped in red velvet; with a *click*, she opened it with one hand to show Shard the ring embedded in the lining.

A faint scent of blood was detected, but whether by the naked eye or through [Blood Echo], there were no visible bloodstains on the ring itself.

The ring had the texture of pure silver, and the face of the ring was a piece of yellow amber enclosing an unknown insect. The insect looked like an ordinary gnat, but it was entirely blood-colored, looking as if it might spring to life from the amber at any second.

[You have encountered a 'Whisper'.]

"The Document-level relic [Vampiric Ring]. When worn while injured, direct contact with the skin of any humanoid creature allows the wearer to absorb the target's blood to heal themselves.

It cannot cure diseases or curses, but it can alleviate them. However, if the injury requiring healing is too severe, it may cause the contactee's blood to be drained in an instant... But do not use the ring as an offensive tool; even if you are willing to self-mutilate, do not. This is a Document-level relic; frequently using the ring's ability to heal yourself will cause you to exhibit symptoms similar to bloodlust."

This was the woman inside the door explaining. She was not hiding the details regarding this relic

"Do not wear it while uninjured—at least, do not wear it for long periods, otherwise, I cannot guarantee what will happen. Of course, even if it weren't for the relic's side effects, it is best not to wear it lightly, because I also snatched this from the [Mercury Blood]. They don't know who took it, so... you should exercise such caution."

For a moment, Shard did not know whether he should comment on the conflict between the woman and the [Mercury Blood], or ponder the relationship between the [Mercury Blood] collecting so many supernatural items related to 'blood' and their pursuit of synthesis formulas.