Chapter 35: Sage-Tier Relic [Box of Divine Gifts]

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“Power? You are far too weak. The power I possess is not suited to you.”

Once again, this proved the other party’s formidable strength, something Shade had no doubt about.

The woman paused before continuing, as though she were thinking. Meanwhile, the temperature inside the room had returned to the same level as that in the corridor, suggesting that her mood had likewise returned to normal.

“But as it happens, I have a rather fine Relic in my possession. Its value is far inferior to that statue of the Old God… No, not the Casket of Darkness. That is merely a Poet-level toy. I will give you a Scribe-level Relic, and tell you the secret of the Blood of Mercury, helping you avoid danger in exchange for the address and the incantation. How does that sound?”

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

Since flattering people cost nothing, Shade was more than happy to employ the “Northland Common Tongue Package” in his mind to translate Chinese into the stilted speech of another world and praise the woman.

This time, however, Shade did not volunteer the contents of the incantation. The woman behind the door naturally understood what he meant.

“A Sage-level Relic has recently appeared in Tobesk.”

The very first sentence was somewhat astonishing. He had expected the woman to speak of the Keeper of Secrets-level Relic known as the Forged Philosopher’s Stone, which was connected to the Blood of Mercury. Shade had seen the Academy’s wanted notice at the doctor’s office.

Fortunately, it was merely Sage-level, or Rank Two, rather than Angel-level, or Rank One. But on further thought, it was unlikely that he would suddenly encounter an Angel-level Relic. After all, Shade had a certain amount of faith in his own luck.

The woman in his mind laughed again.

“This is not really a secret, at least not from the Church and the Academy, nor from the other people with informants in the city… That Sage-level Relic is the Gift Box of God, an instrument once used by an Old God who possessed the power of creation.”

The woman behind the door spoke in a teasing tone.

“The Blood of Mercury currently possesses this Sage-level Relic, and they have been classified as an illegal organization.

“For certain reasons, the Blood of Mercury is temporarily unable to move the Relic, so the Gift Box of God is still in Tobesk. Its power is extremely formidable. Every Ring Sorcerer who touches the box for the first time will automatically learn one synthesis formula. By placing specific Relics into the box in a particular order, one can synthesize a stronger Relic—one that is guaranteed to suit the user. Detective, do you understand?”

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“I more or less understand.”

Shade carefully committed the information to memory. This was the first Sage-level Relic he had ever learned about.

“It sounds somewhat similar to alchemical synthesis, but the side effects of a Sage-level Relic… Diak, the Silver-Eyed One of the Blood of Mercury, seems to believe that he can use that box to obtain the synthesis method for the Angel-level Relic known as the Blood of Mercury…”

The woman laughed, though the sound was nowhere near as pleasant as the laughter in Shade’s mind at that moment.

“The Silver-Eyed One intends to use this immovable Sage-level Relic to synthesize the true Blood of Mercury. That was the original purpose behind the organization’s creation: to pursue a Relic that might not even exist… That is why those people brought all sorts of strange things to this city, including that statue. I hear they possess several other excellent Relics as well, but for now, I only want that statue.”

“Then what do you think of that Sage-level Relic, the Gift Box of God?”

Shade hesitated. He was deeply suspicious that, if everything the woman said was true, the Academy would not tell the local correspondence Ring Sorcerers the full truth.

If it had disclosed everything, the wanted notice would have seemed to downplay the main issue. Therefore, the Academy’s notice, which he had seen at the doctor’s office, had probably listed “tracing the whereabouts of the Blood of Mercury” as its true objective, with the Forged Philosopher’s Stone merely an incidental matter.

The Academy clearly had no intention of sharing this information with the correspondence Ring Sorcerers for the time being.

“I have no interest whatsoever in that object. I know exactly what that box is, and I would never touch it. It only appeared in the autumn of Year 1068 of the Fifth Epoch. It is ancient and powerful… If I were you, I would spend the next few months hiding from the Blood of Mercury in this fog-shrouded City of Steam. Those people are nearly mad by now.”

“Understood, madam. Thank you very much for the information. Here is the incantation…”

It took Shade only a few seconds to memorize every word the woman had spoken. He then recited the six-syllable incantation, adding that he had been able to learn it only because of the effect of his core spirit rune.

The woman did not seem to care about that explanation, just as she had not cared how Shade had caused the Casket of Darkness to lose control so easily.

“Excellent, Detective. I have a great appreciation for people like you. This has been a very satisfactory commission. Now, take this Relic.”

A drawer was pulled open behind the door, followed by the sound of footsteps. Yet when the door was finally pushed open, only a young maid emerged. She appeared to be in her twenties and wore a classic, substantial black-and-white maid’s uniform.

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Her long black hair was held in a white hairnet. Since she was not working in the kitchen, there was no apron over the maid’s long skirt, contrary to what Shade had imagined.

This was certainly not the woman with whom Shade had been speaking. In the darkness moments earlier, the outline of the woman behind the door had been traced in golden light, and it differed greatly from that of this black-haired maid.

The maid opened a door at the corner of the bookcase, then immediately returned it to its slightly ajar position, denying Shade any chance to glimpse the “noble lady” within. She then carefully carried a small square box toward him in both hands.

The box was wrapped in red velvet. Holding it in one hand, she opened it with a soft click and displayed the ring set into its padded lining.

A faint smell of blood reached Shade’s senses, but neither his naked eyes nor Blood Echoes could detect any bloodstains on the ring itself.

The band had the appearance of pure silver. Set into it was a piece of yellow amber encasing an unknown insect. The creature resembled an ordinary gnat, but its entire body was blood-red, as though it might come to life and crawl out of the amber at any moment.

[You have come into contact with “Whisper.”]

“Scribe-level Relic, the Vampire Ring. When worn while injured and placed directly against the skin of any humanoid creature, it can draw the other party’s blood to heal your wounds.

“It cannot cure illnesses or curses, but it can alleviate them. However, if the injury requiring treatment is too severe, the victim’s blood may be drained completely in an instant… But do not use the ring as a weapon. Even if you are willing to injure yourself, do not do so. This is a Scribe-level Relic. Frequently using its power to heal yourself will cause symptoms resembling bloodlust.”

The woman inside explained this without concealing any information about the Relic.

“When you are not injured, do not wear it—at least, do not wear it for long periods. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what may happen. Naturally, even apart from the Relic’s side effects, you should avoid wearing it casually. I took this from the Blood of Mercury as well. They do not know who stole it from them, so… you should exercise the appropriate caution.”

For a moment, Shade did not know whether he should mock the woman’s conflict with the Blood of Mercury or ponder the connection between that organization’s collection of so many supernatural objects related to blood and its synthesis formulas.

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