Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 123: Relics

"Cursed?"

Kaiser echoed, interest flickering in his eyes. He stepped closer to the armor, gently brushing dust off its breastplate.

The shopkeeper swallowed nervously. "According to the person who sold this to us, it’s a cursed relic because it whispers madness into its wearer’s mind."

Hearing this, Kaiser’s curiosity increased. He studied the exquisite design of the armor, perfect for blending into the surroundings, and seemingly adaptable to any condition.

"And what eventually happens to its wearers?"

He tilted his head, asking casually.

"They run mad. Total insanity. I heard that only the Sacred Church in the Verdant Remains can cleanse their minds and heal them."

Kaiser paused slightly. The shopkeeper mistook this for hesitation and quickly directed him towards other armors. Before he could speak, Kaiser said decisively.

"I’ll take it."

"Of course, there are other... huh?"

Confused, the shopkeeper turned back for clarification. Kaiser didn’t even look at him, his gaze fixed on the armor.

"How many soul crystals does it cost?" He asked directly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Fifteen Awakened Soul Crystals." The young man replied, an expression of resignation on his face.

’Looks like this customer is too impulsive.’

He had tried dissuading him, but since the blue-haired customer remained adamant, there was no need to meddle any further.

After Kaiser paid, the young shopkeeper erased his ownership of the relic and allowed Kaiser to claim it.

"Esteemed guest, is there anything else you need?"

Kaiser hummed thoughtfully, his gaze brushing the other relics.

"I need a storage relic for water and a pair of handy daggers."

The young man quickly nodded, then rushed to get those while Kaiser toured the shop, exploring other relics.

’Spears are nice. Works well for keeping distance and controlling opponents.’

He paused before the spear section, eyeing them curiously. However, he currently lacked enough funds to get all he wanted.

Very soon, the shopkeeper returned with a red wine gourd and two hefty, black daggers with jagged blades along one side.

Kaiser examined the gourd sharply. "I perceive the scent of wine. Why?"

Raising it proudly, the young man explained. "It can store a large amount of water, almost as large as a hydroelectric dam! And the best part is it can turn this water into wine whenever you want it to."

"Ah?"

Kaiser blinked, suddenly entranced. If there was one thing he liked beyond reading books, it was drinking wine.

Unfortunately, the academy prohibited the sale of wine, beers, and other alcoholic drinks to minors. Now with this gourd, that issue was solved.

His gaze shifted to the daggers, demanding a brief explanation.

The shopkeeper smiled knowingly. "These daggers are extremely sharp and lethal. Any wound inflicted by these daggers is infected with potent poison."

’Hmm. These aren’t bad... decent.’

"The cost?"

"30 Awakened Soul Crystals."

Kaiser’s expression turned deadpan. Perhaps because he didn’t really bother harvesting soul crystals from some of his kills, he didn’t have enough to buy the two relics.

With a quick moment of thinking, he came up with a plan. Summoning Nameless Fang and Unremarkable Sword, he asked.

"Appraise these and tell me their worth."

The young man eyed the two relics in interest, then collected them. With Kaiser granting him access, he was able to see information about it.

After a while, he hummed and nodded. "This would worth 15 Awakened Soul Crystals."

Finding the price reasonable, Kaiser decisively sold those two relics. They were of little use to him anymore, and he already had replacements for them.

With the added value from his relics, he successfully bought the gourd, the daggers, and the armor.

"Thank you for patronizing us! I hope you survive!"

With the shopkeeper seeing him off, Kaiser finally left the Relic Market.

’Looks like I need to kill more creatures and gather their soul crystals.’

Without the massive amount of points from the academy, the only way to get soul crystals was to kill Nirad Creatures.

’Ugh... so tiring. This is a hassle.’

He’d rather sneak past those creatures than fight them. However at the moment, he needed to do otherwise. At least for some time.

With that, he headed back to the guest house given to him by the Stormveil Clan.

He sank into the bed, relaxing his body. Now alone, he brought up the stats of his newly acquired relics.

[Relics - [Asura Vest] [Virtuous Sorrow] [Glass String] [Wraith’s Venom] [Pin Blade] [Bone Whistle] [Nullweave Carapace] [Drunken Treasure] [Deathstalkers] ]

The Nullweave Carapace was the cursed armor, the Drunken Treasure was the water-wine gourd, and the Deathstalkers were the black daggers.

’Bone Whistle? Seems I got that from killing the Sabbath Nightmare.’

Curious, he opened up its information.

[Bone Whistle]

[Rank: Tier III Awakened Relic]

[Function 1: Creates a piercing sound that attacks the soul]

[Function 2: Protects the wearer from mind attacks]

[Function 3: Reduces wearer’s exhaustion and refreshes mental strength]

[Memory: In a doomed war, dead warriors rotted till bones, their souls crying to the heavens for mercy, yet they received none]

’Eh? This is a surprise.’

Kaiser didn’t expect it to actually be something this impressive. He immediately summoned the relic. It weaved itself into existence, taking the form of a necklace with a phalanx pendant.

Kaiser studied the relic’s design for a moment, then hung it around his neck. Immediately, he felt slightly refreshed, as if he had just taken a quick nap.

He reveled in the feeling, closing his eyes quietly. A few minutes later, he reopened his eyes and brought up the Nullweave Carapace’s information.

[Nullweave Carapace]

[Rank: Tier V Awakened Relic]

[Function 1: Dampens wearer’s presence to a conceptual level]

[Function 2: Records attack structure and resists similar attack]

[Function 3: Stores a portion of absorbed impact for sudden bursts of motion]

[Function 4: Strengthens area under assault temporarily]

[Function 5: Whispers knowledge of the void to its wearer]

[Memory: They said he could not be killed the same way twice. Blades dulled, arrows strayed, and poison lost its bite. In the end, he stopped avoiding death... and began waiting for it. It never came]

Kaiser sat up as he read its functions. This was his first time seeing a relic that sparked great interest from him.

The first function was understandable, as even the Pin Blade possessed it. The second function was intriguing. Several possibilities appeared in Kaiser’s mind instantly.

’Does that mean after the first stab, other stabs become less effective? Oh, this is very appealing.’

The third function was quite simple and useful for surprise attacks. So was the fourth—it displays the adaptability of the armor.

The last one however—

Kaiser’s expression became solemn.

’Knowledge of the void...?’