“But what is the cost of using it?”
Xia De wasn’t carried away by the description of the necklace’s effects, even though it was practically an extremely weakened version of the “Divine Radiance state.”
The Great Witch replied,
“To use the necklace, one must bear a witch’s curse, and an amplified version at that. While wearing it, any male who touches your skin will experience severe, life-threatening allergic reactions and uncontrollable headaches. Of course, this curse has no effect on witches themselves. So, it’s best to only wear it when you need to use it, and avoid direct contact with Silver-Eyed Ones.”
“Only that? That doesn’t seem very dangerous.”
She smiled at Xia De:
“Of course, it’s not just that. This necklace itself is imbued with a witch’s resentment and curse. If the curse erupts, the wearer’s Ring術士 level will directly jump 12 Rings, and then they will lose their sanity and attack any target until death. But don’t worry, this effect has been temporarily suppressed by the Witch Council, so at least you’ll definitely have no problem using it.”
“Oh, that’s really good… Miss Jialinna, please allow me to express my gratitude.”
“No need for thanks, I’m just lending it to you anyway. However, this is my personal jewelry. I can lend it to you, but you cannot let anyone else use it, do you understand?”
Xia De nodded. He understood this request, as it was personal jewelry after all:
“No problem, I’ll use it myself.”
So Miss Jialinna asked again,
“Why don’t we try out the specific effect? The male servants of the manor are not allowed on the second floor, so you don’t have to worry about triggering the curse.”
Xia De nodded and carefully tried to put the necklace around his neck. But since he had never worn such a thing before, he tried several times without success. Finally, the maid helped him fasten the clasp behind his neck.
After thanking her somewhat awkwardly, Xia De looked up at the sky.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and Miss Jialinna reached out in surprise to catch them.
Xia De glanced at her, confirmed she hadn’t noticed anything, and continued to operate the Mystic Lock.
He wasn't being careless; he wanted to test whether the secret of the Mystic Lock would also be seen through by her. If it was discovered, he would simply explain it; Miss Jialinna knowing this secret was fine. If she couldn’t see through it, Xia De would understand that the Miracle Mystic Lock, in its unfinished state, would not be easily discovered.
As the Mystic Lock continued to operate, the indoor light suddenly dimmed, and wind-swept snowflakes danced in the sky. All three looked up at the ceiling, but there was the night sky with a high-hanging silver moon.
However, this scene only lasted for three seconds before ending. Xia De, his face pale, ended the Miracle effect. The effect while wearing the necklace was roughly two-thirds of the enhancement gained from shaking the 【Judge’s Holy Bell】. The latter had directly allowed him to summon the match girl, while the former could only change the environment on a large scale.
“Quite good, very good.”
He said, reaching out to take off the necklace. But this time, he still couldn’t succeed, so the maid, suppressing a smile, reached out to help again.
“As long as you’re satisfied. Take this necklace with you directly and return it to me after the incident is over. Don’t worry about others recognizing it; I have never worn this necklace when acting under the identity of the Witch Council. Its enhancement effect is not obvious for high-level Ring術士.”
Miss Jialinna said, then suddenly added,
“Oh, Detective, don’t… Tifa, bring the jewelry box from the bedroom.”
Xia De stopped his movement of directly stuffing the necklace into his pocket, and then realized that putting someone else’s personal jewelry directly into his pocket seemed a bit inappropriate.
The maid left the room, and Xia De brought up the previous topic about the Old God again:
“Miss Jialinna, there’s one more thing I absolutely must confirm. Are you sure that the descent of the Old God, the Blood Feast Lord, can definitely be contained by the Orthodox Church? I don’t want to come out of the underground ruins with my companions and see… all of Tobesk turned into part of a dining table.”
The incident at Lakeview Manor had left a very deep impression on Xia De.
“I can’t guarantee it one hundred percent, but there shouldn’t be any accidents this time.”
The Duchess said, seeing Xia De still looking worried, and continued to explain,
“The Orthodox Church has been dealing with similar matters since its establishment. From the mid-to-late fifth epoch, when records began, until the current sixth epoch, 1853, there have only been two instances of an Old God descending under the Church’s supervision. Although those two times resulted in heavy losses and necessitated calling upon the Orthodox God to resolve them… I also checked the information within the Witch Council. For the Blood Feast Lord to descend in a Saint form, a human vessel and a grand Blood Feast are essential conditions. The Church is now confident in controlling Lawrence at the banquet, and the grand banquet will also be timely destroyed by the Church, so it’s impossible for it to succeed no matter what.”
“But Lawrence is just a vessel prepared with the help of Mercury Blood. What if those Cultists have a backup plan?”
Xia De was still worried.
“Then the Church still has other methods.”
The Great Witch had great confidence in the Church.
“But even if the banquet is stopped, in the ritual, the concept of ‘banquet’ may not refer to an actual banquet. What if they find other ways to hold the ritual?”
“In that case, they would have to cause an impact city-wide that is equivalent to a ‘Blood Feast,’ but that is almost impossible.”
Miss Jialinna replied, seeing Xia De still looking worried, and knew that the Lakeview Manor incident had left too deep an impression on him.
Her voice suddenly lowered:
“The Church has a final safeguard. They have prepared an Unknowable-grade (Grade 0) relic.”
Xia De looked up at the Sorceress in surprise. The latter nodded:
“This matter is absolutely not allowed to be told to anyone else. I haven’t even told Tifa. That’s right, there is currently a Grade 0 relic in the Tobesk area. The relic is specifically for dealing with the appearance of a Saint, and it was personally brought and guarded by the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer ‘Sunlight Greatsword’ not long ago. Mortals cannot contend with Gods, but Gods can contend with Gods. It is a weapon left behind by a certain Old God when he departed in the past. With great sacrifice, it can temporarily restrict a God in Saint form to a certain area to buy time for the Orthodox Church to call for the help of the Orthodox Gods. The Orthodox Church has never lacked people with a spirit of sacrifice, so, Detective, what you need to consider is that banquet and your own actions. Preventing the descent of the Old God is the work of the Orthodox Church.”
“What exactly is that Unknowable-grade relic?”
Xia De asked.
“I don’t know either. That’s a secret of the Church. The fact that I know this item is in Tobesk is intelligence obtained by the Witch Council.”
She sighed, looking towards the door:
“Since Tifa hasn’t returned yet, let me tell you one more thing… Actually, I can’t say anything at all. This matter is even more secret and important than a Grade 0 relic. In short…”
Miss Jialinna looked at Xia De with difficulty, and after a long time, she softly said,
“In short, if you encounter any strange Church Sorceress recently, remember to tell me.”