Chapter 46: The Lucky Brooch of Arcadia

Chapter 46: The Lucky Brooch of Arcadia

"Ah, are you the big brother from last time?" Ashley peeked out curiously. Last time, she had stolen a glance through the window crack. No wonder she found his figure somewhat familiar!

"Yeah, I'm William. What's your name?" 

"I'm Ashley."

Just as Ashley was about to say her name, she was rudely interrupted by Jack's gruff voice.

"Done shopping? If you're done, then hurry up and leave. Don't waste my time doing business!"

William glanced around the grocery store, seeing no customers besides himself, shrugged, and realized that Jack didn't want him to interact with Ashley right now.

But it was okay; there would be other opportunities.

William smiled at Ashley, greeting her, then walked out of the dim, narrow room with his newly acquired items.

After William and Wolfe both left the room, Jack slammed the door shut with a loud bang and turned back to Ashley, gently advising her:

"In the future, when strangers talk to you, don't say anything, okay?"

"Oh..."

Ashley obediently nodded. That boy didn't seem like a bad person at all, much better looking than those scary individuals who often visited Uncle Jack's store.

Jack glanced at Ashley, pondered for a moment, and finally made up his mind.

Since the first time he saw Ashley living across the street and sensed her extremely high affinity with the shadow plane, he knew she was a natural-born assassin.

Lately, Jack had been hesitating whether to formally take Ashley as his disciple.

After all, to become a true assassin, one must endure harsh and cruel training, walk on the edge of the blade, and be immersed in bloodshed, all inevitable aspects of the path.

It broke Jack's heart to think about subjecting such an innocent and lovely girl to all of that. After all, he didn't have any children of his own, and he had already treated Ashley as his goddaughter.

But Ashley's interaction with William made Jack realize that he couldn't protect her forever; she would eventually have to interact with others and face the storms outside.

Well, he'd let her make her own decision.

Jack looked at Ashley with a serious expression and asked:

"Ashley, do you want to become an assassin?"

"Uncle Jack, what's an assassin?"

"It's a profession like warriors or mages. I'm an assassin."

Ashley's eyes sparkled at the words. "Like those heroes in stories who defeat dragons and protect people?"

"Exactly."

Jack hesitated for a moment before saying, "Power itself is neither good nor evil; it's all in the thoughts of those who possess it, whether they choose to do evil or good."

After some thought, Ashley spoke softly but firmly:

"I want to learn, so I can protect Aunt Anna and Uncle Jack!"

Jack didn't expect Ashley to respond like this. A slightly fierce expression blossomed on his face like a chrysanthemum.

"Good, I'll tell Aunt Anna. From now on, come to me every morning, and I'll teach you how to become an assassin!"

"Mm-hmm."

Ashley's cute little head nodded repeatedly, as if afraid that Jack would change his mind.

William didn't know that his interaction with Ashley this time had convinced Jack to take Ashley as his disciple in advance.

At this moment, he didn't want to delay. After returning to the mansion, he went straight to the basement.

He took out the four-leaf clover brooch he had obtained from Jack and carefully examined it in his hand.

Although the brooch was covered in dust and looked inconspicuous now, it would be a quite famous treasure among players in the future.

Hidden Treasure: Lucky Brooch of Arcadia

This is an extremely rare item that can increase the character's luck stat.

The initial luck value of game characters fluctuates between three and seven points, and luck cannot be increased through leveling up. There are also few skills or item effects that can increase a player's luck.

Luck is crucial for a player's fortune in the game, such as drop rates for equipment when fighting monsters. Moreover, luck plays a significant role in special circumstances or skill judgments.

For instance, opening chests and critical hit rates for special skills, among others.

However, William discovered that his luck value was a measly 3 points, so he immediately thought of this treasure.

This brooch contains the power of the legendary fate god, Alanbel, but it hasn't reached the level of an artifact; it's just a special treasure.

Currently, it looks dull and inconspicuous because its power is dormant and hasn't manifested its special properties yet.

William naturally knows how to awaken this treasure; all it needs is stimulation and guidance from a power of the same level.

Taking out a small vial emitting a soft white light, William grimaced, feeling somewhat reluctant.

This is the high-grade holy water he bought from the Dawn Church on the way, costing a hundred gold coins per vial. It's simply extortionate.

But he had no choice; this is the cheapest item containing divine power that William could buy. Even though it's just a tiny amount, the breath of divinity is still present.

William placed the four-leaf clover brooch on the table and carefully dripped some of the holy water onto it.

At first, there was no reaction, but suddenly, the holy water on the brooch began to boil, and imperceptible ripples spread outwards.

Joyce, the butler resting on the second floor of the mansion, frowned. With a grip of his right hand, the invisible fluctuations emanating from the brooch were confined within the mansion's range.

"What is the young master up to again? Previously, it was the protection of elven gods, and now, whose divine power is it this time?"

Joyce felt somewhat puzzled. Since becoming an arcane practitioner, the young master had been changing more and more.

But Joyce had secretly checked and found no issues with William's soul or body.

Well, it's a good thing he's active; which strong individual suddenly becomes stronger without making any noise?

Shaking his head, Joyce decided not to bother anymore.

In the basement, William was unaware that his butler had concealed the divine power fluctuations for him, focusing intently on observing the changes in the brooch.

As if shedding its seal, the gray color on the brooch was gradually peeling away, revealing its silver-white base.

In just a few minutes, the transformation finally stopped, and a brand-new silver-white four-leaf clover brooch appeared before William.

William held the brooch in his hand and opened the system panel to check the effects of this treasure.

[Hidden Treasure: Lucky Brooch of Arcadia]

[Introduction: A treasure bestowed by the fate god Alanbel to the favored of the gods, Arcadia. Legend has it that it can bring good luck to its owner, but fate is fickle, and misfortune always seems to follow.]

[Effect: Luck +3. Once a month, you can enter the lucky state, where all luck-related judgments pass. The duration is 5 seconds, followed by three days of being a unlucky person.]

[You have touched the power of the gods.]

[Your analysis progress of divine power: 3%]

{What do you think of this artefact? do you think 3 days is too much?}