Chapter 32: So, What Is the Price?

Upon hearing Ashes' words, Miss Justice and the Hanged Man were too shocked to speak for a moment.

Klein, on the other hand, found himself mentally complaining bitterly.

"Hey, hey, hey! I don't recall the Sacrifice Ring having such an ability!"

"The original description should be: 'The wearer will not lose their soul upon death, but as a price, they will lose the ring.'"

"That's why this was always the most useless ring in the game. After all, which Ashes wouldn't use up their soul before going out? Generally, no one would intentionally bring this Sacrifice Ring."

"Wait a minute."

Klein suddenly frowned, "Come to think of it, resurrection seems even more useless for the undead and Ashes..."

Uh.

Klein's expression suddenly turned a bit strange.

For the undead, death is far less terrifying than losing their soul, since it's well known that the undead can't die.

So.

Does this mean the value of the Sacrifice Ring depends on the person?

For the undead, its 'value' is not losing their soul upon death.

For ordinary people, its 'value' is substituting their death, essentially giving them another life.

Just like the description of the Sacrifice Ring—

The value of sacrifice is determined by the one being saved.

Although the game didn't explicitly state that ordinary people wearing it could avoid death once, it's understandable there would be some discrepancies since Ashes comes from a real world.

"Yeah, right!"

"Substituting the wearer's death, isn't that equivalent to having another life?!"

Klein's heart pounded uncontrollably.

Come to think of it, he had also 'died' once.

And even now, he still didn't understand why he could resurrect, only guessing it was because of his transmigration.

But no one knows if such a miracle could happen a second time.

If he could get the Sacrifice Ring...

"But the problem is, what can I trade with him to get the Sacrifice Ring?"

Klein furrowed his brows in distress. He knew exactly what the other party wanted.

Nothing more than information about the Black Emperor.

But he didn't know!

He knew even less about the Black Emperor than the Hanged Man had just mentioned.

And even if he did know, proactively proposing a trade as 'The Fool' would be too demeaning.

"Lovers."

Miss Justice couldn't help but ask, "What you said just now, is it true?"

"Of course."

Ashes nodded slightly, "With Mr. Fool as witness, I believe you can trust I am not lying."

"Witness, my foot."

'The Fool' silently retorted, as if he could discern truth from falsehood.

Though he didn't think Ashes would lie about this, he had no way to prove it—

He couldn't possibly have someone wear the ring and then kill them, could he?

If it was false, he'd be harming an innocent life.

And if it was true, he'd be wasting a precious ring!

"Mr. Fool."

Miss Justice and the Hanged Man simultaneously looked at The Fool, seeking an answer from him.

"I'm not doubting Mr. Lovers."

Audrey silently mused, "Mainly because immunity to death is unheard of! This should be a power only a god could have, right? Wait, it does seem to be god-made. However, I've never heard of the Goddess of Sin, Belga…"

'The Fool' Klein felt a bit awkward under their gazes.

If it weren't for the gray fog's cover, he would've been thoroughly exposed by now.

But he knew, despite The Fool's high status, he needed to respond appropriately now.

"Sacrifice Ring, huh."

'The Fool' lightly tapped the table and spoke slowly, "Indeed, it is effective for mortals."

"It's true!"

Miss Justice and the Hanged Man's hearts simultaneously raced.

Mr. Fool's words confirmed the ring's effect.

As for what 'for mortals' implied, that was obvious.

After all, the high and mighty gods wouldn't need such a thing.

But for them, the ring was worth sacrificing everything for!

"Goddess of Sin, Belga?"

The Hanged Man's thoughts raced, trying to recall information about this deity.

But after searching his memory, he realized he had no recollection of the Goddess of Sin.

Perhaps a powerful god from the Third Epoch or even the Second or First Epoch, but long fallen in the river of history.

More shocking than this goddess was the name 'Belga'!

Ashes associating the Goddess of Sin with this name implied that Belga was indeed the god's name!

But do gods even have names?!

To date, none of the Seven Major Gods or other evil gods had their names revealed, indicating some secret or taboo.

Just like gods cannot be looked at directly, their names cannot be directly called.

Yet Ashes showed no reverence, calling the name directly, proving further that the god had fallen.

But even so, calling the name was still disrespectful to a once god!

Does this person have no faith?!

No.

Isn't he part of the Church of the Night?

Being able to get potion formulas from the Church of the Night suggests he holds a high position.

Yet, he has no faith?!

"Lovers."

Audrey's interest in the Sacrifice Ring surged further with The Fool's endorsement, cautiously asking, "What price must I pay to get this ring from you? Or is it not for sale?"

A ring that could 'grant death immunity' was extremely precious to anyone.

Though Audrey felt it was unlikely Ashes would sell the ring,

She still wanted to try, willing to pay any price!

Mainly because she was rich.

"Price, huh."

Ashes pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "The value of sacrifice is determined by the one being saved. To me, this ring has no special value, so I cannot give it a precise price."

"Then, what is the value of this ring in Miss Justice's eyes?"

"Invaluable."

Audrey said without hesitation, "Anyone would be willing to give their entire fortune for this ring."

"So,"

Ashes inquired, "What can you offer?"

"I..."

Audrey hesitated, softly saying, "I don't know."

She didn't know what she could offer for this ring.

Though she could offer thousands of pounds, enough to buy some powerful Beyonder items,

It was still far from enough for this ring.

"Lovers."

The Hanged Man suddenly asked, "If this ring grants death immunity, what is the price?"

(End of Chapter)

50 Power stones = Extra Chapter