Chapter 33: Klein, I Knew It Was You at a Glance!

"What about the price?"

Ashes pondered for a moment.

He understood that what Hanged Man meant by 'price' wasn't the cost of obtaining the ring but the cost of using it.

In this world, there were indeed sealed artifacts, but without exception, they all came with severe side effects.

For instance, Ashes had encountered '2-049.'

The reason Hanged Man asked this question was likely because he thought the 'Sacrifice Ring' might have similar side effects.

However...

"There is no price."

Ashes admitted, "If you insist on a price, it's that you must wear this ring at all times for it to take effect."

"That's not a price at all!"

Hanged Man's eye twitched slightly.

He had never heard of a sealed artifact without a price! But...

If this ring was truly made by the Goddess of Sins herself, then it might not be strange for it to have no price.

After all, even though the Goddess of Sins had long fallen, she was once a deity.

Such a miraculous item that could avoid death would certainly be coveted by most people once its existence was known.

Hanged Man was no exception.

Who could resist the allure of avoiding death?

The only problem was that Hanged Man knew he couldn't afford the price to obtain this ring.

Thinking of this made Hanged Man's expression exceedingly bitter.

He was neither an exalted deity like 'The Fool' nor a wealthy tycoon like Miss Justice.

Even if he was fortunate enough to know about the existence of the 'Sacrifice Ring,' he would probably never acquire it in his lifetime.

Unless...

"The Black Emperor!"

Hanged Man took a deep breath.

Judging by Ashes' earlier attitude, he was very interested in information about the Black Emperor.

If he could gather enough intelligence about the Black Emperor, he might be able to trade it for the ring.

Though the chances were slim, it was better than having no hope at all.

"Hmm~"

Audrey fiddled with the ring in her hand, her eyes filled with hesitation and conflict, as if she wanted to imprint the image of the ring into her mind.

She had clearly touched this miraculous ring with her own hands—

Though it was just a fake materialized with the help of Mr. Fool.

However, Mr. Ashes certainly had the genuine Sacrifice Ring, but unfortunately, she couldn't afford to pay the necessary price for it.

Though everyone had their own thoughts.

The appearance of the Sacrifice Ring undoubtedly stirred everyone's emotions, only to leave them all feeling frustrated and conflicted in the end.

In this atmosphere, the meeting gradually drew to a close.

"Mr. Fool."

Ashes suddenly turned his gaze to The Fool and, after a moment of contemplation, said, "I have something I hope to discuss with you privately."

'The Fool' Klein was slightly surprised.

But he kept his expression unchanged, merely nodding slightly.

He leaned back a bit, severing the communication with Justice and Hanged Man, sending them out of the grey fog first.

Then, Klein turned his gaze to Ashes, seemingly asking what he wanted to discuss.

"Klein."

As soon as Ashes spoke, it nearly scared 'The Fool' to death, his pupils shrinking sharply.

How did he know? How did he guess my identity? Did I expose myself somehow? 'The Fool's' body stiffened instantly, a sense of pressing crisis overwhelming him due to his identity being exposed.

"Is he your blessed?"

Ashes continued, asking slowly.

"…"

'The Fool' remained stiff, but his expression twitched slightly.

Could you not speak so breathlessly? People can get scared to death! "Why do you ask?"

'The Fool' composed himself, maintaining a mysterious smile as he countered.

"I sensed a similar aura on him as on you."

Ashes calmly explained, pausing before adding, "To be precise, it's the aura of this space."

As he spoke, Ashes looked up at the top of 'The Fool's' head. [The Fool] Zhou Mingrui "Are you a dog?!"

'The Fool' internally screamed.

Though he knew Ashes' 'scent' was a metaphor, similar to how he 'sensed' Old Neil's 'human pus' aura.

But wasn't your 'sense of smell' a bit too sharp?! You met 'Klein' only once for less than an hour, and yet you remembered his 'scent' that well?

"Yes."

Mr. Fool felt somewhat helpless, knowing he couldn't lie to Ashes and had to try to mitigate the situation.

He slowly nodded, confirming Ashes' speculation.

"Is that so?"

Ashes nodded in understanding.

The reason for his question was partly because of the similar 'aura' between 'The Fool' and Klein.

And partly because of the remnants of his memory nudging him.

Individually, 'The Fool' and Klein wouldn't have caught his attention.

But when both appeared in his memory simultaneously, he linked them together—

An unfounded, arbitrary, and biased assumption.

But Ashes had always trusted his assumptions.

And now, Mr. Fool's confirmation proved him right.

The only question was...

Why didn't Klein, who was a blessed of 'The Fool,' bear the title [Blessed of The Fool]?    "Actually, it's not a loss."

Klein consoled himself, "At least this way, he won't connect 'Klein' to 'The Fool.'"

Moreover, the exposure of his 'blessed' identity wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

It meant he could potentially use his 'blessed' identity to obtain something from Ashes.

'The Fool's' identity wasn't suitable for trading directly with Ashes, but his blessed identity could!

And with his identity revealed, communication would be more straightforward and convenient.

The only problem was...

How could 'blessed' Klein in Tingen contact Ashes in Backlund?

"But that's not a big issue."

Klein thought silently, "Backlund and Tingen aren't far apart, just a four-hour train ride."

With that in mind, perhaps 'blessed' Klein could find a way to obtain a Sacrifice Ring from Ashes.

Hmm.

Provided he could pay the necessary price.

He wondered if he could buy on credit.

Klein's thoughts began to drift, but he quickly pulled himself together and asked, "Any other questions?"

"Not for now."

Ashes shook his head, standing up and giving a respectful bow, "See you next week, Mr. Fool."

"See you next week."

'The Fool' smiled and nodded, severing his connection with Ashes and sending him out.

Meanwhile.

In a luxurious villa in the Queen's district of Backlund.

Audrey Hall lifted her head from her soft, velvet pillow, whispering to herself.

"The Sacrifice Ring... I wonder if borrowing some money from father would be enough..."

"Hmm?"

Audrey stopped mid-sentence, feeling something pressing against her palm.

She instinctively looked down at her hand, where an ancient, simple ring with a dull, cracked green gemstone lay quietly in her palm.

PS:

Just a little explanation.

The protagonist can see through true names and titles.

For example, Audrey's title is [Justice].

So above her head, it shows [Justice] Audrey Hall.

But if a person has multiple titles, only the most prominent one will be displayed.

And Klein and The Fool have different titles.

(End of chapter)

50 Power stones = Extra Chapter