Chapter 424

Chapter 339: Medium

In the northwestern suburbs of Tivyán, far away from the Gale Fortress.

During the daytime, on the undulating hills, within a clearing among the trees, the transaction between Nephnis and the Underworld Coffin Cult has officially begun. At this moment, Dorothy is sitting on her carriage in the distance, observing the transaction scene through the perspectives of Nephnis and other Small Zombie Puppets, using the consulting channel to instruct Nephnis on how to respond to Larina’s words.

Indeed, the words and even some actions that Nephnis spoke to Larina earlier were directed by Dorothy’s guidance. The manipulation of flesh puppets is part of the Puppet Master’s extraordinary ability, which would be revealed by the Lamp if not protected by the “Shadow.”

However, the consulting channel operates differently; its ability derives from the mysterious system that Dorothy possesses. To prepare for today’s transaction, Dorothy conducted experiments… When she used the consulting channel to communicate with others, it was not susceptible to abnormal readings from the ordinary Radiance Lamp, while the manipulation of living and zombie puppets was.

Initially, Dorothy believed that the Lamp’s detection effect on extraordinary powers only applied to the extraordinary forces of this world, meaning that the system did not belong to this realm, hence it couldn’t be detected.

However, her later experiments proved her wrong. Dorothy tested a power obtained from the system and used the Radiance Lamp to detect her usage of Dragon Roar. She found that during the slow release of the Dragon Roar, the Lamp actually reacted, showing a purple anomaly at the moment of release. Under the Lamp’s detection, Dragon Roar was categorized as an extraordinary ability of “Enlightenment.”

After the experiment, Dorothy felt a bit surprised as it demonstrated that abilities from other worlds could indeed be detected by the Radiance Lamp. However, the capabilities intrinsic to the system, such as the consulting channel, could not be detected. This result troubled Dorothy for a while, and after some deep thought, she arrived at two possible conclusions.

First, Dorothy’s earlier conclusion might be correct: the Lamp’s detection only affects extraordinary abilities from this world. The reason that her exchanged abilities could be detected was that, in essence, these abilities brought forth by knowledge from another realm integrated into this world’s power system upon arrival, becoming extraordinary abilities of this world.

A prime example would be the Light Spear, which relies on faith to activate in the Black Soul World, mimicking the miracle of Gwyn’s sunlight. However, since Gwyn does not exist in this world, the power structures of the two worlds do not connect. Thus, when the Light Spear arrived in this world, it transformed into a skill activated by the “Lamp,” consuming energy from this world’s “Lamp,” clearly making it the power of this world.

Similarly, while Dragon Roar does not require the consumption of spirituality for normal release, its enhanced release, once fully mastered, indeed requires the consumption of “Enlightenment.” Therefore, the Dragon Roar and knowledge from alternate realms that Dorothy currently utilizes… are effectively the result of the system being localized. In a certain sense, these constitute the power of this world, while the capabilities of the system itself are truly foreign.

Secondly, perhaps the system’s abilities are also powers of this world. The system can connect different realms and receive prayers. Through it, Dorothy can disguise herself as a deity, allow it to substitute as a guide for promotion rituals… She can consult it on certain issues and even be reminded when certain actions might draw the attention of divine beings…

These various signs seem to prove that there is some connection between the system and this world; it might also represent a form of power from this world, though very special… or rather… very elevated…

All the above were reflections from Dorothy while verifying whether the system’s consulting channel could be detected by the “Lamp,” along with some thoughts on the nature of the system. Although she had conducted some experiments and made some inferences, Dorothy still lacked a deep understanding of this mysterious system, thus she didn’t spend too much time exploring it further.

Returning to the transaction site, in the clearing atop the hill, Larina has now approached the wooden table, followed closely by Nephnis, who is clad in a robe, standing in front of Larina, both of them gazing at each other across the small wooden table.

“Now, let’s first see if we have fulfilled our previous commitments…”

Larina said, placing her hand on the lamp on the table to activate it. The lamp instantly emitted a warm orange-yellow light, which was clearly a Radiance Lamp, something that an ordinary gas lamp could not produce.

The faint yellow light illuminated both Nephnis and Larina, subjecting them to detection by the Lamp’s spiritual brilliance, where no extraordinary items, sigils, spiritual storage items, or even operational extraordinary effects could escape this Radiance Lamp’s scrutiny without the protection of “Shadow.”

After the Radiance Lamp shone for a moment, a faint red light illuminated on the indicator. Upon seeing this, Larina asked Nephnis.

“You have extraordinary traces of ‘Cup’ on you… what is it?”

“Oh, this? It’s just a tool for controlling those flesh puppets…”

Hearing Larina’s words, Nephnis replied, then extended her gloved hand to reveal a ring, which she subsequently removed. As a result, two of the coachmen standing in the distance fell lifeless to the ground. Nephnis then produced a button from her person, causing the last standing coachman to collapse as well.

“This batch of goods is quite large; it would be a bit difficult to transport them all without some assistance.” She said, moving aside to place the two puppet manipulation tools on the ground, then returned to stand before Larina at the wooden table. At this point, the Lamp’s light no longer revealed any other colors, indicating that Nephnis had no other active extraordinary effects. In Larina’s eyes, Nephnis’s soul could be sensed, and she was not using any extraordinary items to shield the Radiance Lamp.

‘This thief can sense spirit bodies; she must be an Extraordinary Being of “Silence.” Holding two puppet manipulation tools seems to have some connection with the “Cup”… Could it be that she…’

Observing this scene, Larina had a fleeting thought, a hint of speculation regarding the identity of the person before her. As an Extraordinary Being of the White Chalk Tier, she had a certain understanding of the Secret World. The combination of “Cup” and “Silence” immediately led to only two conclusions: one was the Rotten Sect of the Placenta Sect, and the other was the Treasure Theft Society active in Northern Ufeiga and various ruins around the world. The actions at hand clearly aligned more closely with the insatiable Treasure Theft Society.

‘Ah… I thought who dared be so bold; it turns out to be those thieves…’

Staring at Nephnis, Larina thought to herself, already guessing whether this person’s identity was that of a member of some Treasure Theft Society. After all, this group of thieves originating from Ufeiga was pervasive across the world. While their primary business was grave robbery, their side jobs were numerous, including stealing and extorting from other extraordinary societies or forces.

“Now then… you have confirmed everything, right? I’ve brought the goods, so where is your reward?” At this moment, Nephnis said to Larina. Listening to Nephnis’s words, Larina remained silent, beckoning to one of her subordinates in the distance. That subordinate swiftly approached, holding a small bag. After taking the bag, Larina began placing various items on the table.

These items included several bundles of high-denomination Pound notes, three books of varying thickness and age, and a bone crown with a closed single-eye emblem. After placing these items on the table, Larina scanned them with the Radiance Lamp again and confirmed there were no abnormalities before speaking.

“This is the ransom you requested: six thousand Pounds, three books of Secret Transmission, and the Holy Emblem of the Undying King. Hmph, as a thief, do you also aspire to venerate His Majesty the Undying King’s sacred will?”