Chapter 717: Act 76 – The Legacy of Bones (Part 2)
Brendel’s gaze passed over Francis’s grip and settled on the fourth item. It was a small mirror with a silver handle, the frame adorned with intricately carved wavy patterns, reminiscent of something for a lady. In Amber, there were countless pieces of equipment, and aside from a few famed ones or those he had used before, he certainly couldn’t recognize them all. He picked up the mirror, and a pale green light screen unfurled across its surface. Upon seeing the words inscribed on it, Brendel couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“So, this is what it is…”
“What is it?” At the same time Brendel’s attention fell on the small mirror, Phillas noticed this delicate little item amongst all the treasures. As a noble, he instinctively prioritized its extravagant appearance.
Brendel lifted the mirror—
The Vanity Mirror of Valora.
[Fantasy]
Life +20
Triple Slash Level +1
Additional Skills:
True Shadow—The Vanity Mirror of Valora replicates all lies. By using Valora’s Vanity Mirror, the user can choose a target to replicate its last used ability. This ability will be recorded in the mirror in the form of a true illusion, allowing the user to cast this ability once, paying one-tenth of the cost. (Cooldown: One day)
The Vanity Mirror of the Goddess of Night, this mirror was a particularly interesting item in Amber. It could replicate abilities, but the ability cast would manifest in the form of an illusion, and yet this illusion was a true illusion—if the target believed the spell was real, they would have to bear all its corresponding effects.
However, if they did not believe, the spell would simply be an illusion to them.
Therefore, using this mirror required skill. If the copied skill was too bizarre, others would most likely not believe it. Yet some learned particularly odd skills strategically—such as a swordsman learning an elementalist skill; often, when you least believed it, control spells like Ice Claw would genuinely befall you.
Brendel had heard the name of this mirror before, but had never seen it in person. He explained it briefly to Phillas, of course not in such detail, only stating that it was a relic left by a beautiful lady knight, with the ability to replicate illusions.
Unexpectedly, Phillas’s eyes sparkled as he couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, I have an unreasonable request, Lord Earl. Could you possibly give this mirror to me?”
Though Phillas appeared nonchalant on the surface, he was still inherently influenced by noble education. From a noble etiquette standpoint, the skeleton was something they had found together, but Phillas knew well that this was merely a favor Brendel was doing him.
For nobles, inviting others to inspect spoils during a winter hunt was already a high form of courtesy. Phillas would not naively assume he had the right to share in these spoils; he could see that even if Brendel did not bring him along, he could still find his way here. Yet he did not mention the word ‘purchase,’ as that would have been very rude and even somewhat insulting in their circle.
Especially given that Brendel’s current standing could be considered even higher than his own.
Phillas’s request subtly implied that he would owe Brendel a favor in the future. Brendel could sense the underlying meaning in those words and looked at Phillas with mild surprise. He did not understand why this mirror was so important to him, warranting the need to repay a favor.
It was known that those in higher positions were less fond of owing favors. Though Phillas was just a squire, one should not forget that he was destined to become a prince in the Cruz Empire.
Seeing Brendel’s confusion, Phillas explained, “Lord Earl, you mentioned that this is a relic of a beautiful lady. I think it would be perfect for Laurena; I’ve always wanted to give her a gift.”
“I see,” Brendel finally realized, thinking that this fellow was surprisingly romantic. He took another look at the silver mirror in his hand—truthfully, it was quite a nice magical artifact, even useful for himself. On the other hand, earning Laurena and Phillas’s goodwill was certainly a commendable choice.
He had offended quite a few people in the Cruz Empire, especially since the matter of killing Williams had been covered up by Wood, portrayed as if the deputy captain had died in a surprise attack by demons. Yet such explanations could only deceive the general populace; Williams was a member of a large family in Cruz, and his relatives and close friends were powerful figures. Even if they did not confront him outright, they might harbor ill will towards him.
Let alone the fact that a chancellor’s daughter had mysteriously joined the blacklist recently. Brendel had never encountered the chancellor’s daughter in Amber, but the infamous chancellor was a figure with extensive influence in the game. Furthermore, his faction was completely different from Williams’s Temple faction, meaning he had effectively offended two major powers within the empire.
Therefore, he had to consider courting the moderate factions within the empire. After all, Erluin had its sages who once said that discussing Erluin’s politics could not avoid mentioning the empire and the wind spirits—though this might seem unfortunate, it was a truthful reflection of this ancient kingdom. Not to mention that the princess’s faction had yet to unify Erluin, even if their wings were already abundant, the geography of Erluin did not allow Brendel to completely extricate this kingdom from the influence of the Cruz and wind spirits.
Although he constantly claimed he wanted to sever ties with the Temple of Fire, Brendel understood deep down that before Erluin truly became an empire, the best course of action was to remain neutral between the Temple of Wind and the Temple of Fire.
His views were similarly inspired by the aforementioned sage.
That sage’s name was Varatilong, who was Turiman’s teacher during his mortal years. The Kolkova dynasty had established itself, and ‘White King’ Edward ascended the throne nearly a century ago in the early years of Ansan the Eleventh. He was also the founder of the revitalization era; if one were to say Turiman and his grandfather Darus were merely benefiting from this sage’s influence.
Brendel’s agreement to assist Veronika was not without such considerations, as Laurena and Phillas’s family also held significant influence within Cruz. The key was that Phillas’s family had a very good relationship with Faina’s family, and if he could win over both prominent families at once, there would be power within the empire to counterbalance those potential enemies.
Of course, the most crucial point was that Brendel had a good impression of both Phillas and Laurena; although they were both descendants of great nobles, they did not display arrogance. In comparison, he had to doubt the supposed chancellor and the upbringing of the Flowerleaf Duke’s descendants.
Fortunately, while Faina was rude and disrespectful, she was not fundamentally bad. He found it quite hard to commend that chancellor’s daughter.
Brendel always believed that individual character could determine many outcomes; if Phillas and Laurena shared the same vices as those disgraceful noble heirs, even if their families wielded immense power in Cruz, he would likely remain indifferent. Though he had long since bid farewell to all remnants of his past, deep down, Brendel still harbored a final trace of aloofness and pride from his days as a gaming recluse; otherwise, if he had been willing to compromise, he wouldn’t have caused himself so many troubles today.
Ultimately, Erluin had no real connection to him.
He glanced at Phillas and tossed the mirror over. “You are guests, and I am the host; it is only proper for a host to gift the guests. Besides, these are originally ownerless items; who knows, perhaps Lady Laurena is the one it chooses as its master.”
“That’s true,” Phillas’s eyes lit up. “But Lord Earl, you are truly the most generous gentleman I have ever met. When you have the chance, you must visit Cruz Empire; I will certainly treat you as my most esteemed guest.”
Brendel smiled faintly. With Phillas saying this, he was essentially treating him as someone worth associating with. However, he did not take it too seriously and merely nodded; this was just an opportunity. To forge a closer connection, mutual benefit was still necessary.
But he had plenty of opportunities; consequently, there was no rush. Brendel was considering developing the Black Forest. The Black Forest held some of the most exquisite goods in Vaunte, and with scarce treasures, he did not believe the Cruz nobles could remain unruffled. Even the nobles of the empire needed to provide for their families, and the larger the family, the more astonishing the expenses. Did the imperial nobles not have their own industries? Especially within the upper-class society of Cruz, who pursued lavish lifestyles; when that time came, the things in his possession would inevitably capture their interest.
Phillas indeed exhibited the bearing of a child from a prominent family. As a noble, he was well aware of the value of the Vanity Mirror of the Goddess of Night, yet when he stored it, he treated it as casually as if it were an ordinary mirror. Then he looked at the other items on the ground and asked, “What about these, Lord Earl? You should recognize them, right?”
Brendel lightly nodded and introduced him one by one to the Ringed Serpent Ring and Francis’s Grip. Of course, he did not elaborate in great detail—only pointing out the general value and history of these two magical items. In fact, he clearly understood that nobles like Phillas would likely not be interested in the practical usages of these items; instead, the backgrounds of such magical artifacts attracted them more.
After finishing the story of Francis’s Grip and the ‘Unjust Knight,’ Brendel’s attention fell upon the final item. It was the tooth he had previously seen, resembling a wolf’s fang, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually a bone dragon’s tooth.
This was a remarkable item; as one of the most precious materials in Amber, a bone dragon’s tooth could be used to forge armor that would bestow unique abilities to resist aging curses. If embedded into a weapon, it could grant the weapon the special power of aging curses.
In his previous life, bone dragon’s teeth fetched prices as high as hundreds of thousands of talers each. Brendel had once desperately sought after one, though at that time, the weapons forged with it were not particularly useful to him because, in Amber, it was commonly recognized that only players with time elements could effectively make use of it.
The reason was simple. The chance of triggering the aging curse provided by the bone dragon’s tooth ranged from a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 2.5%, depending on the quality of the forging—an extremely low probability. This trigger rate might seem useless to the average player, but for players endowed with time elements, it was different, as possessing a time element meant having the effect of the active factor of the passage of time.
The active effect of the passage of time was described as ‘as long as the line of laws approaches stability, the user’s attacks can influence the enemy and cause them to age swiftly,’ essentially triggering the aging curse actively. This effect could be stacked with the effect of the bone dragon’s tooth, meaning that when possessing the tooth, activating the effect of aging curses would effectively double its potency.
As one of the few high-grade items he had experienced in his previous life, Brendel always remembered the effects of this item dearly. Here, he possessed something even superior to the time element—a space-time attribute. This object was simply destined for him.
As he picked up the tooth, he couldn’t help but soften his gaze towards Phillas. This was simply a jackpot; if he brought this fellow along for every dungeon run, wouldn’t it be long before he graduated to godly equipment?
Of course, he also knew this was just a daydream; Phillas and Laurena were unlikely to stay in Erluin forever. Surely, once Anlek died, they would return to the Cruz Empire with Veronika.
“Eh, is this a bone dragon’s tooth?” Phillas seemed to recognize what Brendel held.
Brendel was slightly taken aback and surprised, “You recognize it?”
“Ah, I believe I’ve heard of it,” Phillas replied with a hint of pride, “I heard that this was a tooth removed from the skeletal dragon of Madara, right?”
“No, that’s incorrect.” Before Brendel could respond, Haruzeru interjected in a juvenile tone, “The skeletal dragon of Madara was merely a monster assembled from the bones of lesser dragons; the true deathly dragon is a deceased adult dragon, and only a handful of dragons in all of Vaunte have been transformed into undead. Their power is almost indistinguishable from when they were alive, and even His Majesty, the emperor with the Mercury Staff, shows them great respect—”
“Eh.” Brendel shifted his gaze to the young prince, whose face had turned slightly red, and his soft, curly hair obediently clung to his forehead. His eyes sparkled in the dim light illuminated by the crystals and appeared very feminine. Yet he insisted, “My sister told me these things.”
“Your sister, Princess Grifian?” Phillas suddenly connected the dots.
“My sister has said that Madara is Erluin’s mortal enemy. Though you Cruz people have always tried to manipulate the kingdom’s power, you would never plunge it into a sea of flames. However, for the undead, the boundary between life and death is easily broken…”
Haruzeru looked at Phillas and took a deep breath: “But I’ve always found it strange; since we are all human, why can’t we unite to deal with those monsters in the dark?”
“Well…” Phillas felt a bit awkward, unable to help but scratch his hair.
Brendel looked at this guy with some sympathy; he also did not wish to explain to Haruzeru that the skeletal structure of Madara did not strictly count as a monster. After all, the undead were also a part of this world; they were not truly immortal but merely another form of existence.
In fact, in Vaunte, both the undead of Madara and the humans of Cruz, as well as the wind spirits of Saint Ausoor, all worshipped the deity representing order, Martha. One revered a dark order, while the other yearned for light.
Yet it could not be said that Princess Grifian was wrong; the boundary between life and death was indeed fragile, but the two were fundamentally different existences. For thousands of years, the undead had invaded the eastern regions of Erluin, with examples like Buche not being uncommon. It was very challenging for humans to consider issues from the perspective of the undead.
He sighed and ruffled the young prince’s hair, “Did your sister tell you all of this?”
“Lady Nemeses has also mentioned some things…”
That was about what Brendel had guessed. However, he had no intention of continuing on this topic and pat his shoulder before turning away, grabbing the armor from the skeleton, pulling apart the already decayed frame.
“Mr. Brendel, you…” Phillas was taken aback, while Xi, standing at the back, stared in surprise at her lord. The townsfolk, like the nobles, held deep respect for the deceased.
However, Brendel glanced at the armor and explained, “You can see that ordinary people wouldn’t carry around skeletal boards inscribed with writing and cursed swords. Only one type of entity would use them.”
Phillas froze momentarily but reacted quickly, “Wait, Lord Earl, are you saying…”
Brendel nodded; he could basically confirm that this thing ‘in life’ was a skeleton. More precisely, it was a skeletal knight. He had been influenced by that player’s strategy beforehand, but looking back now, that guide was an early product, and things like the incantation bone plate were those that later players gradually learned about as their identities within the game improved—meaning that the guide naturally had gaps.
This matter reminded him that due to the differing time periods, some strategies might have limitations; he himself had to rely on his experience for judgment.
Brendel handed the armor in his hand to Phillas, “This is an enchanted armor; the magical armor of the skeletal knight doesn’t possess any special powers, but its defense is astonishing. You can wear it later; it won’t just be magical spirits lurking from here onward.”
Phillas frowned as he looked at the dirty, grimy armor in Brendel’s hands. Magical armor, even in Amber, was an extremely rare and precious magical item; he certainly knew this. However, wearing something just pulled off a dead body was a bit…
Phillas swallowed hard and replied awkwardly, “Alright, I’ll find a way to clean it up.” In truth, he understood that within their party, he was essentially the weakest link. Brendel giving him this armor was merely to prevent him from dragging the team down later on.
Nevertheless, he still expressed gratitude and accepted the armor, grimacing at its corpse odor.
Brendel turned back, gauging that the time outside was likely running close, and thus quickened his movements. This time, he pulled out the weapon the skeletal knight wielded in life—a flame-shaped side sword.
As he drew the sword, Haruzeru couldn’t help but let out a gasp.
“What happened?” Phillas, now familiar with this young prince, immediately asked.
“This is…”
“This is the Tooth of the Lion,” Brendel said, admiring the sword in his hand yet finding it somewhat surprising, “It was the side sword of His Majesty Eke’s guards, and the method to forge it has been lost for centuries. It seems this knight has a bit of history to him—”
“Mm.” Haruzeru nodded heavily.
“Is there something wrong with this sword?” Phillas noted the shimmering excitement in Haruzeru’s eyes and couldn’t help but be curious.
“No, it’s very much right.” Brendel raised the sword under the dim light of the crystals, smiling slightly, “The eleven knights serving His Majesty Eke were all legendary figures. Oh, by the way, that knight accompanying Freya who never speaks nor acts, you saw him, right?”
Phillas nodded bemusedly; he had definitely seen the knight standing apart from the crowd, the Knight of the Lake.
“They’re all legends…”
Brendel sighed while observing the sword, then turned the blade so the hilt faced Haruzeru. He smiled at Erluin’s young prince and asked, “What do you think?”
Haruzeru stared blankly at Brendel’s gesture.
“Y-you’re giving it to me, Lord Earl?” He could hardly believe it.
“Historical documents say that the Tooth of the Lion belongs to the truly courageous. Your battle earlier, though it cannot be called that of an excellent warrior, the ability to overcome oneself is what makes one a true hero—”
Brendel replied, “Isn’t it worth it for you? Your Highness Haruzeru?”
“No… I… I just…” Haruzeru was both surprised and a bit thrilled; his eyes sparkled like beautiful silver jewels, and he involuntarily flushed, “But this is the hero’s weapon; I just feel…”
“You feel like you’re unworthy of it?” Brendel shook his head. “If you believe you need to become braver, then you should take this sword and prove yourself.”
“Moreover, you are not merely proving yourself for a sword—”
Brendel handed the sword to him, “This is your trophy. It is said that mountain folk become adults when they acquire their weapon, so from now on, this sword becomes your responsibility.”
As he spoke, Brendel lifted his head and noticed Xi, a short distance away, gently nodding at him.
“I understand, Lord Earl…”
This was almost a whisper from Haruzeru.
……
(PS: Today’s six thousand words. Ugh, it seems I must go out again tomorrow; we shall see then. So annoying. Fortunately, it will end on the fifteenth. This year has truly been a nightmare. Also, I continue to seek monthly tickets.)
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider supporting it by voting for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian, as your support is my greatest motivation.)
