Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 182 Gawain Bakar (5k2, Japanese!)

When Index regained some consciousness, Luo Xiu looked at her with a smile and asked in a gentle voice:
"how do you feel?"

"...Very good." Index nodded and said absentmindedly.

She had already felt that the feeling of "toughness" that had previously been hidden in her body had now disappeared, and was replaced by a new power that was lighter, more agile, and more precise.

This is the normal power that Index, as the "Destroyer" of [Red Lotus], should have.

When Index gradually regained her consciousness, Luo Xiu said to her:

"Now, you have lost the 'shackles' of the two-faced puppet, but this also means that you will no longer have the corresponding protection... From now on, before you go out every day, you must use at least five 'Scarlet Magic Crystals' to cover your breath. This is my new order for you."

After saying that, Luo Xiu took out an exquisite wooden box containing scarlet magic crystals from his storage bracelet and handed it to Index.

Index took it and opened it. There were twenty scarlet magic crystals inside.

She then took out five of them and crushed them with her fingertips with a little force. A dim crimson light instantly covered Index's body, gathering her originally dissipated spirituality with external force.

"Very good." Seeing that Index had followed his instructions, Luo Xiu nodded and said, "Then, there is one more thing."

As he spoke, Luo Xiu took out two weapons of "master" quality and two pieces of equipment of "rare" quality from his bracelet.

"This is the 'Black Thorn Blood Whip', Intis. The sharp thorns on it can pierce the enemy and steal their blood, leaving them with broken wounds that are difficult to heal."

Luo Xiu introduced them one by one: "This is the 'Phantom Dagger'. The attack launched with it is difficult to predict. Moreover, every once in a while, the person holding this dagger can temporarily hide his figure."

"And this 'Mysterious Rune Armlet' and 'Night Cloak'...Intis, I will give them to you."

"..."

After hearing what the "Lord" said, Intis's expression froze and she remained silent for three seconds.

Then, her eyes sparkled with joy.

"You...you said that you would give these...to me?"

Index asked in an uncertain tone.

"Yes, I said, give them to you."

Luo Xiu nodded, a faint smile appeared on his face, and said:

"You have been freed from the shackles of the Two-Faced Doll, Intis. Now you are a true Triple Destiny transcendent. You should have new weapons and equipment. This is your reward."

"..."

"I understand." Index nodded.

She then prostrated herself on the ground, bowed deeply to Luo Xiu, and said excitedly:

"Thank you, my Lord."

"I will always, always be your loyal servant."

……

The next morning.

The night before, after Luo Xiu taught Index how to use the new weapon, he confirmed the movements of the enemy "Black Fang" again and went to bed early.

The Black Fangs seemed to be much more cautious this time. On the Silver Dial Compass, the location they stayed in for a long time was very different from the previous time, which meant they were constantly changing their temporary bases.

Therefore, Luo Xiu did not immediately cause trouble for them.

Luo Xiu knew that he had more important things to do right now - first go to the "Golden Country Bank" to get the loan, then go to the "Black Sword Mansion" to complete the final transaction, and get the "False Vigalo - Broken Heart of the Gods" and the "Spring of Spirituality" in his hands, so that he could deal with the enemies lurking in the dark more calmly.

While making plans for today, Luo Xiu also woke up Index cat who was taking a nap on the windowsill.

After tidying up their clothes, Luo Xiu and Index crushed five "Scarlet Magic Crystals" respectively, then left the Wolf Hunting Tavern and headed towards the Golden Country Bank.

……

El Dorado Bank.

As soon as he stepped into the bank's door, Luo Xiu was warmly greeted by the bank waiter.

It was the "waiter" Qiao Dewen. His clean face was full of smiles at this time. He bowed deeply to Luo Xiu at a ninety-degree angle and greeted him enthusiastically:

"Mr. Luo Xiu! And Ms. Index! The 2.3 million have been prepared and counted for you!"

"Mr. Luo Xiu, according to your request, the 2.3 million business coupons have been exchanged for 2,300 platinum coins. You are welcome to come and inspect them!"

...Is this old man addicted to being a waiter? Luo Xiu complained in his heart, but his face remained expressionless and he responded with a smile:

"Ok."

Led by the "waiter" Joe Dewen, followed by Luo Xiu and Intis, the three of them arrived at the bank's vault.

When the bank staff in charge of the inventory saw the "waiter" leading Luo Xiu here, he pulled the wheel on the side wall and slowly opened the stainless steel door of the vault.

Through the door, Luo Xiu saw that inside the treasury, on a display stand made of pure gold, three open and exquisite cash boxes were quietly placed on it.

"Please follow me." Qiao Dewen stretched out his hand and made a guiding gesture, and the three people entered the vault.

It was not until he actually entered the vault that Luo Xiu noticed that the cash box was emitting an extremely dazzling white light.

Two thousand three hundred platinum coins were neatly arranged in three cash boxes. Two large cash boxes contained one thousand platinum coins each, and another smaller cash box contained three hundred.

"Please check, Mr. Luo Xiu." Qiao Dewen bowed slightly and said.

Luo Xiu took a quick glance and saw that the three cash boxes were full of platinum coins. It was easy to calculate the exact number, which was roughly "two thousand three hundred coins".

"No need to check. I believe in the bank's credibility." Luo Xiu smiled and said, "The bank's efficiency is indeed satisfactory."

After Luo Xiu said this, the bank staff present all showed proud expressions on their faces.

"This is our job, Mr. Luo Xiu." Qiao Dewen responded. He and two other staff members walked to the three cash boxes at the same time, closed them, and locked them. Then they brought them to Luo Xiu, held up the cash boxes with both hands, and said:

"You can take them now."

Luo Xiu nodded, took the cash boxes from Qiao Dewen and two other bank employees, and stored them in his bracelet.

"Well, we should go now." After putting away the cash box, Luo Xiu said to Qiao Dewen, "Please say hello to Mr. Gonzalo for me. I'm busy today. I'll visit you another day."

"Okay." Qiao Dewen nodded and responded with a smile, "Please take care. I will convey my greetings to Mr. Gonzalo."

……

After leaving the Golden Country Bank, Luo Xiu and Intis' next itinerary was to go to the "Black Sword Mansion" to pay the balance and obtain the "False Vigaro - Broken Heart of the Gods" and the divine object "Spiritual Spring".

But this time, they did not go there immediately.

Luo Xiu took Index to stroll in Songyuan City. It was not until the evening when the state of "Black Sword Oath" disappeared that Luo Xiu actually set out for "Black Sword Mansion".

After arriving at the mansion, Luo Xiu went straight to the "Tower of Night" where the "Night Witch" Niafu was.

Just like before, Luo Xiu asked Index to wait outside, and he entered the "Tower of Night" alone and came to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Following the completely undisguised witch aura emanating from Niafu, Luo Xiu once again came to the third floor of the attic and saw that graceful figure.

Noticing someone coming, Niafu turned around, a charming smile appeared on her face, she yawned lazily, and said:
"Haha... it's you. Are you here to pay the balance? Or do you just want to chat with me?"

"..."

"...Ms. Niafu. I have completed the formalities at the Golden Country Bank and am here to pay the balance of the two lots."

"Oh... what a shame. I thought you were here to chat with me."

Although the "Night Witch" Niafu showed little interest, the excitement in her eyes did not fade. The next moment, she stretched her body lazily under Luo Xiu's gaze, then stood up, walked in front of Luo Xiu, and said:

"Come with me. I will take you to see Gawain. You need to personally hand over the 200,000 gold coins of the sacred object 'Spiritual Fountain' to the lord."

After saying that, Niafu walked past Luo Xiu and walked down the attic with a swaying waist.

Luo Xiu followed her, and out of caution, she did not say anything else to Niafu.

Gawain... Lord Gawain Bakar... As expected, if he wanted to take away the 'Spring of Spirituality', he would inevitably have to meet that lord. While Luo Xiu was thinking about what he might encounter later, he and Niafu had already walked down the attic and out of the "Tower of Darkness".

Intis saw from afar that her "lord" and the "night witch" walked out together. She recalled what Luo Xiu had told her before, so she left early in a direction away from Niaf.

Niafu did not notice Intis. She just hummed a cheerful tune and walked in front of Luo Xiu to lead the way. She did not notice the silver-gray figure of a human-turned-cat who was hiding in the bushes in the distance.

……

Luo Xiu and Niafu walked in silence all the way. They passed through the secluded path of the main courtyard and came to a manor that looked like a paradise.

It was a manor that replicated the architectural style of a lord's mansion. Two statues of "throne knights" guarded the two sides of the main gate, and four real "throne knights" were guarding the four sides.

These "Knights of the Throne" are all royal knights led by Lord Gawain Bakar, the "Grand Knight of the Throne".

When the knight guarding the main gate saw the "Night Witch" Niafu coming with another guest wearing a bronze mask, he took a step forward and held his spear horizontally to stop the visitor from moving forward.

"Ms. Niafu, please stop."

The throne knight's deep voice came from his gorgeous silver-glowing helmet, "The Lord has ordered that only Mr. Hammer is allowed to enter."

"Okay, okay... I get it."

Niafu's voice sounded somewhat bored. She covered her mouth with her hand and yawned, then patted Luo Xiu's shoulder and said:
"Haha... Gawain is really something. Here, he is the 'Hammer'. You can take him in. I will go back first."

After saying that, Niafu turned around and left in the direction of her "Tower of Night", leaving Luo Xiu alone there.

When Niafu walked away, Luo Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"I am 'Iron Hammer', and I have come to pay the Lord for the sacred object 'Spiritual Fountain'."

While making the statement, Luo Xiu could feel the knight in front of him looking at him with scrutiny from beneath his visor.

The knight looked at him carefully for a while, and did not seem to detect any overly dangerous aura from Luo Xiu, so he nodded and said:

"I'll take you in to meet the Lord. Remember, after entering the Lord's manor, don't look around or touch anything."

"I'll pay attention." Luo Xiu nodded.

After explaining all this, the knight turned around and touched the base of the knight statue next to him.

A burst of dark red mist suddenly spread outward layer by layer. Luo Xiu could feel that a certain barrier seemed to fade and a new passage was opened for them.

When the knight completed the activation ceremony, he turned around again, his arm armor shining with silver light, and pressed on Luo Xiu's shoulder, saying, "Please follow me."

Luo Xiu felt a slight pressure on his shoulder. The knight seemed to be using this method to restrict his possible hostile actions.

In the Nolan Empire, this is indeed a necessary procedure when meeting the Supreme Being...

But Luo Xiu still kept his eyes open and used panel detection on the knight in front of him.

The detection showed that the knight was a [Supreme] Fourfold Fate, level 32. And there were four knights like this in Lord Gawain's manor house. Luo Xiu calculated that if he found something wrong, Luo Xiu was confident that he could still evacuate safely.

"Please lead the way." Luo Xiu said with a smile.

……

The knight put one hand on Luo Xiu's shoulder and "supported" Luo Xiu as he walked towards the depths of the manor.

They passed through overlapping landscape gardens and finally saw the lord's figure in a deep garden.

Lord Gawain Bacar, who was wearing a gorgeous gilded robe at this time, leaned over and sniffed the roses blooming in the garden.

"Your Lordship."

The knight who brought Luo Xiu here saluted Lord Gawain Bakar with a standard knight's salute, "I have brought Mr. 'Iron Hammer' here."

"Very good, Becas."

Lord Gawain smiled, then he stood up, dusted himself off, and said:

"You can leave now, Becas. If anyone comes to visit, tell him that I am not available to receive him now."

"Yes." The knight named Bekas raised his head, stood at attention, and answered in a sonorous and powerful voice.

Then, Knight Bekas left the garden and returned to his original guard post.

When Gawain and Luo Xiu were the only two people left in the garden, Gawain spoke:
"Well, I think I've seen you before... Oh, I remember now."

"Before the auction started, in the main courtyard. You and Niafu were there at that time."

"I didn't expect that you, as a newcomer, would actually take a picture of that sacred object... I'm curious, what was your motive for taking the picture? And, aren't you afraid of its 'price'?"

"..."

"…My Lord, that is a 'divine object', and that is enough."

"I believe that the true value of a 'divine object' cannot be measured in money."

Luo Xiu calmly said to Lord Gawain with the answer he had prepared beforehand: "My Lord, to be honest, I am a businessman. In the eyes of a businessman, 'price' is not something that should be feared."

"So that's how it is." Lord Gawain was surprised at first, but soon returned to his usual gentleness and said, "No wonder... In other words, the reason you bought the 'Spiritual Spring' is because in your eyes, it is worth more than 200,000 gold coins?"

"Yes, my lord." Luo Xiu nodded and answered in a serious tone.

According to the experience in the previous life, if the "Spiritual Fountain" in the previous life finally belonged to Joe Devin, and the one who bought the "Spiritual Fountain" in the previous life was the merchant from the Golden Kingdom, and that merchant had also encountered such questioning by Lord Gawain, then trying to play the role of a real "merchant" might make it easier to pass the lord's temptation or test.

Luo Xiu thought so, so his words and actions were subconsciously moving towards that of a real "businessman".

And now, the "asset certificate", "Manston family emblem" and "Gold Country Bank certificate" held by Luo Xiu are enough to prove his identity as a true "businessman".

"Okay, I agree."

Lord Gawain spread his hands, a relaxed expression on his face, and said:
"If you are just looking for more potential value from the 'Spring of Spirituality' from the perspective of an 'investor', then I am quite confident in you."

"At least, you are not one of those greedy cultists who will do anything to pursue forbidden and powerful forces."

What you said... I am a dignified clergyman! Luo Xiu felt inexplicably proud, but he quickly suppressed it and replied to Gawain:

"No, no, my Lord. Excessive pursuit of taboos is just like those businessmen chasing for temporary profits. They will gradually lose their original intentions and sink into depravity."

"Well... you're right, friend."

Gawain nodded, his golden eyes shining with light, as if he had confirmed something important in an instant.

"Very good. I am satisfied with your answer."

Gao Wen said: "Your breath is steady enough, and your words are sincere enough. Although you are not my ideal buyer, but... there is nothing wrong with it."

After saying this, Gawain raised his arm, the golden light in his eyes instantly became blazing, and he issued an "imperial decree":

“——【Illusion lifted】.”

Suddenly, the surrounding "garden" disappeared, and the scene in front of Luo Xiu became like a misty valley.

Through the mist, Luo Xiu seemed to be able to see many illusory and wonderful creatures swimming happily in it.

Their images were exactly the same as those creatures that Luo Xiu had seen in the "Sea of ​​Spirituality", flying in the starry sky!

Luo Xiu's pupils dilated and an expression of shock appeared on his face.

Gao Wen turned his head and glanced at Luo Xiu. He seemed very satisfied with his reaction and a faint smile appeared on his face.

He then raised his hand again and issued an edict:

"——【The fog dissipates】."

The next moment, the spiritual mist dissipated, and a translucent, glowing "holy grail" appeared in front of Luo Xiu.

"That is the 'divine object' you bought with 200,000 gold coins."

Gawain smiled and said:
"——That is the 'Spring of Spirituality'."

……

Day 2
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(End of this chapter)