The world begins with refining skills

Chapter 549 The Path to Redemption! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The girl in the yellow dress was flustered when her secret was exposed.

Two years ago, when she was working at a hospital clinic, she met an elderly woman named Anlisa.

When Fors saw that the old lady was all alone and helpless, he felt sorry for her and often went to take care of her and chat with her.

And her kindness was rewarded!
The old lady Anlisa left her her inheritance: an extraordinary 'Apprentice' item and a blue stone bracelet.

From then on, Fors Wall bid farewell to the life of an ordinary person and stepped into the world of the extraordinary!

However, what Fors did not expect was that this inheritance was not only a gift, but also brought her a terrible curse.

Every full moon, she would hear a frantic murmur.

At first, the babbling was very vague, at most making Fors feel very irritable and unable to sleep well all night.

As time went on, the muttering became clearer and clearer, and the negative impact it had on her became more and more severe.

Especially during the most recent full moon!
The intense pain that went straight to her brain felt like a hand was churning wildly inside her head; Fors felt as if her soul was being torn apart.

Fors knew very well that, given the current situation, she probably wouldn't survive the next full moon...

Fors was naturally unwilling to die like this. Over the years, she had never stopped searching for a solution, but to no avail.

In the original course of fate, Fors Wall and her friend Hugh Deercha, through Audrey's arrangement, would accidentally discover a prayer incantation pointing to the 'Fool'.

In the face of despair and loss of control, he prayed to the 'Fool' and was pulled into the gray fog, thus escaping the curse of his delirium.

However, now that Mu Sheng has arrived, Audrey's mind is no longer on the tarot meeting.

Previously, he was busy with his complicated relationship with Mu Sheng, and now he is entangled in the affairs of his own secret organization, so he has no time to care about Xiu and Fors.

If it weren't for meeting Musheng today, Fors would most likely have died from delirium and loss of control!

'Is it a coincidence? '

Or is there some force driving all of this forward?

Mu Sheng looked at Fors quietly, many thoughts flashing through his mind.

'Fate? It can't be!'

Although he has only just advanced to Sequence 5, he has essentially become one with the refining panel, and the fate of the mysterious world cannot affect him.

'The Law of Gathering of Extraordinary Characteristics?'

Mu Sheng pondered for a moment, "That's quite possible. His body contains a large number of extraordinary characteristics."

In a way, it's a perfect example of the charm of the extraordinary side!
Furthermore, Fors and Audrey knew each other, and there was indeed some connection between them.

'But it could also just be a coincidence!'

Mu Sheng shook his head slightly, feeling that he was overthinking things.

However, his actions made Fors, who had been watching him closely, feel his heart sink again.

From Fors's perspective, Mu Sheng first pointed out the predicament she was facing, and then after staring at her for a long time, he began to shake his head and sigh.

It's hard for her not to misunderstand!

"Am I... beyond saving?"

A look of sorrow appeared on Fors's face, and her playful and languid pale blue eyes dimmed.

"What do you mean it's beyond saving?"

Mu Sheng snapped out of his reverie and looked at the woman in the yellow dress in front of him with some curiosity.

After seeing the expression on Fors's face, he belatedly realized that the other party must have misunderstood something.

"Ha~"

Mu Sheng smiled and stepped forward, getting less than a foot away from Fors, and reached out to pinch her chin.

"Eh?"

Such an intimate gesture made Fors' heart beat faster.

If it were an average-looking man who dared to make such an inappropriate move on their first meeting, she would have slapped his hand away and yelled at him.

But when faced with the mysterious, powerful, and strikingly handsome Mu Sheng, Fors felt that the aura emanating from him was intoxicating.

"The light is somewhat mixed. Did you use the properties extracted after the death of an extraordinary being as the main ingredient for the potion's advancement?"

Mu Sheng seemed to be asking Fors a question, but his tone was very certain.

'You can even tell that?'

Fors' eyes widened in shock; this ability was completely beyond her comprehension.

This person must be an extraordinary individual, right?

Thinking back to the other person's reaction just now, Fors felt that she might have misunderstood something, and a glimmer of hope rose in her heart again.

"Is there any cure for this condition?"

Fors asked, with a mixture of anticipation and unease.

Mu Sheng leaned closer, seemingly wanting to see more clearly, his scorching breath hitting Fors's face.

"The mixed nature of the aura of the extraordinary characteristics is not a problem; the trouble lies in that cursed bloodline."

“If this had happened before you used that extraordinary ability, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to remove this bloodline, but now…”

Mu Sheng straightened up, released his fingers from Fors's chin, shook his head and sighed, "This bloodline has been completely integrated into your body."

The latter's expression froze, and the hope in his eyes visibly died out.

However, just when Fors had given up hope, Mu Sheng continued:
"To remove it now would come at too high a price, it's not worth it!"

"It's worth it! How could it not be worth it?"

Fors, whose mood had been fluctuating wildly, couldn't hold back any longer upon hearing these words.

This involves her life, and she can accept any price!
"is it?"

Mu Sheng raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"But what price can you pay?"

"Or rather, what kind of price can you afford?"

Fors was speechless.

In terms of wealth, she currently has less than a thousand gold pounds at her disposal.

In terms of power, she was just a writer who switched careers from being a doctor. Apart from having some connections in both industries, she had absolutely no real power.

In terms of strength, as a Sequence 9 'apprentice', she doesn't seem to have any special skills other than being good at escaping.

After setting aside these external factors, it seems that all she can offer is her own body and soul.

Thinking of this, Fors couldn't help but glance at Mu Sheng again.

'If it's him, then it's not impossible...'

But despite her thoughts, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to do something like sacrificing her dignity to survive.

Life is precious, but dignity is even more valuable!
Although Fors was lazy and didn't have much ambition, her difficult upbringing made her value dignity even more.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that she has not yet been driven to a desperate situation.

When the next full moon arrives, under the torment of madness and delirium, Fors may very well change his mind.

But it's not time for that yet!
In this situation, Fors actually calmed down!

As her agitation subsided, reason regained its advantage. Her earlier conversation with Mu Sheng replayed in her mind, and Fors quickly regained her composure, holding the books in one hand and lifting her skirt with the other.

He curtsied and said, "Fors Wall greets you!"

Seeing this, Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow and replied with interest, "Victory Herder, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Wall!"

Upon receiving Mu Sheng's name, Fors visibly breathed a sigh of relief, which meant that the other party was willing to continue communicating.

"Mr. Herder, what do I have to offer in exchange for your help?"

Fors asked solemnly, his light blue eyes fixed on Mu Sheng without blinking.

The two were not acquainted before, and even with Audrey in the middle, they could not be said to have any relationship.

But since the other party pointed out the problem she was facing and indicated that there was a solution, Fors believed that it was not just empty talk.

Regardless of what the other party wanted, as long as it didn't compromise her dignity, Fors had nothing she couldn't accept.

However, Mu Sheng did not make any demands as she expected. Instead, he smiled and shook his fingers from side to side, saying:

"Nothing is needed!"

Nothing is needed?
Fors was somewhat surprised, not expecting to receive such an answer.

Then she saw Mr. Herder reach behind him and pat something onto the stack of books she was holding.

“The path to salvation lies within it!”

Mu Sheng left behind a meaningful remark, then walked past Fors and left the library.

"The path to redemption?"

Fors stared blankly at the item at the very top of the book, a pale white domino with exquisitely carved patterns.

Although it was carved from bones, she felt a warmth that could soothe her soul, like the sun in the sky during the coldest winter.

Just give it to her?

Can these dominoes really break the curse on her?
With these questions in mind, Fors reached out and picked up the dominoes.

The first thing she felt upon touching it was the heat, followed by a refreshing warmth that flowed down her arm and throughout her body.

Fors' physical fatigue vanished instantly, and even her spirits lifted, as if she had drunk a strong cup of coffee.

Such a visceral change caused Fors to instinctively tighten his grip on the dominoes.

"Ding-deng-deng~"

The footsteps and voices coming from above the stairs startled Fors, who was lost in his physical sensations.

With her hand clutching the dominoes tightly to her chest, Fors haphazardly placed the books in her arms onto the recycling rack and hurriedly left the library.

……

Inside a house in Hillston.

Fors sat on the edge of the bed, repeatedly rubbing the white dominoes with both hands.

The material of the dominoes is unknown; it is unclear what kind of animal bone they are made of, but they have a jade-like texture to the touch.

The front features an upside-down two-handed sword, while the back depicts an intertwined pattern of a knife and a hammer.

Fors studied the dominoes for hours, but still couldn't find the path to salvation that Mr. Herder had mentioned.

"It's in one of them, in one of them..."

Fors murmured these words repeatedly, trying to decipher their meaning.

"You can't expect me to take this dominoes apart, can you?"

Fors checked the edges of the dominoes again and found no trace of splicing, so he decisively abandoned the idea.

After hesitating for a moment, Fors bit her tongue a few times and activated her spiritual vision.

The dominoes are still the same dominoes, but now there are a few red streaks of light flowing along the edges.

These few red lights were very faint, but Fors sensed an indestructible heat emanating from them.

It's like seeing a piece of steel being forged and tempered in a raging fire!
The red glow shone through Fors' eyes and into the depths of her spirit, burning away all thoughts of weakness, surrender, retreat, and cowardice.

Fors's gaze unconsciously followed the flowing light.

One circle, two circles, three circles...

Fors' vision gradually blurred, and then a series of images and sounds appeared in her mind.

These images and sounds tell a story that takes place in a prison called Shawshank Prison.

After banker Andy was wrongfully imprisoned, he spent 19 years digging an escape tunnel in a desperate situation using only a small hammer.

The phrase 'the path to salvation lies within it' also appeared in this story.

After reading the story in her mind, Fors was completely dumbfounded!

While the story is indeed inspiring, the unique way it's told is also very engaging.

But how does this help to break the talking curse on her?

Encourage her not to give up?
But does it matter whether she gives up or not?
"There must be some detail I haven't noticed, right?"

Fors would rather doubt that she hadn't observed carefully enough than doubt that Mu Sheng simply wanted to tell her the origin of that sentence.

"Let's watch it again!"

Fors calmed down and his gaze began to wander again, following the red light on the dominoes.

This time, however, images and sounds from another story surfaced in her mind.

The story of a man named Pavel Korchagin!

Before she knew it, Fors's consciousness had become completely absorbed in the story.

A few hours later, Fors lay on the bed in a daze after watching the 'movie', unable to shake off the story for a long time.

Can an ordinary person truly possess a will of steel?

Fors murmured softly, a sense of curiosity and exploration arising from the fiery ideas in the story.

"Let's read another story!"

Stroking the dominoes in his hand, Fors couldn't help but follow the red light again.

My vision blurred, and images and sounds surfaced in my mind.

Lost in the story, Fors didn't notice that a faint red light had appeared on her spiritual body at some point.

This wisp was so faint, almost transparent, that it seemed as if it would be extinguished with the slightest breath.

Yet this faint red light dissipated a little of the darkness that shrouded the depths of her spirit.

The path to salvation lies within!
...

...

Kingdom of Loen, Port Priz.

Merchant ships loaded with cargo were docked in the port.

This is one of the two largest ports in the Kingdom of Rune, and also the most important trading port.

A luxurious carriage slowly drove into the port. After the carriage came to a stop, Mu Sheng opened the door and got out.

(End of this chapter)