Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 232 "The Revolver of Death" and the "Winner"

Roger remained silent, but he was overjoyed.

Because he was so close, he was able to confirm that it was the meteorite he needed, containing a star core.

Roger could even sense that the meteorite was having a subtle connection with him, and even Gherros's source essence became slightly more active as a result.

If he actually obtains that meteorite, he might be able to unlock even more abilities inherent in the Geheros source material.

Yes, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Gheros Source should possess many functions, just like the "Source Castle," rather than only the two currently discovered uses: creating "Celestial" runes and forcibly waking or angering certain great beings through spiritual contact.

"Ultimately, it's probably because of the seal placed on me by Yog Sothoth, the 'One of All Things,' that I can only break the seal little by little as my sequence level increases..."

To be honest, Roger still doesn't understand why the Three Pillars did this, or why they chose him.

Roger only knew that the corruption of Yog Sothoth, the "One of All Things," was both a seal and, in turn, a power that he could borrow.

He shook his head slightly, found an empty seat marked "15" and sat down, pulled his hood down a little further, and quietly waited for ten o'clock to arrive.

During this time, the number of people in the venue gradually increased, and even a lady with a very good figure, but who was also wearing an unsightly cloak, poured Roger a cup of black tea and served him Bayam-style snacks.

These pastries look like they were freshly baked today; both the aroma and the crispness are just right.

"The service is really good. The owner of this market really does have that bourgeois air about him from Backlund."

Roger picked up a brown biscuit and took a bite. He discovered that the biscuit was actually filled with a thick filling made of honey and the juice of another plant that emitted a tropical fruit aroma.

Although the fruit filling has the sweetness of honey, it is not cloying at all because of the unique sour taste mixed in, and even gives Roger a refreshing feeling like the sea breeze.

Because Roger liked sour food, he couldn't resist eating two more pieces, and then asked the lady for a handful.

"This jam is delicious! What kind of fruit is it made from?"

Roger casually asked, thinking that he would buy some to take to the "Star Lord" to eat with bread when he left the Rosed Islands.

"You must be from the Northern Continent."

Seeing Roger nod, the waitress replied with a pleasant smile:

"However, your taste is quite similar to that of the Bayam people... This is Puba jam, Puba is the fruit of the raging seaside tree, Morinda officinalis."

"This fruit has been eaten by native inhabitants on the southern coast of the Rothschild Islands and even the southern continent since ancient times, but because of its sour taste, few people on the northern continent can get used to it."

"The jam we use is an improved version with the addition of honey and several other ingredients. Several grocery stores on Sour Lemon Street sell this jam; you can check it out when you have time."

"Thank you."

Roger nodded politely, and even Bandit on his shoulder squinted at the young lady.

"What an adorable kitty! Have a pleasant shopping day, both of you."

The young lady praised Bandit and exchanged a few more polite words before going on to serve the other guests.

Soon, it was almost ten o'clock. Some young and strong men began to carry tables and boxes into the hall from the outside passage, while three people came out from the inner storeroom and began to move some packaged auction items into the hall.

Among them was the meteorite that Roger was interested in, but it was stored in a black metal box, so its specific appearance could not be seen.

At 10:00 AM sharp, a middle-aged man with a robust build, dressed in a blue and white suit, with jet-black, slightly curly hair, and a distinctly mixed appearance of Northern Continent and Rosede Islands, stepped onto the stage amidst the gazes of everyone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Shadow Portru Market."

"My name is Glenn Hernandez, and I am the owner of the Portlu Market."

"Thanks to the patronage of our new and old customers, the Potruy Market has developed over the past 10 years and has now become one of the most powerful, distinctive and diverse trading markets in Bayam."

"We hope everyone has a pleasant shopping experience tonight. If you have any collectibles that you would like to have bought back or consigned for auction by our market, please feel free to contact our staff."

After saying this, Glenn Hernandez gave a slight bow and then left the head of the table, replacing him with another person wearing a brown cloak who took the stage to host the auction.

"The first item is a commemorative silver coin from the 100th anniversary of the founding of the province of Assyria in the ancient Solomon Empire. It was unearthed in 1250 AD and was previously owned by two different collectors. It arrived in Bayam last month. It is in slightly flawed condition, and its authenticity has been certified. The starting bid is 1500 gold pounds."

Roger immediately sat up straighter upon hearing the name of the first item in the collection.

"Good heavens, a commemorative silver coin from the Solomon Empire?"

Because his good friend Klein Moretti was a history graduate of Hoy University and had a great understanding of Quaternary history, and because Roger had given Klein a commemorative coin for the tenth anniversary of the reign of "Blood Emperor" Arista Tudor, Klein also shared some knowledge about coins with Roger.

The most abundant coins from the Northern Continent during the Quaternary Period are those from the Tudor Empire and the Second Solomon Empire, followed by coins from the Solomon Empire and the Tronsust Empire. The rarest coins are those from the Tudor-Tronsust United Empire, also known as the "Dual Rule" period.

Considering that the coin on stage was produced during the Solomon Empire and was a commemorative silver coin issued to mark the centenary of the founding of a certain province, the starting bid of 1500 gold pounds is quite reasonable.

Roger was surprised to find such a high-quality item at a random night market auction.

“As expected of Bayam, the ‘City of Generosity,’ and as the offshore trade center of the Kingdom of Rune and even the countries of the Northern Continent.”

Of course, this trade refers not only to regular trade, but also to all kinds of rare items, including extraordinary goods.

As expected, the item immediately attracted great interest from many guests at the scene, who made bids one after another. In less than two minutes, the price had been raised to 2500 gold pounds, an increase of 1000 gold pounds.

Roger, however, was unimpressed. Firstly, he wasn't a coin enthusiast, and secondly, after experiencing the incredible items at the "A Good Thing" general store, he didn't feel much interest in the coin currently being auctioned.

"But speaking of which, with so many good things in his possession, why hasn't Amon caused a sensation in Backlund yet?"

Roger couldn't help but wonder about this, but he quickly came to terms with it.

The saying goes that rarity increases value. To give an example in the language that people from the previous generation of China could understand, if one day a piece of Yuan blue and white porcelain or Tang tri-color pottery suddenly appeared at a famous auction with a starting price in the tens of millions, probably very few people would doubt that it was fake.

But if someone goes to a roadside stall and the stall is full of these things, that person will definitely subconsciously think that it is a craft shop and that it is selling all fakes.

Amon's shop is somewhat like a hidden gem in the city; very few people can truly recognize its value and do business with him.

Most people probably just buy and sell low-value items from him, but Amon, as an incredibly wealthy nobleman and one of the few remaining angel kings, doesn't need to worry about food or livelihood at all.

Soon, the commemorative silver coin of the Solomon Empire was sold for 2900 gold pounds, and the second item was presented: a short sword once carried by one of the early Augustan kings of the Kingdom of Loen.

Later, there were limited edition vintage pistols, notebooks containing some cryptic knowledge from the Remnburg Church of Knowledge, valuable jewelry, and some rough stones that may actually contain gemstone veins.

Interspersed among these were some items described as "rare objects," which were actually extraordinary items, ranging in quality from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7.

These items naturally attracted a frenzied bidding war from everyone present. Roger also tried to bid twice on a magical item that seemed to correspond to Sequence 8 of the "White Tower" pathway, "Deduction Student," but ultimately he did not get it because he did not really need the item and there were even more enthusiastic competitors who kept raising the price.

On the other hand, Roger didn't see any potion recipes or extraordinary materials, which made him realize that the transactions here were probably still mainly about "items" and didn't involve the extraordinary level in depth.

Soon, the auction entered its intermission, and most people temporarily left the venue, while Roger walked over to Glenn Hernandez, who was not far away.

"Hello, Mr. Hernandez."

Roger smiled and greeted him.

"Hello, sir. I see this is your first time visiting the Shadow Market. How do you find it?"

Hernandez stood up and shook hands lightly with Roger.

“It was very impressive. To be honest, I was a regular at Portobello Market when I was in Backlund.”

Roger casually offered a friendly greeting, but Glenn Hernandez seemed to enjoy it immensely and immediately burst into laughter.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Roger finally asked:

“Mr. Hernandez, I have something to ask you.”

"But it doesn't matter."

"I heard that a stone has been transported to the Potrug market. Is that stone part of today's auction?"

Roger summarized his description based on the small stone he had seen earlier and Rossman's words, but to be on the safe side, he did not mention the meteorite.

But Glenn Hernandez had a look of sudden realization on his face:
"Oh, you mean that meteorite."

"Yes, that's it. Is it still available? Is it possible to buy it directly?"

Seeing that Hernandez had admitted it was a meteorite, Roger didn't waste any words and lowered his voice to get straight to the point.

"I'm sorry, sir, that's not for sale."

Hernandez laughed: "Or to be precise, it was one of the prizes in the raffle, not an item in the normal auction process."

"So, what are the requirements if I want to participate in the lucky draw?"

Roger pressed on with the question.

"There will be two draws in total. One draw will be held after the intermission. Each guest who has paid the deposit will have one chance to win a prize."

"Guests who successfully bid on items here will also receive an extra chance to win a prize at the end of the regular auction."

Upon hearing Glenn Hernandez's words, Roger nodded knowingly, and then asked:
Do we have a restroom here?

"Of course, it's right over there."

Hernandez pointed to a branching corridor in the hall. "Thank you."

Roger nodded and then walked inside.

After entering the restroom, Roger locked the door. Once he was sure there was nothing unusual in the restroom, he took out the "Death-Defying Revolver" from the gun holster under his arm.

Roger unbuttoned his clothes, lifted his shirt, pointed the gun at his abdomen, and pulled the trigger with his thumb.

In an instant, the flesh on his abdomen where it touched the muzzle of the gun began to writhe rapidly, soon enveloping the muzzle and then the entire gun and Roger's fingers.

He took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

A dull thud suddenly sounded from Roger's abdomen, but fortunately, the flesh and blood that Roger had differentiated kept the sound to a very low level, roughly equivalent to stomping one's foot.

The next moment, Roger's torn flesh began to automatically return to its place, and then a revolver bullet was ejected.

"Ouch, even though I'm used to it, it still hurts a little."

Roger let out a long breath, then absorbed all the splattered blood, loaded a new bullet into the "Life-or-Death Revolver," went to the toilet, and washed his hands thoroughly.

He then returned to the somewhat dimly lit hall, but by this time his mind was completely at peace.

Roger, who had survived a full-breath revolver fire buff, was not flustered at all!

As halftime ended, everyone returned to their seats.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Shadow Potter Market."

Glenn Hernandez stepped onto the stage again, smiling and greeting everyone.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again:

"Now it's time for our lucky draw. I will draw five seat numbers from the lottery box, which will correspond to one first prize, one second prize, and two third prizes."

The prize contains:
"First Prize: A snuff bottle that can briefly recall almost all the knowledge one has learned within 10 minutes. It can only be used once a day, otherwise it will cause cognitive confusion."

"Second Prize: A meteorite discovered in the Rothschild Islands that fell to the surface in the mid-Valent period, weighing about 3 kilograms, with strong magnetism, is an excellent collectible for mineral and meteorite enthusiasts."

Third prize: 50 gold pounds in cash.

"One person can win the same prize multiple times. Once a prize is won, it will be awarded after the Shadow Portru Market closes today."

Although the prizes were not many, they immediately aroused the interest of everyone present.

In particular, the snuff bottle that allowed him to briefly recall almost all the knowledge he had learned was clearly in Roger's view a sequence 9 "Generalist" of the "Perfect One" pathway, which is the sequence level where most of the extraordinary beings in the Church of the "God of Steam and Machines," including Thomas Doyle, reside.

These items are at best prizes compared to the official auction items, but who wouldn't be tempted by something given away for free in a raffle?
The young woman in the cloak who had been there earlier approached Glenn Hernandez with a metal box that opened at the top. He then announced in a loud voice:
"Next, let's draw the third prize."

What was originally an ordinary sentence suddenly sent chills down Roger's spine.

He had not anticipated that the lottery would be conducted in this way, meaning that one person could win the same prize multiple times.

Because if nothing unexpected happens, given his current luck, all three third prizes will be his!
This would definitely arouse Glenn Hernandez's suspicion that Roger was using his extraordinary abilities to interfere with the lottery results!

"What the hell..."

Roger cursed inwardly, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it.

After all, he didn't know the birth dates of the people present, so he couldn't use "fate swap" to exchange his good fortune with others.

Sure enough, Glenn Hernandez quickly pulled out a slip of paper, opened it, and showed it to everyone present.

It clearly says "15" on it.

"Sir number 15, congratulations on winning a 50-pound cash prize."

Applause immediately erupted in the audience, and Roger, forcing himself to stand up, practiced bowing and expressing his gratitude.

Glenn Hernandez then threw the slips of paper back into the box, stirred them up, and drew numbers again.

However, the results of this lottery draw silenced the audience.

That's "15" again.

"It seems our 'Mr. Number 15' is really lucky."

Glenn Hernandez remained calm and congratulated Roger once again.

However, Roger, with his keen ears, could hear many people whispering to each other:
"Are you kidding me? You won twice in a row on the 15th?"

"Maybe they were just lucky; this kind of thing has happened before."

"Could there be something going on inside?"

"It shouldn't be. Mr. Hernandez has a good reputation in Bayam and wouldn't do such a thing."

……

Roger listened to the discussion with a forced smile, and the chatter subsided again as Glenn Hernandez put his hand into the box and took out a note.

At this moment, Roger could clearly feel that Bandit's claws on his shoulder were digging a little tighter, clearly feeling embarrassed.

However, the results of this lottery were different from what Roger had expected.

The note read "33".

"Let's congratulate number 33."

"what?"

Roger suddenly felt puzzled.

His luck hasn't declined, but there's only one possibility that someone could beat him in the lottery.

That is, number 33 was also an extraordinary being.

Moreover, it is highly likely that it is a mid-sequence extraordinary individual from the "monster" pathway!
The only thing that can rival the incredible luck brought by the "life-or-death revolver" is probably the "winner".

In fact, this number 33 had already appeared in the first half of the event. He sat to Roger's side and behind him and snagged the notebook from the Remnburg Church of Knowledge at a very low price with almost no other bidders.

At the time, Roger didn't realize anything was amiss, but looking back now, it's clear there was something very strange about it.

Number 33 stood up to accept Glenn Hernandez's congratulations, then glanced almost imperceptibly in Roger's direction.

Because of the hood, Roger couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but he could tell from the soft contours of her jawline that she seemed to be a woman with very fair skin.

"A woman?"
“If I’m the ‘winner,’ then I can’t guarantee that I’ll get that meteorite…”

Roger's heart stirred slightly. Just as Glenn Hernandez reached into the box for the fourth time to draw the second prize, Roger used "Fate Twist" directly on number 33!
The advantage built up by secrecy will inevitably diminish due to leaks. The "winner" who usually uses restraint to accumulate luck is one of the ways that the "leaker" can restrain them.

When the "leak" is initiated, the "winner's" luck value will also decrease significantly.

However, Roger's use of "Fate Twist" was not very significant; it only reduced the opponent's luck to about half.

Sure enough, Glenn Hernandez unfolded the note, which clearly read "15".

"Congratulations to guest number 15 for once again acquiring a rare meteorite from the Rothschild Islands."

Glenn Hernandez's voice was extremely unexpected, and the scene became noisy once again as a result.

Many people complained that the lottery was rigged, and Hernandez initially tried to appease everyone, but eventually even the owner of the Portlu Market looked displeased.

"Quiet!"

As Glenn Hernandez uttered his commanding words, the room indeed fell silent.

Hernandez then softened his tone and said:
"I, Glenn Hernandez, have been doing business in Bayam for many years, relying entirely on my reputation. There is absolutely no need for me to ruin my reputation over a few prizes. I think everyone can easily understand this."

"Mr. Number 15 is lucky, that's his skill. Everyone has their lucky moments. Just like me, if I hadn't been favored by a certain member of parliament by chance, I wouldn't have been able to build my own business."

This statement serves two purposes: to prove his innocence and to imply that he has powerful backers, thus discouraging the people present from making any rash moves.

These words were indeed effective; after a short while, the scene fell silent again.

"Next, let's draw the first prize."

Glenn Hernandez took his hand out of the box, unfolded the note, and the number "33" was clearly written on it.

Roger looked up and glanced in the direction of Number 33, but by sheer coincidence, his gaze met the other's curious eyes.

This time, due to the angle of the light, Roger could see even more clearly than before.

Those were a pair of dark gray female eyes.

(End of this chapter)