Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 233 Keys and Troubles

The golden key didn't feel as lively to Luger as the devil dice. The devil dice sometimes even gave him the feeling of being alive. Luger suspected that it might even actively lure others to become its new owners when it was ownerless.

This key, as silent as the paintings along the corridor, was something a less intelligent wizarding apprentice wouldn't even consider useful, let alone actively try to lure anyone in. This also raises another issue: if he didn't possess the art of artifact manipulation, he believed even a powerful wizard would likely struggle to figure out how to establish a contract and recognize a master. As for something like the demon dice, perhaps even a drunkard without supernatural powers on the street in the underground city would be tempted to complete the ritual.

The ritual for recognizing the devil's dice involves kissing each of the six faces of the dice in turn.

But this seemingly silent and honest golden key is far from gentle; its recognition ceremony is much bloodier than that of the demon dice.

The Devil Dice appears gentle on the surface but will turn into bloodshed later, while the Golden Key is the exact opposite.

Ruger stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Perhaps it's related to its origin in radishes; it's a key that can grow, or rather, a seed, a plant.

The spirit world, spirituality, the light of the spirit—the guidance of the light of the spirit that wizards firmly believe in and cherish. In Ruger's original imagination, he would subconsciously think that it was a place full of spirits. But this time, the corner he glimpsed was somewhat different. For example, the well, the arrangement of the place, those lifeless paintings, the golden key, and the rabbit that cannot lie. It seemed that everything related to the spirit world had a feeling of being both spiritual and rigid.

He could no longer imagine what the spirit world was like.

He raised his hand, rolled up his sleeve, and slowly inserted the golden key into his left arm. This was the beginning of the recognition ceremony. At first, blood gushed out, but it gradually stopped as he exerted force. Under his gaze, the wound became a neat keyhole, no longer resembling a wound, and the blood stopped flowing. It was as if the arm that was inserted into the key was no longer made of flesh and blood.

Ruger felt the key being slowly inserted, and there was no pain anymore. When the golden key was halfway in, he began to slowly turn it.

Round and round, the golden key spun in his hand.

Click!

The door, which resembled a safe, was opened.

With a gentle flick of his hand, Ruger revealed a small, fleshy opening in his arm, without any pain or bleeding.

He even knew that as long as the small door was closed, not even the scales or hair would be damaged.

After the door was opened, the key fell into his hand.

He raised his hand and threw the key in. The key immediately took root in the strange space in the arm, as if it were extending countless golden tentacles. A strange sensation, like pain but not pain, came over him. The key planted itself there, which could be considered as planting itself in Ruger's body, but it was not simply planted in flesh and blood.

The small door on the arm was closed, and the keyhole was gone, leaving only a keyhole-shaped mark, like a small golden scar.

Unlike the Demon Dice, the key cannot be used at will. Each use of it requires accumulating power and planting it within the user's body. This act of recognizing the key as its master is also the beginning of accumulating power.

The accumulation of keys is endless and will never be full. If they are not used for thousands of years, theoretically they may continue to grow.

Therefore, it can be used once it has been accumulated to a certain level.

The golden key, at the moment of its birth, its name was already born in accordance with a certain rule, and as its owner, Ruger softly murmured its name.

"Rooted Trouble." Actually, Luger preferred to call it the Thief of Trouble; this little thing seemed quite suitable for the rabbit Tuzel.

It seems that the golden sand in the river, or the deformed radish, or perhaps the rabbit's influence, has transformed the golden key into something that can open a door for negative emotions like worries and anxieties, trapping them inside and turning them into nourishment. The so-called accumulation of these emotions is actually a way of stealing such negative emotions from those around Luger. Of course, Luger can also actively give its own negative emotions to Luger, but this only makes it feel better temporarily, preventing it from becoming suffocated. Only when the root of the troubles is truly resolved can a door be opened for oneself.

The reason Ruger calls it a thief is because it is a deceptive thing. It cannot solve worries, losses, and the ever-present sense of bewilderment. The key cannot unlock worries.

When the accumulation reaches a certain level, this wondrous object can be activated, planting a grain of gold sand where it takes root.

You can offer a grain of gold to the river using a key, which is basically throwing it onto the riverbank where the full picture is unknown. Doing so can earn you the favor, or rather, the favor of the spirits. In other words, those with weaker spirituality will gradually become stronger, and those like Luger, who are already quite strong, will become even stronger. On that riverbank where the full picture is unknown, there are countless grains of gold, and it seems that each grain of gold represents the various troubles surging towards the spirit world.

Of course, after growing the gold sand, it doesn't necessarily have to be offered to that river. It can also be given to the enemy. Simply put, it's meant to annoy them for a while. How exactly to do it remains to be seen.

Ruger prefers not to rush to condense the golden sand, but to let the golden key grow with those negative emotions as nourishment. The key will become more powerful, which means it will be more efficient at stealing. When it grows to a certain extent, there may be surprises.

This strange object, though slow to work and unable to solve anything immediately, does not carry the same enormous risks as the Devil Dice.

Perhaps if it's been implanted in his body long enough, the golden key will become as lively as the devil's dice, Ruger thought.

If there are spells like prophecy or divination, then this seemingly tepid and unusable key will be a powerful tool, an invaluable treasure for wizards immersed in this field, which can continuously enhance their spiritual affinity over time.

Luger finished tidying up and lowered his sleeves.

Now that we've accepted the gift, let's ask the rabbit a question.

Ruger stood by the well and subconsciously looked inside. Whether through the viewing and reading of divine objects or by actually stepping into it, this was the first time he had looked into the well.

It was an unexpectedly ordinary sight—just a perfectly normal well.

Ruger scratched his head.

Although he decided to ask the question on behalf of the rabbit, he still decided to save it for last to avoid any mishaps that would waste his other two opportunities to ask questions.

Since he couldn't see anything special, he decided to ask directly. Just as he was about to speak, he slowly closed his eyes while holding onto the edge of the well.

In that instant, before he could even speak, the first question that had been firmly in his mind was thrown into the well, guided by a strange mystery.

Two images slowly surfaced in his mind; they were the answers the well had given him.

He originally wanted to ask about the kobold curse, but after thinking about it, he gave up. It was very likely to involve a very high level, and if he didn't get an answer, he would be wasting an opportunity. So he settled for second best and directly asked about the ascension ritual he wanted.

The images that appeared were the guides. In an instant, Luger was inspired. One image was a modification of the existing Fur Shepherd Ascension Ritual, or rather, using specially cultivated fur to achieve his original desires, purifying the dragon bloodline or deviating from the kobold identity. The other image was a small, round black gadget, like a small ornament made of the curved horns of a demon.

This is... an invitation from a demon wizard apprentice?
Ruger opened his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)