Mercenary Wars

Chapter 167 Divine Oracle Chest
"An unidentified Oracle Chest, only one gold coin!" As Gaucano retraced his steps and passed through the merchant caravan once more, a hawker's cry briefly caught his attention.

He turned his head and saw that there were only a few items left on a stall, among which was a black wooden box.

It was already dark, and the vendors were actively hawking their wares, hoping to sell the last few items before nightfall.

Gao Jiano stepped forward and asked, "This box hasn't been authenticated at all?"

A hint of hesitation seemed to flash in the vendor's eyes, but his actions and tone were very firm: "No."

Gaucano: "Can I take a look?"

"Are you a mystic?" the vendor blurted out.

Gaucano found the question hilarious.

Who would admit to being a mystic?
All books on occultism are forbidden, and being a occultist is a taboo profession. Anyone who claims to be an occultist is probably just trying to get a government job.

“No, I’m just curious because it’s my first time seeing an Oracle Chest,” Gao Jiano said.

The vendor hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Gaucano then picked up the Oracle Chest.

It was an ordinary little black box, which even looked a bit shabby, making one wonder if it was a fake.

However, the moment he got his hands on it, Gao Jiano was certain that this thing was indeed the Oracle Chest.

[Item: Oracle Chest]

[Ruler: Behelight (Evil God)]

[Decree Conditions: No eligibility restrictions; attempt to break the seal on the box by any means to obtain the decree]

[Hidden Item: Unknown before obtaining the Oracle, unobtainable before completing the Oracle]

The evil god Behemoth!

Gao Jiano was taken aback, and immediately became deeply skeptical of the vendor's claim that the item was "untested".

After all, even if Behelit's Oracle Chest is identified, it cannot be openly announced.

In fact, apart from the Oracle Chest of the Mosa Saints, other Oracle Chests do not publish detailed appraisal results; at least in public, they are more or less concealed.

Grayish-colored items, such as elemental oracle chests, are expressed indirectly, like "damp oracle chest" or "scorching oracle chest"... These names can save face for the church while letting everyone know what they mean.

Black-colored Oracle Chests are usually simply described as "unidentified" or "identification results unknown." As for whether they have actually been identified, nobody knows.

The price of one gold coin tempted Gaogano, as it was indeed a cheap price for an Oracle Chest.

But after a brief moment of consideration, that initial attraction quickly vanished.

Behelit, a high-ranking evil god known throughout the world for inciting blood sacrifices, is said to be named by those who are all blood sacrifice enthusiasts, each stained with the blood of innocent people.

It is entirely conceivable that the divine pronouncements He issued would not be too anthropomorphic.

Moreover, the conditions for receiving the decree are so lenient, with no eligibility restrictions; one only needs to attempt to break the seal to receive the divine decree.

Truly valuable oracle chests have eligibility restrictions, such as requiring a specific range of holy names before one can obtain the oracle by attempting to break the seal.

This kind of unrestricted qualification seems unreliable no matter how you look at it.

Vendor: "Do you need it? If you want, I can give you another secondary scroll."

Gaucano shook his head: "No."

"Eighty silver coins will do." Gao Jiano still shook his head, put down the Oracle Chest, and turned to leave.

Back at his lodgings, he quickly organized his money.

During the sorting process, he discovered that copper coins were actually the least numerous type of coin in his purse.

This has gradually led him to develop some "bad habits".

For example, when buying daily necessities, he increasingly preferred to buy things priced in silver coins, bread that was refined, clothes that were made of silk, and he had been using paper to wipe his bottom for a long time—most commoners in the world of Farallo were not so pampered.

He even began to gradually become dependent on the "magic water".

The so-called "magic water" refers to water created through water-making techniques or water-making arrays. Of course, strictly speaking, it should be "water-gathering techniques" and "water-gathering arrays," since mortals do not have the ability to create elements; they can only collect free water elements.

Magic water is exceptionally clean. In contrast, ordinary well water and river water, upon close inspection, even reveal numerous tiny insects swimming within. This is why wealthy people often use large quantities of magic water; the richer they are, the more they use.

Some nobles even used magic water for bathing. While Gaucano wasn't quite that extravagant, magic water was indispensable for daily drinking.

The magic water in Southsea Town was relatively cheap, so he became a regular customer of the "Southsea Magic Water Shop," and he helped solve the employment problem for about half of the water magic apprentices.

After sorting through the money, Gaucano drank a cup of magic water and suddenly had an idea.

Why don't I buy Behelit's Oracle Chest?
He certainly didn't want to accept the oracle from the evil god, but this treasure chest could very well cause a major disaster—dozens or even more innocent people would lose their lives as a result.

He only needed to pay eighty silver coins to avoid all of this, which was actually a very small price to pay for him now.

Gao Jiano didn't consider himself a noble person, but he still had some basic sense of justice. He felt it was perfectly acceptable to spend a small amount of money to save dozens or hundreds of innocent people.

So he quickly made a decision and went to the merchant corps that had accompanied the army to find the merchant from before.

"Where is that Oracle Chest?"

"The Oracle Chest? It's already sold," the merchant said.

Gao Jiano frowned slightly: "Who bought it?"

“A silver-haired woman,” the vendor recalled. “Oh no, it should be a man.”

A hint of doubt appeared on Gao Jiano's face.

The vendor explained, "Look, it's already dark, so I can't see his face clearly. But he has beautiful silver hair and very delicate features. Although he's probably a man, he's definitely more beautiful than most women."

There aren't many people with this kind of image.

But in Southsea Town, there just happens to be one—Nils.

"Does he have any other distinguishing features?"

The vendor thought for a moment and said, "His eyes seem to be blue. Although he is very handsome, his temperament... or rather his expression is somewhat gloomy, as if he has experienced something terrible. Also, he seems to be left-handed."

Gaucano became even more convinced that it was Nils.

Although he didn't know if Nils was left-handed or blue-eyed, he was convinced that Nils definitely had a melancholic temperament.

After all, if there were a vote for "Number One Pervert in South Sea Town," Nils, known as "The Skinner," would probably garner 80% of the votes.

How could someone like that not have a gloomy temperament?

Gaucano already had a bad impression of Loja and Nils, and now he was even more wary.

(End of this chapter)