Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 238 Uniqueness

"..."

Olmer's expression froze, and he was speechless.

Although his surname was Toddbringer, he was not the only member of the Toddbringer family. Even though he was a descendant of Lyzius, he was not the only one; he had two older brothers.

Olmer had just made a bold statement, declaring that there was no better choice in all of Langenheim. However, if he really had to choose a partner, his two older brothers would undoubtedly be better choices.

But he couldn't take it back now that he'd already said it.

"Miss Lilith is joking."

Olmer took a deep breath and said calmly, "Age doesn't mean anything. How can Miss Lilith be so sure they are a better choice than me?"

Olmer smiled, then suddenly changed the subject:

"Of course, Miss Lilith is visiting Langenheim for the first time and may not be very familiar with the city yet. You can observe for a while before deciding whether to cooperate with me."

Olmer was not discouraged by this defeat. Although the other party had come to seek refuge in Landenheim, they were, after all, backed by a vampire of the patriarch level. Naturally, they had to be respectful to his father, Luzius. However, Olmer was only Luzius's son and did not have the influence to make an entire family bow down to him.

But Olmer was confident that the other party would choose him over his two older brothers.

Olmer thought for a moment, then took an invitation from his pocket, placed it on the table, pushed it toward Lilith, and smiled:

"There's a party tomorrow night at the Toddbringer family's castle. If it's convenient for Miss Lilith, you might want to go and find out more for yourself."

Lilith picked up the gold-embossed invitation and asked calmly:

"Is this a party you organized?"

"No."

Olmer shook his head and said frankly, "My older brother is the one who organized the party. I just happen to have a few invitations."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as it seems, is it?"

Lilith gave Olmer a meaningful look, but didn't say what she was thinking directly, instead smiling and nodding.

"I will participate if I have time."

"Then I won't bother you any longer."

Seeing that Lilith had accepted the invitation, Olmer breathed a sigh of relief and stood up with a smile to take his leave.

Neither Lilith nor Olnia tried to stop him; in fact, Olnia eagerly opened the door for him. This frustrated Olmer immensely. Logically, shouldn't they have tried to persuade him to stay?

Don't you want to learn about the power structure at the top of this city from him? Don't you really have any intention of siding with him, the third son of Lucius?

No, impossible! It's definitely a ploy to lure you in! Absolutely!

Olmer took a deep breath, held his head high, and walked out of the room.

The other party deliberately acted as if they didn't care, just to attract his attention.

Just wait, once he walks out of the room without a second thought, the other person will definitely call him back.

boom!

The moment Olmer left, the door slammed shut, making Olmer's expression even more rigid.

And then he walked through the corridor to the stairs, and then he left the hotel.

He never saw the door reopen.

The other party seemed to have absolutely no intention of keeping him, and he suddenly felt like a clown, having been so mentally active just moments before.

"It's alright, actually it's alright..."

Olmer's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he could only console himself that at least no one else knew what he was thinking, at least his outward appearance was acceptable, and at least the other party had accepted his invitation... right?

-

Inside the room, Lilith rested her elbows on the table, propped her chin up with her palm, and toyed with the invitation in her other hand. In the end, she casually tossed the invitation, which countless people coveted, aside.

Lilith stretched out her limbs lazily, revealing her beautiful body, and said in a languid tone:

"Do you want to go?"

"Where to?"

Yu Jin seemed not to have reacted yet, and turned his gaze away from the window.

"Party".

The girl's tone was somewhat exasperated, "Can you concentrate for a second?"

Ember glanced at the invitation letter that Ornia had picked up from the ground and said calmly:

"It's all the same, go if you want."

"Are they all the same?"

Lilith blinked. So, what she did—whether she became enemies with Todd Blinger or befriended him—wouldn't affect Ember's plans? So, what exactly was he planning to do?

Lilith was troubled. Ember had never revealed his plans to them, and they had no idea what he was going to do. This feeling of being kept in the dark was truly unpleasant. Was Ember worried that they would get in his way? But he had saved both of their lives; they shouldn't have stood in his way no matter what.

Or is it that Ember still doesn't trust them enough?

Lilith was somewhat discouraged, discouraged that she could never gain Ember's trust. Then she became even more convinced that it was all Olnia's fault! It was because of her that she could never be completely honest with Ember, in every sense of the word.

In Lilith's view, this was the only possibility; otherwise, why hadn't Ember told them the whole plan? Could it be because he hadn't thought it through yet? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Lilith twirled the ring on her index finger, then asked with a hint of anticipation:

"So, are you going?"

"That's also acceptable."

Yu Jin thought for a moment, then nodded slightly without refusing: "However, there is only one invitation."

"It's okay."

Lilith smiled and said, "The invitation allows you to bring one servant to the dinner."

As she spoke, the girl glanced at Olnia provocatively out of the corner of her eye, a slight smirk playing on her lips:

"Olnia, Yu Jin and I are going to a party tomorrow. You have to stay home and behave yourself, okay? Don't worry us!"

Olya remained expressionless. Worried? She's staying home obediently, so you don't need to worry! But letting you go to the party is what worries her most!

Klein, who had hunted down "Clever Talker" Mithril and "Mighty Warrior" Ozil, waited all afternoon but still hadn't received his bounty. He had to go out and visit the local military liaison, Us Kent. After looking around and receiving the answer that "the process is complete, but the money won't be paid until tomorrow morning," he left satisfied.

He also participated in the adventurers' private transactions at the Swordfish Bar. After the transactions were completed, Klein intended to leave immediately, but was approached by Ralf, a devout believer and trader who had once wanted to donate a third of his 20,000 gold pounds to the "Sea God," and who tried to preach to him...

Klein was both angry and pleased. "I believe in myself," he thought.

However, although his missionary work failed, Ralph still introduced him to a business opportunity—

A pharmacist who claimed to know him had a task he wanted to entrust to him.

Klein only knew one pharmacist, the chubby Darkwell.

In a flash, Klein decided to listen to what the other party wanted to ask.

Around 11 o'clock, Klein met the timid, overweight pharmacist Darkwell in billiards room number 3 of the Swordfish Bar.

He was wearing a tarpaulin, wide-legged trousers, and a thick brown jacket, with a round-faced owl perched on his right shoulder, its eyes fixed intently on the adventurer opposite him.

Klein remained outwardly calm and asked in a low voice:

What do you need?

That's right.

The portly pharmacist, his left hand in his pocket, clutched the ring box tightly. "I'm about to embark on a trip to another island. Heh, it'll probably take three days. I might encounter danger because of certain things, or perhaps not. In any case, I need a bodyguard, and you're the best person I can think of."

The way you're saying this makes it sound like I'm not actually that great, that you just don't know many people... Instead of saving the teacher, you left Bayam to find help? Or, have you already rescued him, and the danger is actually from the military's pursuit? Klein pondered the truth of the matter, and his expression suddenly changed slightly.

It wasn't that the task was difficult for him, but rather that the embers he had been carrying in his pocket suddenly became agitated, causing a burning stinging sensation on his skin even through his clothes.

The embers were the burning humanity, but they weren't hot to the touch; even holding them in one's hand wouldn't cause a noticeable burning sensation, but rather a cool feeling. But now, the embers suddenly became incredibly hot, stinging his skin like a branding iron.

Klein's mind raced as he searched for the cause of the other fire's "restlessness".

Ember was a backup plan left to him by Ember, usually almost unresponsive, but now it suddenly became restless. Could it be because of Darkwell?

No, he's just an ordinary pharmacist, at most a Sequence 8, nothing special. Was it because of the owl on the other's shoulder? Impossible, they just met a few days ago, and Yu Huo didn't react at all then.

But why is there a reaction this time...?

Klein's gaze swept over Darkwell, not missing a single detail, before finally settling on the ring box in his hand.

The contents of the box triggered a reaction in the embers!

"What's inside?"

Klein pointed to the ring box in Darkwell's hand and said in a low voice.

Darkwell's expression changed drastically, his body tensed, and he instinctively hid the ring box behind his back, his lips moving as he mumbled a few words:

"This has nothing to do with the commission..."

Why are you so nervous if it's okay? How could you tell such a clumsy lie?

Klein glanced at him and said coldly:

"You can choose not to tell me, but I will not accept your request."

He didn't necessarily need to know what was inside, but he also didn't necessarily have to accept Darkwell's request.

"..."

Darkwell broke out in a cold sweat. What did he mean by that?

You can choose not to talk, but if I kill you, the contents inside will be mine? No, really? Murder is illegal… How could it not be? He's a mad adventurer, what wouldn't he do?! Besides, the definitions of adventurer and pirate are already blurred; adventurers can become pirates at any time, and pirates sometimes pretend to be adventurers…

Given their strength and madness, they really are capable of murder and robbery.

After a fierce internal struggle, Darkwell finally chose to compromise, bitterly saying:

"I...I said..."

Klein sat in the chair, leaning slightly forward:

"Since you've decided to speak, then speak clearly and thoroughly."

Darkwell hesitated for a few seconds before finally deciding to avoid the main points and only discuss the surface phenomena. He subconsciously avoided Gehrman Sparrow's seemingly calm gaze and said:

"Here's the thing, my teacher and I belong to a secret organization. We went into hiding because there was a traitor within our ranks. And my mission this time is to deliver a very important sealed artifact to a certain elder."

"Is this the one you're holding?"

Klein's gaze fell on the ring box in Darkwell's hand, his eyes gleaming.

"right……"

Darkwell silently opened the lid, revealing a milky-white six-sided die inside. He explained in a low voice, "It possesses the extraordinary ability to influence fate, making one either unlucky or lucky."

He paused, then added, as if trying to cover up his misunderstanding:

"It should be a mid-sequence sealed artifact, which shouldn't be very important to you, right?"

Klein glanced at him but didn't answer. Because the moment the ring box was opened, Klein could clearly feel the embers growing increasingly restless! It was a restlessness like a writhing hunger, making Klein acutely aware of the embers' yearning:

It wants to eat this die!

Klein lowered his eyes slightly, not wanting anyone to see the expression in them.

The Ember is part of the First Flame; by the same logic, the Ember, like the First Flame, craves powerful souls. Is a powerful soul imprisoned within this die?

No, that's not right. This world is ultimately different from the world of Dark Souls.

In the Dark Souls world, the source of power is the soul, and all beings are intimately connected to the soul—except for the Elder Dragons. But in this world, the source of power is extraordinary abilities, and the soul is merely a byproduct of those extraordinary abilities.

Just like those souls devoured and manipulated by writhing hunger, their power comes from extraordinary traits rather than the soul itself. Once they lose their extraordinary traits, these souls also lose all their extraordinary abilities.

So, what the embers crave now is extraordinary properties?

Is this die made from a high-sequence extraordinary property from some path? The extraordinary properties of Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 are also high-sequence, but he does have seals of this level, yet the Ember did not show similar agitation.

Therefore, the level corresponding to the dice is at least Sequence 2 or higher!

But Klein felt his guess should be bolder—

Sequence 2 and above, at least Sequence 1.

So, which pathway is Sequence 1 from?

Darkwell comes from the School of Life, which controls the "Monster" pathway. Will Onsetin, whom Klein once encountered, is the head of the Council of Fate, the highest authority within the School of Life, a Sequence 1 "Mercury Serpent"!

The monster route makes perfect sense.

However, as a Sequence 1, the 'Mercury Serpent' is not unique; up to three 'serpents' can exist simultaneously. Could it be that the Life School possesses an additional Sequence 1 extraordinary trait besides Will Onsett?

But if that's the case, why doesn't Will Unsetin just fuse this extraordinary ability directly? After all, if he possessed two Sequence 1 extraordinary abilities, he would have an absolute advantage when facing another "Mercury Serpent," "Tail Eater" Urolius.

"Unless Will Onsetin is completely unable to fuse with this 'dice,' which might cause him to lose control. But the extraordinary properties of Sequence 1 shouldn't have this ability, which means..."

Klein ruled out all possibilities and finally settled on an answer that even he found somewhat unbelievable:

"Is this the only way to access the 'monster' path?"

(End of this chapter)