Back when this world was still a novel.
O'Connor remembers the characters that always piqued his interest.
In every scene, the protagonist always visits a dingy shop, and if he is lucky, he always gets an item from the sacred class or an ancient artifact when he wants to buy something.
It's like winning the lottery with the blessing of the goddess.
But in the eyes of the protagonist, it's just...
...
"...coincidence, maybe the goddess of fortune is on my side this time."
"No coincidence, damn blonde. You've said that line so many times. It must be a trick! And don't make that face like it's natural! You cornrows!!!"
...
It shows the dialog of an angry shopkeeper cursing the main character, who keeps finding hidden gems in his shop.
Yes, it is. That is Celdric.
He is a noble of the Arteta Empire, the head of the Count of Fabious family.
Known to be the richest noble in the entire Arteta Empire. Has a habit of collecting what he considers to be antiques.
But.
There is something very mysterious about him.
It is something that only the reader and the author know.
The items in this shop that Celdric found useless were where the artifacts were hidden.
'It reminds me of the skill he had that was useless against ancient artifacts.'
As for the shopkeeper, he wasn't even aware of that fact.
Besides, the fact that Count Fabious opened a shop in a suburb of another country is a secret that no one knows about.
O'Connor intends to pursue a relationship with one of the leading nobles.
Given the proper criteria for an ally, Celdric was the only one O'Connor could think of.
The reason Celdric set up shop here was to distance himself from the internal turmoil of the Arteta Empire.
The central government there is very corrupt.
Dealing with the pig leeches there would only give Celdric a headache.
Besides, the reason he chose Celdric was because he wasn't a noble interested in things like black magic or making deals with demons.
'I will do anything to gain Celdric's cooperation.'
Thinking of useful chess pieces, O'Connor's "Calamity Grade Gluttony" trait was unconsciously triggered.
Heart pounding, blood boiling considerably. Desire to manipulate someone after a long time.
' Wow....Stay calm.....'
A sigh escaped O'Connor's mouth.
'It's impossible right now, just take it one step at a time. There's no need to rush.'
Having made up his mind, O'Connor silently glanced at Celdrik's sullen expression.
Celdrik said.
"So, what do you want to buy? If not, then go. Don't waste my time."
O'Connor replied calmly.
"What I want is really useless stuff, like ring accessories."
"Huh?"
"...."
Celdric blinked and stared at O'Connor. But O'Connor didn't care about Celdric's blank reaction, he continued calmly.
"Something useless, something of no value, and something that looks rusty or mossy. The criteria of the items I mentioned earlier, would you sell them?"
Celdric had an absurd look on his face, as if he was chewing something; from Celdric's point of view, the boy in front of him looked like he was missing a screw in his head.
Eventually, he gave in to his thoughts with a resigned sigh.
Not long after, he fixed his expression and said carefully.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Sigh~ okay, whatever happens, don't complain to me, okay?"
O'Connor nodded in agreement.
Immediately, Celdric rose from his chair and motioned for O'Connor to follow him.
O'Connor followed politely and obediently.
*Step. Step. Step.
Celdric made his way to the back of the shop, pushing the door curtain to the left.
Celdric made his way to the back of the shop, sliding the door curtain to the left.
*SREEK—
Just behind the curtain are stairs leading down, you can see it is a basement.
Dark, quiet and lonely. That's how O'Connor felt.
O'Connor raised his eyebrows, then turned his gaze to Celdric's back.
"It's surprising a place like this has a basement."
"There are things a shopkeeper must be prepared for, in case something untoward happens, like flies hanging around. Anyway, come with me."
"Yes."
So quietly, the two of them walked down the stairs that were shrouded in darkness.
... ... ...
The mansion of the Marquis Carpe.
The rays of the Creator were scattered all over the sky, some birds were flying with the clouds above.
Chirping and flying at each other.
And right down there.
A mansion is estimated to have a minimum building area of more than 700 square meters, which is quite elegant.
It stands to flaunt its presence with a flower garden whose beauty adds to the elegant charm that surrounds it.
One, two and three trees were neatly cut down. But there was one tall tree that stood out from far and near.
The tall tree has a trunk with straight horizontal slash marks, and if you look at it, you can see that the weapon used to make the marks is a sword.
* SLAASSH—!
The sound of the wind and the metal covered and rubbed against each other, eventually the metal moved towards the tall tree trunk and made a new mark.
"Hah...Haa..."
A panting voice was heard, the source of which was a woman holding a sword in both hands.
Sweat was dripping down the woman's forehead, making her clothes wet.
But her posture and expression remained firm.
Then a hoarse voice called to the woman from behind.
"Marchioness, it is time to rest."
The woman turned her head to look at the person calling her.
The source of the voice was an old man dressed in servant's clothing, tall, with a clean chin and no beard, and a white mustache between his lips and nose.
He handed her a glass of water.
"Haaah...thank you."
Soon the woman relaxed her posture and took the glass from the old man.
"No, that's already my job."
After hearing the old man's polite reply, the woman's eyebrows twitched and she looked at him.
"Sebastian, how many times have I told you not to call me by my honorific, call me Renata or my lady. Don't make me uncomfortable, do you understand now?"
A woman with the appearance of shining dark purple hair and blue eyes as calm as the ocean.
A silky white face with hair tied back, bangs covering a pointed forehead.
And the combination of beautiful curves is like a work of art. She can be said to be able to attract the opposite sex.
She is about 176 cm tall, slightly taller than the average noblewoman.
Most noticeable are her breasts and buttocks, which stick out like lumps of fat gathered together.
And.
A face that now expressed displeasure at the old man named Sebastian.
"But Marchioness....someone like me?"
"Do you understand?"
Renata cut in firmly and glared at him.
"Hah...Okay, my lady."
In the end, Sebas succumbed to a formal attitude towards his master.
As a butler, resisting and disobeying the master's orders is treason.
Renata knew that he was only doing his job as a butler who had worked here for years.
The butler had a bitter expression on his face, but she pretended not to notice and quickly changed the subject.
"What is the current situation in our region?"
Hearing Renata's serious tone, Sebastian signaled to the maid behind him to bring the documents.
And reading the document aloud so that it can be heard.
Sebastian said.
"There are reports from the village of Bosa that all the water sources in the river are polluted, so the people there have difficulty finding water and are forced to fetch water from neighboring villages. It is suspected that this has triggered the emergence of cholera bacteria everywhere. "
Cholera is a disease caused by a bacterial infection, usually spread through contaminated water.
It causes severe diarrhea and dehydration.
If left untreated, cholera can be fatal within hours, even in previously healthy people.
Renata rubbed her chin calmly and asked a question.
"So what are the results of the research?"
"Researchers say that the ubiquity of cholera bacteria is due to water pollution from poor sanitation and inefficient farming and livestock practices."
Renata's lips moved slowly.
"So peoples are forced to drink alcohol instead of water. That's why there are drunk people everywhere. Sebastian, how many mana stones do we have left?"
The terms Renata just mentioned are objects related to things like magic and mages.
Other than that -
The mana stone is the core or heart of the monster that has evolved by stimulating the spiritual energy of the surrounding nature.
Adventurers, mercenaries and knights usually kill monsters to get them, sometimes mana stones are used by mages to regenerate mana or can be exchanged for a pile of coins.
In addition, mana stones are used by craftsmen to make magical tools or weapons of war.
Renata thought about filtering the contaminated river area with mana stones and hiring a Circle-3 mage.
"My Lady, our current stock is less than 40 mana stones. Recently, our knight was injured due to the increasing attacks of wild wolves on the border of the territory."
After saying that, Sebas' face looked desperate and he bowed his head.
"Pardon."
"Sebastian, it's not your fault, it's mine for being incompetent as the head of this family... Maybe I'm not worthy to be his successor."
Renata said with a bitter smile, as if she was guilty.
But -
Sebastian argued boldly.
"No, My Lady! It's not your fault. No matter what happens, we will always stand by your side".
Renata felt that someone was encouraging her not to give up.
She looked at Sebas with a faint smile and said quietly.
"Thank you, I will do my best."
Seeing his master regain his spirit, the corners of his eyes unconsciously cried.
He was proud of Renata.
"Then give me half the supply of mana stones and send someone to hire a Circle-3 mage. I swear on Renata de Carpe to solve this crisis as soon as possible".
Sebas bowed and replied.
"According to your order, My La-"
"My Lady!!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, someone suddenly cut him off.
They both turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
A girl dressed as a maid, panting and holding a letter.
She was said to be cute, with brown hair and obsidian eyes.
Her hair was pulled back into a country-style ponytail, with the hair tie placed below her ear, giving her an elegant country girl look.
She seemed to be in a hurry, like a chick looking for her mother.
Renata said with a surprised expression.
"What happened, Maya?"
The girl named Maya saluted hastily and handed her a letter.
"What is this?"
Renata asked with a sullen expression.
"This is a letter from Nova Academy, it seems that the young master sent a letter for you."
Hearing this, Renata's face turned 180 degrees into annoyance.
"Hmph, that stupid liitle brother finally sent me a letter."
Sebas and Maya smiled as Renata's ears turned red at the sound of her brother's name.
For them, this scene is daily food. So they don't feel strange and are used to it.
"Hohoho... our lady is shy."
"Hehehe... even though this young master is your step-brother, you can't be too open."
Feeling laughed at, Renata's face immediately turned red and she desperately denied it.
"N-no!!! You misunderstand, I don't miss his. Who misses that stupid little brother, I'm just worried about him."
Sebas closed his mouth and spoke in shock.
"My goodness, lady, were you just worried about him? Hiks... how much a family loves."
While Maya whispered "My lady is a Tsundere" so as not to be heard.
"Ugh...I..."
"Hehehe..."
"Hohoho..."
Renata felt humiliated and found it difficult to answer Sebas' words.
"Ahh-!!! Stop it!!!"
Unable to bear the sudden joke, Renata mindlessly ran to the mansion.
Her face flushed like a tomato, she finally moved reflexively.
Meanwhile, the two people watching from behind laughed out loud.
—|—
DOOR-!
After closing the bedroom door, Renata threw herself onto the bed.
"Oh my God, they can't help themselves."
She felt upset, suddenly being played by Sebas and Maya.
From childhood to adulthood, they had always teased Renata by mentioning her half-sister's name.
'Huh... calm down, there's something important to check.'
Renata took a deep breath and cooled her head. Then her eyes went to the letter in her hand.
Renata said with a grumpy face.
"Why does this idiot send me a letter so late?"
Flipping through the letters, Renata decided to open the envelope.
"Let's see what he writes in this letter."
Saying that, Renata read the letter with great concentration.
...
August 10, 1420 M
Dear my step-sister,
Hello, how are you?
Forgive me, sister, I'm late in sending you a letter. But I have to work, so I'll be gone for about two months.
Yesterday, the academy announced that the semester break will be extended from one month to three months.
Maybe the reason is that there was an accident at the academy a week ago.
So I'm not going home for now.
If you ask me why, it's because I signed up for a self-defense class.
Please don't get angry, sister. I will go home after the study session.
From O'Connor de Carpe.
Your handsome little brother ;)
...
*BAM-!
Unconsciously, Renata slapped the table so hard.
Veins popped out on her forehead and her hands shook with rage.
"This Stu-stupid... I'll cut you down at home."
Renata hardened her heart that there was no mercy for her step-brother.
—At the same time.
A breeze blew across my face.
*BREEZE. CLACK. BREK. KLAK.
The screeching of wheels and the sound of horseshoes pierced my ears.
Despite the noise, it felt like something was tickling my ears.
Without hesitation, I scratched my ear canal and muttered.
"I feel like someone is talking about me."
"Just your feelings."
"Maybe."
Sitting on the cart, I turned to the owner of the voice.
"Is it still a long way to go, Mr?"
I started the conversation by asking the man sitting in front of me a question while controlling his horse.
"In about two days we will reach our destination."
He had a generally ordinary appearance. With a fat build and a wrinkled face, like someone who is quite old.
It is estimated that he is about the same age as Celdric.
He wears a white shirt with a brown leather vest and a cloth tied around his head.
When we first met, we introduced ourselves.
He was a coachman I met by chance, I asked him to drop me off somewhere in exchange for a bag of silver coins.
His name is Mr. John.
An ordinary person who works as a carrier of goods from one place to another.
Other than that, other information about his is not important and I don't care.
However, someone you just met might be dead soon or even an enemy.
"Okay."
After that, I looked out of the carriage window and enjoyed the natural scenery.
My vision was filled with green land, like grass, but it was indeed grass.
Wildflowers were blooming, swarms of bees were sucking the nectar from the flowers they were riding on.
I thought the rainy season had ended.
'What a fantasy.'
A small smile formed on my lips.
It has been ten days since I left Celdric's shop and the academy.
Not forgetting, I sent a letter to the Marquis of Carpe's territory. If not, my step-sister will be worried.
I found out that the original owner of this body has a step-sister who is the current head of the family.
After all, the only members of this family are me and my stepbrother, whom I haven't seen since falling into this world.
As a person with a heart, I thought I should at least tell her.
I don't care what others think after reading my letter.
Suddenly -
A light blinded the corner of my eye.
I lowered my eyes and looked at my left hand.
In my hand was a piece of jewelry attached to my index finger.
You can call it a ring, it has a mossy and slightly dirty gold design. In the center is a green gem engraved with a strange pattern so that no one can read it.
I stare at the ring I bought from Celdric's shop ten days ago.
It was the ancient artifact I was looking for.
No matter how dirty it looks, it is still an artifact that has a function.
___________________________________
[Ring of Imitation]
-Rank: SSS
-Details: One of the items made by Archmage Abraham. Users can copy skills, abilities, talents, breathing techniques, and combat techniques to magic techniques. It only takes physical contact with the target to copy, and it takes one minute to copy. After copying, the user will get a pause to copy again.
-Cooldown: One slot / one Week.
-Slots: [Understand at a Glance (A+)] [ Slot 2 ] [ Slot 3 ] [ Slot 4 ]
____________________________________
The creator of this great ancient artifact was a transcendent named Abraham.
In the novel, it is mentioned that Abraham is the Archmage of Circle-9. He became a legendary figure for mages from then until now.
That was a century ago, and he suddenly disappeared. Rumors circulated that he was dead, and some said he was conducting dragon hibernation experiments.
But in the novel, it is mentioned that the character of Abraham is indeed dead, but the rest of his memories have been transferred to the dungeon.
In the original story, Abraham was severely injured after sealing his enemy, the Grand Warlock Oliver Dasmond.
The only way to survive was to remove the part of his soul that contained his memories.
'In the end, the soul fragment will fall into the hands of the heroine.'
I vaguely remember one of the minor characters in the novel I was reading.
I quickly erased that frivolous thought.
'It is not good to interfere in other people's affairs.'
A sigh escaped my mouth, then I checked the 'Ring of Imitation' again.
'The requirement to use this artifact is to use magic energy, but I paid for it by exchanging the vitality stat in the status window.'
The conclusion is that if I want to use the abilities contained in this artifact, I have to exchange it for my vitality.
Because I don't have any mana.
A bitter feeling suddenly surfaced within me.
'Should I sell it? Besides, if I sold it on the auction market, it would be worth more than 2000 gold coins.'
With this thought, I suddenly remembered Celdric, who had just lost millions of gold coins for nothing.
'Tsk, damn man.'
I immediately stopped thinking about Celdric and activated the status window.
A hologram board appeared in front of me.
________________
[Status]
-Name: O'Connor de Carpe
-Age: 16 years old
-Gender: Male
-Profession: None
-Title: Son of the Carpe Family
[Statistics]
[Strength: 4] [Agility: 5] [Vitality: 2] [Mana: 0]
-Stat points you have : 4
[Traits and abilities]
-Unique Ability: None
-Skills: [Eye Of Gluttony (SS)]
-Transient Skills: [Understand at a Glance (A+)]
-Traits: [Calamity Grade Gluttony] [Coward] [Weak]
________
Thanks to my achievement of finding a hidden ancient artifact, the system gave me 4 SP as a reward.
Not bad, considering that it is very difficult to get SP.
So I'm thinking of keeping it for a while.
No need to rush, just think before you act.
"I need to save for a while.
Because my next goal is—
"Death Valley, which is in the forbidden area of the Caladium Empire."
—to gain new power.