"Ah, are you the big brother from last time?"
Ashley poked her little head out with a touch of curiosity. She had sneaked a peek through the crack in the window last time, no wonder she found the figure vaguely familiar!
"Yes, my name is Lis. What's your name?"
"My name is Ashley..."
Just as Ashley was about to say her name, she was interrupted by Old Jack's gruff voice.
"Are you done shopping? If you're done, then hurry up and leave, don't get in the way of my business!"
Lis glanced around the grocery store, which had no other customers besides himself, shrugged his shoulders, and realized Old Jack didn't want him to have much contact with Ashley right now.
But that was alright; it wasn't urgent. There would be other opportunities.
Lis smiled at Ashley as a way of saying hello, then he directly took the things he had just acquired and walked out of the cramped little house.
After Lis and Welf had both stepped out the door, Old Jack slammed the door shut with a bang and turned to gently instruct Ashley:
"In the future, when strangers talk to you, don't just tell them everything, got it?"
"Oh~"
Ashley obediently nodded her head. That big brother didn't seem like a bad person at all, much nicer to look at than those who often came to Uncle Jack's shop looking fierce and malevolent.
Old Jack glanced at Ashley, pondered for a moment, and finally made up his mind.
The first time he saw Ashley, who lived across from him, and sensed her extremely high affinity with the Shadow Plane, he knew this little girl was a natural-born assassin.
Lately, Old Jack had been hesitating about whether or not to formally take Ashley as an apprentice.
After all, to become a true assassin, one must face harsh and cruel training, kill on the edge of a knife, and have blood on their hands—these were unavoidable.
It was hard for him to let such an innocent and cute little girl face these things.
He never had children of his own, and Old Jack had already been raising Ashley as if she was his goddaughter.
However, Ashley's interaction with Lis made Old Jack realize that he couldn't protect her forever; she would eventually have to deal with other people and face the storms of the outside world on her own.
Let her decide for herself then.
Old Jack looked solemnly and seriously at Ashley and asked:
"Ashley, do you want to become an assassin?"
"Uncle Jack, what is an assassin?"
"It's a profession like warrior, mage, and others; I am an assassin."
Ashley's eyes gleamed upon hearing this: "Like those people in the stories, who defeat evil dragons and protect everyone?"
"That's right."
Old Jack hesitated for a moment before responding, for power is neither good nor evil; its wielder determines whether to use it for harm or for good in a split second.
After pondering for a while, Ashley said softly yet firmly:
"I want to learn, so I can protect Aunt Anna and Uncle Jack!"
Old Jack didn't expect Ashley to answer like this; a hint of softness bloomed on his somewhat fierce face, like a chrysanthemum unfolding.
"Good, I'll have a word with your Aunt Anna. From now on, you come to me every morning, and I'll teach you how to become an assassin!"
"Mhmm!"
Ashley excitedly nodded her adorable little head, as if she were afraid Old Jack might change his mind.
Unbeknownst to Lis, his encounter with Ashley had made Old Jack decide to take her on as a disciple ahead of time.
He didn't want to waste a single moment and, after returning straight to his mansion, he locked himself in the basement.
He took out the Clover Brooch he had obtained from Old Jack and examined it carefully in his hand.
Although the brooch now appeared dusty and inconspicuous, it would become a rather famous treasure among players in the future.
Secret Treasure: Acadia's Lucky Brooch
This was an extremely rare item capable of increasing a character's Luck Value.
The initial Luck Value of game characters fluctuates between three and seven points, which cannot be increased through leveling up, and there are very few specialties and item effects that can enhance a player's Luck Value.
Luck Value relates to the player's fortune in the game, such as the equipment drop rate when defeating monsters; of course, more importantly, in some special environments or skill judgments, the level of Luck Value is required.
For example, opening treasure chests, the critical strike rate of special skills, and so on.
But Lis discovered that his own Luck Value was a pitifully low three points, so he immediately thought of this Secret Treasure.
This brooch contained the power of the now-fallen God of Destiny, Alan Bell, though it hadn't reached Divine Artifact Level and was just a special Secret Treasure.
Now looking dusty and unremarkable because its power was still dormant, not yet revealing its special qualities.
Lis naturally knew how to awaken this Secret Treasure; it merely required stimulation and guidance by power of the same level.
He took out a small vial of clear liquid emitting a soft white glow, and Lis grinned, feeling a bit of heartache.
This was Advanced Holy Water he had bought along the way from the Dawn Church, costing a hundred Gold Coins for just a small vial, which was simply daylight robbery.
But he had no choice but to buy it, as this was the cheapest item containing a trace of Divine Power that Lis could afford; even lower levels of Holy Water contained only the essence of Divine Power.
Lis placed the Clover Brooch on the table and carefully dripped a small vial of Holy Water onto it.
At first, there was no reaction, but suddenly the Holy Water on the brooch began to boil, and a faint ripple spread outward.
Upstairs in the mansion, the butler, Joyce, furrowed his brow and clenched his right hand, confining the invisible ripples radiating from the brooch within the bounds of the mansion.
"What is the young master up to again? It was the Elf God's blessing before, and now it's the power of which deity!"
Joyce was puzzled; ever since becoming an Arcanist, the young master had started to change.
But having checked in secret, Joyce found nothing wrong with Lis's soul or body.
Well, being active is a good thing. Which powerful individual becomes strong without making a peep?
Joyce shook his head and stopped caring.
Down in the basement, Lis was unaware that his butler had shielded the Divine Power ripples for him and was focused on observing the changes of the brooch.
It was as if it was shedding its seal, the dusty gray was flaking off bit by bit, revealing its silver-white base color.
In a few minutes, the transformation finally stopped, and a brand-new silver-white Clover Brooch appeared before Lis.
Lis held the brooch in his hand and opened his system panel to check the effects of this Secret Treasure.
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[Secret Treasure: Acadia's Lucky Brooch]
[Description: A treasure granted by the God of Destiny, Alan Bell, to his Divine Favored, Acadia. Legend has it that it can bring good fortune to the bearer, but destiny is fickle, and Misfortune seems to always follow.]
[Effect: Luck Value +3. Once a month, you can enter the Lucky state, where all judgments involving Luck Value are automatically succeeded for 5 seconds, after which you will enter an unlucky Fellow state lasting for three days.]
...
[You have touched the mighty power of a deity]
[Your analysis progress of Divine Power: 3%]
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