CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 289: THE COLLECTION_2

Actually, that’s true. The really good stuff Tamara keeps on her person; only the useless, the substandard, or the unusable items become part of her collection.

"This is the real deal, the ’Sunlight Ring.’ It bestows great power upon the wearer when in contact with sunlight during the day—the brighter the light, the stronger the power," Tamara said.

She picked up a ring that appeared to be made of gold, its face embellished with a bright-yellow gemstone, and carved with patterns that seemed to represent rays of sunlight.

"Light? Is there any connection to the Church?" Lance asked curiously, turning the ring over in his hands.

"No. According to the information gathered within the Seeker of Omens, this object’s origin predates the Church of Light. It seems to be related to an ancient organization that worshipped the sun. Legend says it’s part of a complete set of equipment. I acquired this one by sheer coincidence; collecting the entire set seems like a distant dream," Tamara explained.

"This object has a shady past, hasn’t it? Otherwise, why wouldn’t you use such a fine item?" he asked.

Tamara remained silent, but her expression confirmed that Lance’s guess was correct.

"Out with it then. If it’s problematic, I dare not use it. If it’s unusable, then it has no value," Lance pressed.

"I got it from an heir of a noble family," she replied.

Lance understood at once what she meant by "got"; it was most likely stolen or swindled.

Feeling his odd gaze, she became somewhat uneasy and continued to introduce another piece from her collection.

"This ring is called the ’Evilbane Star.’ It possesses power that inflicts greater damage to malevolent beings."

The ring was made of a dark silver material. Its face featured a protruding skull with sharp teeth, clearly not of human make. The skull’s eyes were set with two gems that emitted a ghostly blue fluorescence, giving it an ominous appearance.

"I bought this from an ordinary man who wanted to enter the Supernormal Realm. He told me his ancestor was a powerful Knight, and this item was left behind after that Knight’s death. As to which faction of Transcendents the Knight belonged to, I’m not sure. The man himself, however, did not have the talent to become a Transcendent," Tamara offered.

Guessing that Lance would inquire, she no longer concealed these items’ origins, deciding it was less awkward to come out with it herself.

"How do you define ’malevolent’?" Lance asked.

"A dark spiritual power. Creatures that control and utilize this power are considered malevolent—for example, Skeletons created by Necromancers," Tamara said, passing the ring to him.

When Lance put on the ring, he felt a unique power encompass him.

Seeing Lance put the ring on so casually, Tamara looked speechless. She had told him countless times not to use extraordinary items recklessly because one could never be sure if they were dangerous.

Yet he had just put it on with no regard for the rules.

Now, Tamara didn’t dare say much. She only took a deep breath and picked up another item.

"These are ’Legendary Bracers.’ They’re said to belong to a legendary figure, capable of providing tremendous power, but one must have a sufficiently strong physique to withstand it," she explained.

Tamara handed over an intricately designed bracer made of steel. It was decorated with a four-winged emblem, with a bright, pale-blue gemstone embedded at the center of the wings. The lining was a soft, white-furred leather.

"I got this from a Tomb Robber. My physique is too weak to bear the power it holds."

Good grief! Lance thought. That explains why she doesn’t use it. A legendary warrior’s tomb! Who knows if they have descendants? The consequences of disturbing it are better left to the imagination.

Her collection is full of pitfalls. These items are too dangerous to use, which explains why they’re merely collected.

Suddenly, Lance noticed the Iron Torch placed to the side. He had learned about the situation from Junia; this torch, imbued with holy power, could resist attacks from Void Demons. Otherwise, they would have been obliterated.

"By the way, what’s the story with this?" Lance asked, picking it up to examine it closely. It no longer bore any glow of Spiritual Essence and had become a mundane object.

Tamara’s face twisted in discomfort at the sight, pained by the memory. That torch had been one of the best items in her collection, utterly ruined.

"It’s just a torch produced by the Church. Now, it’s reduced to scrap metal," she said.

"You can’t bear to throw away scrap metal?" Lance asked.

"It’s also an antique; I keep it as a memento," Tamara explained.

"Fine, don’t tell me," Lance muttered. "Amanda might know. I’ll ask her..."

Hearing this, Tamara’s face turned ashen. Her teeth clenched tightly, and her hand involuntarily formed a fist.

Is this a threat? she wondered.

It was, without a doubt. But she had no choice but to submit to Lance’s coercive power.

"This torch, after my research, seems to have been used by a Saint of the Church. Over time, it became infused with the Saint’s power due to prolonged contact.

Now, although it has lost its Spiritual Essence, its material remains unchanged, right? If nurtured, perhaps it could be restored."

Just as I expected! Lance thought.

Lance, upon hearing this, wasn’t too surprised. After all, he had seen with his own eyes how desperate she was to snatch it back, holding it tenderly for a long time, not even caring about her own injuries.

And if it were truly scrap metal, why would it still be in her collection? Only a fool would believe that.

"If you can’t bear to part with it, then forget it. I’m not the type to force others."

Lance set down the torch, then took off the ring from his hand and held it out in front of Tamara.

However, this action was something Tamara found hard to accept; panic flashed across her face, and she reached out to prevent him from setting the items down.

"We had an agreement... you can’t do this..."

"I’ve put up with you for far too long!"

Tamara’s panicked demeanor didn’t earn Lance’s forgiveness. Instead, his roar cut her off as he questioned her harshly.

"Ask yourself, haven’t I been kind enough to you? But how have you treated me?"

No sooner had he said this than Tamara froze. But Lance wasn’t about to let her off so easily; he continued to lay the matter bare.

"I’ll tell you what it is: lies, deception, thinking yourself so clever, being so self-righteous, treating everyone like fools, constantly looking to take advantage, using me as a shield, trying to drag me down with you!

Who doesn’t see through your little schemes? I put up with them because you answered my questions once. Even if it wasn’t a matter of deep gratitude, I thought we had at least some rapport. But you’ve only become more audacious! Do you really take me for a fool? Is my kindness such a joke to you?"

"I didn’t... I haven’t..." Faced with Lance’s accusation, Tamara frantically waved her hands in denial. She knew it was the truth but dared not admit it.

"You know whether you have or not. You don’t even dare to admit it! I’ve had enough of you and your lies. You’ve lost the last person in this world who was willing to believe you." Lance spoke calmly, but the disappointment in his eyes was unmistakable.

Tamara felt as if she had been stung. But in the next moment, she seemed to realize something. She quickly dragged out a box and opened it, revealing a gleaming bounty of Gold Coins that instantly brightened the carriage.

"I have money, I’ll give you money!" she said, holding out a handful of Gold Coins towards Lance.

Lance showed no intention of accepting them, simply shaking his head slowly and turning to leave.

At his movement, Tamara instinctively loosened her grip. The handful of Gold Coins scattered to the floor, but she seemed not to care. Instead, she lunged forward to grab Lance, trying to stop him, shouting.

"I’ll give you whatever you want, all of it, just don’t go..."

"You still don’t understand what you did wrong." Lance turned, prying her hands off. Tamara struggled in vain; her strength was no match for his.

Finally, her emotions reached their breaking point, and she collapsed. No longer struggling, her body went limp as if all her bones had been instantly removed. She slumped to the ground, unsupported.

Gazing at Lance’s departing figure, the "mask" on Tamara’s face crumbled, giving way to unstoppable tears sliding down.

"I’m... sorry..." Tamara used all her remaining strength to call out to Lance’s retreating back, her voice filled with sobs, "I’m sorry!"

Lance’s steps came to a sudden halt, and he slowly turned to look at Tamara, who had dissolved into a tearful mess.

"Do you know where you went wrong?" Lance walked slowly to where she was.