CHAPTER 1349: CHAPTER 1349: INTELLIGENCE AND THE NOBLE HOUSE

"Corrupted soul, fallen earth, and a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic of the event type [Noble House]."

The bearded man said, sitting in the snow, looking at Shard. He himself was Six Rings and was also injured this time. Even if Shard didn’t restrict them, they would find it difficult to escape from his grasp.

"An event-type relic... explain it briefly."

The Cultist nodded, supporting his body with one hand on the snow. When he looked towards the fence gate, he still retained a look of fear:

"You can understand it as the ghosts within the Worsent Manor are now controlled by an ancient ghost from the Fifth Era. They still remember things from when they were alive, but believe they are members of a grand noble family at some unknown point in the Fifth Era. As long as someone enters here, men will be given the identity of a servant, and if they cannot find a way to recall their own identity, they will forever become slaves, serving in this haunted manor."

"I see..."

As he said this, Shard was reminded of this relic; he’d heard Dr. Schneider mention it in passing:

"Although it’s Keeper of Secrets Level, it basically doesn’t affect the outside world at all. The entire influence is limited to a certain house, like a farce set in the background of a previous era, but correspondingly, unless you break in from the outside, it’s also very difficult to discover the situation inside. Moreover, this relic won’t grant those affected any power. The difficulty lies only in not forgetting one’s identity... I remember the way to eliminate the relic is to find that one true spirit from the Fifth Era among all the ghosts. So, the larger the scene, the more ghosts there are, the harder it becomes... Fortunately, it’s only Keeper of Secrets Level; if it were Sage Level, then it would be troublesome."

Shard nodded in satisfaction, then said to them:

"What you’re guarding against is also my enemy. You’re lucky; I need you to pass a message to your Order—That thing fears a special cross, and unfortunately, the so-called weapon in the manor can’t do much damage to it."

Shard said regretfully:

"If you want to counter it, my suggestion is the weapons of the Demon Hunters from the Third Era. I think you and your allies should know something of this."

He retracted the Great Sin Chain but did not cancel the Binding Light just yet:

"Only one person is needed to pass the message, but you’re lucky; I don’t have time to deal with you right now. Killing you here, if you’re absorbed by this manor, would be troublesome."

He extended his hand, rubbing his thumb and index finger together:

"Payment for your lives."

The three looked at each other, and the bearded leader was the first to take out a bottle:

"Holy Water No. 2, not original concentrate, it’s diluted. We had originally planned to use it to deal with the manor ghosts. Unexpectedly, the situation here is so complex; it’s not a simple haunted manor. This bottle of holy water is useful but not very effective."

Holy Water No. 2 is truly a rare commodity; this bottle was likely acquired from the black market.

"I only have this."

The bleeding man gave Shard a book, one that belonged to a Circle Sorcerer, documenting stories from the Fourth Era, through which one might gain Arcane Techniques or Spirit Runes—"The Secret of the Earthquake: Worm Colony."

As for the blond young man, he tremblingly reached into his pocket, his face suddenly turning ferocious, and a sparkling Metal Talisman was thrown at Shard:

"Explosive Talisman! Die! I will never surrender, for the glory of my master!"

"No!"

The bearded man tried to stop him, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the explosion.

"Very interesting."

Such an attack, of course, wouldn’t harm Shard. Through Lagre’s Leap, he appeared behind the three, shaking his head and saying, as the young man turned around in terror, Shard pointed at his mouth:

"Thorns of the Moon!"

Blood-red vines sprang from the earth, piercing densely into his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. Even without the vines’ blood-sucking effect, they had punctured into his head. By the time he fell, his whole head was enwrapped by the vines.

Blood trickled from the gaps between the vines, staining a large patch of snow red.

"This Arcane Technique can indeed be used this way."

Shard thought to himself, surveying the surroundings:

"Good, his soul wasn’t claimed by the manor, that’s good news."

After speaking, he looked to the other two, who were astonished:

"Since you’ve already paid, I won’t make things difficult for you. Take his body and leave. Next time we meet, I will certainly kill you."

Binding Light still wasn’t canceled; Shard planned to let it cease on its own once they were far away.

Thus, the two men helped each other to stand up, then picked up the corpse and prepared to leave. But before they left, Shard asked:

"I heard about the True God Church’s raid on your stronghold and have some guesses about what you intend to do. Although I don’t think you can succeed, I still want to ask, are you really sure you want to do this?"

"This is the honor of being a believer."

The bearded man said, then tensed his body and, together with his companion, dragged the corpse forward. Fortunately, the expected attack from behind did not occur, and they left just like that.

"Beyond help."

Shard muttered, and amidst "her" light laughter, he took out the ring from his pocket and put it on his hand, then picked up his briefcase and once again pushed open the gate.

Only this time, before Shard could touch the door, it swung open by itself, as if welcoming Shard inside.

He raised an eyebrow:

"Alright then, let me see what exactly the Worsent Family has brought to deal with Ston Osenfort and that demon."

So he confidently stepped inside.

The "Crazy Earth" in this area still required finding the core of the problem to resolve it. As Shard entered the courtyard, he only felt that the already dark sky suddenly turned into night, but the snow was falling heavier and heavier.

Some kind of force seemed to be trying to alter Shard’s perception of his identity, but unfortunately, Shard’s resistance to this kind of mind-controlling power was the strongest. He held his briefcase, turned up his collar, and trudged through the snow-covered courtyard in the darkness, arriving at the front door of the mansion, then knocked directly on the door.

Knock, knock, knock~

The heavy knocking seemed to echo inside the house, even causing the snow on the eaves to fall. Feeling increasingly cold, Shard exhaled a slow breath, watching the dragon-like smoke drift away with the wind.

The door, dilapidated from three years of neglect, was soon pushed open a crack. Shard could barely make out the shadow of a spiritual body and then a woman’s voice:

"Who visits the Worsent Family?"

Before Shard could reply, the voice, which initially carried some respect, turned venomous:

"Oh, it’s a man. Who let you barge in here, or are you that runaway servile servant?"

With her words, a great malice started targeting Shard specifically. Shard frowned slightly and softly asked:

"Does the Worsent Family dare to be so negligent towards the Emperor’s envoy?"

"Envoy?"

The woman’s voice sharpened, but the malice diminished significantly:

"May I ask which emperor’s envoy are you, and can you prove your identity?"

"I am the ruler of Wydon, the most loyal servant of Witch Empress Violetta. This is the signet ring she bestowed upon me."

Saying this, Shard displayed the ring on his hand. The ring had a rather thick band, and both the face and band were made of gold. The pattern on the face was a complex symbol resembling a curved cross. This was a signet ring, serving as a decorative piece as well as a seal. It was a "souvenir" gifted by Miss Violetta after Shard’s final adventure at Lost Lake in the year 5177 of the Fifth Era.

The Keeper of Secrets Level Relic "Noble Family" symbolizes the noble traditions of the Fifth Era, not tied to any specific time, thus recognizing identities from any time within this era. Of course, not just anything can serve as a symbol of identity; it must be a true symbol inherited from ancestors, such as a ring, seal, medal, etc.

Shard, although unaware of what his ancestors did in the Fifth Era, fortunately, had personally acquired many identities during that era.

And the reason this precious ring was in Shard’s pocket instead of the basement at home was that he had traded it with Mia for the relic on her tail a few days ago, then casually turned it into a toy and stuffed it into his pocket.

Sure enough, just as Shard thought, when he showed the ring through the crack in the door, the maid exclaimed in panic:

"Oh, you truly are the Emperor’s envoy. Please wait a moment."

Saying this, she moved towards the interior of the mansion, and being a wraith, no footsteps could be heard.

Soon, the crack in the door was again illuminated by the light from the soul itself, and this time the door was fully opened. The vast hallway appeared dilapidated, with mold and dust covering every corner, and the few remaining paintings and frames on the walls were also shrouded in gray.

The dim gas lights cast large patches of shadow in the hallway, and waiting to greet Shard on the moldy carpet that almost blended with the ground was a maid-dressed transparent wraith and a black ghoul leaning on a cane with a hunched back. The latter’s body was severely deformed, emitting a stench of decay, and when it spoke, its throat seemed clogged with phlegm:

"Welcome to Worsent Manor. I am the steward here. Honored guest, may I know the purpose of your visit..."

"To deliver an urgent letter to Xerxes Higher Medical Academy, I encountered a blizzard along the way and hoped to trouble you for one night."

Shard said, though he had the ring to prove his identity, he couldn’t arbitrarily fabricate his background story. Entering this manor was akin to entering a tale based on reality but that does not exist, and naturally, the story needed to be plausible.