Whispering Verse

The flames rotated to the side of the demon, and then the white bone ring rotated between the two of them. The surface of the ring was an elderflower carved from bones:

"Second: The clerical relic [The Ring of Immortality], which gives mortals almost eternal life."

The devil smiled at Shade:

"Of course, this does not make you unable to die, it just increases your lifespan. Or it can offset the effects of certain thaumaturgy or relics that consume your lifespan. Of course, this also comes at a cost. Negative characteristics, permanent emotional grinding. However, For humans with rich emotions, this effect is very small, but for small animals such as cats and dogs, the impact is fatal. However, the increase in physical life will not increase the soul's power to resist time."

The devil paused:

"Mortals always like to pray to gods or demons for a longer life, but I prefer the sentence engraved on this ring. The ancient wise man who created this ring is amazing - the intertwining of life and death is the meaning of life. Answer."

Upon hearing the introduction of this relic, Shade's first thought was not to offset the consumption of his magical "Breath of Time", but to feel that this ring was very suitable for little Mia's tail. The negative effect of the [Epidemic Doctor Ring] that can resist the "blood thirst" negative effect of the [Vampire Ring] is that its lifespan will be consumed by non-human creatures.

Then the red stone the size of a fingernail floated in front of the two of them:

"Third: The sage-level relic [Philosopher's Stone], which turns stone into gold, makes elixirs, enlightens wisdom, and is an all-purpose ritual material. Oh, it has too many uses, but you know its value."

The devil introduced softly, as if tempting Shade.

Looking at the small stone, Xia De suddenly felt a very strange feeling in his heart. He couldn't use any words to describe his feelings at the moment. To put it more vaguely, he felt that this thing gave him a very familiar feeling. But he had obviously only seen fake Philosopher's Stone, and the "Philosopher's Stone Macaron" he saw in "Eternal Night City" was just a photo.

Then came the dark brown wine bottle. It just floated in front of Shade's eyes, and Shade smelled the strong aroma of wine:

"Fourth: Poet-level relic [Bottle of Dionysus]. With this bottle, you will have endless amounts of wine. Maybe its value is not as valuable as the first three, but in the eyes of a real alcoholic, this is an artifact A treasure that cannot be exchanged.”

The fourth item had no effect on Shade. He didn't like drinking at all.

A large black book with a flat skull inlaid on the surface floated in front of the two of them, and a whisper came into their ears. The skull with blue light in its eyes tempted Shade to open it:

"Fifth: "The Book of the Demon of Malbas", this is not a relic, but a collection of thaumaturgy and spells related to demons. This is knowledge, power, and something that mortals long for. Even for this For the Thirteen Ring Warlocks of the Ji Dynasty, this book recording ancient knowledge and secrets is also very valuable."

It looked at Sha De, but found that Sha De did not show any moved expression.

In Shade's opinion, this book is similar to his "Pink Book" and "Secret of Immortality", both of which are a combination of certain types of thaumaturgy, spells, and ritual information. But judging from the title, the knowledge in this book is not suitable for him at all. He doesn't like to summon lower-level demons as his helpers, nor does he like to sacrifice living people to increase his strength, nor does he like to play with souls.

However, Shade is somewhat interested in the knowledge of devil's contract, but he can definitely consult Dr. Schneider.

"Sixth, some information: Lady [Desire]. That lady is quite ancient, yes, very ancient."

The rolled up note was rotated in front of the two people:

"You have the aura of that lady, but I don't know if you understand. She is much more dangerous than me."

Goethe commented very cautiously. The fire in the forest around the manor made the face of the devil in the shadow more terrifying than usual:

"I can't tell you much, but the value of the information on this note is more precious than the first five treasures combined."

The six objects, from rotating around it, flew parallel between it and Shade:

"So, what will you choose as reward?"

Among the six items, the flame, the ring, the philosopher's stone and the information about desire are all of great value to Shade. Not sure what the next battle would be like and whether he would be able to get all the items later, Shade reached out and took off the rolled up note.

After all, although the probability of special flames, life-increasing relics and the Philosopher's Stone is very low, it is possible to get it again in other places in the future. As for [Desire] information, if you miss it, it will probably be really difficult to get it again.

Now was not a good time to read the message seriously, so Shade pocketed his reward. So the devil waved his hand, and the other five items disappeared like bubbles.

It looked at Oxenfurt again. At this time, the shoulders of the stone statue, which was still normal except for its head, were covered with gray snow, but Shade spoke again to stop it:

"Wait a minute. I can't let you take this soul away."

"After getting paid, do you want to break the contract?"

"What I promised was just to teach him a lesson, not to help you get his soul."

Shade said seriously:

"I promised the others that I would bring this soul over. Moreover, I know what you want this soul to do, and I can't let you do it."

"So, you want to stop me?"

The devil's eyes narrowed slightly:

"Although I am wary of other things involving you, you don't think that I really dare not do anything to you, right? Or is it the sword in your hand that gives you courage? But the Watson family back then , couldn’t stop me with this, do you think you can?”

"If you don't try, how will you know?"

Shade said softly, moving his steps to completely block the stone statue of Oxenfurt.

As for Goethe, the stone mirror demon, there was no unexpected expression on his face at all:

"Your choice is actually no surprise."

It snapped its fingers, and Shade immediately heard the sound of the stone statue breaking from behind. But Oxenfurt, who had regained his freedom, did not attack Shade or the devil. Instead, he turned around and ran towards the damaged area of ​​the manor wall.

"I still have some allies."

The devil said softly:

"I know something that you think I don't know. Oxenfurt is destined to become a member of the Guardians. This is the gravity of fate. If I let him go, he will find the Guardians himself and integrate with them. "

Shade did not turn around. He knew that the devil must have done something to Stone Oxenfurt's soul, so what the other party said was the truth:

"how about you?"

"Since you don't want to leave, then don't leave. Some people don't want you to participate in other things tonight, and I am still a little curious about your soul."

After confirming that Oxenfurt's footsteps were far away, Shade took out his Rhodes deck. In the devil's surprised eyes, he turned over the first card [Creation·Death].

There was no movement around.

He then turned over the second and third cards, and obtained [Origin·Balance] and [Origin·Knowledge] in the hands of Sister Devlin and Miss Sylvia, but there was still no movement.

The devil shook his head slightly in the gray snow:

"I know you must have called for help, so after you entered the manor, I sealed off the space in Oxenfurt Manor and the surrounding area. Your helpers may know that you are calling them, but they can't come in for the time being. For I still have some confidence in this."

"But Oxenfurt must run out of this area before he can contact the guardian. Therefore, Oxenfurt will meet my people."

Shade also said.

The witches originally insisted on Miss Sylvia's arrival, so there was no problem if she didn't show up. As for Sister Devlin, Shade had anticipated that she might have other more important things to do and leave. As long as Ms. Marilyn Hendel is around, there will be no problem.

"The two chosen ones, Iluna Bayas, are in the city, and the nuns from the Ruins of the Moon have been transferred."

The devil smiled and said:

"Only the chosen can fight against the chosen. Even if Oxenfurt is only the second candidate, when the day of destiny comes, no one can stop him except the chosen tonight. He is destined to meet the Guardian, and He is destined to fulfill his destiny. Therefore, if I let him leave the area of ​​the manor, your people will not be able to stop him."

Hearing the devil say this, Shade felt more relieved. After all, Joey Barton is the real first candidate for death. Except for the temporarily imprisoned madman Sir Prisha, he is the only one in the material world who is suitable to stop Oxenfurt.

"Do you want to play a game with me? You make the rules. We use this manor as the venue for a fair bet. I win, and Oxenfurt's soul belongs to me. If you win, I will stay in the manor tonight. Won’t leave, and won’t interfere with anything you do with Oxenfurt’s soul.”

The test given by the Lady of the Lake must be carried out after all. Shade was already prepared to be challenged by the rules of the game. Unexpectedly, the demon who looked like Stone Oxenfurt actually asked in surprise:

"Why should I do such unnecessary things? Since you dare to put forward conditions, you must be confident. Do you think I am a fool? Do you think that I will admire your courage or be greedy for the conditions you put forward? What game are we playing with you? No, no, no, please remember, I am the devil."

Shade frowned slightly. Fortunately, this was also part of the plan. He even said that this situation was in line with reality:

"Having said all that, it would be more practical to have a fight."

As he spoke, he drank the [Gold Potion], took out the silver glittering [Profane Cross] in his left hand, and held the long sword in his right hand wearing the [Demon Hunting Seal].

The devil did not stop Shade's preparation, and just watched Shade prepare in the snow.

The effect of the potion came into play almost immediately. The most intuitive manifestation was that Shade's eyes emitted a dazzling golden light in the dark night.