NOVEL NEXT Chapter 116 “Deceiver’s” New Entry
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〖Prison Star Calendar〗
〖Year 187, June 17〗
〖10:26 AM〗
〖Countdown to Confession Death: 3 days〗
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On the outskirts of Sunny Town, amidst the woods, Granny Kasi, from the Traveling Merchant Caravan, conversed with a "snake."
Granny Kasi knew that this snake was but one of countless serpents controlled by the "Earthly Ghost."
The "Earthly Ghost" manipulated its abilities to place innumerable spies within the Alliance of Light nations, including Granny Kasi herself.
"What is so special about this young man named Banning? Why is he under such close surveillance?"
After completing her daily report, Granny Kasi inquired with curiosity of the Earthly Ghost.
"Hiss... Do not ask superfluous questions; simply fulfill your duties," the Earthly Ghost sternly replied, leaving Granny Kasi with no answers.
Consequently, Granny Kasi opted for an alternative query.
"Very well, so, who is the other observer stationed in Sunny Town? Knowing this would enable seamless cooperation."
This time, the snake disdainfully regarded Granny Kasi.
"If you were in their position, hiss... would you want your identity as an observer revealed?"
Granny Kasi was left speechless.
"Hiss... I reiterate, merely perform your duties diligently. Given your age, have you not heard the saying? Hiss... The more you know, the sooner you die."
Leaving these words behind, the snake slithered down from the tree branch and vanished into the depths of the woods.
-(Hmph, so mysterious, acting all high and mighty.)
Granny Kasi murmured to herself. Were it not for being compelled, she would not have become a spy for the Evilkind.
Drawing upon her 68 years of life experience, Granny Kasi surmised that Banning must harbor a significant secret, perhaps one threatening enough to jeopardize the "Earthly Ghost's" safety.
.
At the same time, in the inn of Sunny Town, Tyler had just bid farewell to Branch Chief Oleg.
(Oleg is rather benevolent… If it were me, I wouldn't even give Nassar a chance.)
Tyler had initially provided Oleg with a foolproof plan, but due to the longstanding camaraderie with his old friend, Oleg ultimately chose to leave room for clarification and the opportunity to mend one's ways.
Since Oleg was insistent, Tyler refrained from saying more.
Glancing out the window, Tyler noted that it was still early, so he ventured out to purchase the necessary materials and began practicing concocting potions in his room.
(A basic antidote… let me see… a small amount of white bane… an appropriate amount of cocklebur… a small amount of purple heart…)
Tyler had given Emilia two Tier 3 Fire Magic Books, primarily to have her indebted to him, while seeking potion books was a secondary objective. However, Tyler didn't simply give Emilia busywork; he genuinely wanted to develop his potion-crafting expertise.
Ever since he learned of Granny Kasi's profession as a pharmacist, Tyler had been intrigued by the occupation.
Regardless of the skills he would acquire as a pharmacist, the attribute rewards that came with skill advancement were crucial to Tyler.
Furthermore, even if the skill effects themselves were useless in battle, the concocted potions would definitely be beneficial.
In order to pass the trial, Tyler needed to develop any and all abilities that might prove useful.
Thus, Tyler studied the methods of concocting basic antidotes while simultaneously honing his Deceiver skill.
After some time, Tyler received an upgrade prompt for his Deceiver skill.
-"Upgrade conditions satisfied. 'Deceiver - Lv9' automatically upgraded to 'Deceiver - Lv10'."
Dexterity: 84+5 (Meditation Ring) +5↑
Intelligence: 91+5 (Meditation Ring) +13↑
Max Endurance: 189+5↑
Max Magic Energy: 960+130
The attribute and numerical increases were within Tyler's expectations, and he even gained an additional 5 points in Dexterity and 3 points in Intelligence.
What truly surprised Tyler, however, was the appearance of a new entry in the skill effects.
--（Click paragraph comment for skill effects）
(Is this charm effect… the one I'm thinking of…? If it is, then it's quite formidable…)
Though there are level restrictions on the applicable targets and other stringent conditions, Tyler still considered this new effect to be extremely powerful.
Assuming that as the Deceiver skill level increased, the charm effect's applicable target level also increased, the potential of this skill could be described as terrifying.
As the saying goes, make hay while the sun shines, and there's no time like the present.
Tyler immediately ventured to the town and outskirts to conduct experiments.
After two or three hours, the experiments concluded. Tyler was highly satisfied with the results he had verified.
.
As the sun gradually set, Emilia's day of work was nearing its end.
This evening, Branch Chief Oleg had found Emilia and informed her that he had already negotiated with Banning.
Tomorrow, the guild would issue an announcement clarifying that the "garbage heap incident" was Oleg's achievement, and Emilia had merely assisted.
Emilia was surprised by this, as she hadn't expected Banning to keep his word and act so swiftly... This made her feel slightly less annoyed with him.
After work, Emilia's first stop was the magic bookstore.
Usually, she would visit the magic bookstore before starting work in the morning, but this morning, due to her obligation to deliver potion books to that detestable Lord Banning, she had to reschedule her visit to after work.
The thought of having to deliver potion books to Banning again tomorrow morning made Emilia's head begin to throb.
Now, she needed to immerse herself in the ocean of magic books to find solace.
"Welcome, welcome..."
Upon seeing Emilia, the bookstore owner grinned and halted his welcoming stride, allowing her to leisurely explore the world of magic books.
As Emilia browsed, she was unexpectedly swept ashore by a mysterious wave and became stranded.
"Uh."
"Huh?"
At the bookshelf's corner, Emilia encountered Banning face-to-face.
For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
In such a confined space, it was impossible for Emilia to pretend she hadn't seen him.
"Well, what a coincidence," Banning broke the silence first, forcing Emilia to respond.
"Yes, I didn't expect to find you here."
"Why, am I not allowed here?"
Banning seemed to discern Emilia's reluctance, and his rhetorical question carried a barb.
-(What's with him? Why is he so confrontational right off the bat?)
"Of course, you are. I won't disturb you any further."
Emilia didn't want her "sanctuary" to be tainted. Although she couldn't provoke Banning, she could at least avoid him. Today's visit to the magic bookstore would end here.
Just as Emilia turned to leave, Banning called out to her again.
"Emilia, have you had dinner yet?"
-(Is he schizophrenic? Why the sudden change of attitude, inviting me to dinner?)
Emilia had no desire to dine with Banning.
If she were to share a meal with him, even the most delectable dishes would become difficult to swallow.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I've decided to go home and cook for myself."
"Hm? What offer?"
Banning appeared perplexed, then laughed helplessly.
"Hahaha, you've misunderstood. I wasn't inviting you to dinner."
With that, Banning pulled out his shriveled purse and showed it to Emilia.
"Actually, I'm worrying about not having enough money for dinner! Since you're going home to cook, could you make an extra portion? I'll join you at your place."