NOVEL NEXT Chapter 136: Four Hands!
The shaded path!
Arthur continued to stroke Pendragon while Simon supplemented.
"I've already had someone notify the managers of Lilith's and Vivian's stores; they should be arriving shortly," he said.
As he spoke, the newly promoted apprentice policeman looked nervously at his police chief.
He was waiting for a direct response from Malz.
Had he done well?
Or not?
"Well done!"
Malz, who was never one to chide unduly, gave Simon's left upper arm a strong pat with his right hand.
Immediately, the new apprentice policeman breathed a sigh of relief and sent a grateful look towards Arthur—in the heart of the new apprentice, it was Arthur's guidance that allowed him to execute everything methodically.
At the same time, a smile appeared on his face.
And it was at this time that Malz gently reminded him.
"Go and speak to Truda about oversleeping," he said softly.
Simon was taken aback, then quickly realized what he meant, a look of embarrassment appearing on his face.
However, Malz gave Simon's arm another couple of pats.
"Go on, I believe you can find out more," he said.
"Understood!"
Your journey continues with empire
Simon turned and walked away, pulling at his belt as he went.
Clearly, Simon intended to acquaint the other party with the traditions of the Shire District Police Station.
"He's going to make a fine young man, isn't he?"
Malz smiled as he withdrew his gaze.
"Remember to dip the belt in alcohol," Arthur joked.
However, Malz blinked and didn't grasp the core of the joke; he pondered whether Arthur was hinting at something.
Looks like I need to prepare a belt dipped in alcohol!
Malz thought to himself, though his actions were swift.
"Andy, you wait here for the managers of those two stores—remember, before you show them the mannequins, ask them how many mannequins they brought over yesterday," Malz instructed.
"Got it, Chief," Andy replied listlessly.
Arthur swept a glance at Andy without a trace—He noticed that the state of this newly minted fifth-level police officer seemed a bit off, the level of fatigue suggestive of someone who hadn't slept for three days and nights.
Was it caused by the special state during yesterday's sniping?
Some kind of Talent, Prop?
Arthur speculated in his mind but did not delve deeper.
Everyone has secrets. As long as the other person is on the same side, Arthur would never presume to pry into their secrets.
"Shall we head off then?" Malz asked Arthur.
The police chief clearly also thought of the shaded path.
"Of course!"
"However, wait for me just a moment—I need to stop by the restroom," Arthur said.
Immediately, Malz's gaze towards Arthur turned odd.
Obviously, the police chief had thought of something.
There are no secrets that time does not reveal, just as secrets known by a second person can no longer remain secrets.
Gossip always spreads like a plague.
And you can never guess how this kind of gossip will evolve.
"Arthur, eat less raw and cold food, it's better for your stomach."
As Arthur headed towards the washroom, Malz said earnestly.
"Hmph."
Arthur responded with a forced smile.
Was his stomach bothering him?
He was just about to take advantage of gaining some XP to upgrade himself in private.
But certain things couldn't be openly discussed, so Arthur could only silently make note of Harris and Marinda in his mind.
As for the possibility that one of them was innocent?
Arthur didn't care.
After adjusting his mentality for several seconds, Arthur entered the washroom, picked a stall, and looked at the text notification he had just received—
[The Horn Report's coverage on the 'fake cheque' case is astonishing, especially the perseverance and belief of Elron and Delong has garnered widespread admiration; XP+30]
[South Los Daily has mentioned your name again, making it more familiar to an increasing number of people; XP+40]
[More people have heard your name; XP+5]
...
Arthur was pleased with his haul for the day.
Especially the third item, he believed that with the support of the South Los Daily, this level of recognition would be maintained for a long time.
Then, Arthur looked at his total XP.
165 points!
Of these, 80 points came from defeating the 'Gatekeeper' Urto, the 'Rat King' Isidore, and 10 points were the accumulation of the past two days.
Looking at the 165 points of XP, Arthur didn't hesitate to allocate points to the [Hand of Void].
Not only was Arthur curious about what changes the [Hand of Void] would undergo after the upgrade requirement suddenly increased to 100XP, but among the secret techniques he possessed, the [Hand of Void] was the most helpful to him.
[Consuming 100XP, Hand of Void Lv3→Lv4]
[Hand of Void Lv4: Your 'Hand of Void' finally reaches a striking level of development, now entirely distinct from the regular concept of the 'Hand of Void'—this was Hercules's little joke. Some have criticized this Master, accusing him of intentionally mystifying, while others have suggested improvements.
The Master acknowledged hearing these criticisms and suggestions, and agreed they were good, but chose not to accept them—your 'Hand of Void' gains increased power, speed, and range, and now, there are four of them; Effect: Based on Spirituality as foundation, consuming physical strength, you create four Hands of Void using the Glyphic Language Ei a ro at your service.]
(Annotation 1: The Hand of Void will resemble the creator's palm with flexible fingers, retaining part of the wrist, and one-third of the forearm, and will always be visible to the creator)
(Annotation 2: The Hand of Void is in an invisible state but can be touched and will sustain damage. Upon reaching the damage threshold, the Hand of Void will disappear. When any of the four Hands of Void vanishes, you can replenish it, with the same physical strength consumption as when you initially summoned all four)
(Annotation 3: The current level Hand of Void is capable of picking up items no heavier than 30kg, moving at the pace of an adult's brisk run, and can be up to 15 meters from the creator)
(Annotation 4: Once the Hand of Void has been created, the creator will continuously consume physical strength, which will accelerate when the Hand picks up an item. When all four Hands are present, the physical strength consumption doubles)
(Annotation 5: Upon releasing the Hand of Void, it will disappear but won't return the consumed physical strength)
(Annotation 6: At the current stage, you must recite the Glyphic Language Ei a ro in its entirety to successfully create the Hand of Void)
...
A more intense synchronization between body and knowledge began.
A cool sensation, like a stream, flowed towards Arthur's heart, starting to define the shape of the hand in more detail—where previously only the thumb, index finger, and middle finger knuckles had been outlined, the ring and pinky fingers now emerged, almost indistinguishable from a real hand if not for the absence of palm lines.
Arthur felt the changes within himself, his eyes brimming with joy!
Another pair of [Hand of Void]!
No one understood better than Arthur what having another pair of [Hand of Void] would mean.
His combat style would have at least three more options!
At the very least, he could carry two more boxes of bombs!
And perhaps, he might even be able to...
Fly!
With this thought, Arthur didn't hesitate and began to whisper the incantation.
Then, another piece of text appeared—
[Spirituality+0.1]
...
Instantly, the [Ring of Equilibrium Blood] on Arthur's left index finger became unbearably hot.