Chapter 256: The Black Witch's Gift

"Just who do you think you are? Even the most handsome me cannot possibly learn a skill of this level within two hours. The method of invoking this skill is just too different from our methods of invoking skills today."

"But considering your intelligence, you probably won't understand unless you try it yourself."

By this point, Stingham was already tired of ridiculing Ayrin as his eyes firmly fixated on the skull shaped candelabrum made from red crystal, clearly showing his desire for it. "Teacher Rui, this skull seems to be rather unordinary. What kind of powerful amplification artifact is it?"

"This is the Magus Era's most common gem, the Red Lizard Gem. It has a certain ability to help with relieving fatigue and condensing arcane particles." Rui shook his head as he continued, "It's not a powerful amplification artifact."

"Is there anything else left?" Stingham seemed to immediately lose interest in the red crystal skull following Rui's explanation. "Teacher Rui, why don't we start diving up the goods?"

"Based on regulations, the arcane team which makes the discovery has the right to split their findings amongst themselves. We can choose what we want before we send the things we don't to the various academies for research."

Rui turned his head and looked at Jano and Christine.

If it were only members of Holy Dawn Academy, then there wouldn't be any issue over splitting up the findings. Currently, however, they had to also hear Jano and Christine's opinions on the matter.

"Our House Eclipse Moon doesn't have any researchers. The potions and notes on Draconic from the Magus Era are of no value to us."

A glint flashed through Jano's eyes as he said, "If you are willing to let us choose as equals, we would like this pointed hat and half of the Fire Caracal Lord crystals."

"Half of the Fire Caracal Lord crystals?! You truly want a lion's share! Absolutely not!" Stingham immediately shook his head like an experienced haggler and proudly said, "If not for our team, you guys would have been killed by those three long ago."

"You idiot! If they hadn't come and rescued us in the first place, the three of them would have likely killed us instead!" Rinloran coldly rebutted as his gaze subconsciously fell on the pointed hat atop the nearby table. "What is so special about this hat?"

"There seems to be a strange aura around it." Ayrin's attention had also been temporarily drawn away from the scripture he was reading and towards the pointed black hat.

The pointed black hat was very plain. Although it had been here for so long, it still looked brand new, with very little dust covering it.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Hat of Concealment made from the skin and fur of the Lord of Hell's Three Eyed Demon Dog. The hat prevents the wearer from being detected and injured by spirit type arcane skills while also concealing arcane energy fluctuations."

Jano sincerely looked at Rui as he said, "I sincerely beseech you to let us take this weapon. My House Eclipse Moon has been in and even conflict with House Roland for hundreds of years now. With House Baratheon's intervention, however, we are slowly being driven into an increasingly difficult position. If we can obtain this hat and allow one of our strongest arcane masters to wear it, they will have greater assassination potential… perhaps it will allow us to slightly ease our trouble."

"An artifact which can conceal arcane energy fluctuations? This hat?" Stingham's eyes widened in disbelief, "Even when skills are used? The enemy won't be able to sense any arcane energy fluctuations?"

Jano looked at Stingham, "As long as it is not a domain type skill, the enemy will be unable to sense any arcane energy fluctuations, even if they have specific arcane energy sensing skills in place."

"For assassin type arcane masters like Sarina, there is no need to use such powerful skills when trying to assassinate someone. They just need to make sure their target cannot react." Ayrin was astonished as he stared at the pointed black hat, "And it also has spirit defense properties. How can it be so powerful?"

"It's because the Three Eyed Demon Dog doesn't have a demonic crystal. Instead, its energy naturally accumulates in the skin and fur over its neck," Jano said as he took a deep breath and tried to remain composed.

"So it's this neck skin and fur which was used to make the hat?" Ayrin reiterated to confirm his comprehension.

"No! Absolutely not! If the pointed hat is actually this powerful, then it should naturally belong to us!" Stingham shouted.

"Let's take a vote," Rinloran coldly said as he looked at Stingham.

"I agree to give it to Jano and Christine," Ayrin immediately said.

Rinloran's face remained emotionless as he followed, "I also agree."

"I… how could I be on a team with two idiots like you!" Stingham turned around and pleadingly looked at Rui as he said, "Teacher Rui. You are on my side right?! So it's two versus two!"

"It's not two against two, but three against one," Rui responded as he shook his head, "I also agree."

"……!" Stingham immediately fell silent.

"You all are all most welcome friends of our House Eclipse Moon," Jano sincerely said as he nodded towards Ayrin, Rinloran, and Rui.

"Wait. Wait! I also agree now!" Stingham suddenly interjected. "So can you let me and Christine start dating?"

"……" Everyone immediately fell silent.

"Then Teacher Rui, can these scriptures be given to me to look at?"

Ayrin seemed full of expectancy as he looked at Rui, "None of them seem particularly difficult to me."

A light flickered through Rui's eyes, "You can try the Death's Energy: Shadow Ball first."

"Alright. Then I will go and give it a try right!"

Ayrin excitedly ran out of the house and towards the Fire Caracal Lord graveyard.

"There goes another share."

Stingham's eyes began to glow once more as he looked at Rui and asked, "Teacher Rui, what other good things are there?"

"I'm afraid that the rest of these things will have to be slowly researched by the academies in order to determine their uses," Rui responded as he looked at the bottles and containers all around him.

Considering how old these items were, they were extremely hard to identify on the spot unless they were marked scrolls or arcane master artifacts.

"Teacher Rui, you aren't trying to take everything for yourself, are you?!" Stingham shouted as he suspiciously looked at Rui.

"Idiot!" Black lines filled Rinloran's face once more.

"Whatever. I'm going to take a couple things regardless," Stingham said as he ignored Rinloran.

"Be careful not to damage anything here."

"Oooh, this looks pretty good!"

Just after Rui issued a warning, and before he could say anything else, Stingham had already quickly stepped forward and grabbed a box out from the below the desk.

"This is?"

Everyone's expressions became astonished.

Because no one else had seen the box below the desk.

The box seemed to also be made of some beast's bones. After observing it for a while, they could see an oily yellow light containing an inner red layer of light around it.

"This thing seems to be alright. So this will be mine!"

Stingham immediately opened the box. His eyes became fixated by what he saw within. It was an oval, milky yellow crystal. A faint light flickered within as a weak scent diffused outward from it.

Stingham immediately went to pick it up.

"Ouch! It hurts! Why?!" Stingham cried in misery the moment the crystal touched his palm.

The crystal had suddenly grown a mouth and taken a very painful looking bite out of Stingham's palm!

But what scared him even more was that this milky yellow crystal remained attached to his hand even when he subconsciously shook his arm through the air, as if it had merged with his hand.

"Just what is this thing?"

Everyone present was completely shocked.

They watched as the milky yellow crystal quickly turned gray, as if something was flowing out of it and into Stingham's body.

Crack!

A couple moments later, the milky yellow crystal abruptly shattered and turned into a cluster of dust and fell to the ground.

Ah!

Stingham's entire body began trembling.

By now, his entire right arm had turned the milky yellow color as he felt a burning sensation spread from his arm across his entire body.

"Just what kind of strange thing is this?!"

Stingham discovered that he currently couldn't move a single muscle. Every single strand of his flesh seemed to be twitching as if there was a force squeezing in order to form new things.

"How come it feels like his aura has gotten stronger?"

"Could the crystal have contained the bloodline of some legendary divine creature? And this fellow accidently obtained it?"

These were the first thoughts which emerged in everyone's minds as they watched the scene unfolding before them

"Ah!"

Before long, Stingham's entire body stiffened for a moment as the abnormal changes occurring within his body seemed to stop.

Afterwards, his body quickly returned to normal.

"How do you feel?" Rui hastily asked.

"Like I'm about to die…" Stingham bitterly replied as he looked like he was about to cry.

"About to die?" Everyone's expressions changed.

Stingham had a long face as he continued, "I feel like there is an extra materialization esque energy within my body. But the sensations just now were truly too unbearable."

"As of right now, it only seems like a materialization esque energy has appeared within your body?" Rui suddenly felt relieved.

"You idiot. We thought you were truly about to die!" Rinloran felt an urge to kill Stingham rise within him once more.

"Why don't you try using that energy," Rui said as he regained his composure.

Stingham began to speak, but the moment he spoke his first word, his eyes immediately widened as he fell silent.

Streams of yellow and red light began to flow down his body like water as a yellow zombie looking existence wearing a red striped metal armor appeared before him. In a zombie like fashion, the creature contorted its body and hugged Stingham.

"Just what the hell is this thing?! Hurry up and get it off me!" Stingham shouted several seconds later with his eyes closed.

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