"What is it you want from ?"
Jenkins asked, his brow furrowed.
"You don't need to know that."
Carl shook his head.
"You seem awfully certain I'll agree to play your ga. I don't recall you having any dirt on ."
As he spoke, Jenkins had already backed away to the shop's entrance.
"Oh, you will agree. While I don't consider myself a bad person, I don't mind sharing sothing interesting with you. I have many custors. Not long ago, a group of tobacco manufacturers bought a peculiar item from . It wasn't a numbered artifact, but an alchemical creation of my own. I left a little sothing extra on that item, so I inadvertently learned their secret. If you play this ga with , I can tell you that secret. I know you, Jenkins Williams. You're a good man."
Carl squinted at Jenkins, who stared back, resolved not to say a word.
Carl shook his head with a soft chuckle.
"It seems that's not enough. Very well. If you refuse to play, then after you leave, I will release a curse upon Bel Diran. It's quite simple for . Of course, you could just kill right now... if you think you can."
Jenkins closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. When he opened them again, his mind was made up.
"I'll play your ga. Just don't you regret it."
It was the first ti Jenkins had seen so many numbered items in one place. Although the vast majority were Series B Extraordinary items, with a few being Series A Cursed Items, that didn't stop him from realizing just how terrifying this shop truly was.
"What I'm more curious about is why you moved here from Nolan."
As of January this year, at the very least, Carl's junk shop was definitely located in Nolan.
"Since the Church has taken notice of , I naturally had to leave,"
the man with the thin mustache replied.
Jenkins nodded silently at his words. The man's caution was beyond his imagination, which was not a good sign.
"If we're playing a ga, let's begin. What will it be? Cards or dice?"
"We are n of status. Why should we play the sort of gas country folk enjoy in taverns?"
Carl retorted. He then pulled a revolver from his pocket, flicked open the cylinder, and, in front of Jenkins, placed five bullets into the six chambers.
Click.
With a deft flick of his long fingers, he snapped the cylinder back into place. Carl placed the revolver on the table.
"Williams, I trust you know what this ga is."
Jenkins glanced at him sideways. He first moved the restless cat from his arms to his shoulder, then sighed.
"Of course I know what this insane ga is. But before we start, you should at least tell what those five bullets you loaded are. You really hold in high regard, to be willing to use five different Series B Extraordinary items."
"I've always been quite curious about you, Williams. I'd say the most likely heir to the throne is absolutely worth the price of these five bullets."
Carl picked up the gun.
"Would you like to start?"
"You still haven't told what the five bullets do."
"Misfortune, Curse, an Evil God's Whisper, Soul Damage, and Instant Kill. If I am unfortunate enough to die in this ga, everything I own is yours. Conversely, if you are unfortunate enough to die, I will take everything of yours. As for how to win, it's simple. After three shots each, if you are still standing here, you win."
With that, Carl once again held out the gun, gesturing for Jenkins to choose.
"You first, or ?"
Everything Carl had just said was the truth, but his descriptions of the bullets were far too simple. Jenkins knew there was definitely a trap hidden within. Moreover, his sudden desire to play a ga was highly unusual. Ruling out the possibility that Carl had severe ntal problems, he absolutely had so other sche in mind.
"I'll go first."
He strode forward, took the gun from Carl's hand, glanced at the fra, then flicked off the safety with his thumb. In one smooth motion, he pressed the muzzle against his own head.
Click.
No bullet fired. Jenkins had been lucky enough to draw the empty chamber on his first try.
His eyes fixed on Carl, and the right hand holding the gun swiftly cocked the hamr back again. He raised the muzzle and aid it at Carl.
"It seems my luck is quite good—I drew the blank on the first try. In that case, why don't I take your turn for you? I imagine it makes no difference who pulls the trigger."
Even with a gun pointed discourteously at his head, Carl appeared as confident as ever, as if certain he could not lose this ga.
"Of course. Be my guest."
Bang!
The sound of the bullet tearing through the air was different from a normal gunshot. After pulling the trigger, Jenkins could have sworn he saw a black-robed figure flash from the muzzle for an instant.
Carl collapsed to the ground, a small hole on his forehead oozing red and white.
"Instant kill!"
Jenkins guessed the effect of the bullet. Gun still in one hand, he bent down to check on Carl's condition, but at that mont, he heard footsteps on the nearby stairs.
He turned his head to see the man who had just fallen dead, Carl, walking down from the shop's second floor.
"I only knew that the 'Angel's Resurrection Feather' could achieve a perfect resurrection. I've never heard of any other thod that leaves no side effects."
Jenkins was slightly taken aback but quickly recovered.
"The world is vast, Williams. What mortals know will always be just a small fraction of this complex world. Even if you are a Scribe of the Sage, you shouldn't think you are omniscient. That's not the mindset a proper believer should have."
Carl's tone was tinged with sarcasm. He walked briskly to the counter, took a match from his pocket, and struck it against the countertop. With a flick of his wrist, the burning match spun through the air and landed on the corpse. A sharp crackle erupted, and in less than a second, the body was incinerated into fine ash, leaving the floor and nearby goods completely unhard.
"Another one of my alchemical products. So very convenient for disposing of corpses."
He gestured toward Jenkins with a polite motion.
"Now it is your turn again."
Bang!
He cocked the hamr, raised the gun to his head, and fired. A solid slug left a small hole in the side of his head, but a green light swirled within the wound. The cursed bullet, imbued with the power of an ultimate curse, was enveloped by his life force and steadily pushed outward by the purifying power of his [Hero] ability.
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