"Savior?"
The rchant's expressionless face showed a hint of contemplation for the first ti.
"You truly have a knack for surprising . In my long career as a rchant, I believe you are the most unique custor I've ever had. But, this is... Ha. My apologies."
He shook his head without explaining why.
Jenkins naturally understood that such information wouldn't be easy to co by. He was just trying his luck—after all, asking didn't cost any gold pounds.
"Then I'd like to know about the ability that requires the 'Ashes of an Unlawful Long-Lived Person'."
"Just one coin will do. That ability only extends one's life by ten years, but the cost is imnse. You'd be better off making a deal with ."
In an instant, an utterly absurd truth presented itself to Jenkins: the ability the cultists were pursuing was the wrong one.
"But how is that possible?"
He couldn't accept this outco. Were the mbers of the Life Sharing Alliance all just irredeemable fools?
But when he considered that being a Savior was almost equivalent to one-ninth of a god's divinity, it started to make sense. The Twin Demons had obtained the correct ritual by relying on a Great Lord and that powerful, unknown world—the Magma Hell. But what right did these re mortals have to know in advance about an ability that opened a shortcut to godhood?
"Is there a difference between the two abilities?"
"Of course, there is. You should know what being a Savior implies, shouldn't you? This [Undying Man] is acknowledged by the world itself, while the other is rely an ability developed by mortals in the 9th Epoch, based on the first. The nas are the sa because sothing happened in the 13th Epoch, soone secretly..."
He closed his mouth, bringing the clandestine tale to an abrupt halt.
Jenkins despised people who left their sentences half-finished, but he had to admit, he stood absolutely no chance against this rchant.
"These five Sin Coins in exchange for all the information you can share about the Savior's [Undying Man] ability."
"I am rely a rchant of lifespans. Selling you an ability is already the limit of what I can do. We absolutely cannot interfere in matters concerning the end of an epoch."
His hand was still resting on the tree trunk, his black attire a stark contrast to the surrounding white mist.
Jenkins fell silent for a long mont, staring at the coins in his hand. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by. He had no desire to deal with those bizarre, humanoid Cursed Items, and the chance to encounter a humanoid Extraordinary being again might never co.
"So, what can you actually sell ? If the answer is nothing, then let's just cancel this deal."
"No, no, esteed custor, please be patient."
He quickly stopped Jenkins from leaving. "Do you possess any green, life-type abilities? I can evolve it into a higher form for you."
That was an option. Jenkins nodded and manifested his Soul Emblem.
The rchant craned his neck, squinting as he observed it for a mont, before suddenly sucking in a sharp breath.
"Oh, this is... Sir, so it was... Heh, I never expected... It truly exists... The world..."
He suddenly beca incoherent, waving his hands as if to retreat, but he quickly stopped himself.
"If you can't evolve a soul ability, just say so. Is all this really necessary?"
Jenkins thought to himself.
The black-clad rchant of lifespans cleared his throat with a sharp cough:
"Since that's the case, let's discuss the matter of [Undying Man]."
"But..."
"I've changed my mind. It's no problem at all."
Before Jenkins could react, the rchant extended his sallow right hand and beckoned. The green coins flew straight into his grasp.
"[Undying Man] is an extrely special ability. One must possess a certain qualification to perform the ritual. For five Sin Coins, I can give you a very brief explanation on one of three topics: the qualifications for the ritual, the specific content of the ritual, or the effects of the ability."
Without giving Jenkins a chance to interject, he held up three fingers.
This required no thought at all. Jenkins let out a huff, and the frigid air imdiately turned his breath into a puff of white mist.
But it hadn't seed this cold just a mont ago. Could it be because of this rchant's appearance?
"The qualifications for the ritual."
He chose the first option. In truth, either the first or second would have been fine, so he picked one at random.
"To possess [Undying Man], one must first possess immortality. It is not that you beco undying because you gain the ability, but rather that you gain the world's acknowledgnt because you are already undying."
"And then?"
"That is all."
He shook his head. "Telling you even this much is a violation of the rules. Mortals must abide by rules, as must we. If it weren't for..."
It seed everyone who knew anything important enjoyed leaving their sentences half-finished like this.
"So, what exactly did that gentleman from before want from you?"
Jenkins asked.
Perhaps because he had just closed a "big deal," the rchant was more willing to talk this ti:
"Just an ordinary transaction. He traded half his sense of taste, along with all his future friendships and romances, for three years of life. It's a very profitable deal for , but since Mister Kevin only had a year left to live, he had no choice but to agree."
"What illness does he have?"
"Oh, esteed custor, I can see a human's lifespan, but that does not make a doctor."
Jenkins nodded in understanding. The black-clad rchant imdiately waved his hands, and the impossibly thick white mist began to converge around him.
"Farewell then, generous custor."
"I still want to..."
"Custor, farewell."
After he said this, the mist gathered even faster.
"Do you know your designation number with the Orthodox Churches?"
he asked as a final question.
"Oh? It's probably B-12-4-7777. Who knows?"
He tipped his hat to Jenkins, and the dense fog completely enveloped him. When the mist dispersed, both the tree and the black-clad rchant were gone.
"So that tree was a part of him, too?"
After the rchant departed, the visibility in the area imdiately improved, and even the biting, bone-chilling wind seed to lessen.
He walked briskly over the withered grass to where the tree had stood, but there was nothing there, only flat ground. He scuffed the dirt with his boot a few tis but couldn't find any trace of it.
Thinking it over, Jenkins had paid five Sin Coins and received seemingly nothing in return. An irrepressible feeling of being swindled welled up inside him.
He scratched his hair, stood in place for another mont, and then finally started walking toward the funeral site again.
From a distance, he could see a row of long tables covered in white tablecloths and laid out with cold food. It seed the Fidektri Kingdom had a custom of providing a buffet at funerals.
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