Chapter 437: Apprentices Are the Most Useful Magical Items

Monday morning, inside the Natural Cathedral located on the Harvest Plain.

Leiketon sat toward the back of the prayer hall, sorting his thoughts while listening to the priest's sermon ahead.

Tu Ba Ge and Wu Ya Anu sat on the seats beside him, dozing off; they had spent almost the entire previous night studying mushrooms, and only when the dawn sky lightened did they intend to sleep, but before they could close their eyes they were pulled by Leiketon to the Natural Cathedral.

The priest's sermon did not last long; as the people in the cathedral gradually dispersed, Ma Di Na finally approached with a smile.

She gently surveyed the Tu Ba Ge who had been drowsy during the sermon, and he, a bit embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and lowered his chin.

Ma Di Na merely gave a light laugh, then fixed her gaze on Leiketon and said in a deep voice:

"I suppose you didn't come specifically to listen to the sermon; come with me, let's talk elsewhere."

Seeing Leiketon nod, she turned and led the way forward, arriving at the clergy's lounge behind the cathedral.

Tu Ba Ge skillfully shut the large door behind him, then swiftly perched on a blanket-covered chair, yawned, and resumed his nap.

"It forgot to sleep yesterday while researching mushrooms."

Leiketon gave a soft explanation, then described to Ma Di Na the scene he had seen through his prophetic ability among the wanderers, emphasizing that someone was preaching the Great Mother's faith within the group of vagrants.

As his narration continued, Ma Di Na's expression grew solemn; after a long silence she finally spoke:

"Regarding that mushroom, the Church has nearly completed its study; it possesses great resistance to the Sun and the power of the Sacred Realm, but if the power of the Corrupt Fallen Realm is employed, it can be easily altered and destroyed."

"As for those cultists attempting to link the Primordial Moon with an actual river, He may be trying to use the concept of 'Mother' to pollute that river, turning it into some incarnation of Him in this world."

"The Primordial Moon also holds authority over reproduction and life; turning a river into a tangible living entity is not impossible for Him."

It's not just rivers; even the gods' weapons can revive under His influence, Leiketon thought to himself with a sigh, and then heard Ma Di Na continue:

"The Church will send a Divine Benefactor and two Divine Attendants to Pas River Valley; we will retrieve the Mother card from that evil god follower's hand and, as much as possible, eliminate those evil god minions!"

"Us? You're going too?" Leiketon murmured softly.

Ma Di Na smiled gently, her tone calm, and said:

"Yes, I will go together with the Church's deacons; lately the followers of the Primordial Moon have been very active, and if mishandled, it could brew a calamity comparable to an evil god's descent."

Leiketon gave a slight nod, then made his pledge:

"The Knowledge Church will provide some assistance on this matter; I think the local warlords certainly won't welcome a group of cultists appearing in their territories."

After a brief pause, he continued to ask:

"Do you know where the blood clan gathers on the Southern Continent? Or, if I wish to meet them, how can I make contact?"

Ma Di Na seemed unsurprised by Leiketon's inquiry about the blood clan, and slowly shook her head:

"I'm not certain; the blood clan hides information about themselves well. Though some among them worship the Mother Goddess, we do not inquire about such matters—it's out of respect for them."

"I once met a young blood clan member in Li Te Pu, deep in East Bairang; if you wish to find them, you can check the hospitals or private clinics there, but beware of the Primordial Moon's followers—finding a vampire doesn't necessarily mean you've found a blood clan member; it could also be a human who has taken that path."

"Sequence Five of this path is called the 'Crimson Scholar'; they are devoutly fond of the Moon, worship the Moon, study the Moon, which ultimately leads most of them to be enticed by the Primordial Moon and become the evil god's minions!"

"I understand; perhaps I should consider approaching blood clan members from elsewhere," Leiketon replied with a gentle nod.

After further discussion with Archbishop Ma Di Na of the Earth Church, he left the Natural Cathedral accompanied by Tu Ba Ge and Wu Ya Anu.

At the Pas inn where Leiketon was staying.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and set the wall clock to Beckrand Time; it was already close to three p. m.

After sitting quietly for a moment, his inspiration was suddenly sparked, his mind briefly hazy, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside an ancient palace that seemed timeless.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

Ao Dai Li cheerfully bowed toward the figure at the head of the weathered long table, then scanned the hall and noticed the empty seat to Leiketon's left.

"Mr. Death isn't attending the Tarot Society today? Does He have something to attend to?" A curiosity flashed in Ao Dai Li's eyes, but she quickly restrained her emotions and proceeded to greet the other members of the Tarot Society in turn:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man." "Good afternoon, Mr. Sun." "Good afternoon, Mr. White Tower."

Following Ao Dai Li's lead, everyone in turn bowed and greeted the "Fool" seated at the head of the weathered long table, then nodded to each other before returning to their seats.

After the greetings, Justice Ao Dai Li, a bit impatient, asked the "Fool" Ke Lai En to materialize a page of the Roselle diary she had collected.

"The Hermit" Jia De Li Ya still has three pages of diary; it seems obtaining them was not difficult for her, and she is not in a hurry to present all the diaries.

Ke Lai En waved his hand, letting the diary fall into his hand, leaned lightly against the chair back, and began reading the diary in his grasp. Huh? Another duplicate diary.

Ke Lai En, upon discovering that the first diary submitted by Miss Justice had already been submitted earlier by Miss Magician, paused, then placed that diary at the bottom and turned his gaze to the diary submitted by "The Hermit" Jia De Li Ya.

To his surprise, that page of diary was also one he had already seen. This is inevitable; as the Tarot Society members submit more diaries, duplicate entries will only increase.

He placed that diary at the back as well, his eyes moving to the third page. Fortunately, that one was new; otherwise he would have doubted his luck.

Those two pages contained no useful or shocking information; Ke Lai En quickly made the manifested pages vanish, tapped the table twice with his fingers, and said in a relaxed voice:

"You may begin."

"Hanged Man" A'erjie looked around; seeing no one speak, he again requested the Ocean Singer's magic elixir formula.

He only received replies that Leiketon, Ai Mu Lin, and Jia De Li Ya would keep an eye out for it; though a bit disappointed, A'erjie wasn't too concerned. "It will take a considerable time for me to fully digest the Wind-affiliated magic elixir; there's no need to rush, and the Sequence Five formula often carries a premium—I can't guarantee I can afford it with my current finances."

"Magician" Fo Er Si scanned the crowd, raised his hand, and said hesitantly:

"Regarding magical items, do you have any recommendations? Nothing too powerful, but preferably something with a peculiar function and practical use."

"Don't you have Leimanno's Travel Journal? Its functionality and practicality surpass most magical items."

"Moon" Ai Mu Lin pursed his lips and asked doubtfully.

"It's not for my own use," Fo Er Si explained.

She was asking on behalf of Xiu; the reason they didn't need a powerful magical item is that strong magical items usually carry significant side effects, which is a heavy burden for low‑sequence Xiu, and moreover, they don't have that much money.

Leiketon leaned against the chair back, thought for a moment, and said:

"I have an unused magical item: a black top hat, imbued with the traits of a trickster master, a clown, and a con artist, possessing some spellcasting ability and can also be used as a weapon."

"So many traits?" Magician Fo Er Si exclaimed in surprise, then said:

"Could you elaborate a bit more?"

Leiketon gave a gentle nod, leaned his body against the chair back, and said in a relaxed voice:

"Simply wearing it on your head grants good bodily coordination, balance, control over your body, and makes your words more persuasive."

One can use tricks including fog‑making, flash, burning, freezing, and wind technique, but each trick may be used only five times a day and is not very strong.

This hat can also be thrown as a flying dagger to attack enemies; it also has part of an Apprentice's door‑opening ability, allowing you to place the hat on a wall or table—any obstructed surface—reach into the hat, and feel past the obstruction to touch something on the other side.

As for its negative effects, the wearer gains a stronger urge to perform, needing to wear a top hat and perform magic and tricks before an audience every day; it also has a certain living quality, but it does not continually bewitch the user, and every so often the hat must be stuffed with different books.

The effects are numerous, but none are overly powerful; its strength lies in being well‑rounded, and its negative effects are easy to resolve. However, since it embodies three traits, this magical item will certainly not be cheap.

Fors pondered for a moment, then hesitantly raised her hand and spoke.

"Mr. White Tower, what is its price?"

"1500 pounds. Although it's not very useful, it possesses many characteristics."

Leikeddun said in a calm voice.

Fors opened her mouth but couldn't speak. This is far more expensive than I expected, though given its many characteristics, perhaps I'm just too poor.

After sighing a few times in her heart, Fors kept her smile and lightly nodded.

"I understand. I'll let that friend of mine know; if she's interested, I'll contact you."

"Xiu couldn't possibly be interested—her total savings add up to less than 400 pounds."

Leikeddun gave a noncommittal nod. A magical item embodying three pathway traits would be quite nice to keep in one's collection even if it couldn't be sold.

Although he is no longer a Reader, the Reader's fondness for collecting remains.

Fors waited a moment, seeing that no one else intended to sell magical items, she again turned her gaze to Leikeddun and asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Mr. White Tower, if you could help craft a magical item, what advice do you have?"

Leikeddun rested his right elbow on the armrest and pondered before speaking.

"Advice? The Apprentice Path makes the most useful magical item; Shepherds aren't bad either—one of them can replace several extraordinary individuals, and the same holds when turned into a magical item."

"Spirit mediums and spirit witches who can command souls and natural spirits are also good; you just need to find spirits that are strong enough and useful enough, and they'll become quite well‑rounded, possessing considerable power."

Summed up perfectly, the Miss Magician, an extraordinary being of the Apprentice Path, has already shown fear and panic; from now on, when she sees you, she'll probably have to consider taking a detour. Klein, while observing everyone via spirit vision, couldn't help but mutter a couple of remarks in his heart.

"The Sun" Derrick, unaware of the changing atmosphere, asked curiously.

"Why is the Apprentice Path the most useful magical item?"

(End of chapter)