Chapter 15: [Relic] Levels

Even from across half the room, Xia De could feel the danger of the item in the sleeping young man's hands. It was as if that box was incompatible with this world, carrying an aura that could make all things decay. This was a 【Relic】; Xia De thought that after seeing this one, he would definitely never misidentify one again.

The doctor looked around the room and continued:

"Relics can be tangible items, but they can also be events, or even just a piece of information or a sentence. The Orthodox Churches have divided 【Relics】 into levels, which is also accepted and recognized by the Academy. There are five levels in total—"

"Poet-level (Level 5), whose information can even be sung by poets, but will only be treated as street gossip or legendary stories. Standard measure: 【Poet Cohen's Manuscript】;"

"Document Keeper-level (Level 4), which requires detailed recording and sealing of information about such 【Relics】. The information can only exist on paper and cannot be easily circulated. Standard measure: 【Unknown Person's Thesis】;"

"Secret Keeper-level (Level 3), strictly trained Secret Keepers specifically keep the information of a certain 【Relic】. Except in special circumstances, such items must be contained and used with strict caution. Standard measure: 【Secret Keeper's Eye】;"

"Sage-level (Level 2), only Great Sages can know its information and containment status. Once an uncontained item of this type is discovered, according to the agreement, the Academy and the Orthodox Churches must immediately notify each other. Standard measure: 【Philosopher's Stone】;"

"Angel-level (Level 1), extremely dangerous. The arrival of an Evil God and the loss of control of an Angel-level 【Relic】 are generally regarded as events of the same level. I am only a fifth-year correspondence student and will only know the characteristics and containment control methods of such items in the next grade. Standard measure: 【Heart of the Evil Angel】."

"What is a standard measure?"

Xia De asked.

"A standard measure is a reference when grading 【Relics】. Once the danger level is higher than the standard measure, it immediately enters the next level."

Xia De nodded to show he understood, but since even the highest Angel-level had a standard measure, it seemed to mean...

He didn't ask, because Dr. Shi Nai De probably didn't know either.

He continued to ask in a low voice, because he was holding his breath, so his speech was a bit muffled:

"Then what are we facing this time..."

"A Poet-level (Level 5) 【Relic】. I have already investigated it clearly; it is the 【Life Countdown Pocket Watch】."

"Yes, it is the thing in the box over there; he didn't dare to touch it directly either. By giving flesh and blood, the pocket watch allows the holder to rotate it within a certain range. Aiming the front of the pocket watch at any living body adds a life countdown state to the targeted living body according to the angle of rotation. The shorter the countdown, the more flesh and blood is needed, so that is why Sparrow Hamilton had so much time."

The doctor asked Xia De to wait at the door. He stepped on the blood mud on the ground, entered the room, and took away the box containing the 【Relic】. Only after returning to Xia De's side did he open it, instructing Xia De to concentrate and not be affected by the 【Relic】's power before opening it.

The box opened with the doctor's movement, and immediately, a thicker bloody smell rushed toward them. Inside, it was actually filled with a box of blood.

After pouring out the blood, the silver pocket watch fell into Dr. Shi Nai De's hand.

The doctor did not open the watch cover; Xia De could only see ferocious skull heads engraved on both the front and back of the pocket watch. Around the watch cover was a circle of runic text, which he had never seen before, but Xia De was able to interpret it again, confirming that he could truly read all the texts of this other world:

【The price of life is the mystery of flesh and blood.】

At this moment, he actually felt a bloody taste in his mouth, as if he had just bitten into raw meat... Xia De really retched this time, but fortunately, he hadn't eaten breakfast and couldn't vomit anything. The doctor immediately put the pocket watch back into the box and put it into the briefcase he carried with him.

"Is this the thing that killed Detective Sparrow?"

After a long while, Xia De, who had recovered, muttered to himself. After all, the detective had taken the original owner away from the life of a vagrant and given him all his inheritance, so he was also happy to be able to avenge him.

"Yes, it is this. People in the countdown state know their life limit but cannot reveal it to anyone, otherwise, they will immediately die suddenly. But this 【Relic】 born from the Fifth Era, although dangerous to ordinary people, Ringed Shushi have plenty of ways to lift its influence, so it is only the lowest Poet-level."

"The life countdown effect is restrained by various 【Miracle】 and 【Enlightenment】 elements, so the danger level is not high; it can only be considered an ordinary Poet-level relic... Unfortunately, Mr. Sparrow Hamilton was just an ordinary person."

Dr. Shi Nai De shook his head with regret:

"Actually, I had been tracking this relic for a few months, so I could know your situation in one night. But there were too many victims. Although I saved a few people, I ultimately failed to reach Detective Sparrow Hamilton in time. He seemed to have passed away on the morning of the day we met; it is truly a pity..."

The next things were very simple. The two searched the nearby rooms, and the psychologist used the methods of a Ringed Shushi to lift the hallucinations brought by that Poet-level 【Relic】, found the place where all the corpses and remains were piled up, and confirmed that they had not found the wrong murderer.

Afterward, after Xia De refused to kill, the doctor killed Baid Morode directly in his dream. This process took only one second in Xia De's eyes.

After doing this, they left together. When the doctor visited Xia De in the morning, he had written an anonymous letter and delivered it to the Ridgewich Yard in Tobesk City, which is the Tobesk City Police Department, through special channels at noon. Soon, the police would discover this place, thereby attracting the attention of the Orthodox Churches.

"This area belongs to the jurisdiction of that Sun God's Church. They act very quickly, so we must leave quickly."

When boarding the carriage waiting for the two, the doctor was still joking. But Xia De was not in the mood to talk. Although the outsider had no attachments here, after witnessing the bloody scene, he inevitably felt uncomfortable.

This made him deeply realize the cruelty and strangeness of this world.

They returned to the city together and had a meal at a goose restaurant in the East District of Tobesk City. Of course, it was also the doctor's treat. It's just that Xia De didn't eat much; the scene he saw on the second floor of the sanatorium would probably haunt him for a long time.

Afterward, they arrived at the doctor's psychological clinic, which was located on Röntgen Avenue in the East District of Tobesk City, which is the wealthy area. Although it was not as prosperous as the city center like St. Deran Square, the neighborhood was very beautiful.

To the left and right of Bill Shi Nai De's psychological clinic were an antique shop and a high-end tobacco shop. The psychological clinic was divided into three floors; the first two floors were the clinic, and the third floor was where the doctor himself lived.

The clinic was very large. Besides Mr. Bill Shi Nai De himself, there were five doctors he hired to sit in the clinic. Besides that, there were receptionists, cleaners, Miss Tea, etc., which was quite formal.

The doctor invited Xia De to his second-floor reception room, which was the consultation room used only for important patients, to rest. Only after the servant brought tea could the topic continue.

Compared to the reception room, this place was more like a study. On the curved wall were dark brown bookshelves filled with leather-bound books. A grand desk stood on a red carpet; just by looking at the fountain pen on the pen holder, one could know the owner's financial resources.

The combination of the sofa and coffee table was not as formal as the detective agency, but the family-style tea set could make visiting guests relax and reveal their worries and secrets.

"How do you feel about this trip?"

The doctor asked naturally, leaning on the single leather sofa, his right hand propped on the sofa armrest, his fingers on his chin.

And Xia De was sitting on a fabric sofa, which was the sofa usually used by Dr. Shi Nai De's "patients."

"Thank you very much."

"For the sake of helping you solve the hidden danger?"

"Yes."

Xia De said, but the worries in his heart did not decrease.

This trip was just to avenge Detective Sparrow, and this also showed that Sparrow's death was due to a detective commission and did not involve the task he had entrusted to Xia De. In other words, Xia De still did not know what other secrets Sparrow Hamilton had.

The current guess was that Sparrow Hamilton had a mysterious identity other than being a detective, but because he encountered an accident in a detective case, he had to find someone to temporarily replace him. But that mysterious identity was likely unrelated to the supernatural, otherwise, the detective wouldn't have known about his death in advance but had no way to save himself.

Of course, there was no need to explain this to Mr. Bill Shi Nai De. Although the morning trip made Xia De basically trust the other party, he had not completely let go of all his vigilance. ===== CHAPTER 16 =====