Relic Levels

Even from half a room away, Shade could sense the danger of the object in the sleeping young man's hand. It was as though that box was utterly incompatible with this world, carrying an aura that could bring decay to all things. This was a relic. Having seen one this time, Shade believed he would never mistake one again.

The doctor examined the room and continued:

"Relics can be tangible objects, but they can also be events, or even merely a piece of information or a single sentence. The Orthodox Church has established a classification system for relics, one recognized and accepted by the Academy as well. There are five levels—

Poet Level (Level 5): Their information may even be sung by poets, though it will only be taken for street gossip or legendary tales. The standard reference item is Poet Cohen's Manuscript;

Document Level (Level 4): Information concerning such relics must be recorded in detail and sealed away. The information may exist only on paper and must not spread easily. The standard reference item is Unknown Person's Thesis;

Keeper of Secrets Level (Level 3): Strictly trained Keepers of Secrets specialize in safeguarding information about a particular relic. Unless under special circumstances, such items must be contained and used with strict caution. The standard reference item is Secret Keeper's Eye;

Sage Level (Level 2): Only great sages may know their information and containment status. Once an uncontained item of this type is discovered, the Academy and the Orthodox Church must immediately notify each other according to the agreement. The standard reference item is Philosopher's Stone;

Angel Level (Level 1): Extremely dangerous. The descent of an evil god and the loss of control of an Angel Level Relic are generally considered events of the same level. I am only a fifth-year Correspondence Student. I will not learn the characteristics and containment methods of such items until the next year. The standard reference item is Evil Angel's Heart."

"What is a standard reference item?"

Shade asked.

"A standard reference item is the benchmark used to classify relics. Once the danger level exceeds that of the standard reference item, it immediately enters the next level."

Shade nodded in understanding. But since even the highest Angel Level had a standard reference item, that seemed to imply—

He did not ask, because Doctor Schneider most likely did not know either.

Then he continued in a low voice. Since he had been holding his breath, his voice sounded somewhat muffled:

"So, what we faced this time was...?"

"A Poet Level relic, Level 5. I have already identified it: the Life Countdown Pocket Watch.

"Yes, the thing inside that box over there. Even he did not dare touch it directly. By offering flesh, the pocket watch allows its holder to turn it within a certain range. Point the face of the watch at any Life Form, and depending on the angle of rotation, it applies a life countdown status to the targeted Life Form. The shorter the countdown, the more flesh is required. That is why Sparrow Hamilton had so much time."

The doctor had Shade wait by the door while he stepped through the bloody sludge on the floor and entered the room, taking the box containing the relic. Only after returning to Shade's side did he open it. Before doing so, he told Shade to concentrate and not let the relic's power affect him.

As the box opened in the doctor's hands, an even stronger stench of blood rushed out. It was actually filled with Blood Water.

After pouring out the Blood Water, the silver pocket watch fell into Doctor Schneider's hand.

The doctor did not open the watch's cover, so Shade could only see that both sides of it were engraved with ferocious skulls. A ring of runic writing surrounded the cover. He had never seen it before, yet Shade decoded it once again, confirming that he truly could understand all writing in this foreign world:

The price of life is the mystery of flesh.

At that moment, he could actually taste blood in his mouth, as if he had just bitten into raw meat. Shade really began to retch this time. Fortunately, he had not eaten breakfast and had nothing to throw up. The doctor promptly put the pocket watch back into its box and placed it in the Suitcase he carried with him.

"This is what killed Detective Sparrow?"

Only after quite some time did Shade recover enough to mutter those words. The detective had, after all, taken the original owner away from his life as a vagrant and left him his entire inheritance. Shade was also glad that he could avenge him.

"Yes, this is it. People under the countdown status know the limit of their lives, but they cannot reveal it to anyone, or they will immediately die a violent death. But although this relic was born in the Fifth Epoch and is very dangerous to ordinary people, Ring Arcanists have plenty of ways to remove its effects. That is why it is merely the lowest-level Poet Level relic.

"The life countdown effect is countered by many miracles and Enlightenment Elements, so its danger level is not high. It can only be considered an ordinary Poet Level relic. Unfortunately, Mr. Sparrow Hamilton was only an ordinary man."

Doctor Schneider shook his head regretfully:

"Actually, I had been tracking this relic for several months. That is why I was able to learn about your circumstances in just one night. But there were too many victims. Although I saved several people, I ultimately failed to encounter Detective Sparrow Hamilton in time. It seems he died on the morning of the day we met. What a pity."

What followed was quite simple. The two searched the nearby rooms, and the psychiatrist used Ring Arcanist methods to dispel the illusions caused by the Poet Level relic. They found every place where the remains of corpses had been piled up and confirmed that they had not found the wrong culprit.

Then, after Shade refused to kill anyone, the doctor directly killed Baird Morode from within the dream. The entire process took only a second in Shade's eyes.

Once that was done, they left together. When the doctor visited Shade that morning, he had already written an anonymous letter and arranged for it to be delivered through a special channel to Ridgewich Field in Tobesk City at noon—the Tobesk City Police Department. Before long, the police would discover this place, drawing the attention of the Orthodox Church.

"This area falls under the jurisdiction of that Sun God's Church. They act quickly, so we should leave soon."

The doctor was still joking as they boarded the carriage waiting for them. But Shade was not in the mood to speak. Though the Outlander had no attachments here, witnessing such a bloody scene had inevitably left him feeling uneasy.

It made him keenly realize just how cruel and bizarre this world was.

They returned to the city together and ate at the Goose Restaurant in Tobesk City's East District. Naturally, the doctor paid. Shade did not eat much, however. The sight he had seen on the second floor of the sanatorium would probably trouble him for a long time.

They then arrived at the doctor's psychological clinic, located on Röntgen Avenue in Tobesk City's East District, the wealthy quarter. Though it was not as bustling as the city center around Saint Derain Square, the neighborhood was beautiful.

Bill Schneider's psychological clinic was flanked by an antique shop and an upscale tobacco shop. The clinic had three floors: the first two were for the clinic, while the third was Doctor Schneider's residence.

The clinic was quite large. Besides Bill Schneider himself, there were five doctors he employed to see patients, as well as receptionists, cleaners, tea ladies, and others. It was very professional.

The doctor invited Shade to rest in his second-floor Reception Room, a consulting room used only by important patients. Only after a servant brought tea did they continue their conversation.

Compared to a Reception Room, this place resembled a study more. The curved walls were lined with dark brown bookshelves stuffed with leather-bound books. An imposing desk stood on the red carpet; merely the fountain pens on its stand showed the owner's wealth.

The sofa and Tea Table arrangement was not as formal as that of the Detective Agency, but the home-style tea set did much to relax visiting guests and encourage them to reveal their worries and secrets.

"How did this trip feel?"

The doctor asked casually, leaning against the single leather sofa with his right arm propped on its armrest and his fingers resting against his chin.

Shade, meanwhile, sat on a fabric Long Sofa, the sort of sofa Doctor Schneider's "patients" usually used.

"Thank you very much."

"For helping you deal with that hidden danger?"

"Yes."

Shade said, but the troubles in his heart had not lessened.

This outing had only been to avenge Detective Sparrow, which also showed that Sparrow's death had been caused by a detective commission and had nothing to do with the task he had entrusted to Shade. In other words, Shade still did not know what other secret Sparrow Hamilton had been hiding.

The current guess was that Sparrow Hamilton had a mysterious identity beyond being a detective, but after encountering an accident during a detective case, he had no choice but to find someone to temporarily take his place. Yet that secret identity was most likely unrelated to the supernatural. Otherwise, the detective would not have known of his death in advance while being completely unable to save himself.

Of course, there was no need to tell Bill Schneider about this. Though their morning outing had made Shade basically trust him, he had not completely let down all his guard.

PS: Happy May Day, everyone! Please vote at the beginning of the month. The author has plenty of chapters saved up and will add at least ten extra chapters upon release. The setting regarding gods in the previous chapter has been revised: all evil gods are classified as Old Gods.

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