Pain

"Your Queen, I wish to obtain Beyonder Item from the Spectator Pathway."

Luther spoke up.

Are you seeking treatment for your mental state?

The Queen asked directly.

She was more perceptive than Luther had imagined, and directly voiced Luther's thoughts.

His intentions were immediately seen through, and Luther didn't know how to respond.

"Don't worry, it's normal for your mental state to be unstable on this Pathway."

The Queen chuckled softly. "After all, there's an evil god above you, constantly influencing you. Don't worry, I do have Beyonder Item here that can meet your needs. Normal people on the Pathway of the Secrets Suppliant are very rare, and I'm willing to offer some assistance."

Having said that, an Invisible Servant nearby floated up and went to the back. Soon, it returned carrying a box.

Upon opening the box, one finds a Mirror set in a gold frame. The pattern on the frame's surface resembles scales, layered upon layered, shimmering with light.

"The Suggestor Mirror: simply touch its surface, and a vertically shaped eye will appear within it. This eye can Hypnosis and suggest; for you, all you need to do is tell it to heal your mental state."

"The side effect of this item is that it cannot be used too frequently, otherwise the Mirror will slowly control you and make you its slave."

The owner of the black leather boots said, her legs under the tiered skirt lifting and crossing again, shifting the leg underneath, "I don't know the extent of your mental distress, so I can't be sure if this Mirror can cure it, but it's the best option under 3500 pounds."

"Thank you very much, Your Queen."

Luther took the Mirror, and after confirming with his Spiritual Intuition that there was nothing wrong with it, he put it away, placed it in a box, and sealed it with Wall of Spirituality, intending to take it back to try it out.

His request was fulfilled, but Sophia hadn't returned yet. The two remained facing each other, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Fortunately, at this moment, the Queen on the Throne spoke again.

"Actually, I have another Beyonder Item here that would be perfect for you."

"It comes from a 'Demoness of Affliction' who died in a bizarre incident:... that is, an Beyonder corresponding to Sequence 5."

Luther was taken aback.

Sequence 6 Beyonder Characteristic costs 3000 pounds. Reaching Sequence 5 usually results in a significant leap in ability, so the price will likely increase accordingly. I only have 3500 pounds; I probably can't afford it, right?

But since she's already spoken, I'll just listen for now.

"Its name is 'Pain,' and it's a dagger. It has two main abilities. One is Disease Aura, which can create various pathogens around the wielder's body, effective within a forty-meter radius. The wielder can control the direction of the pathogens' spread and simultaneously gain immunity to the diseases. Targets infected with the pathogens will experience mild symptoms within ten seconds, develop very severe symptoms within a minute, and completely lose their ability to resist within two or three minutes."

"The second ability is called Charm Aura. Also within a forty-meter range, enemies will be irresistibly drawn to you, reluctant to harm you, and more easily persuaded by your words... Again, the longer it lasts, the more effective it becomes, but the specific effect will depend on the target's personal preferences and your appearance."

Very powerful; no wonder it's Sequence 5 Beyonder Item.

Luther thought to himself.

He recalled that the Red Rose Ring that Ms. M possessed could bring illness to people, which might be because Grazing a Demoness of Affliction.

However, at that time, that ability was suppressed by Grade 1 Sealed Artifact and did not show much power.

Moreover, his own face, and I'm not bragging, is actually quite good-looking; that Charm Aura should be effective.

At this moment, he noticed that the Queen was not yet finished speaking.

"In addition, it has an extremely powerful special use called the Pain Curse."

"The target must be within forty meters. The wielder smears their own blood across the surface of the dagger. After this, the wielder will develop a very strong connection with everyone within that range."

What connection?

Luther frowned and asked.

"The connection is that when the wielder uses this dagger to harm themselves, that pain is simultaneously felt by everyone within the aura, as if they too were harmed," the Queen murmured, uttering these profound words.

"If it were just the 'Demoness of Affliction' Characteristic, it wouldn't be able to achieve this level. I suspect it also incorporates abilities from other Characteristic..."

The Queen analyzed.

Luther sensed something was increasingly wrong.

Isn't this just encouraging self-harm?

"... What if, in that situation, you pierced your own heart?"

He asked tentatively.

"Everyone within the halo will experience excruciating pain equivalent to having their heart pierced... which could potentially lead to cardiac arrest and death."

The Queen answered calmly.

Luther remained silent.

A Beyonder Item that is perfectly suited to me.

Even disregarding the two already useful auras, the final Pain Curse alone, which can unconditionally attack the entire party, is attractive enough. Especially considering that Luther himself possesses powerful healing abilities, ordinary self-harm has little effect on him.

What about its negative effects?

"The negative effect is that the holder will accumulate pain over time; he will feel pain as if a knife is cutting his flesh every moment, and he will have to prick himself with it once a day."

"Furthermore, the holder's charisma can cause fanaticism among those around them, and the longer they are around, the more dangerous it becomes, eventually leading to extreme, obsessive thoughts of possessing you. Only by periodically letting go can this be alleviated... but the accumulated goodwill will not easily disappear."

"Furthermore, the holder's personality will also be affected, becoming increasingly cold-hearted as the moon reaches its fullest. On the night of the full moon, a strong craving for human blood will arise, which will also need to be relieved by releasing it."

"It is especially important to note that it must never be used during Crimson Moon. Its previous owner likely died because it was used during Crimson Moon, and suffered an unknown and terrible Curse."

The Queen slowly concluded her explanation. It's worth mentioning that Crimson Moon is a special astronomical phenomenon, referring to a crimson Moon suddenly turning red. Basically, this phenomenon has no discernible pattern.

In the realm of mysticism, some believe that the Crimson Moon brings greater mystery and makes various Ritual more likely to succeed.

... it doesn't seem like it's unbearable.

Luther thought to himself.

What might be painful, dangerous items and side effects for an ordinary extraordinary person is not the case for Luther.

It was just a small knife cutting through the flesh; he was used to it when performing various Ritual, and stabbing himself was nothing to him.

As for allure and personality, the former can be avoided by changing one's appearance, and the latter can be addressed by paying more attention in daily life; at worst, one can simply refrain from using it when the Moon is almost full.

The only problem is...

"Your Queen, at what price do you intend to sell it?"

Hurry up and tell me a price so I can give up.

"The Main Ingredient for Sequence 5 is worth at least 8,000 pounds, and even more for Beyonder Item, with 10,000 pounds being the norm."

£10,000?

Luther was speechless.

Good heavens, I only had a few hundred items on me, and even after selling the manuscript, I only got three thousand five hundred pounds. Yet a Sequence 5 Beyonder Item is asking for 10,000!

Pounds! Of course, it's definitely worth that price.

"I don't have that much money."

Luther said frankly.

Although she didn't know why the Queen would offer such an item to tempt her, and although this item was very suitable for Rose Bishop, especially Luther, whose recovery ability was even stronger than that of ordinary Rose Bishop.

"Since you've helped me, this Beyonder Item can be discounted to £8,000."

The Queen's Way.

That's still too expensive.

Luther thought to himself, then smiled and shook his head.

"Or, I have a request here; if you can help resolve it, I can send it to you directly."

The Queen abruptly changed the subject and said this.

It's here!

I knew it; she wouldn't simply throw out something I couldn't afford. There must be a reason; she was deliberately using it as bait!

Luther's heart stirred with excitement, but he maintained his composure on the surface, asking calmly, "What do you want me to do?"

"I came to Backlund to stop a Catastrophe that is about to occur here. I don't yet know where this Catastrophe originated or who started it."

"The only clue I've found so far is that this Catastrophe might be related to a human trafficking case..."

1

"That's what the Queen said."

Um?

Upon hearing about the human trafficking case, Luther's pupils constricted slightly.