Then I'm Truly Sorry

Chapter Ten: Well, I'm truly sorry then.

Regarding profession quests, Linton was certainly aware of them.

This was a unique mechanism for hidden professions, only triggerable under specific circumstances.

For example, the Swordsman's hidden transfer, the Blood Demon God of the Empire, required one to touch upon bloodthirsty, berserk power at the brink of life and death; the Mage's hidden profession, the Demonic Scholar, demanded painstaking research, using various elements to create an entirely new magical art.

Although the process was difficult, these skills were all absolutely overpowered, breaking through the ceiling of numerical limitations.

In his previous life, Linton had exhausted all his efforts to obtain a hidden profession, and the task of finding the trigger method for this stranger's hidden skill quest had left him mentally and physically drained.

Finally, a quest popped up. But as soon as he finished it, before he could even enjoy it a couple of times, he was forced to switch professions.

"My luck is so good this time, it's probably guaranteed."

Linton casually grumbled, then observed Iris, whom the game system referred to as a "Perfect Creation."

She was a very beautiful girl.

Even though her golden hair was no longer dazzling and her skin had lost its color, the concept of "beauty" seemed permanently etched onto her.

"Puppet is a fitting description for her."

After observing her for a moment, Linton withdrew his gaze and began preparing to create the puppet.

Upon witnessing his innate skills during the early stages of his transmigration, Linton had started preparing the materials needed to create a puppet. However, due to insufficient combat power and his unwillingness to dig up people's ancestral graves, he hadn't been able to collect many high-level materials. But this difficulty was no longer an issue.

Perfect meant no other impurities were allowed to intervene.

Taking a deep breath, Linton spread his arms again, relaxed his body, and allowed an unknown power to lift him, suspending him above the ground.

[Necromancy Art: Puppet Creation]

The next second, pure darkness flowed slowly from beneath his feet, spreading outwards. Suddenly, it surged up, connecting with each other to form countless dark chains, swallowing the light of the magic luminous pearls on the wall. Some of them nimbly drilled into Iris's body from the top of her skull, then spread to every piece of her exposed fair skin, transforming into tattoos, or perhaps some kind of deep and mysterious runes.

The remaining chains intertwined around Iris's body layer by layer, forming a complex and eerie formation. Then, they transformed into a pool of dark water, seeping into the ground, seemingly attempting to establish a special connection with some abyss. With every tremor, the runes on Iris's body would glow a bit brighter, flickering like fireflies on a summer night in the dark space where even moonlight could not penetrate.

The dark world seemed to have no concept of time. Linton didn't know how long this forbidden ritual had taken until, at one point, he felt as if his soul was bound to someone else's with a soft, thin thread. Only then did he finish his chant and slowly open his eyes.

[Puppet Iris (Epic)]

"Why only Epic?"

Linton frowned slightly.

Although it was his first time, he felt that his skill release had been perfect. Compared to those who couldn't find the right method, he had already given his all.

"Did I miss something?"

After rereading the skill and quest descriptions, Linton couldn't find any explanation.

Could the profession quest he had finally triggered be stuck here for who knows how long?

"Perfect puppet, perfect puppet..."

Just as Linton was repeatedly chewing on these words, the girl he had summoned gently floated down the stairs.

Linton looked at her, and a flash of realization suddenly struck him.

He quickly mobilized an enormous amount of brain cells, more than he had ever used for math problems, and successfully grasped it.

"A puppet, a puppet that can have emotional interaction is called a person, not this hollow marionette."

"What is his identity?"

As Covai slowly ascended the stairs, various thoughts swirled in his mind. Ultimately, they all circled back to his initial idea.

"All other situations seem unrealistic; only people from the church fit the description most accurately."

Covai was very familiar with the term "Offering Gold."

The Kingdom of Blossoms was a country with gods; this was a tangible fact.

Therefore, most of the people in this land, whenever they experienced any emotion that brought them joy, would offer praise and express their gratitude to the Lord of Blossoms.

Words were a form of gratitude, and offering money to the church that worshipped the Lord of Blossoms was also a form of gratitude.

This was Offering Gold.

However, this term was not commonly used by ordinary people, which was why Covai instinctively thought the Man in Black came from the church.

Furthermore, when he was chasing Hailan before, he had gone to the town's church with her to pray. The priest he saw was dressed in a simple, black, standard-issue long robe. The person downstairs, compared to him, only had a hood, which could be explained as a difference in uniform style.

Covai then recalled that Hom had mentioned that the person could guide Iris's path forward in the Knights Order. And the church and the Knights Order were originally of the same lineage, both established by the Lord of Blossoms. The only difference was that one advocated spreading His gospel, while the other was responsible for protecting the kingdom He created. They were inseparable.

With so much information, Covai was almost certain of his identity.

"He must be someone from the church, and a high-ranking one at that!" Covai thought, then temporarily abandoned the latter part, "Not necessarily. With Hom's brain, he might have been fooled by a junior priest's few words."

However, this thought was dismissed when he saw the neatly organized packages placed on Hom's study desk.

"My heavens! So much cash, and a large amount of jewelry, even several plots of land! This adds up to almost four-fifths of Lizer's family's assets. Converted into gold coins, it must be at least a million!"

"And if I remember correctly, the owners of these things should all be Hailan. Does he think he can just use them because he's her husband? Foolish!!"

Covai took a slight breath.

"However, to make that idiot Hom bring out so many assets, he must have revealed something special. Otherwise, even a common pig wouldn't sell its home for a promise regarding its daughter."

"Heh, assets you can't use, but I can. All I need to do is expose how you deceived Hom, have Hailan transfer these assets to me, and then give them to him. If I even add a little more, won't he become my backing?"

Covai felt his plan had great potential.

Since they were willing to accept personal Offering Gold, there was no reason they wouldn't accept more.

What's more, he promised not to care about his crimes, which meant he wasn't a righteous and lawful person. He wouldn't have any psychological barriers to taking in the killer of a dog as his own dog.

"Iris is dead, so be it. A new star that hasn't yet grown cannot compare to a giant tree that has already reached the sky."

"Then I truly apologize."

A somewhat familiar, clear and cold voice came from behind Covai, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar in an instant.