Arcadia's Lucky Brooch

"Ah, are you that big brother from last time?"

Ashley poked her little head out curiously. She had secretly peeked through the crack in the window last time—no wonder his figure had seemed familiar!

"Yes, I'm Li Si. What's your name?"

"My name is Ashley."

Just as Ashley finished saying her name, Old Jack's rough voice cut her off.

"Done buying? If you are, get out already! Don't hold up my business!"

Li Si glanced at the general store, which had no customers besides himself, and shrugged. It seemed Old Jack did not want him getting too close to Ashley right now.

But never mind. There was no rush. There would be plenty of opportunities.

Li Si smiled at Ashley in greeting, then took the items he had just acquired and walked out of the cramped, dim little house.

After Li Si and Welf had both stepped outside, Old Jack slammed the door shut with a bang. Turning back, he gently reminded Ashley:

"If strangers ask you questions in the future, don't tell them everything, understand?"

"Okay~"

Ashley nodded obediently. That big brother did not look like a bad person. He was much better-looking than those fierce-looking people who often came to Uncle Jack's shop.

Old Jack looked at Ashley, lowered his head in thought for a while, and finally made up his mind.

The first time he had seen Ashley, who lived across the hall, and sensed her extraordinary affinity with the Shadow Plane, he had known this little girl was a natural-born assassin.

Recently, Old Jack had been hesitating over whether to formally take Ashley as his disciple.

After all, becoming a true assassin meant facing grueling, cruel training, deadly battles on the edge of a blade, and hands stained with blood. None of that could be avoided.

Old Jack could not bear to make such an innocent, adorable little girl face those things.

After all, he had no children of his own. He had already been raising Ashley as his goddaughter.

But Ashley's interaction with Li Si had made Old Jack realize that he could not protect her for her entire life. Sooner or later, she would have to meet people herself and face the storms outside.

Forget it. He should let her make the choice herself.

Old Jack looked at Ashley with a solemn, serious expression and asked:

"Ashley, do you want to become an assassin?"

"Uncle Jack, what's an assassin?"

"It's a profession like a warrior or mage. I'm an assassin myself."

Ashley's eyes lit up. "Like those important people in the stories who defeat evil dragons and protect everyone?"

"That's right."

Old Jack hesitated before answering. Power itself had no good or evil; whether it was used for evil or good depended entirely on the person wielding it.

Ashley thought for a moment, then said softly yet firmly:

"I want to learn. Then I can protect Aunt Anna and Uncle Jack!"

Old Jack had not expected Ashley to answer like that. His somewhat fierce face blossomed like a chrysanthemum.

"Good. I'll speak with your Aunt Anna. From now on, come here every morning, and I'll teach you how to become an assassin!"

"Mhm, mhm."

Ashley's cute little head bobbed repeatedly, as though she feared Old Jack might change his mind.

Li Si did not know that his encounter with Ashley had prompted Old Jack to make up his mind and accept Ashley as his disciple ahead of time.

At that moment, he did not want to waste even a second. The moment he returned to the estate, he shut himself in the basement.

He took out the four-leaf clover brooch he had bought from Old Jack and examined it carefully in his hand.

Although the brooch was now covered in dust and utterly unremarkable, it would become a rather famous treasure among players in the future.

Secret Treasure: Arcadia's Lucky Brooch.

It was an extremely rare item capable of increasing a character's Luck.

A game character's initial Luck ranged from three to seven points. Luck could not be increased by leveling up, and very few talents or item effects could raise a player's Luck.

Luck was tied to how fortunate a player was in the game—for instance, the drop rate of equipment when killing monsters. More importantly, certain special environments or skill checks required a certain level of Luck.

Opening treasure chests, the critical hit rate of special skills, and so on.

But Li Si had discovered that his Luck was a pitiful three points, so he immediately thought of this secret treasure.

This brooch contained the power of the legendary, fallen God of Fate Alan Bell. It had not reached the level of a divine artifact and was merely a special secret treasure.

The reason it looked so dusty and unremarkable now was that the power within it was still dormant, and its special qualities had not yet been revealed.

Naturally, Li Si knew how to awaken this secret treasure. All it needed was the stimulation and guidance of power on the same level.

Taking out a small vial of clear liquid that emitted a gentle white glow, Li Si grinned, feeling a little pained.

This was High-level Holy Water he had bought from the Dawn Church along the way. A tiny vial cost a hundred Gold Coins—an outrageous profit margin.

But he had no choice but to buy it. This was already the cheapest item containing divine power that Li Si could purchase. Although it only contained the tiniest trace, lower-grade holy water held nothing but the aura of divine power.

Li Si placed the four-leaf clover brooch on the table and carefully dripped the small vial of holy water onto it.

At first, nothing happened. Then, the holy water on the brooch abruptly began to boil, and an almost imperceptible ripple spread outward.

Joyce, the butler resting on the second floor of the estate, frowned. With a clench of his right hand, the invisible ripple spreading from the brooch was confined within the estate.

"What is the young master doing again? First it was the blessing of an elven God, and now whose divine power is this?"

Joyce found it somewhat strange. Ever since becoming an Arcanist, the young master had grown increasingly different.

But Joyce had secretly examined him and found no problems with Li Si's soul or body.

Forget it. It was good that he could stir things up. What strong person had ever suddenly become powerful without making a sound?

Joyce shook his head and stopped worrying about it.

Li Si, in the basement, did not know that his butler had concealed the ripple of divine power for him. He was intently observing the changes in the brooch.

As though a seal had been stripped away, the gray coating on the brooch gradually flaked off, revealing its silvery-white base.

A few minutes later, the transformation finally stopped. A brand-new silvery-white four-leaf clover brooch appeared before Li Si.

Li Si held the brooch in his hand and opened the system panel to inspect the effects of this secret treasure.

[Secret Treasure: Arcadia's Lucky Brooch]

[Description: A treasure bestowed by the God of Fate Alan Bell upon his favored one, Arcadia. Legend says it can bring good fortune to its owner, but fate is unpredictable, and misfortune always seems to follow.]

[Effect: Luck +3. Once per month, you may enter the Lucky One State. All checks involving Luck will automatically succeed. Duration: 5 seconds. Afterwards, you will enter the Unlucky One State for three days.]

[You have come into contact with the great power of Gods.]

[Your analysis progress of divine power: 3%]

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