"Parasite"

After a brief moment of surprise, Lorry quickly realized the man's identity based on the Original Novel text, and hurriedly stood up awkwardly, sketching Crimson Moon on his chest:

"Ms. Arianna."

Arianna nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the mechanical ornaments in the office and the Triangular Sacred Emblem on the wall. She frowned slightly. "Aren't you Believer in Steam?"

"..." Lorry quickly explained with an embarrassed smile:

I believe in Goddess.

"I put these things here just to cover up my true beliefs," he coughed lightly, adding, "I'm a ' Swindler '."

Arianna nodded thoughtfully and did not continue the topic.

She spoke crisply and decisively:

"Given your contribution yesterday, you are eligible for some rewards."

A reward?! Lorry's heart skipped a beat, feeling like he had unexpectedly won the lottery.

His actions yesterday were partly to fulfill Miles's last wish, and partly to prevent Altair's conspiracy from succeeding and bringing Catastrophe to the innocent people of Backlund. He did not have the mentality of "I have paid such a high price, I must get a reward."

But if the benefits are offered to you, it would be foolish not to take them.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Lorry couldn't help but sincerely trace the Crimson Moon once more, and devoutly uttered, "Praise be to the Goddess!"

"Praise be to the Goddess." Arianna nodded in response.

Without a word, the abbot of the Evernight Cloister, a man of Ascetic origin, took a ring from his left hand and tossed it over.

After Lorry caught it steadily, she spoke in a calm tone:

Its name is "Parasite."

Parasite?!

Which Parasite?!

Is it the kind I imagined?!

Lorry felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Arianna nodded, seemingly responding to Lorry's gaze.

She continued her introduction:

"The Parasite" is Sequence 4 of the "Marauder" Pathway, which can Stealing the life of its target and Parasitism the target's body.

"It came from a Marauder Demigod to Parasitism the church's fighters, and was Purification under the Goddess's gaze."

"When you wear it, you can use the ability of ' Parasitism.' There are two types of ' Parasitism,' Shallow Level Parasitism and Deep-Level Parasitism, the specific differences of which will be directly imparted by it in the form of knowledge. Currently, there is only one ' Worm of Time ' left, which means you can only use ' Parasitism ' one more time."

If it doesn't meet your needs, you can replenish the number of "Worm of Time" yourself.

The specific method is:

"Gather Beyonder Characteristic from the ' Marauder's ' Pathway, concoct them into corresponding Potion, and then soak the ' Parasite ' ring within them."

At this point, Arianna glanced at several parts of Lorry's body.

This gave him the feeling that his trump cards had been exposed, because these hidden pockets were where he kept his Sealed Artifact.

"You should know that all Sealed Artifact have some degree of negative effects," Arianna said, averting her gaze.

Her tone remained calm and unwavering.

"When you wear it, you will inevitably develop kleptomania."

"It must commit a theft every 24 hours, otherwise it will Parasitism its master because its desires are not satisfied."

"In addition to that, it has an extra benefit."

Wearing the "Parasite" ring makes it easier to attract Beyonder, Beyonder Characteristic, and Sealed Artifact through the "Marauder" Pathway.

It was fine when I only listened to the beginning.

Lorry believes that "having to commit a theft every 24 hours" is not a particularly serious negative effect, and there are no requirements regarding difficulty or amount.

He could easily find a suitable target to strike.

Or, committing insignificant theft against unsuitable targets.

But the added benefit of "easily attracting Beyonder, Beyonder Characteristic, and Sealed Artifact through the ' Marauder ' Pathway" somewhat frightened him.

Attracting Beyonder whose strength is inferior to one's own is fine, as it can be considered as recharging the "Parasite." Lorry is more worried about are the high-ranking individuals in this Pathway.

For example, the malice Jacob Demigod from Backlund.

For example, Amon!

The former made Lorry hesitant to collect Beyonder Characteristic outside of MI9 in Backlund, fearing he might be used as bait.

As for the latter... Lorry knew that most of the Beyonder Characteristic of the "Marauder" Pathway in this world were in Amon's hands, in the form of His avatar.

He worried that if he wore the "Parasite" ring, he would run into a postman wearing a monocle or an animal with one eye bigger than the other whenever he went out.

"It seems you know quite a lot..." Arianna glanced at Lorry, her eyes showing slight surprise, as if she were somewhat taken aback.

Given the other party's Sequence, they shouldn't know certain ancient secrets.

But she did not ask, adding:

This Sealed Artifact possesses a "Concealment" power; otherwise, how could the successive members of the "Nighthawks" have dared to bring it outside?

Simply put, this perception is one-sided; no one else can detect the ring until the "Concealment" power is exhausted.

"Crushing it to restore its Beyonder Characteristic will destroy the ' Concealment ' power."

After speaking, Arianna nodded slightly and touched her chest with the Crimson Moon:

"Praise the Goddess."

She turned and took a step, disappearing completely.

Lady Arianna's last words seemed to be a reminder that if I used it to Advancement Demigod, I would then have to face Amon's threat alone...

But if they don't want me to use it for Advancement, why is it the reward in particular?

Speaking of which, Lady Arianna looks like she's on a mission... but given her status, there's probably only one being she can command...

Could it be that the one who truly rewarded me is the Evernight Goddess?!

No, perhaps it's not just a reward.

Lorry's thoughts were in turmoil, and he habitually asked for the opinion of "the Curse of Knowledge".

The White Bone Ring made a frowning expression:

"What are you talking about? Someone was here just now? Is this a lingering effect of overexerting your Spirituality yesterday, causing you to hallucinate?"

Was it kept Concealment...? Lorry exhaled forcefully and coughed:

"That might be true."

"Old Gentleman, do you have a way to find Albert?"

"Of course." The aged voice was full of confidence. "I've already sensed it; its approximate location is in that direction."

Lorry glanced at the direction the White Bone Ring was facing and frowned slightly.

That place... seems to be Empress Borough?

Is this simp secretly going to see his Goddess while he's at it?

Just then, he suddenly noticed that the corner where the dog food was kept seemed to have been disturbed. A certain possibility popped into his mind, and he couldn't help but show a strange expression.

"Never mind, I'll go look for it this evening."

In front of the "Curse of Knowledge," Lorry put the "Parasite" ring on his finger and, unsurprisingly, found that the other party did not react at all.

He found a comfortable position in his office chair and began to review his gains.