A roadside ambush
"The transformation itself isn't scary; what's scary is the duration. The first transformation only lasts for half an hour, the second for an hour, and then two hours, four hours, eight hours, and sixteen hours."
"Once this transformation lasts for more than twenty-four hours, which is one day, the person can no longer transform back and will be completely transformed into a giant bear."
Kronos hadn't expected the negative effects to be so significant. Therefore, the same person could only use these Earth War Boots six times; after the seventh use, they would completely transform into a bear.
"And what happens after you turn into a bear? Can you use it without restrictions?" Kronos suddenly asked.
As a Marquis, keeping a bear assassin is not a big problem; right now, there are people in the Argel Family who would be willing to do so.
This person hadn't expected Kronos to ask such a question, but didn't hide anything, replying, "To become a bear, not to transform into a bear form. At that point, this person will be a bear, with the body and Consciousness of a bear."
You mean his memories and thoughts will be erased?
"I don't know about that, since I haven't tried it myself, but that's what the Appraiser I consulted said."
Kronos nodded. This thing was indeed good, but the negative effects were a bit too much. But that wasn't a big problem; they could just switch to another one after using it a few times.
If this were in the hands of the church, with a Legion of people taking turns using it, it would surely maximize their profits.
But keeping it in your own family isn't bad either. After all, you're not the only one in your family. When you can't use it anymore, you can put it in the Storeroom and save it for the next person who is destined to have it.
So Kronos said, "I think we can exchange them. I see you're quite satisfied with the Hat of Order. What do you think?"
The man considered it for a moment, then said, "Okay, but I would like to receive five hundred pounds in compensation."
Actually, this request is a bit excessive. His Sealed Artifact has excellent abilities, but its negative effects would greatly reduce its value, which is why he is willing to exchange it.
Actually, this is a perfect opportunity. The Disciplinary Paladin's Potion Formula and the Hat of Order can be traded for the Earth War Boots, so neither party loses out. However, it costs a bit too much money.
Kronos bluntly stated, "You think I have a lot of money, so you're trying to extort money from me?"
Before the man could explain, he continued, "I'll give you another hundred pounds; that's the limit I can accept. If you don't agree, then take your things back."
After he finished speaking, Kronos handed him the boots he was holding.
This person probably knew that his request was a bit far-fetched, so he immediately agreed and even pushed his boots towards Kronos.
Having agreed, Kronos didn't say anything more, but instead took out one hundred pounds in cash and handed it to him.
"How do you plan to acquire the Potion Formula? I'll write it down for you here. Do you need to draw up a contract with them?" Kronos asked in quick succession.
The person said, "Of course a contract is necessary. Otherwise, how about we wait until after the Exchange Gathering to have them sign the contract? What do you think?"
Kronos had no reason to object, so he took back the banknotes and returned the Earth War Boots. "Let's keep those ourselves and trade them later."
When the two returned to the Exchange Gathering, the next person's transaction was nearing its end. Fortunately, Kronos wasn't interested in the item, or they would have almost missed out.
The subsequent transactions were not conducted by Kronos, as Kronos had already gained a great deal from the Exchange Gathering and did not seek to purchase anything further.
After the Exchange Gathering ended, the woods fell silent, indicating that the Fence Association nearing its end.
The Exchange Gathering have ended much earlier, but the trading of Demigod bones today took some time, and the number of transactions was indeed higher than usual, so it was slightly delayed.
Because a transaction was still to be conducted, Kronos remained seated, waiting for the others to leave.
After everyone else left, only Kronos, the person who made the deal, and the new host remained in the shed.
"It seems you two need me?" the host asked.
The other person spoke first, "Yes, we want to trade Potion Formula, and we need you to draw up a contract."
The host chuckled, "That's easy. Since there are many people trading Potion Formula, we have standardized contracts. Everyone just needs to sign one."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper and the gold cross from before.
He simply checked the paper, then handed it to the man. The man glanced at it, wrote a few words on the contract, and handed it back to Kronos.
Kronos also looked at the contract in front of him. He had read some law books and learned some knowledge, and he didn't see any traps. So Kronos signed it directly.
After they signed, the host bowed to the two of them and then turned and left.
Kronos took out the Hat of Order he had just retrieved, a hundred-pound note, and the Potion Formula he had just written, and handed them directly to the trader.
This trader also knew the Rules; instead of reaching out to take it directly, he took out the pair of Earth War Boots and handed them over.
Kronos smiled, accepted the Earth War Boots, and then handed over what he was holding.
"Happy transaction!" The man said to Kronos after taking the item, then disappeared into the Evernight.
Kronos had gotten quite a few things he wanted today and was in a good mood, but he hadn't forgotten that there was someone watching him.
After observing his surroundings with his Eyes of Mystery Prying and finding nothing unusual, Kronos immediately put on his Earth War Boots, disregarding any negative effects, as the impending battle was the most critical issue.
Then Kronos walked out of the Woods, passing by the place where the Fence Association had just taken Pathway. Almost everyone had left, leaving only a few Mask staff members cleaning up the scene.
Seeing Kronos leave, they politely bowed to Kronos.
Once Kronos was out of sight, one of them dropped what he was doing and secretly followed in the direction Kronos had gone, crushing a Badge in his hand.
After leaving the Woods, Kronos headed towards the town. Although it wasn't too far, it was still three to five kilometers away, and it would take him a while to walk there.
After traveling about halfway, Kronos saw four people standing in front of him.
All four wore Mask, but Kronos's Eyes of Mystery Prying could distinguish them by their different Beyonder Ability.
Kronos pointed at a man and asked, "Aren't you the one who tried to steal from me in the woods but later took me to the Exchange Gathering?"
Before he could answer, he pointed to another person and said, "You're one of those people from the Exchange Gathering just now. I recognize you. Are you his informant?"
"And then it's you. You were the host of that Exchange Gathering just now? You and he weren't together, were you?" Kronos asked one of them, but this time he gave them a chance to answer.
The first person laughed loudly, "We have to thank you for this! If you hadn't angered him, he wouldn't have come to our aid. Now, there's a Sequence 5 and us, who are all Sequence 6. What can you do?"
The four of them heard a very clear exhale, and then Kronos asked in surprise, "Just one Sequence 5, three Sequence 6, oh, and the Sequence 6 following behind, just the few of you came to ambush me?"
As if he had heard something hilarious, Kronos burst into laughter.
"Shouldn't the Hermits of Fate be very cautious in his actions? After hiding from so many people for so many years, how come there are a few of you who act so recklessly? You dare to make a move without even understanding the situation?"
Upon hearing the name "Hermits of Fate," apart from the two hosts, no one else, including those who followed, reacted.
"These three aren't from your organization? Aren't you afraid they're being Parasitism? You're just acting so recklessly?"
Kronos was still somewhat hesitant and never mentioned Amon's name.
"Make your move!" Clearly sensing something was wrong, the host of the Exchange Gathering gave the order.
The others didn't hesitate either, and each brought out their best skills.
Meanwhile, Kronos was prepared. He activated a Sequence 5 Decree Scroll and said, "Theft is forbidden here."
The first thing they did was disable the ability to steal. They had too many good items on them, and if someone stole them, it would really turn the tables on them.
Then, facing the person who charged the fastest, Kronos drew his Bright Light War Blade and unleashed Blade Light Storm without hesitation.
Countless flashing blades slashed towards him, but this person was a Darkness Pathway Soul Assurer. The combat power of this Pathway is indeed not very good in the early stages, and it relies purely on speed to make up for its combat power.
So he simply did a side roll, dodging the blade that was slashing at him from the front.
He escaped unscathed, but those behind him suffered the consequences; behind him were the two hosts and the informants from that Exchange Gathering.
The two hosts are the Dream Stealer and the Fire Thief of the Error Pathway, while the informant is the Hypnotist of the Visionary Pathway, who is the one seeking to purchase the Adult Mind Dragon.
In the early stages, the combat power of these two Sequence was demonstrated through Beyonder Ability. However, with the ability to steal prohibited, how can Hypnotist use their abilities to block sword strikes? They can't exactly Hypnosis the sword strikes to prevent them from hitting them, can they?
As a result, all three were immediately cut down. The Fire Thief was knocked unconscious, the Dream Stealer was Sequence 5 and had better physical abilities, and the Hypnotist activated his Dragon Scales to block some of the damage, so the other two were relatively unharmed.
However, seeing that Kronos's combat power seemed a bit high, the two of them started to have second thoughts, so they made the same decision at the same time: to lie on the ground and pretend to be unconscious.