The claim that it originated from the Ghoul Cult, while causing some to waver, clearly failed to convince everyone.
Firstly, customers are unlikely to believe the stall owner that it came from the Ghoul Cult.
Secondly, most people only have a superficial understanding of the Ghoul Cult, and quite a few genuinely believe from the name that this Cult worships God of Ghouls, so their attitude naturally tends to be skeptical.
Isaac examined the ring closely. The intricate and complex patterns on the band reminded him, rather than the common vine designs, of... veins wrapped around the metal surface.
However, based on his current knowledge, he cannot discern whether the pattern has any special ritual significance, nor can he determine whether the ring truly contains extraordinary power.
However, Carlo has already provided a reference point for his judgment.
Isaac wasn't familiar with the term "newbie perk," but since it was described as "good stuff," it meant that Carlo thought the ring was indeed special and couldn't be a fake.
He glanced at the expressions of the onlookers around him and asked, "Sir, I have a question. Since this Wonder can keep people young forever, many people should be interested in it. Why is it being sold on the black market? Could it be that it has some... flaws?"
The people around him nodded. Isaac had asked the same question they wanted to ask: if it were truly possible to stay young forever, then many important figures, especially the elderly, would certainly be interested in it.
"This Wonder does indeed have the effect of preserving youth, but it has a drawback." The stall owner coughed. "Since it was blessed by the God of Ghouls, to achieve the effect of preserving youth, it naturally has to follow the ghoul way—it needs a corpse."
"How much do you need?" someone asked.
The stall owner's tone became ambiguous. "Well, there's no fixed frequency. I can only say, the more the better."
"It can absorb the residual life energy of corpses, store it in the ring, and then continuously replenish it to the wearer. As long as there are enough corpses, one can maintain youth indefinitely."
Isaac concluded that if the ring's effect was truly as the stall owner described, it meant the wearer would need to continuously collect corpses to maintain the effect—it was a bottomless pit.
To obtain a corpse, one needs connections, and as far as he knows, the Church of the Golden Bough has very strict control over corpses. After a person of faith dies, the church presides over the funeral ceremony and buries them in the church cemetery. The church also takes responsibility for ensuring that the bodies of believers are not desecrated.
To reliably acquire corpses, one must either steal from cemeteries or... actively create them. Being targeted is only a matter of time, and even nobles face annihilation once discovered.
While it wouldn't be difficult for the nobles outside Vista to engage in shady dealings on their own fiefdoms, and this ring might truly be a treasure to them, the stall owner clearly didn't have the connections. Even if he did, he'd have to worry about being silenced. Since the buyer was willing to acquire a corpse to preserve his youth, he naturally wouldn't mind having the stall owner as the first one.
No wonder it's marketed as a "forever young" product, yet can only be sold on the black market.
One of the onlookers asked, "How much?"
"50 pounds! That's something that can keep you young forever! Those noblemen spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on doctors to try and live a few more years, and it's not even guaranteed to work. My ring is only 50 pounds, that's the price of potatoes."
Some people shook their heads and left with regret. Only for those with connections to obtain corpses, 50 pounds is indeed the price of potatoes. But for the average person, buying this thing for 50 pounds is just a collectible that "might be useful in the future."
Some people looked hesitant, probably still hoping for the "eternal youth" effect.
Isaac was interested in buying this "good stuff," which should be more useful than his brass knuckles, but he didn't have that much money on him; he had only taken 10 pounds when he returned to the office earlier.
Carlo continued to stir things up, "Your ring is too expensive. If you ask me, how about rounding it down to 5 pounds?"
"... Are you here to cause trouble?"
"Just tell me if you're selling it or not."
"Five pounds? I'd rather keep it myself." The stall owner waved his hand.
"Hey, compared to this eternal youth effect, £5 and £50 are both potato prices, right? If you can sell them for £50, why don't you keep them for yourself?"
"How can that be the same?!"
As Isaac listened to Carlo's witty remarks, he realized something: why was the stall owner selling this ring?
If this ring truly can keep one young forever, as he claims, then even if a corpse is needed to maintain its effect, 50 pounds is an absolute steal. The stall owner could easily keep it for himself and use it when he really needs it, or find a more suitable buyer and offer a higher price.
£50 is not a small amount of money, but it's not a huge sum either. Unless you really need the money, there's no need to rush to sell a "forever young" Wonder.
Besides needing money urgently, another possibility is that the stall owner himself has little desire to keep this Wonder, so he put it up for sale in hopes of making a profit.
Judging from the stall owner's description of the ring, he wasn't completely ignorant; at least he knew how to use the ring and its cost. However, his explanation of the ring's origin was very unprofessional, as if... he had also acquired the ring from someone else and listened to their explanation.
Thinking this through, Isaac had a guess. Suppressing his emotions, he said, "Five pounds, plus one Wonder, in exchange for this ring."
"What Wonder?"
Isaac pulled the bronze knuckle duster from his pocket. "It can enhance the wearer's power; the angrier the wearer, the stronger the power."
The stall owner took the brass knuckles, examined them from all angles, and said, "This thing... doesn't seem like a particularly rare or Wonder. I'll add a little more money."
"If we can't make a deal, then forget it," Isaac said, making a gesture as if to retract the brass knuckles.
Seeing that he had no intention of continuing to negotiate the price, the stall owner glanced around. The few onlookers were either still observing or had already left, clearly deterred by the condition of "needing a corpse."
He gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll give you a discount."
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take out his money when someone next to him said, "Wait."
A man stepped forward. "I'll offer £20 for this ring."
The stall owner was taken aback, not expecting a competitor to suddenly appear at a deal that was almost completed.
Isaac glanced at the man, who had been in the crowd. He hadn't said anything when the stall owner asked for 50 pounds, but he hadn't left either. Now that the deal was done, he had jumped out.
Probably interested in the ring but unwilling to spend too much money, and now seeing a deal for £5 plus a "less valuable Wonder," she was unwilling to let someone else take this "eternally youthful" Wonder for such a low price, and also had a sense of the shop owner's expectations, so she backed out.
This reminded Isaac of his previous experience renting a place in Palmer, where he was also robbed of it by paying more.