"It's not what we're looking for, and we won't take it. I can guarantee that."
"No need for guarantees, I trust you. From the four questions just now, you're the most upright person I've met... Are you really not the Holy Son of a fallen Old God?"
Miss Bei Ya Si asked with a smile, but she knew it was impossible.
Xia De shook his head:
"Since you trust me so much, then we'll split this item."
Xia De firmly controlled his cat, then carefully placed the withered yellow finger bone, which he had been clutching in his hand, onto the table:
"You stopped the person using the relic, and I discovered this relic, so we'll split this item. Now tell me, what kind of relic is this, and does it truly have the characteristic of granting immortality?"
Xia De let out a long breath, a cat's tail brushing his chin:
"I'm very curious."
"Yes, I'm fully aware of this relic's characteristics, after all, my conflict with the grave robber Hawthorne has been going on for a long time. It happened when I was training at the Orthodox Church. I was with a small team on an outdoor mission to gain experience, and then..."
She paused, revealing a forlorn smile:
"We encountered the grave robber Hawthorne and the Silver-Eyed One, and only I survived. Whether it was my captain who took great care of me, or that humorous old gentleman who liked to tell jokes during operations... Detective, today you've avenged half of it."
This was the first time Xia De knew why she was so fixated on the Silver-Eyed One:
"Next, I will personally dig out the Silver-Eyed One's eyes to truly put an end to this matter... But let's not talk about that. Let me introduce this relic, a Secret Keeper Level relic, the 'Yin Corpse Remains'. As for immortality, it can indeed achieve a certain degree of immortality."
She said, propping her chin, her tone sarcastic.
"Are there side effects?"
"The side effects are quite significant. Under a full red moon, insert this finger bone into your heart to die. Afterward, bury the corpse in a cemetery, and after 24 hours, it will revive and possess a near-immortal body. It will not age, have no fatal points, and is extremely difficult to kill unless burned to ashes in one go. However, from then on, the user must ensure that the 'Yin Corpse Remains' cannot leave their vicinity and cannot be touched by anyone, otherwise the immortal characteristic will disappear, and their own power will rapidly decline until the 'Yin Corpse Remains' are recovered."
This was why Miss Bei Ya Si almost immediately triumphed after Xia De obtained the finger bone.
"A person who has gained immortality through the 'Yin Corpse Remains' will have a body almost like a corpse, but it will not rot. All emotions will gradually disappear, and there will be no physiological reactions, including eating. According to the information I found in the church Library, once the immortal characteristic is obtained through the ritual I described, the immortal will become more and more like a living corpse within 10 years, until the soul and mind are completely worn away, turning into a true Yin Corpse. This process is irreversible; even if the relic is lost, only the immortality is lost, and the progress of corpse transformation will not change."
"Oh, that sounds truly terrifying."
Xia De commented dryly. He knew that "immortality" wasn't that easy to achieve.
Holding his cat, he moved away from the bone on the table. But now that he knew its characteristics and understood that the carvings on it were not trigger spells, he tried to decipher the meaning of those strange words—
"Those who fear death shall eventually become part of death."
Although the side effects of this finger bone are powerful, its positive effect of granting the user a certain degree of "immortality" is equally powerful, truly worthy of being a rare Secret Keeper Level relic. The relics of the same danger level that Xia De had seen or heard of were the dice of destiny, the metamorphosis ring, the forged philosopher's stone, and the disassembled Puppeteer's Script. All of these items were almost certainly not simple.
The gun of kindness held by Xia De was restrained by relics with immortality, and he thought it would be a long time before he encountered something similar.
However, neither he nor Miss Bei Ya Si had any intention of using the 'Yin Corpse Remains'. One was a Ring術士 of the academy who was being specially cultivated, and the other was a young Sorceress with great potential in the Orthodox Church. Both had bright futures and saw no need to gain power through such dangerous relics.
Therefore, their final decision was to sell it, as they were both very short on money.
"I was only transferred to this diocese a few months ago and am unfamiliar with the local black market, Detective, you handle it. After it's sold, remember that half of the money is mine. Don't worry about stolen goods; the church can't trace anything on a grave robber, and no one knows where he dug it up from."
"You trust me that much? Aren't you worried I'll run away with the money? Or is it because of those four questions just now?"
Xia De asked, then heard the cat in his arms yawn. Mia noticed Xia De looking at her, so she buried her head in her belly, curling up into a cat ball.
"I told you, I trust you. Since I trust you, I won't doubt you. I have a unique talent that allows me to know a person's Balance of good and evil, which is why I have so few friends."
The young girl said, sighing, and looked at Xia De's cat:
"Detective, since we're going to continue cooperating, I must remind you to be very careful recently. You are only a Ring術士, and this world is very dangerous for you."
This wasn't the first time Xia De had heard similar words.
"I won't say much about the Lakeview Manor incident not long ago. The more secret matter was last night, around the same time, an evil god gazed upon this City, and then an unknown High-Ring Sorcerer directly unfolded a Mystic Lock in the City that was evaluated as almost a 'Miracle'... Hamilton Detective, I have very few friends, so you must be careful."
Xia De didn't know how to respond to such words. He temporarily decided not to tell Miss Bei Ya Si that those matters were related to him, but instead planned to wait until he had gained Miss Annette's complete trust.
"I will be careful."
"Detective, I truly envy your life, leisurely, safe, free..."
Miss Bei Ya Si murmured, looking at the lazy orange cat. Everyone has their own troubles, and Xia De, looking at the tired girl in front of him, gained a deeper understanding of that sentence.
"Speaking of which, how old are you this year?"
The Outsider suddenly asked, and Miss Bei Ya Si was startled:
"Seventeen, why?"
Only a young girl could casually state her age without a care.
"Nothing."
He felt even more pity for her.
A soft laugh came from his ear, seemingly in agreement, yet also seemingly mocking. The Chosen were entangled in endless fate, and at this moment, Iluna Bayas was right before Xia De's eyes. Xia De looked at her, truly grateful that he was merely an "observer."
