"We must find a way to introduce external forces."
The bearded captain of the Creation Church reminded Yiluna from behind. Mr. Modero, the eleven Ring術士 of the Peace Church, took a deep breath as if to make a decision, but at this moment Yiluna threw the dice again.
Clang, clang, clang~
The dice fell, and the Keeper's words followed closely. This time, the content was a little different:
"In that tense battle, the cat living at Saint Delan Square Six abruptly joined the battlefield and jumped onto the shoulder of Xia De Hamilton, the Man's Luck. Mia, the pet cat, and Xia De Hamilton, the Man's Luck, are considered to be in a cooperative relationship. Due to the great difference in their power, Jack the Thief's points take the value of the latter's points. Now, an additional judgment for Mia, the pet cat, will be made. Since she joined midway through the battle, her final points will be reduced by 10 points."
Yiluna's eyes widened. She unfurled the parchment again and indeed saw new information appear—Mia's data. Although the descriptions portrayed the cat as pitifully weak and incomparable to Xia De, if the final points were positive, it would mean the true victory of the story.
"Mia, the pet cat, joined the battle. As the battle took place at Saint Delan Square Six, the 'I Love My Home' trait was triggered, adding 5 points to any judgment."
Yiluna nervously looked at the parchment in her hand. She could understand that the 'I Love My Home' trait had different effects for Xia De and Mia. What she was looking for was this sentence:
"Mia, the pet cat, is automatically considered an assistant to Xia De Hamilton, the Man's Luck, and can provide numerical bonuses for actions such as combat and reconnaissance. This numerical bonus is not considered part of the character's own points."
Yiluna smiled. This meant that Jack the Thief would not continue to grow stronger due to Mia's presence. The people around her watched nervously, as even with an extra chance, the cat's combat power might not necessarily be a positive number.
Yiluna continued to read:
"Mia, the pet cat, uses a six-sided die for throws, and as a 'super small-sized' creature, any throw points are subject to a 0.5x coefficient decay during combat, and the total combat value is penalized by a reduction of 20."
Clang, clang, clang~
A new six-sided die fell from the Keeper's sleeve. Yiluna threw the dice under everyone's gaze:
"Points: 6, extreme value! 6 × 0.5 = 3!"
Those watching this scene felt as if they couldn't breathe.
"Basic ability 'Claw Attack' 1 point, trait 'Cat's Grace' +3 points, trait 'Beloved Cat' +6, trait 'Protector' +5, trait 'Loyal Domestic Pet Cat' +5 because Xia De Hamilton is nearby."
The current total points were -10+5-20+3+1+3+6+5+5 = -2. If Xia De wanted to win, Mia still needed to provide at least 3 points of bonus. Unlike the vast amount of information in Xia De's profile, the list for Mia, the ordinary pet cat, was quite simple. Yiluna had already seen the end. She was actually very nervous, but she believed that the cat, which always felt magical every time she saw it, would at least have a positive combat power:
"Trait 'Nocturnal Creature': Any judgment in the dark gains 1 point!"
Yiluna's voice trembled. At this point, the total points were -1. With just two more points, Xia De would win:
"Trait 'Beautiful Cat': In combat, an additional die can be rolled to determine 'Charm' points, which can be added to combat points."
Yiluna took a deep breath, finally picked up the six-sided die, and threw it.
Clang, clang, clang~
People's gazes followed the bouncing die, and the face pointing up was still the maximum number, 6:
"6 × 0.5 = 3. Mia, the pet cat's total combat points are 2. Now, Jack the Thief and the Man's Luck have the same total boxing points, but due to the pet cat's cooperative status, Mia provided an additional 2 combat power, so the result is—"
"Meow~"
The cat, thrown by Leia, had already seen Xia De in danger. The cat, usually afraid of strangers, instantly showed its full ferocity. Coupled with the fact that this was its most familiar environment, the cat directly jumped onto Xia De's shoulder. As Xia De threw his punch, the cat stretched out its body, its claws rapidly scratching at the enemy whose face was a patch of darkness.
Although Xia De's punch hit the target, it still failed to cause any damage to the opponent, just like before. But as soon as Mia's claws touched the thief, it was as if it had been struck by a great force. Its body flipped twice in the air out of nowhere, and then it landed on the ground with a thud.
"Success!"
"Xia De!"
"Hurry!"
"Don't let it escape!"
"Meow~"
Doctor Schneider, Priest Augustus, Leia, and Luvia surrounded him at the same time. Xia De, surrounded by them, took the night watchman handed to him by Leia and pointed its tip at the thief who had lost the "boxing" match on the ground:
"You're caught!"
"common era 1853, winter, frost descent month 27, night. With the help of a loyal servant, Xia De Hamilton, the Man's Luck, successfully captured Jack the Thief. This is a story of a Detective and a thief, a dice story collection of the despicable. In the long night, this story may be unknown, but it is indeed very interesting. The dice story collection only favors true wise man's stone."
The hoarse voice in the darkness faded, and the building blocks on the table dissolved like phantoms. Yiluna watched the parchment scroll in her hand turn into specks of white light. She looked at the Keeper standing by the table, completely enveloped in black clothing. After a moment of silence, the latter softly asked:
"The story is over, you have achieved final victory. You can make one wish to me."
This was the first time the dice story collection had spoken on its own since it began.
Under the gazes of Miss Green, Mr. Modero, the three princesses, and the Ring術士s of the Creation Church, Yiluna stood up:
"I don't need anything."
With a loud bang, the beam of white heavenly light disappeared, and the surroundings plunged into complete darkness. But the next moment, the soft gaslight illuminated the room again. Inside the reading salon, the guests were still sprawled on sofas and carpets, unconscious. The unconscious Truth Society professor and Cultists lay on their backs in the center of the room. Sir Prisha, feigning unconsciousness, breathed a sigh of relief, glad that although he had been caught up in the event, he had not been harmed.
"Where is the relic itself? Where is that die?"
Members of the Creation Church immediately began searching, but the angel-level relic was nowhere to be found. Perhaps from the beginning, it had not been controlled by anyone, but had simply appeared voluntarily in the right place.
The table and chairs were no longer beside Yiluna. She frowned and retracted the scales shimmering with dark golden light above her head, then opened her right hand, which she had unknowingly clenched. A crystalline blue teardrop-shaped gemstone lay steadily in her palm, sparkling brilliantly in the gaslight.
"This is it..."
Miss Green exclaimed. Of course, she didn't forget to watch the three princesses to prevent them from leaving immediately. Yiluna's lips curved into a smile, but then Mr. Modero asked suspiciously:
"If this wise man's stone is a reward from the dice story collection's trial, then where is the wise man's stone for capturing Jack the Thief and completing the Venaris trial?"
"Go to Saint Delan Square Six now and check on the unconscious Hamilton."
Yiluna said. Miss Green nodded, looking into the distance in the direction of Saint Delan Square:
"Yes, we must go to Saint Delan Square. There are also two inexplicable beings, drawn by misfortune, that need to be dealt with there. May the sun bless us, and I hope the number of deaths in the Saint Delan Square district does not exceed 50."
But in fact, for the residents of the Saint Delan Square district, any death would be a major event.
Considering that Xia De still needed time to disguise himself, Yiluna, in a good mood, suggested:
"Let's wait until the main force arrives before going. I don't want to face two non-human beings alone."
She didn't believe anything would happen in Saint Delan Square. Every time she visited that district, she felt an extraordinary sense of peace.
(Mia running)
"You caught me."
As Xia De raised his sword at the thief lying on his floor, he raised his hands and said softly.
The whisper element of the angel-level relic wrapped around Xia De disappeared; the game was over. But instead of feeling relieved, his expression changed, and he retreated.
Doctor Schneider and the other four also retreated in surprise. The whisper element on Xia De disappeared, but the whisper element on Jack the Thief was continuously growing stronger. As the surrounding light intensified, eerie whispers murmured curses of hatred and malice into the ears of the five people present.
The thief in the black coat crawled up from the ground, his hands lowered. His black clothing almost merged with the shadow. Fine tentacles extended from his body, and within the shadow, countless identical black figures seemed to be struggling.
"It's on the verge of losing control!"
The Doctor immediately said, his expression very tense. The loss of control of humanoid relics was the most difficult major problem to solve. And this time, the relic's loss of control was by no means bad luck. Xia De had used the power of another, more powerful relic to capture Jack the Thief. The two relics influencing each other naturally made it easy for the weaker one to lose control.
"If Jack the Thief loses control, it will wantonly kill those it steals from. Once the thief truly kills, it will be completely out of control! Xia De, only by defeating it head-on can you restore it to its original state."
Luvia warned in a low voice. Xia De nodded, took Mia from his left hand and handed her to Leia. He himself kept retreating, eventually reaching the wall where the fireplace was located. He pushed open the door, which almost merged with the wall, and retreated into the second-floor Room No. 2 living room, which was empty.
Jack the Thief, almost swallowed by darkness, followed as if floating. When the Doctor and the other four also entered Room No. 2, all light sources disappeared at that moment. In the thick darkness, only Xia De's body had a silver glow. This was his ability to glow spontaneously in the dark. Although it sounded useless, at least it prevented him from dissolving into the darkness:
"Do you know how I initially planned to fight Jack the Thief?"
He asked softly. Leia tried to speak but found that her open mouth and vibrating throat could not produce any sound.
"Jack the Thief gets stronger with a stronger opponent, so what if the effect of a certain Miracle also gets stronger with a stronger opponent?"
The black-clad figure, shrouded in thick darkness, revealed itself in the light around Xia De. Light and shadow collided. The knight's sword, enveloped in darkness, was held by a black, scorched hand, bringing the darkness to stab at Xia De's chest.
"Heaton Seal!"
The Night Watchman stabbed the ground, and his left hand made the gesture for the Seal. The golden shield that burst forth in the darkness instantly forced Doctor Schneider, who was closest to Xia De, to squint his eyes.
The golden shield, shimmering with light, exploded the moment the dark knight's sword touched it. Golden streamers and the silver glow, like fireflies on a summer night, like sparks overflowing from a bonfire, and like the sparks flying when a blacksmith swings a hammer to strike hot iron, illuminated the entire room.
Like a Bubble bursting with a "pop," the starlight from outside the window and the light penetrating through the walls and doors dispelled the strange darkness.
The darkness receded, and the whisper element returned to normal. Fragments of the broken antique knight's sword shot in all directions, embedding themselves into the walls of the room. The smooth wooden floor of the living room was almost one-quarter blown open, and the entire room was a mess.
"Meow~"
Mia stared at the wall.
The characteristic of the Miracle, Heaton Seal, is to dispel the spell the moment an attack touches it. The exploding shield can cause damage to the attacker. This is a very clever countermeasure. The intensity of the shield's explosion depends on the intensity of the attack encountered. Although this requires the shield to be able to block the attack, fortunately, Jack the Thief's previous blow was blocked by consuming only four-fifths of Xia De's spiritual power.
