Not fighting anymore?
Steve could feel it—their hostility was gone. Weird. This reputation system was way too unpredictable.
Still, that was fine. These Villagers looked different from the usual ones anyway. Maybe he could trade something good out of them.
He decided to walk over to Flanda to check the crafting recipe for the Brilliant Holy Crystal.
But the moment he got close, Flanda pouted and backed away, her white dress fluttering as she practically ran to the far side of the clearing—clearly not caring if it got dirty.
Steve just turned around and walked toward the two Oathsworn Knights instead. He didn't have enough Emeralds to trade with her anyway. Might as well leave her alone for now.
He tapped on Anrika, and the familiar Trading Interface appeared.
Feeling the invisible restriction around him, Anrika's expression turned thoughtful. "This power... is truly mysterious."
Halls didn't even bat an eye—just glared daggers at him, fuming. He already had a good idea what the knight was up to.
As soon as this was over, he was going to the nearest Holy Cross Church branch to report the lot of them.
[Anrika Pekas — Oathsworn Knight — Expert]
[Holy Light x10 + Book x1 → Sacred Slash x1]
[Oath x1 → Holy Light x1]
[Holy Light x20 → Oath Shield x1]
[Holy Light x14 → Oathkeeper's Ring x1]
[Holy Light x5 → Mithril x2]
[Rose x1 → Journal x1]
Holy Light? Oaths? Those didn't sound like normal items at all.
He opened their crafting tabs and found that Holy Light couldn't be crafted—only earned through trading, prayer, or completing quests.
It couldn't make items directly, but it could be used in rituals or special devices for enchantment-like effects. It also worked as currency.
As for Oaths, the recipe was surprisingly simple—just a piece of paper. You copied the text from a sign onto it.
Intrigued, Steve immediately placed down a sign and wrote: I like axolotls.
Then he grabbed some paper from the village and leaned forward to try copying it.
...Nothing happened.
After thinking for a second, he changed the sentence to I will like axolotls. This time, it worked—he successfully obtained a [Common Oath].
He printed a few more and traded them to Anrika for fifty units of Holy Light.
At that exact moment, Anrika's mind was flooded with dozens of overlapping thoughts. His legs nearly gave out, and if not for the restraint of the Trading Interface, he probably would've stumbled to the ground.
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calm his thoughts, but his head was ringing with a single chaotic chorus:
"I will like axolotls!"
"I will like axolotls!"
"I will like axolotls!"
What in the world is an axolotl?
Anrika was on the verge of madness. He could tell it was one of his own Oaths, but he had no idea what an "axolotl" even was—he'd certainly never said such a thing!
Had he been... corrupted? But what kind of corruption made you like axolotls?
What even IS an axolotl?!
After wrestling with it for a while, he finally sighed in defeat and muttered inwardly, Fine, fine, I'll like axolotls, alright?
The voices vanished instantly. He exhaled in relief, then glanced at Steve with a complicated look.
If something around here was "abnormal," it was definitely that guy.
And that dwarf said it wasn't dangerous? How was this not dangerous?
Maybe they'd all been brainwashed.
Whatever. As long as he did like axolotls, his power wouldn't be affected.
Actually, since he didn't even know what an axolotl was, he technically didn't have to care about the Oath at all. Which meant... it basically made him stronger.
The power of an Oathsworn Knight came from their Oaths—the more you had, and the heavier they were, the stronger you became.
And just now, he'd clearly heard the same Oath echoed dozens of times over. That was a huge buff.
He'd really lucked out.
Before Anrika could recover, Steve tossed something from his hand—a small white dot that hit the ground and burst into blinding light.
Anrika flinched, eyes squeezing shut as his retinas burned from the flare.
He could feel the Holy Light's power in it—but it wasn't warm or gentle at all. It was harsh and searing, like staring straight into the sun.
How did he do that?
Anrika's brain was starting to feel fried.
Steve looked at the "Holy Light" in his hand. In his inventory, it was just a little white orb—but when used, it exploded in a flash of light.
...It was literally a flashbang.
He resumed trading with Anrika and exchanged for Sacred Slash, Oath Shield, and Oathkeeper's Ring, with five units of Holy Light left over.
He didn't bother with Mithril. Two pieces weren't much use, and it was an ore anyway—if he found a vein, he'd have plenty.
Might as well save the Holy Light for more flashbangs. Judging from how these Villagers acted, that'd come in handy soon enough.
[Enchanted Book: Sacred Slash] — Can be applied to weapons. Grants the active skill Sacred Slash.
A skill, huh?
Steve thought about it but didn't enchant anything yet. Both his magic longsword and his iron sword were low-durability trash. Better to wait until he got a diamond sword first.
Oath Shield didn't have any description. Looked like a regular shield—could be equipped, could block.
He tried stamping an Oath onto an anvil, but nothing happened.
As for the Oathkeeper's Ring, it was a trinket. One slot, and inserting Oaths would grant stat bonuses based on how many were placed.
There were higher-tier rings too, with more slots—but those couldn't be crafted.
He inserted the Oath I will like axolotls and got: Speed +0.25, Underwater Breathing +10 seconds.
...Barely worth mentioning.
Steve tried copying a few more Oaths, but they all came out as Common Oaths. In the end, he picked one that gave +2 Armor.
"I will like diamonds."
Who didn't like diamonds?
The moment he equipped the Oathkeeper's Ring, a debuff appeared—and a mechanical voice chimed in:
[Accessory equipped successfully. Accessory slots added.]
[Slots: Universal x1, Headgear x1, Necklace x1, Backpiece x1, Ring x2, Footgear x1]
[Diamond Affection]: Duration xx:xx — Taking 10 damage upon discarding diamonds.
New slots appeared on the left side of his inventory. The Oathkeeper's Ring was now equipped there.
Nice. The interface looked exactly like the Curios API. Did he just unlock a free mod?
As for the debuff, he didn't care. He knew perfectly well what to throw and what not to.
Besides, once he got his hands on a diamond and unlocked the Spice of Life mod, ten points of damage was nothing.
Anrika watched the whole thing unfold. He'd seen the exact words Steve wrote on that sign—the same words that had somehow turned into Oaths inside his mind.
So it was connected to Steve after all.
He'd definitely have to report this to His Holiness later.
Halls had seen the sign too, but unlike Anrika, his eyes were shining.
He'd finally heard Steve "speak"!
Sure, Steve hadn't actually opened his mouth, and the words were written, not spoken—but still! It was the second time Steve had actively shared information.
Even if it wasn't particularly useful, it meant he was willing to communicate this way.
What a weirdo—didn't like taking things, didn't like talking, but loved scribbling messages on wooden boards.
Halls leaned closer to read the sign again.
Likes diamonds?
An idea struck him immediately—if he could get his hands on some diamonds, maybe Steve would warm up to him.
And if Steve liked him... maybe he'd finally learn where those Iron Ingots were coming from.
Hell yeah.
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