He must secure that pen.
Teest's "God's Forsaken" was very useful, so there wasn't any harm in not getting rid of it for now. "Physical Destruction" was also protecting himself temporarily. After he completed the transaction with Perradat, perhaps a way to solve the memory seal could be found. Then, getting rid of "Physical Destruction" could significantly enhance their combat power.
'It shouldn't be too expensive,' Nol thought.
Few people would receive such a stubborn curse like he and Teest have. "Supreme Blessing" wasn't irreplaceable. It just had a "cure-all" gimmick, so people didn't need to look for curse-breaking items of specific categories. Moreover, it was a one-time use thing, which was somewhat underwhelming.
Only those like the Alva Merchant Group, who had more money than they knew what to do with, would be willing to buy it.
First, bid on the pen and secure it. As for the money, they would cross that bridge when they came to it—gold for debt, barter, force cracking passwords—he could think of more than three methods in an instant.
"You two, there's…"
Nol turned his head and raised his twinkling, round eyes. Mentor and Billy stopped talking and looked at him simultaneously. Nol was about to continue when the chill around him intensified. Something cold seeped into his scales, like ice quietly brushing across the back of his neck.
The rest of his sentence changed when it reached his lips. "…Is there any fresh juice? The wine just now was a bit bitter."
Billy nodded. He picked a bottle of peach pulp from the shelf and poured a small dish for Nol. Outside the booth, the bidding for "Supreme Blessing" had already started—not as hot as Nol had speculated, with only some big merchants bidding.
Nol licked the iced peach pulp while the gears in his mind almost flew out of his head.
Something was off—very off.
If it weren't for the Old Duke suddenly changing the auction item category, they would have left the auction early and wouldn't have seen these items. Now, not only had they seen them, but there also happened to be something he really wanted.
A precious item with a guaranteed source from the system.
Of course, all this could again be a coincidence.
After all, aside from Nol and Teest, only Lynn and Painter knew about the "curse". Even Perradat wasn't clear about the details, let alone Star Stealer Sol.
…But, what if Star Stealer Sol was spying on all this?
…While they were investigating it, it was also likely investigating them. Their involvement in the auction through the Eternal Church would be discovered sooner or later. If Star Stealer Sol suddenly realized Paradise's sudden interest in a "curse-breaking item"…
New prices lit up. "Supreme Blessing" was about to be auctioned.
Should he give up this hard-earned item? Or gamble that all this was just a coincidence, they were just extremely lucky, or this was subtle support from the system?
No, it couldn't be the system's support.
If the system wanted to give them something indirectly, it could simply make "Supreme Blessing" a quest reward. In previous quests, its rewards were mostly sourced locally.
Setting up ordinary quest rewards, then placing truly useful items in positions that "could easily be missed, even if found, was hard to obtain," was too roundabout. It didn't make sense to go to such lengths.
Nol took a deep breath and changed the topic casually.
"Seeing the Alva Merchant Group bid for the first time," he licked the sweet juice slowly, "I thought they would be interested in higher-level stuff."
Golden Sword Billy dryly let out a "ha". "Believe me. The big shots like anything convenient for treatment. Their bidding for this item is like going to a pharmacy to buy a bottle of medicine."
Mentor casually took over the conversation. "Such 'universal' items are indeed attractive, but instead of using them, I'd prefer to dissect them for study…"
Nol listened silently. Amidst the noisy background, "Supreme Blessing" eventually fell into the hands of the Alva family.
He could hear his heart pounding. Perhaps he made a big mistake, missing the chance to get the precious item. Maybe—
"The next item, also from the Rizzi Caravan, 'Hand of God'!"
"Guaranteed by the magicians of the Alva Merchant Group, just by wearing these white gloves and touching the target's eyes, you can control the blessing status on the target! Whether to maintain or turn off, it's all up to you!"
"Also a creation of God, friends. It will automatically fit the user's hand size. Look at this pure and beautiful white! It can even be used an unlimited number of times!"
"Blessings are indeed beautiful things, but sometimes they expose you to malicious gazes. With these gloves, you can sneak into the lairs of those dark creatures…"
Nol nearly choked on his juice.
If it wasn't for his dragon form, Mentor and Billy would definitely see the cold sweat on his forehead.
He guessed right.
This was definitely a probe.
Star Stealer Sol must have discovered the "unable to directly look at Teest" thing, but it was unclear how they did it. Considering their limited power right now, Star Stealer Sol would suspect the system was playing tricks.
Various enhancement statuses, abnormal statuses, blessings, and curses. The system could give them so much; considering the instability of enhancement and abnormal statuses, blessings or curses were more likely.
If Star Stealer Sol knew this, forcibly unraveling Teest's curse… Nol felt a chill down his spine.
"I want the 'Hand of God'. Can we really not bid for anything?" Nol decisively spoke up.
"Considering your state, I thought you would want 'Supreme Blessing'." Golden Sword Billy was somewhat surprised.
"Haven't you promised to help us obtain other curse-breaking items? I don't want to compete with the Alva Merchant Group," Nol said indifferently. "I have other uses for the 'Hand of God'."
As soon as his words fell, there was movement in the Alva family's booth. They seemed quite interested in the "Hand of God". Nol wasn't surprised at all.
Mentor sat in the armchair, humming ambiguously. "Speaking of which, how does this auction trade? After winning the bid, is it directly delivered to the auction representative, or—"
Billy was quite straightforward. "It's under the personal name of Duke Alva. He wouldn't just buy one or two items. The goods will be stored in the auction room first and delivered to a designated place after the auction ends."
"Maybe we can rob them on the way." Mentor suggested gently. "I don't want to compete with the Alva Merchant Group either."
Billy opened his mouth looking like he had just bitten into a bitter melon.
"You've mentioned taking things from private treasuries before." He poured himself another cup of ice water. "Are you sure you still want to rob?"
Mentor smiled slightly, fully embodying the rogue spirit of a Player. "If it's on the way, why not?"
Nobody noticed that Nol's tiny dragon claw was ice cold. He mentally gathered his claws with lingering fear, but they couldn't warm up.
Just a tiny detail; a little bit closer, and Star Stealer Sol was about to gain the next step ahead.
If he wasn't cautious enough, they might end up as Perradat II, losing without knowing why.
From now on, he had to be doubly careful with every decision. This place was definitely under Star Stealer Sol's watch, Nol thought.
Teest, you better be safe.
...
Teest was indeed fine.
His task was simple: to clear the path to the residence of Old Duke Alva in advance, tamper with the detection devices and defensive magic along the way, so they could escape through this path when the time came.
If one was talking about surprises, it wasn't without. Old Duke Alva had set up something that frequently rendered his "A Midsummer Night's Dream" ineffective, causing patrol members to turn his way from time to time. Fortunately, the Mad Monk quickly figured out a better way to hide—
The corridor was carpeted and decorated with various jewels and furs along the way. Once someone approached, Teest would swiftly pounce on the nearest fur. Then he would immediately spread his body, position his tail properly, and pretend to be a soft, harmless, snow-white fur mat.
As long as he pressed his ears against his head, closed his eyes, and hid his pink nose and paw pads, he appeared to be nothing more than a fluffy white mass. Fortunately, he had chosen a long-haired cat, Teest secretly rejoiced. His method of physical stealth worked time and again.
…Until he actually neared the Old Duke's residence.
The scent of incense in the air was much fainter, replaced by fresh floral fragrances. Teest lowered his body, trying to minimize his presence.
This place was connected to a small garden, home to many exotic beasts wearing uniform golden collars and pendant tags, likely pets kept by Old Duke Alva.
Finally, Teest's method of physical stealth encountered a flaw—several animals with keen senses kept staring at him, their heads turning as he moved.
With his destination within reach, Teest's paws began to sweat. A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth and charged at a golden-nosed stoat about his size.
He pinned the unfortunate stoat in the bushes, beating it mercilessly and stealing its collar and pendant tag. Ensuring the other was unconscious deep in the bushes, Teest tidied his fur of broken leaves and grass, putting on the new golden collar.
Now, he strutted up the corridor with his tail held high, righteously.
An attendant passing by glanced at him. Teest saw hesitation on their face, which then turned into confusion and fear.
Good. The kid must be pondering where this "new white cat" came from, whether the boss had bought a new pet, and if he had overlooked something in his job.
As long as he acted confident enough, these guys would doubt themselves. After all, he looked very expensive, fitting for this unfortunate White Light Castle.
Teest confidently "meowed" a few times. Seeing the servant still hesitating in place, he deliberately jumped to a higher spot. He looked at the servant as he slowly pushed an antique vase at the edge of the table.
The unfortunate vase made a dull scraping sound, gradually tilting towards the floor—
"Ah—!" The servant jolted, quickly stepping forward and catching the vase before it could fall.
After righting the vase, he carefully picked up the cat, placed it at the edge of the pet garden, then quickly fled the scene to avoid a potential compensation disaster.
Teest ignored the curious animals that came close, again raising his tail high and leisurely walking towards his destination.
However, the Mad Monk's heart wasn't as leisurely as it appeared on the surface.
The intensity of the devices and defenses along the way exceeded his expectations, within the White Light Castle, even "A Midsummer Night's Dream" wasn't unobstructed. Elder Alva surely collected many system defense devices, so he had to be even more cautious.
Luckily, the Swamp Witch was rare. The planners didn't anticipate someone would cast a "weakening permanent curse" on themselves, and so he wasn't exposed. Had he scouted in human form, even with a False God's prowess, it would be hard to say.
Speaking of which, his Nol would never leave such security loopholes. Teest thought as he damaged another magical sensor.
Wondering what would be at the auction, it would be nice if there were useful items.
Unfortunately, going back was a bit risky. After clearing the escape route, he had to wait for Fischer's "delivery"—the White Demon wasn't an auction item and was still under the custody of the Eternal Church before delivery.
At this moment, the team of cultists guarding the White Demon was inside White Light Castle, waiting for the auction to end and for the delegates to return. The White Demon would be delivered to the appraisal room along with the auctioned items.
The delivery team was different from the auction hall; it was always monitored by mercenaries hired by the Alva Merchant Group. Teest didn't get too close, hiding outside the room in the bushes, quietly using his dominion skill.
A few meters away in a cage, Fischer's fingers moved on their own, drawing lines of text in the air.
[Wait patiently while we handle the inspection. Is everything normal?] Teest signaled, then relaxed control, feeling Fischer's own movements.
[Praise be to my God.] Fischer wrote in ornate script. [I always pray for Your glory.]
A lot of nonsense. Teest's fur almost exploded, but due to the low efficiency of communication, he had to patiently wait.
[All believers are under surveillance. They are waiting for me. They firmly believe I disguised myself and went to the auction hall.]
Fischer curled up in the cage, his fingertips hidden in loose fabric. [There are ten mercenaries guarding—above-average in combat. I'm confident I can take them out in two seconds. But there are many defensive magic devices here, making it easy to kill but hard to escape.]
[That's not for you to worry about,] Teest responded coldly, making Fischer's fingertips poke the floor. [I'll ask again, is everything normal?]
It took three or four seconds for Fischer to respond. [Yes.]
[You replied too late. Speak if there's an issue.]
[Just a trivial matter.] Fischer hurriedly explained. [I'm a mixed siren. Just four hours ago, I sensed the presence of the siren tribe. Those presences quickly moved westward, at an incredible speed.]
Teest twitched his whiskers. [The siren tribe fleeing?]
Ship Island was so immense that you couldn't see the sea at a glance. The "ground" was so stable that it was startling. Had Fischer not mentioned it, Teest almost forgot they were at sea.
[That's not the speed of fleeing. It's more like Ship Island itself is moving rapidly eastward.] Fischer patiently explained. [Ship Island often suddenly adjusts its position. My subordinates think it's not a big issue.]
Moving rapidly eastward?
The Golden Sea itself was vast. Further east was the Endless Sea. As known to all, the Endless Sea was nothing but a void. To cross the Endless Sea and approach Desolate Island from the other side, that was nearly half a planet's circumference, requiring at least a week. Unless the passengers were fools, they would definitely notice something amiss.
It seemed Fischer might be right. This was just a temporary route adjustment.
Hmm… Teest silently noted this, continuing to patiently squat in the bushes.
The process that followed was exactly as they had planned before.
Mentor and Golden Sword carried their identity tags returned, masks always on their faces. Nol continued to hide under Mentor's robe, while Teest, reluctantly held by Billy, removed the golden collar.
Billy, making his first public appearance holding a snow-white large cat, was naturally identified as Mr. Pope's disguise. Billy played his part well, standing at the forefront of the group.
During the inspection phase, the appraisal room needed the blood of the White Demon. Mentor slowly took a little, swapping it with Teest's blood midway, passing the test smoothly.
[I'm a bit nervous,] Nol said.
After entering, they must quickly seal the space, deal with the Old Duke depending on the situation, then escape through the route Teest had prepared in advance. Any mistake, and Star Stealer Sol might pop up from all corners like mushrooms after the rain.
[If you're willing to use Kando, the plan would be much simpler. At least we wouldn't have to suffer like this.]
Teest, held by Billy, stiffened like a specimen.
[If Kando makes a move, Star Stealer Sol will definitely recognize him. It's better to keep a low profile.] Nol tried to cover himself with Mentor's black robe; his tail tip was almost exposed just now from being distracted.
Besides, he hadn't given up on the idea of robbing the Alva Merchant Group's items.
Step by step, the Eternal Church's team moved towards the interior, and the surroundings grew darker.
Finally, the door to Old Duke Alva's residence slowly opened before them.