Chapter 404 : Chapter 404

Chapter 404: Transcendent Item? [Transcendent Knowledge]?

Previously, in front of Qiu Ruxin, it wasn't appropriate to observe it too closely, mainly because I didn't think there was anything wrong with this item.

After accepting it, I temporarily placed it in my Storage Equipment due to the rune issue.

I hadn't even touched the pendant itself, only holding the string, afraid of leaving fingerprints or smudges on it.

At this moment, as I was about to take it out and examine it in my hand, I had a real contact with it, and it was then that I felt its anomaly!

This feeling of contact... was almost the same as when I touched the Transcendent Item, the Heart of Ninglan, back in Ninglan New City!

After feeling this anomaly, my Spirit Vision instinctively locked onto this seemingly ordinary pendant.

But the next moment, a flood of majestic information, like a tsunami, rushed into my mind in the most intense way.

The moment I reacted, I flung it from my hand, my whole body quickly retreating and closing my eyes.

My body was instinctively resisting the influx of this information.

"What is this?"

After a frantic reaction, I instinctively shook my head to clear my consciousness, but the impact of the information had still caused a significant stimulation.

Even now, my vision of other things was a bit blurry.

This was a spontaneous activation of a dual stress-induced perception block in my vision and Spirit Vision.

After a moment of adaptation, my vision returned to normal, but when my Spirit Vision looked at the pendant lying crookedly on the table, a layer of mosaic, almost tangible, had formed over it.

"Mosaic?"

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.

I hadn't expected this pendant to cause such a reaction in my Spirit Vision.

The last time I had this kind of treatment was with Teacher Ji Niang's portion of [Transcendent Knowledge].

But after that reckless act, I had completely mastered Foresight-level Spirit Vision, which could eliminate such mosaics.

Now it was happening again?

Could this also be a portion of [Transcendent Knowledge]?

But it was clearly a Transcendent Item!

When I touched it, the balance of "cost" and "effect" unique to a Transcendent Item appeared in my cognition, very similar to the Transcendent Item that manipulated Destiny back then.

But at this moment, I wasn't clear about the cost and effect of this Transcendent Item.

The only thing I knew was that the information it contained was no less than that of [Transcendent Knowledge].

So... was it possible that this was a portion of [Transcendent Knowledge]?

At this moment, such a thought flashed through my mind, and I immediately felt it was absurd!

Wasn't it said that [Transcendent Knowledge] was rare?

Look at me now: I awakened one with my talent—the Academy Head's Great Weakening Spell.

The Academy Head gave me a portion—the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Spell.

The Shop Manager of the Bakery Club also had a portion, but unfortunately, I didn't get it; it seemed to be a "Script Prop."

Teacher Ji Niang also had a portion—the one I was currently researching with her.

And now...

I subconsciously swallowed.

But all that was left was shock and numbness.

Wasn't this a bit too much?

But thinking of the large number of scholar witches in that laboratory base also researching [Transcendent Knowledge], it was clear how many portions of [Transcendent Knowledge] the Witch Academy alone had!

At this moment, I slowly returned to my seat, looking at the emerald green pendant in my hand.

The greed in my eyes flashed and then faded, replaced by a sense of emptiness.

The fleeting greed was my human instinct.

The subsequent emptiness was the helplessness in the face of wealth and the reverence for something far beyond my cognition.

Even with the already perfected Grand Spellbook of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Spell, I still hadn't fully figured it out, let alone this thing in front of me.

Teacher Ji Niang's portion of [Transcendent Knowledge]—just a single Rune Ritual from it—could throw me into this miserable world.

The thought was chilling.

Moreover, all of this was just my speculation.

The thing in front of me was undoubtedly a Transcendent Item.

But I recalled the rumors I had heard about [Transcendent Knowledge]: some [Transcendent Knowledge] existed as a spell, while other [Transcendent Knowledge] was born as a Transcendent Item, and that Transcendent Item was the carrier of that portion of [Transcendent Knowledge].

So... did I just stumble upon a naturally born Transcendent Item that was [Transcendent Knowledge], or was this a common phenomenon?

At this moment, I picked up the pendant again, playing with it in my hand, but I instinctively avoided staring at its existence.

Now, I had two options before me.

One was to ignore its nature as a Transcendent Item and continue using Alchemy to refine the Summoning Rune of the Reverse Summoning Spell onto it.

The other was to try using it to see what its effect was.

If I were to try, I had another difficult problem: I didn't know what the side effect, or the "cost," of this Transcendent Item was.

Recalling the side effect of the Heart of Ninglan—the draining of flesh and blood—it could have truly drained me dry!

Fortunately, I had mastered the Resurrection Spell at the time and had a certain understanding of the nature of life.

At this moment, I calmed down.

The reason I was hesitating to try was simply the fear of being unable to bear the side effects.

The two choices were just a manifestation of my fear of the unknown.

But after mastering my fear and clearing my mind, I quickly realized a problem: this thing originally belonged to Qiu Ruxin.

How could she not know about it?

A Transcendent Item is not like an alchemy item.

It doesn't have a usage threshold or require Transcendent Energy to supply it.

It only requires paying a "cost" to achieve a specific effect.

In a sense, anyone can use it, as long as the user can pay the corresponding cost.

So... had Qiu Ruxin used it?

I could hypothesize: she had used it.

Then, could I see what cost she had paid?

Just observing her appearance, the cost wasn't the draining of flesh and blood or body parts.

Her intelligence was normal, and her physical fitness was even slightly better than an average person.

But one characteristic was very obvious: she was very unlucky.

"Is the cost of using it 'luck'? Then what is the effect?"

My conclusion, based on the hypothesis, was now broken.

If Qiu Ruxin's bad luck was due to this Transcendent Item, then this side effect was continuous, as Qiu Ruxin was unlucky at all times.

So, the effect was highly likely also continuous.

Of course, this didn't rule out other possibilities.

But instead of making baseless guesses, I chose a more direct method: to ask Qiu Ruxin directly.

What problem couldn't be solved by asking the person involved?

I was no longer the type to simply brainstorm, self-deduce, and work in isolation.

I was also learning to try various possibilities by combining efficient methods with practice.

At this moment, I left my room, holding the pendant, and knocked on Qiu Ruxin's door.

"Who is it?"

After a long time, a questioning voice came from inside the room.

The voice was not loud, suggesting the guest room had good sound insulation.

"It's me, Little Han Sis." I said.

"Little Han Sis!"

Hearing the familiar voice, the door was immediately opened a crack.

A gaze peeked through the gap, and only after confirming it was really me was the door fully opened.

"Little Han Sis! Are you done with your work?"

Qiu Ruxin looked at me excitedly, then her gaze instinctively fell on the pendant, and her pupils contracted.

"Let's talk inside."

I didn't answer her but gestured to go inside first.

After all, some topics couldn't be overheard.

This might be a secret for Qiu Ruxin.

"Eh? Alright."

Qiu Ruxin nodded obediently and let me in.

She saw that my expression was not very relaxed.

After entering the room, I subconsciously checked the various spell arrangements in Qiu Ruxin's room.

There were no signs of being triggered.

Then, with a wave of my hand, a small Soundproof Spell enveloped the entire room.

"Um... Little Han Sis, did you come to me for something?"

Qiu Ruxin broke the silence and asked.

"Mhm, I do have a question I'd like to ask you."

I nodded.

"Eh? There's no need for 'asking for advice,' is there? If Little Han Sis has anything to ask, just ask. If I know the answer, I'll tell you truthfully."

"Then I'll get straight to the point."

I nodded and walked over to a convenient place to sit down.

Then, I lifted the emerald green pendant in my hand.

"Qiu Ruxin, do you know what this is?"

"This? Isn't this my pendant? A few days ago, I asked Little Han Sis to turn it into... into a 'summoning device' for summoning Little Han Sis..."

"Yes, that's right. I did plan to do that a few days ago, but I'm sorry, I haven't finished yet."

"It's not finished... did it fail? It's okay..."

A trace of disappointment flashed in Qiu Ruxin's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, as if she thought it was normal, and she even showed a little concern.

"It didn't fail. I just haven't started trying. For the past few days, I've been practicing with other things. I will only truly start after I'm sure there will be no mistakes. In fact, just a moment ago, I succeeded, and I was about to start refining your pendant."

"Eh? So... why did Little Han Sis stop?"

Qiu Ruxin asked curiously.

"Qiu Ruxin, do you really not know what this is?"

I lifted it, the emerald green gem blocking the line of sight between me and Qiu Ruxin.

"This..."

This time, it was Qiu Ruxin's turn to stammer.

"Um... is there something wrong with it?"

"Yes, there is. A big problem."

I nodded.

I also saw Qiu Ruxin's reaction.

Even though she said nothing, I understood that she seemed to know something.

"Um... is the problem really big?"

At this moment, Qiu Ruxin also became a little nervous, her voice small and tentative.

"Mhm. Qiu Ruxin, you seem to know something. Is it convenient to tell me the story about this?"

My tone was still calm, but my gaze was filled with curiosity as I looked at Qiu Ruxin.

"This... is a family heirloom."

Finally, Qiu Ruxin bit her lower lip and said, "It is said... it has been passed down for hundreds of years."

"Family heirloom... a family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, and you are the only one left?"

"What family... it's just been passed down from generation to generation."

"Was it ever mentioned why this was passed down?"

I continued to ask.

"I don't know," Qiu Ruxin shook her head, but her next words were slightly choked.

"My grandfather passed it to my father, my father passed it to my younger brother, and finally my younger brother gave it to me..."

At this moment, as if seeing my confusion, Qiu Ruxin spoke again.

"My grandfather died before I was born. My father was killed by the Secret Diggers. And my younger brother... not long ago, he was also killed by those Secret Diggers along with our home... It's a curse, but... but I can't get rid of it. Everyone who touched it has had a bad end..."

"You think it's a curse, right?"

"Yes... it made me lose everything! Actually... I said I was born unlucky, but that's not true. It was after I took it from my younger brother's hands... that I became unlucky..."

"I can see that..."

If a person were born unlucky, then Qiu Ruxin would not have developed such a personality.

The current her was more like an ordinary girl who was temporarily accustomed to bad luck.

She would complain and feel sad.

For example, when she was teaching me the language, that was the longest I had spent with her, so I watched her complain when the computer she was using lagged, froze, or got infected with a virus.

If she were born unlucky, she would have at least been accustomed to such things, to the point of being numb.

"You believe me, don't you, Little Han Sis?"

Qiu Ruxin's eyes were already moist.

After all, suddenly recalling a sad past was hard for anyone to accept.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to let you bear this curse, Little Han Sis... I just... I just wanted to live a life without misfortune... I've experienced a normal life... I hate that I wasn't born unlucky. At least I wouldn't long for the old days..."

"I don't mean to blame you. You don't need to say sorry to me, and you don't need to apologize."

At this moment, I didn't offer too much comfort.

After all, it was a fact that she wanted to get rid of the so-called "curse" by using me.

I looked at the pendant, somewhat in a daze.

"You said... you couldn't get rid of it. What do you mean?"

"I don't know... it's just... I simply can't throw it away. I don't know if my grandfather, father, and brother experienced this, but I can't get rid of it. It will reappear in front of me in a very short time through various reasonable ways. Little Han Sis, these past few days... although we were just one corridor apart, you haven't come back for many days. I thought..."

"Is that the kind of not being able to get rid of it?"

I frowned at this moment, but the next moment, a golden thread answered my question.

The power of Destiny... the only thread of Destiny in Qiu Ruxin's body was connected to her Seed of Destiny, and the other end was connected to this pendant!

Moreover... the connection was not the same as the one I had on me earlier, but a strongly related connection!

Previously, because the information in this pendant was too vast, I hadn't noticed that it was also connected to Destiny.

As for it not "returning" to her these past few days, it was highly likely because I was not a person of this world, so Destiny could not strongly interfere with me, and... this thing was also thrown into my Storage Equipment!

"Alright, alright... stop crying. It's okay now."

I stood up and came to Qiu Ruxin to comfort her.

"You've been through a lot, Qiu Ruxin."

"Mhm... no..."

Qiu Ruxin bit her lower lip, trying hard not to cry.

"Little Han Sis, do you know... what this is?"

"Mhm, I roughly know what it is. It's... something that would cause countless powerful people to fight over if it were put outside. It's... very precious."