Chapter 1358: Chapter 1358
“What do you all think?”
After the old demon finished listing the items it sought in trade, Jenkins turned to his companions. This sacrificial ground was the only place devoid of the red light, and in the gloomy surroundings, the shadows cloaked everyone’s faces like grotesque masks.
“First of all, we can’t possibly offer our souls, and no one would be willing to make a deal with a demon to do its bidding, so in reality, we only have three options.”
The woman who, like Mr. White Cat, had entered this place during the first cycle spoke up. She wasn’t a Benefactor from an Orthodox Church, and seemed to be just an innocent bystander who had been accidentally swept into this mess.
It was just that her specks of light and spiritual aura gave Jenkins the feeling he had seen her somewhere before...
“Time, lifespan, and emotions. It sounds just like the deals with demons in stories. It seems we’ll have to make a sacrifice after all. Even with five of us, if we want to be lucky enough to piece together a map that shows the path to the end and the location of the key, I think we’ll need to get at least seven fragments.”
The Nightwatchman remarked, a middle-aged man with a deep but powerful voice.
“And that’s only if we’re lucky,” the Gravedigger added. He appeared to be the oldest in the group and was quite composed. “If our luck is bad, we might have to get all twelve fragments just to find the quickest path to the door and the key.”
“Isn’t that too great a sacrifice?” Mr. White Cat asked, his tone uncertain.
The Nightwatchman’s voice was grim as he spoke, then he turned to Jenkins.
“Mr... Candle, what are your thoughts? Among all of us here, you seem to be the most experienced with Mysterious Realms.”
“In a Mysterious Realm, there's no such thing as an impossible task, nor are there risks that are one hundred percent unavoidable. This sacrifice is indeed a bit too steep. Perhaps we're short on luck, or maybe we lack a special ability suited for this situation... Have any of you heard of Sin Coins?”
Among the group, only the old Gravedigger had read materials about Sin Coins, but it was obvious that aside from Jenkins, no one was carrying any. Furthermore, none of them knew that the terrifying creatures in these realms would accept Sin Coins as currency.
Seeing Mr. Candle pull some round, green coins from his pocket and prepare to question the old demon, Mr. White Cat asked hesitantly, “Do all creatures in Mysterious Realms accept Sin Coins as currency?”
If Jenkins confirmed this, it would be an incredibly valuable piece of knowledge.
“Most of them do, at least.”
Jenkins didn't dare make it sound like an absolute certainty; after all, there were always exceptions.
“I want to buy your map fragments with Sin Coins. What’s your price?”
“What kind of Sin Coins do you have?” the demon asked with a chuckle, seeming quite interested in Jenkins’s proposal.
“Blasphemy Seeds and a Ring of Greed.”
Jenkins opened his palm. He knew that different supernatural beings had specific preferences for certain types of Sin Coins.
“These aren’t exactly what I need, but they’ll do. One Sin Coin for two map fragments.” Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveI[F]ire.net
“Isn’t that a little steep? To be honest...”
He suddenly lowered his voice, making sure only he and the demon could hear, “I know what you need Sin Coins for, so I understand their value quite well. Two map fragments for one Sin Coin is too little.”
“But you also have to understand the value of these maps,” the demon replied with a wide, cheerful grin, quite pleased with what Jenkins had offered. “They don’t just show the location of the gate to the outside world; they also mark the locations of several treasures. The value of some of those treasures is far greater than those little coins of yours.”
A demon, through and through. Knows how to drive a bargain...
Jenkins had to admit the demon had a point. The problem was, even counting the ones the Titan had contributed, he only had five Blasphemy Seeds and one Ring of Greed. Together, that was enough to trade for all twelve map fragments. But he didn't want to hand over all his Sin Coins at once. Even though he possessed the ability to create this currency himself, it wasn't every day that strange creatures showed up at his door, allowing him to produce Blasphemy Seeds.
But given the current situation, the cost of saving the Sin Coins might be too high. Still, maybe he could try trading four Sin Coins for eight map fragments first. If he was lucky enough, eight pieces might be sufficient to map out a path to escape.
Sensing that Jenkins's silence was due to hesitation, the people behind him exchanged glances. The old Gravedigger spoke up, “Mr. Candle, I'm not certain of the exact value of Sin Coins, but if you can lead us out of here, everyone here can offer you compensation. We can swear to the gods that this is no lie, and I believe the reward will satisfy you. Besides, I'm a Benefactor of an Orthodox Church. The Church will not forget your service in saving the city...”
It wasn't that Jenkins cared about their compensation; he wasn't particularly greedy. He just felt it was a bit of a loss to hand over all his Sin Coins at once. But compared to using other items for trade, this was indeed the simplest method he could think of.
“It's a shame I don't have a specialized pathfinding ability, otherwise I could have saved this expense... Then again, I think I actually do have a pathfinding ability.”
With this thought, he summoned the specks of light representing his abilities. He replayed every detail of their entry into this Mysterious Realm in his mind and then tried to activate [The Unknown Path]. Everything before him seemed to flicker for less than a second. Then, the purple line representing destiny once again pointed the way for Jenkins.
“I still don't know what the activation conditions for this ability are, but it's truly worthy of being the power that has helped me ever since I came to this world. It really is powerful...”
He thought to himself, but instead of turning to lead the others away, he took three Blasphemy Seeds from his pocket and handed them to the old demon.
“I'll trade for six map fragments for now.”
As it spoke, it handed Jenkins six leathery fragments.
Jenkins couldn't be bothered to guess what kind of hide it was. He just glanced at the information on the map fragments, imprinting the contents onto his Book of Memories, and then casually burned them to ash with a flick of his hand.
“Our luck is good. We've got a path to the door. Let's go,” he told his companions, his face wearing a deliberately relaxed expression.