Chapter 379: Chapter 379
The merchant's expressionless face showed a hint of contemplation for the first time.
"You truly have a knack for surprising me. In my long career as a merchant, I believe you are the most unique customer I've ever had. But, this is... Ha. My apologies."
He shook his head without explaining why.
Jenkins naturally understood that such information wouldn't be easy to come by. He was just trying his luck—after all, asking didn't cost any gold pounds.
"Then I'd like to know about the ability that requires the 'Ashes of an Unlawful Long-Lived Person'."
"Just one coin will do. That ability only extends one's life by ten years, but the cost is immense. You'd be better off making a deal with me."
In an instant, an utterly absurd truth presented itself to Jenkins: the ability the cultists were pursuing was the wrong one.
"But how is that possible?"
But when he considered that being a Savior was almost equivalent to one-ninth of a god's divinity, it started to make sense. The Twin Demons had obtained the correct ritual by relying on a Great Lord and that powerful, unknown world—the Magma Hell. But what right did these mere mortals have to know in advance about an ability that opened a shortcut to godhood?
"Is there a difference between the two abilities?"
"Of course, there is. You should know what being a Savior implies, shouldn't you? This [Undying Man] is acknowledged by the world itself, while the other is merely an ability developed by mortals in the 9th Epoch, based on the first. The names are the same because something happened in the 13th Epoch, someone secretly..."
He closed his mouth, bringing the clandestine tale to an abrupt halt.
Jenkins despised people who left their sentences half-finished, but he had to admit, he stood absolutely no chance against this merchant.
"These five Sin Coins in exchange for all the information you can share about the Savior's [Undying Man] ability."
"I am merely a merchant of lifespans. Selling you an ability is already the limit of what I can do. We absolutely cannot interfere in matters concerning the end of an epoch."
His hand was still resting on the tree trunk, his black attire a stark contrast to the surrounding white mist.
Jenkins fell silent for a long moment, staring at the coins in his hand. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by. He had no desire to deal with those bizarre, humanoid Cursed Items, and the chance to encounter a humanoid Extraordinary being again might never come.
"So, what can you actually sell me? If the answer is nothing, then let's just cancel this deal."
"No, no, esteemed customer, please be patient."
He quickly stopped Jenkins from leaving. "Do you possess any green, life-type abilities? I can evolve it into a higher form for you."
That was an option. Jenkins nodded and manifested his Soul Emblem.
The merchant craned his neck, squinting as he observed it for a moment, before suddenly sucking in a sharp breath.
"Oh, this is... Sir, so it was... Heh, I never expected... It truly exists... The world..."
He suddenly became incoherent, waving his hands as if to retreat, but he quickly stopped himself.
"If you can't evolve a soul ability, just say so. Is all this really necessary?"
Jenkins thought to himself.
The black-clad merchant of lifespans cleared his throat with a sharp cough:
"Since that's the case, let's discuss the matter of [Undying Man]."
"I've changed my mind. It's no problem at all."
Before Jenkins could react, the merchant extended his sallow right hand and beckoned. The green coins flew straight into his grasp. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel~fire~net
"[Undying Man] is an extremely special ability. One must possess a certain qualification to perform the ritual. For five Sin Coins, I can give you a very brief explanation on one of three topics: the qualifications for the ritual, the specific content of the ritual, or the effects of the ability."
Without giving Jenkins a chance to interject, he held up three fingers.
This required no thought at all. Jenkins let out a huff, and the frigid air immediately turned his breath into a puff of white mist.
But it hadn't seemed this cold just a moment ago. Could it be because of this merchant's appearance?
"The qualifications for the ritual."
He chose the first option. In truth, either the first or second would have been fine, so he picked one at random.
"To possess [Undying Man], one must first possess immortality. It is not that you become undying because you gain the ability, but rather that you gain the world's acknowledgment because you are already undying."
He shook his head. "Telling you even this much is a violation of the rules. Mortals must abide by rules, as must we. If it weren't for..."
It seemed everyone who knew anything important enjoyed leaving their sentences half-finished .
"So, what exactly did that gentleman from before want from you?"
Perhaps because he had just closed a "big deal," the merchant was more willing to talk this time:
"Just an ordinary transaction. He traded half his sense of taste, along with all his future friendships and romances, for three years of life. It's a very profitable deal for me, but since Mister Kevin only had a year left to live, he had no choice but to agree."
"What illness does he have?"
"Oh, esteemed customer, I can see a human's lifespan, but that does not make me a doctor."
Jenkins nodded in understanding. The black-clad merchant immediately waved his hands, and the impossibly thick white mist began to converge around him.
"Farewell then, generous customer."
"Customer, farewell."
After he said this, the mist gathered even faster.
"Do you know your designation number with the Orthodox Churches?"
he asked as a final question.
"Oh? It's probably B-12-4-7777. Who knows?"
He tipped his hat to Jenkins, and the dense fog completely enveloped him. When the mist dispersed, both the tree and the black-clad merchant were gone.
"So that tree was a part of him, too?"
After the merchant departed, the visibility in the area immediately improved, and even the biting, bone-chilling wind seemed to lessen.
He walked briskly over the withered grass to where the tree had stood, but there was nothing there, only flat ground. He scuffed the dirt with his boot a few times but couldn't find any trace of it.
Thinking it over, Jenkins had paid five Sin Coins and received seemingly nothing in return. An irrepressible feeling of being swindled welled up inside him.
He scratched his hair, stood in place for another moment, and then finally started walking toward the funeral site again.
From a distance, he could see a row of long tables covered in white tablecloths and laid out with cold food. It seemed the Fidektri Kingdom had a custom of providing a buffet at funerals.