CHAPTER 826: CHAPTER 559: THE DISTANT UTOPIA FAR FROM EVERYTHING_2

Liu Zheng’s pupils trembled.

Even in reality, this legendary artifact of King Arthur is well-known.

"Of course, this is just a replica."

The Penguin Captain continued.

"Tch~"

The crowd let out another round of boos.

"Don’t be so quick to dismiss it; this item is even more interesting than the original. Take a closer look at the inscriptions on the scabbard."

The Penguin Captain said.

"What script is that?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"That’s Rune text."

The projectionist replied.

"Rune text? Isn’t that from Norse mythology?"

As a former online novelist, he knew quite a bit of eclectic mythological knowledge.

"That’s right. So this scabbard is clearly a replica, and its function is completely opposite to the original."

The projectionist nodded.

"The person holding this scabbard will age rapidly, and any injuries they sustain will quickly worsen. Once the true name is released, it forms a ’Domain of Extreme Destruction’ that amplifies all offensive means. The name of this scabbard is ’Hell Before Your Eyes,’ also known as ’Helheim.’

The Penguin Captain continued to introduce.

"Alright, let’s begin the auction now."

"I’ll offer this!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a collector raised their paddle.

The effect of ’Helheim’ alone wasn’t enough for these collectors to be so eager, but with ’Avalon’ as a comparison, its collectible value skyrocketed.

And this female collector, dressed in a high-slit cheongsam and looking extremely exotic, offered a shriveled, withered heart.

The withered heart appeared about the same size as a normal heart, meaning that before it had shriveled, it was at least 1.5 times larger than a normal human heart.

Moreover, the blood vessels attached to it were densely packed, like a cantaloupe with netting.

"A Vampire Count’s heart specimen. Transplanting it can not only grant you the Vampire Count’s power but also his skills and combat experience. However, you’ll also inherit his oaths."

Before Liu Zheng could ask, the projectionist voluntarily explained.

"Oaths?"

"Yes, this Vampire Count was an Oath Knight. Oath Knights can make vows to the God of Knights, and the stricter the vow, the stronger the blessing received. Those who break their vows risk losing their power or facing divine punishment."

The projectionist said.

"Good gracious, what kind of vows did this Vampire Knight make?"

He asked.

"First, never to actively drink blood from any creature weaker than oneself."

"Second, never to indulge in material pleasures beyond necessity."

"Third, never to use deceitful schemes to defeat an enemy."

The projectionist responded.

"Wow, is this really a vampire? This is more ascetic than a Holy Knight."

Liu Zheng clicked his tongue.

"Exactly. This Vampire Knight is an oddity among vampires, gaining some notoriety in the entire Metropolis."

The projectionist said.

The reason why this Vampire Knight ended up this way wasn’t hard to guess.

Regular vampires like Vampire Sister’s Blood Father would be caught and used as dialysis machines, let alone this oddball among vampires.

"But buying it for Vampire Sister wouldn’t be a bad idea."

He was a little tempted.

While Vampire Sister isn’t exactly fiendishly evil, she’s not a saint either.

She refrains from drinking living blood mainly because she hasn’t fully embraced her vampire identity due to her recent transformation and because she holds a stable and well-paying job that allows her to purchase blood bags from clinics and other such places.

While Liu Zheng is present, the vampire certainly wouldn’t go against his wishes, but once he leaves the instance, it’s uncertain if she would join the other vampires. Using a Knight’s Oath as insurance isn’t a bad idea.

Besides, Vampire Sister’s current abilities are indeed a bit lacking, and becoming a Vampire Count while adhering to such strict vows proves the Vampire Knight’s powers beyond doubt.

Of course, he must secure the Vampire Knight’s heart at the auction.

Thinking about this, he decided to join in on this bid.

After all, the effect of ’Helheim’ was also quite impressive, and if the Vampire Knight’s heart auction succeeded, he’d lose out on both ends.

What to bid with?

The quality of ’Avalon’ is undoubtedly above epic, so by comparison, ’Helheim’s’ quality is at least above perfect.

This means Liu Zheng would have to bring forth either a perfect item or an item with extraordinarily high collectible value to bid.

After contemplating for a moment, he took out a key.

"Name: Universal Key (Bloodline Curse)"

"Type: Tool"

"Quality: Perfect"

"Effect One: Can open most conceptually defined ’doors’ after use."

"Effect Two: Non-bound blood relatives who use it gain the ’Calamity’ status for the duration of one instance."

"Note: I’m warning you, don’t use my key to unlock other people’s back doors!"

"Can it be taken out of the instance: Yes"

Although the capability to open most ’doors’ seems powerful at first glance, the ’Calamity’ side effect immediately deterred him.

Last time, when the Black Koi’s Luck Value dropped to 0 for 24 hours, it nearly got Liu Zheng and Niu Ma killed together. If this condition lasts for a full instance, it’s feared the entire Metropolis would have to suffer alongside him.

Since he currently has no urgent need for sneaky activities, it’s better to let this object cause trouble for others.

After several more buyers raised their paddles, the Penguin Captain announced the closure of the auction.

After a brief countdown, it announced the auction’s result.

"Congratulations, the ’Universal Key (Bloodline Curse)’ has won the bid."

"Great!"

Liu Zheng clenched his tentacle into a fist and pumped it strongly.

He was now gradually getting into the swing of things.

As the Universal Key (Bloodline Curse) was teleported back to the scene, the scabbard was also transported in front of him.

"Name: Hell Before Your Eyes (Helheim)"

"Type: Equipment"

"Quality: Perfect"

"Effect One: After equipping, the player’s aging speed increases tenfold; damage taken increases by 200%. The equipment can only be removed by killing an enemy and absorbing their soul."

"Effect Two: Release the true name of the scabbard, forming a circular domain approximately 15 centimeters in diameter in front of the player; all attacks passing through the domain have their intensity increased tenfold. The player’s aging speed increases a hundredfold; damage taken increases by 500%. Duration is half a minute, limit once per instance."

"Note: If I don’t go to Hell, how will I bring others to Hell?"

"Can it be taken out of the instance: Yes"

"Now it’s truly a glass cannon."

Liu Zheng lamented as he looked at the scabbard’s effects.

The negative effects of "Hell Before Your Eyes" are indeed significant, but the positive effects are equally potent.

If he had this while fighting Garcia, he wouldn’t even need to use any other items, nor would he need Dragonfly Captain’s help. He could just meet Garcia, immediately release the true name with a laser pen and scabbard, and ensure Garcia evaporates instantly.

As for the negative effects, at least while Liu Zheng still possesses the Black Mountain Goat Cub’s bloodline, it doesn’t present a problem.

Aging speed increasing a hundredfold is nothing; just cut off any wrinkled areas and regrow them.

"Foolish human, lend this to me for two days."

French Plane Tree said greedily.

"Sure."

Liu Zheng directly tossed the scabbard onto the Black Soil.

"?"

The French Plane Tree, who had initially planned to mock his stinginess, looked puzzled.

"You’re just giving it to me like that?"

"Otherwise? Do I need to kneel and bow in reverence while offering it to you?"

He rolled his eyes.

Lending something means you’re a respected French Noble, Mr. Delago; refusing means you’re a French Plane Tree who enjoys drinking urine.

"Aren’t you afraid I won’t return it?"

The French Plane Tree asked.

"Well, will you not return it?"

"I definitely won’t... well, can’t say for sure."

The French Plane Tree stuttered halfway through and had to change his tune.

"You forget, you can’t lie. You’ve already said you’re borrowing it."

Liu Zheng said smugly.

"Damn crafty human. Don’t be so smug; I really did mean to borrow it genuinely. Who knows what’ll happen when you come asking for it back later."

The French Plane Tree said smugly.

It can’t lie, but it doesn’t mean it can’t renege.

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Liu Zheng shrugged.

"Actually, even if you come asking for it, I wouldn’t refuse to return it."

He smiled and said.