Infinite Mage - Chapter 276
[276] 1. Hostile friendly relationship (5)
“Equivalent exchange of luck and misfortune?”
“no. It’s not an object’s problem, it’s a human problem. The first owner of < Everyday Gift > was a shoemaker living in the lower class. I probably made a lot of money. But I couldn’t overcome the compulsion. The day when he got caught in a simple gift became extremely depressing. That was 75 out of 100 days. Eventually, he developed a mental illness and went crazy after playing roulette all day.”
It was a phenomenon that occurs when humans fall into probabilities.
In fact, people who are addicted to gambling and go down to the finish line do not gamble to make money. All they wanted was the pleasure of winning a battle of odds, and money was just a tool to get it.
“After so many years, < Everyday Gift > passed into the hands of a certain nobleman. It’s not like you’re the kind of person who only looks at roulette because they don’t have enough money. But one day, by a miracle, I won. And…”
“And?”
Uorin pursed her lips, imagining the situation at the time.
“The family is ruined.”
“Damned? why?”
“If you get caught in a miracle, give me an object. The object the noble received is a small stone called < Nemesis >, and when it comes in contact with it, the user’s imagination becomes a reality within a radius of 20 meters. The noble who obtained < Nemesis > was absorbed in his imagination every day. You know my brother. Why is human desire…”
Uorin wiggled her index finger and clicked her tongue as if she was embarrassed to say it.
Sirone immediately understood. Also, I didn’t think it was necessarily bad.
All human beings live with desires, and balance with reality is achieved through imagination.
The problem was when that imagination became a reality.
“Anyway, that’s how it got ruined. And < Nemesis > left to find a new owner. It is still very popular among fans. But I don’t think I can last long. In some cases, they returned to the auction house after a month. Of course, it is true that objects are dangerous. But that’s a human problem, not an objet problem. In fact, most of the owners of < Every Day Gift > lived a comfortable life.”
If so, Sirone has nothing to say. But the feeling got worse.
If it’s not particularly dangerous, what the hell is an object? Why is this stuff going around the world?
Sirone turned her attention to < Everyday Gift >.
For an object to give birth to an object was like a goose laying golden eggs from the collector’s point of view.
But at the same time, I thought it was terribly destructive. If there was no limit to the production of objects, the world would perish someday, if not immediately.
When I confided my thoughts, Uorin also agreed to some parts.
“There is a possibility. Although not in our generation. But it will be fine. Even if it is an object, its durability is not as strong as other objects. It is bound to break down over time. Among the items that have been miraculously discovered so far, the most dangerous is < Nemesis >. At the Curia auction, < Nemesis > is classified as A grade. < Everyday Gift > is also grade A. I guess I can’t give you a gift that’s higher than the grade.”
Curia is a world-class auction company, and I had heard of it from Nade before.
However, Sirone paid more attention to other words than that.
< Everyday Gift > cannot give gifts higher than its level. It seemed plausible at first glance, but it made no sense.
“How is that possible? The rating is determined by the auction company, but there is no way the object knows the standard. Could it be a coincidence? Even after 240 years, the frequency of miracles is low. It is also true that there is not enough data to make statistics when considering the probability of an A grade.”
“It could be, but…”
Uorin said in a vague manner, neither affirming nor denying. Sirone’s idea is certainly common sense, but when you own more than 40 objects personally, you will inevitably get new information that is not accessible to the general public.
One of them was a VIP membership card issued by the Curia auction company. On the back of the card, there are precautions written, and if you look there, you can see this phrase written in paragraph 1.
< Documents >Objects are not guaranteed to be 100% safe for users.
Members look at paragraph 1 and ask the curator for an explanation. Then, the curator gives a few examples to infer the origin of the object, and if you listen to the stories, you can see that the warning in paragraph 1 is not just a threatening phrase.
But Uorin kept quiet about this.
Curia’s VIP membership is not something you can join just because you have a lot of money. There must be an allyship consciousness toward the object.
Abusing privileges to non-VIP members was an act of devaluing the object itself.
However, Terase’s pride would not allow her to stop playing, so Uorin gave Sirone a chance to realize herself.
“Come this way. I will also show you other objects.”
Uorin guided Sirone to the ledge. The first thing I introduced was a magnifying glass that could be obtained anywhere.
“This is an object called < Only Once! >. It shows a person’s bare skin.”
“You mean through clothes?”
“yes. But it only works within a distance of five centimeters.”
Uorin shook her head and illuminated Sirone’s lower body.
Even though she had already listened to < Guidelines >, Sirone crossed her legs involuntarily. Uorin stuck out her tongue and handed her a magnifying glass.
“Hehe oppa, try it.”
Sirone illuminated her arm with a magnifying glass.
At first, the fabric was only magnified, but when brought closer, bare skin was revealed.
“that’s interesting. But if it’s like this, I’d rather see it openly.”
“that’s right! If you spy on a woman, you’ll be caught right away. Isn’t that why < once only! >?”
“haha! Maybe. But depending on how you write this, it will be useful. I think the armor will also be clairvoyant, so I can use it for inspection.”
Sirone returned < Only once! >.
“What principle? clairvoyance.”
“I haven’t checked yet. The ability of an object does not necessarily follow the function of the object, so it could be the ability of the handle or frame. In fact, it is not a high-grade object. I bought it by chance, but I just keep it to match the number.”
Even in Sirone’s opinion, it seemed inferior to < Everyday Gift >.
The next object Wu Lin introduced was a bookshelf. The works of prominent scholars were tightly packed.
“This belongs to Ji-on. It is an object called < Philosopher >. If you put a book on this bookshelf, the contents come into your mind even if you don’t read the book. With Kazura typesetting, you can put about one hundred and twenty-four books. However, if you take the book out of the bookshelf, the memory will disappear, so be careful.”
Sirone was bewildered. It was a shock of a different kind from < Everyday Gift > that the content of the book came into my head just by putting it in.
“How can a bookshelf connect to a person’s head?”
“Well, that is surprisingly simple. Some of the objects tend to belong to the user. This is called the < Contract Ceremony > in the auction. In a word, < The Philosopher > is an object of < Contract Ceremony > and is in a state of belonging to Ji-on oppa. This is a B grade by Curia auction standards.”
Syrone looked at < The Philosopher > ecstatically.
I don’t know about other things, but I really wanted this < Philosopher >. I seemed to know a little bit why collectors fall for objet.
Woorin introduced me to several other objects, and when I put on a headband called < Beauty >, I could exercise for an hour while losing consciousness.
It is possible to lose weight without difficulty, but there are many times when I make ugly movements, so the < guideline > was to lock the door as much as possible.
There was also an objet called < Soulless massage >. It was a pair of red and blue stones, and when held in both hands, it contracted the painful area and relieved the muscles.
When Sirone tried it himself, it was quite cool. I felt so good that I lost my mind when the massage went into the arms, legs, shoulders, ankles and soles at the same time. Even though I didn’t feel the warmth of people, the effect was the best.
‘So it’s < soulless massage >? This is probably D-class.’
Thinking that far, Sirone’s eyes widened.
The name of the object you have encountered so far. In addition, it is a grade that even an outsider can judge. These two facts were telling the secret of the object.
‘I see. Objects…’
< Everyday Gift > does not give objects higher than grade A. However, for that < guideline > to hold, one of two hypotheses must be followed.
Either the object knows the standards of the auction company, or the object itself has a fixed value.
The answer was the latter.
Objects have their own value from the moment they are born. This is because all functions are directly related to human desire.
The fact that the purpose was too clear to be regarded as a naturally occurring object meant that it was an artificial product of an intelligent being.
The desire to be beautiful, the desire to gain knowledge, the desire to receive gifts every day, the desire to turn one’s imagination into reality.
In that sense, < Nemesis >, which fulfills the highest level of desire, deserves an A-class rating no matter what anyone says.
‘Then what is S-class?’
Turning around the saying that < Everyday Gift > doesn’t give more than an A grade, it means that an S grade exists.
Even Sirone thought it was highly likely. This is because humans have animalistic desires, but also higher-order aspirations.
If < Nemesis >, the highest peak of animal desire, is A-class, S-class is likely to be an object containing rational aspirations.
‘Whoops. He seems to have caught on a little bit.’
As Sirone thought for a long time, Uorin smiled happily. It is to collect objects with this taste.
On the other hand, Ji-on’s insides burned.
It was the first time Wu Lin had held anyone in the gallery for so long other than a VIP member of a Curia auction.
‘How dare that bastard…’
To Ji-on, Uorin was more than a younger sister. Because it is the most powerful weapon he has. More than the royal blood that runs through his veins.
‘Why? What is that illegitimate child talking about?’
Unaware of Zeon’s seething emotions, Sirone quickly looked at other items.
Now that I look at it, it was a tremendous resource. Most of the objects lined up along the shelf were of C or B grade, but occasionally A grade was also noticeable.
It was a luxury that even the king of a country could not afford. It was possible to guess how powerful Uorin, the direct descendant of Theraze, was.
After examining all the eastern ledges, Sirone turned her gaze to the north. However, the place was bleak and empty, with only one sword on display.
“huh? Uorin, what is that sword?”
“It’s < Demon Sword Armand >. It’s Ji-on oppa’s favorite object.”
It is the most precious thing for Jion, who regards even gold as insignificant. It wasn’t particularly flashy for something like that.
There were no treasures of five colors attached to it, and there was not even a scabbard. But, strangely enough, there was a feeling that fascinated people. There seemed to be a subtle design difference that could not be distinguished by the senses of the general public.
However, that evaluation disappeared the moment I saw the jewel embedded in the center of the handle. The presence was so overwhelming that it was impossible to look away.
As if Armand was calling her, her feet moved spontaneously. When I came to my senses, I had arrived at the northern wall before I knew it.
The moment I slowly reached out my hand and tried to grasp the handle of the sword, Zion shouted.
“That’s mine! Don’t touch it.”
Even after Sirone backed away in surprise, Ji-on’s distorted expression showed no signs of improving.
< Demon Sword Armand > is a < contract ceremony > object that belongs to the user. But its presence is so strong that it sometimes reaches out to other users.
The exact < guidelines > for the criteria for selecting users have not yet been revealed, but the fact that they seduced others in the presence of the owner was unpleasant in itself.
Sirone came to his senses and asked Ji-on.
“Oh, I’m sorry. stop without me knowing But is this S-class?”
“You know what? On the subject of not being able to live even in the middle of the day. Get off my sword quickly. Where does an illegitimate child flirt with luxury goods of the royal family?”
Sirone frowned and turned around. No matter how < Demonic Sword Armand > was an S-class object, I didn’t have enough pride to pay attention to it even after hearing this.
Ji-on, who watched the scene, changed his mind. Wouldn’t it rather be a good thing? It would be nice to show the gap between royalty and mountaineers on this occasion.
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