Even though it only lasted ten minutes, Etherealness was still absurdly powerful.
Approaching enemies quietly from the Ethereal Plane, whether for scouting, escaping, or assassination, was incredibly effective—almost impossible to guard against.
Only a few methods could perceive the Ethereal Plane, such as Truesight, but even the sixth-circle divination spell's version of Truesight only lasted an hour. No one could keep it active twenty-four hours a day.
The only strange part was the requirement to implant it in the forehead—it was hard to understand.
'Could it really be some kind of magical creature's eye?' Anser muttered to himself.
Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps. The idea of it growing into his flesh and being impossible to remove was unsettling.
Moreover, his attunement slots were already full. He would need to give up a magic item to use it, which made the decision difficult, so he set it aside for now.
He continued examining another item: "Demon Skin." It was a wondrous item refined from the hides of multiple demons. Its appearance was a black, scaled hide about thirty centimeters across, with fine texture and a soft touch.
"Demon Skin" was similar to his Avaricious Dragonhide Pouch, though with slightly less capacity. Its extradimensional space had a diameter of 6 feet (1.8 meters) and a depth of 10 feet (3 meters).
This item did not require attunement, but it carried a curse—"Demonic Aura." Any items stored inside would be tainted by it. Objects aligned with good would be contaminated and damaged, such as holy water.
However, it also had a benefit: the demonic aura prolonged the shelf life of food and ingredients, making them less likely to spoil. But if stored for too long, ordinary people would no longer be able to consume them.
'Not as good as my dragonhide pouch. No wonder he still carried an extra Bag of Holding.'
What truly interested him was what was inside the Demon Skin.
Opening the extradimensional space, he found it filled with large amounts of unknown black-red flesh—disgusting to look at.
Aside from that, there were two maple leaf badges, two platinum cards, seven rather rare Soul Coins, and a metal cube resembling a seal.
'So many Traveler's Badges? Must be looted.'
These items weren't sold anywhere. Even if they were, they'd fetch astronomical prices, and having more than one didn't really provide much additional benefit.
Anser picked up the two platinum cards. Their numbers were 43960 and 31586, and the former belonged to the consignor of the Deck of Many Things.
'Looks like they specifically targeted travelers at the Traveler's Rest. But how did they manage it?'
His gaze shifted toward the tarot deck.
Traveler's Rest was a legendary inn that had existed for thousands of years. Its security was extremely high. A Warlock who wasn't even at the legendary level couldn't possibly pull off something like this.
'I wonder if the Warlock withdrew the money from selling the Deck of Many Things.'
The inn's cards were anonymous. If he hadn't, then Anser might get lucky.
Then there were the seven Soul Coins. These were the currency of the Nine Hells, beloved by devils.
Soul Coins were forged from infernal iron. Each coin weighed one-third of a pound, with a diameter of about twelve to thirteen centimeters and a thickness of two to three centimeters. Infernal script was engraved on their surface.
It was said that each Soul Coin contained a unique soul bound within it, meaning every coin had its own story. Holding one allowed you to feel the emotions of the trapped soul—sometimes even overwhelming you with its rage or despair.
Soul Coins were extremely valuable. Beyond being currency, they had many uses, such as draining life or interrogating souls.
However, creatures that were not evil-aligned could neither use Soul Coins nor carry too many of them, or they would be affected by their negative energy—with very serious consequences.
Anser frowned slightly and did not touch the Soul Coins.
'I wonder if Soul Coins tainted with demonic aura would be rejected by devils.'
He had no intention of dealing with devils.
Compared to those Soul Coins, devils would certainly be more interested in his own soul.
The final item was a metal cube resembling a seal, about fifteen centimeters per side, extremely heavy.
...
[Magic Item: Teleportation Cube]
Type: Wondrous Item
Rarity: Rare
One face of the cube was composed of countless interlocking metal plates that constantly shifted, resembling a seal. At dawn each day, these plates would rearrange themselves, generating a unique rune sequence corresponding to a new teleportation circle.
The other five faces were smooth and blank, capable of recording up to five different teleportation circle rune sequences.
The cube had 3 charges and regained all expended charges at dawn each day.
Record: If you discover a permanent teleportation circle, you can press one face of the cube against it for 1 hour while maintaining concentration. This will record that circle's rune sequence onto that face.
If the face already contains a rune sequence, it will be overwritten.
Teleportation Circle: You can place a recorded face of the cube downward on the ground and maintain concentration for 1 minute. A temporary teleportation circle will form, allowing teleportation to the recorded destination.
Each use consumes 1 charge.
Return Circle: You can place the cube's "seal face" downward on the ground and maintain concentration for 1 minute, creating a destination teleportation circle with a diameter of 3 meters that lasts for 1 hour.
During this time, you can record the return circle's rune sequence. After leaving via teleportation, this allows you to return at any time.
This ability can be used once per day, or by expending 1 charge for additional uses.
...
'Huh?' Anser's eyes lit up with surprise.
This item wasn't particularly high-tier, but its effect was somewhat similar to the fifth-circle conjuration spell Teleportation Circle.
Its core function was recording and generating teleportation circles. It allowed teleportation to any recorded permanent circle at will. If you wanted to return, you could simply create a return circle on the spot.
A thought suddenly occurred to him. He grabbed the cube and examined it carefully, discovering that three rune sequences were already recorded on it, each marked with red ink.
Rune sequences were essentially teleportation coordinates. Three sequences meant three destinations.
The markings were simple words: Waterdeep, Rock City, and Base.
'Base… base…' Anser narrowed his eyes. 'Could be their hideout… or a trap.'
The rune sequences themselves were highly abstract and difficult to interpret. Using red ink to mark them wasn't unusual.
'Should I go take a look? Or find some help?'
He couldn't delay too long. If there were still people at the base, they would likely flee with the loot upon learning their leader had died. If that happened, he might end up with nothing.
The Warlock was a star pirate—there had to be a spelljamming ship!
'Not now. I'm not in good condition.'
After some hesitation, he decided to recover first.
He carefully stored the Teleportation Cube. The item itself might not be extremely valuable, but it now represented the potential inheritance of an entire group of star pirates—making it far more significant.
Next, he quickly checked the belongings of the other three corpses. There were quite a few good items, but nothing he could use. He tossed everything onto the top floor of the black tower for now, planning to deal with them tomorrow.
After a quick wash, he sat on the bed and brought up his character sheet.
His experience pool had reached 14,406—just over a thousand points away from leveling up.
Meanwhile, the eighth symbol on the silver d20 die had fully lit up, and even the ninth symbol was halfway illuminated.
Clearly, today's battle had been of very high quality.
The process might have had some flaws, but the result was nearly perfect.
'What will it be this time?' Anser thought with anticipation.
He touched the twenty-sided die with his mind. Fragments of memories surfaced: the siege of Fort Jacqueline, Traveler's Rest, the battle of Rock City…
He deliberately slowed down the earlier combat scenes, carefully observing the Warlock's reactions. Suddenly, he noticed something—
Several times, the Warlock had tried to draw a card from the tarot deck.
At first, he hesitated.
Later, he simply didn't get the chance.
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