Chapter 305 Rose Necklace
"This is a magical item crafted by the Sequence 5 Beyonder characteristic 'Shepherd'. The craftsman didn't name it. You can decide for yourself.
"This necklace can change shape and color according to the wearer's wishes, but normally it will retain its current bright red color and appear to be just an ordinary gemstone necklace. The craftsman originally wanted to make it with a blue gemstone, which is his favorite color, but perhaps due to the nature of the item itself, it automatically turned blood-red after it was successfully crafted.
"The detailed description of the item is written on the attached paper. Please read it carefully."
In Angel's mind, the hooded figure of the Hanged Man lowered his head and whispered. After he finished his mumbling, he disappeared in a flash.
That was the scene that the thoughtful Mr. Fool sent into her mind when he "bestowed" the item on her.
After hearing what the Hanged Man said, Angel walked to the altar and found that there was a piece of parchment under the jewel necklace, with a lot of content densely written on it.
After extinguishing the candles and clearing the altar, Angel finally had time to examine the description of this magical item in detail.
After being processed and manufactured by the craftsmen, this extraordinary feature indeed possessed the most important ability of the "Shepherd", "herding", just as Angel had guessed.
It can absorb and store the Beyonder's Beyonder characteristics and souls for the user to control, allowing the user to obtain three Beyonder abilities that the Beyonder possessed during their lifetime. Which ones are obtained depends entirely on luck. It is even possible to herd a Sequence 5 and gain three Sequence 9 abilities of the same path.
The upper limit of the number of souls it can graze is three. If it wants to absorb the soul and extraordinary characteristics of a fourth extraordinary person, it needs to choose to release one of the souls inside first. That will cause its extraordinary characteristics to gradually precipitate, and the soul will shatter and disappear. This process is irreversible.
The method of "herding" is to place the gem on the necklace against the forehead of the Extraordinary after his death, before his special characteristics are released, infusing it with spiritual activation power, imprisoning the soul of the Extraordinary and absorbing his Extraordinary characteristics.
The limit of its grazing is Sequence 5. Absorbing the soul of a Saint, that is, a high-sequence Beyonder, is almost certain to fail. Even if it succeeds by chance, it will be difficult to possess the Beyonder ability of Sequence 4.
"That's pretty good. If I can herd three Sequence 5s, I'll have nine different Beyonder abilities, all reaching Sequence 5..."
Angel was secretly delighted and continued to look down.
The user can only possess the three abilities of the currently selected soul, but can switch between the herded souls at will, which takes about 1 second. After switching, the previous ability, even if it has been successfully cast, will immediately lose its effect.
"This is consistent with the ability Ms. D displayed during the battle. If not, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to find a counterattack when she switched abilities..."
"Unfortunately, this necklace can only use its related abilities after grazing the soul of a Beyonder, and cannot directly devour Beyonder characteristics. Otherwise, I already have two characteristics that are very suitable for it."
Angel looked at the necklace with some disappointment. The blood-red gem on it was about one centimeter long and wide, and it was crystal clear, reflecting an enchanting light in the gas light in the basement.
In addition to "herding", it also has another ability, "flesh and blood control", which should be derived from the previous sequence of the shepherd, "Rose Bishop".
"Flesh and Blood Control" allows the wearer to control himself and the flesh and blood around him, quickly recover from injuries, and even absorb the flesh and blood of others that come into contact with it to repair himself, or form a flesh and blood cloak that is strong enough to withstand a lot of damage.
This was also an ability that Ms. D had used. Her body, which was pierced by the "Good Luck" revolver, recovered to normal at a speed visible to the naked eye with the help of the flesh and blood absorbed into her body, making Angel's extremely lucky attack ineffective.
Along with these two powerful abilities comes a relatively intractable negative side effect. Activating the necklace's power gradually causes the user to lose self-control. This doesn't mean they lose their sanity, babbling, or violently attacking others, but their ability to control their actions gradually decreases, eventually leading to them becoming reckless or unbridled.
The craftsman had repeatedly tested "Flesh and Blood Control" and found that the maximum usage time without affecting normal thinking was within one hour.
"Compared to the 'Magic Pocket Watch' that renders combat nearly impossible, the negative effects of this necklace are remarkably mild... but correspondingly, the number of souls it can herd is significantly smaller than that of a shepherd. Is it because the craftsman deliberately tuned it for 'low risk, low reward'? But these negative effects really do remind me of the crazy, unpredictable 'Rose Bishop'... Hmm, let's call you 'Rose Necklace'?"
Angel gently pushed the necklace on the table, causing the blood-red gem to sway, and nodded in agreement.
Unfortunately, there was no extraordinary soul inside the newly made rose necklace, so this magical item worth nearly ten thousand pounds currently only had the ability of "flesh and blood control", and Angel did not have any injuries that needed to be recovered.
Therefore, she did not plan to use this magical item casually for the time being, otherwise the negative effects of the "Frenzy Ring" and "Rose Necklace" on her body would be superimposed at the same time. Angel was worried that she would do crazy things like robbing a bank due to poverty.
"Also, I need to find Beyonders who can be used for herding as soon as possible. They can't be too weak, otherwise they'll be useless. They can't be too strong either, because I won't be able to defeat them..."
Angel thought about it and realized that the only person she knew who was in Backlund and was hostile to the Witch Cult, besides the Beyonders of the same path, was Mr. A from the Aurora Society, who was also a Sequence 5 "Shepherd".
"If I herd three shepherds, and their herding abilities are also used by me, can I use these abilities to continue herding more souls?"
Such a strange thought suddenly popped up in Angel's mind, and he pondered over it but couldn't figure it out.
————
“This recipe really works.”
The Eye of Wisdom touched the piece of paper containing the potion formula with a ring that could verify authenticity and announced the result.
Angel and the black-robed woman she was dealing with breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
The transaction price was not low. Angel sold two Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 potion formulas of the same path, "Apprentice" and "Master of Magic", respectively. This quickly attracted the interest of a wealthy party member. After a brief bargain, the other party bought the two formulas for 700 pounds.
This is slightly higher than the price of individual Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 formulas, but it saves the buyer the trouble of finding the next sequence formula after becoming an "apprentice", thus generating a partial premium.
At the same time, Angel also included a requirement to prohibit the other party from selling the formula at the "Eye of Wisdom" party, and the old man who organized the party agreed.
After receiving the 700-pound banknotes handed over by the waiter, Angel suppressed his inner excitement, counted them again and again, and after confirming the accuracy of the amount, he carefully put them into the innermost pocket of his clothes.
Although buying and selling formulas can make money quickly, opportunities are rare. Only one person responded to Angel's call this time, which means that it will be difficult to sell the formula again in the short term at the members' basically fixed gatherings. Unless Angel takes the risk of returning to Mr. A's gathering or attending the strange gathering in the abandoned medical school on the outskirts of the North District, it will be difficult to find someone who needs the formula.
Of course, the basically fixed membership does not mean there is no personnel turnover at all. At this party, Angel discovered several people he had never seen before. They were of different genders and heights, but they all had a great interest in all mystical knowledge and extraordinary items, and they could not afford to buy them.
The "spokesperson" for Craftsman Kavi arrived at the gathering on time and sold several hundred pounds of bullets and a dagger that could emit flames during attacks. She did not ask for the subsequent formula for "Briber", probably because she had no hope of finding a Sequence 6 formula at the gathering.
Sherlock, who was sitting in the corner, was easily spotted by Angel. He almost never missed the gatherings here, but this time he just quietly observed other people's transactions and occasionally bought some inexpensive spiritual materials.
In contrast, the portly pharmacist Darkwill, who also attended every gathering, did not come this time. Angel guessed that he was still running around the outskirts of Backlund for his extraordinary creatures, or looking for an opportunity to take revenge on the owl that ruined his plans.
The party ended quickly and the waiters took the members away one by one. Angel found that he was cleverly missed by them again. He guessed that the old man "Eye of Wisdom" had something to communicate with him, so he just waited patiently on the single sofa.
The last "outsider" left under the guidance of the waiter, and the door of the living room was closed from the outside. In the dim light, only Angel, Sherlock and the "Eye of Wisdom" sitting in the middle were left.
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