Chapter 116: Banner of Triumph, Void Research Notes

Wang Yu, following the Minister of Finance, remained unaware that the King had coldly ordered the liquidation of the Moriarty family within the great hall. Yet, he had long anticipated the fate of that particular surname.

The kingdom was never short of great houses; eliminating a traitorous mole was far more beneficial than tolerating another powerful family. The laws regarding the transfer of noble interests—once used by Avia’s uncle to persecute her—were, in many cases, designed precisely to curb these legal parasites whom the King saw all too clearly.

The rewards for Charles, Huguin, and Zig were straightforward. Charles received a scroll bearing the royal seal.

The implication of this document was clear: regardless of whether his father wished to pass the mantle of the next family head to him, the royal house had spoken. The consequences of failing to comply were for the family to weigh for themselves.

Watching Charles’s conflicted expression, Wang Yu felt an inexplicable urge to laugh. Charles himself claimed to have severed ties with his family.

At the academy banquet, young Daniel’s remarks had confirmed that the Charles family had indeed announced a break with him. But in Wang Yu’s eyes, that was far from certain.

He suspected the fellow had simply run off after a falling out. The people of the Ryder house, owing to their bizarre prophetic abilities, were mostly prone to strange habits or psychological irregularities.

Charles’s father was arguably the most normal of the lot. As for Charles, aside from being a bit flighty, he seemed fine, and his talent was undeniable. Wang Yu did not believe for a second that their family would abandon such an "excellent heir."

As for Huguin and Zig, their new badges of command signified a comprehensive elevation in power and status. Though nominally still inferior to the Bishop of the Church of Light in Alastair, they were now essentially on equal footing.

In short, they were now more powerful and influential, their words carrying greater weight. The benefits were numerous, and Wang Yu and the members of the Night’s Edge under him would likely reap a share of the dividends.

Finally, there was Wang Yu. He tucked the medal certifying his transition from a commoner to a titular noble into his pocket. This was merely a token of identity; the true significance lay in the noble status file stored by the clerks in the secure vault.

That document officially declared Wang Yu no longer a nobody, but a noble within Alastair without a fief. A mere change in title, yet enough to bring about earth-shaking shifts.

The reason Wang Yu’s reward was saved for last was the extra bonus granted for his recovery of the "Chronos Hourglass," a wonder-item that, while not of strategic level, was still immensely precious. Because wonder-items held the highest priority in terms of rules, they were kept in locations of the highest security and clearance.

Charles, Zig, and Huguin had agreed to wait for him at the carriage outside the main gate of the palace. Wang Yu followed the Minister of Finance—a man whose belly was perhaps excessively round—toward the storage site.

Wang Yu had no intention of making conversation on the way, mostly because he didn't know what to say. However, the rotund Minister took the initiative to break the silence in the corridor.

"Lord Wang Yu, are you unaware of the effects of the 'Chronos Hourglass'? Had you claimed it for yourself, the gains would have far outweighed this current reward."

The Minister led Wang Yu through a secluded palace corridor, turning his head abruptly with a playful, inscrutable tone that caught Wang Yu off guard.

"I did not know she carried a strategic wonder-item. Furthermore, my relationship with her was largely a matter of private grievance; even without the item, I would have killed her."

Wang Yu, clearly immune to such tactics, saw no point in being intimidated. After a moment’s thought, he simply told the truth. He did not know what the Minister was aiming for, but by being direct, he left no room for fault-finding.

"Oh? You didn't know the effects of the Hourglass, nor that it was a wonder-item? That is quite the coincidence."

The Minister stroked his beard, his intentions unclear.

Wang Yu knew full well that the rewards bestowed by King Doren Charlemagne would not change simply because he had no prior intent to recover a strategic item. The King’s reward was for the fact of the recovery, not for Wang Yu himself.

"Then, allow me to introduce the effects of this strategic wonder-item. Though it may be meaningless now, it is only right that you understand the item you recovered."

"Very well." Wang Yu did not understand why this high-ranking Minister was showing such excessive enthusiasm, but he saw no reason to refuse or feel repulsed.

"The effect of this item is exactly as its name suggests: it controls time. It can store a segment of time within a one-month span. During the storage process, the holder cannot move or think, remaining in a completely defenseless state."

"Roughly twenty minutes of time can be stored in the hourglass, converted into the 'Sands of Time' in the upper chamber."

"When the user wills the hourglass to reverse, these stored moments can be used to accelerate the user’s own time, even allowing them to skip twenty minutes in an instant. It is nearly identical in effect to the forbidden spell, Time Stop."

The Minister watched Wang Yu’s expression, trying to gauge his reaction. Unfortunately, Wang Yu was not skilled at acting, but he was quite adept at remaining expressionless. The Minister, named Bordeaux, saw nothing.

"Powerful, but there must be limitations. Otherwise, I could not have killed its holder." Wang Yu responded with a question. It was a terrifying effect, but if it were truly that simple, Hela could have killed him hundreds of times over in those twenty minutes.

"Correct, very rational. The acceleration of this item must be borne by the user. To accelerate to five times the normal speed, one must endure five times the load. To skip twenty minutes at once is something no human could withstand."

The Minister nodded, satisfied.

"Even so, in the hands of a Grand Knight or higher, this would still be terrifying."

Wang Yu imagined it briefly; a Grand Knight could likely endure four or five times the load.

Though one only had twenty minutes total per month, at five times the speed, one could only use it for five minutes. But the advantage of five-fold speed against an equal opponent... it was unthinkable.

Perhaps Hela had failed to use it well, or her constitution was too weak, or she had simply squandered the time. By the same token, it was of little use to Wang Yu. And if the King held it, who would benefit most? Obviously, his personal guards.

"Is this one of the King’s trump cards? Or does he use it himself?" Although Wang Yu could not sense Doren Charlemagne’s aura, Huguin and Zig’s assessments indicated the King was undoubtedly formidable.

"Indeed, your insight is sharp. That is why I wish to make a long-term investment here. Ordinarily, I should not disclose the functions of wonder-items, but here is a list of the general effects of the items you may choose from. I hope it helps."

Bordeaux was even more pleased by Wang Yu’s quick understanding. Though his strength was lacking, his role in recovering a strategic item important to the King meant his future path would likely be much smoother.

Most importantly, Wang Yu belonged to no family and no faction.

Investigations into this new member of the special operations team proved he had no roots in Alastair. This meant that if he achieved success, he could become an ally to anyone.

Whether it was the military or the other ministers, all were making plans for the war with Sevintan. Investing in a newcomer who had caught the King’s eye was a low-cost, high-reward move.

"Thank you." Wang Yu took the list, which detailed the functions of dozens of non-strategic wonder-items.

"By the way, what level is this item of mine?" Wang Yu asked, gesturing to the Endless Page that hovered above his head, which he used for taking notes.

"General Garcia’s item?" Bordeaux was stunned for a moment, then his estimation of Wang Yu rose another notch. He was obscure, but his connections to so many great figures spoke volumes.

"We call such items 'Jester’s Tricks.' While they possess the nature of a wonder-item, you surely know their utility is quite limited."

"Understood." Wang Yu felt his "Jester’s Trick" was quite practical, even if it fell short of the items on this list.

Wang Yu followed Bordeaux into a corridor that grew increasingly mechanized, the palace stone giving way to metal.

Through the ripples of his perception, he could see the mechanical structures shifting behind the walls. Though they appeared to be walking straight, the corridor itself was descending.

Opening a gate of cast iron and gold, they stepped into the vault built jointly by dwarves and gnomes.

"Greenstone Ring: slowly restores injuries. Full recovery takes a week. Ineffective against diseases, curses, or old scars; it merely forces the body’s natural healing process."

"Wings of Gold: grants brief flight without conditions, ignoring gravity and all factors affecting the concept of 'gliding' for ten seconds."

"Third Eye: creates an observation point similar to a Magic Eye, but undetectable and indestructible. It grants a ten-meter radius of vision like the Eye of Truth, but at the cost of one's own eyesight, and requires an hour-long ritual."

"Tongue of Filth: placed under the tongue, it induces a random disease every half hour. Too uncontrollable, thus kept in storage."

"Stone Mask of the Vampire Progenitor: wear it for a day, and it turns the wearer into the lowest-level blood thrall, forcibly converting them into a vampire, regardless of race."

...

Wang Yu read through these items. Their natures were bizarre, but without exception, they were "absolute"—if the conditions were met, they ignored all obstacles to achieve their effects.

Most were either useless or too demanding. Some even felt strangely familiar.

Overall, these were only slightly better than his "Jester’s Trick." It was as he suspected: he wouldn't be gifted anything truly strategic. Still, this list was invaluable; without it, he would have chosen blindly. Bordeaux’s favor was no small thing.

"I’ll take this one: The Banner of Triumph."

Wang Yu walked to a metal cabinet and chose a red flag.

Though other items had unique uses, he chose the one that was neither too strong nor too weak, but helpful to him.

"Are you sure? Its effect may not be as good as you imagine, or it would be a strategic item."

"The others have conditions too harsh or are useless. I’ll take this one." Wang Yu confirmed his choice.

"Click." The cabinet opened, revealing the vibrant red war banner. Bordeaux handed it over.

As Wang Yu took the flag, he willed it to manifest, and it hovered above his head, ethereal like the Endless Page—a common trait of many wonder-items.

The effect of the Banner of Triumph was simple: killing a living being allowed the user to siphon its life force to heal themselves. The stronger the creature, the more life force gained.

It sounded powerful, but in reality, the life force gained was limited. Besides, when a warrior faced an enemy of equal strength, how could they find the time to kill other powerful creatures to recover?

Wang Yu intended to discern the precise mechanism that triggered this artifact’s effects; though he suspected the royal family had surely scrutinized it already, he hoped to find a loophole, and even if its utility proved lackluster, an additional means of restoration was never a bad thing.

"Let us do this: these curios are indeed somewhat lackluster in their efficacy, so I shall grant you a few things in a personal capacity, simply as a gesture of friendship."

"A collection of books—nothing classified, mind you, merely materials that are rather difficult to come by in the outside world. Consider it a small gift; you may take a single copy with you."

Bordeaux’s fleshy face creased into a smile as he opened a door to the side, revealing a room lined with dense, metallic shelves packed with books, resembling a private library. Every volume was a duplicate, its title inscribed upon the spine.

"Thank you," Wang Yu replied, seeing no reason to refuse.

He cast a casual glance over the vast array of copies; though his keen eyes could perceive them all, he found himself at a loss for what to choose. Reflecting on his situation, he realized he still knew far too little about the Void, and the mystery of his own soul remained unresolved, making this an opportune moment to seek out some information.

As his gaze swept across the shelves, it landed on a volume titled Roland’s Void Research Notes, and Wang Yu stepped forward to retrieve it.

"I shall take this one."