Catastrophe Card King
Chapter 1223 - Chapter 1223 Chapter 377 Seeing the M Signature Again

Chapter 1223: Chapter 377: Seeing the ‘M’ Signature Again Chapter 1223: Chapter 377: Seeing the ‘M’ Signature Again Black Tooth Granny took out a palm-sized clay figurine and, without changing her expression, she assessed Leonard Churchill standing before her.

A sinister grin spread across her face as she introduced, “I see you must be a personage of great insight, sir. You should have heard of the origin of this object… ‘[X-227-Soul Hosting Clay Figurine]’ was once an item contained by the X Bureau. Twenty-seven years ago, the massacre of Duke Boen’s family was caused by the leakage of this Disaster Object’s contamination…”

“…”

Listening, Leonard narrowed his eyes slightly as he examined the figurine.

If it had a number, then it was certainly something the X Bureau had contained at some point.

But why would a dangerous relic once contained by the X Bureau appear in the black market of the City of Thieves?

Upon reflection, he understood.

Noah Wright had previously set up a trap in Sinless City, nearly annihilating the followers of the Crimson Sect.

However, their vampire leader was one of the O5 members of the X Bureau’s Elder Council, Count Nikola Rostov.

The contamination source was at the top, which also caused the entire X Bureau to be purged by the Federal Government after that incident.

Although the name of the organization was still preserved, the X Bureau was essentially defunct in name only.

Many treasures from their warehouse had also leaked out.

Seeing this object, Leonard’s thoughts became more active; the black market shops in the Shadow Abyss seemed to indeed have quality goods.

Black Tooth Granny was very satisfied with Leonard’s composed demeanor.

Only someone truly capable of affording the item would remain so calm upon seeing a Disaster Object.

She continued with her introduction, “As for the effects of the relic… from what has been tested, it can host a soul. Of course, it mostly houses various types of vengeful and malevolent spirits. Hence, there’s a minor side effect: if kept too close for too long, it can extract a person’s soul…”

This ‘[Separation of Souls]’ entry was certainly a negative contamination that any normal person would try to avoid at all costs.

But in the City of Thieves, there were plenty who studied dark sorceries and mystical card crafting – for them, the more sinister the better.

…

Looking satisfied, Leonard nodded, “Hmm, not bad. What’s the price?”

Carrying it with him was indeed dangerous, but placing it inside a painting would pose no issue.

Whether it had any use or not, it was worth buying if he could afford it.

Black Tooth Granny, seeing how straightforward Leonard was, flashed a sly smile that disappeared as quickly as it had come, “What price can you offer, sir? A cultivation technique, cards, crystal cores, marks, materials, rare metals, securities, quality assets, etc. are all acceptable. Of course, if you wish to purchase with Federal Dollars, it will be quite expensive…”

Normally, the value of a Disaster Object is very hard to assess.

Truthfully, their value is practically incalculable.

Epic relics are indeed valuable, but due to their high quality tier, so few can make use of the Transcendent Traits inherent in the relics themselves.

Thus for the vast majority of card masters, a Disaster Object is almost nothing more than a high-end decoration.

The risk is greater than the practical use.

This is the situation for most Disaster Objects in the East Wilderness; they’re just dust-collectors in the nobles’ storerooms.

So the price range can be quite volatile.

It all comes down to how the buyer and seller negotiate.

“Heh.”

Hearing an exchange of goods instead of money, Leonard was not at all surprised and even snorted through his nose, distinctly disdainful of what was clearly an “asset check.”

He knew he would have to show something of value, or she wouldn’t continue to bring out her best items.

With the air of a wealthy young master, he casually took out a storage ring he had prepared beforehand, “Take a look at these and see if they are of any worth.”

Inside the storage ring were select items he had previously chosen; he had made a fortune at the Augustus Imperial Tomb, including burial artifacts and items stripped from the bodies of those from the Southern Continent.

Sorcery Cards, Demon Marks, Profession Cards, Martial Arts Scriptures, Extraordinary Materials… and so on.

These were scarce strategic resources during times of war.

Also, hard currency in the black market.

As expected, upon seeing Leonard take out the ring, Black Tooth Granny’s eyes lit up like a mouse who had seen a rice barn, “Oh my, of course they are worth it.”

Leonard cut off her desire to continue inspecting the storage ring, speaking nonchalantly, “Anything else of interest? Bring out items like special relics, at least of Dark Gold Level materials… Let’s have a look.”

Having already shown his wealth, to entice her to reveal all her treasures, he added, “Money is not an issue for me.”

“Certainly, there is! You’ve come to the right place, dear customer,” she responded cheerfully, now that she had confirmed his wealth.

Fumbling around, she pulled out a black and white photograph from who knows where and introduced it proudly, “But as you know, dear customer, such Disaster Objects are not so easy to find. If it weren’t for my shop, you wouldn’t be able to find this kind of fierce product anywhere else.”

The second Disaster Object!

Leonard was genuinely surprised.

After all, this was just a black market shop, not some noble family’s grand treasury.

However, aside from an appropriate level of shock, he did not show too much anticipation.

Instead, he looked puzzled at the photograph before him, which bore the image of a distinguished gentleman, “???”

He could certainly tell that this photograph was not ordinary.

But without understanding the Transcendent Traits of the relic itself, it was impossible to tell what was special about it.

Not to mention it had no number, which meant it wasn’t a Disaster Object ever documented by the X Bureau.

Fearing that he might not recognize its value, Black Tooth Granny explained proactively, “This Disaster Object is called [Ashen Mist Relic Portrait]. You may not have heard of it, dear customer, because it’s a treasure that has never been contained. As for its function… it can extract and archive human memories. It’s absolutely an unparalleled tool for soul search interrogations.”

As she spoke, to add more allure to her product, she included a cryptic hint, “Of course, it’s said that within the photograph there lies a vast world of consciousness, sealing numerous memory fragments from people whose souls have been searched by this relic… including many ancient secrets unknown to mankind.”