The Gentleman at the End
Chapter 414 - Chapter 414 Chapter 413 The Ring of Greed

Chapter 414: Chapter 413 The Ring of Greed Chapter 414: Chapter 413 The Ring of Greed Yi Chen and Jin exited the Duel Arena, only to be stopped by a host with a smooth face, whose only distinguishing feature was a mouth.

“The apprentice knight who won the combat has completed all procedures for the prize money transfer, and the two of you must go backstage to collect this substantial prize money,” he said.

The prize money was bound to be hefty, and Yi Chen imagined they might present it in a super-sized sack.

However, what was handed to the pair in the end were two rings,

crafted from Blood Tumor Jade and featuring a delicate, tiny treasure chest decoration on the surface; the chest’s exact material indiscernible to the naked eye.

As Yi Chen attempted to touch the decoration on the ring, the treasure chest suddenly opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth and extending a flat tongue, as if it was quite resistant to the touch of a stranger.

The host explained, “Gentlemen, the final prize for this battle is the highest in history, amounting to twelve thousand ancient coins for each of you.

Given the large number, we are providing you with ‘Greed Rings’ that possess the function of storing ancient coins.

The prize money has already been ingested by them, and now you must simply drip your blood into the rings to bind them, easily accessing the ancient coins inside.”

“There are such things?”

Having confirmed the rings were safe, Yi Chen dripped the blood from his fingertip into one,

and as the blood slid along the chest’s tongue and inside, the entire ring lit up with a bloody sheen. An affinity reaction emanated from the ring, and it even eagerly slipped onto his finger.

Upon touching it again, the chest no longer resisted.

Indeed, as Yi Chen’s touch ended, it spat out an ancient coin, then curled its tongue to pull it back, seemingly pleased with the arrival of its new owner.

When Yi Chen genuinely intended to take money out, he merely needed to transfer the thought to the ring.

Jin, who had also put on a ring, was somewhat excited, “This is the Greed Ring! My master has one too, but her treasure chest seems to be golden.

Such things are usually seen only in the hands of nobles. Now I have the money to buy nice things.”

Jin moved her palm to place it next to Yi Chen’s, comparing the rings,

but unexpectedly, the two Greed Rings from the same batch began to extend their tongues toward each other and lick one another, which was rather odd.

As the host explained, this licking behavior was innate to the Greed Rings, and it was how they conducted rapid transactions between different rings through the contact of tongues.

Upon the completion of the prize transfer, the host cradled his own body, “Do the two of you need to feed on me? I am quite the special nourishment, after all.”

Jin was clearly tempted, even her stomach growling, but Yi Chen quickly grabbed her and left.

The two of them immediately headed to the highest hanging room of the Observation Platform, prepared to meet with Miss Oreina.

However, they found that three distinguished-looking members of the Venerable Tumor Knight Order had arrived early. Judging by the trio’s demeanor and the scene’s setup (the three knights were positioned near the door, either standing or seated, while Oreina lounged at the highest point on the sofa, thus slightly elevated above the three),

they showed considerable respect for Miss Oreina.

The knights’ gaze shifted to Yi Chen and Jin upon their entrance,

and a gauntleted hand, where leather and metal merged, quickly landed on Yi Chen’s shoulder, “Young man, you are quite interesting! Was the axe you used against Marseillino the same one you got from slaying the Death Plague critters?”

“They are not critters. I fought with all my might for that meager victory,” Yi Chen replied, his tone not quite respectful but the knights were nonetheless pleased,

as the increasingly powerful Original Tomb began to roam the Old World unchecked in recent years, worsening its relations with the Cancer Palace.

A knight wearing an eagle mask stepped forward, voicing his curiosity, “What’s the deal with that Thorny Iron Chain from the Monastery in your body, the one used for torturing prisoners?”

“As far as I know, the monastery has an extremely strict administration. Once bound by iron chains, one is forced into monk reform, and freedom is stripped away. It’s impossible to move about freely as you do,”

“This… Honestly, I’m currently under pursuit by the monastery.”

Yi Chen briefly explained how he attained the iron chains from the Duke.

“You evaded the monks’ chase? Good! I didn’t expect those twisted individuals to face defeat sometimes.

Do you have any thoughts about joining us? The three of us can vouch for you directly, allowing you to join the Venerable Tumor Knight Order’s New Soldier Camp as a foreign affiliate.

With your standards, making it into the top ten won’t be a problem, and by then, the Lord should make an exception to admit you.”

With Yi Chen having slain a true death victim and having cost the monastery, these three knights found themselves favoring him more and more, to the point of offering him an olive branch on the spot.

“This… I already discussed this with Marseillino. I only came to Cancer Palace to visit and observe, I might leave the day after tomorrow, so I don’t plan to stay long.

However, Jin will be staying here for a longer term.”

“Lady Oreina has already told us about Miss Jin; she’s her disciple. In time, she will be directly guaranteed by her status, so it won’t involve us.

What a pity. Might I ask where you plan to go afterwards?”

“I’ll meet with the Duke, then I’m heading to the Skin Factory.”

As knights of the Venerable Tumor, they were aware that there was a group of humans that belonged to the lower clans of the Skin Factory, yet Yi Chen’s performance did not resemble any subordinate clan member, in fact, he seemed even stronger than a direct Skin Slave.

“The Skin Factory… Be careful when you go there, something unfavorable is happening. We’re not entirely sure what it is, but we’ve been forbidden from contact with the Skin Factory for several months now.

Our Knight Order hasn’t been to that area of the factory for a long time either, and many raw materials are now being processed by other newly-established factories.”

“Mm.”

Yi Chen nodded. He would naturally verify the specific situation of the Skin Factory when he met with the Duke.

“Since that’s the case, we won’t disrupt you further. It was a spectacular match; let’s hope we don’t become enemies in the future.”

With the departure of the three men, Oreina, who had been slouching on the couch, finally stirred,

leaping onto Yi Chen’s shoulder with the agility of a cat, gently rubbing her head against his chin as though bestowing a reward, and then spoke in a tender voice:

“Well done, you handled that very wisely.”

This kind of praise and reward almost made Jin, who was watching from the side, weep with envy.

Yi Chen, looking apologetic, said, “I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t win the match, and your wager…”

“Everyone betting against me lost, which essentially means I didn’t lose either. Let’s move on ~ As a reward for your excellent performance tonight, I’ll take you to the ‘Primordial Forest’ for an evening’s enjoyment.

As for when you’d like to leave, William, I can arrange that too.”

Yi Chen also took the opportunity to ask, “By the way, does Lady Oreina know how to find the Duke?”

“You can try to contact the ‘Transaction Seal’ between souls to know the approximate location. But there’s a simpler method; the Duke’s Chamber of Commerce circulates through various Neutral Cities and a few open Source Plague Areas to conduct sales.

The trade zone in the Cancer Palace should have recent advertisements for the Chamber of Commerce posted. I’ll have someone go check it in a bit and we’ll know.”

“Okay.”

“Come with me, enjoy the remainder of your time to its fullest, experience the charm of the Cancer Palace, and when you return to the human tribes, be sure to promote it well to your companions.”