Mercenary Wars

Chapter 68 Cloak of Disguise
The Witch's Curse (Second Ring)

[Effect: With each cycle of day and night, you will become more like a "witch." After seven days, you will transform into an evil witch with gray hair, wrinkled skin, a hunchback, and a hooked nose.]

[No countermeasure target, curse lifted]

The curse's effect is similar to the fourth ring's "Curse of Transformation," but it's clearly not as strong.

And unsurprisingly, the curse was instantly lifted; for Gaucano, this seemed to be the only possible outcome for a curse triggered by an object.

As the curse was lifted, he saw the contents of the box—three items in total.

A pile of coins, a gray cloak, and a pale blue magic wand.

The coins are mainly silver, with only a few gold coins, which aren't worth much. The cloak and wand are worth noting.

Gaucano picked up the wand first.

[Item: Frost Wand]

[Level: Level 4]

[Effect: Increases the effectiveness of water magic and allows mana to be converted into ice shards for projection]

……

A magic wand is roughly equivalent to a miniature version of a staff.

In more lenient periods of the Papacy, such as now, sorcerers prefer to use staves, while wands are not commonly seen.

Conversely, during periods of stricter papacy, wizards preferred to use portable, small wands to avoid attracting unnecessary attention; otherwise, being labeled a "wizard" would be a serious problem.

Therefore, a proverb is widely circulated among monks: the length of the staff is equal to the Pope's chest.

Gaucano channeled magic into his wand and then flicked it lightly.

"call out."

A piece of ice flew out, half of it embedding itself in the mud.

Its power is roughly equivalent to an ordinary person throwing a stone fragment. If it is thrown continuously and quickly, it can still cause some damage, at least it shouldn't be a problem to deal with ordinary wild animals.

For mages whose survival was precarious during certain periods, it served as a convenient tool for self-defense.

Put away the Frost Wand.

Gaucano picked up the gray cloak again.

[Item: Disguise Cloak]

[Level: Level 7]

[Effect: Improves the concealment of Disguise, making it resistant to third-level magic detection]

……

Compared to the somewhat lackluster Frost Wand, this cloak of disguise is undoubtedly much more valuable. Not only is it of a higher level, but it is also practical, which immediately caught Gao Gano's eye.

I guess this is the tool the dungeon spirit was talking about that could help it escape.

After thinking about this, Gao Jiano pondered for a while.

Given the curse that appeared when the chest was opened, the dungeon undead were somewhat likely to have tricked him.

If it weren't for the Curse of Fairness, he would definitely have been affected. Even though the curse wasn't fatal, it forced him to reconsider how to deal with the dungeon undead.

Kill them for experience?

Gaugano was not inclined to choose this option.

On the one hand, he felt that if he were in the same situation, he would most likely make the same choice to avoid the other party breaking their promise, which was a reasonable precaution.

On the other hand, based on the items found in the tomb, Gaucano deduced that the dungeon's undead was a sorcerer, or rather, a "wizard," at least in the eyes of the Papacy; otherwise, they wouldn't have been burned at the stake. A skeleton wizard…

Gaucano gradually formed an idea in his mind.

He then packed up all the belongings, reburied the grave, and left the cemetery.

The next day, Gaucano, disguised as Taf, arrived at the Thieves' Guild.

Since Yurius's army entered Prestoburg from there, the guards took over the area on the day of the incident, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering or leaving, and the black market business was naturally suspended.

But the black market has always been incredibly resilient.

Gaucano wandered around the area and made a few inquiries, quickly learning the location of the new black market—Rose Alley.

Rose Lane in Prestoburg is similar to the pleasure quarter in Southshore, a place where men go to have fun. It's bustling with activity at night, but business naturally slows down during the day.

Thus, the Thieves' Guild, which had close ties with Rose Lane, borrowed the space during the day for black market transactions.

The sheriff usually turns a blind eye to the black market, and with Prestoburg being in a turbulent time, he's even less inclined to interfere.

Gaucano arrived at Rose Lane, and soon heard a greeting: "Taf!"

He turned around and saw that it was a bookseller selling forbidden books. He immediately went over, and after a few words of small talk, he got down to business: "Do you have any blank Holy Name Contracts here?"

The bookseller paused, then asked, "What do you need that for?"

Gaugano did not answer; in black market transactions, the source and purpose are always implicitly kept secret.

The bookseller, seeing this, didn't delve into it further, but instead pointed: "You can go to the slave traders; usually, only they sell the Holy Name Contract. When you contact them, I suggest you be careful. You know, selling Mosaic slaves not only violates town laws but also seriously contravenes doctrine; it's one of the most dangerous professions even on the black market."

“I understand.” Gao Jiano nodded, then his gaze fell on two books at the forbidden bookseller’s stall. “Introduction to Mysticism and Forbidden News of Theology, how much are these two books?”

The bookseller said, "An introduction to mysticism is one gold coin. As for Theology and Vatican Forbidden Stories, it's just a storybook written by a bard. I'll give it to you for free."

"Thank you."

After casually buying two books, Gaucano followed the directions given by the banned bookseller to find the slave trader.

At the same time, he followed the advice of the banned bookseller and disguised himself more carefully, changing his face and clothes, and then putting on a disguise cloak to maximize the effect of the disguise.

Before long, he found the slave traders—a few men who were completely covered from head to toe—in an abandoned warehouse on the edge of Rose Lane.

In the world of Farallo, if a slave is a heretic, the trade in slaves is perfectly legal, and there's no need to bind them with a hidden but expensive thing like a holy contract. Since it's legitimate and doesn't cost much, black market merchants certainly wouldn't do this kind of business.

The slaves sold on the black market are mostly fellow believers, and the church strictly forbids the enslavement of fellow believers.

Therefore, the slave traders here are all wrapped up tightly and carry weapons with them, ready to fight and run away at the slightest provocation.

When Gaucano entered the abandoned warehouse, he was greeted not only by several slave traders, but also by Mosaic slaves sitting on the ground. Unlike ordinary slaves, they were not bound by chains, but they behaved more submissively than ordinary slaves.

"Buy slaves?" the slave trader asked.

Gaucano: "I want to buy a blank Holy Name Contract."

Slave Trader: "A one-way holy name contract that can hold five holy names, priced at ten gold coins."

It's a bit expensive...

"Is there anything cheaper?"

"There is also a Lesser Holy Name Contract, which costs five gold coins and can hold two Holy Names."

Two sections were not enough, so Gao Jiano had no choice but to buy a blank Holy Name Contract for ten gold coins.

After the money was exchanged, the slave trader asked, "Are you planning to capture Mosaic slaves? I buy them regularly, and the prices are absolutely fair."

(End of this chapter)