Chapter 7: Forbidden Artifact [Ring of the Twin Serpents]

No. 188, Goro Street.
In the study on the second floor.

“Three thousand Kruger coins in total.”
“Based on the current market value of Kruger coins, that amounts to a full 4,800 pounds.”

Upon hearing about this enormous sum brought back by Master Zorn, the old butler, Gronk, was taken aback.
Even during the years when Baron Leon Koric was alive, the family’s better income years barely exceeded this amount.
Yet Master Zorn had returned with such wealth all at once.

However, judging by the peril he had just faced and the grievous wounds on his hands, it was clear this fortune had not been acquired easily.
But Gronk did not intend to pry further.
After all, in his eyes, Master Zorn had already stepped into the mysterious realm of the extraordinary.
A realm beyond his concern.

Of the 3,200 Kruger coins brought back, Zorn planned to keep 200 coins—about 320 pounds—in his personal reserve.
The remaining approximately 4,800 pounds were earmarked for investment and debt repayment.

At that moment, the maid Vanessa was carefully disinfecting and bandaging Zorn’s wounds.
As a servant from a noble household, Vanessa had received formal education and further training at both maid and nursing schools, equipping her with nursing basics and first aid knowledge.

As she delicately wrapped the bandages, the freckles on her face gradually faded, revealing a delicate beauty. Though her figure was mostly concealed, its allure was still unmistakable.

In the original timeline, this attentive maid had steadfastly followed Zorn Koric even when he stood against the world.
She had stood her ground until she shielded him from the bishop’s flames and was consumed by the inferno.
The agony of burning tore through her, but her final shriek allowed Zorn to flee swiftly.

She was willing to use her fragile body to block attacks until she could no longer stand.
Only then did Zorn truly see this quietly devoted, secretly enamored, graceful maid.

With the wounds disinfected and bandaged, Vanessa’s voice sounded clear and melodious like a nightingale.
“For the foreseeable future, you must keep your hands dry...”

She paused briefly, her voice softening considerably.
“I will come to take care of you.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, her heartbeat quickening.

Vanessa understood well the duties and responsibilities expected of a noble’s maid.
Many among her peers took pride in having served noble heirs, some even serving more than one.
Some young nobles with complicated private lives even exchanged maids among themselves.

Previously, the old butler had warned her that Master Zorn was still young, and if she misbehaved, she would be sold to the red-light district of the Old Town.
Yesterday, the butler informed her that Master Zorn was about to come of age—and she was to be part of his secret coming-of-age ceremony.

After Vanessa left with her medical kit, Zorn opened the monster chest while the butler began counting the Kruger coins.
As the family’s financial manager, Gronk could convert these coins into pounds through various channels.

Zorn picked up the day’s issue of the Gran Steam Daily to browse through.
The Gran Steam Daily was a city-wide newspaper in Ogran, affiliated with the national intelligence system of the Otanston Republic, thus bearing an official background.

Its content covered major events across the Saintland Continent and the Otanston Republic, as well as important local affairs within Ogran City.
Reading the Gran Steam Daily daily was practically a required task for every noble.

As Zorn absorbed the critical intelligence, he soon noticed a seemingly ordinary yet potentially life-changing piece of news.

“Uncle Gronk, what do you think about the Belléo Navigation Company?”

“The Belléo Navigation Company?”
Gronk paused while counting the coins.
He looked up, his aged, wrinkled face showing a complex expression as he regarded Zorn Koric.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke,
“The oceans shrouded in mist and mystery indeed hold great opportunities and wealth.
But for the Koric family, it has felt like a curse from the sea.

Your father, Baron Leon, invested in oceanic company stocks five times.
But...”

He hesitated, summoning courage,
“Each time, it resulted in total loss, plunging the family deep into debt.
Your father himself was lost in the depths of the sea.

The family cannot endure another curse from the ocean, Master Zorn.”

Gronk’s warning was clear.

Zorn narrowed his eyes, straightening up, and asked pointedly,
“Then can these nearly five thousand pounds in coins repay the family’s debts?”

Gronk shook his head helplessly.
“At least forty to fifty thousand pounds are needed to fill the family’s financial hole.”

Forty to fifty thousand pounds.
Even for an experienced man like Zorn, hearing this number caused a tremor of unease.

“That unreliable father of mine left behind quite the gap!”

After a moment of thought, Zorn spoke slowly,
“Uncle Gronk, based on intelligence I gathered from some extraordinary individuals,
although the newspapers say the Belléo Navigation Company’s steam whale convoy was raided by pirates,

in fact, this convoy was protected by extraordinary powers.
Though the crew suffered heavy casualties and even the captain died heroically fighting the pirates, the convoy still managed to safely reach the bay docks of Ogran City.

Because the press reported the steam whale’s misfortune, the company’s stock plummeted.
I believe now is the perfect time to buy these stocks!”

“Soon, the steam whale will return, and the stocks we purchase will multiply several times, perhaps even tenfold.”

Zorn’s words stirred a flicker of excitement in Gronk.
If this information from the extraordinary was true, it would be an excellent opportunity to increase the family’s wealth.

“In that case, when I exchange these Kruger coins for pounds tomorrow, I will buy some steam whale stocks.”

Faced with this firm declaration from Master Zorn, so different from before, Gronk chose to trust him.
After all, five thousand pounds wouldn’t solve the current predicament.

“Buy as many as possible, but don’t spend less than two thousand pounds.”

Spending nearly half of their current wealth on navigation stocks was a gamble that startled Gronk.
Just like Baron Leon before him, even if it meant borrowing money, he would plunge into maritime stocks.

What Gronk did not know was that investing in the steam whale stocks was a near-guaranteed profit.
The only question was whether the returns would be three to four times or tenfold.
And the market only had stocks available between two to three thousand pounds.

Though buying stocks aggressively might attract trouble, that was a problem for ordinary nobles.
For an [Evil Spirit Sorcerer], it was more like a gift.

“How is old Nero doing?” Zorn asked, shifting his thoughts.

Previously, when old Nero and Gronk were struggling with a shaky sewer cover, they were terrified.
On returning to the carriage, old Nero had slipped badly.

“Vanessa checked him—he’s fine, just shaken. A few days’ rest will be enough.”

“Good.”

Zorn nodded.
“Give old Nero a week’s extra wages to compensate for the mental strain.”

“And you as well!”

As servants of noble families, they all had salaries, and quite respectable ones at that.
Old Nero earned 15 silver dragons weekly, about 0.75 pounds—a high wage in Ogran City.
Gronk’s was even higher at 3.5 pounds weekly.
Such a good salary not only supported Gronk but also paid for his son’s and two daughters’ tuition—a key reason for his loyalty.

Soon, the butler finished counting the pounds and left the study.
Zorn opened the window and quietly surveyed Ogran City as night slowly descended.

At that moment, the city slipping into darkness unfolded before him with a strange radiance.
Especially the moving life forms, which stood out vividly and clearly in his sight.

On his middle finger, a silver ring adorned with twin serpents entwined around a red gem writhed silently, like a tiny snake climbing.

The Twin Serpent Ring.

A forbidden relic from the great high entity, the [Twin Ringed Serpent].
The wearer must feed it fresh blood daily—human blood would do, but the wearer’s own blood was more effective.

Clearly, Zorn would not recklessly feed this forbidden artifact with his own blood.
Previously, he had asked Bevis to purchase live gray mice.
The purpose was to feed the Twin Serpent Ring with the mice’s blood and life force.
The mice’s blood and vitality were second only to the wearer’s own—an excellent source of nourishment.

Wearing the ring granted the “Twin Serpent’s Sight,” a powerful insight into living beings and extraordinary lifeforms.
With prolonged use, the serpents’ appetite would grow, increasing feeding frequency and amount.
The wearer would gain the deeper effect, “Twin Serpent Spirit Body,”
which endowed a flexible, snake-like body, concealed extraordinary spiritual power, and further enhanced the Twin Serpent’s Sight.

However, the serpents would increasingly covet the wearer’s blood and life.

The forbidden Twin Serpent Ring possessed formidable mysterious power.
For a close-combat specialist like a [Brawler], it could compensate for a lack of insight and enhance melee fighting ability.
For an [Evil Spirit Sorcerer], an item that enhanced insight and spiritual power was always precious and potent.
Its effect in the sorcerer’s hands far surpassed that in a brawler’s.

Beyond conventional uses, [Players] had devised various unconventional, rule-defying ways to exploit it.
Zorn was well-versed in these secret applications.

Obtaining this forbidden artifact had significantly boosted Zorn’s strength as a [Brawler].