Mystery: A Spark

“I understand. Give me the address, and I’ll ask Khoramik to send someone to explore the area.”

Exploration... I'm afraid it'll just be a barrage of artillery fire... Arthur muttered to himself, then said:

"The location should be at the bend in the Stefford River in White Cliff. There's a hidden entrance there; if you look carefully, you should be able to find it."

“Okay.” Bonova refocused on the work at hand.

“Ahem, well…” Arthur coughed lightly to get Bonova’s attention. “Mr. Bonova, after I reported the clues about the ruins, hasn’t there been any… uh…”

"You mean the reward?"

"Yeah."

"Of course, once the tomb has been fully explored, you can choose one item from all the spoils of the exploration."

Bonova said with a smile:

"If it has the Reaper trait, then you're in luck."

"Hmm...actually, I have the Reaper trait now," Arthur said, scratching his face.

"Oh? Then you'd better pray that it contains the extraordinary characteristics of the Iron-Blooded Knight or the Despair Witch."

"Can we choose items from higher sequences?" Arthur asked, somewhat surprised.

If he could choose a high-sequence item, and it happened to have the Iron Knight's extraordinary trait, then he might not necessarily choose the Shadow of Human Skin trait.

After all, advancement in the ranks is the most important thing; money is just an external thing, a tool to help one move forward on the path to the extraordinary.

Arthur was well aware of this, and he wouldn't put the cart before the horse.

As for what to do with the traits you promised Klein's Shadow Skin after choosing the Extraordinary trait? Well, we'll have to find another way.

Of course, even if he possessed the extraordinary qualities of the Witch of Despair, he would never want them.

Absolutely not!!!

“Sure, why not?” Bonova was a little puzzled at first, then suddenly realized, “Oh, I understand what you mean. The rule against choosing extraordinary items that are too valuable or too dangerous is for outsiders, so you naturally won’t have this restriction.”

He turned around, looked at Arthur seriously, and said:

"Preventing the outflow and proliferation of excessively dangerous and extraordinary items is something that all orthodox churches are doing, and I think you should understand why."

Seeing Arthur nod in understanding, Bonova continued:

"Therefore, given the limited nature of extraordinary characteristics, we naturally need to impose restrictions on extraordinary individuals in the outside world."

"Unless you can successfully find a new, extraordinary path."

"Huh?" Arthur was a little stunned.

Bonova picked up a psionic crystal, tossed it around, and looked into Arthur's eyes, saying:

"Isn't the birth of psychic power precisely your effort to find a new extraordinary path?"

"If it's simply about energy, then fossil fuels, wind power, and hydropower are all good options, and I believe you should be familiar with these things."

"On the contrary, developing psionic power at the cost of the lives of extraordinary beings is not a good choice; it's somewhat like taking the long way around."

Arthur chuckled softly:

"I didn't expect you to notice, Mr. Bonova. So, what are your thoughts on this matter? What is your attitude towards the new extraordinary path?"

Generally speaking, in fantasy novels, such things are called "battles of the Dao," which often involve bloodshed and life-or-death struggles.

However, to Arthur's surprise, Bonova's expression didn't change much; he calmly asked in return:

How much do you know about the apocalypse?

"I only know one time, it should be more than ten years from now," Arthur replied.

"Yes, the end of the world is just over a decade away. At a time like this, is it really necessary to care about the different paths? As long as it allows us to safely get through the end of the world, that's a good path. Everything else is secondary."

Bonova sighed softly and said:

"Alright, you can go back now. I'll have someone deliver the gloves once they're finished."

"By the way, what's the situation regarding the faith of that girl you mentioned before?"

“Hmm…she seems to be a follower of the goddess of night,” Arthur nodded in reply.

“Oh, that’s alright. Our church doesn’t have any prejudices. You can have her come to me anytime to adjust the gloves, and she can also give me any feedback during use,” Bonova instructed.

“Yes, Mr. Bonova, I will pass on the message to her.” Arthur left the underground laboratory after saying goodbye.

……

Tuesday afternoon, 7 Townsend Street, Queens.

"You didn't invite me here just to have afternoon tea, did you?" Hugh asked, looking at the pastries on the low table with some surprise.

“Of course not, I have a gift for you.” Arthur pulled out a large box from the side and handed it to Hugh. “Try it on. Your triangular bayonet isn’t very effective anymore. You need a new weapon.”

Hugh opened the box, looked inside, and said in surprise:

"These are... boxing gloves?"

"Yes, and to make it less conspicuous, these gloves also have a transformation function. They can change their shape to become a pair of arm guards when not in use. You can try it."

Hugh put on the boxing gloves and found they were the perfect size.

Curious, she reached out and pressed a button on the arm of one of the boxing gloves. The next second, a mechanical sound came, and the glove began to fold and shrink, turning into a pair of matte black arm guards in the blink of an eye.

"Interesting." Hugh acted like a child who had received a new toy, turning the boxing gloves into arm guards and then back into boxing gloves, having a great time.

"Alright, alright, stop playing around. Let me explain the functions of these boxing gloves to you," Arthur said, somewhat exasperated, interrupting Hugh's play.

"Ahem, I'm listening, go ahead and say it." Hugh stopped, somewhat embarrassed.

"As you just saw, the arm guards are in their usual portable state, but they can be transformed into gauntlets during combat."

"The gloves have two combat modes. The first one I call the heavy punch mode."

"Users can unleash a powerful attack by charging up for a certain period of time; the longer the charging time, the greater the power."

"However, it is important to note that if the power is stored up for too long, it may exceed the body's tolerance and cause injury to the user."

Seeing that Hugh nodded to indicate that he understood, Arthur continued his explanation:

"The second mode of the gloves is what I call the Swift Mode. In this mode, the gloves will provide assistance when you swing, allowing you to punch and block more quickly."

"Therefore, I also call this model the three-dimensional defense model."

"However, this mode requires a high level of skill in controlling the gloves, and you will probably need to practice for a while to master it."

Hugh nodded in realization and said:

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll need to find someone to help me train in boxing. The knight training I received before didn't include boxing techniques."

Arthur gave a strange smile and said:

"Boxing is actually very simple. As long as you master one core technique, no one can beat you."

"What technique?" Hugh asked curiously.

"The technique is to throw punches without any set pattern, also known as 'no move is better than move.'" Arthur's smile grew increasingly strange, as if he had just thought of something. "If you throw punches without any set pattern, how can the enemy break through? They can't, don't you think?"

“No, I feel like you’re completely lying to me.” Hugh wasn’t stupid, and he exposed Arthur without hesitation.

"Ahem, okay, I was just joking, but I'm about to get serious." Arthur's expression turned serious.

Hugh also became serious and listened attentively to what Arthur had to say.

"Do you know what the names of the next few sequences of sheriffs are?" Arthur asked first.

“Hmm… I only know that the next sequence is called the Inquisitor, and I’m not too clear about anything after that,” Hugh said, shaking his head.

“I can tell you that the next in line for the interrogator is called the Judge.”

"Judge?"

“That’s right. The power you wield on this path is the power of order. You’re gradually moving towards establishing laws. For example, issuing laws like ‘No extraordinary actions allowed here’ during battle, and then you can go up and fight the enemy hand-to-hand,” Arthur said with a light laugh.

Xiu opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

So she's really going to box in the future? Her physique isn't suitable for that.

Arthur looked at Gin, whom he had successfully led astray, and his smile grew even brighter. He began to spout nonsense:

“Let me tell you, you’re destined to develop in the direction of mastering the law sooner or later. Having you practice boxing now is laying the foundation.”

"What does boxing have to do with the law?" Hugh asked, puzzled.

"You don't understand, do you? Look, if you encounter an enemy, you can try to go up and throw a punch first. If you win, that's naturally the best. But if you lose, you can use the power of the law to punish the other party."

"If you master both the law and the art of martial arts, then almost no one in this world will be your match."

"This is what we call the unity of tower and fist, invincible under heaven." Arthur waved his hand and said with great pride.

Hugh was completely bewildered by Arthur's words, feeling that what he said made some sense, but something still felt off.

"Well, anyway, you must practice your boxing skills diligently, strive to develop your own style, and make a name for yourself." Arthur clenched his fist to encourage Hugh.

"Well, okay, I'll practice boxing properly when I get back." Although Hugh sensed something was off, he nodded in agreement.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention earlier, these boxing gloves aren't just for punching; they also have ranged attack capabilities," Arthur said, as if he had just remembered something.

He leaned forward and showed Hugh how to operate it:

"Look, first like this, then like this... wait, don't fire here, let's go to the back garden, there are targets there we can test fire."

Hugh followed Arthur toward the back garden, curiously fiddling with the boxing gloves on his hands along the way.

Upon arriving in the back garden, Hugh stretched out his hand, palm facing the target in front of him, and was about to fire a shot when he suddenly remembered a question.

"By the way, Arthur, since you said you'd use the name of a liquor as your code name, what's your code name?"

"Me, "

My wine's code name is...

“Trump.”

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In the underground laboratory.