Things about the female knight in black stockings

"In a place where I secretly hide things..."

The subsequent interrogation was uneventful, and the paladins of Arant quickly found a small vial of blood, about 10 milliliters, in the spot where the deceased's soul had indicated.

This blood is indeed the essence of vampire blood, possessing violent dark magic, without the slightest trace of holy light.

However, even the two vampire priests in the Arant Cathedral couldn't determine whether it was the so-called ancient vampire blood essence. They planned to take the small vial of blood to the Divine Continent and ask their elders for help.

The soul of the deceased also suffered the punishment he deserved... Although this punishment should be seen as a reward by normal people, it was definitely a punishment for him.

The Church of the Sun resurrected him and imbued his body with constant radiance and purity.

Because of his pure nature, he will never be able to come into contact with any dark forces again; if he does, he will suffer unbearable pain from body to soul.

And because of the blessing of light, his body will love sunbathing, and he will even be able to directly absorb energy from sunlight like photosynthesis. Theoretically, he could live without eating and just by sunbathing.

Conversely, if he doesn't get enough sun exposure each day, he will become weak, listless, and unable to muster any enthusiasm for anything.

This is his punishment... His future life will be completely contrary to his hobbies.

. . . . .

After the riot caused by the Fog Demon was completely over, Valensa and Tia still couldn't resist Elser's request and accompanied her to a blind date dinner. After the dinner, they chatted, drank tea, and played cards all night.

The next morning, Elseris was still fast asleep, cuddling Gina, while Valensa and Tia slept for a little while before setting off.

The exhibition of the personal collection of the great collector Erquin Roggins is about to begin, and they should head to Mosantina, a town in eastern America.

While passing through another major city, Hudson, Valensa also participated in her fourth competitive duel of the season.

Valensa's opponent this time is still a beautiful young girl, and also a newcomer who just started competing this season, just like her, and is not very strong.

She's really bad at the game, not because she's restricted by the rules, but because the rules of the dueling are actually an advantage for her, since she hasn't been weakened in any way.

Valensa practically won the game while whistling and humming.

The fake divine magic combo of [Updraft] and [Dress Burst] turned the new beauty into an underwear model under the spotlight. Embarrassed, she burst into tears, covered her face, and ran off the field, eliciting excited screams from the audience.

After the match, Valensa seemed to realize she had gone too far and wanted to apologize to the new female contestant. However, she happened to run into the new female contestant engaging in group sex with several high-ranking members of her contracted business association, showing no signs of the shyness she displayed during the match.

Valensa then realized that the shyness of the young newcomer on the field was all an act. She was actually a woman who sold her beauty for wealth and fame, and her innocent and shy demeanor was just a persona.

Valensa immediately gave up on the idea of ​​apologizing to her and secretly decided that she would bully her again if they met in the next match.

Three days after their fourth match, Valensa and Tia, who were traveling and having fun, finally arrived in Mosantina, just in time for the exhibition of the personal collection of the great collector Erquin Rogins.

Such exhibitions inevitably have entry barriers. Even ordinary upper-class elites cannot simply attend them; they must be engaged in art-related work and have achieved a certain level of success.

As prominent nobles of Fran, Valensa and Tia naturally possessed some knowledge of art, as it was a required course for nobles and one of the most frequently discussed topics in conversation.

However, their understanding of art was only at the level of ordinary nobles; it was fine for boasting at banquets, but compared to true artists, it was like a husky mixed in with a pack of wolves.

For example, Valensa and Tia failed the art-related questions used to check visitor eligibility outside the exhibition hall, even though they were French nobles.

Fortunately, the two were not only Franz nobles, but also paladins of the Church of the Sun and apprentices of the Sage's Tower. These two identities added a lot of points to their qualifications, which barely allowed them to enter the exhibition.

The exhibition hall is quite large. Although it doesn't look very big from the outside, the actual space inside is at least three times the size of the outside. It should be like Tia's arcane carriage, using some kind of space-expanding technology.

The cost of expanding such a large exhibition hall is far higher than that of the Arcane Carriage, and it is also a symbol of wealth and power.

This also strengthened Valencia's resolve not to forcibly take the Rainbow Chicken.

The fact that a great collector like Erquin Roggins can hold an exhibition of this scale using his personal collection is definitely not just a matter of wealth. He is very likely a Moon-level powerhouse, as rumored. Robbing him would be a sure way to get yourself killed.

The exhibition hall contains a wide variety of artworks, including master-level paintings and sculptures, skilled craftsmen's automata and automata, many rare monster specimens, special phenomena that can only be formed by a very coincidental event, and top-level magical artifacts that even Tia, an outstanding apprentice of the magic tower, found eye-opening.

The only odd thing was that there wasn't a single divine weapon or armor that was usually indispensable at exhibitions throughout the entire exhibition hall. Even the magical items that even Tia was amazed by were almost all functional, with very few for combat.

...Is this great collector, Erquin Rogins, surprisingly a pacifist who doesn't like collecting combat gear and gadgets? Or are those things his real treasures, things he's reluctant to show to outsiders?

With guesses in mind, Valensa and Tia quickly browsed through the exhibits and finally found one of their main targets for this trip to America in the monster specimen area.

A giant, extremely colorful chicken, about fifteen or sixteen stories tall, was sealed inside a huge crystal cabinet.

This is a very handsome chicken. The shape of its head is sharp and majestic, and its eyes are bright and piercing. Unlike ordinary broiler chickens, its head is not covered with a soft comb. Instead, many sharp thorns, like dragon horns, grow together to form the shape of a comb.

The giant chicken also has a very large tail with long, colorful feathers that shimmer with a beautiful magical glow even without reflecting sunlight. This is probably the origin of the "extraordinary" in its name, the Extraordinary Giant Chicken.

Perhaps it's because the feathers on the tail are too brightly colored, but the feathers on the body of the Giant Colored Chicken are only black and white, black on top and white on the bottom, which is quite striking.

When struck by the legendary magic [Time Lock], this colorful giant chicken seemed to be singing and dancing, its eyes full of joy, and its body was in a rather strange posture, somewhat like a basketball player dribbling with their back to the ball.

Its time was frozen at this moment, forever maintaining this posture and action, becoming one of the many exhibits in this exhibition hall, named "The Eternal Artist".

"Is this the power of legendary magic? It's too strong."

Standing beside the giant rainbow chicken and gazing up at it for a while, Valensa couldn't help but sigh:

"To think that a Moon-level monster could be reduced to this state with a single blow."

"No...actually, ordinary legendary magic isn't that powerful."

Tia shook her head:

"I know about the legendary spell 【Time Lock】. The Sage Tower has a complete training method for this spell. All members of the Sage Tower above the Radiant Rank can train it, but very few people succeed."

Because time is the foundation of the world and one of the most important domains of divine power, it is extremely difficult for mortals to enter into it, and any attempt to do so will inevitably come at a great cost.

As far as I know, the sages in the Sage's Tower who can cast [Time Lock] can only stop the target's time for a dozen seconds at most... If you really want to kill the target, you still need to use other spells to finish them off within those dozen seconds.

To instantly transform the Brilliant Giant Chicken into an eternal [Time Lock] with a single strike is practically impossible, even a miracle, according to the Sage's Tower's magical theory.

"miracle?"

Valensa raised an eyebrow:

"Tia, are you saying that the one who killed this giant rainbow chicken using [Time Lock] was likely a god?"

"No, it can't be a god... There's a big difference between divine power and magic. This giant rainbow chicken was created by magic, not divine power."

Tia shook her head again, her expression somewhat complicated:

"This kind of [Time Lock] is indeed impossible according to the Sage's Tower's magic theory, but there are more high-level spellcasters than just sages in the world..."

"Is she a witch?"

Valensa then realized what was happening and exclaimed:

"It's definitely a witch... Although witch spells are far less stable than sage spells, their effects and power ceiling are much higher!"

"Ah."

Tia finally nodded, her gaze fixed on the colorful giant chicken with a slightly unfocused look.

"Abandon all theories and experience, and use heart and magic to summon miracles... This way of casting spells by witches sounds reckless, but it can often achieve miraculous results."

Unfortunately, the more powerful the witch's spell, the more unbearable the price... If there were a way to overcome the cost of witch's spells and further enhance their stability... perhaps..."

"perhaps?"

"Perhaps she is a witch, or perhaps a god."

After admiring the magnificent, colorful giant rooster for a while, Valensa and Tia continued deeper into the exhibition hall.

Outside a room at the far end of the exhibition hall, about a dozen people were queuing.

The people in line were all dressed smartly and looked very important; they were all wealthy and powerful. However, they all looked quite nervous, and almost everyone was carrying various gift boxes.

As a renowned collector in America, Valencia and her friends were certainly not the only ones who wanted to visit Erquin Roggins and obtain a piece from his collection.

Although this great collector had an eccentric and difficult temperament, he was not one to stubbornly refuse to trade his collection with anyone.

Not many people are able to successfully trade with him and acquire his collection, but there are still some.

In order to make a good impression on the great collector Erquin Roggins at their first meeting and increase the chances of a successful transaction, everyone who visited him would present him with a gift that was not very expensive but rather interesting.

If this gift satisfies Erquin Rogins, he might soften his stance on the collection that he would otherwise never trade, or lower the terms of the deal.

Valensa and Tia had also prepared gifts, and they obediently lined up at the back of the queue, waiting to visit the great collector.

People ahead of them kept going into the great collector's room. Some would come out with regrets after twenty or thirty minutes, while others would push open the door and flee in a panic less than two minutes after entering.

Valensa and Tia waited in line for about an hour and a half before it was finally their turn to enter the room. There were more than ten people ahead of them.

At the doorway, both of them were a little nervous. They took two deep breaths and quickly straightened each other's collars and hair before entering together.

Upon entering, Valensa and Tia saw the legendary giant fleshy ball, which was none other than the great collector Erquin Rogins himself.

This was a rather unattractive... or rather, ugly man.

He was less than 1.5 meters tall and weighed about 300 kilograms. His height and width were almost equal, making him look like a big ball of flesh when he stood there.

His face was also very ugly, with all his features crooked and deformed, and his eyes were especially lewd. He was the kind of character who would look like a villain or cannon fodder in a movie.

A person like that walking down the street would probably turn heads no less than a beautiful girl in black stockings like Valencia.

Valencia gets so many glances because of her hot and alluring looks, which makes people want to steal a look. This fat collector, on the other hand, is so ugly that he arouses curiosity and makes people want to look at him more often as material for bragging rights.

Fortunately, although Erquin Roggins was ugly, he didn't have that kind of jealousy towards beauty... People's aesthetic standards are different. Perhaps in his eyes, women with curvaceous figures like Valensa and Tia are ugly monsters.

“You two… don’t look like Americans.”

After Valensa and Tia entered the room, Erkun Rogins squinted his rather lewd little eyes at the two women and said casually:

"No matter how fashionable your clothes are, they can't hide the boring conformity you have. Only a country like France, which places great importance on so-called aristocratic manners and etiquette, would act like this... So you two are nobles from France, right?"

"Mr. Rogins is indeed very perceptive."

Although she wanted to complain, Valensa maintained a smile and greeted everyone warmly before presenting her gift with the box held in both hands.

"To be honest, one of the collectibles you exhibited at this exhibition is one that we are very keen to acquire, and we hope you can give us a chance."

"Hmph, is that even a question? Anyone who visits me with gifts at this time is after my collection. You French people are so long-winded."

Erkun Rogins seemed a little dissatisfied and snorted, but fortunately he didn't immediately kick Valensa and Tia out. Instead, he beckoned to Valensa with his finger.

An unseen, strange force suddenly came into play, as if using telekinesis to take the gift box from Valensa's hand and place it in Erquin Rogins's hand.

The fat collector was not polite at all; he quickly tore open the box, revealing another exquisite and gorgeous metal box inside.

"Oh wow? A box within a box? You French people are quite the game."

After making sarcastic remarks about Valensa and Tia, Erquin Rogins continued his work, opening the lid of the metal box as well.

"what?"

Then he made a slightly surprised sound.

That exquisite and ornate metal box is part of the gift itself.

As the box was opened, what appeared before Erquin Rogins was a miniature yet lifelike theater stage, with more than a dozen tiny figures holding different musical instruments, led by a band conductor holding two black batons.

Both the stage setting and the band themselves look incredibly realistic, not at all like something carved from wood or metal. They seem more like a real theater and a real band that have been miniaturized and put into a box.

"interesting."

Erquin Roggins examined the box from all angles for a while, then suddenly smiled, his attitude towards Valensa and Tia improving considerably.

"Tell me, you two noble ladies from France, this gift of yours can't just be a decoration, can it?"

"Of course, this is a magical creation called the [Band in a Box], and its real purpose is to play music."

Valensa breathed a sigh of relief, and her smile became even brighter and more confident.

"It can play more than 100 songs and also has a recording function... No matter when or where you hear a beautiful sound, you can use this box to save the sound for you to enjoy and listen to at any time."

After speaking, Valencia took a step forward and personally demonstrated to Erquin Rogins how to use this magical item, which functioned much like a music player.

This "Band in a Box" can not only play and record various kinds of music at any time, just like a music player in a technological civilization, but when the music plays, the little band members inside the box will also make playing movements with their instruments in accordance with the rhythm of the music. Every beat is perfectly in sync, which looks quite ingenious.

"Interesting...that's interesting."

Erquin Roggins was clearly very pleased with the gift, and by extension, Valensa and Tia, whom he had initially disliked, suddenly seemed quite adorable.

He curiously picked up the music box again and examined it repeatedly for a while, his brow furrowing slightly.

"This thing... seems to have been made using rather cruel necromancy?"

Chapters 85-87: Then there's only one choice left, isn't there?

"Mr. Rogins is indeed very perceptive."

Valensa maintained her sweet smile and complimented the large collector once again:

"This 'Band in a Box' was indeed originally created using very cruel necromancy, but the souls trapped inside were later freed. I then asked a very powerful witch to modify it using alchemy, which resulted in the gift you see today."