Soon, a window re-emerged in the air.
[Inventory is being stabilized... 18%]
In the dark corner, Rosacer waited until the counter reached 100%, then quickly checked his inventory. Something was unusual.
The Doll of Macabre had regained her lost hair, and the carving knife was now occupying the same slot as the Doll of Macabre.
'It repaired it? Does it have its own consciousness, or was that automated?'
Was it mere coincidence, or had Marvin done something? He did not know. But the fact that the knife had repaired the doll told him one thing. The dollmaker of the Macabre Doll and the Sculptor were the same people.
But the most unusual thing was, why was he always deliberately involved with the sculptor's relics?
That coincidence felt deliberate, as if someone had intentionally ensured that Rosacer remained in contact with the Sculptor's relics.
"But why?"
For a moment, he suspected the System itself. He questioned it silently, but the System denied any involvement.
Even so, his suspicion did not fade.
Putting that thought aside, he quickly emptied his flesh bag and returned all the items to their inventory slots. He also removed the carving knife from the shared slot and chose to keep it on his person.
After taking another look at his inventory and confirming that the knife was hidden inside his coat, he stepped out of the corner and headed toward the eastern side.
The mist swirled around him as he vanished into its depths...
Soon, he reached his destination and entered without hesitation. A narrow aisle led to a counter, behind which a figure remained concealed in darkness.
Sensing a visitor, the figure emerged on its own. Its slithering eyes pierced the darkness first, followed by the rest of its body.
"Quite diligent. So, my money?" it said, raising its hand toward Rosacer.
"Wait. The payment is still on hold. I want something else from you as well," Rosacer said, hiding the primal fear that screamed within him as he looked at Christopher.
"What do you need, then?" Christopher asked. There was a trace of disappointment in his voice as he turned back toward the counter, gesturing for Rosacer to follow.
Rosacer nodded and followed him as Christopher took his seat.
Rosacer began, "I need a seal. A seal that can completely nullify an effect."
"Ask a merchant. You are in the wrong shop," Christopher replied, his voice quiet and calm.
"The merchants will already be in lockdown after the Black Flames incident," Rosacer retorted.
Christopher narrowed his eyes as he looked at Rosacer. Rosacer's soul trembled under the weight of that gaze. Then Christopher smiled slightly at last.
"Fine. I will provide a sealing ritual for you. But." He paused.
"You must find the person who sold the Naga heart to the Southern Merchant."
'You are looking at him…' Rosacer replied inwardly.
He did his best to hide his reaction, whether it was fear or astonishment.
Inside his thought bubbled.
'Should I accept or not? I do not want to deceive this man. He looks useful, and menacing for some reason. Is he one of the snake people? I do not doubt it.'
He exhaled quietly.
"Alright."
Following that, Christopher pulled out a parchment. Written upon it was a language Rosacer had seen before. Royal Ernest Language.
The System did not wait for a query. It immediately translated the contents.
[Ouroboros Katadesmos: Snake Curse Tablet]
[Two Naga venom glands, four horseshoe millet, sixty percent ethanol, twenty percent sulphuric acid, extract from a five-eyed frog, and the tail of an invisible lizard.]
[Form a vibration circle with jagged edges. Pass the blood of a descendant of the Serpent King Vasuki or the Great Serpent Jörmungandr through the center to initiate the ritual.]
There was more written on the parchment. Substitute materials, precautions, and side effects that could occur if the ritual destabilized.
Christopher did not pause. "What do you need to seal?"
Rosacer quickly pulled out the knife and handed it over.
Christopher accepted it and immediately shaped a circle out of thin air.
While the sigil was stabilizing, he went inside to check his inventory for the items and also ordered Rosacer to bring some of them from the shelves.
Once everything was prepared, Christopher placed the materials onto the circle and then poured his blood into its center.
The circle shimmered with a pale green light, convulsing violently. Scales began forming across Christopher's skin. He muffled his own scream, forcing his expression to remain focused. His eyes narrowed, pupils stretching into near-vertical slits. Long fangs pushed out from his jaw.
A window shimmered into existence before Rosacer.
[Cruel Shard is sensing a tyrant aura nearby.]
The grafted sigil around Rosacer's neck warmed slightly, informing him that the cruel aura had dissipated.
One by one, the circle engulfed the materials, dissolving them into light. From the center, a serpentine spirit emerged. It lifted itself from the circle, turned its gaze toward the one conducting the ritual, then coiled inward and transformed into a seal that entered the knife placed just outside the circle.
For a brief moment, everything outside the ritual, including Rosacer, was overtaken by a haze of fractured memories.
Then the shimmering light faded. The circle vanished, and Christopher's transformation slowly reversed as his features returned to human form.
"It's done," he said, exhaling deeply.
"Make sure to keep feeding it," he added before sitting back.
"What does it eat?" Rosacer asked.
"Rats," came the reply, his voice exhausted.
The word sent a chill through Rosacer's spine.
"There's a rat trap in the back. Take it," Christopher said. With that, he drifted into sleep, his body slumped in the chair.
Rosacer nodded, even though Christopher was already in deep sleep. He moved toward the back, opened the inventory door, and stepped inside.
The room beyond was filled with tightly sealed jars, each filled to the brim. Monstrous body parts and strange flora were packed inside them. Shrubs and herbs grew in glass tanks along the walls. The place was far more bizarre than the witch's hut he had seen.
He did not linger. Rosacer began searching immediately and soon found what he needed on a corner table. Several rat traps were stacked there. He opened his inventory window and stored them inside.
If Christopher had been awake, Rosacer would have needed to use the flesh bag created by the Grafter Sigil. Now, there was no need.
Without delay, he exited the building. Christopher remained asleep.