Chapter 197: Sword Appraisal

"You can keep the change, and I would appreciate it if you could keep this between us."

As he said that, Viktor stared directly into the shopkeeper’s eyes.

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes slightly under Viktor’s gaze, then raised the corners of his mouth.

"Consider it done."

This time, the shopkeeper placed his hand against the card and stared intently at it. Perhaps he was using a different skill from Appraisal. The color of his eyes did not change, and after several minutes, he finally held out the card.

"Done."

The card was now completely indistinguishable from the identification cards the others carried.

The front displayed the person’s name, age, race, and occupation. And under occupation, it clearly stated "Adventurer."

Xiao Tao had not even registered as an adventurer yet, yet the card identified him as one. Even Qiu Nuoya could tell that it was obviously a forged identification card. Still, if all they needed was something to use as a travel permit, it was more than sufficient.

So this kind of thing really is possible if you have enough money.

Qiu Nuoya was thoroughly impressed, although he was well aware that what they had just done was a crime.

Just how many gold coins had been packed into that pouch Viktor handed over?

Qiu Nuoya would have to ask him later and make sure to pay him back. Hopefully, he had enough money of his own to cover it.

"Now that the identification card is taken care of, I suppose the next thing is the sword appraisal. Let’s see it."

This time, Warren removed the sword together with its belt holder and held it out to the shopkeeper. Once again, the shopkeeper’s eyes turned crimson.

The shopkeeper stared intently at the sword as though trying to see through it. After several minutes, he furrowed his brow.

Qiu Nuoya already knew the sword’s true identity, so he waited anxiously, wondering when the shopkeeper would finally say its name. Yet the old man showed no sign of speaking.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Where exactly did you get this?"

The shopkeeper answered the question with another question, his eyes still crimson as he blinked.

"Is that necessary for the appraisal?"

"No, not exactly. It’s just that the concealment is far too strong. There’s nothing I can do against it."

"Concealment...?"

"It means that most of the information about this sword has been sealed away. I can’t even tell who cast such an incredibly powerful concealment spell on it."

"Then you can’t tell what kind of curse it has either...?"

"A curse? This sword isn’t cursed. The sword itself is ordinary. Well, perhaps that’s not quite right. Judging from how thoroughly its information has been sealed, it may actually be valuable enough to be considered a sacred relic. Something along the lines of a Divine Sword or a Daemonic Sword, perhaps."

The shopkeeper narrowed his crimson eyes as he continued.

"Could this thing be stolen? Take my advice and return it to wherever you found it. It isn’t cursed at the moment, but the sword itself possesses an enormous amount of magical power. Anything that has been sealed away has a reason for being sealed. If someone who goes against the will of this sword were to possess it, it could very well cost them their life."

Qiu Nuoya could not help thinking that this was already a curse in its own way. Still, apparently the sword itself was not actually cursed at the moment. And since it had followed Xiao Tao even when he tried to throw it away, that meant the sword itself had chosen to follow Xiao Tao of its own free will.

The group exchanged glances at the shopkeeper’s words.

Someone who goes against the sword’s will...

At present, the sword seemed to recognize Warren as its master and showed no signs of resisting him. Could that be taken as proof that Warren was acting according to the sword’s will?

"Um... This sword won’t leave me alone right now. What am I supposed to do about that? I came here because I thought that was part of its curse, but you’re saying it isn’t a curse?"

"That’s right. What, lad? Has the sword taken a liking to you? In that case, you can just use it normally. Of course, while the sword likes you, everything should be fine. But the moment you go against its will, you might want to be prepared for the possibility that it’ll kill you."

"Seriously...?"

Warren’s shoulders slumped.

He had thought that if the sword really was cursed, he might be able to free himself from it by lifting the curse. Instead, it was not even a curse. The sword simply liked him.

As long as the sword favored him, there was apparently no way to escape it. And if he ever went against its will, it might kill him.

That was hardly any different from a curse.

"Hmm... But Warren said yesterday that the sword itself seemed pretty good, didn’t he? And it doesn’t seem to be the kind of thing that curses you just by using it. If you can use it, why not just use it normally?"

Igor clapped his hands together as though he had come up with a brilliant idea.

"But if I go against the sword’s will, it’ll kill me without hesitation," Warren replied with a troubled expression.

"Then just don’t go against its will. Problem solved."

"Don’t say it like it’s that simple! You’re treating it like it’s someone else’s problem!"

"Come on. In a way, I think this was fate. After all, you’re the only swordsman among us, and I’m certain you’re the one who can wield that thing the best."

That was certainly true. Even if Qiu Nuoya somehow obtained a magnificent sword like this, he had no confidence that he could wield it properly. The same went for Viktor, who was a mage, and Igor, who fought with his bare hands. A sword would be practically useless to either of them.