Chapter 32: Appraisal of the Magical Artifact

EeDeChi, with a giant sword in hand, wandered through the living room, seemingly oblivious to the lurking dangers within the castle. She appeared completely at ease, as if she were at home, casually inspecting the room.

On the ground lay a toppled iron mobile ladder cart, with several blood-stained books scattered nearby. It seemed someone had been standing on the cart to retrieve a book when they were suddenly attacked, falling to the ground along with the cart. The books they had been holding were now scattered, pages soaked with blood that had spurted from their chest and abdomen.

A row of wooden shelves lined the wall, holding several glass retort bottles filled with mysterious potions that glowed faintly. One of the glass bottles had been broken, with brownish-yellow liquid spilled and dried, leaving streaks on the wall.

The floor was littered with torn parchment, and a conspicuous pool of dark red blood. It seemed this was the residence of a mage, which had been attacked by someone evidently more powerful than the homeowner.

To the side of the living room was a fireplace, with several glistening red magical crystals embedded in its recess. In the center of the room stood a round oak table, surrounded by five soft chairs covered with goat's wool. One chair was pulled out, facing the side of the round table.

Looking at the scene before her, reminiscent of a crime scene, EeDeChi could imagine a night in late autumn, where several mages gathered here, excitedly discussing something.

The magical flames in the fireplace danced, casting a warm glow. When one of the mages got excited, he pushed over the ladder cart to retrieve a book from the shelf.

As he stood on the ladder cart, face close to the shelf, and reached out to pull a few books, an unknown assailant rushed in. The mages in the living room were caught off guard and had their lives taken instantly.

EeDeChi rubbed her chin, lost in thought. She approached the round table and picked up a thick book with an open cover lying on it. The book felt solid and heavy, with a cover made of hard cowhide, embossed with gold letters: "The Mystery of Magic."

She opened the title page, finding the book's name and a long list of names printed in elegant script, seemingly the authors, followed by a small note: "Under revision."

Flipping through a few pages, she found that the book recorded numerous high-tier magic spells, casting techniques, magical effects, and various esoteric magical theories.

Since crossing into this world, EeDeChi had known she possessed an extraordinary talent for Arcane Magic, able to grasp any spell almost at a glance. Moreover, she had an outrageous skill known as "The Magic Repeater."

By the way, the number of repeats for "The Magic Repeater" is calculated as 11 minus the tier of the magic. For instance, for a tier 5 magic, the number of repeats would be 11 - 5 = 6.

However, the highest level of magic she had been exposed to was only 3rd Tier, and without a master mage to teach her, she couldn't systematically learn high-tier magic skills.

EeDeChi opened the book and began to read intently, treating this place as a library rather than a castle filled with lurking dangers.

Soon, she learned a relatively simple 5th Tier spell: High-tier Artifact Appraisal.

The adventurer captain held the thick book in her hands and, demonstrating a newfound skill, cast the spell:

5th Tier Magic: High-tier Artifact Appraisal!

Lines of characters appeared before her eyes:

[Item Name: "The Mystery of Magic"]

[Type: Book]

[Author: Written on the book, go check it yourself]

[Enchantment: 4th Tier Constant Durability, Waterproof Aura, Cleanliness Aura, Pest Repellent Aura, 3rd Tier Ink Resistance, Heat Resistance]

[Remarks: Due to the enchantments, normal ink cannot be used to write on it, but you can learn many 4th and 5th Tier spells from it, as well as directions for exploring even higher-tier magic.

In the early days of the Empire, mages (also known as Magic Casters) attempted to compile a book encompassing all mysteries of magic. The draft was passed down through generations, finally being compiled into its original version thirty years ago, and ultimately revised into this book.

Arrogant mages, finding a diamond outside a magic mine, believed they possessed all the world's treasures.]

This spell is interesting! EeDeChi blinked as the characters faded from her eyes. She then picked up a white feather quill from the table and cast the spell again:

5th Tier Magic: High-tier Artifact Appraisal!

The characters reappeared in her vision:

[Item Name: Feather Quill]

[Type: Pen]

[Quality: Swan Feather]

[Enchantment: None]

[Remarks:

This is just an ordinary pen, plain as plain can be;

I know what's on your mind, even wizards use a pen that's ordinary.

People care if the pen works well, ignoring the feather's lament;

That graceful white swan, with its proud neck so elegantly bent.

Swimming through the clear lake, feasting on shrimp and fish,

Spreading wings to soar the clouds, fulfilling every wish.

But once it's caught, it meets its end, no more to glide or flee,

Its white feathers stripped away, steamed goose it comes to be.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! This is so funny!" EeDeChi laughed unrestrainedly.

However, her laughter was ill-timed, and her three nervous teammates looked at her bewildered, worried that their captain had lost her mind in this eerie castle.

Nearby, Stella was kneeling on the ground, hands resting on her teacher's withered corpse, tears still visible at the corners of her eyes. She looked at EeDeChi, full of confusion.

"What's wrong? Have you lost your mind?" Barrett asked in surprise.

"You're the one who's lost your mind! Ahem, sorry, everyone, I got a bit carried away." EeDeChi waved her hand, indicating she was fine, then put the heavy "The Mystery of Magic" into her spatial ring.

Suddenly, she felt a stirring within her and pulled out a copper seal from her chest. The bronze-colored seal floated in her palm, spinning rapidly.

EeDeChi blinked and cast the spell:

5th Tier Magic: High-tier Artifact Appraisal!

Unlike before, a line of bold red text appeared at the top of her vision, stating:

[The magical artifact's level is too high to obtain complete information].

Despite this, incomplete lines of text began to appear in EeDeChi's view:

[Item Name: Ban]

[Type: Magical Seal]

[…Range Magic: Comprehensive Ban…]

[Remarks: …Indiscriminate…]

[Non-Targeted Magic: The Great Banishment]

[Remarks: Use with caution… Within ten days… Maximum of three uses… Otherwise…]

[Unique Passive: Magic Aura One: Affection… Lost…]

[Remarks: …Betrayal by all…]

[Unique Passive: Sealed Space…]

[Remarks: …]

…

If Ainz could see these words, he would surely exclaim, "This magic aura is way too overpowered!"

[Unique Passive: Magic Aura Three: Suppresses all eavesdropping, surveillance, and detection magic.]

[Remarks: So, does public opinion still want to monitor me?]