A flash of light swept over the stone platform.
A new piece of information transferred into Colin's mind.
"Please place an item of corresponding value on the stone platform."
'It turns out to be an equivalent exchange... I didn't expect the Elf Clan's Treasure Vault to have such a function.'
Colin understood, and subconsciously wanted to refuse... he had nothing to trade.
But in the next moment, as if he thought of something, he abruptly took out a withered brown twig — this was the Second Rank attack twig he had obtained from the Tree Elf earlier.
Yet, it seemed that due to the limitations of lineage, neither he nor Lillian could use it... now it was perfect as a trade-off.
"A treasure for healing injuries and removing contamination."
After placing the twig on the stone platform, Colin paused, and then spoke again in a deep voice.
The main reason he chose such a treasure was for Nasi, and on the other hand, it was for his mentor Atbolde, just in case.
For Nasi, naturally, there was no need to say more... her condition was truly worrying.
On the other hand, if his deduction just now was correct, it was very likely that the place Lillian had gone to was not the Treasure Vault; as for where she had gone, only her mother, who was a High Level Elf, might know.
If so, if Lillian couldn't obtain the treasure to heal Atbolde, then the healing treasure he obtained would at least give Atbolde some more hope.
In any case... trading for the healing treasure was definitely the right choice.
As Colin's voice fell, another flash of light swept over the stone platform.
Another piece of information suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Invalid item, please replace the trading item on the stone platform."
'This twig, it's actually not recognized by the Treasure Vault?' Colin was stunned, his original plan falling through, causing an undeniable disappointment in his heart.
'But there's no other way, I don't have many valuable things on me...'
But at this thought, a sudden glint of inspiration flashed through his mind, and he summoned a familiar black scepter — the Foolishness Scepter.
This scepter had been with him ever since he left Blackstone Island; thanks to it, he had escaped many calamities.
But as time passed, and as his own strength grew... the Foolishness Scepter gradually became less suitable.
Whether it was the increasingly high cost or the potential risks when using it, it all led him to use the Foolishness Scepter less and less.
Colin's gaze flickered, lost in deep thought.
Now, the Foolishness Scepter, to slightly enhance a First Rank Upper witchcraft to about the peak of First Rank, nearing the threshold of Second Rank.
Based on his experience using it, it would approximately cost 50 progression points... a costly expense for not much improvement.
At this rate of progression, he feared that by the time he reached Second Rank or First Rank Advanced, he would no longer be able to afford the cost of using the Foolishness Scepter.
'But after all, the Foolishness Scepter is an excellent last resort... and with Golden Paper, I can ignore its cost.'
'No, no one knows if it's truly ignoring or if there are other risks.'
'But so far, there have been no accidents...'
Colin's thoughts shifted continuously in his mind.
A moment later.
"Whew—"
He caressed the scepter in his hands and finally made a decision.
Although strange items were tempting, in terms of practicality, for him right now, it was better to trade for a treasure that he could use for a long time.
"A treasure for healing injuries and removing contamination," he whispered as he placed the Foolishness Scepter on the platform.
On the stone platform, light flashed once more.
But this time, the golden light wrapped around the scepter.
...For some reason, this golden light always gave Colin a troubling feeling.
The golden light kept flickering brightly, but the Foolishness Scepter remained in place.
However, thankfully, this standoff lasted only briefly.
The next second, a brilliant golden light burst forth on the stone platform, and the Foolishness Scepter disappeared.
Another new item quietly emerged on the stone platform.
But Colin, standing nearby, had no energy to inspect it further.
The instant the Foolishness Scepter vanished, his complexion turned ashen white, as if made of Golden Paper.
His brain felt as though it had been violently struck by an invisible hammer. Colin was seeing stars, and strange whispering noises continuously buzzed in his head as if a cold, slippery snake were hissing into his ear.
At the same time, a wave of intense pain followed.
Bang.
He couldn't help but collapse onto a stone pillar, sitting down heavily.
Almost instinctively, Colin summoned the Golden Paper.
After he saw the abnormality on it, his heart skipped a beat.
On the Golden Paper, the Fireball Technique, Arrow Shooting Skill, Swift Skill, Steel Temperature Resistance Field... nearly every witchcraft blessed by the Foolishness Scepter had suddenly developed fluctuating up and down symbols.
"Strange artifacts possess bizarre effects and require odd sacrifices to use..." Colin thought subconsciously.
Then he thought about his earlier hesitation to place the Foolishness Scepter on the pedestal and gave a bitter smile, "That Foolishness Scepter, as expected, isn't so simple... If it weren't for the Golden Paper, I probably couldn't have decided to use it to exchange for other treasures..."
At this moment, the ↑ and ↓ symbols were still fluctuating on the Golden Paper, as if two invisible hands from different directions were gripping Colin and tearing him apart, almost splitting him in two.
"Hisss..." The extreme pain made Colin gasp, and he endured it with difficulty.
Although the symbols on the Golden Paper were still changing, generally speaking, ↑ dominated. If the negative price brought by the Foolishness Scepter was a reduction in knowledge, then the ↑ symbol was clearly counteracting it.
With this thought, Colin felt somewhat reassured... at least he had the Golden Paper.
Whoosh!
A flash of Spiritual Light from the witchcraft passed, and he cast the Mechanical Mind on himself.
But it lasted only a moment. He didn't even get a chance to feel the effects before the spell quietly shattered.
"Ugh!"
Pain swept over him again.
Colin couldn't help but inhale a few breaths of cold air.
Just then, a scent as if green sprouts were bursting in spring suddenly filled his nostrils.
"Hmm?!"
This fragrance, carrying a slight sweetness, was inconspicuous, but it instantly alleviated much of the pain in Colin's body.
He followed the scent instinctively to its source.
As he stood up, leaning on the stone pillar, he saw where the fragrance was coming from—
It was a silver necklace on the pedestal, a necklace obtained in exchange for the Foolishness Scepter a moment ago.
The main body of the necklace was a round green gemstone the size of a fingernail cap.
Though small, the gemstone was incredibly clear, and simply being there, it generated a misty vapor.
And the fragrance he smelled was that of these vapors.
Colin instinctively reached out, wanting to grab the necklace.
"Hmm? My body seems not to hurt anymore... and my brain has also recovered quite a bit?"
He suddenly realized something, stopped his movement, rotated his arms, and looked himself over.
"Is this necklace's effect so powerful?"
But the next moment, Colin shook his head, his mind moved, and he opened the Golden Paper.
Pale golden particles converged.
As he suspected, the abnormalities on the Golden Paper had stopped, and all the chaotic ↑ and ↓ symbols had disappeared.
Upon closer inspection, all the progress behind each witchcraft also remained unchanged.
"The Golden Paper... truly powerful." Colin stretched a smile and reached out to take the green gemstone necklace from the pedestal.
"It seems like I've been getting a free ride on the Foolishness Scepter for a long time..." he thought again.
If using the Foolishness Scepter ultimately required a price, then at this moment, he could be considered to have successfully freeloaded.
Hum—
As Colin took the green gemstone necklace in his hand, an archway glowing with white light quietly appeared behind him.
Seeing the familiar outline of the arch, Colin's heart lifted.
Since entering, he had harbored a fear, fearing that once he entered the Treasure Vault, he might not be able to return to the previous palace.
And after noticing that Nasi hadn't followed him in, this worry in his heart became more tangible...
"Maybe not necessarily, I still have to go through it to know." Colin took a breath and stepped through the white light archway.