“I still have one thing which I want to confirm your opinion.”
Annan’s tone was tender.
He asked solemnly and seriously, “You shouldn’t mind us purifying this nightmare, right?”
Indeed, Annan was the absolute leader. To put it simply, Joseph was the “baker,” and Annan was the “feudal lord.” But, Joseph Buckel was undoubtedly Annan’s senior despite Annan and Joseph both being Transcended wizards.
If Joseph didn’t like that, then Annan would try his best to respect his opinion… at least leave with him a couple of times to purify the nightmare.
After all, this meager count wouldn’t be able to nurture many players. But, for Joseph, it was the “photo album” he used to reminisce about the past in his later years.
Although this album was a bit cruel to him…
Hearing Annan’s questions, Joseph glanced over in surprise.
Then, he smiled gently.
Annan noticed. This was the first time Joseph smiled from the heart bottom after he entered the house.
“Of course, I don’t mind. On the contrary, I will be grateful to you.”
Joseph just shook his head and waved his hand weakly, “I just can’t lift my spirit… Otherwise, as early as forty years ago, I would have purified it. Then, I will write a letter to Treasure Diamond Island to relieve the curse on my body and leave this place.
“But I don’t know exactly what I’ve been busying for these years. I have seen too many partings from life and death. Either it is struggling in an infinite nightmare, or it is just watching the suffering of others in reality.
“Now, I don’t want to continue anymore. I am a little tired, a little confused, and… I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Joseph said, looking at Annan.
The dark green pupils were deep and tired.
“Feudal lord, I don’t want to be a Transcended anymore. So if you find my vessel, please don’t return it to me.
“Of course, feel free to ask me any questions you have, even if it’s about magic. I will be here all the time, and I like the life of ordinary people quite a bit.
“And if you want to purify this nightmare completely… My suggestion for you is to find out the real cause of Amos’s death. The cause of Amos’s death and the whereabouts of my curse vessel are the remaining mysteries at the moment.”
The cause of Amos’s death…?
Annan immediately had an idea after hearing Joseph’s words. He thought of the Time Stopper Eye’s gramophone curse vessel.
Neither the police nor Joseph knew the effects of the curse vessel, but Annan knew.
The gramophone allowed the user to enter the past and change what had happened. In addition to being unable to touch creatures, the user could do whatever he wanted.
Judging from Elle’s words, it should be the second time Amos used the gramophone back on the fourth floor.
If Amos used the gramophone for the third time, he killed himself on the rooftop with the last bullet… then this wound would be reasonable.
But why did he want to do this?
As long as he nullified the impact after returning to the past, he would still die directly with Time Stopper Eye completely draining his life span.
His bullet should still be used to kill another person.
His actions were unreasonable.
It was like missing a piece in the middle…
Wait?
Annan’s mind was struck with enlightenment.
If this is Amos’s true purpose?
Amos’s model and movement appeared in Annan’s mind.
To die on the rooftop, he must have reached the rooftop.
Then, he returned to the fifth floor or a particular floor where the gramophone was stored. Then, he used the gramophone for the third time and entered the past.
After that, he went to the basement and released Angelo.
Later, for some reason, he returned to the rooftop. Then, with a shot from the back, he killed himself, who just arrived at the rooftop “via the time reversal.”
With that, since Amos was dead, he couldn’t leave the rooftop and go down the stairs to activate the gramophone. That was why he died on the rooftop and was shot in the back and killed by turbid blood bullets with only one shot.
This could explain who released the Angelo sealed in the wine bottle and why turbid blood bullets killed Amos from behind.
But what is his motive?
Annan reached out and tapped the table rhythmically.
He thought for a moment, then slowly asked Joseph, “I have a question. Tell me now…
“What exactly was your advanced curse back then? I want to know the taboo and the effect.”
The curse obtained during the advancement was stored in the vessel.
Joseph, who had lost his vessel, didn’t need to keep it a secret.
Joseph didn’t seem to be surprised that Annan asked this question.
“You’re smart, dear feudal lord.”
He chuckled, “It’s fine for me to reveal my advanced Silver Rank curse. ‘I can’t kill with a knife,’ and that’s all. The effect is that when I use any blunt weapon, I can ignore 80% of its weight. For those who venture in the wizard path, it’s a pretty useless curse.
“But the curse of my Bronze Rank is that if someone greets me within ten meters of my radius, I must respond within ten seconds.
“The effect is if someone says my name within a radius of one kilometer, I can vaguely see his specific location and his general figure.”
Annan’s eyes widened when he heard these words.
Soon, he realized something.
Could it be that I was discovered by calling “the Venerated Skeleton” at Freezing Water Port, not because the Venerated Skeleton was almighty, nor because he was in Freezing Water Port?
But because of the composition of this nightmare, was it related to Joseph’s lost curse vessel?
The event forty-five years ago gradually became clear in Annan’s mind.
Annan nodded slowly, “Thank you very much, Mr. Buckel. You have provided crucial information.”
Having said this, Annan suddenly remembered something.
“Right,” he asked anxiously, “What is the two-handed hammer-shaped curse vessel you used back then?”
Annan wanted to know its specific attributes.
This was useful information, no matter for Annan’s use or sold it to players.
Joseph shrugged.
He had a bright but childish and triumphant smile on his face.
“It looks scary, right?”
Mr. Joseph Buckel shrugged and stood up, “Wait a moment. I will take it out for you to have a look.”
As Joseph spoke, he walked to the back.
About ten minutes later, he took a sledgehammer tightly wrapped in cotton cloth. It was covered with dust and even had a weird smell like old clothes stored for more than ten years in the wardrobe.
Joseph handed it to Annan.
This hammer was whimsically as tall as Annan.
Sledgehammer Beyond Eyebrow’s Height.jpg
Annan lay it on the floor horizontally in silence.
A list of attributes appeared before Annan’s eyes:
[Barrier Destroyer’s Right Arm]
[Type: Weapon/Tool ??(Light Blue)]
[Description: It can exert greater power when facing objects with an “obstacle” attribute.]
[Effect: When attacking “walls,” “road barriers,” “shields,” and other objects, you get a temporary +10 Strength bonus; its shock-resistant property is graded as “superior.” The weapon is capable of reducing a certain degree of recoil.]
[Cost: It can only be held with the right hand. If it is held by the left hand, the user will be more vulnerable to fractures when attacking.]
The effect was great, and the cost was low.
The temporary 10 bonus points in Strength equated to twice the strength of an ordinary person.
Annan’s Strength attribute was 10 points. Therefore, if he held this hammer, it was equivalent to doubling the strength when he struck the wall.
What is this called?
80 Sledgehammer? [1]
“I’m gifting it to you.”
Joseph smiled and said, “Anyway, I’m just an ordinary baker now, and it’s useless to keep it with me.”
Annan went silent for a while. Then, he stood up, and bowed to Joseph, sending his gratitude.
Then he whispered, “Actually, I prefer your book collection.”
“What? Book collection?”
Joseph nodded and got up again, “Yes, of course, I keep them. I won’t throw them away. Feudal lord, just a minute, I’ll get it—”
Annan was dumbfounded.
Brother! I really didn’t mean it that way!
[1] Reference to a Chinese comedic show. In the show, there’s renovation work about taking down a wall. Hitting the wall with a big hammer costs 80 yuan while hitting the wall with a small hammer costs 40 yuan.