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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Minerva approached me.
I spoke, my voice laced with disbelief,
“Is this what you meant by one barrel, Lady Minerva?”
“Yes. I thought you knew, but you didn’t?”
“I thought it would be much smaller.”
I carefully examined the jar filled with Sunlit Holy Water. It was a transparent cylinder, filled with a liquid so clear and pristine that it gave the illusion of being empty.
I unconsciously fiddled with the brooch pinned to my left chest. The Pope of the Sun herself had told me that with this brooch, I could obtain not just one, but even a hundred barrels of Sunlit Holy Water without any issues.
I realized anew just how valuable this brooch was.
“Even I am seeing this much holy water for the first time, so it’s understandable. With this much, you could become the richest person in the Empire.”
It was the same in the game.
Sunlit Holy Water was one of the few items whose price increased with each playthrough, until the 11th playthrough, where the enemies’ stats reached their limit.
The price of Sunlit Holy Water after the 11th playthrough was ridiculously expensive. Of course, it was practically a quest-only item, so you rarely had to buy it.
“Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain.”
Minerva snapped her fingers.
The top of the cylinder slid open and a small potion bottle appeared in her hand.
The clear, transparent liquid inside the cylinder began to float upwards, entering the potion bottle. Minerva’s movements seemed incredibly careful.
It was only natural, considering the nature of Sunlit Holy Water.
‘It’s incredibly sensitive to shocks.’
The most symbolic and fatal characteristic of Sunlit Holy Water was that it was incredibly fragile.
If the liquid was subjected to even a small amount of impact, it would instantly turn black and lose its power. And the threshold for “a small amount” was ridiculously low.
That was why Ceres’ material gathering quest was so notoriously difficult. Because of its fragility, the moment the player made even a slight mistake, it would become useless.
Walking, running, rolling, swinging weapons, taking damage, using weapon skills, enchanting, casting spells, casting divine spells, using consumables, and any other actions…
All of them were considered ‘shocks’ that could contaminate the holy water.
In other words, the player couldn’t run, roll, swing their weapon, get hit by enemies, or cast spells while carrying the holy water.
Even fast travel using statues and resting affected the holy water, so you couldn’t even use fast travel to get near Ceres’ hut.
It was clearly intentional, as all other materials could be transported via fast travel.
‘It’s forcing me to walk.’
Therefore, the player had to seal all their other actions and carry the holy water to Ceres’ location on foot.
And even walking normally was considered a shock, so you had to use the slow walk activated by pressing the Alt key.
The only place to obtain Sunlit Holy Water was the Holy Kingdom, and Ceres’ house was located at the very edge of the Empire. It meant you had to walk from one end of the map to the other at the slowest possible speed.
And if you got hit by an enemy along the way, it was game over. If you rolled to avoid an attack, it was game over. If you tried to deal with them from a distance, casting magic or divine spells would also result in game over.
Even if you walked in a straight line without any interruptions, it was an incredibly long distance.
And considering the presence of enemies and impassable terrain, the actual distance was about twice as long.
‘At first, I thought it was an impossible quest.’
No matter how you tried to deliver the materials, the holy water would always get contaminated. Some people even thought it was a bug that made the quest impossible to clear.
When the clear method was finally revealed and posted on the community forums, countless players were shocked to see the ridiculous transportation requirements.
‘You have to walk from one end of the map to the other at the slowest speed, without getting hit by enemies even once, and you can’t use fast travel? That’s just insane.’
That was also one of the reasons why Sunlit Holy Water was so expensive.
How could you possibly transport and sell something that got contaminated just by walking at a normal pace?
“My child?”
I snapped out of my thoughts, which were filled with unpleasant memories of the past, and heard Minerva’s voice.
“What is it, Lady Minerva?”
“Are you done thinking? Your expression was so serious that I had to ask. I apologize if I disturbed you.”
“It’s nothing, Lady Minerva. Just some useless thoughts.”
“But your face looked quite angry, didn’t it?”
“…….”
I couldn’t help it. It would be strange if my face didn’t show any emotion after thinking about something like that.
Minerva chuckled, then snapped her fingers.
“Here you go.”
A potion bottle was gently placed in my hand. It was small enough to hold three or four in one hand, but its price would be astronomical.
“Will you send the rest to the Mage Tower?”
“Of course.”
Minerva flicked her wrist.
A much more complex magic circle than usual appeared, surrounding us. Blue light emanated from each magic circle, enveloping the cylinder.
The light surrounding the jar, now triple-layered, flared brightly.
A moment later, the cylinder was gone.
“I’ll leave the rest to the others. Now, let’s go back.”
The magic circle that had been used to transport the holy water enveloped us. It felt much more comfortable than the usual teleportation.
I closed my eyes, holding the potion bottle tightly in my hands, and opened them again as the light faded.
“…….”
Ceres stood right in front of me, her face filled with surprise.
“How did you get back so fast? I thought it would take at least a few days… Did the Holy Kingdom people finish so quickly?”
“It just happened. Here’s the holy water you requested.”
I held out the potion bottle filled with Sunlit Holy Water. Ceres rushed towards me, her eyes wide, and carefully received the holy water as if it were a sacred relic.
“Finally… Finally…”
Ceres looked like she was about to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes, ready to spill at the slightest touch.
“You can celebrate after you succeed. Get started quickly. We have a promise to fulfill, don’t we?”
“R-Right! I need to hurry! It won’t take long, so make yourselves at home! I’ll be back soon!”
Ceres, her body trembling with excitement, took the potion bottle and disappeared behind the wall. A moment later, she dashed back in and gathered the rest of the ingredients she had placed on the table.
Then, a pungent smell began to fill the air.
“It’s done!”
After some time, Ceres rushed back towards us, a small potion bottle in her hand, her face beaming with excitement. It was the same glass bottle that had contained the Sunlit Holy Water.
Seeing her, I cut off our conversation about the Crystal Scroll. Minerva, who had been listening intently, looked devastated.
Ceres stopped right in front of us and bowed deeply.
“Thank you. Really. It’s all thanks to you. I will definitely… definitely repay this debt. I swear on my honor.”
I nodded silently.
Minerva was staring at me, not Ceres. Why bother listening to the story when she would see the real thing soon anyway?
“So… Shall I drink it?”
Ceres, her face filled with the most joyous expression I had ever seen, uncorked the potion bottle. She stared at it with tearful eyes, then downed it in one gulp.
“Alright! It’s done! That took a lot out of me!”
Ceres, a huge grin on her face, approached me. She was covered in sweat. Her skin glistened under the light, and black soot stained her here and there.
She held a sharp sword in her hand, reversed, offering me the hilt.
“Tell me if it’s uncomfortable. I’ll adjust it for you. I tried to match it to your size, but it’s best to actually hold it to be sure.”
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[Your Text Here]
Now this whole thing can evolve as a tragedy for Ceres or new future.
1- she just grows from AAAAA cup to A cup or at most B cup
2- she actually gets the weapons of destruction