"Young man, don't be too pessimistic,"
"I can give you a hint for self-rescue."
"The life of a Transcendent is always a tug of war. Divinity and Beastliness pull at them. The Ladder of Glory and the Bloodline Codex also exert their pull..."
"Perhaps even the creator and the Devil, or Devils among themselves, are also in a tug of war."
"Even if you, as an ordinary person, have no hope of becoming the King of a vast Kingdom in this lifetime, ascending to the Kingly Title, and using the people of a nation as an Anchor against contamination. However, if you can find another relatively controllable transcendent existence in a short time and trade one soul multiple times, perhaps you could establish a new balance."
"You won't... die so quickly."
"Of course, when it's time for you to pass the responsibility to the next person, you can play this trick too, just to amuse yourself, eh?"
Byron naturally understood his underlying meaning and mentally rolled his eyes at the old trickster. It's well known that the trick to raising fish is to change the fish frequently. So, the trick to guarding the World Rift is to frequently change the [Lantern Carriers], right?
But with a trump card that didn't leave him completely stranded, he wasn't quite as pessimistic.
At least, according to the intelligence he possessed, the strongholds of the Bloodthirsty Cult and The Skinners' Church were likely also unranked World Rifts.
The corpses of Mother of Creation, Lilith, and Thousand-Faced Serpent Hydra might just be hidden behind them.
Using poison to fight poison, selling to multiple buyers... that might indeed be a way out.
"Byron, look quick!"
They had just struck a deal when Violet, who was pulling Byron over another mountain of gold, suddenly cried out.
Before their eyes appeared a vast crimson Blood Lake.
From a fissure in the rock overhead, the blood of treasure hunters and sacrificial offerings continued to drip unceasingly into the lake.
Byron could tell that the blood was akin to the Blood of Transformation, all of it refined from the essence of humans.
A ring of what appeared to be golden cicada nymphs was gathered around the lake, lapping up the blood with great relish.
Some still resembled larvae, while others had carapaces split open on their backs, revealing flesh-colored, half-human, half-insect bodies with sticky, wrinkled wings.
Golden-red fluid dripped from the tips of their wings, hitting the ground with a metallic CLANG.
Where it landed, it transformed into golden-red stones that shimmered with a light more captivating than any jewel, unequaled by any gemstone.
Violet, as a Grand Artificer, felt her sapphire-like eyes light up, unable to contain her excitement upon seeing these stones that had formed Silvergold Island.
"Is this the legendary Philosopher's Stone that can compensate for any cost of Alchemy? What beautiful stones!"
So this is how the Philosopher's Stone is made. It's clearly a byproduct of feeding Bizarre larvae with humans.
Byron, however, retained some self-control. He was more concerned about some of the golden cicada nymphs at the lakeside, some of which were still wearing clothes.
His Sailing Logbook clearly recorded the details of everyone he had encountered: their profession, attire, appearance...
His gaze slowly focused on an Insect-man with a silver arm.
I recognize that arm! That's the Second Order pirate, 'Silver-Arm' Marion! How did he mutate too? And even faster than Flint mutated?
The old pirate provided the answer, "Pfft! Why the mutation? Did you think the 'Faustian Contract' is some kind of charity?
"Those who reach the third level and face the temptation of the Faustian Contract can be divided into three types...
"The first type are like you and Violet, entirely unmoved, wanting nothing from beginning to end.
"The second type, like 'Silver-Arm' Marion, want everything.
"'The Alchemy of Transmutation' is the must-choose option for every greedy soul who comes here.
"The note they received instructed them that to learn this forbidden knowledge, they had to enter the deepest part of the third level to perform a ritual.
"As they passed the precious Miracles and equipment in the treasure vault, every surge of Greed would summon another manifestation of the 'Faustian Contract.'
"One contract after another was signed, selling off everything valuable they possessed: kinship, Love, friendships, freedom, knowledge, courage, sanity... all of it gone.
A quill pen insignia, blood-red in color, had appeared on the back of Velazquez's hand.
Flint warned, "Be careful. The Evil Spirit within me is also seeking a new master for the Faustian Contract, which is on the verge of degrading into a Cursed Object. That Pawnbroker is its prime candidate!"
The 'Faustian Contract,' much like how real-world contracts can have hidden clauses or dual interpretations, also possessed two facets.
In essence, it wasn't just Faust's contract but also a contract with that Devil from the Sea of Origin Matter.
It naturally aligned perfectly with Velazquez, the Gold Sequence [Pawnbroker].
His core ability, 'Pawn Contract,' relied on Contract Fraud, enabling him to successfully gather numerous powerful abilities from other Transcendents.
It was akin to a scaled-down version of the Faustian Contract; both followed similar paths, achieving comparable results through different means.
Flint had just finished speaking when Velazquez abruptly turned his head to look at them.
His eyes turned fierce upon seeing the golden mark on the back of their hands.
"You are... The Sea Hunter, Byron Tudor, from the International Port? You dare compete with me for treasure? You're courting death!" Velazquez snarled.
"Herman, kill them."
Herman responded, "Understood."
The nigh-invincible Quasi-Sword Saint Herman immediately gripped his [Leg Collector] and charged at them.
Now, none of the pirate officers or his Uncle Andrew were by Byron's side.
On the surface, it was two against two. However, Byron was only Second Order and, at that moment, had completely lost his abilities; he could only be considered a burden to Violet.
I have to advance! I must advance now!
He immediately, along with the gold-digging rat, began scouring the area for Aztec Cursed Gold Coins.
But in the next moment, he was shocked to find that most of those Unlucky Ghosts who had transformed into golden cicada nymphs had a gold skull coin hanging around their necks.
Yet, judging by their auras, not a single one had successfully advanced to become a third-order great pirate.
His heart skipped a beat.
Wait, if the Aztec Cursed Gold Coins aren't the key treasure required for the ritual... then what is?