The Righteous Player(s)

Chapter 477: Because You Are, So You Are Not

Is this Nicholas so anxious to die?

So, he did not want to flee while taking the role of “mirror”, leaving Annan with a tail to find him?

Of course, there was another possibility.

The so-called “Nicolas Flamel” was an imposter.

After all, Nicholas left the Noah Kingdom much earlier than Annan. Moreover, Annan had never discussed with anyone else on his schedule for visiting the Austere-Winter Dukedom — especially his destination.

Nicholas was indeed formidable.

But how did he guess it out of thin air?

Since the opponent learned about Annan’s destination, that person might be a wizard of the Prophet School. Otherwise, the conversation between Annan and Nigel was eavesdropped on.

Of course, saying that the opponent was an imposter might not be accurate.

After all, that person did not claim that he was indeed Nicholas.

Most people would never have heard the name.

The very few people who had heard of this name must have thought that Nicholas, who was called “Hermes II”, had died hundreds of years ago. No one would believe him even if he claimed he was not dead.

People would take him as a scammer if he said so directly.

So, how did he reiterate that?

“I am Hermes II, the master of Jade Tower hundreds of years ago. I am not completely dead. If you can help me, I will be grateful after I resurrect and take control of Jade Tower.”

Only a fool would believe it.

Even “Qin Shihuang” would not send such text messages these days.

[TN: Author’s mockery on scam messages using a historical figure.]

Therefore, Annan was doubtful about this name. Didn’t it serve no purpose to disclose this name even if the person was really Nicholas?

It was more likely that people would regard it as a duplicate name.

In this world composed of curses and oaths, “name” was important. It was an oath that carried a certain weight, and it was not something that could be easily changed.

Just like Don Juan could no longer use the name Don Juan after his resurrection.

Changing one’s name at will was a dangerous and meaningless behavior in the Transcended world. Many spells could determine whether the name used by the other party was their real name. For example, the jade token of the Edict school for verifying the real name was also a popular and practical curse vessel.

The advanced spells of the Edict School and the Prophet School could even identify the target’s real name directly.

This was especially true for nobles who were not transcenders. Idol Wizard might have processed their real names and made substitutes to bear the ritual directed to the name. It worked just like adding a firewall.

Although it was not 100% effective, it was more or less a layer of protection.

But if he changed his name casually and thought of it as his name, the name itself would become a loophole that could bypass the substitute that protected him from ritual.

When some transcenders said “investigate a big shot”, they usually meant “investigate the alias or identity the target had used”.

After all, no matter how cautious a person was, as long as he had done some shady deeds, most of them had used aliases. If the name was only used once or twice, it was almost certain that the name was unprotected by a substitute.

As long as you find a way to get the other party’s pseudonym, you would have the opportunity to designate him as a ritual subject. It opened up many possibilities, whether it was entering his dream, checking on his memory, making him impotent, giving him bad luck, or directly cursing him.

In the same way, there was no point in faking someone else’s name.

If the imposter used the name of Salvatore, the ritual would react differently when the ritual host was thinking about the face of the imposter, thinking about what the imposter had done, and then activating the ritual based on this name. The ritual would either fail or pull the imposter into it. The original person would not be implicated.

So no matter whether the other party was Nicholas or not, it was possible to find him as long as he left his name.

So, should I give it a try?

Annan was contemplating.

After knowing the other party’s name and what he did, it was not a problem to use a ritual to locate him directly. Annan also knew the rituals available for this purpose.

But what if this was a trap to mislead Annan or even to locate him back in reverse?

After all, this name was too easy to get.

Annan even suspected that Doreen might be the bait itself.

After all, Doreen and Bella look alike.

Although Annan could not remember whether Bella was close to him back then, what she had done, and whether she was still working at Winter’s Hand, it must have meant something since the other party chose Doreen specifically.

Anyway, “The Scammer And The Missionary” fell into Annan’s possession. So, it was still a win, especially since the item was quite handy.

…The question now is, which floor is the opponent on?

Annan sighed and put the crystal bell away.

Before Annan could identify his opponent’s goal, he would be more cautious.

Let’s find a way to detain Doreen first and then hand her over to Sister Maria. Then, I can even hand her over to Old Goose.

Delicious Wind Goose was knowledgeable in the ritual aspects. At the same time, the players were not afraid of death. If this was a trap, Annan could just let Delicious Wind Goose bite the bait—at worst, Annan had to give Old Goose thousands of affection ratings as compensation and rewards afterward.

“I may need to stay with you for a while, kid.”

“Ghirlandaio” looked at the werewolf girl with her hands tied and kneeling in front of her and said gently, “You should know that the current situation is that someone wants to trouble me, and I am innocent.

“If I kill you here, then the trouble you caused me will be over. But if I don’t find out about the situation, new problems will await me later.

“I’m a lazy person. I plan to settle it once and for all. You should go with me for a while and accompany me to investigate your teacher, Nicholas. If you are innocent, I will let you go and apologize.”

Annan’s message was that if she was involved in it, it was just a matter of killing her later.

But after hearing these half-threatening and half-kidnapping words, Doreen, trembling with fear previously, gradually calmed down.

She could tell that Mr. Ghirlandaio did not want to do anything to her just yet.

He was not like those big shots who were easily offended just because he was shamed or had been calculated by others. He would not kill an insignificant pawn just because he was annoyed.

Mr. Ghirlandaio seems quite sensible.

The tranquility born from reasoning gave people chills just by looking at it.

As for being restricted in personal freedom and being threatened with death…

Was there any value in the freedom of a werewolf?

When the Frost Beasts ate her emotions, she thought she would die there. It turned out that when she was on the verge of dying, Mr. Ghirlandaio ordered the Frost Beasts to stop, saving her life.

If Mr. Ghirlandaio wanted her death, she would already be dead.

Thinking of this, Doreen felt that there was nothing to be afraid of.

She plucked up her courage and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that I am sent here by someone?”

Hearing this, “Ghirlandaio” showed a cheerful smile.

Ghirlandaio reached out his hands and supported Doreen to her feet slightly.

“—Because you are, so you are not.”

Ghirlandaio lowered his head, pressed his forehead against Doreen’s, and said with a smile, “This sentence is philosophical. You won’t get it.”

What does he mean?

Doreen froze, lost in thought.

She thought about it seriously for a long time and felt as if she understood something, but also as if she did not understand anything.

But, but… it seems so cool.

I hope Mr. Ghirlandaio won’t kill me.

Doreen prayed silently in her heart.