OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 505: Dimensional Ring I



"Another galaxy, another empty search. Nothing of interest to speak of. We've scoured the void from one edge to the other and found nothing of value."

A short silence fell over the room at his words, and Emir, who unusually hadn't said anything so far, was internally surprised.

Just then, he was reminded that those before him were galaxy-level threats. His clearing out of an underground faction would be their scouring an entire galaxy.

That made his efforts feel slightly... useless, now. Slow.

But he quickly shook himself out of those thoughts.

Arthur tried his luck going the hard way and even he, for all his blessings, couldn't handle it.

Emir stood no chance. His comparatively slower advancement was his only choice.

Though if anyone heard him call his advancement slow, they certainly would've decked him a new one, even if they knew that they were going to die.

Because there was one thing for sure, his advancement was nothing but slow.

"It's always the same, isn't it?"

Ms. Queen said softly, almost to herself.

"You search, find nothing, keep searching. It's... tedious."

Ms. Knight gave a slight chuckle.

"Well hey, at least he's got us to keep him company, yeah? Pass the time until his promised -day-."

"Hardly a consolation."

Mr. Board shut her down.

"I'd prefer some actual results."

The exchange wasn't hostile, but the underlying frustration was clear.

So she didn't fault him for it, knowing full well why he'd react in such a way.

"There's a thrill to it though, no?"

Mr. King asked, his eyes never leaving the rest of the group.

"Will the next spin be a win? A loss? A jackpot? All small mysteries unraveling almost on a daily basis... now that I say that I kinda feel like going to the casino. Anyone wanna join?"

Most shook their heads with the exception of Mr. Pawn, Ms. Queen, and Ms. Knight, who agreed with a nod.

"Sure, can't miss an opportunity to steal some Veez off you."

"Always."@@novelbin@@

"I ain't got anything so of course, oh and... speaking of mysteries."

Ms. Knight smiled.

"Mind telling us what happened?"

Her voice was teasing, but there was genuine curiosity behind the question.

Objectively speaking, most had little of note to share beyond the usual 'small' incidents, so even though they talked, this was what they had been most interested in.

All had easily guessed that he'd been the reason for the prior gathering's cancellation.

Mr. King leaned back, crossing his arms.

"Alright, I know you all want to know. Let's just say I had a little... VR adventure. And leaving wasn't an option-not if I wanted my head to stay where it is."

His words sparked a few widening eyes across the room.

It wasn't every day that a story of near-death surfaced in the gathering.

"But it's not all bad. That trip brought me to something of value. A dimensional item-a ring, in fact for Mr. Pawn here."

He gestured to Emir, who looked up with cautious interest.

Mr. Player tilted his head toward Mr. King in acknowledgment.

It was a slight movement, but it signaled the next shift in the gathering's phases- Transactions.

At this, Mr. King opened his palm, revealing a simple yet ancient-looking ring.

Emir's eyes narrowed, already thinking of how to best get the price down.

"What do you want for it?"

Mr. King's rubbed his chin.

"You tell me how many Veez would you offer?"

Emir's gaze didn't leave the ring as he asked:

"Can I confirm its authenticity?"

"Go ahead. Check its Memory."

Emir blinked. Memory? The hell did that mean? He hadn't heard it used like that before, but

he didn't let it show.

Instead, he caught the ring midair as Mr. King casually tossed it his way.

Didn't take long to figure it out, though. The second he pushed his Aether into the ring, something responded.

A hazy string of words surfaced-like some kind of flavor text-but it was blurry as hell. Worse, it wasn't even in English. Runes.

'Ah. So that's how it worked.'

Emir exhaled through his nose, adjusting his grip on the ring. It wasn't just about pumping Aether in. He had to mean it. Had to focus, tell the ring he wanted to see its Memory.

He closed his eyes for a second, picturing the text coming into focus, imagining it translating itself for him.

There—something shifted. Subtle. The blurred runes began to shuffle, slowly forming the words he recognized and it unfolded like faded ink, a fragmentary whisper in his mind's eye:

{When the stars bled, there was one whose hands wove even the space between thoughts, bending reality as one would the strands of silk. A Warp Weaver of inestimable power.}

{This ring took form upon his death, a fractured vessel, drawn from an Anomaly-a wound in space where even time cannot heal. A wound that yet exists. Lingering a slumbering hunger... but always, it eternally longs for the Weaver's touch, to guide it through the darkness once more.} {May it find hands worthy to shape the empty paths where the light fears to tread.}

The Memory faded, leaving Emir in a state he felt not before.

There was just something hauntingly beautiful about this holy relic.

Its history simply astounded him.

While he wasn't familiar with such relics, he knew this one was far from ordinary.

And by now, he fully understood what had just happened.

Higher-tier relics usually contained a unique 'flavor text,' akin to an imprint left by their creators a glimpse into the maker's memories, thoughts, even aspirations.

'Incredible.'

Emir glanced back up at Mr. King, who was watching him intently, a knowing gleam in his eye.

"Not a bad relic, eh?"

"No... not bad at all."

"There's history in that ring. Even if it's just a fragment, it's worth far more than the usual

dimensional item, so give me a good price, yeah?"

Slowly, Emir nodded and carefully put down the ring.

"Two hundred."

He lowballed it at first, testing the waters.

Mr. King guffawed, shaking his head. "Two hundred? Please... how about four?"