Chapter 33

“Chapter 33: Level 2 Ability — Thorn Crown”

【Would you like to spend 10 system points for ability extraction?】

Looking at the lottery wheel in front of him, adorned with over thirty fan-shaped bas-reliefs, Lynn swallowed nervously.

Feeling the shaking from the carriage beneath him, a wave of tension crept into his heart.

At that moment, Greya was yammering away beside him, but Lynn had zero interest in listening.

He decided to draw for another ability.

The previous Level 1 ability, Liars’ Devourer, had seemed pretty useless at first, but in practice, it had proven its worth.

In these past few days filled with peril, Liars’ Devourer had achieved quite a bit of merit.

So, Lynn had long since regarded it as a ridiculously powerful capability.

Still, what he lacked most right now was a straightforward offensive means.

Other than using a gun, he had no alternatives.

Thinking back to that night in the tavern guest room, when he had to gamble his life, combined with Morris’s lack of killing intent, he barely scraped a victory.

But the feeling of gambling with your life was just awful.

It was like being forced to serve Ivyst and do her bidding against his will.

So ultimately, getting stronger himself was the only hard truth.

And last time, through some clever maneuvering, Lynn had managed to increase the deviation of Ivyst’s storyline to 0.13%, earning an extra 12 system points.

Therefore, he resolved to hold off on using these points to upgrade Liars’ Devourer.

Liars’ Devourer was already sufficient as it was, but points were in short supply.

Rather than considering whether the advanced version of Liars’ Devourer might evolve into an offensive ability, it was better to take a bold gamble.

With that thought in mind, Lynn nervously pressed the confirm button.

As the needle twitched, his heart shot up into his throat.

The needle finally settled on a very strange icon.

It was a mark faintly radiating a blood-red glow, and you could vaguely make out a twisted human face comprising countless wailing souls.

Well, here’s another setting not mentioned in the original.

Lynn sighed deeply.

At the same time, a system notification chimed in his ear.

【Congratulations! You’ve drawn a Level 2 ability — Thorn Crown!】

Oh?

Sounds kinda cool, huh?

Lynn’s eyes brightened slightly, and then he clicked to view the ability’s details.

【Name: Thorn Crown】

【Tier: Level 2】

【Effect: Under this ability, the pain you feel will be amplified twofold, but conversely, you can accumulate this pain and release it all at once.】

【Activation Condition: Must possess more than 3 divine grant factors】

【Points required for upgrade: 50】

“…”

Lynn couldn’t help but want to wail.

Judging purely by the effect, this type of stacking active skill was undoubtedly an incredibly overpowered existence.

The problem was, to make the enemy feel pain, he had to endure that pain himself first.

It’s just like the saying: kill eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of your own.

Lynn was no masochist, nor did he have any self-harming tendencies.

He was even the type that was somewhat afraid of pain; he just forced himself to act like it was nothing when he was in the underground prison.

But that didn’t mean he could ignore pain.

Moreover, according to the ability’s description, once activated, the pain he felt would double.

All Lynn wanted was a straightforward attack ability, even a basic Fireball or Water Ball would do.

But the system just wouldn’t comply with his wishes.

Lynn sighed in his heart before closing the system.

Meanwhile, he heard Greya’s somewhat doubtful voice: “Are you even listening to me?”

“Of course.”

Lynn casually replied, showing little concern.

Seeing his attitude, Greya’s anxious heart only sunk deeper.

It was clear that handing such a difficult task to the two of them was a huge mistake.

But even so, betting on the glory of the Augusta family, he couldn’t back down now.

With that in mind, Greya took a deep breath: “I’ll repeat one last time, when we get to the slums, please do not attract too much attention to avoid stirring up public outrage.”

“What we need to do is have those three hundred and twelve civilians who can’t enter the city sign this contract.” Greya handed half of the thick stack of papers to Lynn, “These contracts have certain extraordinary effects that can constrain their behavior and prevent the spread of the Creation School’s beliefs in the city.”

“This is also the minimum requirement from the city legislative assembly and the public security bureau. Each one must sign it before they can be let through.”

Lynn took the contract from Greya and casually skimmed through it.

The text was written in the ancient Saint Roland language.

In essence, it stated that the signers promised not to spread the beliefs of the Creation School in Orlen City.

If they violated this, they would face backlash.

“Got it.” Lynn shook his head, “But it is rather ironic that these civilians are clearly not under Her Highness’s jurisdiction; if we’re being honest, this should fall on the city legislative assembly’s shoulders, yet no one wants to take responsibility. In the end, it lands on us.”

Greya sighed helplessly.

Those nobles simply thought that Ivyst was uncared for, and being ordered to the border this time was due to the Sixth Saint Roland’s disdain.

So their attitude was particularly condescending.

Of course, there was also the possibility that some prince was pulling strings behind the scenes.

After all, this was necessary competition for the royal selection, and no one would treat it lightly if there was a chance to weaken their opponents.

“By the way, how long do you plan to stay on my head?”

Lynn suddenly asked Afia, who was biting down on his head.

At her name, the little black cat let go, gracefully landing inside the carriage.

“You asked for it!”

Afia huffed, turning her head away.

Just then, with a little momentum, the carriage slowly came to a stop at the roadside.

“We’ve arrived.”

Lynn and Greya exchanged glances.

They then pushed open the door and stepped down from the carriage.

Afia hesitated for a moment.

But remembering Her Highness’s instructions, she quickly dashed to follow behind them.

With the blazing noon sun overhead, Lynn squinted, taking in the scene before him.

At a glance, he saw a large area of ramshackle huts, stacked together messily, some even with thatched roofs, looking extremely crude.

In front of these huts stood a densely packed crowd.

The majority of them were ragged and wore expressions filled with numbness and despair.

Many were kneeling on the ground in devout postures, praying to the Creation Goddess they believed in.

Noticing the newcomers, many gazes turned to Lynn and Greya.

Upon seeing the two elegantly dressed young men, a tinge of wariness flickered in their eyes.

A moment later, two men in security officer uniforms hurried over, touching their holsters as they approached.

It appeared that they were responsible for supervising these civilians.

“Mr. Greya? I didn’t expect it to be you sent from the manor!”

One of the security officers smirked.

Clearly, the Augusta family, as a local bigwig, was not to be trifled with.

But within the intricate web of power in Orlen City, families stronger than them existed.

And right now, the issue with the Creation School was but a brief clash of influence behind those families, with far-reaching consequences.

Ivyst was hit hardest and had no choice but to intervene.

So in a sense, many eyes were now focused on the slum area, waiting for the final outcome of this matter.

Greya was feeling the pressure.

If he couldn’t handle it, it would end up embarrassing Her Highness.

Even if he managed to scrape by, if his methods weren’t decisive enough, it would also invite gossip.

With a furrowed brow, he asked the security officer, “What’s the current situation?”

In response, the security officer replied with an air of servility, “They were making a fuss about entering the city again just now, and we had to injure two of them to calm things down.”

“Don’t worry, the higher-ups had already informed us that this matter rests entirely with you; whatever you say goes. We won’t interfere at all.”

As he spoke, a sly glint flashed in his eye.

In just two sentences, he managed to distance the public security bureau from the matter and put all responsibility onto Ivyst.

Clearly, they were reluctant to touch this hot potato.

And upon seeing that the Augusta manor had sent only two young lads, the two were nearly overjoyed.

This kind of person was the easiest to deceive.

For a moment, Greya found himself in a difficult position.

The atmosphere went silent.

But just as the two security officers were about to say something more, they suddenly heard a voice from the side: “Is it true that everything we say will go?”

The security officer was stunned for a moment.

Seeing that the speaker was a handsome black-haired youth with an air of nobility, he couldn’t decipher his identity but still smiled and said, “Of course, young sir, we keep our word.”

Lynn nodded: “Then go ahead and kill all these peasants.”

“Hey, hey!”

Greya immediately froze, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

Her Highness only wanted you to solve the problem, not to resolve the problem by eliminating the people causing it!

Though the lives of the commoners weren’t worth much, if they were truly killed, it would absolutely provoke a massive uproar throughout the entire empire.

Countless people would take this as an opportunity to put Ivyst on the gallows!

The two security officers looked equally flabbergasted: “Y-You must be joking… You’re joking, right?”

Lynn chuckled, noncommittal.

Then he suddenly turned to Afia, who was munching away on snacks nearby, and asked, “By the way, what’s on the menu at the manor tonight?”

“Savory stew and braised beef. Wait, why are you asking that?”

Afia’s expression turned wary.

“I’m feeling a bit hungry.” Lynn rubbed his stomach, “It’s probably around one or two in the afternoon; doing the math, I should be just in time for dinner once this is over.”

“You’ve been saying things no one can make sense of since earlier. What are you trying to do?”

Greya finally couldn’t help but ask.

To him, Lynn seemed not only unhelpful in solving the problem but also a bit lethargic.

However, Lynn didn’t answer his question.

Under the curious gazes of everyone, he strode towards the crowd gathering in the distance.

As he walked, he spread his arms and activated the ability Liars’ Devourer.

For such a minor issue, Lynn decided to resolve it swiftly.

“Everyone, focus your attention on me!”