Chapter 433: Detached from the origin

Seth scoffed, ignoring the silent frame of the specter, instead shifting his gaze towards the emerald ring on his finger.

This item, it was as plain as could be, carrying no distinct design, shedding no glow, just a dull piece of strange green metal.

Instinctively, Seth could somehow tell that this divine item was different from any he had ever seen before.

He waved his hands, trying to dismiss the item into his inventory, but space only fluctuated around the metal piece, yet it still remained inert.

"The fuck?"

"Yeah, master, that wouldn’t work. As your intuition tells you, this is indeed a special type of item, and is unrelated to anything of the origin..." the divine spirit informed.

"Why do you think the system didn’t notify you about the reward received? That’s because it couldn’t sense the item," it clarified.

And Seth perked up. "Wait, so the system will fail to identify or appraise it also?"

The divine specter nodded. "Indeed."

"I see," Seth mumbled, observing the item with fresh interest; this had just won the position of the strangest item in his possession.

But then how would he know about its details and uses? Fortunately, he didn’t have to voice the question in his mind, as the divine spirit answered right away.

"That’s simple, shroud the ring with your will and all its details will be divulged," the divine spirit instructed.

But alas, Seth had hit a wall; he currently couldn’t access his will, though that was about to change soon... hopefully.

The spirit understood this and remained silent, speaking no further.

And Seth, seeing that the ring would be useless till he recovered access to his will, dropped his hands and turned to the spirit.

"Then at least can you hand me the list of the items in the treasury? I would like to pick out a ’few’ things..."

If the spirit had eyes, it would have rolled them, as expected of its master, greedy to no end. But even so, it was its duty to respond. "I would have loved to, master, but interactions like that can only work through will, and besides, no need to fret; you’re practically carrying the entire treasury on your finger."

His slumped shoulders straightened, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, that changes things!"

Staring at the ring on his finger, Seth licked his lips, the flames of anticipation igniting bright in his heart.

With this treasure trove, he could finally make up for the losses he suffered while he was out, and for all those juicy flash sales he missed.

"What do I call you?" he suddenly asked the divine spirit.

The entity fell silent for a moment; Seth could feel the blank slate of its emotions. Then it spoke. "I don’t have one..."

Seth raised a brow; to think a spirit so ancient didn’t have a name, strange.

"Well, my previous bearers never cared enough to grant me one..." the spirit replied to his thoughts.

"Then what about your creator?" Seth still asked.

And the spirit promptly responded, "I have no creator; the greed mantle was formed by the very laws of reality, and my existence was a by-product, as is the existence of most other divine spirits."

Understanding finally dawned on Seth as he gave another glance to the ring, an item formed from the laws of the universe, yet detached from the reach of the origin.

It seemed he had really stumbled onto some very good stuff this time around; Seth’s mouth was watering before he knew it.

"Hmmm, what do you think about the name: Mammon?" Seth suddenly asked the spirit, catching it off guard this time.

"Mammon? A name for me?"

Seth nodded. "Mhm, Mammon is the name of the demon of greed, after all; it seems fitting for the divine spirit of the mantle of greed."

The spirit went silent, but a faint shimmer rippled through its spectral form, and Seth could tell it loved the name.

The spectral figure of the divine spirit suddenly bowed towards its master. "I will be eternally grateful for this, master."

Seth accepted its appreciation with a gentle nod; he could have patted its head if only it were a physical being.

"Good. Now, Mammon, can you get me out of here? I have a restriction to break."

"Right away, master..." its eager voice echoed.

And with a glaring brilliance from the pillar of greed, Seth’s frame was swept by a flood of green, but right before he was completely encased, he gave a good glance towards the other pillars.

Pride, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Lust and Gluttony...

He narrowed his gaze, a daring thought passing through his mind for a moment. ’Hmm, let’s see how good a treasure the mantle of greed is first.’

He had barely finished having this thought when his frame was completely swallowed by an ocean of green, vanishing from the hall of the seven sins temple.

Leaving the mysterious construct empty once again, all the pillars glowing with bright lustre, all except the pillar of greed, which went dull.

A candidate of greed had been chosen so there was no need to remain active...

But just as the scene faded into darkness, for a split second a pillar flickered with a dark glow, a growling sound reverberating through the entire temple.

The pillar of Gluttony had reacted to someone, somewhere, anywhere, and this time there wasn’t a single soul around to bear witness.

...

A streak of green tore through the vast skies, bringing with it a worldwide phenomenon, as the entire sky of the planet was painted green.

A silhouette of a massive tower spiralling behind the atmosphere, visible from all around the world.

While most stared at the phenomenon in total confusion about what could be the cause, the leaders of the top ancient races gazed at the sky from their respective habitats.

All of them understood what this phenomenon meant: a mantle bearer of one of the seven sins had been chosen.

And unfortunately for them, that wasn’t the last bad news they were getting today; a system broadcast suddenly flickered to life, the notification covering every sentient race on the planet!

[The Bloodborn have surrendered to fate...]

[They have surrendered their racial fortune, and their providence has been consumed by the human race...]

[The Bloodborn race is now dead...]

[And its members are now human...]