Chapter 90: Framing [Blood Copper Coin]
Lance casually pulled a wafer-thin crystal slice from the exquisite scrapbook and placed it in the slot on the book’s cover. He then lightly touched the runic node on its edge.
With a faint ripple of Magic Power, the entire card instantly lit up.
[Amaraga Fluorescent Sea Tide (FT-0888)]
In an instant, a soft projection of light and shadow appeared in mid-air.
The once-dim room was instantly transformed, as if it had been moved to a seaside bay at night.
Deep blue waves tirelessly crashed against black reefs, stirring up patches of dreamlike, fluorescent foam. As the tide ebbed and flowed, the light moved as if it were a living creature.
Even more magically, Lance could even hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and smell the faint, salty scent of the sea.
This was a rare card.
Based on the current market price, this thin slice alone was worth around 50 Silver Coins.
Lance carefully examined the markings on the back of the card.
These Panoramic Cards were usually divided into three rarity levels: regular, rare, and limited edition.
Aside from this one rare card, the rest in the scrapbook were all regular scenery, but there was a considerable number of them.
What truly multiplied the value of this collection was actually the scrapbook itself.
The Starlight Journey Scrapbook itself was an intricate Alchemy Tool.
Not only could it use free-floating Ether Energy to maintain the cards and prevent the images from fading, but its core function was to display the Panoramic Cards as holographic projections in the real world.
This was the fundamental reason for its high price.
The origins of this item were mentioned in the secrets of Wayne’s Illustrated Guide.
It was loot dropped by a down-on-his-luck noble Adventurer. That unlucky soul had probably intended to give it to a girl he admired.
But Wayne ended up with it instead.
And Wayne, this rat who lived in the gutter, had a secret little quirk.
He liked to project these illusory landscapes in his living room late at night, then sit alone on the sofa, drinking and pretending he was in those faraway places he could never visit.
’It seems I’ve underestimated this world’s pursuit of mental recreation.’
Lance mused to himself and continued flipping through the scrapbook.
To his pleasant surprise, he found a dozen or so unused blank Crystal Cards in a hidden compartment.
By infusing them with Magic Power, he could instantly capture and store a scene.
This was basically the Otherworld’s version of a disposable instant camera.
An idea flashed through Lance’s mind.
He had been worrying about how to cheer up Nia in the next few days.
’What young girl could possibly refuse such a romantic and novel collection?’
’Plus, in the future, he could record the magnificent sights from his adventures and send them to friends in different places.’
This completely broadened his horizons.
’Cecilia’s training journal would be too monotonous and dull with just text.’
’Since they had personally acknowledged their friendship today, he, as her senior, should be a bit more thoughtful.’
’Helping her record some of the beautiful moments in life was the least he could do.’
A single blank card cost as much as 10 Silver Coins. For the old Lance, this was an astronomical price, completely out of the question, which was why he had always ignored their existence.
But this reminded him of a habit from his past life.
Back then, no matter where he traveled, he loved to take photos of the local sights.
After coming to this world, he had been so busy scrambling to survive that he’d lost that passion for documenting his life.
Now, it was time to pick it up again.
After looting the house of everything valuable, Lance finally walked back to Wayne’s body.
He pulled a rust-stained Copper Coin from his pocket.
Then, he expressionlessly picked up the dagger from the floor and cut a gash into Wayne’s already cold palm.
Blood welled up.
Lance soaked the Copper Coin thoroughly in the pool of blood, then shoved it into Wayne’s stiff hand, forcing his fingers closed so that he was gripping the bloody coin tightly.
This was the symbol of revenge for the Blood Copper Coin.
They were an illicit organization entrenched in the dark corners of Gray Rock Town, specializing in the loan-sharking business.
Their leader was a Level 2 Fallen Mage, skilled at drawing Blood Oath Contracts with binding power.
This group loved to trick greenhorn Adventurers into signing contracts, then create traps to make them breach the terms, forcing them to become slaves to the organization.
Not long ago, the Ghoul Dogs had accidentally slaughtered a "fat mark" targeted by the Blood Copper Coin during one of their operations. This caused the latter a heavy loss, and a considerable rift had since formed between the two organizations.
This matter was extremely confidential; only Wayne, who was responsible for fencing the goods, and their leader, Buck, knew about it.
Therefore, when Buck saw this scene, his thoughts would be instantly guided toward that specific enemy, and he would never suspect anyone else.
After finishing all this, Lance carefully cleaned up any traces he had left, adjusted his cloak, and, just as he had arrived, leisurely disappeared into the night.
「The next morning.」
Because Wayne hadn’t delivered the previous day’s laundered funds on time as usual, Buck showed up at his door with a dark expression.
He was a young man with a grim face.
He wore a suit of light Leather Armor with two poison-tipped short blades tucked at his waist. A hideous scar ran from the corner of his left eye all the way to his jaw, marring his otherwise regular features and giving him a vicious look.
When he pushed open the door and saw the body on the floor, Buck’s pupils contracted sharply.
The first thing he noticed was the blood-drenched Copper Coin clutched in Wayne’s hand.
Just as Lance had predicted.
Buck wasn’t suspicious at all.
He was certain this was the work of those madmen from the Blood Copper Coin.
Because besides the now-dead Wayne, he was the only one who knew about the messy affair between their two organizations.
"Damn you, Cindyk..."
Buck cursed, gnashing his teeth.
But he was more concerned about the money.
He quickly searched the entire room, not even sparing the hidden compartment in the corner, but the result made his blood run cold.
Half a month’s worth of payments, along with Wayne’s own savings, had all vanished into thin air.
That was the blood money he needed to distribute to his men!
Without that money, the Ghoul Dogs—that pack of mercenary Hyenas—would immediately disband, and might even turn on him.
He had no choice now but to swallow this bitter pill and cover the deficit out of his own pocket.
Moreover, he would have to go through the trouble of finding a new Gold Washer and re-establishing his network for fencing goods.
This made his hatred for the Blood Copper Coin instantly skyrocket.
Unfortunately, he didn’t dare to make a move.
Cindyk, the boss of the Blood Copper Coin, was a Level 2 Fallen Mage.
The power gap between Professionals wasn’t that exaggerated before reaching the Excellence Level. As a Thief, Buck was even confident that with a well-planned sneak attack, he had a good chance of slitting the Mage’s throat.
But the risk remained.
In this cruel underworld, if he was injured or failed, he would be devoured by other hungry wolves.
As long as his back wasn’t against the wall, he absolutely could not act rashly.
Buck stared at Wayne’s body and finally spat fiercely.
As long as the other party didn’t push their luck, he would have to swallow this loss for now.