Sosk was silent for a long while. Then he raised his head, his burning gaze fixed on Anser. "I'll trade you a Legendary item for it!"
Anser's expression changed. He exchanged a glance with Iris, and both their faces immediately turned serious.
Legendary quality, also called Legendary rarity, as the name implied, possessed power comparable to that of Legendary professionals, and every single one was unique.
Legendary items varied in quality. Bad ones might not even be as useful as Wondrous-quality magic items, while good ones could even rival Artifacts.
But no matter how worthless a Legendary item was, it was not something that could be traded for a section of green dragon tail. Even the corpse of an ancient dragon would hardly be enough, because the appearance of Legendary items was filled with all kinds of chance and coincidence. No matter how high the forging skill or how good the materials, there was still no guarantee one could be made.
"But I have one condition." Sure enough, Sosk added another sentence.
Anser's expression relaxed. "Let's hear it."
"I've been researching the ruins of Viheral City and found the entrance to the dungeon. I want to invite you to go with me," Sosk said, staring fixedly at Anser. "It won't be for nothing. You'll get a share of the spoils."
"Not a chance." Anser waved a hand. "I'm the president of Durlag's Tower. I'm busy. I'm afraid that by the time I come back, Durlag will have turned into a den of demons."
"You really… think too highly of yourself." Sosk shook his head slightly. "Before you came, wasn't Durlag doing just fine too?"
"The circumstances are different now." Leaning back in his chair, Anser sighed softly. "Pick something else. Do you have any item that can revive the dead?"
"So Stoll really is dead." A stiff smile curved at the corner of Sosk's mouth. "I don't have that kind of item. If the body is intact, you can try the church. They should have a way."
"Durlag is too small. We've already sent people elsewhere to look," Iris said disappointedly.
"Then you should go with me even more," Sosk urged again. "There are many undead in that ruin. The chances of finding an item for resurrection are very high."
"No!" Iris said with absolute firmness.
She had seen countless adventurers and understood far too well what the word "adventure" meant. Death was far more likely than getting rich overnight.
Sosk said nothing more. He tapped the tabletop lightly, and only after a long while did he speak again. "I'll still give you a Legendary item. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime. If you're unwilling, then compensate me with some high-quality magic materials and pay it back slowly. I believe you have that ability."
Anser narrowed his eyes as he looked at him. Did he really think that highly of him? High-quality materials were not easy to come by.
Suddenly, he thought of another possibility.
"You don't happen to have only this one Legendary item available for trade, do you?" He looked at Sosk with a suspicious expression.
Trading these materials for a Rare item should not be considered excessive, but items of that kind were not cabbages sold by the roadside. Most high-level professionals did not have even one on them, and even if they did, it was for their own use and could not possibly be taken out for trade.
Even something as powerful as "Chromatic Orb" was only of Rare quality.
"Uh, you can't exactly put it that way." Avoiding his gaze, Sosk flipped his right hand, and a palm-sized black box patterned with silver lines appeared in his hand. He then carefully placed it on the table.
"A Deck of Many Things card! One card." He gently stroked the black box, his eyes somewhat reluctant.
"Ah?" Anser's eyes widened, and he stared fixedly at that box with his mouth open.
Iris stood up and walked over in small steps, her face full of disbelief. "You even have something like this? Is it real?"
"I found it in a labyrinth and have never really… dared to use it." Sosk let out a sigh.
Then, with a click, he opened the box, revealing a white card inside. The material looked like some kind of bone or hardened hide. Purple patterns covered the edges, while the face of the card was completely blank, with nothing on it.
"It seems you've both heard of the Deck of Many Things, but I still need to explain it. The Deck of Many Things, a Legendary item, unknown in quantity, unknown in maker, is said to have originated from tarot cards used for divination. Some of those cards are very dangerous…" Sosk explained carefully.
In fact, Anser knew more about it than he did.
The Deck of Many Things had a long history. At first, there were only 13 cards, but later it expanded to 22 cards, each with its own unique magical effect. These belonged to the base deck.
During the long years that followed, some people created new cards. Their number was unknown, but at least 44 had been recorded. These cards were collectively called the Deck of Many Things.
On the continent of Faerûn, people classified both as the same category. No matter which name was used, it referred to these Legendary cards.
The Deck of Many Things appeared differently across many worlds. It might be a single card, a small deck made up of several cards, or even appear as a complete set.
No matter what form it took, it would only take effect when that card was drawn or activated. Otherwise, no one could know what effect it had.
Generally speaking, about one-third of the cards in the deck were dangerous.
For example, "Moon": You gain the ability to cast Wish 1d3 (1–3) times.
For example, 'Flames': a powerful devil regards you as an enemy. It will attempt to destroy your will and your life, savor your suffering, and ultimately kill you. The devil's hostility will continue until either it or you dies.
Powerful was truly powerful—but with bad luck, one could also die miserably.
"You call this… a proper Legendary item? Disaster mixed with fortune—if things go wrong, it'll cost you your life. Besides, you only have one card." Anser curled his lip in slight disdain, though his eyes never left the card.
In fact, the effect of every Deck of Many Things card could reach Legendary level; it was not determined by quantity.
"If you're willing to go…"
"I'm not going."
"Then get me half the body of an adult dragon or give me that black dragon, and this thing is yours." After thinking for a moment, Sosk made a few concessions.
"You're too ruthless."
"This is Legendary. Legendary!" Sosk remained expressionless and unmoved.
Helpless, Anser turned to look at Iris. That black dragon belonged to both of them as joint property, so he could not decide alone.
"Up to you. But the Deck of Many Things can't be used recklessly—you must make thorough preparations." Iris did not hesitate. A Wild Magic Sorcerer never lacked a spirit of adventure.
Anser no longer hesitated and nodded heavily. "Deal!"
He lifted the box in both hands, brought it before him, and focused his mind on the card.
The die turned slightly. Only after a very long time did a small piece of information appear:
[Deck of Many Things]
'It's real!'
That was the good news. The bad news was that even the die could not detect the magical effect of this card.
Perhaps it was like Schrödinger's cat: before activation, it existed in a state of "impermanence of all things," and no method could detect it.
Seeing his expression, Sosk could not help but grow nervous. "Let's finish the transaction first. Use it after I've left."
"I don't plan to use it right now." Anser closed the box and stored it in the Avaricious Dragonhide Pouch.
"That's for the best."
Next, Anser handed over all the green dragon materials to Sosk except for the dragon blood, which counted as the formal completion of the transaction.
As for the black dragon, Sosk said he needed to make some preparations and would come back in a few days to transport it away.
After he left, Anser and Iris returned to the president's office, took out the card, and the four eyes of the two of them stared at it in a daze.
Anser was not truly staring blankly. Instead, he was fully activating the die's detection ability, trying to obtain more useful information.
The die's appraisal required time. It was like identifying information about a person: at the beginning, one could only obtain the level and race. With longer contact, one could gradually obtain attributes, alignment, and other information.
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