A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 679

Chapter 679: Chapter 504: Isn't This Drawing Style Wrong??_1 Chapter 679: Chapter 504: Isn't This Drawing Style Wrong??_1 Arkham City.

Mark is not familiar with this city, but with the help of the advertisement address in the newspaper, he successfully located his target.

666 Fool Street……
Holding the newspaper in hand, looking at the shop in front of him, Mark frowned. The shop looked very antique from its exterior decoration, or even quite simple. The signboard of the shop just had the words “Tribunal” and a mark of a war hammer and a skull.

Just like the mark on the back of his hand.

Thinking of this, Mark lowered his head again, looked at the mark on the back of his hand, and then looked at the pattern on the shop in front of him.

They were identical.

What on earth was going on?

Frankly, holding a newspaper, standing on the street, Mark felt like his mind was mush.

Anyway, he had already come this far, might as well go in!

Thinking of this, Mark clenched his teeth, put the newspaper back into his pocket, and then reached out his hand to push open the store door.

“Ding-Dong.”

Accompanied by the crisp sound of the doorbell, the door opened, and then Mark stepped into this bizarre shop.

When Mark stepped into the shop and got a clear view of the interior, he was taken aback.

After making up his mind to take revenge on the cultists who killed his wife, Mark had sought help from quite a few wizards. In his impression, those people always hid in dark alleys, with their rooms dimly lit and mysterious, full of moldy old books and nauseatingly strange tools……
But, the first impression of this place was completely different from those voodoo shops he had been to before. It was not only bright and clean, but also… looked like a brand boutique???

Yes.

In front of Mark was a very tidy shop. In the middle, there was a glass cabinet displaying a variety of jewelry, including necklaces, rings, bracelets. Various types of weapons were displayed on the shelf by the wall, including hammers, machetes, short swords, and even shields.

And on the other side, there were decorations……
In this way, the whole shop was divided into three parts, each with its own label.

There was a sign that read “Exorcism” hanging next to the wall filled with weapons, the glass cabinet in the middle displaying decorations was labelled “Expel Evil Spirits”. As for the cabinets containing decorations on the side, they were marked with “Household Talisman”.

…… … What is this???

Looking at the shop in front of him, Mark was utterly baffled.

For a moment, he wondered if he had gone to the wrong place…… Just as Mark was hesitating whether to leave or not, a voice rang out.

“Ah, welcome to the Tribunal. What can I do for you?”

Hearing this pleasant voice, Mark looked up towards the counter, and there was not an old witch full of mystery, nor a voodoo mage who would turn himself into a mess, but a very pretty and cute girl, who was smiling and looking at Mark with curiosity.

“Do you wish to buy or sell something in the Tribunal?”

“Sell?”

Hearing the girl speak, Mark frowned, walked to the counter, and the girl nodded.

“Yes, if you have anything that is bothering you, you can sell it to us at the Tribunal. Of course, if you need something, you can also buy items from the Tribunal to help relieve your troubles.”

“You mean those???”

Mark stretched out his hand with a puzzled look, pointing to the cabinets behind him, and the girl nodded.

“Yes, if there are evil spirits or demons in your house, I recommend you buy Household Talisman decorations. If you yourself are troubled by demons and wish to expel or distance them, you can choose the Expel Evil Spirits jewelry.”

“What about exorcisms?”

Hearing this, Mark stared into the girl's eyes and asked. The girl hesitated for a moment, then continued.

“Of course, if you want to fight against monsters, you can also choose weapons from our Exorcism category.”

“………”
Is that all it takes???

Hearing the girl's response, Mark frowned. He had sought similar help from other wizards, but they either stated they couldn't do it or told Mark that it wasn't something common people could deal with. Where was it like here, where everything was clearly priced and put up for sale???

“So there are no requirements or risks?”

“Of course, choosing to fight against monsters is itself a risk. We can simply provide you with a certain degree of assistance, helping you not to be affected by evil and defilement, but apart from that, you have to rely on your own strength.”

Mark was not surprised by what the girl said, it was normal. As a soldier, he had to rely on his own ability when shooting, rather than letting the gun fire automatically. However, he was somewhat surprised that the girl would honestly tell him. It seemed that this “Tribunal” really was completely different from those other places filled with mystifiers and captivating deceivers.

Speaking of which……
“Do you have any guns here?”

“Sorry, sir, our shop does not sell any long-range weapons including bow and arrows, guns.”

This was also Duanmu Huai's decision. After all, selling firearms required a license, and he was too lazy to go through such a hassle. In fact, the business license for this shop covered antiques and crafts. And those “exorcism”, “houseprotection”, and “demonbashing” weapons and accessories could all be sold as crafts, which isn't illegal, right?

But firearms were a different story.

Of course, the most important reason in Duanmu Huai's view was that only close combat was the most sacred, bravest, and most loyal way to fight. You want to fight demons but not by swinging a war hammer at them, instead choosing to hide and shoot from behind like the Titanium Monarch?

That's totally disloyal!

Moreover, Duanmu Huai's shooting skills were so pitiful… Well, let's not bring up such a tearful topic.

“Of course, if you need any services, you can seek assistance from the detective agency on the second floor.”

Of course, Lorena was still indirectly advertising for her boss.

Frankly, if it weren't for the fact that he indeed had this mark appearing on his hand and hadn't had any nightmares since, Mark would have doubted the legitimacy of this place.

After all, there wasn't any mystifying atmosphere here and it didn't align with his expectations at all. Usually, wouldn't items like cherished treasures be brought out at the end? So why were they so calm?

As far as Lorena was concerned, she really was calm, since she had dealt with similar situations in the Holy City plenty of times. It was essentially routine work for her. She certainly wouldn't act like those charlatans in this world, blathering unintelligibly and acting like lunatics.

But this was not what Mark was used to.

His experience told him that those swindling priests and priestesses usually talked in riddles. This lady, however, was unlike them. She was more like a customer service rep, answering whatever he asked. Even when Mark asked about the meaning of the Tribunal mark, she explained it very clearly. Simply, the pure human skull was a symbol of human purity. Those Fallen Ones who fraternized with demons had long lost their human purity, and their skulls had become mutated. Therefore, skulls represented the sanctity and purity of humanity…

Good Lord, if he didn't know better, he would have thought this was a museum tour.

Of course, the risks also had to be made clear.

“If you choose to utilize the power of the Tribunal, then you will be seen as a believer of the Tribunal. After your death, your soul will go to serve the Tribunal.”

Right, everything that should be said still had to be said.

But upon hearing Lorena's explanation, Mark's eyebrows furrowed.

You spoke so seriously… is there really a life after death?

“So, can I meet the deceased?”

“Well…”

Faced with Mark's request, Lorena frowned.

“Sorry, our shop does not provide such a service.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Hearing Lorena's reply, Mark nodded, and he started to select his own items.

Having dealt with the Cultists so many times, Mark had picked up some knowledge about their methods and knew that the most terrifying thing about this group of Cultists was their ability to summon monsters from other dimensions through some cult rituals. These monsters couldn't be defeated by conventional firearms alone.

Hence, choosing the right weapon was his top priority.

So, after pondering for a long time, Mark chose a dagger, then picked up an iron spade.

Yes, an iron spade.

Among the weapons hung here, besides the common close combat weapons like longswords, shortswords, war hammers, and shields, considering the civility of modern society, Duanmu Huai had also deliberately prepared a lot of daily hardware like fire axes, iron spades, picks, etc., lined up neatly on a wall. An unwary person might even think this was a hardware store!

This was also part of Duanmu Huai's thoughtful service, after all, he knew that those investigators running around would definitely need to dig holes or climb trees at some point. Besides, what's wrong with an iron spade? Couldn't it kill someone?

As for why Duanmu Huai didn't make it multifunctional like the military… Are you joking? Doesn't he want to make money?

Why earn one pay when he could earn double?

Mark was picking out items, feeling strange about the whole process. He was supposed to fight monsters, so why did this feel like picking out groceries at the supermarket?

Would these things even work?

Fortunately, these items weren't too expensive. In the end, Mark picked an iron spade, a dagger, a ring, and a bracelet, then went to pay…
Of course, Lorena was still trying her best to advertise for her boss.

“If you have any needs, feel free to contact our boss at the agency.”

“…I'll think about it.”

Seeing the business card Lorena handed over, Mark hesitated for a moment before taking it. But in reality, he had no intention of seeking help. After all, Mark was very clear that, though the Cultists were hateful, his revenge was basically murder in a lawful society. Naturally, the less people knew about it, the better.

So after tidying up a pile of stuff, Mark turned around and left the shop.

“Sigh…”

Watching this, Lorena could only sigh helplessly.

She had tried her best to bring in business for Duanmu Huai.

What a pity…

Chapter end

Report