SCP Corporation: Contain Bonfire
Chapter 680 - 680 501 Approaching Station No. 9_1

Chapter 680: Chapter 501: Approaching Station No. 9!_1 Chapter 680: Chapter 501: Approaching Station No. 9!_1 ‘How could one tarnish a person’s innocence for no reason? Why would I burn it as firewood if there’s nothing wrong with it? It’s an artifact, after all…’

Colin grumbled in his heart, feeling that this “Lady of Thorns” had too much prejudice against the “Firebearers.”

Moreover, that was something those “Firebearers” did, which had nothing to do with him.

They were them, and he was himself, and the two shouldn’t be conflated.

And up until now, he hadn’t burned any artifacts at all.

Buying those things had cost real silver, and Colin felt he wasn’t quite that wasteful yet.

Then, he took another look at the “Ring of Suffering” that was full of short thorns and identical to the “Lady of Thorns'” own, and put it on his head as suggested.

The thorns pierced the skin immediately upon contact, causing a slight, sharp pain.

‘My scalp that could withstand a heavy truck just got pierced like that?’

Colin was surprised in his heart.

Then, with curiosity and amazement, he asked, “By the way, if I just wear it on my head like this, won’t it easily fall off?”

In high-intensity battles, it seemed like a situation that could easily occur.

“As long as you put it on and connect with it, generally speaking, it certainly won’t fall off. Not even if your head does,” the “Lady of Thorns” replied, sitting on the high chair, with her arms crossed over her chest, revealing a teasing smile at the corner of her mouth.

“Of course, if you’re really scared of it falling, you can also put it around your neck, and then I can give you a ‘Thorn Lock’ as well, and then it would be like leading a… haha…”

While speaking, she couldn’t help but laugh a few times joyfully, as if the thought conjured up an amusing image.

Colin ignored her teasing, letting the Little Maid reach out her hand towards the ring to see what would happen under the circumstance that he didn’t want it to fall…

Soon enough, he confirmed that the situation was indeed much as the “Lady of Thorns” had described.

Once he put it on, it was tightly connected to him; even if he didn’t wish it, an enemy might invert his skull and still not be able to remove it.

Additionally, Colin felt an indescribable lightness in his body the moment he put it on—

All the gravity his body was subjected to seemed to be transferred to the ground at that instant.

This was different from just standing on the ground.

Colin waved his hand. Normally, he would have felt a slight resistance from the air, but this time, although the impact on reality was still the same, that sense of resistance was gone…

Everything was transferred to the soles of his feet.

Watching the “Lady of Thorns'” little feet swing back and forth, Colin suddenly felt the urge to try stepping on the ground with slippers as well.

But after pondering for a moment, he still refrained from doing so.

“It’s a strange sensation…”

Colin couldn’t help murmuring. It was unclear to what grade this artifact would be assigned, but if nothing went wrong, it most likely hadn’t been restricted and was nearly in a state of “Item Liberation.”

The magnitude of its power was rather high.

And wearing this ring made his physical body and spirit, etc., become remarkably “solid” all at once.

It was like the loose filling of a dumpling being tightly sealed by the dumpling wrapper.

A bit of mental energy or anything wouldn’t easily dissipate…

After some simple testing, Colin confirmed that it truly was a good object. With “Deadly Insight,” he didn’t much fear taking the initiative, and with this object, even if someone took the initiative, it probably wouldn’t have much of an effect on him.

It suddenly made him very “sturdy.”

“I didn’t lie to you, did I? It’s a good thing,”

“Lady of Thorns” spoke with a bit of pride, confident in her own handiwork.

“Mm…”

Colin nodded as well, removing items and placing them in the “Storage Room” as he asked, “Then, does it have any side effects?”

“There are some,” came the reply. “For instance, the damage you carry doesn’t completely vanish. You’ll need to find time to gradually wear it away, simply put, if someone punches you, you can distribute the injury’s damage over several instances at different times.”

“Of course, you can also choose to let the ‘Ring of Suffering’ take the hit, but it wears down the item’s integrity, and if it hasn’t been modified by a master craftsperson, only I can repair it. But you can’t always find me when you need to…”

“So, it’s up to you whether you want to use it for a long time or just take on a single instance of damage…”

“Lady of Thorns” pondered as she spoke, “Right, this is a new sprout; some of its functions haven’t emerged yet. Later on, you can nurture it with some ‘Colorless Crystals’ or the like. It should gain some other abilities in the future, such as transferring someone else’s ‘suffering,’ ‘pain,’ and so on to oneself…”

‘I’d have to be out of my mind to transfer someone else’s injuries to myself.’

Colin spoke up, “What about transferring it to someone else?”

“That’s possible, but you can’t do that. Those are more advanced techniques. However, if you really want to learn, it’s not impossible…”

“Lady of Thorns” clasped her hands in front of her and rubbed them together, revealing a mischievous smile.

Even though Colin felt it wouldn’t be anything good, he couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s simple; give up the ‘Bonfire,’ become my successor. If you do succeed, those things inside of you can also be transferred out…”

“Forget it.”

Colin decisively interrupted, shaking his head.

In these chaotic times, he preferred to be more of a fighter, rather than one who takes hits.

Plus, “Firebearers” seemed to be getting stronger continuously in this era. Who the hell would choose a version from an ancient, outdated era?

“Such a pity, sister here had prepared a gift for you.”

“Lady of Thorns” twirled a strand of hair with her index finger, her face showing a hint of regret.

Colin had no interest in the “gift” proposed by this lady who liked to make empty promises. He didn’t look at her but shifted his gaze instead to the train window that was still obscured by thick fog:

Who knows how much longer this train will take to reach the ninth station…

After some thought, he inquired about “2044.”

“2044′? Hmm, are you referring to the ‘Ultimate Time’? That’s some of the knowledge that circulated within the company…”

“Lady of Thorns” paused, blinking before her tone changed:

“But for specifics, you should ask the one behind you when there’s time. She’ll let you know when you need to.”

“Alright.”

Colin shook his head in mild disappointment.

It was evident that “Lady of Thorns” knew something, but for some reason, she seemed reluctant to share.

Without dwelling too much on this, Colin took advantage of the following time to continue chatting with her.

To gain as much knowledge about the company, or various other enemies, as possible…

Time also passed bit by bit amidst the conversation.

After six or seven more hours, Colin and “Lady of Thorns” simultaneously sensed a slight change in the speed of the consistently steady-moving train.

This meant…

“The ninth station, we’re almost there.”

Colin looked out the window still shrouded in dense fog, muttering to himself.

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