Puppet Master Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Departure

Read chapter 40 of Puppet Master by PeName on NovelPedia.

After tidying up the altar, Tris finally turned to the table placed at the center. He had noticed it earlier but was worried that the chamber might still hide unknown dangers, so he postponed checking it. ‘So there are ten spatial rings placed here.’ If not for the fact that he already had eight spatial rings on hand, Tris would have jumped for joy. Why eight? Because earlier, after searching the body of the masked assassin, Tris had unexpectedly found another one. Now, with the ten before him, the total number of rings he possessed reached eighteen. With so many rings, even Tris felt troubled about storing them. The reason was that one spatial ring could not be stored inside another. Two hands had only ten fingers, leaving eight rings still needing a place. “Here they call it troubled happiness.” – Tris gained benefit yet still boasted. He picked up one ring from the table to examine. As he checked, his eyes widened, his face clearly showing astonishment. Tris put the ring back and began checking each one in turn. After finishing them all, Tris laughed with delight. Now he truly wanted to jump for joy. It turned out Zyron had used the chamber as his storage vault. Inside the ten rings on the table were filled with precious materials. With such resources, Tris could conveniently use them for research and craft many puppets later, with plenty to spare. Ten rings together with all the materials inside—Zyron had truly left him a vast fortune. And that was not even counting the gold coins Zyron had hoarded. The cash alone amounted to more than twenty thousand gold coins. Adding the gold carried by the assassins and the amount Tris already had, he now possessed nearly forty thousand gold coins. ‘Dead yet still so considerate. Perhaps I should have left him a more intact corpse for respect.’ If Zyron were alive to hear Tris’s thoughts, he would surely die again from rage. After packing all valuables, Tris carefully erased every trace related to the heretical god. This was crucial, not to preserve the honor of the dead village chief. If it concerned only his honor, Tris would gladly let it rot. What Tris feared was that if the heretical god were exposed, officials or the church might investigate. Then Tris could be implicated and face trouble. He could not endure being investigated for heresy. For even if he claimed no connection, Tris himself would not believe it. Thus, it was necessary to ensure the matter of the heretical god would not be revealed, cutting off all ties to Tris. After finishing, Tris left the chamber, carefully returning the bookshelf to its place. ‘One last thing remains.’ – Tris thought silently as he walked away. * * * * * * * * * * “Knock knock.” Night had fallen, but suddenly there was a knock at the door. “Who would visit at this hour?” – Maren wondered aloud. “Let me check,” Her husband said, rising to open the door. At the entrance stood a black-haired boy with a handsome face. Perhaps due to his upright posture, he appeared taller and carried a presence unlike ordinary children. Seeing the door open, the boy immediately greeted: “Hi, long time no see.” “Oh, Tris. Please come in. What brings you here?” Following into the living room, Tris replied: “I have something I wish to discuss with Mrs. Maren.” Hearing this, he called to his wife: “Maren, Tris has come to visit.” Then he turned back to Tris and offered: “Would you like something to drink? We have tea and fruit juice.” “Thank you. I’m not thirsty, and it will be a quick talk before I leave.” “Tris, is that you? I’ve missed you and the master. Have you both returned today?” – Maren asked with a smile. “Only I returned. Father has passed away.” At that, Maren’s smile froze, followed by clear panic. Because Tris’s reply was so calm, she thought she had misheard. “What happened?” – Maren asked urgently. “A powerful band of bandits attacked. He was gravely wounded and died afterward.” Tris altered the story to avoid being connected to Zyron. And in any ca