On his sofa, Eralio remained paralyzed in silence. The semi-transparent information window from his [Valuation] blessing had indeed slowly faded and vanished from sight, but the string of holographic text he had just read remained vividly etched in his memory.
A Rank SSS Item.
His common sense as a grand merchant who had appraised thousands of precious goods across the continent felt completely paralyzed. He still could not believe that the existence of an object so magnificent, rare, and mythical truly existed in this world. It was not merely a legend from the ancient era written on worn-out parchment, but something tangibly worn right on the ring finger of the Imperial Prince's left hand.
Wolvin, possessing instincts and sensitivity far above average, naturally noticed the drastic change in the middle-aged man's expression.
The Night Wolf youth felt deeply perplexed. In his eyes, the host's face looked profoundly shocked with widened eyes, exactly like someone who had just witnessed a terrifying entity beyond human comprehension.
"Mr. Eralio, why did your expression suddenly change like that?"
The question directly addressing his expression was like a harsh jolt that pulled Eralio's consciousness back to reality. He quickly turned his head and looked straight at the Night Wolf youth sitting across from him.
"F-Forgive me, Your Highness." he answered in a very polite tone, reflexively bowing his head slightly to hide his disarray.
The middle-aged man took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly through his parted lips. In his mind, he was still trying hard to calm his thoughts, which had short-circuited due to the existence of the Rank SSS Item.
However, the brief answer and awkward gesture only made Wolvin even more curious about what was actually happening to Eralio.
On the other sofas, Calian and Arlen also shifted their gazes to the host, as if anticipating what answer would come out of the middle-aged man's mouth.
After a few seconds passed, Eralio finally managed to calm his chaotic mind. He lifted his face, looking straight at Calian and Wolvin interchangeably.
"I sincerely apologize for my rudeness just now." Eralio said, starting his sentence with a much more stable voice than before. "I was just deeply shocked after accidentally discovering that the rings currently worn on the ring fingers of both your left hands... are Rank SSS items."
Hearing what the man had just said, Calian, Wolvin, and Arlen were all incredibly shocked. Arlen, who had previously felt so proud of successfully creating a Rank S key, now felt his achievement was nothing compared to the existence of the Rank SSS item mentioned by Eralio.
But at the same time, an immense curiosity began to creep into and envelop their minds. The simple wedding rings circling their fingers apparently held a world-class secret.
"What do you mean?" Calian asked, breaking the silence. The purple-haired youth's gaze turned extremely serious, locking his eyes right onto Eralio's. He demanded that Eralio tell him everything, without holding anything back, about the rings currently wrapped tightly around his and his spouse's ring fingers. "Tell me right now, Mr. Eralio! What exactly did you just see from this ring through your blessing?"
Hearing the command, without hesitation, Eralio began to explain all the information his ability had managed to read regarding the gold ring.
"That ring is called the Ring of Trust, Your Highness." Eralio answered, beginning his explanation. "According to the information I saw, the ring is an ancient masterpiece forged and created as a pair by the first Empress of the Erthland Empire. It is an heirloom that has always been passed down through generations exclusively to the direct descendants of the core imperial family since the ancient era, as a symbol of absolute recognition of the heir to the throne."
Eralio paused his explanation for a moment, letting the historical information be absorbed by the three people in the room before moving on to the artifact's magical functions.
"However, its history is not what makes it a Rank SSS item, but rather its abilities." Eralio continued with an increasingly serious expression. "In the explanation of its first usage, the ring can summon someone highly trusted by its user. The summoned person will be forcibly teleported, defying the laws of space and distance, to your current location. The only requirement is to channel mana into the ring. However, this absolute ability can only be used once in a four-day cycle."
Hearing about that high-level spatial manipulation ability, Wolvin subconsciously touched the gold ring on his ring finger with his thumb.
"And as for its second main ability... the pair of rings is bound by a life link. The rings can detect each other's condition and situation in real-time if the two of you are separated by distance. If the gold color on this ring suddenly turns red, it means one of you is in danger."
The middle-aged man looked at Calian and Wolvin's eyes alternately.
"And if the gold color turns pitch black, it means one of you is in a critical, life-threatening condition."
The explanation that had just come out of the man's mouth successfully silenced the entire room. Calian, Wolvin, and Arlen were rooted to their respective spots with widened eyes.
Especially Calian. He was petrified on his sofa. His memory was suddenly thrown far into the past, back to the moment his mother personally handed this ring to him before he left for the West Pavilion.
His mother's gentle yet emphatic voice echoed clearly in his head once more, repeating every syllable he hadn't fully understood back then.
"This ring is an heirloom from my family, long before I married your Father. It is not an attack magic ring, but a symbol that true power does not always have to take the form of swords or mana explosions. This has always been my secret."
Now, after the puzzle pieces were put together by Eralio's explanation, Calian finally understood very clearly the hidden meaning behind his mother's words from the past.
She had handed over her protection and her greatest secret to Calian.
Slowly, Calian raised his left hand in front of his face. He stared intently at the gemless gold ring fitting snugly on his ring finger. Various intensely strong fluctuations of emotion collided within his chest. He felt happy, proud, amazed, shocked, and filled with such profound gratitude that it made his breath hitch slightly. All those feelings blended into a single harmony that warmed his soul.
This ring is truly insane! I completely didn't expect that my mother had given me something so precious... something that could allow Wolvin and me to stay connected and protect each other's lives, even if we were separated by vast distances.
The relief that Wolvin, the most precious person in his life right now, would always be within the reach of his protection made Calian's chest feel lighter.
However, just as that euphoria and gratitude reached their peak, a cruel, bitter reality suddenly struck his mind.
Feelings of disappointment, emptiness, and frustration suddenly crept up, choking his throat. The faint smile that was just about to bloom on Calian's lips instantly withered.
He recalled one small yet most crucial detail from Eralio's explanation regarding the activation requirement for the ring's teleportation ability.
'The only requirement is to channel mana into the ring.'
Calian was aware of one fatal flaw within himself. Since being born into this world, he absolutely did not possess a mana core in his body. Without a mana core, he could not produce, store, let alone channel a single spark of mana into a magical object.
Without mana, he would never be able to use the ring's ability, and it would merely remain an ordinary wedding ring with no effects whatsoever.
Realizing his unchangeable condition, Calian let out a long sigh, a heavy sigh laden with an incredibly deep sense of helplessness.