Back in his room, Isaac took the glittering golden Little Divine Lamp from his pocket. Perhaps because he was the only one who had fought in that battle, Philo and the others hadn’t discussed who the lamp belonged to.

’Of course, it’s also possible they just haven’t snapped out of it yet...’

In any case, ownership of the lamp should fall to him now. The situation was complicated. To say it wasn’t important would be wrong—you couldn’t participate in the Divine Lamp Grand Trial without it. But to say it was critically important wasn’t right either, since the three of them were destined to get one each. It was just a matter of when.

So, whether they divided it up or not didn’t really matter.

But as Isaac focused his attention on the Little Divine Lamp, the information he discovered made his brow furrow.

The rules of the Divine Lamp Trial were similar to the Holy Grail War he knew from his previous life. Both involved summoning Servant Demons and fighting to the death, with the survivor claiming a reward. The difference was that the prize in the Holy Grail War was a wish, while the Divine Lamp Trial offered various precious treasures or abilities.

Relatively speaking, it wasn’t as open-ended, but the rewards were more reliable. Unlike the Holy Grail War, where a wish might not be granted, or the wish-granting device itself might be flawed.

This was what Isaac had known about the Divine Lamp Trial before. After getting the Little Divine Lamp, he gained a deeper understanding of its rules.

The major points were mostly unchanged; the differences were in the details. For instance, the timing for summoning a Servant Demon. Even though Isaac had the Little Divine Lamp now, he would have to wait until fifteen days after all the Little Divine Lamps had appeared to perform the Summoning. Only then would the Divine Lamp Grand Trial officially begin.

Another example: because contestants had to first fight for a spot in the Divine Lamp Grand Trial—that is, for a Little Divine Lamp—the identities of all participants were public. This would lead to an immediate, chaotic brawl to settle things right away!

And another thing: Wizards participating in the Trial could only have one Servant Demon!

For Isaac, this was the worst possible news. In a Wizard’s power system, the term "Servant Demon" was extremely broad. For instance, both Shushu, who had signed a High-Level Magic Contract with him, and Liu Li, the Demon God’s Favored he had created, were considered Servant Demons. At most, they were just different types.

And unfortunately, the Divine Lamp Trial’s definition of a Servant Demon was identical to that of a Wizard’s...

’That’s to be expected, I guess, considering the Divine Lamp Trial was something Wizards came up with in the first place.’

’But this is a huge disadvantage for me!’

Not being able to use Shushu didn’t matter—it was just a mascot, anyway. But Liu Li was different. Liu Li was very strong!

’Giving up Liu Li to use a Servant Demon summoned by the Little Divine Lamp...’

’It seems like there’s no choice to be made...’

Liu Li’s stats were very high, and as a Demon God’s Favored, she possessed two Authorities. Forget Servant Demons; there were few creatures stronger than her. But wouldn’t that be a bit of a waste?

Isaac read on, and his frown gradually relaxed. Thankfully, if he chose not to summon a Servant Demon with the Little Divine Lamp, he could receive a Relic instead. If he won the Trial, he could keep the Relic in addition to the original reward.

’Well, that makes the choice obvious. This option offers the best value. But what kind of Relic will I get?’

Isaac felt a flicker of anticipation.

’After all, while a Relic’s full power can only be unleashed after being bound, that bond can also be broken. This means I can use it too!’

’In any case, Liu Li definitely wouldn’t have any objections.’

After toying with the Little Divine Lamp for a moment, Isaac put it away. He leaned back on his bed and took out a Magic Book to study. He had originally planned to go for a stroll after grabbing the Little Divine Lamp today, taking advantage of the active Adventurers to see if he could find anything interesting.

’But given the current situation, that’s out of the question.’

The next day at noon, Isaac and the others gathered on the first floor of the Veterans Tavern again. This meeting was different from the previous ones in a few ways. First, Philo and Angel’s gazes toward Isaac held a new level of apprehension.

Philo, in particular, was blatantly on guard the moment she walked in!

This was because, in her eyes, Isaac now had one foot on the path of a Mad Witch, in constant danger of being consumed by an Outer God!

This also made her more cautious. Perhaps they shouldn’t use the method he had mentioned; an honest trade would be better. The risk of trying to seize an Outer God was just too high.

’Of course, if there were a stronger, more reliable insurance policy, that would be a different story.’

As she thought this, Philo shot a subtle, heated glance at Angel. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Besides the change in Philo and the others, the tavern’s atmosphere had also shifted. Compared to the lively buzz of their previous meetings, the tavern was now silent as a tomb. Aside from their group, the only other person was the owner, who stood behind the bar with a miserable expression, wiping a glass.

This was a well-known tavern. Just the day before yesterday, a bartender he’d hired was doing this job, while he himself was at home doing... another bartender. Today, not only had all his bartenders quit on him, but his customers had also vanished almost entirely overnight!

Leaving only Isaac!

The most fucked up part was, he didn’t dare close the doors!

He had to bite the bullet and stay open for business, even picking up his cooking skills that had been neglected for years. It was just...

"Sigh..." Gazing at the group of four habitually sitting in the corner, the tavern owner let out an imperceptible sigh. ’How did it all happen so suddenly?’

...

"Hm? The spots are secured? So suddenly?" Isaac was stunned to hear Philo’s words. "What happened?"

"Because that Magic you used yesterday was just too..." Philo’s expression was complicated. She raised a hand to cover her mouth slightly; just thinking about it made her feel a little nauseous. "Anyway, you terrified them. They’ve redistributed the spots for the Divine Lamp Grand Trial. The Little Divine Lamps will appear at least twice more. If four or more appear at once, we get to take one each time. If they only fall in small numbers, the last two are ours. The condition is that you’re not allowed to make another move before the Trial begins."