"So, this accumulation of emotional memory is something like the power of faith, right?" Lucius glanced at the museum ahead, instinctively reaching to touch the sealed bottle in his backpack.
"From what I know, faith can indeed hold great power, but doesn't it come with some serious side effects?"
In ancient times, the primitive worship and faith formed by the raw emotions and memories of early humans twisted intangible or tangible things, gradually shaping them into gods.
In a sense, humans truly created the gods.
But as gods drew power from human faith, they were also bound and distorted by human will.
Having read plenty of novels in his previous life, Lucius's first reaction to faith was wariness.
"Hmph, you fool."
The demon in the bottle responded with merciless mockery.
"When eating fruit, you don't even know to spit out the pit, and then you blame the fruit for choking you?"
Lucius fell silent at her words.
The loli demon's meaning was clear: faith might contain some undesirable elements, but couldn't you just filter them out?
Moreover, no matter what, this demon wouldn't let herself be swayed by faith. Her words implied confidence in preventing Lucius from being consumed by it.
After all, if he were truly influenced by faith, becoming a god shaped by human prayers, tasked with guarding world peace…
She might never escape that bottle.
So, for now, he didn't need to worry about faith's side effects.
For now.
The Rome Museum, a grand structure built in 1899, was one of the world's foremost classical art museums. Since 1870, most ancient artifacts found in Rome, along with even older relics, were housed within.
Lucius's purpose in coming here was to see if he could find a few ancient divine artifacts among the collection.
In some worlds, items that developed anomalies might be called "yokai" or "tsukumogami."
In this world, where human consciousness had a profound impact, it wasn't surprising that certain ancient objects, imbued with human faith, could reach the status of "divine artifacts."
"Can you sense any suitable targets?"
Though he had reached the museum's main entrance, Lucius had no intention of going inside.
Instead, he took a detour, slipping out of sight of the security guards, and leaned against the outer wall of the museum, closing his eyes.
Why not go in?
Because whether it was identifying a divine artifact suitable for absorption or extracting its power, physical contact wasn't necessary—this distance was close enough.
If he entered the museum and acted suspiciously, he'd likely be flagged as a questionable person, making things more difficult.
And another reason…
He couldn't afford the entry fee.
Otherwise, visiting such a place would have been a nice experience.
"At this range, I can indeed sense a strong historical aura," The demon said, as if taking a deep breath. "It seems there are plenty of items with significant historical weight here."
Though sealed in the bottle, having been briefly released by Lucius once before, she could use him as a conduit to observe the outside world to some extent.
Of course, that was the extent of it.
Otherwise, she'd have just controlled him to set her free.
"But…" Her tone took on a hint of schadenfreude. "It seems none of these items are 'anomalous' enough. In other words, among all the artifacts in this museum, not a single one can be absorbed by you."
A vast place like the Rome Museum naturally held countless artifacts, many with rich historical significance, but none bore special power.
In other words, they were useless to Lucius.
A smirk curled the loli demon's lips as she spoke.
Even though they had reached an agreement, that didn't mean she had transformed into some benevolent guide.
If she could savor Lucius's disappointed expression, she'd be delighted.
But Lucius didn't give her the satisfaction.
"Oh," He responded casually, completely unfazed.
That reaction was a bit too mild, wasn't it?
The demon thought, puzzled.
"Then take me to where you've sensed something I can absorb," Lucius said softly.
"You tried to mess with me, but you also want to avoid completely falling out, so you must have found a divine artifact I can absorb, right?"
"You were probably thinking that if I got mad, you could just tell me about it to smooth things over."
"Now, take me there directly. I won't hold it against you for dragging me to the museum for nothing."
Lucius stared at the brass bottle in his hand, flashing a provocative smile.
The demon in the bottle: "…"
Damn.
What was this feeling of being completely seen through?
"You brainless demon."
Growing impatient, Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"Use that empty little head of yours and think."
"This is a national museum, after all. They wouldn't keep anything dangerous inside. Italy has its own magical associations. If there were divine artifacts or items with 'anomalies,' they'd have been removed and dealt with long ago."
"I didn't call you out earlier because you seemed to be enjoying yourself, so I played along."
"…"
Just wait—you'll die on the streets of Rome.
"Fine, I'll take you to where I sensed a divine artifact," The loli demon said, narrowing her eyes with a sweet smile.
"So you did sense a divine artifact's location." Lucius sounded slightly surprised. "I was just bluffing earlier."
"…"
Such a pity she still needed this guy to break her seal.
"Can you tell which god the artifact is tied to?" Lucius asked curiously as he followed the route she provided.
"It's a god from Roman mythology, and arguably the most significant one for ancient Rome."
The demon answered honestly.
Roman mythology, to a large extent, was an imitation and inheritance of Greek mythology.
For example, Jupiter in Roman mythology was akin to Zeus in Greek mythology, Juno to Hera, Venus to Aphrodite.
"The most significant one—Jupiter, the king of the gods?"
The demon shook her head lightly.
"While Jupiter holds the highest status in Roman mythology, when it comes to significance for the nation of Rome, another god stands out, doesn't it?"
***
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