Chapter 416

‘So it really is that!’

Anser took a deep breath and opened the detailed description.

[Magic Item: Book of Exalted Deeds]

Category: Wondrous Item

Rarity: Artifact (Requires Attunement)

The Book of Exalted Deeds is the definitive treatise on all that is good in the multiverse and figures prominently in many religions.

Rather than being a sacred scripture devoted to a particular faith, the book’s authors filled its pages with their own views of true virtue, helping guide all beings in defeating evil.

The Book of Exalted Deeds rarely remains in one place for long. Once it has been fully read, it vanishes on its own…

A sturdy clasp fashioned in the shape of angel wings protects the sacred book’s inner pages. Only a creature successfully attuned to the book can open it.

Once the sacred book is opened, the attuned creature must spend 80 hours reading and studying it to understand its contents and gain its benefits.

Celestial Calm: While attuned to this book, you have Resistance to Psychic damage and Immunity to the Charmed and Frightened conditions. After you spend the requisite amount of time reading and studying the book, these benefits become permanent.

Divine Wisdom: After you spend the requisite amount of time reading and studying the book, your Wisdom increases by 2, to a maximum of 24.

Enlightened Magic: After you spend the requisite amount of time reading and studying the book, any spell you cast is treated as a spell of one level higher.

Halo: After you spend the requisite amount of time reading and studying the book, you gain a protective divine halo. The halo sheds Bright Light in a 10-foot radius and Dim Light for an additional 10 feet, and you can freely manifest or dismiss it.

While the halo is manifested, you have Advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks.

Within the halo’s Bright Light, Fiends and Undead have Disadvantage on attack rolls against you.

Destroying the Book: The Book of Exalted Deeds can’t be destroyed. However, immersing the sacred book in the River Styx causes all writing and imagery within it to disappear and renders it powerless for 1d100 years.

In addition, you gain 2 major beneficial properties and 2 minor beneficial properties.

…

‘So there isn’t an alignment requirement.’

Anser stroked the angel wings on the book and figured there was no reason he couldn’t use it himself.

In theory, anyone could attune to the Book of Exalted Deeds, but Fiends, Undead, and servants of gods from the Lower Planes couldn’t read the sacred book. If they tried, they would take 24d6 (24–144) Radiant damage.

This damage ignored Resistance and Immunity and couldn’t be reduced by any means.

Evil people could read it and use it too, but the benefits of the Book of Exalted Deeds would last only as long as the attuned creature strove to do good.

If the attuned creature failed to perform any act of kindness or generosity within 10 days, or willingly committed an evil act, they would lose all benefits provided by the sacred book.

‘It’s a book that encourages people to do good,’ Anser mused.

The Book of Exalted Deeds didn’t care who its user was. As long as they refrained from evil and regularly performed good deeds, its purpose was fulfilled.

‘What a scheme!’

No wonder the Book of Exalted Deeds had such powerful properties. Even Anser couldn’t help being tempted.

Whether it was Psychic Resistance, +2 Wisdom, Enlightened Magic, or Halo, every single one was incredibly useful.

Especially Enlightened Magic. If he cast a 9th-level spell, wouldn’t that make it equivalent to a 10th-level spell?!

The existing magic system indeed had no 10th-level spells, but that was because of the restrictions imposed by the goddess of magic. No one could use the Weave to cast spells of 10th level or higher.

But the Weave was on the verge of collapse, and he cast spells using Magic Power. He was entirely capable of mastering spells above 9th level.

‘Would a 10th-level Wish be able to duplicate any 9th-level spell without paying a price?!’

He couldn’t help letting his imagination run wild.

Under normal circumstances, Wish couldn’t be cast using a higher-level spell slot, but perhaps an Artifact could break that restriction.

Anser looked through the die’s detection results again and confirmed that Enlightened Magic had no qualifier attached to it.

‘Not doing evil isn’t hard, but I’m so busy. How am I supposed to find time to do good deeds every day? Would killing orcs count as a good deed?’

Good and evil might not be determined by race, but the orcs were waging a racial war and slaughtering people indiscriminately. Killing them ought to count as doing good.

Doing good deeds wasn’t actually difficult. The hard part was keeping it up year after year!

His thoughts jumped, and he suddenly remembered an idea that had been commonplace in his previous life.

“Sakkors, if I establish a charitable foundation, encourage other people to do good deeds, and then reward them with Spirit Coins based on the results, would that count as an act of kindness or generosity?” he asked.

“Of course it would,” Sakkors replied instantly. “You’re the cause, and the good deeds are the effect. As long as you properly oversee the process and its nature doesn’t get distorted, then you’re doing charity.”

With that confirmation, Anser smiled until his eyes narrowed. “Set up a Holrewen Charitable Foundation for me immediately. Assign two Spirit Net administrators specifically to handle it.

“Establish the standards first. Helping people in danger or hardship, fighting evil, reporting wrongdoing, and oversight all count. Small good deeds get small rewards; major deeds get major rewards.

“But the charitable process needs proper oversight. Photos are mandatory, all charitable expenses will be reimbursed by the foundation, and any form of fraud or falsification must be prevented…”

“Why do this? It’ll burn through a massive amount of Spirit Coins. It’ll be like throwing them into a bottomless pit.” Sakkors didn’t understand.

Spirit Coins were his lifeblood. If too many were consumed, it would inevitably affect the pace of his upgrades and slow the Spirit Net’s expansion.

Besides, he knew Anser wasn’t some ordinary Paladin. This was someone who would even find a way to put Mind Flayer tadpoles to use rather than waste them. He was definitely no rigid moralist.

“Just do it. Set aside ten thousand Spirit Coins every week as the charity fund and distribute them through the mission section as long-term charity missions. Once they’re all distributed, that’s it for the week. Post a detailed breakdown of all related expenditures on a dedicated forum. The whole point is fairness, impartiality, and transparency.”

“Yes. I’ll get on it right away.” Sakkors sounded much more relaxed.

The Spirit Net was now generating over a million Spirit Coins every day. Ten thousand was practically pocket change.

After thinking for a moment, Anser added, “Also, the foundation will accept outside donations and oversight. The foundation will cover all transaction fees.”

He was willing to put some effort into this, but there was no way he would invest without limit. Meeting the requirements of the Book of Exalted Deeds was enough.

“Now that’s good.” Sakkors’s voice rose slightly.

Once those of good alignment saw that the charitable foundation was genuinely doing real charity, they would surely donate generously. The foundation could grow while reducing costs at the same time—several benefits in one stroke.

“Get moving. I want to see results within the next couple of days.” Anser waved a hand.

“Yes,” Sakkors replied.

“What a genius idea.”

After praising himself, Anser picked up the Book of Exalted Deeds and closed his eyes in meditation.

An hour passed.

He successfully established mental attunement with the Book of Exalted Deeds and gained the full effects of Celestial Calm, along with 2 major beneficial properties and 2 minor beneficial properties.

[You have Immunity to the Blinded, Deafened, Petrified, and Stunned conditions.]

[Your speed increases.]

[You have Immunity to the Poisoned condition.]

[You have Resistance to Thunder damage.]

‘Not bad, not bad.’

He nodded in satisfaction.

This whole collection of Immunities and Resistances was seriously powerful. As expected of a genuine Artifact!

The speed increase applied across the board, with an effect roughly comparable to a Monk’s Unarmored Movement.

However, the other properties of the Book of Exalted Deeds wouldn’t take effect until he had properly finished reading it.

Anser rubbed his hands together, opened the angel-wing clasp, and turned to the first page.