Heroes' Prison

Chapter 831 - 787: Smoky Makeup Woman (Request for Monthly Tickets)

"So he’s here!" Huang Yi suddenly realized.

Dragon Spike had been missing for a long time. Back when the high-level officials of the Dragon Nation were kidnapped by Miyamoto Musashi and taken to the Land of Dongying, the king of the Dragon Nation, Dragon Spike, did not make any move. Even War Minister Zhuifeng Lanyue was unclear about Dragon Spike’s whereabouts.

Later, during the second annual grand ceremony, Dragon Spike did not attend either.

When the national war on Hero’s Continent broke out, Dragon Spike did not show up to fight.

As a super first-class master, it was as if he had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

Unexpectedly, during this time, he had come to the Central Continent to study at the Oskan Royal Academy. And judging by the current situation, his efforts have paid off—he even graduated from courses as difficult as Formation studies.

The Divine Marksman seemed very pleased with Dragon Spike, and his tone was filled with gratification: "Dragon Spike is the fastest-progressing student in the history of our academy. He has only been studying here for a few months but has already graduated from eight courses!"

Huang Yi nodded. As a super-first master, Dragon Spike was naturally extraordinary.

He continued to ask, "Then what’s the purpose of those two courses you mentioned—Equipment Smelting and Internal Refinement?"

The Divine Marksman looked at Huang Yi’s fully-geared state and then gestured toward his own simple attire, saying, "Have you ever wondered why so many people’s gear is incomplete? Look at me; I don’t have a helmet, I don’t have bracers, I don’t have a cloak. Some Demon Clan experts, in fact, go completely bare-chested, not even wearing clothes. With so much missing gear, doesn’t their strength suffer greatly?"

"Hmm? Why is that?" Huang Yi had long been puzzled by this point. Many NPCs had very little equipment—some wore only one to three items; in the most extreme cases, they carried nothing but a single weapon. It was nothing like players, who were always equipped with a full set of twelve items, fully armed from head to toe.

The Divine Marksman smiled faintly and said, "That’s exactly what you will learn in these two courses. Equipment Smelting is a process where you fuse other pieces of equipment into a single item, greatly boosting that item’s power. As for Internal Refinement, it allows you to absorb the power of your equipment directly into your body, merging it with yourself. Equipment is merely a vessel for holding power; if you can absorb that power directly, why bother with clunky gear? Wouldn’t it be much better to keep things simple?"

Suddenly, Huang Yi thought of the Harbinger of Doomsday. The Harbinger once mentioned that he had smelted all his equipment into just two Epic items: the Scythe of Doomsday and the Doomsday Heart. On the surface, he possessed only those two items, but in reality, they contained the essence of all his gear.

"Moreover, Internal Refinement holds another huge advantage," the Divine Marksman added. "Your gear has durability. When it wears out, it requires repairs using irreplaceable rare resources like World Stone, Flowing Cloud Fabric, and Dragon Beast Skin. But once you master Internal Refinement and absorb the power of your gear into yourself, you abandon the physical form of your equipment. This eliminates the problem of durability, meaning there’s no need for repairs. Additionally, as Heaven-Sent Men, your equipment is dropped upon death, but by adopting Internal Refinement and discarding your gear entirely, you’ll no longer face this risk."

"So that’s another benefit!" Huang Yi suddenly understood. Although he had an attribute that prevented his gear from dropping upon death, the durability still took a hit, requiring precious resources for repairs. The global outbreak of national wars was largely driven by resource conflicts. By mastering the Internal Refinement course, these resources would no longer be necessary.

"You’ll understand the details of the coursework during the class itself. Your formal lessons start tomorrow! Time is running out!" The Divine Marksman closed his eyes slightly as he spoke. "The aura of the Seven Archdemons grows stronger by the day. I can even sense that one of the demons’ avatars has already descended into The Second World, though its whereabouts remain a mystery. At any moment, the seven Archdemons could invade this realm. Catastrophe looms, and the world is about to descend into suffering. You are the Saviors—work hard!" After speaking, the Divine Marksman opened his eyes, gave Huang Yi a pat on the shoulder, and walked away.

Subsequently, Huang Yi also left Divine Archer Mountain, strolling through the vast Oskan Royal Academy, familiarizing himself with the campus and handling various enrollment procedures.

Yet, he found it hard to focus. From time to time, he opened the messages Qin Shiyu had sent him, worrying deeply for her.

This day would undoubtedly be one of the hardest for him. Whether Qin Shiyu’s life could be saved depended on how the next dozen hours of events played out.

Time ticked by slowly. The Sun on Hero’s Continent gradually sank westward, and the golden sunset cast long shadows. Huang Yi teleported to the City of Roses—a city that was now named the City of Qin Shiyu, a birthday gift he had given her in the past.

The city remained as lively as ever. Couples from across the continent came to visit, drawn by its fame. Roses bloomed everywhere, enchanting all who saw them. Lovers strolled hand-in-hand, embracing and kissing amidst the sea of flowers.

Huang Yi’s thoughts drifted back to Qin Shiyu’s birthday that year. That night, they spent a passionate evening together here, while a million players outside the city cast skills as if crafting a romantic fireworks display just for them. But now, with the city bustling, Qin Shiyu’s absence made everything feel desolate, lonely, and dull to Huang Yi.

Unknowingly, he wandered into the Blue Rose Garden within the City of Roses. Few people frequented this spot. The fading golden rays of the sunset spilled into the garden, creating a bittersweet melancholy akin to the passage of time.

Huang Yi walked deeper into the garden until he found himself sitting beside a flower bed. He plucked a rose from nearby, lowered his head to inhale its scent, closed his eyes, and became lost in memories.

"Roses may be beautiful, but they always wither." Suddenly, a woman’s slightly alluring voice whispered into his ear.

Huang Yi snapped out of his reverie, opened his eyes, and turned to look beside him.

Standing next to him was a stunning woman. She wore a black short skirt, revealing long, slender snow-white legs. Her outfit had a low neckline that exposed a generous amount of her snowy, enticing skin. Her figure was curvaceous, as perfect as Qin Shiyu’s. Merely seeing such a figure almost convinced Huang Yi that she was Qin Shiyu.

However, the woman’s face differed. While equally beautiful, there was one particularly striking feature—her eyes!

Her eyes were adorned with heavily dramatic smoky makeup, resembling panda eyes. The smoky hues, a blend of cold blue and black, gave her eyes incredible depth, making them mysterious, elusive, alluring, enchanting, sorrowful, painful, and joyful—all emotions swirling within. They resembled a black hole vortex; anyone who gazed into them would feel as if they were being drawn in.

"Who are you?" Huang Yi asked, staring at the mysterious woman.

"Just a stranger," the woman replied with a charming smile. She sat down beside him, glanced at the rose in his hand, and said, "Are you missing someone?"

When she smiled, it was as if all the roses in the garden dimmed in comparison, bowing to her beauty.

"I am," Huang Yi admitted, glancing again at her smoky eye makeup.

"Do you think I’m beautiful?" The woman playfully winked at him, her deep, mesmerizing eyes radiating irresistible allure. She even reached out, lightly stroking his chin in a teasing manner.

"Beautiful," Huang Yi nodded honestly. "But although your hand resembles hers, it’s not the same."

The woman smiled slightly, withdrew her hand, and plucked a nearby blue rose. Twirling it in her hand, she said, "People often compare love to roses, and they’re not wrong. While roses are beautiful, they always wither. Right now, you miss her. But ten or twenty years from now, when her beauty fades and younger girls emerge with fresher, more alluring looks, will you still love her?"

"But even the youngest girls will eventually grow old," Huang Yi shook his head.

"I won’t," the woman said, gazing intently at him. "Follow me, and I’ll show you my most beautiful self forever. I’ll never grow old. I’ll always be the most beautiful woman in the world." Her voice became languid, dripping with seduction, and her whirlpool-like eyes fluttered in another beguiling wink.

"Who exactly are you?" Huang Yi’s heart tensed, his curiosity about the mysterious woman growing stronger.

"What an interesting boy. One day, we’ll meet again." She didn’t answer directly, instead taking a soft sniff of the blue rose in her hand before tucking it into his hand with a captivating smile. Then, without delay, she stood up and started to walk away slowly.

Although her pace was leisurely, Huang Yi felt as if he could never catch her, no matter how hard he tried. She seemed like a woman from a dream—elusive and ephemeral.

In no time, the woman disappeared around the corner of the garden, leaving no trace. Huang Yi stared blankly at the blue rose she had handed him.

It blossomed vibrantly in his hand, with dewdrops clinging to its petals, exuding a mysterious fragrance.

"Darling, that guy’s so weird, talking to himself the whole time over there," a girl’s voice suddenly cut through the air as someone pointed toward Huang Yi.

He turned his head and saw a couple nearby staring at him. The girl was pointing at him with a curious expression.

Huang Yi’s heart stirred, and he walked toward the couple with the blue rose in his hand. "Hello!"

"Hi!" The boyfriend nodded, tightening his grip on the girl’s hand and watching Huang Yi with obvious wariness.

Huang Yi pointed to the flower bed where he had just conversed with the smoky-eyed woman and asked, "You said I was talking to myself. Did you not see anyone else there?"

"No! There was just you sitting by the flower bed, talking to... the air? You seemed to be muttering to yourself," the girl confirmed with a nod.

—

Requesting monthly tickets and recommendation tickets! Just half an hour left for double monthly ticket time, so if you have tickets, please vote now! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)