novelraw Chapter 137-1: Shamara’s Astrologer Tower (1)
Chapter 137-1: Shamara’s Astrologer Tower (1)
After storing away the Divine item, Lin Xun was brimming with motivation, eager to immediately seek out another giant monster in the mist for a fight.
But even a wounded monster had nearly cost him his life, if it hadn’t been for the Valkyrie’s strength, he would’ve already seen that bright red ‘Game Over’.
This made one thing clear, he likely couldn’t defeat a fully healthy behemoth.
Right now, what he needed most was to increase his power until he reached a level where he could farm behemoths for valuable Divine items.
There was still an unexplored area marked as the Multivision School Association on the Route Map.
Lin Xun switched back to Lir’s shell and wandered aimlessly through the mist, hoping the ‘suicide upon being lost’ option would eventually appear.
[A thick white mist clouds your vision. You can see nothing, and cannot discern any direction…]
After waiting for a while, the text updated.
[…]
[You wander blindly, soon losing your sense of direction within the Veil of Knowledge.][…]
[You stumble about, unable to find your way out of the mist.]
[…]
[You stumble about, unable to find your way out of the mist.]
Now the suicide option should appear…
[…]
[Knowing that you can no longer continue exploring, do you wish to end your life to return to the beginning of your journey?]
Lin Xun was just about to press ‘Yes,’ and get a free teleport back to town…
When suddenly, new game text appeared.
[A silhouette of a building emerges in the mist ahead. Through the thick fog, you can only see the bottom three levels. Judging by its broad base and narrow top, you deduce it is a tower.]
[Do you wish to investigate?]
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow.
He’d only meant to return to town for free, but somehow, he’d stumbled into… a hidden area?
How could he possibly miss out on such a stroke of luck? He was just about to switch to the Earth Giant shell and step forward to explore.
But then he remembered, his current Knowledge was nearing the upper limit.
His current Knowledge stat: 800/1100
If he suffered Knowledge Overload and died inside the tower, how would he ever find this hidden area again?
He quickly switched to the Dancer shell and equipped the special item Blindfold of Isolated Knowledge.
The Dancer shell had no Knowledge amplification skills, and with the blindfold that reduced Knowledge gain, he wouldn’t suffer a knowledge explosion death inside the Astrologer Tower.
[You stride forward. Battle Angel – Valkyrie follows closely at your side, one hand slung over her massive bow, the other gripping an arrow with its tail already nocked to the string, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.]
[You slowly push open the tower’s refined copper doors. The entrance hall of the tower comes into view…]
[You have entered Shamara’s Astrologer Tower.]
[The glow of kerosene lamps illuminates the hall. Inside are many desks and small astrolabes.]
[At the far end of the hall stands a refined copper elevator that leads to the upper levels of the tower.]
[A hunched figure clad in white robes and wearing a tall pointed hat squats before the elevator. The white-robed one has their head bowed in thought, you cannot see their expression…]
[Do you wish to exit the tower, or approach and speak with the white-robed one?]
There’s a dialogue option, that means this is an NPC.
Lin Xun’s eyes lit up as he clicked to speak.
Field NPCs either sell items or give quests.
[You stride forward and attempt to speak with the white-robed one…]
[The figure in white suddenly raises their head. A pale face is revealed, dominated by a pitch-black, oversized eye that takes up half of their face!]
[You are seeing the form of the Knowledge-Seeking Tower Astrologer for the first time. The enormous singular eye sends a chill down your spine. You feel dizzy and disoriented as a surge of chaotic knowledge floods into your soul.]
[You have gained Knowledge. Knowledge +30! Current Knowledge: 830/1100]
[A savage glint flashes within the black eye. The astrologer raises their short staff and begins muttering incantations, radiant starlight gathering at the staff’s tip…]
This thing wasn’t an NPC, it was a monster!
“Damn it! You cursed game, doing sneak attacks now?!”
You had to know, the Earth Giant’s new Epic+ grade eyeball came with a fivefold Knowledge amplification effect, while the Blindfold of Isolated Knowledge reduced visible Knowledge intake by half.
Thankfully, Lin Xun had used the Dancer shell, which had no Knowledge-boosting skills.
Otherwise, just one glance at that monster might’ve triggered Knowledge overload and an instant head-exploding death.
[Twang! An arrow shot out with incredible speed, nailing the white-robed figure right in its giant eye. Thick, translucent fluid splattered everywhere…]
[The Knowledge-Seeking Tower Astrologer let out a piercing scream before collapsing to the ground, no longer moving…]
[Your Watcher has defeated the Knowledge-Seeking Tower Astrologer. Your experience has increased slightly!]
Without hesitation, the Valkyrie drew her bow and fired, striking the monster down with heroic flair.
She gave the Dancer no chance to perform at all.
But since Lin Xun still got the EXP, whether or not he landed the final blow didn’t matter.
[You obtained Fading Chunk Spirit Essence of Steadfast Will ×1]
[You obtained Book Containing Trace Knowledge ×1]
Three thousand Spirit Essence in the bag. He now had four of those books in his inventory.
[You look toward the corpse of the monster before you…]
[Knowledge-Seeking Tower Astrologer: A hunched, elderly astrologer, obsessed with gazing at the stars in search of unknown knowledge. To better observe the night sky, he underwent surgery to transplant a single massive eye. He died from a forceful blast that pierced through his head. Compatibility: 108% (+45%)]
[Do you want to Possess this shell?]
Lin Xun tossed away Lir’s shell and clicked ‘Yes.’
[You have possessed the shell of the Knowledge-Seeking Tower Astrologer!]
He opened the Shell Panel to check.
[Shell – Knowledge-Seeking Tower Astrologer]
[True Name: Unknown]
[Compatibility: 108% (+45%) – Compatibility threshold exceeded, shell quality upgraded!]
[Shell Quality: Fine+ Grade]
[Shell Level: 36 (+6)]
[Shell Equipment: Pure White Astrologer Robe (Ruined+ Grade) – A standard white robe adorned with countless twinkling stars. Aside from being decorative, it has no other function.]
[Shell Equipment: Stargazer Short Staff (Fine+ Grade) – A short wooden staff roughly forearm-length, with a gleaming crystal embedded at the tip. A weapon suitable for spellcasting.]
[Shell Skill: Starlight Convergence (Fine Grade) – The astrologer, while gazing at the stars and gaining knowledge, also obtained a sliver of power from the stars. This skill releases a beam imbued with starlight energy, requiring brief casting time.]
This shell had the same quality as the Paladin of Discipline shell, but to Lin Xun now, it was rather underwhelming.
If not for the fact that the Paladin shell had a True Name and could be manifested in the real world, Lin Xun probably would’ve thrown it away after acquiring the Earth Giant.
For ordinary Apostles with sufficient compatibility, the Astrologer shell would be considered quite solid, one that could be mindlessly leveled up by dumping resources into it.
But for someone like Lin Xun, accustomed to the finest things, he had only one word for it: trash.
Make that two words: absolute trash.
The only real value lay in the short staff weapon, which might fetch three to five thousand Spirit Essence.