novelraw Chapter 137-2: Shamara’s Astrologer Tower (2)
Chapter 137-2: Shamara’s Astrologer Tower (2)
After stripping the Astrologer’s equipment, Lin Xun switched back to the Dancer shell.
Just to be safe, he activated his stealth skill. Though it likely wouldn’t fool monsters with eye mutations, it offered some psychological comfort.
He scoured the hall and found another Book Containing Trace Knowledge.
Once the first floor had been thoroughly looted, Lin Xun proceeded to the far end of the hall.
[At the far end stands a refined copper elevator. Taking it will lead you to the upper levels of the Astrologer Tower.]
[You step into the elevator. Battle Angel – Valkyrie follows closely behind.]
[On the side of the car is a lever mechanism. Pulling it will activate the elevator.]
[Do you want to pull the lever?]
[You pull the lever. With the sounds of gears meshing and hinges turning, the elevator begins to rise slowly…]
[The elevator ascends past the stone floor dividing the first and second levels. The open design lets you clearly see that the floor is as thick as half a shell’s body…][The elevator arrives at the second floor of the tower and gradually comes to a stop…]
[The hall here is similar to the first floor, many desks and small astrolabes are arranged throughout the room.]
[Do you want to leave the elevator, or pull the lever to keep going up?]
Lin Xun chose the former.
The Astrologer Tower had to be explored one floor at a time, no skipping, just in case he missed something.
[You step out of the elevator and proceed forward…]
[You notice a beautiful woman in leather armor resting with her eyes closed, leaning against one of the desks in the corridor between the tables.]
[Do you want to kill her while she sleeps?]
“Hah, this cursed game… still using the same old tricks…”
On the first floor of the tower, he’d already been tricked by a monster disguised as an NPC.
Now the game was using the same tactic on the second floor, trying to make him assume this was another monster in disguise, so he’d kill it, only to find out it was a real NPC and miss a side quest.
Lin Xun decisively clicked ‘No.’
[You are filled with righteous indignation and refuse to stoop to such a beastly act while the woman sleeps…]
[You disengage your stealth and stride forward, waking the leather-armored woman in an attempt to speak with her…]
[As you approach, you notice that her skin, under the glow of the kerosene lamp, reflects a dark golden hue of refined copper…]
[The Elite Self-Destruct-Type Maid Doll suddenly opens her eyes. Upon seeing you, she panics. Her skin glows a dangerous, dazzling red, and her delicate figure begins to swell…]
“Shit! She’s a human bomb!”
The Dancer was undoubtedly a fragile shell, if that Elite Self-Destruct-Type Maid Doll exploded, there’d be nothing left of her but dust!
Lin Xun had no time to switch to the Earth Giant shell now.
“Outsmarted myself, huh?”
Once again tricked by this cursed game, he’d let his guard down and failed to dodge.
This death would almost certainly prevent Lin Xun from ever reentering the hidden area known as Shamara’s Astrologer Tower.
He had only found this place by wandering blindly through the mist. Finding it again, even with a hundred tries, wasn’t guaranteed.
[The maid doll’s body began to crack, crimson explosion flames spewing from within…]
The bright red ‘Game Over’ nearly loomed before his eyes.
[A soft body suddenly embraced you from behind. She turned, shielding you from the blast, and unfolded her massive refined copper wings to enclose you both…]
[The raging firestorm failed to penetrate the protection of her refined copper wings. Through the visor of your nano combat suit, you caught a glimpse of two mischievously winking dark-golden eyes…]
[As the firelight faded, Battle Angel – Valkyrie folded back her wings, continuing to guard at your side…]
“Phew…”
Lin Xun let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness the Valkyrie had his back.
He decided that once he finished the game, he would manifest her in the real world and give her a proper reward.
[Elite Self-Destruct-Type Maid Doll has died. Your experience increased significantly!]
[You obtained Large Chunk Spirit Essence of Steadfast Will ×1]
[You obtained Elite Refined Copper Spring (Material) ×3]
The refined copper parts weren’t of much use to him right now, but getting another 5,000 Spirit Essence wasn’t bad.
After looting the second floor of the Astrologer Tower, he found two more Books Containing Trace Knowledge.
Second floor complete, now on to the third!
[You step into the elevator. Battle Angel – Valkyrie follows right behind.]
[You pull the lever. With the sound of meshing gears and turning hinges, the elevator slowly rises…]
[The elevator passes the stone floor between the second and third floors. The open shaft lets you clearly see the dividing floor is as thick as half a shell…]
[The elevator reaches the third floor of the tower and slowly comes to a stop…]
[Like the previous level, the hall is filled with desks and small astrolabes.]
[You step out of the elevator and move forward…]
[You notice a black-robed figure standing in the aisle between the desks, facing away from you.]
[Do you want to strike before it notices you?]
“Again?!”
Lin Xun frowned.
The monster on the second floor was clearly much stronger than the one on the first.
So the third floor’s would definitely be even tougher, and the Valkyrie might not be able to protect him every time.
Maybe he should probe it with a test attack?
But what if it turned out to be an NPC, he might kill it in one hit.
Thanks to the bonus from Visage of the Leader, most of his shells were level 36, except for the level 40 Smelting Plant Owner.
If it really was a frail little NPC, it would be instantly obliterated.
Was there a low-damage ranged attack he could use instead?
Lin Xun opened his inventory, searching for suitable items.
Foul-Smelling Dungstone (Junk). Only has a discard option, no throw option.
Eyeball of an Unknown Creature (Junk). Has discard and install options.
If the black-robed figure was a knowledge-seeking monster, tossing it an eyeball might get its attention.
Thinking this, he clicked discard.
[You discarded Eyeball of an Unknown Creature (Junk) on the ground.]
[The black-robed figure in the hall remains motionless, back still facing you, unaware of your presence…]
[Do you want to strike before it notices you?]
Was the eyeball too trashy to catch its attention?
He still had 18 Eyeballs of the Subterranean Oculomass Demon in his inventory, hadn’t gotten around to installing them yet. But they were incredibly valuable, and Lin Xun was reluctant to waste them as bait.
He kept digging through his inventory and finally found something suitable.
[Poisoned Throwing Knife (Throwable): A blade coated in deadly toxin, its edge gleaming blue. Not recommended for those who like to lick their blades.]
This knife had dropped when he fought minor monsters in the Blood Sun world. Throwing weapons like this dealt fixed damage.
Poisoned Throwing Knife was one of the weakest tier throwing tools, perfect for probing.
Enough to test the target without killing it outright.
[You pull out a Poisoned Throwing Knife. Under the glow of the kerosene lamp, the blade gleams a ghostly blue. With a flick of your wrist, the knife shoots forward…]
[The Poisoned Throwing Knife hits the black-robed figure squarely in the butt. He yelps in pain and spins around suddenly…]
As soon as Lin Xun saw the word he, he knew the black-robed figure probably wasn’t a monster.
The game used ‘it’ for all monsters. In fact, many non-human NPCs were also labeled as ‘it.’
But ‘he’ at least suggested this one was a normal person.
Then the next bit of text made Lin Xun want to facepalm.
[The black-robed man clutches his butt in pain and turns around in anger, on his elderly face is a familiar monocle…]