novelraw Chapter 26: The Broken Shell Panel
Chapter 26: The Broken Shell Panel
After reading the Yellow-Robed Bishop’s memories, Lin Xun was at a loss for words.
If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams can’t be straight—how could the entire White Moon Church be this shameless? It was becoming clear that the White Moon Church wasn’t any better than the rest. Seeking pleasure must just be one of their “traditional skills.”
Not bothering with the plot anymore, he opened the Shell Panel…
[Shell — Corrupted Yellow-Robed Bishop of the White Moon Church]
[True Name: Unknown]
[Compatibility: 90% (+25%)]
[Shell Quality: Rare]
[Shell Level: 10]
[Shell Equipment: Bishop’s Jeweled Crown (Fine+) — The jeweled crown of the White Moon Church’s bishops, embedded with a variety of precious and luxurious gemstones. Slightly increases spellcasting speed.]
[Shell Equipment: Bright Yellow Vestment (Fine+) — The bright yellow robe worn by bishop-level figures in the White Moon Church. Sewn from rare, exotic threads. Slightly increases magic resistance.][Shell Equipment: White Moon Silver Scepter (Rare) — A scepter never parted from the bishop’s hand, symbolizing immense ecclesiastical power. The shaft is forged from silver imbued with unknown energy, and a radiant crescent moon is embedded at the top. Greatly increases spellcasting power.]
[Shell Skill: Corrupt Sunlight (Rare) — The bishop’s fall gained the favor of the Corrupting Blood Sun, granting him a small portion of its power. This skill releases a beam of destructive sunlight infused with Blood Sun energy. Requires a short casting time.]
The panel for this shell was completely broken—he already had three pieces of equipment, and one was even Rare.
The red flash that one-shot both Lin Xun and his warhorse earlier had to be “Corrupt Sunlight.” The damage was absurd.
However, the Yellow-Robed Bishop couldn’t withstand even one Blood Charge from the Paladin of Discipline. That made it a textbook glass cannon: high attack, low defense.
“Hey, Black-Robed Priest, this is what a real mage looks like.”
“Now this… this is a mage!”
Lin Xun punched the air in excitement, not forgetting to roast the priest shell he’d long since tossed into the trash heap.
Next, he checked the items looted from the boss.
The Unknown Fading Chunk of Spirit provided 200 Spirit on use—he’d save it for later.
The Intermediate Forging Stone could be used to upgrade the freshly acquired White Moon Silver Scepter.
Using the Blacksmith shell, Lin Xun upgraded the scepter to +1.
[Enhancement successful. Weapon enhancement level +1. Power slightly increased.]
Now for the main event—the Rare item!
[Tainted Essence Crimson Sunflower Seed (Rare Item): A mutated seed of a crimson sunflower. After being contaminated by unknown corrupted essence, it transformed. When used, it permanently grants a significant boost to shell defense for devout followers of the Corrupting Blood Sun.]
Lin Xun’s eyes lit up—then he frowned, lost in thought.
Logically, a defense-boosting item would be more suitable for tanky shells like the Paladin of Discipline.
But that shell was only Fine, likely around elite-mob level, far from a boss-tier shell.
Compared to the Yellow-Robed Bishop, the knight shell had limited potential.
After much consideration, he finally made up his mind.
Using the item on the bishop shell would patch up its biggest flaw—its low defense.
Without hesitation, he clicked Use.
[You used the ‘Tainted Crimson Essence Sunflower Seed (Rare Item)’. Your current shell’s defense has been significantly enhanced.]
[You have grown stronger!]
Back to the game. After defeating the Yellow-Robed Bishop, there should now be follow-up progression in the Inner Castle Banquet Hall.
[You push open the banquet hall’s large doors and step inside.]
[This hall once served as Lord Fox’s guest chamber. The room is dimly lit. A long dining table runs down the center, the plates and cutlery in disarray, former delicacies now putrid and foul-smelling. The room is empty save for the flicker of burning candlelight.]
[At the far end of the hall, you find two staircases on the left and right, each leading to the second floor of the castle.]
[Where would you like to go?]
The text gave no indication of what lay ahead, so Lin Xun picked one at random.
[You head toward the right staircase.]
[You arrive at the second floor. Narrow hallways stretch out on both sides, lined with tight, compact rooms. These appear to be the living quarters for maids, cooks, and butlers.]
Multiple room options appeared in the text interface.
Lin Xun explored each in turn, but found nothing of real value—not even a single mob. His inventory only filled up with junk like candlesticks, plates, and sewing needles.
One noteworthy detail: the castle’s servants were all missing—no bodies, no signs of life.
The game text mentioned evidence of servant life in the rooms, but now they had all vanished.
The second floor above the right staircase held only a bunch of small quarters and no further paths.
So Lin Xun returned to the banquet hall and headed up the left staircase.
[You head toward the left staircase.]
[You arrive at the second floor. The hallway is lined with beast-fur carpets, and elegant oil paintings hang along the walls. From a nearby room wafts the familiar scent of ink—this appears to be the lord’s personal library.]
[Will you enter the library or continue forward?]
Lin Xun’s danger radar went off. His instincts told him this library definitely contained items… or monsters.
Perfect—he’d just gotten a powerful mage shell. Time to take it for a spin.
[You enter ‘Fox’s Library.’]
[The room is brightly lit. Towering bookshelves are embedded into the walls, packed with Lord Fox’s private collection.]
[Do you want to search the library?]
[You inspect the shelves and discover a faintly glowing bookmark tucked into one corner.]
[You obtained Invasion Bookmark ×1]
[You search carefully and find a small glass bottle wedged between the shelves.]
[You obtained Soul Holy Water (Item)]
Lin Xun tried searching the library again, but it showed no more valuable items.
He checked his inventory.
[Soul Holy Water (Item): A liquid infused with soul energy. Use to restore 1 point of Soul Strength.]
Huh? A soul-strength-restoring item? This was the first time Lin Xun had ever seen something like that.
He stared at it, lost in thought, then unconsciously materialized the item.
A small bottle appeared in his hand—about the size of a regular oral medicine vial. It was filled with a colorless, faintly glowing liquid.
He played with it for a while, then returned the item to the game.
Just now he had also acquired an Invasion Bookmark. Including the one Ye Xiaoqi had gifted him earlier, he now had two.
“Should I use one? Give this new shell a test run?”
He’d just gotten this powerful mage shell but hadn’t encountered any mobs to try it on. His hands were itching.
Just like a kid with a brand-new toy—he couldn’t help but unwrap it.
Grinning, he thought of an old friend.
[Warlike Apostle, you have used the Invasion Bookmark.]
[Please input the soul imprint of the Apostle you wish to invade. If left blank, a random target will be selected.]
A text input box appeared on screen.
Without hesitation, Lin Xun typed in that familiar name—BigDickBro.