novelraw Chapter 312: Desire Wet Nurse, Angels, and the Divine Kingdom
Chapter 312: Desire Wet Nurse, Angels, and the Divine Kingdom
The Ascended Monastery Cleric had already become a headless corpse. Since a key part of the Shell was missing, it could no longer be possessed, so the hellish game naturally did not display its Compatibility.
However, the ‘divine kingdom’ mentioned in that Shell’s description made Lin Xun quite interested.
“Cross the strait and reach the divine kingdom, huh?”
[You walk up to the cleric’s headless corpse for a closer look…]
[The cleric’s right arm has already turned into a scythe-shaped grasping leg, its blade incomparably sharp. Apart from the huge compound eyes on its face, there is no difference from an ordinary person.]
[Even though it has been dead for quite a while, its right bladed limb still twitches from time to time…]
[You shake your head and stand up to leave.]
[You push open the door on the left side of the Sacred Hall and step into the monastery courtyard…]
[The courtyard is fairly spacious. The most eye-catching part is the spiral staircase in the center that leads up to the second floor. On the left there is still a door whose destination is unknown, and in addition there is a large door straight ahead that seems to lead outside…]
[Where do you choose to go?]Lin Xun smacked his forehead and switched back to the ‘monk’ Shell.
[Looking at the familiar courtyard, you recall that the second floor reached by the spiral staircase is where the abbot and the Grand Monks reside, and the door on the left connects to the three ‘Instruction Halls’ used for teaching and preaching.]
[And the large door straight ahead connects to the outer yard, and passing through that yard lets you leave the monastery.]
He thought for a moment and decided to first explore all the rooms on the first floor of the monastery, then go to the second floor to look for the abbot and the Grand Monks.
[You walk past the staircase leading to the second floor and push open the left door, heading for the Instruction Hall…]
[The moment you push the door open, a dozen gazes snap toward you in unison. Those dozen pairs of compound eyes lock onto you, making your scalp prickle.]
[The cleric preaching on the platform glances your way and lets out a shrill scream.]
[The dozen ‘monks’ listening to the instruction suddenly lunge toward you…]
Lin Xun was powerful and had no reason to fear this bunch of small fry.
After switching to the Star Lord Shell, he sent all these small mobs off to Ascend like chopping melons and vegetables.
Because these mobs had strong vitality, it often took several cuts to kill them if he attacked the torso. Only by decapitating them could he deal a fatal blow.
But even after he cut off their heads, the insect limbs that had emerged after Ascension continued to twitch for a long time before truly falling still and silent.
Of the dozen monsters, only the preaching cleric left behind an intact corpse. The other monks all became headless bodies.
[…]
[Ascended Monastery Cleric: … Compatibility: 91% (+55%)]
[Do you want to possess this Shell?]
After possessing the Shell, Lin Xun did not obtain any related memories.
He could only open the panel to check the attributes and skills to see whether there were any informational clues.
[Shell – Ascended Monastery Cleric]
[True Name: Donovan]
[Compatibility: 91% (+55%)]
[Shell Quality: Fine]
[Shell Level: 67 (+27)]
[Shell Equipment: Cleric’s Cloak (Ruined+ gear): Clothing with white wing symbols on the chest and back. It comes with a hood that can nicely conceal the horrific appearance after Ascension.]
[Shell Skills: None]
Just like the monk, the cleric had no other distinguishing traits apart from having a Shell quality one tier higher.
Since he had not gained any useful information, he could only move on to explore the next Instruction Hall.
The remaining two Instruction Halls were just like the one he had just explored, filled with small fry monsters whose only purpose was to give experience.
These fodder mobs were so poor they only had a single piece of Ruined gear on them. He could not even be bothered to possess them and strip off that trash that would not sell even if he put it on the Book of Trade.
Although he had not gained any gear or Spirit Essence, in the last Instruction Hall Lin Xun did find a junk book.
[…]
[You step over the cleric’s corpse and pick up the thick book lying on the platform.]
[You have obtained Hymn Dedicated to the Desire Wet Nurse (Junk)!]
[Hymn Dedicated to the Desire Wet Nurse (Junk): This thick book records poems that praise the great supreme deity, the Mother of Life from whom all things originate, the Desire Wet Nurse. It is a required course in the monastery.]
“Desire Wet Nurse… is this the main god of this chapter’s world?”
Lin Xun made his way back past the Resting Page and went to explore the only remaining first-floor room in the monastery, the Prayer Hall.
[…]
[You push open the door on the right and step into the Prayer Hall…]
[A red carpet stretches from the entrance all the way to the far end of the hall, where a huge divine statue stands.]
[The statue takes the form of a plump mature woman reclining on a bed. A gray robe covers the woman’s face, preventing you from seeing her true countenance.]
[The woman’s collar is open at the chest, revealing her full, firm bosom in a nursing posture…]
[What ought to have been a warm and peaceful pose instead sends chills down your spine.]
[Because what the Desire Wet Nurse is nursing is not infants, but several fat, twisted giant maggots!]
[The maggots scramble against one another for that bit of rosy flesh, trying to clamp it into their mouths full of fangs to suck, going so far as to cannibalize their own kind for it.]
[Yet the mature woman makes a soothing gesture, calming the rage of the larvae in her arms. Even though you cannot see her face clearly, you can still feel that thick, suffocating maternal love.]
[Do you want to worship the statue to join the Desire Wet Nurse’s oath?]
Lin Xun decisively pressed ‘No.’
This oath and god both looked truly sinister, so he had no intention of joining for the time being.
Before he figured out the worldview and background of the chapter, rushing to pick a side would be foolish.
Even taking ten thousand steps back, if he did decide to join an oath, he would still want to be invited by a powerful story character from that faction.
By common sense, the higher the status and the stronger the character who invites you into a faction’s oath, the better the rewards for joining.
If you took the initiative to stand before the statue and sign yourself up, you would not get a single scrap of reward.
He circled once around the Prayer Hall. Aside from the statue, there was nothing else worth exploring.
Lin Xun could not help complaining that the rewards in this chapter were too sparse, not matching its Hell difficulty.
But it was also understandable. At the start of a Hell-difficulty chapter there was a sort of ‘newbie welfare period.’
The rewards were not generous because the initial difficulty was relatively low. As you went deeper into the chapter, the difficulty would skyrocket, and correspondingly the rewards would also become plentiful…
Suddenly a spark went off in his mind, and he remembered an item that had been gathering dust for a long time.
[Star Lord’s Crowned Diadem (Legendary-Grade Item): The ceremonial crown of the Northern Dipper Star Lord, topped with golden extensions and twelve strands of white jade beads hanging in front.]
[By using this item, you may freely choose one blessing from the Seven Star Lords. The effect of that blessing will be massively enhanced, and the blessing state will persist for one entire chapter. Ending the chapter early will not interrupt the blessing.]
The process in Easter Egg Chapters was too short, so using the Star Lord’s Crowned Diadem there would have been too wasteful.
But now he had entered a proper Hell-difficulty chapter, which was the perfect time to use this item.
Even if he got stuck midway and had to exit the chapter, the buff state would not disappear and could still last through an entire run of the stage.
[You have used Star Lord’s Crowned Diadem (Legendary item)!]
[Please choose one of the following buff states…]
[1. Celestial Pivot – Greedy Wolf Star: Increases Shell Stamina (fatigue-related).]
[2. Celestial Sphere – Great Door Star: Increases Shell Constitution (HP-related).]
[3. Celestial Measure – Wealth Storage Star: Increases the chapter’s drop rate (loot-related).]
[4. Celestial Authority – Literary Star: Increases Shell Spirit (spell damage-related).]
[5. …]
Lin Xun decisively selected the third option.
[You have obtained the Celestial Measure – Wealth Storage Star buff state. This state will increase drop rates to a certain extent. After fully clearing the chapter, this buff state will disappear.]
The reason this item was so awesome lay in its duration.
Some Apostles who camped at a given difficulty would even refuse to settle their clear evaluation so they could maintain the buff and keep farming until they were satisfied, then advance to the next difficulty…
He returned to the monastery courtyard and began exploring the second floor.
[…]
[You follow the spiral staircase all the way up and soon reach the second floor…]
[What comes into view is a long corridor running from left to right. On the left is the abbot’s bedroom, and on the right are the rooms where the Grand Monks rest.]
Relying on the fact that he had just entered the chapter, Lin Xun did not bother to go step by step and went straight for the mini-boss.
[You stride toward the abbot’s bedroom…]
[You gently push the door open. The bedroom is simply furnished, with only a desk, a bed, and a crude small prayer stand.]
[The bed is empty. The abbot, who should be resting at this late hour, is not here.]
[Do you want to search the bedroom?]
Lin Xun paused for a moment, then clicked the search option.
[Searching…]
[…]
[You find a palm-sized small statue on the prayer stand.]
[You have obtained Small Statue of the Desire Wet Nurse (Item)!]
[Searching…]
[You find a notebook in a hidden compartment of the desk.]
[You have obtained Monastery Abbot’s Jottings (Document item)!]
[Searching…]
[You find nothing else of value.]
Lin Xun opened the Inventory to check.
[Small Statue of the Desire Wet Nurse (Item): A small divine statue used for daily prayer. The statue takes the form of the Desire Wet Nurse nursing her children that she treats as precious treasures.]
[By using this item, you will devoutly pray to the Desire Wet Nurse, thereby slightly increasing the chance of successful Ascension.]
This item should be used together with the Ritual Blood he had obtained earlier.
Since he still was not planning to use the Ritual Blood for now, he simply put the item away.
[Monastery Abbot’s Jottings (Document item)]
[…]
[Ascension is a great process. Our lifelong wish is to eventually become angels through repeated molting and Ascension!]
[That is the ultimate form we mortals can attain, and also the most sacred posture in which to stand before the Wet Nurse!]
[The clerics and monks understand nothing. They think that undergoing Ascension two or three times will let them cross the strait and reach the Wet Nurse’s divine kingdom…]
[Little do they know that what blocks us is not distance, but that untouchable seawater.]
[Unless we can ascend to the point of growing scaled wings, it is impossible for us to cross the strait and reach the divine kingdom.]
[…]
[There is still a full year until the next White-Fleece Snow Season. The snowflakes bestowed by the god have already crossed the strait and fallen upon the land of the divine kingdom.]
[Perhaps the next time I bathe in the snowflakes, I will be able to undergo successful Ascension once more and grow scaled wings sufficient to set foot in the divine kingdom.]
[Only upon the soil of the divine kingdom will I have the chance to gaze up at angels, until I finally become an angel myself, to stand before the supreme existence, the Desire Wet Nurse!]
[…]
Grow scaled wings to fly over the strait and reach the divine kingdom?
Lin Xun could not help laughing out loud.
“This is really quite the coincidence. I, the Greedy Wolf Star Lord, just so happen to know how to ride a flying sword.”