novelraw Chapter 337-1: Belatu Estate (1)
Chapter 337-1: Belatu Estate (1)
Lin Xun ignored the temptation of the Sacrificial Cocoon.
Legendary+ equipment was certainly precious, but the price was sacrificing a main combat Shell and letting the Wet Nurse obtain a new life factor. No matter how he did the math, that deal did not add up.
The Sacrificial Cocoon had put it nicely, saying that the other half of the mask was also in the Wet Nurse’s hands, and that this time he only needed to sacrifice one Shell in exchange for half of the mask.
Then the next time, if he wanted to fully piece together the Legendary+ equipment and upgrade it into mythic equipment, would he still have to keep raising the stakes and sacrifice several more Shells?
On top of that, Lin Xun suspected that this broken Legendary+ equipment probably had some sort of restriction, very likely requiring the mask to be fully assembled before it could function.
By then, after already sacrificing one Shell, he would be forced to keep sacrificing other Shells to exchange for the other half of the mask.
If he did not exchange for it, the mask could only remain a defective product, and the Shell he had sacrificed earlier would become an enormously costly sunk cost.
“No matter how seductive you are, as long as I am not moved, you cannot trick me.”
“This is what it means to stand like a sheer thousand-fathom cliff. Without desire, one remains unyielding.”
He opened his Inventory and checked the two offerings.[Sacrificial Emblem (Special Item): … Carrying this item can greatly increase the success rate of Ascension advancement.]
[By using this item, you no longer need to come into contact with existences such as the Cocoon of Mourning or the Sacrificial Cocoon. You can offer up souls or Shells to the Desire Wet Nurse anytime, anywhere.]
[Belatu’s Barbed Stinger (Legendary+ item): A sharp barbed stinger left behind by the demigod Belatu. The tip of the stinger carries a violent toxicity targeted at certain life factors. Against Ascended or aberrated beings below demigod level (mythic), it can inflict a fixed 95% chance of instant kill!]
[This item is a thrown item and can only be used once.]
From the first Special Item, the Sacrificial Emblem, he could infer a lot of information.
Because the Emerald Sacrificial Ground contained the Sacrificial Cocoon and the statue of the Wet Nurse, no matter how powerful the Pilgrimage Angel was, it would not dare to profane the Wet Nurse’s majesty. As a result, the sacrificial ground had become the only surviving building in the entire city.
Nightmare Yuri clearly could not ignore the might of the White-Fleece Snow Season either and thus could not go directly to the sacrificial ground.
Judging from the item’s effect, it now needed this item either because it was about to attempt the next Ascension advancement, or because it wanted to offer something to the Wet Nurse in exchange for favor.
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes, and a plan formed in his mind.
As for the second item, the Legendary+ item called Belatu’s Barbed Stinger, it was the most powerful offensive item he had seen so far.
Although this item had limitations on its targets and only worked on Ascended or aberrated beings, the effect of one-shotting any insect-person below demigod level was simply too terrifying.
As for that five-percent chance to evade, he only had to use the fate-changing artifact, casually roll out a few points of Luck Value, and then throw the item at the enemy to achieve an almost guaranteed kill.
“Is this thing meant to be used against the Pilgrimage Angel?”
Lin Xun guessed that in the original game progression, this item was most likely intended to be used against the Pilgrimage Angel.
As long as you successfully sneaked into the sacrificial hall, you could obtain an item specifically aimed at the Pilgrimage Angel.
He thought for a moment and decided to hold on to this item for now.
[…]
[You ignore the gentle female voice’s persuasion, pull open the main door, and leave the sacrificial hall…]
With the Pilgrimage Angel’s help, he returned to the city for free once again.
After dying, he took the Courier Mole Cricket and headed to Belatu Estate.
[…]
[The trembling ceases, and the flesh membranes on both sides of the abdominal cavity open…]
[This is a vast underground space. Under the glow cast by luminescent fungi, you can see a majestic castle standing in the distance.]
[The estate that once belonged to His Highness Belatu, Guardian of the Divine Kingdom, has now changed owners. The Ascended known as Shadow Dancer Nightmare Yuri has taken up residence in the castle, becoming the acting administrator of Bush Cricket City.]
[From afar, you see two rows of Ascended guards stationed at the castle entrance. Cloaked and masked, they stand watch with sharp gazes sweeping their surroundings.]
[These Ascended guards are clearly extremely elite.]
[Do you wish to enter the castle?]
[You possess the Shell of the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja master!]
[You turn lightly, open a pair of dim eyes, and your figure hides itself and disappears…]
[You maintain your stealth state and stride forward.]
[The two rows of guards do not notice you, the hidden Hermit. On tiptoes, you walk straight between them and step into the castle…]
Lin Xun naturally had no intention of turning in the quest.
“Nightmare Yuri? The master of Bush Cricket City will be changing very soon.”
When he first met Nightmare Yuri, he did not know how strong this named story character was. Besides, Kim had been present at the time. If they had rashly started a conflict, they might well have been wiped out.
Now that he was armed with a deadly weapon, he had no more scruples. He would just have a fight with Nightmare Yuri first.
Even if he could not beat it in direct combat, he could still use the item to kill it in one blow.
As long as he could kill Nightmare Yuri and obtain that Shell, he might be able to uncover the truth of the story regarding Flanda from the Shell’s memories.
“Hiss… I think I forgot something. So far, the parasitism skill has never yielded any memories. Could it be that the parasitism skill cannot obtain memories?”
“…Let us hope that Nightmare Yuri’s Compatibility is high enough to possess.”
[…]
[You remain in stealth, avoiding the patrolling guards as you pass through the defensive curtain walls and arrow towers of the outer bailey and arrive at the inner castle grounds…]
[In the inner courtyard area, Ascended guards continue to patrol back and forth in order to prevent surviving rebels from attacking.]
[The deepest part of the courtyard connects to the main building of the castle. The main doors of the building are shut tight, and the entrance is heavily guarded, with more than ten Ascended guards stationed there.]
[Will you kill these guards to break through the entrance defenses, or look for another way to sneak into the castle?]
[You look around and your gaze quickly fixes on a window on the second floor of the main keep.]
[You continue to remain in stealth and silently move to the edge of the outer wall of the main keep.]
[You tap the ground lightly with the tip of your foot, and your figure soars like a swallow…]
[In one leap, you reach the second-floor windowsill of the main keep. The sill is extremely narrow, and a layer of stained glass separates the interior from the outside.]
[Peering in through the window, you see that the corridor on the second floor of the castle is empty.]
[The energy in your body known as Qi surges and gathers in your palm. Through the window, you break open the latch, push the window lightly, and jump into the corridor…]
[The corridor is covered with a deep purple carpet that does not seem to be made from animal fur, but from some kind of unknown fungus.]
[This fungal carpet feels very soft to the touch, and stepping on it does not produce the slightest sound.]
[On one side of the passage are many tightly closed rooms. Judging from how densely these rooms are packed, you conclude that the master’s chambers are definitely not located here.]