novelraw Chapter 417: Return to Weir City
Chapter 417: Return to Weir City
'Family member Su Yurong initiated a plot kill against her brother Su Yuchen, hoping he would die within twenty-four hours from mistakenly consuming poisonous herbs...'
...
Hathaway was still enthusiastically binge-watching the drama. Even though it was boring, Li Wei gradually drifted into a deep sleep. In his dreams, there was a gloomy night with a biting mountain breeze. A few fading stars hung on the horizon. He couldn't distinguish the season, nor did he know where he was.
But that wasn't quite right. This place was very familiar—familiar mountains and the familiar scent of the forest.
It became clearer. It felt as if it had just rained. Amidst the fragrance of rotting leaves and fresh flowers, there was also the distinct smell of mushrooms.
Li Wei felt as if he had turned into a tree, or perhaps thousands of trees, which were then chopped down and transported away. The path ahead suddenly opened up. On the opposite bank of a mountain stream, he saw a bustling small town.
At this moment, he vaguely heard someone whispering in his ear—"When will you return?"
Li Wei jolted awake. Before he could even marvel at the bizarreness of this dream, lines of information surfaced like a tidal wave. It turned out that his Ranger Code had finally met a certain condition.
Namely, planting a sufficient number of One-Star trees.
[You have successfully completed the anchoring mission. You have obtained the complete Ranger Code.][Status: This codename can be stacked with special Identity Titles, limited to one at most. It can be stacked with Slaughter Titles, limited to one at most. It can be switched with regular Titles and Destiny Titles. However, after switching, certain passive buffs will not disappear.]
[Description: The current codename can be continuously strengthened six times, with each enhancement granting a 50% numerical increase.]
[Description: The current codename automatically includes all buffs of Trap Master.]
[Description: The current codename is now complete. The following active buffs can be obtained:]
[Active Buff 1: When equipped, Perception +1. This is not affected by the Perception Cap. Namely, even if the current Perception Cap is +8, it can be forcibly raised to +9 when necessary, but it will consume double the Spiritual Power.]
[Active Buff 2: When equipped, Agility +10. If the Comprehensive Agility value exceeds 80, the melee blitz buff can be obtained. Namely, if an evasion is completed and an effective counterattack is launched at the exact moment the enemy attacks, it will deal 200% extra damage to the enemy, with a certain probability of knocking the opponent back and forcing them into a passive stiffness.]
[Active Buff 3: When equipped, Stamina +100. If in a Mountain Forest environment—namely, an environment with a weed coverage rate greater than or equal to 50% and a tree coverage rate greater than or equal to 50%—whether in intense combat or rapid traversal, the effect of halving stamina consumption will be granted.]
[Active Buff 4: When equipped, Life +100. After taking damage, consuming any recovery-type Magic Secret Potion will automatically grant a 50% extra effect bonus.]
[Passive Buff 1: Your Hunter Fate +5. It will not be affected by switching codenames, but it cannot be consumed. However, it can be increased through enhancement.]
[Passive Buff 2: Your Woodcutter Fate +5, same as above.]
[Passive Buff 3: Your Scout Destiny +5, same as above.]
—
It was finally done.
Li Wei silently cried out in relief, feeling lucky. He had essentially spent two worlds and four consecutive years to complete this Ranger Title. Planting ten thousand trees and ensuring they all grew into One-Star trees was by no means easy.
Four years ago, in the Newcomer Mission world, he had replanted a massive number of saplings in the forest and pruned trees that had the potential to grow into One-Star rank.
This was an important part of the mission's success.
Three years ago, after entering the pioneer world, Li Wei had planted nearly three thousand trees on the vast wasteland east of the Territory Building. After more than two years, only a thousand survived, and now they had finally struggled their way to One-Star.
"What's wrong, Li Wei? I just felt like you had a wonderful dream."
"I plan to take a trip to Weir City in a couple of days."
"Ah? What!" Hathaway was taken aback.
"I have already acquired the Ranger Code. I am now George the Ranger," Li Wei said indifferently.
"So you want to use the next two years to do a mission? Your Farmer Card should be able to upgrade to Five-Star by now. Can you reach the All-Attribute Level 3 Awakening next?" Hathaway was slightly worried. Li Wei was currently the absolute core of their team, so he absolutely had to become strong.
And these past few days, she had been considering whether she should go execute a Cross-Border Mission with Li Wei and the others.
But she was also well aware that she needed a Mage Tower and at least eight years of foundation accumulation. Otherwise, what would she do on a Cross-Border Mission? Act as a mere decoration?
Two years ago, she could still utterly crush Li Wei in various ways in close combat. But two years later, she could no longer beat Li Yue in close quarters, and Li Yue, in a dismounted battle, would be tortured by Li Wei in a hundred different ways.
Even if she and Li Yue attacked together, they were no match for him.
Unless she could pull some distance away, unless Li Yue mounted a horse...
And a Second-Tier Caster could only cast Sequence Two offensive magic and Sequence Three defensive magic. This was simply not enough.
Failing to hold the line at a critical moment would result in deaths.
Although that Widow Second Aunt wasn't very good at being a Spellcaster, she was a master at preparing magic potions.
Zhao Xuanxuan and Thomas also had their own advantages. What could she do if she went?
"Yeah, it's enough. I plan to check out Weir City first. When I decide to enter the Mission World, I'll come back and let you know in advance."
Li Wei's voice was very calm. Over the past six months, his life had been quite comfortable. When he needed to tend the fields, he stayed in the Central City, where Second Aunt prepared his meals. During the farming off-season, he would come to Hathaway's place. Hathaway's cooking wasn't bad either; even without a Chef Card, as long as her skills were exquisite enough, she could still make Three-Star cuisine.
After all, the quality of the ingredients was undeniably there.
So over these six months, he had obtained a total of six extra Free Attribute Points and two points of Spiritual Power.
He had put them all into defense. Because the defense attribute was rather special, as long as it grew strong, it could indirectly boost the Strength and Stamina attributes.
For example, after raising his normal defense attribute from 41 to 47, his normal Stamina increased by 10, reaching 530, and his Normal Strength increased by 1, reaching 44.
Next, he just needed to stock up on a batch of Three-Star Attribute Cards, upgrade the Farmer Card to Five-Star, and then bind that Druid Card. Reaching the All-Attribute Level 3 Awakening was still not a problem.
Hathaway didn't say anything more. She just silently drew circles on Li Wei's chest with her finger.
She was still conflicted.
But Li Wei couldn't help her with this kind of internal struggle, so he changed the subject. "That guy Chekhov seems to be about to farm out a One-Star Scholar Card."
"Yes, he was a physics professor once, after all. I thought he wanted to rebuild post-apocalyptic civilization. Speaking of which, have Nelson, Linus, and that bunch of Freemen finally realized that the apocalypse is over?"
"Yes, they restarted the Level 349 Base and built three Small Nuclear Power Plants there. Will this have any impact on your Mage Tower in the future?" Li Wei asked.
"No impact. As long as the straight-line distance exceeds fifty kilometers, there's no effect. By the time this planet restores its pre-apocalyptic technological level and the Total Population surpasses hundreds of millions again, your Territory and mine will have long since ascended in dimension. Even the Neanderthals have no interest in causing trouble in this magicless land. Unless... a new ancient magic fragment loses control again..."
Hathaway murmured, carrying the faint worry typical of intelligent people—perhaps her spiritual vision was too high. Meanwhile, Li Wei had already fallen back asleep. He never thought about such meaningless things.
Early the next morning, he left without a trace. When he arrived at the Central City, Second Aunt was already waiting in front of the Arbitrary Door, as if she had foreseen his departure. Beside her was Thomas, who was also preparing to set off. He wasn't suited for the mission, but he needed to wash away his original Butcher Card so he could replace it with a Five-Star Butcher Card in the future.
Besides that, he also needed to upgrade his Mason Card and Miner Card to Rare quality, so he happened to be traveling alongside Li Wei this time.
"Sigh, Little Wei, now that you're leaving, my heart feels a bit empty. It feels a bit unreal. But don't worry, with me at home, if the Barbarians dare to come, I'll make sure they never return. Also, before the end of this year, Chekhov, Kidman, Liu Huan, and Hank should all just about be able to farm out One-Star Scholar Cards. Becoming First-Tier Casters will then be a matter of course."
"First-Tier Casters lack offensive power, but they are fine for defense. When the time comes, dump them all into Dawn Fortress, and throw Mark over there too. With the Enchanted Giant Ballistae and solid fortifications, even if something unexpected happens, there will be time to provide support and retreat."
"This way, our Territory basically won't have any blind spots."
"However, I suggest you leave Adai behind. That Enhancement Scroll the Frost Duke gave you might not be able to raise Adai to Six-Star, but it can enhance its Ice Magic. I happen to be able to train it a bit."
"Whenever you decide to enter the Mission World, come back and take it with you."
"That's all. Hurry up and get out of here."
Second Aunt rambled on. Li Wei didn't say anything; he just gave her a hug, turned around, and walked into the Arbitrary Door with Thomas.
[Friendly Reminder: Respected My Lord, it has been detected that your Comprehensive Strength has reached the peak of Four-Star, with Tier-2 Universal Awakening for all attributes. Furthermore, you are carrying more than ten pieces of Enchanted Equipment, one Sequence 4 Magic Sigil, one Sequence Three Magical Crest, and one subordinate Advisor. These factors will cause the cost of the Arbitrary Door teleportation to increase. Therefore, please pay 300 Standard Gold Coins, or please change into everyday clothes, which will only require 200 Standard Gold Coins.]
Good heavens, it could even work like this?
He still remembered back when he was at regular Three-Star, each teleportation only cost him a single silver coin.
Alright then, he'd just treat it as robbing the rich to help the poor.
After all, he had just recently raked in two million Standard Gold Coins. Even if it was before taxes, it was indeed quite a generous sum.
The next moment, Li Wei and Thomas decisively changed into everyday clothes. Once the two hundred gold coins were paid, they arrived without feeling much of anything. Pushing open the door of the telephone booth once again, what greeted their eyes was the vast and bustling Weir City.
For a brief moment, Li Wei even felt a bit dazed. It had been more than two years; it felt like a lifetime ago.
"Thomas, do you still have any friends or family members in Weir City?"
Li Wei asked. Thomas had been with the Alliance of Heavenly Lords for nearly thirty years; he definitely had to have some friends.
"Heh, I do indeed have a few old friends, but I'm not sure if they're still around or if they've already returned to their hometowns. As for family, I don't have any. How can one marry when the Xiongnu are not destroyed!"
"Boss George, you go ahead and do your thing. I plan to wander around the communal dormitory area. After all, gaining wealth and success without returning home is like walking in brocade at night. I'll go find you at Wind Residence No. 53 in three days."
"Of course, don't worry. I won't recklessly spout things that shouldn't be said."
Thomas flashed a toothy grin, took out a carriage card to hail a carriage, and left first.
(End of Chapter)