Chapter 29: Wonderful
Su Xiao took out the map and, after repeated comparisons, finally confirmed that his current location was at the boundary between the northern and central parts of the continent.
The entire northern part of the continent was covered in forests or mountainous terrain, with the Ero River cutting across, splitting the north into two sections.
Outside the Ero River, other races were allowed to enter for trade and such, while inside the Ero River was a restricted zone, where not even insect towers existed.
There used to be insect towers inside the Ero River, but 127 years ago, all those towers were destroyed. It was also at that time that the Beast Clan split into two factions.
Throughout the north, the Beast Clan dwelling outside the Ero River were relatively friendly toward humans and insects, adhering to the attitude that since everyone was a sentient race, even if not friends, they shouldn't be hostile.
In contrast, the Beast Clan dwelling inside the Ero River were extremely xenophobic. Any race other than the Beast Clan that entered there would be attacked by them.
This change began only a hundred years ago, and it was also then that the insect towers inside the Ero River were all destroyed, making that place a secluded region.
Ask yourself, was there any place better than the area inside the Ero River for lying low? Especially for a Great Sage. Su Xiao even suspected that the internal split of the Beast Clan was instigated by the Great Sage. The two major factions now were one opposing the Great Sage and the other supporting him.
Searching the map for a while, Su Xiao decided to first go to the "Last Green Land" inside the Ero River to have a look. Merlos was there.
Merlos was a human, yet he lived peacefully in the "Last Green Land." More importantly, Merlos had taken the blood of the Divine Maiden, blood that had a strong adaptability to Ancient God energy.
The Great Sage, Merlos—the former High Priest of the Kodo School—and the blood highly adaptable to Ancient God energy. At first glance, the connection between these three seemed weak, but upon careful consideration, they could be closely linked.
"Yueling, don't just shove everything you see into your mouth. Are you possessed by Amu or something?"
Baha's voice came. Along the way, Yueling ate whatever she saw. Strangely, she could avoid anything poisonous or harmful.
"It's delicious, try some."
Yueling's cheeks were puffed out as she chewed something.
"Boss, what the hell is Yueling eating?"
Hearing Baha's shout, Su Xiao looked over and saw Baha holding a string of berries in his claw.
"It's absolutely fine. I have perception warnings; I don't eat anything poisonous."
As Yueling spoke, she grinned and handed over a string of berries, offering them to Su Xiao. He declined. These things were indeed non-toxic and very tasty, called "Laughing Berries" or "Silly Grin Berries." They grew in many worlds and were high-level plants with supernatural traits. Eating them directly helped with body metabolism, colloquially speaking, beautifying the skin.
The only downside was that after eating them, for the next few hours, your skin would turn blue like a Smurf.
Seeing that Su Xiao hadn't eaten, Bubu Wang, who had been eager to try, gave up. Yueling was delighted; no one was competing with her for snacks. They were sour, sweet, and super tasty.
Using the map in his hand, Su Xiao determined the general direction and headed toward the "Ero River." It was currently the rainy season, and the Ero River averaged about 6.7 kilometers in width, with some places nearly 10 kilometers wide.
The place Su Xiao needed to reach had a stone bridge considered one of the world's three great wonders. Given the current environment in the north, crossing the Ero River via that stone bridge was the safest choice.
Going there meant a higher chance of encountering enemies. Su Xiao wasn't afraid of meeting enemies; rather, he was worried about not encountering the Beast Clan under the Great Sage, which would be the most troublesome situation.
Walking through the withered jungle, Su Xiao had been traveling for less than half an hour when he received a notification from the Apocalypse Paradise.
[Notification (Apocalypse Paradise): You have declined to accept the Battle Angel assessment.]
[Notification (Apocalypse Paradise): This authority is temporarily reserved. If Contractor No. 120012 changes their mind, this assessment can be activated at any time.]
[Because you have killed four Violators, you receive the following rewards.]
[You have received Skill Scroll: Supernatural Plant Cultivation, Lv.1.]
[You have received Starfall Furnace (Immortal Rank).]
[Starfall Furnace]
Origin: Apocalypse Paradise (Exclusive)
Quality: Immortal Rank
Type: Item
Usage Count: 1/1
Effect: Can perform a secondary forge on Epic to Holy Spirit Rank equipment. During forging, Legendary to Holy Spirit Rank gems can be added to the Starfall Furnace. The quality and quantity of gems added will directly affect the result of the secondary forging.
Note: Secondary forging can enhance equipment up to Immortal Rank at most.
Warning: This item can only enhance metal-type equipment. For other types of equipment, there is a high probability of equipment destruction or quality degradation.
Rating: 1426 points (Immortal Rank item rating is 1000–1500 points)
Introduction: Azure flame is a miracle; this is merely a spark.
Sale Price: 1680 Soul Coins.
...
Overall, the rewards were decent, but inferior to the items exchanged in the Honor Shop.
Items in the Honor Shop were mostly exclusive. Even those bought at mid or low tiers could be used long-term, such as the Soul Lock Lantern, Silver Moon Blade, etc.
Recently, Su Xiao had taken a liking to [Eberath's White Dragon Maiden] in the Honor Shop, also known as [Oath Emblem: White Dragon].
This item had appeared long ago, initially requiring 240 Diamond Honor Medals to exchange. Some time ago, it dropped to 130 Diamond Honor Medals.
Su Xiao felt that the price might drop further over time. He would buy it when the price was right. [Oath Emblem: White Dragon] should be a very good gain.
Su Xiao stored the [Supernatural Plant Cultivation, Lv.1] scroll in his storage space. This item would likely sell for a higher price in the Reincarnation Paradise than in the Apocalypse Paradise, because his side had Workers who had plenty of time to develop such abilities.
"Look, I've turned blue!"
Yueling suddenly spoke. Baha looked over and instinctively muttered, "What the hell."
"Yueling, how did you become an Avatar? Are you poisoned?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Fine my ass, hahaha, seeing you makes me want to laugh, you idiot."
Baha mercilessly mocked her. Yueling didn't care at all and was quite satisfied with her transformation effect.
Ignoring Yueling and Baha, Su Xiao continued forward. The effect of the "Laughing Berries" would last 2–3 hours. Besides temporarily changing skin color, there was no poisoning.
After more than ten minutes, Yueling's skin turned a shimmering white, and light particles scattered as she walked. This was also normal. "Laughing Berries" were deified in many worlds, considered a divine object for testing one's heart.
In reality, as long as one's heart was simple enough, the skin wouldn't necessarily turn blue. The more foolish one was, the more ethereal the skin color change. Judging by Yueling's current appearance, she was a super idiot.
While moving forward, Su Xiao began to consider the current situation. He had to eliminate the Great Sage first to break the seal, but the Great Sage was difficult to deal with.
The Great Sage had willingly joined in sealing the Ancient God, likely not to save the world's creatures but for another purpose.
This speculation wasn't due to Su Xiao's dark mindset. Among the Light King, the Great Sage, and the Wolf Spider Queen, the Light King was the worst off, barely surviving in the Pale Palace. The Wolf Spider Queen wasn't much better; when Su Xiao saw her, she didn't even have the strength to lift her head.
Only the Great Sage was different. Not only was he not greatly affected, but he could also manipulate that black python to deceive Su Xiao. Looking at that altar, it was clearly set up long ago, waiting for someone capable of killing the Ancient God to appear.
Sacrificing himself to open the seal was something the Great Sage absolutely refused to do. His choice was either to become the ultimate winner or to be defeated and killed.
Su Xiao checked his task list. The time had come to complete the second ring of the main mission.
[You have completed Main Mission: Second Ring: Qualification.]
[You have received Soul Crystal (Complete) x10.]
[Main Mission: Third Ring has been activated.]
[Main Mission: Truth and Falsehood (Third Ring)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.76
Warning (Apocalypse Paradise Judgment): The enemy is extremely cunning.
Mission Info: Find the substitute Divine Maiden, Shataye, who has devoured the flesh of the Shadow Ancient God, and sever her soul chain.
Mission Brief: The soul chain of Divine Maiden Shataye is a substitute. It has replaced the Great Sage's soul chain wrapped around the container without arousing anyone's suspicion.
Time Limit: 8 natural days.
Mission Reward: Special Weapon Chest (Opening this chest has a high probability of obtaining an Epic or Holy Spirit Rank mining shovel, and a small probability of obtaining an Immortal Rank mining shovel).
Mission Penalty: Due to the mission difficulty reaching Lv.76, if this mission fails, you will be forced to participate in an Eighth Rank World War.
...
Su Xiao looked at the final mission penalty and was momentarily stunned. If this mission failed, he would return to the Reincarnation Paradise, but the penalty wouldn't disappear.
It was impossible for him to participate in a World War for the Apocalypse Paradise. He would definitely fight as a combatant for the Reincarnation Paradise side. That was absolute.
In other words, after bearing the penalty of the Apocalypse Paradise's mission judgment, Su Xiao would go to participate in an Eighth Rank World War and then beat up the contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise side. This mission penalty... was simply wonderful.
PS: (I went for a haircut in the afternoon. From the start of the pandemic until now, I've been homebound. My hair grew long enough to tie up. I had to tie it up before every writing session. Today, I cut it, feeling exceptionally refreshed. Being homebound until now, am I strong or what!)