Chapter 5: Dawn Fragment (Dawn Paradise External Defense Fragment, High Judgment Value, No Practical Use Value, Precious, High-Priced, but Useless Souvenir).
Introduction: A precious box filled with wealth and hope.
Price: This item cannot be sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of in any way.
...
Su Xiao glanced at Reward 5. He and this [Dawn Fragment] had an inexplicable connection, and this time, he intended to draw out the [Dawn Fragment].
Su Xiao currently had two [Dawn Fragments]. Given his style, he would never let this thing become a dead weight. Therefore, after some consideration, he decided to acquire more [Dawn Fragments] to maximize the value of this item.
A single [Dawn Fragment] was about the size of a palm. Alone, it could do nothing. Moreover, this thing was extremely tough. He had slashed it with his blade, kicked it, eroded it with alchemical solutions, and tried every method he could think of. The result was that the thing didn't even lose a single chip, and the surface patterns didn't change at all. Thinking about it, this was understandable; after all, it was the external defense of the Dawn Paradise, naturally indestructible.
Su Xiao's idea was: one [Dawn Fragment] was useless, but what about ten? The Molten Giant was skilled in crafting armor, specifically armor with living characteristics. Using an Eternal-rank armor as a base, connecting it with ten [Dawn Fragments] through this living armor, they could form a large circular shield.
This shield was tentatively named [Dawn Greatshield]. Unlike other large shield-type equipment, [Dawn Greatshield] had no attribute bonuses whatsoever. In this regard, it was inferior even to the lowest-grade white-quality shields. At the very least, a white-quality shield provided 1 point of knockback resistance, a mandatory stat for shield-type equipment. However, [Dawn Greatshield] had one most formidable aspect: its defensive power was ridiculously strong.
As long as the tank-type powerhouse wielding this shield wasn't killed by the shockwaves of attacks, no contractor's attack could completely destroy this equipment. Even if the connecting parts were shattered, those connecting parts were living armor and could once again gather the ten [Dawn Fragments] together.
The most crucial point was: what about armor penetration judgments, or defense-ignoring judgments? No matter how high the judgment level of these was, could it be higher than the defense rank of a Paradise's external defenses? Therefore, besides its heaven-defying defensive power, [Dawn Greatshield] also possessed an overwhelmingly powerful judgment level.
Was the effect of [Dawn Greatshield] only this? No. Whether it was physical attacks, energy attacks, mental attacks, soul attacks, or even attacks with causality or fate characteristics, this thing could block them. More precisely, any attack with a trajectory, no matter how flashy the method of bypassing obstacles like phasing or intangibility, it could steadfastly block them.
Such a shield would be a divine artifact in the eyes of high-tier tanks. The reason high-tier tanks struggled to rise was precisely because of various judgments and unstoppable abilities.
High HP + Damage Reflection + Attack Revenge + Dawn Greatshield = Enemies wearing a mask of pain.
After this idea emerged, Su Xiao suddenly thought that while Amu's damage reflection ability wasn't very strong, he met the prerequisites for using [Dawn Greatshield] in other aspects. Moreover, Amu had extensive experience in getting beaten.
After reaching the Absolute Strength rank, although Amu's Bloodthirsty Battle Axe was good, it was more due to Amu's preference for the Dragonheart Axe. In fact, this battle axe didn't enhance offensive capabilities much; instead, it massively increased Amu's survivability. When this item transformed into armor form, it could increase Amu's maximum HP by 100%. Although it didn't raise the HP cap, it still doubled the HP.
This gave Su Xiao an idea. When Amu's Bloodthirsty Battle Axe transformed into Bloodthirsty Battle Armor, it had an extremely high HP absorption effect. However, Amu's offensive capabilities weren't considered strong. Don't underestimate this lifesteal; this was a comprehensive HP absorption effect inherited from a quasi-Original Sin object. Simply put, any damage Amu dealt to an enemy could trigger this lifesteal effect.
If Amu had damage reflection capabilities, it would be perfect: the enemy hits him, he blocks with the shield, takes impact damage, reflects damage to the enemy, the enemy gets hurt, and Amu triggers the lifesteal effect.
Not only that, Amu could also develop his ice abilities in this direction. Ideally, when an enemy hits him, it would trigger a slow status.
This way, with the shield, Amu would stand there. Hitting him would be like hitting oneself, and the enemy would also suffer from slow. It would be best if Amu also acquired a ranged damage ability, because for him, as long as there were enemies within this range, it would help him slowly regenerate HP.
[You have opened the Secret Treasure Box.]
[You have obtained Skill Upgrade Pod Free Usage Permission (One Time).]
...
Su Xiao, who had originally been prepared to obtain the [Dawn Fragment], narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing this prompt. He had a bold idea: to use this upgrade permission to raise one of the three high-tier passives to max level.
Whether it was 「Technique Sublimation: Supreme Blade」, 「Body Sublimation: Ascension Force」, or 「Blood Sublimation: Life Soul」, raising them from their current level to max would require several million Soul Coins.
After weighing the options, Su Xiao gradually set aside this bold idea. Even with his current powerful physique, a massive enhancement of a single ability by several million Soul Coins in a short time would be a case of "try it and die."
Currently, 「Technique Sublimation: Supreme Blade」 was at Lv.50. Su Xiao estimated that after enhancing this ability a bit, using this [Upgrade Pod Free Usage Permission] would be safer.
As for the [Power Source Matter] obtained this time, there was no rush to use it. Su Xiao estimated that it wouldn't be long before he could track down the Dark Twins. Before this battle ended, it was better not to rashly enhance his own physique. Without enough time to adapt to a strengthened physique, it would be a negative gain in combat.
Moreover, every time he used [Power Source Matter], he had to use a 「Primordial Fragment」. It was best to save at least two [Power Source Matter] to use together.
Leaving the mansion, Su Xiao headed out with Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha. When they reached the teleportation tower, Su Xiao paused, suddenly feeling he had forgotten something.
"Wait for me..."
Alanna's voice came. Su Xiao remembered what he had forgotten. Last night, when there was nothing to do, he had let Alanna move freely. He would reimburse her expenses through the Witch Guild. Alanna happily went to find her close friend in Night City, who was also a witch.
In the waiting hall, Su Xiao sat on a bench, looking at Alanna, who stood opposite him with a somewhat evasive gaze.
"Alanna, I forgot about you this morning. I almost left you alone in Silent City."
Su Xiao spoke with a kind smile, which made Alanna even more nervous. She developed a childhood habit of picking at her fingers when tense.
"It's not that. I stayed at a friend's place last night because it was late. During the mission, I should have returned earlier. I won't be so slack in the future."
"Mm, it's good that you realize your mistake."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Alanna felt a slight relief. In truth, she was very afraid of Su Xiao, though she had never shown it.
Just as Alanna's heart relaxed, Su Xiao spoke casually, "By the way, you were quite punctual this morning."
"Haha, of course, I..."
Alanna stopped mid-sentence.
"You what? Could it be that your close friend is a divination witch? Did she tell you that you were almost late and to hurry to the teleportation tower?"
As Su Xiao spoke, his smile became even more amiable. A diviner who could divine about him was no ordinary person. This wasn't arrogance on his part.
Don't think that divining Alanna would be late this morning and telling her to go directly to the teleportation tower was a simple matter. The causality of this event revolved around Su Xiao's decisions. Matters concerning Su Xiao directly involved the Law Destruction Faction's fortune. A witch who could accurately divine matters involving the Law Destruction Faction's fortune was undoubtedly highly skilled.
On the opposite side, Alanna saw Su Xiao's increasingly amiable smile and felt only one thing:
'My close friend is in danger!!'
"Uh~, although I'd like to have a diviner as a close friend, I don't have that luck. I guessed that Lord Bai Ye would definitely come to the teleportation tower this morning, so I prepared to wait for you here directly. I didn't expect us to run into each other. What a coincidence, haha, hahaha~"
Alanna ended with a somewhat forced and slightly awkward laugh. The reason she was unwilling to admit her close friend was a powerful diviner was that she herself was involved in this series of events to strive for a future. She also knew one thing: the subsequent events wouldn't be a game between one or two old yinbis, but a mutual scheming of a large group of old yinbis, including a few super old yinbis.
Caught in such a terrifying vortex, Alanna naturally didn't want her close friend, who despised scheming, to be dragged into it.
"It seems she has already predicted that someone wants to find her, so she left Silent City."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Alanna was panicked inside but had to pretend nothing had happened.
"Next time you see your friend, pass a message for me. Tell her that if she is willing to divine for me, I will pay her 5 bottles of Prophet Potion each time."
"Mm."
Alanna was very willing to help her friend get benefits. She had obtained witch potions concocted by Su Xiao and knew how high his alchemy level was.
"Oh? So you do have a diviner friend."
"w(Д)w"
Alanna was completely flustered and could only nod. She revealed no other information. However, what reassured her was that Su Xiao didn't continue asking about her close friend's whereabouts. His attitude was that if the other party was willing to cooperate, they would cooperate temporarily; if not, they would pretend nothing happened. He wouldn't force it.
After paying Soul Coins and boarding the teleportation array, the teleportation began. When the spatial mist around them dissipated, Alanna almost teared up. This was real spatial teleportation! A proper teleportation, not one with banging sounds.
Exiting the space tower, the scene before them was momentarily stunning. Compared to Moon Ring City's technology and mystery, and Night City's decadence and depravity, arriving at Ancient King City felt like entering a world of a different style. Carriages drove along the streets, occasionally a steam-powered vehicle could be seen. The buildings on the streets were all finely carved from stone, and with the sedimentation of time, this ancient city had a unique beauty.
Here, there were no cars, airships, or even modern signs. There were no electric lights in this city, only gas lamps, causing pipelines to coil along the outer walls of buildings.
Ancient King City prohibited technological creations. More precisely, it prohibited electrical appliances and technological creations above the electrical level. The specific reason could be traced back to the Ancient King period.
One of the reasons the nobles of Ancient King City bowed to the Wizard Faction was that the Wizard Faction used this matter as leverage.
The reason was that the electrical radiation generated by electrical appliances conflicted with the secret arts of the Ancient King's power system. It wasn't that they were afraid of electrical radiation, but that cultivating in an environment with electrical radiation would be particularly slow. To put it bluntly, it was somewhat disruptive.
This time, Su Xiao came to Ancient King City to find a master of Light and Dark Summoning Arrays. According to his speculation, the Dark Twins were summoned from the Abyss by the ancestors of the Morgan family. Now, they needed to return to their former Abyss region to break through the barrier. This required reversing the summoning spell formula to achieve it safely.
This master of Light and Dark Summoning Arrays was named Om. However, before going to find Master Om, Su Xiao needed to confirm another matter: whether his little assistant, Alanna, was having her fate devoured by the Platinum Apostle.
Having one's fate devoured would lead to self-destructive behavior, which, to some extent, would also cause misfortune to cling to one. Therefore, from the situation of misfortune, one could, to a certain degree, determine whether one's fate was being devoured.
Su Xiao took out the [Misfortune Ancient Ring]. This was a Misfortune-quality equipment, and one of its characteristics was:
「Equipment Detriment 6: Misfortune Awakening (Core · Passive · Cannot Be Avoided), can devour a large amount of misfortune to enhance the strength of this equipment, but it will also cause this equipment to gain more 'Equipment Detriments'.」
This was originally a detriment, but for Su Xiao, it had become a benefit of this equipment. He tossed the [Misfortune Ancient Ring] to Alanna. Alanna was initially puzzled, but upon holding the [Misfortune Ancient Ring], she shivered. Her intuition told her this item was terrifying.
What surprised Su Xiao was that Alanna had no misfortune on her at all. Not only was there no misfortune, but she also faintly emitted a golden light, indicating that Alanna's luck was quite good.
After confirming this, the [Misfortune Ancient Ring] returned to Su Xiao's hand. Alanna, still unclear about the situation, chose to get down to business. She took out a map, examined it for a moment, pointed to the right side of the map, and said, "If I remember correctly, Master Om's family mansion is in this direction..."
Boom!
A loud noise came from afar. Thick, abnormally black smoke rose in the distance. Before long, many constables rushed towards the location of the explosion. Although Ancient King City was chaotic, all forces here tacitly agreed on one thing: no fighting in the open, or if fighting after nightfall, no large-scale destruction, or simply go outside the city to fight to one's heart's content. This kind of daytime explosion case was actually quite rare in Ancient King City.
"Master Om's family mansion is in that direction, right."
Su Xiao spoke, looking towards the direction where the thick black smoke was rising. Alanna beside him hummed in agreement with a serious expression.
When Su Xiao arrived at the blast zone, the area was already heavily cordoned off by constables. He walked forward without a word. A constable was about to block his way when Amu produced an investigation agency's credentials. The credentials forged by Bubu Wang were so authentic that even if a real member of the Starry Sky Research Society's investigation agency came, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Entering the blast zone, a strong sour and fishy smell was particularly intense. Su Xiao dipped his finger into some black powder on the ground. After determining it was a volatile phenomenon, he estimated this was an inert explosive. Generally, such explosives were laid over a long period. Their characteristic was stability; they wouldn't explode even when directly attacked.
Usually, such expensive inert explosives were used to threaten someone into doing something. This showed that Master Om had long been kidnapped by members of the Dark God Cult. Since they had already kidnapped and killed three summoning array masters, this time, the few Dark God Cult members didn't directly kidnap Master Om. Instead, they laid explosives in his family mansion and kidnapped his family to force him to comply.
This elimination was suspicious. Logically, Su Xiao's arrival in Ancient King City shouldn't have made them so agitated. Such an elimination would instead attract the attention of Su Xiao, who had just arrived. Silently killing Master Om and his family would have been a better choice. In other words, it wasn't the Dark God Cult members who detonated this bomb.
It was the nobles of Ancient King City who did this. More specifically, these few Dark God Cult members could only have kidnapped Master Om for so long in Ancient King City, a main city, with the support of local forces. This was Ancient King City; any force that just stepped in would be beaten up twice in three days.
A group of nobles in Ancient King City colluded with a few Dark God Cult members to kidnap Master Om. The former wanted Master Om's extremely tempting assets, while the latter wanted Master Om's knowledge. This cooperation continued until Su Xiao arrived in Ancient King City.
This group of nobles in Ancient King City obviously knew why Su Xiao was invited to the Witch Realm. Therefore, upon discovering Su Xiao's arrival, they decisively fell out with the few Dark God Cult members, detonated the explosives, prepared to destroy all evidence, and simultaneously silenced the few Dark God Cult members, letting these bombed-to-death Dark God Cult members take the blame for this explosion case.
Su Xiao activated 「Hunting Vision」. The world before his eyes turned black and white. Buildings further away became semi-transparent, and the civilians inside appeared as warm-toned human figures.
In the surrounding area, there were blazing red particles everywhere, remnants of the explosion. Among these blazing red particles, there were faint, shallow black lines. These shallow black lines were shaped like threads, and there were numerous thin black lines as fine as ox hair, representing the Abyss.
The reason they appeared shallow black was that the person who left these traces hadn't mastered very strong Abyssal power. For someone at the level of the Archbishop of the Abyss, wherever they passed, under the observation of Hunting Vision, they would appear as pitch-black lines that could devour light.
The shallow black lines extended into the distance. Su Xiao followed the traces along the way at a walking pace. An hour later, in the backstreets of Ancient King City, at a seedy inn with a mixed clientele, Su Xiao rented a room. However, he didn't go up to the third floor where the room was located. Instead, he came to the innermost room on the second floor.
Knock, knock~
Su Xiao, who had completely suppressed his aura, knocked on the door and gave a meaningful look to Alanna, who hadn't suppressed her aura.
"Who is it!"
A low, middle-aged male voice came from inside the room. Alanna spoke in a normal tone, "The master sent me to rendezvous with you. Was the development result of the summoning array diagram preserved?"
Hearing Alanna's last sentence, the Dark God Cult member inside the room breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as he opened the door, he immediately noticed Su Xiao beside Alanna.
Zheng~
A long blade slashed. The Dark God Cult member's vision immediately went dark. As his head fell to the ground, a layer of crystal formed within the door frame, blocking the splattering blood.
"This..."
Alanna really hadn't expected Su Xiao to slash this Dark God Cult member to death with one strike. If he was going to kill him directly, then her acting just now was superfluous? In reality, it wasn't. Su Xiao was testing whether Alanna was a reliable little assistant. The result proved that Alanna was dependable.
The crystal layer shattered and dissipated. Su Xiao and Alanna walked into the room. Alanna frowned and asked, "Lord Bai Ye, how should we investigate the intelligence?"
"No investigation."
Su Xiao extended his hand downward, activating the Soul Memory Extraction of the Soul Devourer talent. A soul memory orb floated up. As a witch, Alanna naturally recognized this as a soul memory. She suddenly understood and said, "So we obtain intelligence through soul memory."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He began to extract the soul memory between his hands, finally stripping it down to the size of a marble. This was all the soul memory of this Dark God Cult member regarding one of the three leaders, the Dark Twins.
Su Xiao equipped the [Old Hunter] title and used this soul memory orb as a medium to track. Soul memory was quite special. It wasn't simply a memory image but was condensed from soul power. To some extent, it was a projection of the remembered person, like footprints left by a person walking on a muddy road.
If Su Xiao's conceived combination of the [Old Hunter] title + Soul Devourer talent was achieved, he would become a hunter that all violators would fear.
Hunters, Executioners, and Death Rangers who tracked traces and auras were common sights for high-tier violators. What could make them tremble was someone who tracked the traces left by souls.
[Old Hunter]
Quality: Special (Only Obtainable by Hunters)
Title Effect 1: Hunting Mark (Active), can continuously track the target using a medium.
Tip: This skill has no cost. Each tracking can last 10 to 48 hours (depending on the medium). Even if the prey is in another world, the tracking state can be maintained.
Tip: This skill can be used once every 2 natural days.
Title Effect 2: Ruthless Hunter (Active)...
Title Effect 3: Old Hunter (Passive), for each successful hunt of a target, this title will permanently stack 1 layer of 「Hunt」 effect. For every 5 accumulated layers of 「Hunt」 effect, this title will gain a permanent combat-type enhancement effect.
...
[Hunting Medium Judging...]
[Judgment Complete. This is the soul memory of the related target.]
[Soul Memory Quantity Judging...]
[Judgment Complete. Due to sufficient soul memory quantity, the minimum hunting standard can be triggered.]
[You will continuously hunt the Dark Twins for 10 hours.]
[Old Hunter · Title Effect 3 has been activated. If you successfully hunt the Dark Twins, the 「Hunt」 effect will be accumulated.]
[As the Dark Twins are a Transcendent Primordial World · Leader-level unit, upon successful hunting this time, five layers of 「Hunt」 effect can be accumulated.]
...
Entering the hunting state, Su Xiao, with a blood-red gleam in the center of his pupils, walked downstairs. As soon as he stepped out of the small inn, the sky had turned overcast. Then, a torrential downpour poured down. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder.
The hunt begins.