Homicide and suicide meant a whole world of difference to an NPC.
It was impossible for Ye Ci to kill Ciss with a single blow even if her attack landed right at the NPC's heart. The NPC's suicide, however, was a very different situation. Ciss stabbed her dagger into her heart, and immediately lost her life despite the weapon's low physical damage.
Ye Ci knelt beside Ciss and placed a finger below the NPC's nose. Ciss was dead. Ye Ci sighed as she stared at her beautiful face. As expected of a face generated by the system. If such a person exists in real life, she'll be causing traffic congestions wherever she goes.
Even if she was the cause of Ciss's suicide, Ye Ci was not rewarded by the system for the NPC's death as she did not deal the killing blow.
A stream of black mist lingered on Ciss's corpse upon her death, as if it was reluctant to leave her perfect body behind. This lasted for a few seconds before the mist flew into Ye Ci's ring. The dark flames that surrounded Ye Ci had dissipated, and the ring itself retained its normal form. Despite its lack of change, Ye Ci could tell that something was different about her ring. She wanted to obtain information about the ring from an NPC, but with its status as an artifact of Naga, not many NPCs were able to provide the information Ye Ci needed. She could only wait patiently for the mystery of the ring to unravel during her journey.
Ye Ci stole a quick glance at Ciss's corpse. Despite the lack of loot drops, the NPC's staff and dagger was still clutched in her hands. Is it possible to obtain these items? Ye Ci's hand was already reaching for the items when such a thought surfaced in her mind.
Ciss did not cling onto the dagger like a miser in her death. Ye Ci was able to easily pry the dagger from the NPC's corpse. A quick glance at the dagger's status revealed that it was indeed an item worth of a lvl90 BOSS.
Ciss's Dagger: Dagger, secondary weapon.
This is a treasured item of Ciss, the most trusted servant of Sha'jia. The dagger was forged by the Dwarven Grandmaster Smith Puck, and was embedded with the most valuable gems gathered throughout the Jiama Continent. It was bestowed upon Ciss by Sha'jia, and it was one of the few items truly treasured by Ciss.
Quality: Purple
Attack: 468-624 Attack Speed: 1.5
Magical Damage: 890
Intelligence +680
Spirit +
Agility +300
Special trait: Increases magical damage of Dark-type spells by 10%, reduces Dark-type spells channeling time by 15%, deals additional damage to life forms with "Holy" attribute.
Special Skill: Dark Curtain
After channeling for 3 seconds, creates a Dark Curtain with a 35 yards radius. Enemies enveloped by the spell will have their vision range reduced by 50% and movement speed reduced by 30%. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes. (Note: The skill can only be used 5 times in 1 hour.)
Ye Ci was greatly satisfied by the utility offered by the dagger. Despite its high level requirement, the weapon's potential was also great. The Dark Curtain was a skill that would be extremely potent in large scale combat that would affect enemies in a 35 yards radius while friendly combatants were rendered immune to the skill's effect. A squad of Rogues backed by a mage armed with such an ability would be able to overcome any opposition within the ability's 30-seconds duration.
The only downside to the skill's short cooldown was its limited use that was restricted to 5 times within a single hour. This meant the dagger's user must have a very good game sense and be in possession of good gaming mechanics.
Of course, as a secondary weapon, the dagger and the skill it offered was a very satisfying loot. Ye Ci fiddled the weapon before quickly storing it into her storage. I can't equip this dagger. Might as well dump it into the Guild Warehouse and let it be Timely Rain's problem instead.
If Ciss's dagger was an obtainable item, her staff would naturally be no exception.
A smile appeared on Ye Ci's lips the moment she laid her hand upon the stuff. As expected of the weapon of a BOSS! It might be inferior to Dalufar's staff, but it has a quality of its own.
The Sealed Staff of Gore: Staff, main weapon.
Gore was one of Naga's most powerful servant expert in Lighting-type spells, and was in command of the vanguard of Naga's forces during the Dark Lord's invasion of the Jiama Continent. Gore was eventually slain by Shealtiel, King of the Humans, and his staff was sealed by humanity's greatest mages and was stored within a magical circle within the Grand Temple of the Jiama continent as a Demonic Artifact. The staff was lost when the Grand Temple was destroyed by the rampage of Naga's forces and was never heard of again. It was eventually acquired by Sha'jia's most trusted servant, Ciss…
Quality: Purple, Sealed (5/5)
Attack: 579-895
Attack Speed: 3
Magical Damage: 1690
Intelligence +930
Agility +370
Endurance +450
Class Requirement: Sorcerer, Shaman
Level Requirement: 100
Special Trait: Increases Lightning damage by 15%, increases the chance of Lightning effects by 20%, reduces the channeling duration of Lightning spells by 15%, adds a damage over time effect to Lightning spells, increases Mobile Casting movement speed by 0.5.
Special skills:
Lightning Storm: Deals Lightning damage up to 10 enemies after channeling. Enemies afflicted by the stun will be stunned or paralyzed (status does not stack). The damage of Lightning Storm will increase with the spell's channeling time. Channeling duration: 10 seconds, can be interrupted. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Lightning Shield: After offering a prayer to the God of Thunder, the caster receives a shield capable of absorbing 10,000 damage with a 2 minutes duration. Enemy units around the caster will receive 300 damage per second. The shield will automatically disappear after 2 minutes if it receives no damage. Instant cast, Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Lightning mages were very rare in the Jiama continent. Many of the players preferred Flame and Mystic spells for their damage and Ice spells for their crowd control capabilities. Lightning-type spells did not have the damage to match the former, while lacking the crowd control effectiveness of the latter. This made leveling hard for Lightning mages in the early stages of the game. But this class of mage was armed with a largest variety of spells that could slow, stun, paralyze, and even reduce the movement speed of their opponents in the latest stages of the game, and players with Lightning mage characters were highly sought after by the major guilds.
Shamans on the other hand rely on their totems, and most of the Shamans' totems were capable of dealing Lightning damage. This was why the majority of the Shaman players focused more on Lightning-type spells while using Flame-type spells and healing spells to aid them in combat.
They were the largest group of consumers for equipment with Lightning attributes in the market.
Unfortunately for such players, the drop rate of Lightning attributed equipment was very low, and Lighting attribute dungeons were a rare occurrence in the Jiama continent. This drove the availability of these equipment even lower for pre-lvl60 characters. Lightning attributed equipment was always in high demand, and even a piece of such equipment with slightly decent status could fetch a high price.
Ye Ci knew full well that the staff she held in her hand would definitely attract the attention of Shaman players and many of the major guilds if it ever appeared on the auction house. The staff was already a very formidable item in its sealed state, and one could only imagine its destructive power when its full potential was unleashed.
A named equipment was few and far between in the Jiama continent, and only an idiot would ever think of selling them in the auction.
Ye Ci stared at the staff, then at Alaunar who was sitting at the entrance of the temple, and made the decision to reserve the staff for the boy. While the level of players was capped at 60, Alaunar was already nearing the lvl100 mark. If she was able to cultivate the Alaunar into an Elite NPC and supplement his combat capabilities with the staff, the boy would be almost invincible in combat.
Humans are always driven by greed. Ye Ci immediately showed interest in Ciss's jewelleries and clothing after obtaining the two items. She knelt beside the corpse and began groping about in an attempt to undress the now lifeless Ciss. This earned her a warning from the system, "Please respect the dead. No matter who she was in life, you are not allowed to defile her corpse."
Ye Ci rolled her eyes at the notification. I'm not defiling her! I'm just looking for items that might be useful. She's dead anyways! It would be a waste if I leave those clothes on her! But with the verdict already made by the system, Ye Ci was forced to give up. She stood up and began walking towards the main altar of the shrine.
The arrow that was illuminated by the dim candlelight gave off a very intimidating aura.
Despite her spectacular haul, Ye Ci's true goal was the arrow. It was the reason she drove Ciss to her death. She studied the altar for signs of any magical circles or seals, but found nothing protecting the arrow. The arrow was guarded closely by Ciss, and with her death, it was free for Ye Ci's taking. Perhaps due to her overindulgence in wuxia novels, Ye Ci was a firm believer that danger lurked in the safest of places. She studied her surroundings closely for a long moment before finally reaching the conclusion that the area was safe.
She took in a deep breath and reached for the arrow. She felt a stabbing pain the moment her hand came into contact with the arrow, and flames immediately flared from her ring. The flames immediately disappeared when Ye Ci placed the arrow into her inventory.
There's something odd about the arrow.
Ye Ci opened up her inventory window and searched for the arrow.
Tainted Arrow: This is an arrow tainted by blood. The name engraved on the tip of the arrow has faded away. There's no way to tell who it belonged to, but one thing is certain: The arrow was fired into the chest of Sha'jia in a battle long, long time ago, wounding the demon. Why don't you pay the Elven village a visit if you wish to find out about the origins of this arrow? Perhaps someone in the village can tell you more about it.
This is the only description of the arrow. It seems that I have to take a trip back to the newbie village.
Ye Ci then scoured the entire shrine and found Mark's items in a secluded corner.
Despite the NPCs apparent treachery, Ye Ci was determined to complete his quest.
Ye Ci noticed Alaunar's sulky expression as she left the shrine, "What is it? Are you angry at me?" she asked as she stood beside the boy.
"No." Alaunar's reply was the exact opposite of his mood. It was very obvious to Ye Ci that the boy was indeed sulking.
Ye Ci responded to the boy's anger with a smile, "Fighting your enemies might not always be the wisest choice. Sometimes, you must learn their motives to eliminate them completely, am I right?"
Alaunar stared at Ye Ci and spoke after a long moment of silence, "Why would Nuoba betray us? I know that he hates me, but he's also a member of the tribe. Why would he work with these bad people, why…"
Ye Ci pursed her lips in response. She was at a loss for an explanation that could make Alaunar understand that people tend to make different choices when they are faced with a choice between power and morality. She stood silently beside the boy for a long moment before finally speaking up, "Alaunar, become a hero, just like Khu'tak once did."
"Will something like this stop happening once I become a hero?"
"I don't know. But you will bring your tribe great honor by becoming a hero. Your name will forever be recorded in the tribe's history, and perhaps…"
Alaunar's eyes immediately lit up. He walked up to Ye Ci and spoke with enthusiasm clear in his voice, "How did Khu'tak become a hero, Elf?" Ye Ci was stunned for a brief moment before she could respond, "He left his home, to where the people are. He helped them, and he saved a lot of them. This was why he was remembered and became a hero."
"That's great!" Alaunar's eyes were shining like two blazing stars under the setting sun, "I want to be a hero just like Khu'tak! I want to help people just like he did!"
Mark was overjoyed when he received his goods from Ye Ci. The NPC traced his skinny hand over the chest, and mumbled to himself, "That's right, this is it. This is it…" Ye Ci sneered at Mark and planted her foot onto the chest, "Mark, you've not been honest with me.�� "What?" Mark looked up and Ye Ci and instinctively shrunk back, "What are you talking about, Elf? I don't understand what you're talking about." "Oh?" Ye Ci raised an eyebrow, and Mark grew even more nervous, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Elf. What are you trying to say? Can you spare this foolish Mark such trouble? Why don't you just speak more directly to Mark? Mark does not like riddles."
Ye Ci's eyes narrowed even further. He has the gall to blame me? Suspicious indeed. She did not show her anger, and instead drew her short sword, burying it onto the chest with a dull "thud". Mark visibly shrunk again as fear slowly crept into his expression.
"We Elves are not fond of riddles," snorted Ye C, "If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll make it known to you." Ye Ci shook Mark violently, "This entire place is an illusion! So how did you get in here? And how are you going to Jade Island?" the man was intimidated by Ye Ci and a very angry Alaunar beside her, "Y-you knew…"
"Enough of your nonsense! I want answers!" Ye Ci snorted, "Or you will end up like the crate over there."
Ye Ci's threat instilled fear into Mark, "Alright! I'll talk! Just don't… Don't hurt me."
Mark was unintelligible, but his fear of Ye Ci meant that she was able to slowly coax the truth out of the NPC. He was indeed a merchant who had lost his way in the realm of illusion created by Ciss. His greed drove him to steal the wealth of the temple, which led to his capture by Ciss. Mark was threatened to trick new sacrifices into the temple under the pain of death, and was doing it out of the need to survive.
Jade Island was indeed something real, and it can be reached by traversing the desert. But when asked about the true location of Sha'jia's Shrine, Mark was surprisingly reluctant to cooperate. Ye Ci had no choice but to give up, as she knew that learning about the secrets of a wider part of the game was next to impossible in a mere dungeon. When asked about a way to leave the illusion, Mark offered a very cryptic response, "You have to leave from where you came from." to Ye Ci's dismay. She was unconscious when she was brought into this realm, and would naturally not remember how she was able to gain access to the realm. Fortunately for Ye Ci, Alaunar had a good memory, and was able to guide Ye Ci on their way back.
They found a teleportation circle that was glowing with a faint shade of blue. It was apparent that the circle would activate once the duo was in the circle. With a bright flash of light, Ye Ci and Alaunar was transported back into the cave.
Just like their previous experience, Ye Ci was not able to see what Alaunar saw. She cast a glance at Alaunar and asked, "Is the book here?" Despite his confusion at Ye Ci's question, the boy replied, "Yes, it's there."
Ye Ci once again laid her hand on the book. She could feel that the book was infused with a strange power. She was no longer teleported into the realm of illusion when her hand came into book, and instead received a system notification, "You've explored the Shrine of Sha'jia. You can no longer explore the map."
So this is a single entry dungeon. Thought Ye Ci to herself. Why is this map not made available to the rest of the players like Vosok? But her question was quickly answered by her own realisation. I did not kill Ciss with my own strength, which means that I'm unable to unlock this dungeon. Besides, the island itself was a hidden map. There was no point in unlocking the dungeon.
Ye Ci looked around to confirm her location, and found herself suspended in the air, as if nothing had changed. She then glanced at Alaunar, and the two began to traverse through the lake filled with Water Sprites and the lava pool back to the stairs.
As the duo reached the end of the stairs, Ye Ci shrugged at Alaunar who stared back at her, "It's all on you now, I have no idea how they opened the door from this side." The boy nodded and Ye Ci and began looking around the entrance. It did not take him to locate the mechanism that would open the door, and Ye Ci responded with a sigh. It seems that the door only works against outsiders like me, but is rendered completely useless by a member of the Doluo tribe.
Ye Ci motioned for Alaunar to hide within the cave as she scouted ahead for signs of Nuoba's men, and the duo returned to the village when she was sure that the coast was clear.
"Running a little late today eh, Elf?" Ye Ci knew not how time flows in the realm of illusion, but when she looked up into the sky, it was already growing pitch black. The sentry's question was nothing out of the ordinary.
Ye Ci smiled at the guard and patted her pickaxe, "Can't help it. I need to get Lia's harp as soon as possible." and the sentry snorted at her response.
Alaunar followed close behind Ye Ci with his head hung low. The boy appeared to be exhausted, but Ye Ci knew that he was simply hiding his anger. An observant individual could even tell that his body was shaking with anger.
Ye Ci then patted Alaunar on the head, "Go home, and tell no one about what we saw today. Can you do that for me?"
Alaunar raised his head and stared at Ye Ci, the flames of anger apparent in his eyes. The boy was grinding his teeth and his hands were clenched into tight fists. It was as if he was a volcano that was ready to erupt.
"Patience is a virtue that a hero must learn. If you are not capable of doing that, you can only be a reckless fool for the rest of your life." Ye Ci shook her head at the boy.
The rage in Alaunar's eyes subsided ever so slightly at Ye Ci's words. He bit on his lips and finally spoke up after a short while, "But… Nuoba intends to kill Lord Dalufar…"
"I know. Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Alaunar stared at Ye Ci and the latter saw the boy's kindness and sincerity returning to his eyes. He nodded at Ye Ci, and headed home, "I understand. I'll head home now."
Ye Ci logged out of the game for some rest and dinner as well after she was sure that Alaunar had made his way home.
Bai Mo, Zuo Xiaolan, and Ye Nantian were baffled as Ye Ci gorged down her food.
"Even if you can't leave the house due to your injuries, can you please restrain yourself? You'll grow into a pig in no time."
Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian nodded in agreement, "That's right. A girl like you should eat less. Nobody would want to marry you if you're fat."
Ye Ci ignored the onlookers and continued stuffing her mouth full of food, "What do you know? I'm being pushed to the limit here. Who knows if I'll be able to make it out alive if I don't have some good food."
Her family knew that she was in the middle of an exceptionally tough quest, and was not surprised by her words. Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian were Life Players, which naturally meant that they were not interested in the quest itself. They believed that their daughter was capable of completing the quest, and dismissed her grumbling.
Bai Mo, on the other hand, was worried, "You've been stuck in that place for almost a week now. Can't you find your way out of there?"
"I think I'll be able to leave soon if all goes according to plan." sighed Ye Ci.
Bai Mo nodded at his cousin, "Just do your best. The members of our guild are working hard in leveling up. We'll have a lot of lvl60 players in the near future."
"What about the Mithril?"
"The mining attempts have stopped." came the reply.
"That fast?" Due to her recent activities on the island, Ye Ci had no energy to spare on the forums. Her only source of intelligence on what was going on in the outside world came solely from Bai Mo and Tan Polang. She knew that people would eventually give up on the Mithril ore vein once they realised that their mining operations were futile, but she did not expect the fever to die down in a week.
"Yup. Because some big shot came along." Bai Mo narrowed his eyes.
"WHo was it?"
"Have you heard of Smoldering Iron?"
Smoldering Iron? Ye Ci was shocked. It was a name that she knew well. He was the first Grandmaster Miner in Fate during her last life, and was poached by many of the major guilds.
"Of course I know that name. Why? Did he somehow join in on the mining fever as well? Isn't he a player from the Western Continent?" Ye Ci pursed her lips.
"You're actually right. That guy spent a large amount of gold to switch his home continent just to mine at that spot. He even posted his findings at the forums every single day. Because of his fame as a miner, most of the players gave up." Bai Mo offered his analysis.
Ye Ci nodded in agreement, but she noticed something else in Bai Mo's expression, "What? Is there something else you wish to know?"
"I'm not a Life Player, so I'll never be able to understand their… Enthusiasm.. In certain things." Bai Mo shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Ye Ci could tell that there was a hidden meaning behind his words.
"Why would Smoldering Iron spend 100,000 gold coins to have his home continent changed just to go back to the Western Continent after a few days. It felt like he was just trying to prove that there is no Mithril there." Bai Mo smiled at Ye Ci, "If that's not the case, why would he go back to the Western Continent? Isn't there ores in the Eastern Continent as well?"
"Just get to the point." replied Ye Ci as she munched on a piece of pork rib.
"Genesis sent him to debunk the rumors, didn't they?" Bai Mo laughed, "They're smart. You now owe them a favor, and they're able to protect their own interest as well." and Bai Mo's eyes narrowed once again, "But I don't think that's the only thing they have in mind."
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Ye Ci stared at Baimo.
"Genesis might have their eyes on our Mithril mine." Bai MO sighed, "We're not a million-member guild like them. We can't defend it on our own. As our collaborator, will they offer their aid in the mine's defense? If we're forced to accept their help because of Golden Era of the threat of other parties that might get involved, will we still be able to retain ownership of that mine?"
Ye Ci closed her eyes. Bai Mo had spoken out her worries.
There was no friendship between business partners. Benefit was the only deciding factor in such a relationship. It was impossible for the Eastern Continent's mine to remain locked forever, and the moment Upwards Ho! began their mining was the day they might lose their grasp on the mine. As their closest partner, Genesis might seize such an opportunity to take over.
Ye Ci pursed her lips. Greed is indeed more terrifying than a tiger.