Chapter Four: The Eye of Investigation

While Ashes was deep in thought, Dot Dot Bean had already gritted his teeth and purchased a level-two Peashooter, along with most of the cultivation modules.

He stood off to the side, carefully reading the plant instructions, his expression shifting again and again: “Swindlers! Swindlers! I paid for this, and I can’t even take it with me? Is this how you do business? The Peashooter is extremely fragile while growing and must be protected from harm; placing it in a regular backpack will block the Dark Veil’s aura and halt the cultivation process. It is recommended to temporarily deposit it in the Twisted Tree Shop until it matures, after which it can be retrieved. The deposit fee for a level-two Peashooter is four hundred credit points…”

When Dot Dot Bean read this line, he couldn’t help but curse at the Twisted Tree merchant, who was yawning repeatedly: “Damn you, swindler! I want a refund!”

“Goods sold are not refundable.”

The moment he heard about a refund, the Twisted Tree merchant perked up, its two tree eyes widening, arms crossed, with branches forming unusually sturdy limbs, displaying a brazen “dead pigs don’t fear boiling water” attitude. Dot Dot Bean, fuming, could only grit his teeth and install the Peashooter’s cultivation vessel onto his shoulder.

Though called a cultivation vessel, it was more like a mechanical exoskeleton attached to the shoulder. The Peashooter seedling could be placed within the core protective layer of the exoskeleton, and once matured, would begin combat directly from the user’s shoulder. Dot Dot Bean tapped the core layer and found it far sturdier than he’d imagined, his anger dissipating somewhat. With a lingering sense of grievance, he slid the cultivation battery into its slot, watching the growth time decrease instantly, and finally a smile appeared on his face.

With this cautionary tale, other players became more prudent in their choices.

In the end, Moonlit Waters and Not a Sword Immortal each bought a basic Peashooter. It was unclear whether they lacked credit points or had their own reasons. Ashes, who had already acquired a basic Peashooter cultivation module, quietly purchased a level-three Peashooter seedling and its corresponding cultivation vessel, perfectly emptying his credit points.

The deposit fee for a level-three Peashooter was eight hundred credit points, which Ashes of course didn’t have, and only one cultivation vessel could be carried at a time.

His resolve was spurred by a detail in the instructions: “Placing the Peashooter in a regular backpack blocks the Dark Veil’s aura and halts cultivation.” Ashes had a three-slot waist pouch, which wasn’t even big enough for a single cultivation vessel. But to his surprise, his abnormal equipment, [Greedy Appetite of the Living Softbody], had somehow merged with his waist pouch.

…

[Greedy Appetite of the Living Softbody] (Basic-level abnormal equipment)

Equipment type: Token

Integrated equipment: Backpack

Requirements: Life Level 3, Willpower Level 2

Effect One: Adds two backpack slots, expands backpack capacity, and grants two additional “special space” slots.

Effect Two: If a weapon is placed in a special space for ten seconds, it gains a “Weak” Slow effect, reducing target speed by 20% for five seconds, ignored only if the target’s Agility is at least level two; placed for thirty seconds, the Slow effect rises to “Lesser,” reduction unchanged, duration unchanged, ignored only if Agility is at least level four.

Description: The living softbody loves to eat; things it consumes are well-liked, and it leaves behind some sticky, unidentified fluid.

[Hint: Abnormal equipment is usually part of a set, consisting of weapons, armor, accessories, and tokens. Tokens are the core components of abnormal sets; when resonating with other components, equipment effects can be enhanced.]

…

This abnormal equipment was only auxiliary, but its effects greatly pleased Ashes.

The expanded space didn’t alter the outward appearance of the waist pouch; placing the basic Peashooter cultivation vessel inside the special space left no visible change, and this space wouldn’t interrupt the Peashooter’s cultivation process. This discovery prompted Ashes to decisively purchase the level-three Peashooter seedling and its vessel. Even more unexpectedly, both were placed directly in the special space, making it impossible for others to notice.

Ashes looked up to find the Twisted Tree merchant winking at him, its expression betraying a knowing, human-like understanding.

Perhaps because of his generous spending, the Twisted Tree merchant treated Ashes with particular friendliness. Ashes smiled back, then calmly departed, already aware that his secret purchase of the level-three Peashooter not only gave him a head start in time, but would also catch his foes off guard.

“Why did you all buy basic Peashooters? It’s obvious that level-two is stronger! Is it because you’re short on credit points?” Dot Dot Bean compared the purchases of the four players. With the level-two cultivation vessel on his shoulder, he felt a sudden surge of superiority: “What rating did you get on your first assessment? I got an Excellent rating on Normal difficulty, and ended up with 1600 credit points. What about you guys? Let’s hear it; if we’re all here together, our scores shouldn’t differ that much, right?”

“Not as much as you, all right?” Moonlit Waters’ temper was clearly not the best, shooting back curtly. He ignored Dot Dot Bean’s shifting expression and pointed towards the deep shadows ahead, addressing the group: “I think I see three paths. How should we choose? Sword Immortal, any thoughts?”

“Doesn’t matter to me, they’re all about the same. I don’t mind walking with someone else.”

With that, Not a Sword Immortal gave Ashes a meaningful glance, raising his chin toward the path on the right. Ashes understood and nodded: “Perfect, let’s go together! I’ve long heard of your reputation, Sword Immortal, and would like to learn from you.”

Moonlit Waters shot Ashes a look, thinking to himself, another naïve rookie—there’s no shortage these days of newbies getting tricked by veteran players.

Dot Dot Bean’s lips moved, as if wanting to speak, but held back. He certainly knew Not a Sword Immortal’s reputation, but having just acquired the level-two Peashooter, he was eager to compete with this famed expert, so he chose the left path instead.

Seeing this, Moonlit Waters didn’t hesitate, heading straight for the middle road, which compared to the side paths, was more defined and allowed later movement to either side. Though not a veteran player, he had a top guild backing him, so he wasn’t particularly intimidated by Not a Sword Immortal’s senior status.

Watching the two players vanish into the shadows, Not a Sword Immortal pointed to the center road and said to Ashes, “Moonlit Waters is a core member of Nine Trigrams, the top guild in Titan. He’s hot-tempered, but quite capable; his highest virtual combat ranking nearly broke into the top five hundred. Best not to provoke someone like him lightly—if things go wrong, he’ll bring the whole guild to bear.”

Ashes just shrugged at the warning. He wasn’t one to seek trouble, but trouble had a way of finding him.

The two headed down the right path, where the neat paving soon gave way to dirt, and occasional traces of unknown creatures could be seen, eventually disappearing into the thicket alongside the path.

“Before entering the villa, I noticed the trees at the forest’s edge were arranged very regularly, stretching endlessly in both directions, roughly forming a square,” Not a Sword Immortal remarked as they walked. “The corridor is cut through a corner of the forest, so our current route is along one edge, advancing diagonally forward. The outer trees are still orderly—should be the map’s boundary, so danger is unlikely. If we don’t encounter combat in two minutes, I suggest we explore the thicket.”

Ashes readily agreed; compared to the aloof Master Brother, this veteran was actually quite approachable. Of course, despite their shared connection with Master Brother, the two weren’t particularly close—having agreed on a cooperation strategy, they kept a safe distance, moving forward side by side.

Though the shadowed forest blocked out the sky, occasional shafts of light pierced through the leaves. Some plants and jagged stones in the woods emitted faint glows to aid visibility, so once familiar with the environment, the oppressive feeling eased.

After some time, Not a Sword Immortal suddenly focused his gaze forward.

“Something’s there! Get ready for battle!”

Ashes followed his gaze but didn’t immediately spot the threat. Walking another two meters, he saw a large tree growing in the middle of the path, surrounded by several insect-like creatures gnawing at its trunk. Ashes guessed Not a Sword Immortal had boosted his Perception. The tree, possessing some intelligence, was vigorously swinging its branches, smashing at the insects; many were killed or wounded, but it couldn’t break free from the encirclement.

Seeing this, Ashes immediately activated his Eye of Inquiry, a gleam flashing in his eyes, and the insects’ detailed attributes appeared before him.

…

Name: [Shadow-devouring Larva] (Insect-derived entity)

Health: 8/8

Attack Level: Weak

Defense Level: None

Attack Speed: Medium

Alert Range: Medium

Skill: Leap

Description: Shadow-devouring larvae survive only in the special environment formed by the Dark Veil, feeding on plant-derived entities and displaying some aggressiveness. They often act in swarms, and once a group reaches seven, a strengthened leader may appear.

…

Four shadow-devouring larvae remained around the tree. Ashes shared their attributes with Not a Sword Immortal.

“Nice! You’ve got an inquiry skill—that’ll make combat much safer!” Not a Sword Immortal’s eyes lit up. “Let’s each take two; kill the bugs first.”

The two charged forward together. When they were still three meters from the tree, the larvae seemed to sense their hostility. Turning their mouthparts toward the players, their eyes suddenly flushed crimson. Instantly, they kicked their limbs and beat their wings, leaping at Ashes and his companion.

The larvae were about the size of a human head, and moved with remarkable speed.

Ashes, unhurried, dodged the first bug, then swung his standardized telescopic baton at the second, striking its head. The repaired baton could now extend a segment, increasing its reach, so the bug couldn’t touch Ashes and was knocked to the ground. Ashes followed with another blow, and with a shriek, the larva died.

[Hint: You have slain a Shadow-devouring Larva and gained contribution points.]

Chirp! Chirp!

Insect cries sounded behind him. Ashes spun, arm following his body, hand moving with his arm, and struck another larva, causing it to freeze and lose any resistance. Two larvae were dispatched swiftly, while Not a Sword Immortal was still fighting.

The difference lay in Ashes’ weapon, which had been greatly enhanced in attack power, allowing him to finish a larva in two strikes, whereas Not a Sword Immortal, regardless of skill, needed three or four attacks.