Chapter 176
In the style of Elvish, the paper figure's appearance transformed, revealing a delicate and handsome face, becoming a line drawing of a long-haired man—yet it was set against a pure green background.
Ye Bai's lips twitched upwards for a moment, only to be quickly suppressed as she maintained a serious and solemn expression.
"How's your strength? Have you recovered?"
"Thanks to your help, I've regained quite a bit," the paper figure replied gratefully. The evidence of his recovery was clear; the lines that formed his current image were noticeably richer and more solid than before.
After saying this, the paper figure remembered his promise to Ye Bai and began to distribute the task rewards: "With the power of the Life Branch, I should be able to alter the Death Codex once again."
Ye Bai's eyes lit up. This artifact had been in her possession for quite some time, and she had only been able to covet it from afar. Now, was she finally able to use it?
Following the paper figure's instructions, Ye Bai held the Death Codex in one hand while bringing the Life Branch closer with the other, placing it atop the codex.
The Death Codex was cursed by an ancient dragon, meaning it couldn't be discarded or given to others once it entered Ye Bai's backpack. However, it could still be held in her hands.
If Ye Bai were to throw the Death Codex away or place it somewhere, it would vanish the next moment, reappearing in her personal backpack.
The vibrant Life Branch landed on the Death Codex, which was filled with the power of the undead. Ye Bai wasn't sure what the paper figure did, but two beams of light—one white and one black—began to glow between them.
The lights swirled and merged like yin and yang, growing stronger and filling Ye Bai's vision, almost enveloping her entire figure from the side.
Before long, the light finally faded. Ye Bai saw that the text on the pitch-black cover of the Death Codex, which looked like blood mixed with gold dust, had become even more vivid than before. At the same time, the Life Branch, described as a key, appeared even more vibrant and extraordinary, as if both their powers had been 'activated.'
Ye Bai first focused on the Death Codex, which now displayed a requirement that had changed from needing level 80 and above to equip, to a more accessible level 60 of the third tier.
Even if this was the original intention, Ye Bai took a deep breath at that moment. This meant that as long as she completed her third class transition, she could equip this artifact!
It was worth it—after spending a whole game month in the divine realm, it was truly a bargain.
Calming her excitement, Ye Bai turned her attention to the Life Branch, which also seemed to have undergone a change, discovering that its specific attributes had indeed altered.
【Key to the God King's Treasure 1】
Level: Mythical
Attributes: Life Branch (Quest Item)
Special Effect - Life Gift: The holder can gain an additional 50% life value limit on their current health, with this extra life having a 200% recovery speed.
Description: It is not yet complete.
Ye Bai's eyes sparkled with joy—what a great find!
The extra life value limit with double recovery speed was equivalent to an automatically recharging shield, making it incredibly useful.
This item occupied the waist accessory slot, which Ye Bai happened to have free. She equipped it immediately, and a subtle branch appeared at her waist, pushing her health limit over three thousand points.
With this gear, Ye Bai felt she could strut through the realms without a care for its attributes.
Soon after, the paper figure emerged from the Death Codex, his lines having shrunk significantly, resembling his original form once more.
"Are you okay?" Ye Bai asked with concern.
"That's normal; I'll recover in a bit," the paper figure replied with a smile.
Ye Bai nodded and continued, "How many more keys are there?"
"Two more," the paper figure said, slightly surprised that Ye Bai was now showing interest in the God King's Treasure, as she hadn't seemed particularly keen on it before. He paused before explaining, "One is not far from the treasure's location and is easy to obtain. The second one, which is the other half of this Life Branch, is in the Emerald Forest."
The Emerald Forest... the one that had been closed off after the invasion of the Abyss.
Ye Bai wasn't too surprised by this outcome, especially since the first key was related to the Life Branch, making it odd that it had no connection to the high elves.
Speaking of which, since arriving in the divine realm, Ye Bai had encountered the last dragon of the Sky City, the Abyss Demon, and the Sea God of the deep sea. Now, she had only yet to meet the high elves, the phantoms, and the bloodline of light.
The reason Ye Bai was more concerned about this task after receiving the reward from the Death Codex was—
"Did you hear what the Abyss Demon said just now?"
The paper figure paused for a moment, realizing which line Ye Bai was referring to, and nodded, "I did."
Ye Bai didn't ask about the Abyss Demon or the abrupt statement but instead posed a new question:
"What do you think of me?"
Faced with this question, the paper figure fell silent for a brief moment. When he spoke again, his tone was particularly serious: "I believe you are someone who can bring change to this world."
Ye Bai: "..."
Paper Figure: "..."
They maintained a deep silence for a while, and Ye Bai finally couldn't help but scratch her head, "…Why does it sound so abstract?"
"But that's truly what I think," the paper figure said innocently, looking at Ye Bai.
If 'change' was the case, that was certainly true. Ye Bai was now a player, and the main storyline of this divine realm DLC was designed for players to experience how their actions could alter the game's direction and development, to write their own epic.
Could the Abyss Demon's abrupt statement be followed by 'Godblooded'? Now that Ye Bai had received the [Main Quest], she could be considered half a 'protagonist' in the eyes of NPCs within the divine realm. Surely, they wouldn't recognize her as the 'creator' of this game, would they?
Thinking of this, Ye Bai couldn't help but chuckle. To be precise, the divine realm was merely a 'brainchild' she was still conceptualizing; in the vastness of the Star Network, from any angle, she couldn't be considered a creator.
Shaking her head, Ye Bai set this question aside. The Abyss Demon hadn't said anything further, and even if she went back to ask, she wouldn't get an answer. The implications behind that statement, the identity of the paper figure, and the changes in the divine realm might only be revealed as this main quest progressed.
As the paper figure provided Ye Bai with information about the remaining keys, the second phase of the 'God King's Treasure' quest updated.
【God King's Treasure - Second Key】
Quest Description: The clue for the second key to the God King's Treasure lies within the Emerald Forest. Find a way to obtain it.
Quest Rewards: God King's Treasure Key 2, Assistance from the Nameless One, Unknown
As expected, the description was quite similar to the first phase.
Of course, the exploration of the Emerald Elves would have to wait for another time.
Seeing that matters had come to a close, Ye Bai was ready to leave the divine realm and complete her third class transition upon returning to her territory. When she entered the Source Well, aside from a lack of population, the various basic infrastructures in Baiye Town were fully ready to upgrade to a level five territory.
The last time Ye Bai logged off, she had seen the cosmic news. The two cosmic civilizations were not to be underestimated; with the cooperation of numerous players, they had rapidly expanded and developed, already surpassing the threshold for level three territories. They were likely preparing to upgrade their towns now.
"Well then..."
Ye Bai looked at the paper figure and Ottofis, "Would you like to come with me to my territory? Of course, we will return together next time."
This time was different from the last; Ye Bai had gained a wealth of experience. Her experience points were now sufficient to level up to 64, and reaching level 60 would allow her to enter the 'Awakening' stage of the Godblooded. The bloodline level of the Godblooded was determined by level, not by class transitions.
The main differences between transitioning at each stage and not were twofold: one was that if a player reached the maximum level of a stage without transitioning, they would hit a 'bottleneck' and could no longer level up; the other was that the strength of the profession remained at the previous tier, while the power of skills from the next tier would be vastly different.
"Ah, great!"
"That's wonderful! I've always been curious about your territory."
Upon hearing this, both Ottofis and the paper figure readily agreed.
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