Chapter 79: The Lantern is Complete
“Any branch from the Aberrant will do?”
Xu Zhi curled her finger toward the little aberrant on the ground, and it joyfully crawled over.
Lately, Xu Zhi had been treating it with cold indifference. It vaguely knew it had done something to displease her, but its limited brain couldn’t figure out exactly what. Only after being scolded repeatedly for trying to touch the [Cup] attribute cores she kept in the vehicle did it start to understand—maybe it was because of that?
Now, without her permission, even if a core was right next to its mouth and it was drooling for it, it wouldn’t dare eat it.
Instead, it would beg pitifully, saying, “Mama, hungry, food.”
If Xu Zhi nodded, it would happily eat. If she ignored it and left it hanging, at first it would wait patiently. But over time, if she didn’t respond or comfort it, the aberrant would grow restless. If she soothed it or gave it a core, the restlessness would subside. But if she continued to ignore it, the [Restlessness] trait would increase in level.
In short: it could be trained, but it would take effort, and there were still risks. She’d have to find a way to completely eliminate [Restlessness].
[Yes, any branch about a meter long will do.]
With that narration, Xu Zhi said to the little aberrant, “Grow out a long branch.”
The aberrant tilted what could barely be called its head, then obediently sprouted a branch longer than its body.
Xu Zhi reached out to break it—and with a sharp snap, the branch, which should have been incredibly tough and impossible to break even with her strength, snapped cleanly.
The aberrant immediately writhed in her hands, filled with hurt and grievance, twisting frantically to express its pain. If it had facial features, its eyes would be tearing up with sorrow right now.
“Uh… I thought that would take more effort.” Xu Zhi was surprised. With a physical stat over 7000, the aberrant shouldn’t be this fragile.
The narrator chimed in with an explanation:
[Because it’s you. You can easily harm the aberrant.]
[If it were anyone else, even a chainsaw wouldn’t scratch it, let alone break off a limb.]
Xu Zhi raised her brows, surprised—but also quite satisfied.
With the materials gathered, she opened the forging interface. After inserting the items and clicking “Forge,” a prompt popped up:
[This forging requires 50 base-grade Forge attribute cores.]
[Continue?]
Xu Zhi: ?
“Why don’t you just rob me?”
[It would cost even more if you asked someone else to forge it. Besides, there might not even be anyone who can forge this lantern right now. You should be grateful it only costs 50!]
Damn it—why does that actually make sense?
“Fine, 50 it is! It’s not like I can’t afford it!”
Despite her words, Xu Zhi still felt the sting. Just this one attempt cost her 50 [Forge] cores, and she only had enough left for two more tries!
If it failed twice, she’d have to go scam—er, trade with the outside world again.
“Do it!”
She tapped the confirm button with a little force.
[Forging in progress…]
On screen, a pixel-art hammer clanged away on an anvil. After about ten minutes, the result popped up:
[Congratulations, forging successful.]
[You’ve received: Lantern.]
[Item has been placed in your inventory.]
A string of prompts ended, and the narrator appeared again.
[Well now, you got lucky—succeeded on the first try.]
Xu Zhi smugly replied, “What? Upset you couldn’t scam me for more?”
[…Heh. This is just the beginning.]
That made Xu Zhi wary. “What do you mean?”
[Check your inventory for the lantern’s details.]
Xu Zhi suspiciously opened her storage and found the lantern. It looked plain on the outside, with a black wooden handle instead of a hook.
The lantern’s body was square, covered not in glass but in a translucent gray woven fabric. Inside, there was no wick—only two moths fluttering gently. A tassel made of white feathers hung from the side, giving the otherwise plain lantern a touch of elegance.
She tapped the item, and a detailed description appeared:
[Lantern – A finely crafted extraordinary item made from special materials. Can be fueled with attribute cores to light up. While lit, the lantern provides protection within its glow.]
[Different attribute cores grant different effects:]
Inspiration: Sharper thinking and increased insight.
Winter: Diminished presence; some creatures will perceive those in the light as lifeless objects.
Blade : Enhanced attack and presence.
Forge: Improved technique and higher success rates.
Heart : Boosted vitality, regeneration, and willpower.
Moth: Thought disruption, reduced secrecy, and memory loss.
Cup: Induces frenzy, bloodlust, and diminished fear—attracts unknown entities.
Lamp : Increased rationality, enhanced learning, reduced mental corruption.
“This is insane.” Xu Zhi was shocked. Depending on the core used, the lantern could grant wildly different powers. She could now adapt to different scenarios just by swapping cores—one item, multiple functions. It was incredibly powerful.
“So, how long does one core last?”
[Basic core: 10 seconds.]
[High-grade core: 1 minute.]
This is robbery. Absolutely robbery.
Even Xu Zhi found the cost outrageous.
“If I want to walk through the Midnight Realm, which core should I use, and how many?”
[Use Lamp—only high-grade attribute cores will work. Higher-quality cores yield stronger effects. But even your best Lamp core won’t eliminate most dangers of the Midnight Realm. It’ll only allow you to barely glimpse it.]
[Do not stay in the Midnight Realm longer than ten minutes.]
“…Pretty dangerous.”
Still, being able to see it was worth it. Consider it an expensive sightseeing ticket.
After experiencing the Midnight Realm, she could return and fleece—negotiate with the outside world. Tonight’s ten cores could easily turn into a hundred in profit. A solid investment.
Xu Zhi glanced at the game narrator and sneered.
“You think you’re sneaky? I can out-sneak you.”
Why spend 10 min, even 5 is enough. He said the cores don’t provide complete protection