Famine 62: Blazing Fire Halo
by Cristae[After adding magical materials, this armor can be disassembled and reassembled into:]
[5% Single-Attribute Universal Booster *5 (Recommended price: 10,000 points each)]
[10% Single-Attribute Universal Booster Armor *2 (Recommended price: 30,000 points each)]
[20% Single-Attribute Universal Booster Armor *2 (Recommended price: 70,000 points each), with Skill: Flame Dance.]
[25% Single-Attribute Universal Booster Armor *2 (Recommended price: 100,000 points each), with Skill: Blazing Fire Halo.]
[Note 1: Boosting effects have an upper limit; for players ranked in the top ten Chosen, please test before making a decision.]
[Note 2: The appearance of each armor and accessory may be customized.]
What a treasure! Si Zhiyan’s eyes immediately lit up.
By breaking it down this way, the total point value of the gear actually reached a stunning 450,000!
First, Liang Qingshuang hadn’t exaggerated; the price she quoted was indeed accurate. Second, the armor weaving system contributed a powerful bonus.
When dismantled, these items were priced fairly, their effects outstanding, and, as universal boosters that weren’t picky about users, they’d definitely fly off the shelves. Even with a little markup, buyers would still accept it.
This also meant that, apart from what was sold, Si Zhiyan could keep one for himself.
Si Zhiyan kept one 25% single-attribute booster.
[Ding! Please customize the appearance of your armor.]
Appearance…
Si Zhiyan lowered his head, pondering a moment.
He looked at his own black trench coat and tapped twice on the panel.
[Whir… Forging successful!]
Amidst a flash of golden light, the forge opened.
It was a cufflink. The translucent sapphire had been masterfully cut into many tiny facets, reflecting the harmonic glow. The half-moon stone was wrapped in a coil of silver wire, a brief gleam flashing across its surface.
Not ostentatious, but with an unmistakable sense of refinement, understated yet noble.
Si Zhiyan fastened it to the left cuff of his sleeve.
The farm’s vines crept over, poking at the cufflink with a tendril.
“You like it too?” Si Zhiyan smiled, tapping the vine gently.
As for the initial attribute to be boosted,
The main god’s player panel had more than a dozen attribute options—focus, speed, strength, perception, and so on—all freely adjustable.
But Si Zhiyan clearly did not have a player panel of his own.
He tested his own phantom projection’s power; it seemed to fall under [Magic Power]. So, he set the initial boosting property to that field. When battle came, he could switch as needed.
[Blazing Fire Halo]
Generates a ring of blazing fire within one meter of your position.
Anyone who approaches suffers burns near a thousand degrees, along with a five-meter knockback effect.
Where the Unknowable Fire shines, all evil retreats.
A perfect skill to prevent enemies from getting too close. Si Zhiyan nodded in satisfaction.
The remaining seven pieces of armor he placed on the farm’s trading board.
Then, he sent out a broadcast across all the farm systems.
Instantly, every eligible player with access to the farm went wild.
“Universal boosters by percentage! Damn, am I seeing this right?!” Wang Jianguo’s loud voice shot up. “And you can customize the form?!”
Anderson pulled the brim of his hat, considering, “Only single-attribute boosts… It’s a little pricey, but you can freely adjust the boost stat, and it’ll suit any battlefield… With this level of utility, there’s no reason to pass it up.”
“The farm owner really has everything good in stock!”
“So expensive…” Zhong Yanqing gritted his teeth. “Forget it, at that price, it’s worth it!”
Even on the Bone Ferry, Nie Du and Sha Tong, in the middle of their own missions, sent urgent messages—
Asking the farm owner to hold onto the items; they’d be back right away, and the price could be negotiated.
What? Quests?
What’s a quest compared to snagging these items?!
There were those who acted even faster.
Nidhogg, lying in a convenience store, heard the new bulletin blare and instantly shouted, “Hey! The best one—the 25% one—that’s mine!”
He rapped the wall, calling out, “How do I get in touch with you again… Hey? Crooked Boss, can you hear me?”
Watching that brute eye the store, ready to tear the place apart just to get attention, Si Zhiyan was forced to send his projection over to pay a visit—explaining that he could monitor everything in the convenience store, and there was no need for dramatics, only communication.
Soon enough, before dinner, all the armor pieces had sold out.
The five 5% booster armors were bought by Anderson, Zhong Yanqing, two eligible farm players, and one Bone Ferry player. They all chose the most universal accessory forms, making the items into rings or armbands. Anderson opted for a gorgeous ice-blue pendant to hang on his magic mask.
The two 10% boosters were purchased by Sha Tong with Bone Ferry public funds, listed as property for the new Captain’s Guard. They were customized as the Guard Captain’s badge and the Special Commissioner’s sleeve emblem.
The two remaining 20% boosters weren’t for just anyone.
Nie Du hesitated a long while over the booster. Though a leader apt at building settlements, he was so cautious when spending on himself that not even Zhong Manwen’s prodding could waver him. After careful consideration, in the end, Nie Du took out his points and customized a belt.
As for the other 20% armor—
He—
“—One that can open and close, can be worn piercing the collarbone, like that,” Wang Jianguo gestured.
As a player on the beast-transformation path, the girth of his body shifted dramatically with each form, so no normal clothes or jewelry would do—only something pierced through flesh and worn directly. That was why Wang Jianguo was willing to pay so much—the usable gear for him was truly scarce.
Except for Shi He, there were no players from the top ten Chosen here. So the boost cap was not an issue.
As for Nidhogg, who bought the most expensive armor—he didn’t even bother with a trial. He flung out one hundred thousand points without a second glance.
His only request was: “Can I customize the form? Good, then let me fiddle with it.”
It left Si Zhiyan genuinely curious just how wealthy this wicked dragon was.
Or, perhaps, there was yet another possibility…
After all, unless he was at the farm, Nidhogg rarely paid for anything he liked.
Looking at this round of custom orders, it was clear that when players had free form choice, most preferred accessories.
This realization gave Si Zhiyan a valuable insight.
After all, this wasn’t actually a video game. In a game, jewelry slots were limited; but in the real world, you had ten fingers—wearing twenty rings if you wished.
Compared to clothing—fragile and not always environment-appropriate—accessories were generally favored by players.
From now on, if she had the chance to forge and sell her own items, jewelry would definitely be the best sellers.
In any case, everyone who managed to buy something this time felt they’d struck it rich, happiness written all over their faces. Those who missed out were gloomy with regret, beseeching Si Zhiyan: Please, next time you have equipment like this up for sale, give us a heads-up!
Players returning from outside tasks heard what they had missed and beat their chests in remorse: “If I’d known there was such a treasure to buy, I’d have stayed home today, no matter what!”
Even if they might not get one, they would try their luck! What if?
Thanks to all this, Si Zhiyan now had 350,000 points in hand.
Adding in today’s revenue of 90,000 points and the previous savings of 300,000, the farm’s current balance was now a total of 740,000 points.
A kingdom she’d built herself!
Si Zhiyan wasted no time in opening the shop and bought the item she’d been eyeing for ages—the 500,000-point city defense artifact—
[Starship-Cola Rail Cannon]
The name sounded odd, but the effect description was so good, she couldn’t resist.
Besides that, after Shi He’s group brought famine crops from the Sky Illusion World, the farm’s nursery also underwent new changes once fed.
Si Zhiyan carefully checked the farm’s defenses, making sure everything was operating properly.
After dinner, Shi He’s chosen warriors took up their posts, one by one.
Since meeting Nidhogg, Shi He had locked himself in his room. He didn’t even show up for the armor sale. Word was, when he tried to sneak off alone to the icefields again, Zhong Yanqing stopped him.
Si Zhiyan didn’t know the particulars of their conversation. In the end, though, when Shi He appeared atop the farm’s walls, his eyes were only a little red, otherwise showing no sign of trouble.
Everything was ready.
[Mist World – Day Three / 00:00 am / Farm / Current Farm Integrity: 51%]
At the stroke of midnight on the third day, the blood mist began to spread.
The ground began to tremble right on schedule.
—It was coming.
Si Zhiyan’s spectral projection climbed to the wall, looking out to see a colossal Bonegnaw Fatewheel, as tall as nearly ten stories, crushing black-thorn trees beneath it, gouging a bloody trail as it rumbled towards them.
But something in its movement seemed subtly different from the day before.
Anderson stood on the wall, pressing a hand to his earpiece, brows knit.
As a phase magician providing mobile support, Anderson normally hid at the rear during battle, heavily protected by the team.
Standing on the wall now was purely for visibility—he could always slip away if needed.
With high mobility and concealment, Anderson had always been the safest person on the team through every fight.
And yet, for some reason, unease gnawed at him this time. The ominous feeling had settled on his chest since midday, keeping his nerves on edge.
Why? Anderson wondered to himself. Do I have anything special about me?
Amid the rolling thunder, this time the Bonegnaw Fatewheel dragged with it a different sound.
Rumble… rumble…
Clatter… clatter…
Something striking and scraping, rustling in the wind.
Slowly, the Bonegnaw Fatewheel rolled closer.
Suspended in the air, Si Zhiyan’s hand lifted in command as she gazed steadily at the wheel.
The Bonegnaw Fatewheel approached from the side.
That meant that when it reached the wall, the whole wheel was oriented horizontally.
As it finally stopped, one enormous, sky-blocking disk blotted out the eastern farm sky.
Like the wheel of fate itself.
This time, there was no branded [wood] character emblazoned atop it, but instead thousands upon thousands of small wooden plaques, densely ordered in rows, each exuding a sinister black mist.
“What’s that? Wooden plaques?” Shi He asked through his earpiece.
Zhong Yanqing’s voice arrived swiftly, “Those look like… ema.”
“Ema originated in Japan’s Nara period, a way to communicate with the gods. When worshipping, people would draw a pentagonal wooden plaque, paint an idealized version of themselves on it, write their wishes below, and dedicate it at the shrine, making a wish to the gods.”
“In Japanese tradition, horses are the go-between for gods and men. The ema are a bit like our temple prayer plaques. Nearly every shrine has racks filled with ema in front.”
“My angle isn’t great—Anderson, what’s painted on them?”
“Anderson?”
What is painted on them?
Anderson stared blankly up at the vast curtain of wooden plaques.
People walking through an embroidery workshop—counters tipping over, a thousand needles piercing the heart, turning flesh to a beehive; people stepping before a stove—tripping on a stone and plunging into a vat of boiling oil, their bodies blistered and burnt; people leading a string of horses, chatting with others—someone set off a firecracker, the horses bolted, reins whipping limbs, bodies torn apart, grisly remains scattered everywhere…
Bodies piled into hills, blood flowing in rivers, and every single face was the same—
…Anderson.
“Uhhhhh—aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh—!!!!!”
From atop the wall, a heart-rending scream suddenly erupted.
No time left for hesitation!
With a sweep of his trench coat, Si Zhiyan’s outstretched hand came slicing down, unleashing the [Starship-Cola Rail Cannon].