Quadruple split.

Chapter 2671 Incomplete
The Glory of Valkyrie

Category: Area Quest Chain
Quality: Special

Individual contribution: 25/100
Overall progress: 25%
Task requirements: Night Song

Task Rewards - Phase Two: Optional rewards include 200000 experience points, 10000 gold coins, and the special equipment [Valkyrie's Scepter]. All authorized users can synchronize the repair specifications through the [Valkyrie] core terminal, and all authorized users can upload the repair progress through the [Valkyrie] core terminal.

Mission Success Rewards - Phase Two: Unlock advanced material recipes, unlock the [Universal Synthesis Machine], unlock the [Ascension Smelting Table]

Mission failure penalty: Valhalla Ruins will be permanently fixed in a state of destruction, irreversible.

Mission objective: Complete the entire quest chain for "Valkyrie's Glory" within 2400 game hours.

Current mission phase: 2/4
Phase task content: Complete any one of the following tasks: [Repair: Lower Left Wing - Furnace Area], [Repair: Lower Right Wing - Repair Area], or [Repair: Lower Tail - Power Furnace].

Phase completion rate: 0%
[Note: Flesh and blood are precious and weak.]

……

The above is all the content after Ji Xiaoge completely completed the first stage of [Valkyrie's Glory] and the quest panel was fully updated. In addition, the stage rewards described in the previous stage, namely the three legendary quests corresponding to the inner areas of [Ascension Fortress Valhalla], were automatically claimed by her, and the key item she crafted by hand, [Prehistoric Key Stone], directly became—

[Valkyrie Path Beacon Stone]

Category: Special props

Quality: Unique Epic
Effect: Teleports the privilege holder [Night Song] to [Ascension Fortress Valhalla]. Cooldown: None.
Traits
[Suitable Person]: This item can only be used by the player [Night Song].

[Guide]: Can grant 'Visitor' privileges to up to ten life forms, allowing them unimpeded movement within [Ascension Fortress Valhalla]. The 'Visitor' privileges last for 72 hours. 'Visitors' cannot enter sensitive areas of grade B or higher. Cooldown time: 10 minutes.

【Guide】: Opens a portal to 【Ascension Fortress Valhalla】, allowing up to twenty beings with 'Visitor' or higher privileges to enter 【Ascension Fortress Valhalla】, and simultaneously charges the teleportation hall. Cooldown: 24 hours.

[Note: We will rise again.]

……

"He seems pretty impressive."

After sharing the details of the mission and the new items with everyone without reservation, Ji Xiaoge held the badminton shuttlecock that had come over and preened its feathers, saying with some distress, "But I still feel like I don't have a clue. Just reading the description makes me feel a bit confused."

Mo Tan and the rest of the [Woof Woof Adventurer Squad] exchanged glances, silently pondering the amount of information, while Lu Wei gave a noncommittal "hmm" without offering any opinion.

However, although he didn't express any opinion, Ji Xiaoge took the initiative this time, turning directly to Lu Wei and asking, "Speaking of which, mentor, do you know that I..."

"I do not know."

With a blank expression, Lu Wei gave a succinct answer before his obedient apprentice could even utter the question.

"I haven't asked yet!"

The winged girl stomped her foot, glared at Luvi angrily, cleared her throat, and continued to ask, "Ahem, so, when I was teleported to that [Ascension Fortress], I found that many things there were... well, how should I put it, very similar to what I saw in the [Fifth Floor Workshop] and [Seventh Floor Workshop]."

Ruvi offered no response, simply looking calmly at his apprentice: "So? What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just a little curious..."

Ji Xiaoge fluttered her wings and said softly, "Do you have any connection with that place? Because no matter how I think about it, Valhalla feels too similar to the fifth and seventh workshops. If it's just a coincidence, it's really too far-fetched."

Lu Wei smiled calmly and shook his head gently, saying, "No, child, that's not what you want to ask."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoge's face stiffened instantly. Her restless little hands groped in the air, then grabbed Mo Tan, who had thoughtfully offered her his arm. After letting out a soft sigh, she gave Lu Wei an awkward smile: "Hehe..."

Stop chuckling.

Lu Wei glanced at Ji Xiaoge, whose expression was rather awkward, and said calmly, "I told you a long time ago that if there's anything you want to know, just ask me directly. Don't beat around the bush, and I'll answer the questions I can."

Ji Xiaoge nodded, then lowered her eyes somewhat timidly, hesitatingly saying, "But I still have a little..."

Are you worried that I might give you an answer that could put you in a difficult position?

After realizing that this topic couldn't be avoided, Lu Wei immediately became more open-minded and relaxed, smiled, raised an eyebrow and said, "Perhaps you can give me more confidence, little pigeon."

"call--"

As if drawing immense courage from Lu Wei's words, Ji Xiaoge took a deep breath, looked intently at her short yet imposing mentor with large ears, and said solemnly, "Back then, Mo and I, led by Little Feather, arrived at the core area of ​​the [Abandoned Zone Code Name: Empress], and then passed through the emergency passage inside [Cabion 1] to reach the [Central Management Room]."

Lu Wei nodded slightly and said calmly, "I see. That is indeed a relatively safe and stable road. And then? What did you see?"

“I saw… a lot of things that reminded me of the fifth and seventh floors of the workshop here. Although I don’t know how they are used or what their structure is, I trust my intuition.”

Ji Xiaoge pursed her lips, and as if to strengthen her confidence, she raised her voice slightly: "I'm certain that many of the things in there are definitely related to the things you put in those two workshop floors!"

Lu Wei chuckled and nodded, saying, "Your intuition is always very accurate, Little Pigeon, and it's the same this time."

Ji Xiaoge blinked: "So you're admitting it?"

"All I can say is that there are many things in that Ascension Fortress that do have some connection to me."

With his hands in his pockets, Lu Wei leaned against the toolbox behind him, which was half a head taller than him: "Let's continue. I think we're getting close to the important part."

"I think I saw a graduation project, one that was destined to fail from the very beginning, but still chose to struggle to the end."

Ji Xiaoge lowered her eyes and remained silent for a while before continuing, "Then, the little feather suddenly flew into a groove, and the load-bearing column located in the very center of the [Central Management Room] shed its outer shell, revealing what was inside... woof..."

"Inside is a device that looks like a crystal pillar, but is actually some kind of 'petri dish' or 'life support capsule'."

Mo Tan thoughtfully picked up where Ji Xiaoge left off, and continued looking at the expressionless Lu Wei: "In that semi-transparent hollow pillar, there is a machine with a large number of interfaces. In Pigeon's words, it looks like an engineering creation of the Cordoba server (Cordoba: Huh?!)."

Lu Wei nodded again: "Hmm, and then?"

"And then... um?"

Mo Tan stopped talking as soon as he opened his mouth, turned to Ji Xiaoge who had just gently tugged at him, and cast a probing look at the latter.

"Let me do it, it's okay." Ji Xiaoge gave Mo Tan a very strong smile that she would never show to Mo Tan, and said softly, "You just need to be here."

Mo Tan nodded and replied succinctly, "Okay."

After a few more seconds of silence, Ji Xiaoge first glanced around at her silent and focused companions, then looked back at her mentor and said seriously, "After that, although I wasn't 100% sure, my judgment was that the [server] was most likely a manned type."

"Yes."

Lu Wei nodded and said with certainty, "That thing is indeed a manned type."

"..."

Ji Xiaoge's face seemed to turn a little pale, but she still took a deep breath and forced herself to continue, "Besides that, I also identified about three percent of..."

"It's obvious that there was someone on that device."

Lu Wei didn't let Ji Xiaoge finish speaking, but calmly interrupted, "And when you found that machine, that person had already lost everything."

Ji Xiaoge clenched her fists slightly and said softly, "Mentor... I believe you've never had that thought, but..."

"But my influence is evident everywhere in the design of that machine."

Lu Wei interrupted Ji Xiaoge again, and said with a faint smile, "It's clear that although you've only been my apprentice for less than a year, you're already quite familiar with Lu Wei Fitzban's style."

Ji Xiaoge opened her mouth, but could only manage a weak, bitter smile, muttering softly, "I've never really wanted to think about this."

"It's alright, child. I know you're worried that although your mentor seems respectable now, perhaps he had a period of youthful recklessness in the distant past, and perhaps during that period..."

Lu Wei narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, word by word, "I have done some 'transgressions' that even I can't tolerate now. Or rather, the reason I like to emphasize that certain lines should never be crossed is because I myself have taken that step, or even gone further. The reason I have become somewhat rigid, dogmatic, and even nagging is because I have made a big mistake with my own hands... For example, that manned special storage unit hidden in the central management room of the [Ascension Fortress]."

"Woo!"

Ji Xiaoge's face grew paler and paler. When she heard the last sentence, she even became unsteady on her feet and collapsed limply into Mo Tan's arms.

"Don't worry, little pigeon."

Lu Wei shrugged and said in a light tone, "None of what you're worried about exists."

Ji Xiaoge: "...Eh?!"

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Lu Wei chuckled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Did I say I've ever done anything wrong?"

Ji Xiaoge: "Then why did you ramble on for so long! I thought..."

“I told you, you could have given me more confidence, little dove.”

Lu Wei revealed a mischievous smile, then changed the subject and said softly, "Of course, although I haven't done anything to shame you as an apprentice, I'm not entirely unrelated to that [Ascension Fortress]."

Relieved, Ji Xiaoge pouted and glared fiercely at Lu Wei, saying angrily, "It's obvious what's going on! So if you're in the mood, just explain yourself!"

There's nothing to explain.

Lu Wei glanced at the badminton shuttlecock rolling around in Ji Xiaoge's palm and said indifferently, "You can think of it as a fool who I've been guiding for several years, who did a bunch of stupid things in his own cleverness, and in the end, because of his stupidity, he ended up with a stupid ending."

Ji Xiaoge blinked in confusion, about to ask a few more questions, when Mo Tan subtly tugged at her. Then, turning to look at her beloved, she noticed him shaking his head slightly, so she obediently shut her mouth and remained silent.

"Humph."

Lu Wei, who had witnessed all of this, snorted and then waved his hand, saying, "In short, little pigeon, you can now prepare to go to the Ascension Fortress through that damn stone. Just to be safe, I can let you pick out some useful things on the first three floors of the workshop. Diesel's kids, you can come along too."

"Huh? I can choose any of the first three floors? I want to go!!"

Ji Xiaoge was taken aback at first, then let out a joyful cheer and hopped and flapped her wings as she dashed toward the workshop.

"Let's go too, and help her make a decision."

Jadka then stood up as well, beckoning Yaya and the others to come and help, saying with a smile, "At least we can't let her take all of Master Ruvi's good stuff."

So, the group followed Ji Xiaoge towards the first workshop in a grand procession, while Mo Tan, who had deliberately lagged behind, was unsurprisingly stopped by Lu Wei—

"Mo boy."

The old goblin said casually, then glared at Mo Tan, who had stopped and turned to look at him almost the instant he opened his mouth, and said with considerable displeasure, "Do you know that you've often been so considerate that it's annoying?"

Mo Tan smiled and said, "It's an old habit, it's just a pity that I haven't been able to get rid of it all these years."

"Hmph, although things aren't that simple, I didn't lie to Little Pigeon just now."

“I know you would disdain doing such a thing.”

"The Viper Merchant Guild is a very troublesome organization. Although it's not invincible, it's still a bit too much for you to handle right now."

"I know."

"So, you had a backup plan, didn't you?"

"We have some rough ideas and arrangements."

“You are a very thoughtful person, but... that’s not really a flaw.”

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Have you made any progress on the issue of the incomplete soul?"

"...?"

Chapter 2662: The End