Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 904 Takeoff-like Upgrade

480 million Soul Points!
Keep in mind that they had only managed to acquire a little over 12 Soul Points after fighting tooth and nail all this time, while the Mother of Birth's explosion directly reached 40 times that amount.

Although in terms of conversion rate, exchanging over 800 opportunities to sit in the fire for 4.8 million soul points may not be worthwhile. After all, if we calculate based on the soul point drop rate of those giant crabs in the swamp, it is not impossible to obtain over 800 opportunities to sit in the fire, let alone 4.8 million, even if it is several times higher.

But considering their current situation, the significance of those 480 million soul points is completely different.

Keep in mind that they are currently being besieged by the 'Poisonous Dragon', so receiving such a 'huge sum of money' under these circumstances is truly a godsend, like sending a pillow when you're sleepy.

"Wait, Lingyu, let's check again. If that's the case, that guy should have returned something else!"

"Hmm! This thing is so valuable! Maybe it will drop some super rare item!"

After a brief moment of excitement, Xin Lailai suddenly realized that there might be other good things dropped at the location where the Mother of Birth died. So she stood up without hesitation, nimbly climbed over the pile of rubble, and made her way to the front of the half-collapsed main hall. She took out a shovel and began to dig with great interest.

"Lai Lai, found it!" "So there were other good things dropped after all, but this description..."

A dozen minutes later, Lingyuzi, who had successfully dug out the object buried under the rubble, shouted excitedly. Xin Lailai nodded, her eyes twitching slightly as she looked at the two objects before her.
……

The Great Soul of the Mother Who Gave Birth

Category: Legendary Item

Durability: (None)

Synopsis: The soul of Rosamira, the "Mother of Birth," who worshipped the depths of the abyss, gave birth to the "Demon that Devours Gods," a symbol of misfortune and death. Through this, she gained the power to maintain consciousness by using the bodies of the dead, but in doing so, she was betrayed by her own creation and imprisoned in this kingdom of the dead.

……

Rosamira's Sleeping Ring

Category: Legendary Items/Rings
Durability: (None)

Equipment Requirements: Intelligence 50; Temperament 50
Effect: When equipped, you will automatically receive the highest level "Deep Vow", and the effect will be increased by 100% when using "Deep Series" spells and prayers.

Introduction: Rosamira favors young and strong men. Whenever she finds a man she desires, she will place this ring on his finger and invite him into the "Land of the Dead" to make love with her. This ring is both a symbol of Rosamira's spouse and a qualification to enter the "Land of the Dead".

……

"Hey, so all you have to do with that ugly freak is get this kind of top-tier equipment?"

"...To be honest, with her looks, she'd be better off dead if she did that."

As Xin Lailai gazed at the black ring engraved with strange patterns, she recalled the appearance of the Mother of Birth, and a chill ran down her spine, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. At the same time, she suddenly felt a pang of pity for the first warrior who had obtained the ring.

To do it with that kind of thing... Putting aside their appearance and the stench of a corpse that's been sitting for hundreds of years, just the maggots and pustules all over their body...

"Speaking of which, this is already the second soul we've acquired that we can't use. I wonder when we'll be able to put these things to any use..."

"There's nothing we can do. The only person who knows how to use these souls right now is that old riddle-maker Rudolfs, but he just won't talk about it."

Xin Lailai complained, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

In fact, there are ways to exploit the souls of the gravedigger and the Mother of Birth.

According to what the blindfolded nun told them, Rudolfs of the Firelink Shrine... that is, the short old man sitting on the throne, is actually a powerful being who has mastered the forbidden technology of 'soul transmutation'.

However, when they tried to pry any useful information out of the short old man, he either pretended to be asleep or played riddles. Apart from saying things like, "The opportunity for all of this was lost a long time ago," and "If they could find that opportunity on the pilgrim's path, perhaps there would be a way," he refused to reveal anything else to them.

Based on the experience shared by Xin Lailai and the many cunning old foxes in the chess illusion, Rudolfs' two sentences probably meant that the other party's 'soul forging' required some extremely crucial item, but the other party, out of despair, abandoned that item on the Pilgrim's Path on the way to the Fire Ritual Grounds. Moreover, that item was very likely to be somewhat dangerous, which ensured that it had not been taken away from the Pilgrim's Path by others over the years.

This is one of the benefits of gaining experience; when encountering these old folks who love riddles, you can quickly decipher the meaning behind their riddle-solving remarks. The only problem is...

"That guy is too shrewd; he figured out we were pretending to be stupid after just two sentences."

Xin Lailai sighed, gently rubbing her temples, and remarked with emotion.

In terms of acting skills, he could confidently say he was no less skilled than any seasoned or even top-tier cunning old fox. Yet, even so, Rudolfs realized with just two simple sentences that they were deliberately trying to trick him into revealing information. This gives one an idea of ​​just how much terrifying life experience this short old man sitting on the throne had accumulated.

This is why they are so helpless about it. After all, if they only know the general location but have no idea about the other places, it is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack to find an item that they have never even seen before.

"We can only take it one step at a time. As for now... we should use up these soul points first."

Xin Lailai spoke, retrieved the soul of the blindfolded nun, and entered the collapsed chamber where the King's Fire resided. The next second—

"Lord Black Sword, you... eh? This... where is this...?!"

"Ahem, this is the Land of the Dead at the bottom of Frankish Fortress. We accidentally wandered into this place due to a small accident, and then we became what you see here, Sister."

A pleasant voice, tinged with surprise and confusion, faded away. As the blindfolded nun looked up, she stared at her surroundings, completely stunned. Xin Lailai coughed lightly, explaining somewhat awkwardly:
"In short, although a lot has happened, we have successfully defeated the guardian here, so for now, this place should be safe."

"beat……"

"Lord Black Sword, could it be that you... defeated the legendary Mother of Birth, Lady Rosamira?"

"Well, more or less, although the method was a bit of a trick. By the way, Sister, do you really know her?"

“Eh, me? Well… I’m sorry, Lord Black Sword, I don’t know much about Lady Rosamira. I only know from some descriptions of the Cult of the Deep that she is the founder of the Cult of the Deep and the mother and queen of Lord Elizid.”

"What?"

Elizid's biological mother and queen?

Upon hearing the blindfolded nun's description, Xin Lailai looked bewildered, almost doubting if there was something wrong with her ears.

"This... is somewhat unbelievable, but that's exactly what it says in that forbidden book. It also mentions that Lord Elizid and Lady Rosamira did not have a harmonious relationship. Even after Lord Elizid lost his title as Lord of Cinder, the two had a fierce confrontation over these differences, which only ended when Lady Rosamira was sealed away by Lord Elizid."

"I initially thought that forbidden book was just an absurd fabrication by the author to smear these two lords, but now it seems..."

"To be honest, I can understand why Elizid would do that..."

As Xin Lailai listened to the blindfolded nun's hesitant narration, she clearly felt a bit tense and made a sarcastic remark.

If the 'unofficial history' that the blindfolded nun read is true, then considering Rosamura's appearance as they saw her and the description in "Rosamura's Bedchamber Ring," it suddenly becomes much easier to understand why Elizid did such a thing in his later years.

"This world is truly beyond saving..."

"Eh?"

"Uh, it's nothing, just venting... By the way, Sister, regarding Elizid and Rosamira, I personally think they might not deserve to be addressed with honorifics by you."

"Indeed, indeed! Sister Wuhuo, you shouldn't call these guys 'sir' anymore. None of them are good people, and they don't seem to deserve your respect at all!"

As Xin Lailai spoke, Ling Yuzi, located in the soul space, nodded eagerly and added:

"Especially that ugly freak named Rosamira, she's been sleeping with her own child and looking for lovers everywhere, and she even suddenly attacked us at night, she's so shameless!" "And that Elizid too, there are guys he's been eating all along the way, including some nuns like you, Sister Wuhuo! It makes me so angry!"

"I……"

The blindfolded nun listened to Ling Yuzi's indignant mutterings, glanced at Xin Lailai who shared a body with him, remained silent for a moment, and then said softly:
"Lord Blacksword, you are right. If they really did these things, then from a moral standpoint, I think I can no longer have any respect for them."

"However... in any case, they were people who made efforts for the continuation of this world, and from that point of view, as a Blessed Sister, I should have the most basic respect for them."

"and……"

The blindfolded nun paused abruptly, gently brushed a strand of hair aside, looked up at Xin Lailai, and gave a light, cheerful smile:

"I feel that whenever I think about how I might not have met you, Lord Black Sword, here without your efforts, my resentment towards you... dissipates a lot."

"..."

"Foul! Sister Wuhuo, that's a foul! You can't say things like that at a time like this that could kill the game!"

"Pfft, Lord Shiro is always so energetic, isn't he? Please rest assured, although I don't intend to abandon my respect for Lord Elizid and the others, I don't feel the need to address them with the same honorifics as Lord Shiro."

"Huh? Oh, I knew Wu Huo-neechan was the most considerate!"

"Well, actually, I personally don't mind using other titles..."

"Lord Black Sword".

"……forget it."

"Pfft! Lai Lai is really completely under Wu Huo's thumb! He's never been this obedient to her before! Boys really do prefer their mothers a bit more."

"Lord Bai Yu... please don't joke like that..."

"I think you're the one with the bigger problem here..."

Xin Lailai looked at the white-haired girl in the soul space who seemed to be teasing him but actually wanted to see the blindfolded nun's flustered reaction. Her thought process could almost be described as 'Haki Zero'. She sighed helplessly and interrupted:
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, Sister. We'd appreciate it if you could help us upgrade our blessing level."

"Yes, I understand. Please extend your hand, Lord Black Sword, and I will activate the power of the fire seed for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, the blindfolded nun nodded slightly and quickly got into the meditative state. Seeing this, Xin Lailai didn't say anything more, but knelt down on one knee, closed her eyes, and reached out to hold the other's hand.

……

……

ten minutes later.

Upgrade successful! Current level: LV.53

……

[Black Sword (left)]

Level: LV.53
Oath: "The Deep Oath: LV.MAX"

Soul Points: 154363
Health: 570/570 (100%)

Endurance rating: 570/570 (100%)

Mana: 912/912 (100%)

Soul Energy: 912/912 (100%)

Weapon attack power: 583.8 (364.9 + 218.9)

Shield block strength: 128.0 (80.0 + 48.0)

Strength: 57; Agility: 57
Physical Fitness: 57; Intelligence: 57
Temperament: 57; Soul: 57
……

[Black Sword (Right)]

"Swordsmanship Feat (↑↑↑)": When using swords, weapon attack power is increased by 60%.
"Spell Feats (↑↑↑)": When learning or using spells, spell power is increased by 60%.

"Parry Feat (↑↑↑)": When using shield-type weapons, parry strength is increased by 60%.
"Mana Feats (↑↑↑)": Increases mana growth from mana-related effects and Intelligence by 60%.
"Soul Specialization (↑↑↑)": Increases inspiration-related effects and Soul Energy growth by 60%.
……

Zheng——! !

"Phew... I've finally regained some of my prime."

A powerful clang of the sword rang out. Inside the secret chamber, Xin Lailai looked at the broken wall she had easily cleaved open with a single sword strike, breathed a sigh of relief, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.

"Lord Blacksword, please be careful. Although you are now stronger than most of the Ashes, you may still encounter situations where you are not strong enough to defeat those legendary heroes."

"Yes, I know, I will pay more attention."

Xin Lailai nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then put away the blindfolded nun's soul, looked up at the upside-down entrance above her head, and her gaze flickered.

Having experienced the battle with Rosamira, he now has a general understanding of the strength of the world's top experts. With their current abilities, they might be able to easily defeat something like the Poisonous Dragon, but if they were to face an enemy of Rosamira's caliber, their only option would still be a strategic retreat.

Of course, this is more than enough for them now.

Ding--! !

As the grappling hook fired, inside the secret chamber, Xin Lailai looked at the doorway above her head, tugged at the rope a couple of times to make sure there were no problems, took a deep breath, and was about to climb up when…

Tick-tock! Tick-tock!

The sound of a few unusually clear water droplets rang out in the enclosed space, causing Xin Lailai to glance at them out of the corner of her eye as usual, and then her face froze on the spot.

Inside what should have been the passageway they were climbing, drops of yellowish-brown water were sliding down the edge of the passageway, dripping onto the messy interior floor.

Only now did he suddenly realize that the path they had traveled before seemed to be built based on the inverted gravity rules of the Land of the Dead, and now that gravity had returned to normal, that meant…

The area they once traversed, blocked by the stone gate, is now... perhaps overflowing with water.

"..."

For a moment, Xin Lailai stared at the passage above her head and fell silent. After a long while, as if she had made some kind of realization, she resolutely grabbed the rope and began to climb upwards.

It's decided! Once we get out, even if that damned beastly dragon has already retreated back to its lair, they will definitely drag it out and tear it to pieces!

……

(End of this chapter)