Chapter 8 Reward Time: New Player Rewards + New Player Gift Pack + Mystery...
Dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel.
This damn game can only be activated in the Mist Rift, but there are more mutated creatures than humans and more trash than mutated creatures here. Where am I supposed to find followers?
Du Yu lay peacefully on the stone steps, remaining still for a while, before opening the system notification to check the rewards he hadn't had time to examine carefully before.
Du Yu still has three rewards to claim: four items from completing four beginner quests, a beginner gift pack given upon completing the special building [Altar], and a reward obtained when constructing the Divine Kingdom building [Primary Temple].
Unclaimed rewards will be temporarily stored in the system space for three days, during which time they will not occupy inventory space. Of the four supplies given as part of the beginner quests, the [Clean Well] has already been placed on the open ground next to the altar.
This game is a rare treat for me; besides a well surrounded by bricks and stones, it even comes with a water-drawing device. Du Yu clicks on the well's information panel:
【Name: Clean Well】
[Rank: E (Upgradeable)]
[Item Description: A well that produces approximately 10 liters of clean water per day. The water is non-toxic, but it is hard; long-term consumption may lead to problems such as hair loss.]
[Upgrade Method: Acquire elements such as Erosion/Elevation/Purification]
"This well can be upgraded?" Du Yu sat up abruptly, looking curiously at the section that wasn't listed after the other items.
Perhaps because the novel automatically filled in the gaps in its worldview after Du Yu transmigrated into the book, he discovered that this novel's world and his own world were very similar in the realm of the extraordinary.
The extraordinary arrival of both worlds stemmed from a catastrophe that nearly destroyed the world. The civilization of the old world collapsed, but it also brought humanity new abilities.
Those with superpowers—called "Invaders" in the fictional world—possess unique extraordinary abilities. Each person, upon awakening, will consciously know the name of their ability (that is, their trait).
Although everyone's abilities are different, they all share similarities. For example, the original owner's "Wheel of Fate" and the novel's male protagonist's trait "Equivalent Balance" are both traits involving the exchange of luck.
The world of the novel is technologically advanced, and its civilization was better preserved after the cataclysm. The scholars there not only discovered the similarities in the abilities of the superhumans, but also proposed the famous "elemental hypothesis".
The "Elements Hypothesis" posits that all supernatural beings share a common origin. Scholars have named this hypothetical origin "Source." They argue that the stronger a superhuman is, the purer their traits are, and the closer they are to "Source" in the realm of supernatural beings. Based on this, they propose that "Source" has six superior elements, and the traits possessed by superhumans originate from these six superior elements.
But the original owner didn't listen carefully in class to find out exactly which six types there were. After hearing that "destiny" was one of them, he closed his eyes contentedly.
Du Yu is now interested, but unfortunately, she has no way of understanding this kind of obscure supernatural research in the Mist Rift.
"Could erosion, ascension, and purification be among the superior elements, or merely ordinary elements subordinate to them?"
Du Yu memorized the upgrade requirements for the well and continued organizing the supplies.
Of the three remaining items from the beginner quest rewards, the first-aid kit was used for healing and is now carried on Tian Yinuo's back. The animal skin hat was damaged during the battle with the soft-bodied monster, losing its +1 defense attribute.
The pollution measuring instrument was still temporarily stored in the system. After Du Yu took it out, he placed it next to the altar. The pollution measuring instrument looked a bit like a large thermometer. The main body was a transparent tube engraved with numerical values, and below it was a metal device that Du Yu couldn't understand.
Because the [Stealth] effect of the primary temple was activated, even the pervasive pollution in the mist rifts was excluded. The pointer on the pollution meter trembled a few times before slowly rising to 0.3.
According to the instructions, this pollution level should not affect human health. But is there still pollution inside the supposedly safe and enclosed temple?
Du Yu was a little puzzled. His gaze swept over the seemingly harmless altar, and he touched his chin. Could it be that the "friendly aura" that Tian Yinuo mentioned was actually a kind of pollution?
The system had become much quieter since Du Yu completed the beginner's quests, and 166 seemed to be hiding somewhere, pretending to be dead. No one answered Du Yu's questions, but she didn't care and continued organizing the supplies.
The construction reward for the basic temple is the lowest, consisting of only a [Stone Egg of Unknown Purpose]. The hint says to place it in the altar to hatch it, so Du Yu casually placed it in the light purple mist.
The final newbie gift pack is much more generous, containing not only the three blueprints shown, but also two unknown items marked as random.
Du Yu got up and rushed to the well, filling a small bucket with water. The movement aggravated his wound, and Du Yu grimaced. After washing his hands, he bowed to the altar, muttered a prayer for his own protection, and then opened the brocade-shaped gift bag.
[Ding-dong~ Congratulations to the player for obtaining [Beginner Bread Baking Machine Blueprint]*1, [Altar Upgrade Blueprint (Unique)]*1, [Spirit Realm Wandering Scroll (Unique)]*1, [Synthesis Recipe - Any Space Door], and [Spatial Positioning Anchor]*1]
Synthesis recipe! Du Yu's eyes lit up; he had really pulled out something good! Recipe synthesis is a feature that can only be unlocked by high-level synthesizers. The synthesized items are known, unlike basic synthesis which involves exploiting bugs or gambling on luck.
Du Yu eagerly opened the recipe, but the joy on his face gradually disappeared.
[Recipe Name: Any Space Door]
[Rank: B]
[Materials: Door*1, Core of a Fallen Species of the Dark Level*1, Aura from Outside the Door*1]
[Compound Description: A door to any space. The space outside the door depends on the aura used in its synthesis; the stronger the aura, the more precise the location.]
[Note: This is a one-way door (disposable)]
A portal allows one to leave the misty rift as long as they possess an item imbued with the essence of the real world.
The items are good, but why is it so frustrating? This game lures you into the Misty Rift, and then you have to gather materials and craft the way out yourself?
Are the cores of the Fallen Species of the Dark Level easy to obtain?
Having learned from the previous experience with the crafting recipe, Du Yu had a guess about the function of the second item. Sure enough, the [Spatial Positioning Anchor] was designed to work in conjunction with the [Any Space Gate]!
【Name: Spatial Positioning Anchor】
[Rank: B]
[Item Description: Consists of a mother anchor and a daughter anchor. During random teleportation, the carrier of the daughter anchor will be teleported to the anchorage range of the mother anchor.]
Sure enough, the temple was still built inside the Misty Rift. Since the game provided a way out, it would naturally provide a way back. Fortunately, this was a finished product, so I didn't have to collect materials to craft it myself.
Although it felt like something was arranged by the system, at least one of her troubles was resolved. Du Yu composed herself and checked the remaining items in the gift pack.
The "Spirit Realm Wandering Scroll" is marked as unique, so it should be a good item. However, after Du Yu clicked on it, a new "Spirit Realm Wandering" button appeared on the left side of the game interface, indicating that there were currently no conditions for its use.
"You've just painted me a rosy picture."
Du Yu muttered to himself, increasingly feeling that this so-called game gift pack was just a pie in the sky painted by the developers—it looked tempting, but he couldn't actually get a piece of it.
The same applies to the altar upgrade blueprint.
[Common Altar Upgrade Blueprint: 3x Fallen Core of Tidy Level, 10x Believer, 5x C-Grade Extraordinary Materials]
Upgrading the altar will improve the synthesis effect. But with my current strength, which takes me half a day to recover from fighting monsters that haven't completed their corrupted transformation, when will I ever be able to use this blueprint?
Fortunately, the blueprints were used frequently in the end. After using the blueprints, a [Basic Bread Baking Machine] was synthesized. After synthesis, bread could be obtained by consuming stamina. The level was not high, only D, but what was surprising was that when Du Yu placed it in the kitchen, an option to authorize believers to use it popped up.
This bread machine actually drained Tian Yinuo's energy. Du Yu clicked "yes" and told Tian Yinuo how to operate the machine. With two "click-click" sounds, a baguette rolled out of the conveyor belt.
A bag contains six loaves of black bread, each about the thickness of an adult's upper arm. Considering that a little physical effort can buy a day's worth of staple food, it's quite a bargain.
How are you feeling?
"How amazing! I'm a little tired, but it's okay, it's like I just swept the floor."
Tian Yinuo was eager to try, but only started to tire after pressing the button four or five times. Du Yu confirmed that the machine had no negative effects, and after reminding her to press it a maximum of six times a day, he left the kitchen with a loaf of bread and a bowl of meat soup.
The black bread from this game was terribly unpalatable. When Du Yu took a bite, he felt like he was gnawing on hard wood. He had to strengthen his teeth with his mental power to be able to bite through it. After eating six pieces of black bread, Du Yu was covered in sweat.
If it weren't for the [Gluttony] talent, Du Yu would reasonably suspect that eating this thing would drain his health.
After drinking the bitter, slightly burnt meat broth, Du Yu closed his eyes and felt the warm current of energy spreading throughout his body after eating. His wounds itched slightly as the warm current passed through, but most of the warmth seemed to fall into a bottomless pit and disappear in an instant.
Du Yu clutched his stomach, which was still feeling hungry after he had just finished eating, opened the interface, and stared at the [Gene Collapse] status bar with a slightly darkened gaze.
"I must get rid of this negative status as soon as possible, otherwise even with the [Gluttony] talent, I will eventually be dragged down by this debuff."
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