Chapter 532: Heart-beating Aiwass
Aiwass knew what Haibasha wanted them to do, which was why he tried to find a way to pay money to skip this task.
This is the fifth-year anniversary mission, the final link in the chain of events in Haibasha, and also the first time a player enters the dream world in the flesh.
In the previous two years' series of quests, players received the "Prototype Dream-Intoxicating Tincture" and the "Dream Navigator" respectively. This year's anniversary quests required players to complete small quests in various temples and then seek protection from the apostles.
Once you truly enter the dream world, you'll encounter all sorts of invincible plot monsters, many of which are even elites from the next version. Then, your friends and pre-selected partners will swoop in from every corner, showcasing their talents to help stop the enemies and then send you on to the next stop.
Some of the big guys are found by the players right after completing the ring-running mission; some are people they met in the previous main line, such as Merlin; and some are old friends that Haibasha found himself... This is essentially a tour, and is also equivalent to a preliminary introduction to the dream world map.
Finally, they found Haibasha's daughter with great difficulty and discovered that she was not a phantom demon, but a mortal soul intercepted by Haibasha during his mortal period using mysterious techniques - she had not been reincarnated, nor had she turned into a phantom demon.
When Haibasha was still a mortal, he wanted to resurrect her, but he failed until he died and sublimated into a phantom demon, so he simply kept her with him.
Her soul was placed in a very delicate ancient doll, which was hidden in the studio by Haibasha before his reincarnation, sealing the sense of time.
Because she had reached the critical point of transforming into a phantom demon, it would be very easy for her to become a phantom demon. When Hai Basha reincarnated, he couldn't bring her down directly.
The doll in the middle shattered at the last moment, either due to a fight or some other reason. The player, quick-witted, placed her soul on a mechanical bird that Hypatia had previously given her—this bird was the "Dream Navigator."
When she wakes up in the material world, the first person she sees is the player who rescued her. Therefore, she will call the player "Dad" or "Mom." At the same time, due to the damage to her soul, she has forgotten her past memories. Until Haibasha finds a way to restore her memories, she can only stay with the player.
And it is obvious that Haibasha had not been found before Aiwass crossed over.
So the players got a talking pet with a sweet little girl's voice - it was an almost spherical, blue translucent bird with a light blue halo and a tail.
——From the player's perspective, this is a task that must be done.
After all, "she calls me daddy/mom", and it's a pet with light effects... Even if you let it rest on your shoulder or head, it's very valuable for posing for photos.
But from a practical perspective, the birth of this daughter bird is, in a sense, a mission failure; if the mission had succeeded, the one brought down would have been a complete doll, and she would have been resurrected by Haibasha.
Putting aside the question of whether the resurrection of the dead from more than two thousand years ago would violate the taboos of the sand clock... the dream world is simply too dangerous.
You know, Aiwass is still being hunted by Xiong Tiansi.
If he entered the dream world, perhaps the Bear Celestial Master would sniff him out. Wild phantom demons that came to prey on souls could be intercepted or dissuaded by the Nine Pillars' apostles... but if the Celestial Master came to kill him personally, those apostles wouldn't be able to stop him.
If Aiwass wants to go to the dream world, he must at least wait until he pulls Xiong Tiansi down.
Fortunately, Haibasha was tactful—unlike the players who had been getting away with it for free for three years, Aiwass actually paid for it. Furthermore, the amount he paid was significantly more than what people would pay for the esoteric texts on the market… even though these esoteric texts were out of print. However, Aiwass himself was an archbishop and a minister without portfolio in Avalon, placing him in a completely different position from the errand-running players.
So Haibasha decided to personally collect the materials to create the "Prototype Dream-Intoxicating Tincture." This process alone should take two months.
Later, she will realize that Aiwass cannot walk in the dream world, so she will create a "dream navigator" - this is actually what Aiwass is interested in.
Now that Aiwas had the base Morgan had gifted him, if safety wasn't a concern, he didn't need the "Prototype: Dream-Intoxicating Tincture" to venture into the Dream Realm with Isabel. "Prototype: Dream-Intoxicating Tincture" simply provided a powerful buff, protecting the player from sudden, unpredictable AOE kills and allowing them to survive a few rounds in multi-level battles... but the real problem was the lack of navigation.
For a soul from the physical world to enter the Dream World is like a land creature falling into the sea. Although some animals can manage to doggy-paddling, and a very few can dive for prey, they are ultimately not as agile and flexible as purely aquatic animals.
The mere fact of losing one's sense of direction upon entering the "deep sea" is a very serious and unsolvable problem.
Without a navigation device, Aiwass wouldn't even dare to leave the "Morgan Wonderful House" - if he did, he might never be able to come back.
By the time she was able to pack up all these things, several months would have passed. By that time, Aiwass would have probably already taken Xiong Tiansi down. Judging from the current situation, the mark Xiong Tiansi had on Aiwass was growing much faster than this...
After saying goodbye to Haibasha, Aiwass took the two of them to the gathering place of the goblins.
The purchase of the tantra book cost a total of 240,000 White Crown Coins, leaving a small amount—but even that was still tens of thousands of yuan. It was enough to buy some daily necessities.
Outside the bookstore, night has already fallen.
Looking up, the night sky is full of stars - although these stars are fake.
The elves used their ancient technology to synchronize the "ceiling" of each floor with the starry sky at the same moment.
This is to make it easier for astrologers and ritualists so that they don't have to deduce the specific positions of the stars themselves... nor do they have to run to the edge of each layer to see half of the starry sky and then run to the opposite side to see the other half.
The brightness of these starry skies is much brighter than normal starry skies - this is also normal.
Unlike Avalon where there are no entertainment activities at night, the nights in the Theocracy are still as bright as day.
The streets and alleys are filled with huge crystals of various colors shining with neon light.
Night had already fallen, but the streets were still crowded. Different crystal designs and shapes corresponded to different types of shops, while different crystal colors corresponded to the race of the shopkeepers.
Although there are many races in the Theocracy, generally speaking, people tend to do business with their own race.
The dark green diamond-shaped crystals corresponded to goblin shops. Aiwass quickly found a shop that offered troll delivery services and bought some necessary supplies from it.
Although the Theocracy does not allow troll trade, as a permanently neutral country it respects the customs of other races and countries and will not take away other people's property - for example, troll slaves, who were once considered private property, are still considered the property of goblin merchants.
It definitely cannot be sold, as the Church has expressly prohibited such transactions.
But it can be rented.
Just like the goblins who brought trolls to Avalon to build the railway... there are also some goblin merchants who purchase or capture trolls and take them to work - essentially like contractors, but they don't have to pay these trolls wages.
For many trolls, they are happy to work here.
At least in the territory of the Theocracy, one doesn't have to worry about being beaten, starving, or dying. He can wear decent, well-wrapped clothing. If he gets injured or sick, he gets free medical care. It's better than the random birth and death of the scorching southern continent.
"Your Excellency the Archbishop, this is your first time here."
Compared with Mr. "Gold Coin", the goblin merchant's voice is more in line with the human stereotype of goblins - sharp, dry, and noisy.
He had dark green skin, and even when he stepped on the half-meter-high mat, he only reached Aiwass' chest.
His Avalonian language was not very standard and had a thick accent of the Theocracy.
But his service attitude was very warm and respectful: "This time the moving fee is completely waived, it's moved for you for free! In addition, you can also get a 4% discount on this purchase - do you want to look at other things?
"Spend 500 White Crown Coins and get a 98% discount, 1,000 White Crown Coins and a 15% discount. There's also a bonus raffle! 100% chance of winning, with the lowest prize being a piece of fine gem jewelry worth 50 White Crown Coins, and the top prize being a pure-blooded griffin egg! No worries, everything is done according to the rules!"
"Since you don't have a scepter with you, I have a fine white crystal scepter here for only three hundred White Crown coins. There's also an even better consecration scepter, the original price is two thousand eight hundred and eight. Look, it's written on the sign here... Your Excellency, let's be friends. How about I sell it to you for fifteen hundred?"
Although Aiwas originally had no intention of buying anything, he became somewhat tempted after listening to it.
The consecrated scepter is already considered a light purple weapon.
Although it is mass-produced, its status is probably equivalent to Commissioner Gordon's rune sword.
Sherlock's cane is about the same level.
If you can get 1,500 White Crown Coins, buy one and it will be a huge profit!
Aiwass wasn't short of money, and at this price, he could still make a profit selling it secondhand in Avalon. Buying a legitimate, legal, and clean purple weapon in Avalon would cost at least several thousand White Crown coins. Many young Arbitrators wouldn't be willing to use such items.
...And speaking of which, Aiwass doesn't really have a scepter.
Although as a demonologist, he already has a powerful main-hand weapon, but as a priest, he only has the mitre as a secondary weapon and does not really have his own scepter.
This shop had a good reputation among goblin merchants. At least they didn't have any fake goods... The only problem was that they had some second-hand and refurbished items, and the owner was particularly fond of selling unwanted items.
But Aiwass does need the scepter, so it can't be considered unnecessary.
This is a basic need! Basic needs cannot be considered as sales promotion...
It just so happens that I brought enough money this time, with tens of thousands left.
"...Where's the best scepter you have here?"
Aiwass couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything better than the consecration scepter?"
Hearing this, the goblin merchant immediately smiled happily.
"If it's a better one, the discount might not be that big."
He clapped his hands: "Please listen to me introduce each one..."
Behind Aiwass, Sherlock covered his forehead helplessly.
(End of this chapter)
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