Eternal Star of Emerald

"You mean... you're going to sleep?"

"Mm." There always seemed to be an unspeakable melancholy in its tone. "Since the Twilight of the Apocalypse is drawing near, it's time for me to enter my long slumber."

No wonder the Strategy Group's intel was misleading. By the time they reached Amber City after a long campaign, Perfect Amber had likely already fallen into a deep sleep.

"How long will you sleep for?"

"I don't know. Perhaps until the Twilight of the Apocalypse arrives."

It seemed, then, that Perfect Amber's slumber wasn't all that long.

It was then that Li Wen remembered she still had a cloak. It was even a relic from a Witch that Perfect Amber knew.

"Esteemed Witch..." Perfect Amber was a title others used for It, not Its own. After a moment's thought, Li Wen decided to address It this way. "This cloak..."

Silence fell again from behind the curtain. After a long pause, It finally spoke, "Since you have obtained it, it belongs to you now."

This surprised Li Wen a little. From Perfect Amber's tone, it sounded as if the cloak was Its possession, not that of the Daughter of Amber named Livia.

"Put on that cloak, and those girls will see you as one of their own and won't harm you anymore. You can leave on your own."

So that was its purpose. Li Wen nodded. She had been prepared to fight her way out, but now she could save a life.

Though players' lives were really worthless.

Li Wen immediately took off her tattered cloak and put on the new one.

[Eternal Star of Emerald]

[Armor - Cloak - Rare (Purple)]

[A cloak woven from the sands of the Emerald Star, possessing the powerful eternal force of twilight. It is said that only the most outstanding Witches are worthy of wearing it, and it is recognized as a form of proof for a Witch leader.]

[Twilight's End: Consume 50% Magic Power to reset the calculation of twilight's erosion. Cooldown: 7 days.]

[Witch's Proof: Possessing this item will prevent autonomous attacks from the Daughters of Amber.]

[Emerald Star's Eternal Guardian: Consume 30% Magic Power to create one Magic Shield that can absorb one instance of damage (not exceeding your own HP); or consume 20% Magic Power to create 3-5 Magic Shields that can absorb one instance of damage (not exceeding 20% of your own HP). Cooldown: 3 days.]

The power of this cloak far exceeded Li Wen's expectations. She didn't quite understand the first ability yet, but it required half her Magic Power to activate, so it couldn't be weak. The second ability, Perfect Amber had already explained, and frankly, it would be useless once she left Amber City.

Most importantly, the third ability. Consuming 30% Magic Power could create a Magic Shield equivalent to an extra life. Although Li Wen already had Prayer Incantation, her level one Prayer Incantation could only block 10% of damage at a time, making it completely outclassed.

With this piece of equipment, even if Moria came knocking, she'd have some ability to stall, rather than being instantly killed upon sight.

"Come find me again when you've advanced to Witch," Perfect Amber declared, essentially telling her to leave.

Li Wen bowed and thanked It again before pushing open the door and leaving the inner sanctum.

The corridor outside was empty. Li Wen looked up and saw that the awakened Daughters of Amber were clinging to the ceiling. They should have been trying to kill her, but now they acted as if they didn't see her, hanging upside down like bats, their pale hair dangling like cobwebs, a truly chilling sight.

After safely leaving the Amber Temple, Li Wen returned to the Bell Tower.

The Giant on the tower didn't look at her but stared into the distance.

"It seems you were successful."

Li Wen remained silent. She didn't want to reveal anything about her time in the temple, naturally including obtaining the Codex. Although the Late Bell had said that all the Elders had sworn not to touch The Final Codex, words were words, and taking them completely at face value would be foolish.

The Giant Elder knew the topic was inappropriate, so it continued, "I thought you might die in there."

"Because of the Daughters of Amber?"

"Yes." The Giant's massive head bobbed up and down. "Even I wouldn't dare face them alone. In the past, they were Amber City's most powerful army, capable of destroying everything."

As the Giant spoke, the dim, hazy sky in the distance suddenly erupted with light, as if another sun had risen. Moments later, that sun vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving behind a terrifying black void in the sky that lingered for a long time.

"What was that?"

Li Wen frowned. That was definitely not a normal celestial phenomenon, especially not in the City of Eternity.

"Don't mind it. Just some insects. They've been cleaned up."

Hearing this, Li Wen recalled Livia, the Daughter of Amber who had suddenly left earlier. Perfect Amber had said something similar.

She had many questions, such as what those "insects" were, why all the Daughters of Amber were asleep except for Livia, why Livia could leave the Amber Temple freely without restriction, and so on...

But none of that mattered to her now. The most important thing was to get The Final Codex to bind to her.

"I need a place that is absolutely safe, with no life, outside the domain of any Pillar God, far from the sky, and far from the earth."

Hearing Li Wen's description, the Giant Late Bell fell into a long silence.

It wasn't contemplating the so-called "absolutely safe place," but rather Li Wen's intentions. The Giant Late Bell had never even seen The Final Codex, let alone know how to use it.

The Late Bell had no obligation to help Li Wen, but it was still waiting for Li Wen to help it find someone. To it, the faster Li Wen grew stronger, the faster she could go to the outer city to search for that person.

So it said, "Enter the Bell Tower. Once you see the clock face, move the three hands to the positions ix, xii, and iv in order of length, then walk out through the door. But remember, once you leave the Bell Tower for more than a quarter of an hour, you will never be able to return."

"It doesn't matter."

For players, being banished to another dimension or sealed in an unknown corner meant that if they died once and reset their resurrection point, they would always respawn at the place where they first entered the game.

"Are you sure you've thought this through?" The Late Bell assumed Li Wen was relying on the Eye of the Transcendent and no longer tried to dissuade her, simply falling silent.

Li Wen walked into the Bell Tower. The tower, which had been empty last time, now truly held a massive dial. The Twilight Stone, however, had vanished.

The dial was divided into twelve sections, each featuring a different style of painting and a corresponding symbol. Three hands of varying lengths were adorned with star-like fragments of stone that glittered brilliantly, looking exceptionally beautiful. At this moment, all three hands pointed to the XII position.

Without overthinking it, Li Wen followed the Late Bell's instructions and forcefully moved the three hands of different lengths to their designated positions.

Nothing changed, at least not that Li Wen could feel.

But as she turned to leave the Bell Tower, gazing at the shattered crimson sky, she realized she was already in another world.