The Prophecy of the Tablet

The killing of Ludwig was also accomplished by Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi working together, without relying on Ahan.

Although Ahan fought Ludwig in the Nexus Hall, several hours later, Ludwig's Life Value and status had fully recovered, so his Battle Rating would not be deducted.

Li Shuyi drew three times in a row, earning an A Battle Rating.

"You have obtained the item: Smoke Bomb."

"You have obtained the Gold Equipment: Traveler's Boots."

"You have acquired the Skill Book: Backstab."

The Smoke Bomb is an essential item for Ludwig to use his Smoke Screen ability. It's only a B+ level item, and its effect is to create a Smoke Screen area that obscures the enemy's vision and makes friendly units within the Smoke Screen invisible. Invisibility persists while inside the Smoke Screen.

However, once you leave the Smoke Screen area, the invisibility state will only last for a very short time.

The other Backstab Skill Book requires the attack to be launched from behind the target, and doubles the damage dealt.

Skill Book are pretty good. Although Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi don't need them, they can be traded. Due to the scarcity of Skill Book, many agility-type awakened individuals will have a demand for them.

Finally, there's the Gold Equipment Traveler's Boots. It doesn't have any additional skills, but it does grant 3 points of Agility and 3 points of Constitution. It also has the general effect for footwear, increasing movement speed by 4%, which goes without saying.

"Hey, isn't Ludwig Snakefolk? He doesn't have feet, so where did he get shoes?" Bai Xiaowen complained, then handed the Traveler's Boots to Li Shuyi. He already had the Gold Equipment Sharkskin Boots, while Li Shuyi's footwear was still blue.

"He used to be human. Maybe this is his equipment from before he became Snakefolk. He kept it as a souvenir." Li Shuyi happily accepted the Traveler's Boots and selected the equipment.

These two treasure chests contained two pieces of Gold Equipment and several items. Crucially, both pieces of equipment were usable by Li Shuyi and could enhance her strength; any improvement was worthwhile. Not to mention, there were also Silver Tier items.

After opening the treasure chest, Bai Xiaowen was more concerned about the prophecy quest of the Doom Bracelet.

According to Bai Xiaowen's speculation, this prophecy mission should involve making seven prophecies regarding the locations of the Seven Sacred Artifacts.

If all seven prophecies fail, then most of the potential of the Doom Bracelet will remain unactivated, and it will only be Gold Equipment with a single additional attribute.

If all seven prophecies come true, according to the Spirit Realm Rules, it can be transformed into a Top-grade Dark Gold Equipment. The difference between these two is self-evident.

Bai Xiaowen took out the Prophecy Tablet, looked at its smooth surface, and muttered, "How do you make a prophecy? There's not even a tutorial..."

Li Shuyi: "... Should we shout something at the Prophecy Tablet, like 'Give me guidance' or something like that..."

"This is so melodramatic... but I can only give it a try. Hmm, what I want to predict is the Seven Creation Sacred Artifacts..."

The moment Bai Xiaowen had this thought, a layer of misty smoke suddenly surged on the surface of the Prophecy Tablet, and then Bai Xiaowen felt as if his Divine Might was being sucked away.

"So all you need to do is hold the Prophecy Tablet and think about it?"

Bai Xiaowen did not resist, allowing his Divine Might to flow into him. In an instant, he felt as if his Soul Projection, becoming infinitely light, like a glowing eyeball traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.

The infinitely deep passageway was filled with deformed monsters walking in the darkness. At the end of the passageway, there was a vast valley, with lighthouses lighting up one after another, and finally a magnificent cathedral, engraved with the emblem of the sun. A humanoid monster with blood-red eyes held a large bow that shimmered with light.

Upon seeing the large bow, Bai Xiaowen's consciousness-formed eyeballs instantly rose into the air, traversing an unknown distance once more.

This time it was a dark and damp tomb, extending downwards layer upon layer. The warriors who had been sleeping in the tomb were gradually awakening, rising and roaring! In the lowest level of the tomb, there was a statue of a burly Master Tier, holding a giant axe in both hands.

Then, Bai Xiaowen's consciousness traveled again...

It traveled through time seven times in total, and finally its soul returned to its body.

Bai Xiaowen opened her eyes; beside her stood Li Shuyi, who looked at her with concern.

Ahan and Camelot Queen had already returned, and the three of them surrounded Bai Xiaowen, six eyes fixed on him.

"How much time has passed?" Bai Xiaowen, somewhat surprised.

"It's been several hours," Li Shuyi said.

"That long? I feel like only a few seconds have passed." Bai Xiaowen shook her head.

The scene Bai Xiaowen saw when his Soul Projection was somewhat blurry, like looking out a window through a foggy pane of glass. Bai Xiaowen knew that this was the guidance given by the Prophecy Tablet regarding the locations of the Seven Sacred Artifacts.

Bai Xiaowen secretly complained, "Giving such guidance is worse than just giving me a map of the Black Tide Continent and marking it with seven X's..."

However, this must be the special nature of the mission, requiring Bai Xiaowen to find the location of the Seven Sacred Artifacts based on the blurry images he sees.

Camelot Queen looked at Bai Xiaowen with some anticipation. "You were just using the Prophecy Tablet, weren't you? Where are the Seven Sacred Artifacts?"

"In fact, all I saw was..."

As Bai Xiaowen finished speaking, he suddenly received a notification from the Spirit Realm Rules:

"Warning: The images revealed on the Prophecy Tablet are known only to the Prophet. The Prophet must not reveal the contents of the images to anyone, or he will lose a corresponding amount of lifespan (depending on the importance of the guidance)."

"Note: As an Awakened One, if you violate the above rules, although your lifespan will not be reduced, the prophecy mission [The Prophet's Mission] will fail immediately."

Bai Xiaowen understood. The first warning referred to the punishment for violations by the Spirit Realm beings acting as prophets. The second warning, however, was for violations by awakened beings acting as prophets.

Although the guiding image cannot be revealed, the prophet can determine the target location based on his own knowledge and the guiding image on the Prophecy Tablet, and then point out the location to other heroes. These two things are not contradictory.

For example, if the prophet sees a poisonous snake at the target location in the Prophecy Tablet, he cannot directly tell the hero about the snake due to the rules, but he can tell the hero to bring some antidote; if he sees that the target location is below a cliff, he cannot directly tell the hero about the cliff, but he can tell the hero to bring some rope.

"No wonder the prophets in movies all have long white beards, talk a lot of nonsense, and like to create an air of mystery... It turns out they're forced to. Of course, they want to tell you everything they've 'seen,' but saying it would shorten their lifespan. Who would do such a losing proposition..."

Guidance on minor matters, like finding a lost kitten, might only cost a little lifespan. But guidance of the Seven Creation Sacred Artifacts, if violated, could result in immediate death.

"Being a prophet isn't easy..."

Bai Xiaowen sighed inwardly, then said to Camelot Queen and Ahan, "I cannot say."

Both powerful figures from the Black Tide Plane were completely bewildered.

"Then do you know where the Seven Sacred Artifacts are?" Camelot Queen changed her question.

"I guess I know... but I don't know for sure yet." Bai Xiaowen scratched his head.

Ahan: "..."

Camelot Queen: "..."

Li Shuyi (touching Bai Xiaowen's forehead): "..."

Having just obtained the Prophecy Tablet, Bai Xiaowen felt he was starting to resemble a charlatan. He quickly said, "It's like this, I've obtained some information, but it needs verification to find the location of the Seven Sacred Artifacts... Do you know where I can find ancient documents about the Black Tide Continent? The more, the better."

Ahan shook his head, Camelot Queen said, "Speaking of ancient documents, our Camelot Royal Library stores a vast amount of material, the vast majority of which are myths, epics, legends, and anecdotes. There are many legends about the Seven Sacred Artifacts, but most of them are just the creations of bored bards and have little reference value."

"That makes things much easier," Bai Xiaowen said. "I can distinguish the truth from falsehood in those legends and ultimately make the prophecy of the Seven Sacred Artifacts."

Camelot Queen and Ahan were both somewhat excited.

"In that case, let's hurry to the Kingdom of Camelot. How many days will it take to get there from here?" Li Shuyi also knew that Bai Xiaowen and she only had 7 days left to stay.

"The key question is, where are we?" Bai Xiaowen asked. "Without knowing our location, we can't plan a route. Did you determine your orientation when you went out?"

Ahan replied, "This place is somewhat similar to the Qila Mountains, which are not far from Hodge Town. I was looking at the mountain range from outside the hall just now, and it felt very familiar."

Camelot Queen said, "I don't know about other things, but according to common sense about Teleportation Orb, the closer the two Teleportation Orb are, the more cost-effective they are, and the less magic power is consumed each time they are used. Since the Fate Sect constructed these two Teleportation Orb only to return to the Black Tide Continent from the inner chamber, then this hall should be located by the sea."

"That's right, Hodge Town is right by the sea," Bai Xiaowen said.

Ahan: "But the Kingdom of Camelot is not close to Hodge Town; it takes three days to get there on horseback."

Camelot Queen smiled and said, "There's no need for such trouble."

All eyes were on the beautiful and noble queen.

"There is a Teleportation Orb here, and in my mage tower in Camelot Royal City, there are many, including some blank orbs that have never been used," Camelot Queen said. "As long as I adjust the magic runes of this Teleportation Orb to establish a connection with the blank orbs in the mage tower, I can teleport directly there."

Bai Xiaowen originally wanted to say that constructing Teleportation Orb over such a long distance would be quite costly, but considering Camelot Queen's status and wealth, he wisely swallowed his words.

Therefore, rescuing Camelot Queen during the main quest is very beneficial. It saves several days of travel time and allows access to the Royal Library to consult ancient documents and legends, which is a rare opportunity.

Ahan said, "I need to go back to Hodge Town..."

Seeing the others' puzzled looks, Ahan's expression turned grave. "I feel that the time is not far off when the Snakefolk will land and launch an attack on the Black Tide Continent... And Hodge Town is right by the sea. If the doomsday prophecy comes true and the sea level rises, the coastal towns will be the first to suffer... I must go back and lead everyone to migrate to the higher inland areas."

Bai Xiaowen nodded slightly. Ahan's speculation was reasonable and not just unfounded worry.

After the battle in the End Hall, the group entered the inner chamber. The unusual "Earthquake" was definitely not a natural disaster, but most likely caused by the big boss forcibly descending with 80% of its container incomplete.

Ahan continued, "You go to Camelot Royal City first. I'll find a place for the people of Hodge Town to settle down, and then I'll come back to find you."

Camelot Queen: "It's too hasty. You'll have a hard time finding a suitable place to settle so many people. Why not bring them to Camelot? I'll have the Minister of the Interior arrange a suitable place for them."

Ahan bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Your Majesty, your benevolence shines upon the entire Black Tide Continent." Although Camelot Queen's territory did not include Hodge Town, and she was not Ahan's superior, Ahan's gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.

As Ahan was about to leave the hall, Bai Xiaowen said, "Ahan, although you have a high reputation in Hodge Town, it's still difficult to get so many people to leave their homes with you based on an unverified doomsday prophecy. I suggest you don't be too demanding; persuading most people to leave with you is enough. As for those who are determined not to believe you, you can't take them with you. Don't hesitate; that will only lead everyone to their doom."

Ahan remained silent for a moment. Bai Xiaowen's current identity was that of a prophet, so his words carried weight.

"I see."

After Ahan left, Camelot Queen began to busy herself around the Teleportation Orb. She took out precious materials of various colors, inscribed corresponding magical runes, and placed them around the Teleportation Orb's stone pillars in a certain order.

According to Camelot Queen, these magical runes were originally meant to be buried underground in sequence, following the flow of ley line magic, to draw upon the ley line magic and maintain their effectiveness for a long time. However, she doesn't have the time for that now, so they can only be used as disposable items.

Bai Xiaowen's eyes twitched slightly as she looked at several materials.

[Adamantite: A valuable item that can be used as currency in specific worlds, or exchanged for 4500 Psionic Points at the end of a level.]

[Yellow Crystal Stone: A valuable item that can be exchanged for 6000 Psionic Points at the stage completion screen.]

[Large Ruby: A valuable item that can be exchanged for 3000 Psionic Points at the stage completion screen.]

Other items include dragon scales, demon bear hides, and flying snake wings, which I won't go Yi-Yi detail about.

Bai Xiaowen felt a little restless, but he refrained from asking for it—although Camelot Queen would probably give it to him if he asked, Bai Xiaowen didn't want to be looked down upon or have his Affection Level lowered because of it.

Upon completing the second main quest, Bai Xiaowen's Affection Level with Ahan and Camelot Queen reached the "friend" and "friend" levels respectively, while Camelot Queen's "Infatuation Level was "admiration".

Your friendships with Camelot Queen are very important; trading Affection Level for Psionic Points isn't worth it.

Bai Xiaowen has no shortage of Psionic Points; he owns a territory and is a big boss who runs a cross-border trade business.

"Okay, it's finally finished."

After an hour of work, Camelot Queen breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Let's go."