Psionic Equipment Slots (Third Update)
Bai Xiaowen soon realized she was overthinking things.
Summoning creatures to use psionic equipment requires resonating with Psionic Particles.
To resonate with Psionic Particles, the summoned creature must possess an autonomous consciousness that is integrated with itself. For example, the current Butcher Fatty has developed a sliver of incomplete self-awareness within the body of Corpse Demonfolk, which is why it has activated three equipment slots.
The other summoned creatures did not develop self-awareness, so they did not meet the requirements.
Kitz wouldn't be an option either. His independent consciousness was "stuffed" into the body of this Vampire summon. According to the Spirit Realm Rules, Kitz is currently in a state of fusion between "a human soul" and "a Vampire body," and would not be considered an individual with independent consciousness.
"Little Zombie, I have a task for you... Can you develop more Voodoo Core for my other summoned creatures to use?" Bai Xiaowen pulled the Zombie Doctor over in a very friendly manner.
Zombie Doctor shuddered. "Boss, I can't do it!"
"Hmm? You've studied it for so long and even managed to improve it, so why can't you just copy a few?" Bai Xiaowen asked doubtfully.
"Voodoo Core are all about compatibility, Boss! The previous Voodoo Core was only suitable for Stitched Monster's Corpse Monster. To create Voodoo Core that's compatible with skeletons, wolves, and ghosts is like starting from scratch. The workload is incomparable to improvement!" Zombie Doctor with a mournful face, trying to explain the difference between creation and improvement to his layman boss.
"Oh... it's just a difference in workload?" Bai Xiaowen stroked her chin. "It's alright, I'll give you time..."
"It's not just a matter of workload, boss! A masterpiece like the Voodoo Core, capable of imbuing inanimate objects with consciousness, has already stepped into the realm of Creator. To complete such a core requires not only 99% perspiration but also 1% inspiration! That 1% inspiration may seem insignificant, but without it, the 99% perspiration is meaningless! Perhaps, Voodoo Core that can give a skeleton self-awareness simply doesn't exist?"
Bai Xiaowen wholeheartedly agreed, patting Zombie Doctor on the shoulder. "What you said makes a lot of sense, but we China have a saying, 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' Keep it up, I believe in you! I hope to see your results when we return to Kane next time."
Zombie Doctor: "... Boss, are you even listening to me?"
Bai Xiaowen blinked. "Don't you want to study Voodoo Alchemy? Don't you want to uncover the mysteries of alchemy?"
"Of course I want to, it's my goal," Zombie Doctor said immediately.
"Isn't this a great approach?" Bai Xiaowen said. "Think about it, if you can create Voodoo Core that fit different types of summoned creatures, allowing them to develop their own consciousness, you'll have achieved something even greater than Norton. How could the secrets of alchemy be kept from you then?"
"That's true... but I still feel like something's not right..." Zombie Doctor scratched his sparsely haired head.
"It's settled then. You can start by imitating it. Set a small goal first: replicate the Voodoo Core that fits the Stitched Monster's monster. Maybe in the process, you'll get that one percent inspiration. I'll have Harvey supervise you. Good luck!"
Bai Xiaowen gave him a "I have high hopes for you" look, then quickly left the Underground Research Lab with the newly evolved Butcher.
"But Boss! My vacation, my vacation, ahhhhhh..."
The Zombie Doctor's Howl echoed in the basement of the research institute.
Bai Xiaowen was in a very good mood.
In fact, the addition of three equipment slots doesn't have a very significant effect on the Butcher.
An awakened being has over a dozen equipment slots, including main and off-hand weapons, as well as head, neck, shoulders, wrists, chest armor (upper garment), back, waist, legs, feet, two rings, and two accessories. Extra attributes are accumulated from these numerous pieces of equipment.
These three equipment slots can only give the Butcher a total attribute bonus of around ten points at most, and that requires Gold Equipment.
Of course, if the Butcher has a good weapon, his basic attack damage can be increased significantly, because the additional attack power of a weapon is very important for the damage of a single attack.
(Here are the formulas: Maximum total attack power = Strength * 1.5 (maximum) + Weapon bonus attack power (maximum); Minimum total attack power = Strength * 0.5 (minimum) + Weapon bonus attack power (minimum). Whether a single attack can achieve maximum attack power depends on Battle Specialty and the combat situation, which will not be elaborated further.)
Bai Xiaowen took the opportunity to open the treasure chest dropped by the wandering swordsman Aquit after his death— Cecilia was always by his side, so he couldn't open it.
The Spirit Realm Rules awarded Aquit B-Tier Battle Rating for the kill, which is somewhat inflated.
It should be noted that the Battle Rating of A, B, and C-Tier are just three broad categories and are not precise.
With Bai Xiaowen's current strength, if he teams up with Li Shuyi to kill a level 7 Boss Tier, his Battle Rating will not drop to C, and if he kills a level 8 Boss Tier, his Battle Rating will not jump to A; he will only receive B-Tier rating.
However, even within the same B-Tier rating, there are still differences.
The treasure chests from level 8 Boss Tier are definitely more valuable, and there's even a chance to get something as a bonus, like "guaranteed drop, doesn't count against the draw list." This is the dynamic balance of the Spirit Realm Rules.
Aquit's treasure chest yielded two items.
A bottle of "Chameleon Blood Potion" is used to conceal one's own Psionic Particles fluctuations (Psychic Field) and simulate a corresponding aura to confuse others. This thing has no other use except for pretending to be weak and showing off.
The other item, called "The Vagabond Swordsman's Trench Coat," was a Gold Equipment with bonuses to agility and evasion, though its stats were average. Bai Xiaowen recalled Li Shuyi's Snake-Scale Armor, and compared to the two Golden Tier upper garments, he felt the Snake-Scale Armor was superior, so he put the trench coat into his Storage Space.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was Bai Xiaowen's fifth day in the Kane Plane.
During this time, Bai Xiaowen spent all his time with Cecilia. Of course, the two did more than just talk about love; Bai Xiaowen was also learning some shooting and Battle Specialty from Cecilia.
Archery was Cecilia's forte and her hobby. Bai Xiaowen's request for instruction hit the nail on the head, and the two of them, one teaching and the other learning, truly resembled a female teacher imparting knowledge. (The authentic version of the video is available online.)
Teamwork makes the dream work, and the same goes for learning Battle Specialty. After several days of study and training, Bai Xiaowen's Ranged Shooting Specialty finally reached level 4. With the support of the Ultimate Academic Ace, he could reach level 5 shooting level, which was barely enough to match his Awakened level.
I've always felt that data flow doesn't need to include all the data systems in the main text... It's like when you're playing a game; you know how much damage a hit does to a monster, and if you switch to a more powerful weapon, you know it's easier to attack. There's no need to calculate the exact damage output of each hit according to the damage formula... That would be exhausting. It's the same with reading. If I wrote all of that out, it would just be padding the word count, and it would be boring for everyone to read.
Of course, I prepared detailed data on everything from the success rate of enhancements to the damage formula, damage reduction formula, and the attribute distribution of monsters (excluding summoned creatures) at each level and for each template before writing this book. This is the foundation for writing a data-driven book, and I, Old Ya, will not be lazy about it.
The damage formula provided this time is a special case and will not be used again. Those who want to see the formula can join the group for a detailed discussion.