Chapter 185 138: Inventor: Niuniu, Invention Project...

With the influx of more and more players, the topic of the Spirit Candle naturally grew hotter. Discussion threads on the forums were also skyrocketing...

Recently, major events had been happening on the forums one after another.

First was the launch of the new "Dark Journey" expansion. The four new dungeons that appeared all at once had the Prison Players crying out for more, while leaving new players itching to try them.

Then there was the dungeon that garnered the most attention: the Casa Peninsula. After a period of exploration, the players had successfully mapped out most of it.

Though a crowd of players was ready with popcorn, the Storyteller—their supplier of lore to munch on—was still painstakingly excavating the background story and had yet to post an update.

However, the players' discussions didn't stop. Aside from cursing out the hellish design of the Bottom of the Well, more and more discussions were popping up about the final boss, the Dark Soul Witch.

Earth Yellow Armor: "Say what you will, but that old witch's soul is actually pretty good-looking."

Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao: "She's still got her charms, gyehehehe..."

Bees don't like flying: "Looking for Witch lewds!"

Soul Licker: "No wonder those mummified corpses by the bed looked like they died in ecstasy... Damn it! If this game had a bit more freedom, I'd make her get a taste of what it's like to..."

[User "Soul Licker" has been muted for three days for violating forum rules. We ask all users to please post responsibly!]

Earth Yellow Armor: "He deserved it! Justice has been served!"

"..."

This bunch of shameless players always managed to derail the thread, constantly spouting such outrageous and indecent comments that even Luo Ge couldn't bear to look anymore.

...

The tone of the discussion surrounding the Ocean domain dungeon was completely different from that of the Casa Peninsula.

After successfully performing Fire Ignition with the Deep Sea Worm Fire Seed, Li Qun excitedly shared his results.

Venerable Lique: "A single Fire Seed swallowed down, I'll turn into a Worm and stir the great sea. Who says the Frog Race has no emperor? I shall be the one to end his life! Deep-Sea Worm Fire Seed equipped."

Crafty Frog: "Ahahahaha! My Frogman race has endured endless humiliation and scorn, but now, at last, we rise!"

This Venerable One Suppresses All Enemies: "The ocean races are rising again. I'm afraid the days of peace for the Human Race are over..."

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "Holy cow, Frogman Candle Spirits could already stay underwater for ages. Now they get a Deep-Sea Worm Fire Seed, too? Are they the new kings of naval warfare? The Marine Corps of this game?"

Nine-tailed Fox: "Paying top dollar for a Deep-Sea Worm Pearl!"

Ah Lala: "I should've picked a Frogman. I want to roam the ocean freely, too!"

Huo Wang Slays Today: "Who needs a Worm? It can't compare to my Madman Stream's heart-ripping fun. Eat my tongue!"

Fellow Daoist Shushan: "Heard you can open chests inside the Deep Sea Worm's stomach? Is that for real? So badass."

Never Air Force Fisherman: "You can fish on this map. Thumbs up. Hope they add more like it."

Tobacco and Alcohol Wanderer: "Hahaha, the way these young people talk is just so interesting (smile)."

"..."

Before this, as the game version progressed, Fire Ignition had long ceased to be a rare occurrence, and the variety of special Fire Seeds had naturally become much richer.

However, from a categorical standpoint, nearly all the special Fire Seeds that had appeared before were land-based creature types.

The Deep-Sea Worm, as a special Fire Seed, naturally couldn't be grouped with them. It could only be listed in a category of its own—marine creatures.

The biggest difference between the two was, of course, their primary habitat.

The powerful traits of the oceanic Worm Fire Seed allowed players who performed Fire Ignition to move about the ocean with much greater ease. The trade-off was that their mobility on land became more difficult.

However, this was only the case when transformed.

Before transforming, players could, of course, still move on land.

In short, the appearance of the Deep-Sea Worm Fire Seed was a milestone. In the future, many more of these ignitable Fire Seeds would surely appear.

This was the true reason the Frogman players were so excited.

Their bloodline was already well-suited for oceanic activity, and now another buff had undoubtedly raised their potential even higher. Of course they were delighted.

...

In response, the Mage players offered their own sour-grapes commentary.

With the recent arrival of Burton Mage, the forum spotlight should have been on them.

My Son Failed, But I'm On Shore: "My take on it is, you're better off just learning Underwater Breathing from Teacher Burton (nosepick)."

I'm Still Waiting for Dark: "Exactly! What's the use of being strong in the sea? You still have to walk like a normal person once you get on Shore. A barrel's capacity is limited by its shortest stave. We Mages are the true almighty kings!"

Ye Chen: "I feel like you could probably do this Fire Ignition and still go for a Magic build, right? (thinking)"

Baka Cat: "How dare you have such a heretical thought! Your Mage card is revoked! (pointing husky meme)"

Old Dice: "Almighty? More like a jack of all trades, master of none (nosepick)."

Baka Cat: "So audacious! You dare insult us Mages? You're so dead, kid!"

Old Dice: "If Mages are so great, you must have a lot of Wax Oil saved up, right? (innocent)"

Baka Cat: "..."

I'm Still Waiting for Dark: "Thx for the ask. I'm in prison, currently on duty as a Prison Guard."

Iced Lemon Tea: "I'm starting to regret playing a Mage. I'm too scared to die, I don't even dare to eat Wax Blocks. I'm so poor and so hungry, waaah... @My hamster's name is Guagua, wifey, save me!"

In response to the Mages' clamor, one player's comment hit them right where it hurt, a precision strike to a vital point that shattered their defenses with a single sentence.

To be honest, ever since Burton Mage's appearance, the Mage players had finally been able to hold their heads high.

Skills like the Fireball Skill, Object Control Skill, and Underwater Breathing left them so dazzled with choices they nearly fainted from happiness.

But at the same time, Burton Mage's exorbitant prices also made them faint—from shock.

For the small minority of Mage players with skilled combat techniques and already well-established builds, this was a definite power-up, enough to put them on the path of a virtuous cycle.

But for the majority of Mage players who wanted to take shortcuts and avoid the grind... it was like seeing a beautiful woman right after getting circumcised—they just split right open!

Damn it all, costs of fifty, a hundred, or even two hundred Wax Oil at a time were no small sum even for mid-tier players, let alone for newbies and those just trying to progress.

To them, these costs were simply astronomical.

Besides, newbies still had to scrape together Wax Oil to buy a Spirit Fire Raft, access to the Sin Furnace, entry to the Demon-Harboring Cottage, and more... They needed Wax Oil for everything!

And yet, these Magic spells were a classic case of "you get what you pay for." They were genuinely expensive, but the power increase was also very real.

This left the Mages in a state of bittersweet agony, miserably hoarding every drop of Wax Oil.

One Mage player after another had pockets cleaner than their face, poor enough to make a racket, so pathetic that even a dog would look at them and shake its head.

Their reputation naturally spread to other players, becoming a source of amusement.

...

"BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP..."

On Candle Island at night, moonlight draped like gauze, Xiaoluo swayed back and forth on Noxia's shoulder.

With the passage of time, the little creature had grown quickly. She had already reached Level 5 and was demonstrating the special Ability to float in mid-air.

She no longer stayed inside her shell all the time, but had begun to curiously explore her surroundings, causing some players to take notice of the little creature's existence.

Luo Ge reached out, gently cradling Xiaoluo in his hand, and looked at Noxia.

On Burton Mage's advice, he had used the Power of the Spirit Candle to enhance Noxia's body and nurture her Soul, hoping it might help her recover some of her memories.

She was standing quietly, her eyes tightly shut.

A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes, but her body suddenly went limp and she started to fall.

Luo Ge frowned slightly. The Power of the Spirit Candle gathered from all directions and caught her, holding her body steady.

"BLOOP!" Xiaoluo also flew forward, trying her best to support Noxia.

"Are you alright?" Luo Ge asked, seeing that she seemed to have recovered a little.

"Mr. Luo Ge..." Noxia looked exhausted, but she managed to force out the words, "The Fire Element Divine Hall... has been taken..."

Having said this, Noxia closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep...