Chapter 93 - 86: Tier 2 Spirit Fire Port and Spirit Fire Ship

The Candlekeeper did not respond. Instead, the players were met with a server maintenance notice.

[Spirit Candle Major Version 0.5 Update Announcement]

[Dear Candle Spirit Warriors, the game will be down for maintenance today from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM for the release of Spirit Candle Version 0.5. Please plan your game time accordingly.]

[Update Contents:]

[1. New player slots will continue to be released...]

[2. The Spirit Fire Port can now be promoted. More unknown features await your discovery.]

[3. Added the "Dungeon Reset" function. Dungeons can be reset at a Spirit Candle by consuming a corresponding amount of Wax Oil.]

[4. Added the "Reshaped Body" function. You can reshape your body at a Spirit Candle by consuming Wax Oil, allowing you to re-select your Attributes. However, you will need to reignite your Warfire, and any special Warfire will be lost.]

[5. Added the "Skill Forgetting" function. You can forget Skills at a Spirit Candle by consuming Wax Oil, allowing you to replace them.]

[6. Fixed the issue where the bodies of human-blooded Candle Spirits would dissolve upon contact with seawater.]

[7. Added a new major story character.]

[8. The method for accessing the in-game tutorial has been changed...]

This maintenance announcement naturally made some players, who were on vacation and ready to binge the game, see black. However, most of the discussion was still about Spirit Candle.

"Aww, come on! I just started my vacation and was planning to take on the Law Knight. Not only is there maintenance, but it’s for so long! Just kill me already."

"The Spirit Fire Port can be promoted? What new features will it have? I’m excited!"

"We can reset dungeons now! Finally, I can have another exhilarating battle!"

"Crying tears of joy! We can finally respec! I shouldn’t have been so trigger-happy and put all my points into Faith. I get bullied by mobs all day, it’s so frustrating!"

"My Bone Fork Throwing Skill can finally be retired."

"Retire my ass! That Skill is super useful, okay? Or are you planning to spend time leveling up Bow and Arrow instead?"

"So we Ordinary Candle Spirits don’t dissolve in water anymore? Oh yeah! We can finally go for a swim in the sea!"

"There’s so much new content, no wonder the update is taking so long."

"You’re all focusing on the wrong thing! Didn’t you see the words ’Added a new major story character’? This game is finally getting a second NPC!"

"A major story character? What kind of person will it be? Don’t tell me they’re giving us a waifu?"

"I’m begging for a nun in white stockings!"

"I wish I could log on right now and see what’s new..."

...

While the Xiaojuncai were busy growing, Luo Ge, the one holding the scythe, wasn’t idle either.

Lately, he had been busy creating a better and more complete game environment for the Xiaojuncai, allowing them to grow stronger and healthier.

[Spirit Candle]

[Tier: Embers (10,000 Wax Oil required to upgrade)]

[Remaining Wax Oil: 11,558]

[Spirit Candle Buildings: Sin Furnace (Tier One), Spirit Fire Port (Tier One, can be promoted, requires 2,000 Wax Oil)]

[Anchored Islands: Candle Island (Small Isolated Island), Exile Island (Medium Isolated Island)]

[Summoned Candle Spirits: 264]

Recently, in addition to the "commission tax" collected every time a player killed a monster, the activation fee for the Sin Furnace had also generated a significant amount of income for Luo Ge.

Furthermore, he had been frequently deciphering the specific contents of the [Demon Summoner’s Notes] with Noxia at the Qi Xin Chapel, so his Wax Oil reserves had been rising rapidly, and the number of players had also grown considerably.

Of course, the player count could have actually grown even faster.

But if there were too many players, it would interfere with his upcoming plans, so he had intentionally slowed the rate of player growth.

Lost in thought, Luo Ge arrived at the Spirit Fire Port. He communed with the Spirit Candle and spent the Wax Oil to promote the port.

[Consumed 2,000 Wax Oil to promote the building "Spirit Fire Port - Tier One".]

[Building promotion in progress...]

The Spirit Fire Port before him began to rapidly change and restructure, growing wider and more detailed.

Before long, a brand new Spirit Fire Port appeared before his eyes. It was more spacious and sturdy, and even the Traction Fire had grown more vigorous.

[The Spirit Fire Port has been promoted!]

[Spirit Fire Port - Tier Two (Cannot be upgraded further for now)]

[Features: Traction Fire (increased search range), Spirit Fire Raft (can be restructured into a Spirit Fire Ship)]

[Consume 30 Wax Oil to restructure it into a Spirit Fire Ship]

[Restructuring...]

[Restructuring successful!]

With a thought from Luo Ge, a Spirit Fire Raft before him began to rapidly melt into milky-white Wax Oil. Azure lines outlining a hull were sketched out, and the Wax Oil quickly filled the shape.

A moment later, a small, wax-white boat, slightly larger than the Spirit Fire Raft, appeared before Luo Ge.

[Spirit Fire Ship]

[Type: Spirit Candle Creation]

[Effect: The Spirit Fire Ship can shelter a Candle Spirit, allowing it to travel within a certain range over water, and provides a weak restorative effect.]

[Explanation: Moderate sailing speed, poor Defense Power.]

Luo Ge stepped onto it to test it out. It was quite sturdy, and its speed had increased slightly.

The restorative effect was the most important feature. Although it was slow, it was better than nothing. It could serve as a backup supply station for the players, like a weaker, mobile Spirit Candle.

’With the Spirit Fire Ship, the players’ journeys of exploration should be a little easier...’

As for the search function of the Traction Fire, Luo Ge tested that as well and found that the number of discoverable areas had increased slightly.

However, he didn’t have time to delve deeper into the Traction Fire right now. Opening up new areas could wait.

Luo Ge quickly returned to the Spirit Candle.

Before long, one after another, the players’ Candle Spirit Bodies appeared before him. He consumed Wax Oil to complete their construction.

Compared to everything else, this was the most time-consuming part of his work today.

’What in the world are these people wearing...’

’Do people really like wearing tattered prison clothes?’

Looking at the players’ outfits and customized faces, Luo Ge didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

...

After finishing his work on the Candle Spirit Bodies, Luo Ge quickly used Spirit Candle Teleportation to travel to the Qi Xin Chapel.

Noxia, who was kneeling quietly before the Spirit Candle, saw Luo Ge arrive. Her eyes brightened slightly as she greeted him politely, just as she always did.

"Good day, Mr. Luo Ge."

Luo Ge nodded, but he didn’t take out the [Demon Summoner’s Notes] to decipher with her as he usually did.

"Noxia, let’s put deciphering the notes on hold for now. I need your help with something."

Luo Ge put away the Demon Summoner’s Notes and spoke to her.

After this period of observation and interaction, Noxia had earned his initial trust.

’In that case, I can proceed with the next step of my plan.’

As the number of players grew, Luo Ge found himself with more and more things to handle, which made it impossible for him to respond to every player’s call and question in a timely manner.

In order to free up his energy from these unnecessary tasks, Luo Ge had even gone so far as to change the new player tutorial method in the announcement.

But he still needed someone to help him handle simple affairs and filter important information.

Noxia, standing before him, was naturally an excellent choice.

Of course, this was only preliminary trust; Luo Ge did not yet trust her completely.

"Please, tell me, Mr. Luo Ge. As long as it’s something I can do."

Noxia nodded lightly, looking at Luo Ge with firm, clear eyes.

Perhaps because Luo Ge had been talking with her more often lately, or maybe because she had shed her old ways of thinking, her mental state had improved considerably.

"Come with me."

Luo Ge nodded slightly and then extended his hand to her.

Seeing this, Noxia did not hesitate and firmly grasped Luo Ge’s hand.

A moment later, the two of them disappeared in the Spirit Candle’s Firelight and arrived on Candle Island.

Luo Ge began to explain some important points to her.

With her hands folded in front of her, Noxia listened quietly and attentively to Luo Ge’s instructions, committing each one to memory.

"In a while, you will see many people with strange words and behaviors in front of the Spirit Candle. You just need to do what I’m about to tell you..."

"First..."