Chapter 325 - 322: The Watcher

Chapter 325: Chapter 322: The Watcher

"This is the Monitor?"

Mo Ling stared at the black-framed glasses on the metal floor, finding it hard to believe.

A few minutes ago, to ensure Li Luo’s safety, Mo Ling had sealed the Black Shadow inside the Block.

But once inside the Block, the Black Shadow had turned into this.

A pair of thick, black-framed glasses.

"These are the glasses the receptionist, Qi Qi, wore."

Mo Ling recognized them instantly.

The enormous frames were quite rare, so they had left an impression on Mo Ling.

’But why would this pair of glasses turn into a "Monitor"?’

Mo Ling turned his head to look at the black bicycle beside him.

’It seems these are all belongings of the island’s residents...’

The cyclist’s bicycle, the receptionist Qi Qi’s glasses... ’What else will there be?’

Recalling what happened when he touched the bicycle, Mo Ling couldn’t suppress his curiosity and slowly reached his hand toward the glasses.

Up close, the glasses were rather peculiar. Their lenses seemed to be completely enveloped in a layer of gray mist, and they were covered in black smudges that looked like soot.

Not only that, but tiny black fragments were flaking off. After falling to the ground, these fragments instantly dissipated, exactly like with the bicycle before.

Mo Ling’s hand gently touched the glasses.

Just as he expected, someone’s memories instantly flooded into his mind.

...

"Are you looking to buy a Relic?"

The vendor in front of the stall earnestly asked the owner of the memory.

"I need to make this clear to you upfront. If you buy a Relic from me, and someone asks, you can’t say you bought it. You have to say you found it on the 1st Floor of the Abyss. Got it?"

"Got it," the owner of the memory replied meekly.

It was a young woman’s voice—the receptionist Qi Qi herself.

"Could you make it a little cheaper? I don’t have that much money," Qi Qi asked cautiously.

Hearing this, the vendor sighed. "I run a small business. I don’t get these Relics myself. I buy them off powerful Hunters who look down on this trash and sell it to me."

The vendor rummaged through his stall and pulled out a pair of glasses. ℴℴ𝘮

"This one’s the cheapest, and also the most useless. You want it?"

He pointed to the price tag on them and asked nonchalantly.

Qi Qi looked at the tag, and her heart instantly started racing.

"It’s still a bit expensive. Can you give me a discount?"

The vendor shot her a scornful look. "A discount on this? We’re not buying clothes here."

"I don’t have much money left. I spent a lot on gear earlier... and it took me forever to save up enough points. All I need is one Relic to get to the 2nd Floor. I had no idea Relics were this expensive."

Qi Qi’s voice grew quieter and quieter until her confidence faded completely.

But she still stared intently at the glasses, her desire for them palpable.

"How much do you have?" the vendor asked, shaking his head in resignation.

"This much." Qi Qi showed her balance directly to the vendor, then started digging through her bag.

"I also have some leftover materials. Intestinal White Grass, a Sound Stone, a rock-tree branch, a Golden Pig Tail..."

She took out the items from her bag one by one.

The vendor’s expression grew increasingly stiff.

"I don’t take junk. Don’t throw this stuff on my stall."

"Oh, I’m so sorry." Qi Qi quickly apologized and hurriedly put the materials away.

However, the vendor held down the Golden Pig Tail.

"This can count for something. The price of gold is pretty high right now; it’s skyrocketing."

He picked up the glasses, sighed, and then placed them in Qi Qi’s hand.

"Deal. Use them well."

After taking the payment, the vendor waved his hand dismissively and sat back down in his lounge chair.

"Look up the Relic’s information yourself, and figure out its abilities on your own. Don’t ask me, I’m not responsible for teaching you. It’s all in the database."

"Also, once a Relic is sold, no returns. We’ve never met. You found this Relic yourself. You’d better make up a good story in advance, so you don’t draw a blank when people ask."

"And one more thing, the most important thing. This Relic doesn’t come with any after-sales service. If you get screwed, don’t come looking for me. You bear the consequences and take the blame yourself. I have zero responsibility."

Even though the vendor’s speech was nothing but a string of disclaimers, Qi Qi thanked him profusely. The vendor just nodded, saying nothing more.

Then, Qi Qi happily took her Relic and left the stall.

She hadn’t gone far before she eagerly opened her electronic screen to look up information about the glasses.

...

[Relic: Escape Glasses]

[Cost: Once worn, it will forcibly lock onto the user and cannot be removed. The ability is passive and cannot be actively controlled. Please use with caution.]

[Ability: When the user feels fear toward something, the user’s presence in front of that thing will be reduced. The deeper the fear, the more their presence is reduced.]

[Place of Discovery: 1st Floor of the Abyss]

[Discoverer: Hidden]

...

Qi Qi was even happier after reading the Relic’s description.

’This is amazing! Doesn’t this mean I can avoid a lot of dangerous creatures? As long as they don’t notice me, I’ll be safe.’

This was her first Relic, and Qi Qi was very satisfied. She had originally thought the Relics at the stalls were just as the vendor said—trash that other people didn’t want. She never expected that even the cheapest one would be this powerful.

Besides, now that she had a Relic, she could finally go to the 2nd Floor.

When passing through the checkpoint, Qi Qi was worried people would ask about her Relic’s origin, but no one paid her any mind. Just like that, she smoothly arrived on the 2nd Floor of the Abyss.

But, her luck being what it was, she landed right in a rather dangerous area of sand dunes.

In these dunes lived a creature that resembled a tumbleweed, but it was as big as a mountain. It would roll endlessly across the dunes, crushing other living things into a pulp and absorbing them into its body.

When she first fell into the dunes, she was nearly caught by them, but thankfully, she was agile enough to dodge in time.

However, these creatures seemed to possess a simple intelligence. After discovering Qi Qi on the dunes, they began to chase her relentlessly.

Faced with such a terrifying creature, Qi Qi had no choice but to put on the Escape Glasses.

Using her inner fear, she successfully escaped the dunes and reached a nearby monitoring station.

After that, the Relic helped her escape many dangers.

Qi Qi had always been a timid person. She was afraid of the terrifying creatures and strange phenomena in the Abyss. If not for a family crisis, she never would have come to the Abyss alone.

The Escape Glasses were perfect for turning her weakness into a strength.

She was timid and feared every danger, and the glasses would help her escape those dangers.

Terrifying creatures wouldn’t notice her. Bizarre phenomena wouldn’t target her. She was like a ghost drifting through the Abyss, and this feeling was very comforting to her.

At times, the glasses even helped Qi Qi avoid the social interactions she had always dreaded, allowing her to become an invisible person at the monitoring station.

Just like that, Qi Qi easily made her way to the 3rd Floor of the Abyss.

Her understanding of the Abyss also gradually deepened.

Being able to escape danger didn’t mean she couldn’t see it. The treacherous and ever-changing nature of the Abyss slowly seeped into Qi Qi’s heart.

Until one day, Qi Qi realized something terrifying—

Her fear of the Abyss was constantly growing stronger.