northernbook Chapter 266: Life Blessing, Prism Established!
Chapter 266: Life Blessing, Prism Established!
The panel slowly unfolded, and rows of text clearly emerged:[Matthew Lee]
[Lv1 Skill]: Locked [Lv2 Skill]: Locked [Lv3 Skill]: Locked [Lv4 Skill]:
Life Blessing: Resilient Ode of the Black Jade Cedar (Rare; when Vitality drops below 20%, it can instantly restore to full; Cooldown: 15 days)
Talent: Cedar Adaptation (Perfect; can automatically adapt to the effects of various harsh terrains in a short time, weakening negative effects)
Talent: Cedar Rooting (Perfect; can increase the upper limit of Vitality within a fixed area of activity. Current increase rate: 5% per 3 days. Maximum increase value: 300%)
Talent: Cedar Tough Bark (Rare; can withstand one fatal attack. Cooldown: 180 days)
Talent: Cedar Spirit Nurturing (Rare; when one's own Vitality is at its maximum, the upper limit of physical fitness can be continuously improved. Current increase rate: 5% per week. Maximum increase value: 100% limit)
Skill: Condensing Fetal Breath (Excellent; breathing and Fetal Breath are initially synchronized, no deliberate control is required, can enter combat state at any time)
Skill: Thirty-Six Styles Pioneering Saber Technique (Excellent; standard saber technique of the Reclamation Corps)
Skill: Wilderness Walker ☆ (Excellent; contains a variety of Wilderness survival system knowledge)
Skill: Pioneering Spearmanship (Excellent; standard spearmanship of the Reclamation Corps)
Compared to Lv2 and Lv3, the descriptions of Lv4 Skills had become increasingly clear and organized.
Skills that could reach this level already possessed genuine collection value. Coupled with the information assistance brought by the rank upgrade, the Collector's judgments were becoming more precise.
However, an additional category that appeared still left Cheng Ye somewhat astonished.
Life Blessing?
It was not an unfamiliar term. When he first obtained the Tear of the Horned Starfish, the panel had prompted that using it would grant a guardian blessing.
But Li Matai actually possessed a transcendent blessing of his own? Could he have used a Transcendent Object as well?
Thoughts racing through his mind, Cheng Ye swept his gaze over each Skill Bar, unable to suppress the surge of pleasant surprise in his heart.
Who would have thought that Old Li, who looked completely average in Strength, was actually walking the exact same high-vitality warrior path as him? Great minds truly did think alike!
Especially the "Resilient Ode of the Black Jade Cedar"—it was so absurdly overpowered that it was essentially an extra life!
If one fell into a desperate situation during actual combat, clearly on the verge of death, they could revive with full health in the very next second and continue fighting. Such a margin for error in wasteland Pioneering was an absolute, unparalleled advantage.
More crucially, such a powerful blessing only had a Cooldown of fifteen days...
Gaining an extra life every half a month was simply outrageous!
Cheng Ye instantly recalled the Cost of Vitality reduction brought by sharing attributes when using the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse.
'If I can pocket this gift, even without the augmentation of other Treasures, wouldn't I be able to simply endure that depletion?'
Moreover, the two Perfect Grade Talents and two Rare grade Talents listed below were equally mouthwatering.
The Lv3 Rare Talent "Go with the Flow" from Pinghai Tower assassin Wang Qing could only allow the body to quickly blend into an unfamiliar regional environment. However, Li Matai's "Cedar Adaptation" could not only achieve that, but also additionally weaken the negative effects of harsh environments. It was simply a super-enhanced version.
"Cedar Rooting" was even more insane. It was practically tailor-made for Li Matai. He was inherently unwilling to go out for Field Duty, preferring to stay inside Happiness City to perform his duties.
As long as he did not leave the boundaries of Happiness City, he could gradually stack his upper limit of Vitality up to 300%. He could be called a mobile fortress.
Of course, if this Skill could be collected and equipped, it would mean...
'The usage Cost of the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse is a 350% Vitality consumption. If I equip Cedar Rooting and stack my Vitality limit to 300%, wouldn't I be able to use the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse as I please, completely ignoring the so-called Cost?'
Cheng Ye ran the calculations in his mind, his train of thought suddenly broadening.
Previously, he had been thinking about continuing to stack his own Vitality until it met the requirements of the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse. Now, it seemed he could completely cheat the system through a Talent like "Cedar Rooting" to meet its one-time consumption need.
However, according to the panel, this Talent required staying in the same location for over half a year to fully stack to 300%. There was also another critical question: exactly how large was its area of effect?
If it was limited to an area as small as the Buffer Zone, the restriction would be too severe. But if it could cover all of Happiness City and its Satellite Cities, or even extend all the way to Yueye Shelter City, it would absolutely be a god-tier skill.
As for "Cedar Tough Bark," it was equally practical.
Although a Cooldown period of one hundred and eighty days was terrifyingly long, in specific high-risk scenarios, it could completely be used as a one-time life-saving item to rescue him at a critical moment.
"Cedar Spirit Nurturing" was a pure buff-type Talent, which also held immense value.
It was just that its improvement speed was much slower than the previous three. It could only increase the upper limit of physical fitness by 5% per week, meaning it would take five months to fully stack to 100%. Furthermore, it had to permanently occupy a Skill Bar, which was a slight flaw in an otherwise perfect Talent.
Next were the standard marksmanship and saber techniques of the Reclamation Corps. These kinds of skills lacked uniqueness and were not worth specifically searching for.
But "Wilderness Walker" was different. As a Lv4 information-type Skill, it encompassed a variety of Wilderness survival knowledge systems, giving it quite high value. 'Good thing I searched him. Old Li really looks plain and unnoteworthy, but he actually has a whole universe hidden inside!'
Cheng Ye sighed inwardly, immediately making up his mind. In the future, whenever he encountered a chance to search for a Lv4 skill, he absolutely could not pass it up.
Just looking at this search result, every single Lv4 Skill was extremely practical. Skill holders who could reach this level had long since broken away from the bounds of ordinary people and stepped into the ranks of the strong. Every search was bound to yield a harvest.
Without any hesitation, Cheng Ye directly selected the newly added Life Blessing category.
'Search, Resilient Ode of the Black Jade Cedar!'
Since he was staying overnight in East Peace Town, he calculated that he could perform two more searches.
Aside from this Core blessing, Li Matai's two Perfect Grade Talents could also be pocketed together. The harvest from this trip to East Peace Town was truly substantial.
[Search Successful]
[The Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Resilient Ode of the Black Jade Cedar (Lv4; Life Blessing; Rare)]
[Please note: The number of times a Life Blessing can be unequipped is limited. Current maximum unequip attempts: 10 times]
[If the number of attempts exceeds the limit, the blessing will lose its effect]
In a fully open state, there was no probability of failure when searching for a Lv4 Skill.
However, the prompt popped up by the Collector made Cheng Ye pay extra attention, silently committing it to memory.
'It seems that a Life Blessing is different from a Normal Skill. Is it more like a special, rule-based ability?'
'But the Black Jade Cedar blessing searched from Li Matai doesn't really matter. Even if I accidentally use up the unequip attempts, the worst-case scenario is just spending another 480
kilowatt-hours of energy to search and acquire it again.'
'However, if I search and find blessings from others in the future, especially unexpected gains after heading out into the Wilderness, I'll have to be extremely cautious to avoid permanently losing the blessing due to frequent equipping and unequipping.'
'I wonder what the effect of this blessing will be after undergoing Information Fusion?'
Cheng Ye left the thought lingering in his mind and closed the panel.
Seeing him snap back to reality, Li Matai also pulled his attention away from the background music playing on the radio and asked casually, "What are you thinking about, zoning out like that?"
"Hmm..." Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, not speaking directly but instead probing, "Brother B's daughter, Yiyi... When I went to see her a couple of days ago, she unexpectedly awakened a Special Ability..."
"A Special Ability?" Li Matai was startled and hurriedly asked, "Is it explicit or implicit?"
"Explicit!"
"Then there's huge trouble!" Li Matai's brows instantly furrowed, his tone solemn. "Isn't his daughter only five or six years old? How could she awaken an explicit Special Ability at such a young age? Explicit abilities consume Lifespan. That Master Tian you sought out was already in his twenties when he awakened, which is why he managed to live until now. For such a young child to awaken... I'm afraid she won't even make it past the age of thirty-five..."
Cheng Ye changed the subject. "Do you have a Special Ability?"
"Of course..." Li Matai replied instinctively. Halfway through his words, he chuckled awkwardly and muttered vaguely, "I probably do, right?"
"Was it inherited, or did you awaken it yourself?"
Li Matai hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice, his tone laced with complexity. "My grandfather was a Transcendent. Not many people know about this. Because he was a madman, an anti-social lunatic, so..."
A look of sudden realization dawned on Cheng Ye's face. No wonder Li Matai knew so much about the knowledge related to Special Abilities. It turned out he had this kind of family background.
And being anti-social meant he was probably cut from the same cloth as the Four Sacrifices Cult.
Having such a Transcendent ancestor brought no benefits to speak of; instead, it would only attract a heap of trouble.
"Understood," Cheng Ye nodded, naturally following up with a question. "The Special Ability your grandfather passed down to you is implicit?"
"Right." Li Matai nodded, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty. "My Special Ability isn't anything special. My Vitality is just more vigorous than ordinary people. During Pioneering, I can endure staying awake for several days in a row. Other than that... my recovery speed after getting injured is quite a bit faster than others?"
He himself seemingly hadn't fully grasped all the bonuses brought by the "Ode of the Black Jade Cedar."
After all, implicit Special Abilities couldn't be intuitively tested; one could only slowly figure them out on their own.
Hearing this, Cheng Ye didn't press further. In his heart, he had already roughly understood the meaning of this new "Life Blessing" category.
It was the bloodline inheritance of a Transcendent!
As long as there had been a Transcendent among one's ancestors, it was possible to leave behind a bloodline that would form a Special Ability, and the root of these abilities was exactly the Life Blessing.
It was just that some people inherited a thinner bloodline, making them unable to fully awaken it, and thus they failed to obtain the corresponding blessing.
'If that's the case, once Yiyi's Special Ability fully awakens, will she also possess a Life Blessing?'
Cheng Ye mused inwardly.
That way, even if this trip to Guang Province yielded nothing, he could follow this clue in the future to trace the origin of the Luo family ancestors' transcendent power.
"What exactly is her Special Ability?" Li Matai asked curiously.
"I can't tell you that." Cheng Ye shook his head, a mysterious smile appearing on his face. "If she were my daughter, telling you would be fine, but this is Brother B's child. If you want to know, you'll have to pass his test first."
"Liu Bi?" Li Matai let out an awkward laugh and quickly waved his hands. "Let's forget it, then. Just like your dad, he looks down on slackers like me from the bottom of his heart."
"Are you saying you want to keep being a slacker in the future?" Cheng Ye asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmm..." Li Matai paused, then chuckled and shook his head. "I'll wait until I achieve some results before talking. He's a Fourth-Stage Inspector, and I'm a Phase Three Inspector. The hierarchy is incredibly strict."
After he spoke, both of them couldn't help but laugh.
That night, East Peace Town was calm and tranquil. No unexpected situations occurred.
After all, this place was already considered the far suburbs of the Satellite City. The merchant caravans that occasionally passed by would only travel during the day. No lunatic would set off through the night.
If someone rashly came knocking on the door without giving a heads-up through Wilderness communication beforehand, it would be a hundred percent certainty that they were an Infected Body, and the guards in the Sentry Tower would deal with it preemptively.
The two stayed in the narrow room chatting about everything under the sun, though unfortunately, Li Matai's knowledge was mostly confined to the borders of Happiness City.
It wasn't that he knew absolutely nothing about the outside Wilderness, but the information he possessed was stuck in what it was like years or even a decade ago, making it long obsolete.
Chatting into the latter half of the night, Cheng Ye took advantage of the completed Recharge Value to perform another search, successfully pocketing "Cedar Adaptation."
After the search ended, although both of them could stay up all night, East Peace Town was about to commence Pioneering. The affairs resting on Li Matai's shoulders were complex and numerous, and he also had to return to the Buffer Zone tomorrow to report back, so he had important matters to attend to as well.
They simply stopped chatting, wrapped themselves in blankets, and went to sleep.
The dead of the autumn night still held a bit of a chill, and the crisp scent of soil and vegetation drifted through the air.
Outside the window was the dead silence of the Wilderness. Only the occasionally passing night wind blew against the window frame, emitting a faint creaking sound.
An unknown amount of time passed before the vague, noisy sounds of Residents suddenly came from outside, waking them from their slumber.
Cheng Ye rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. Sure enough, the sky was already bright, and a vibrant morning scene leapt into view.
The morning sun was slowly climbing up from the distant horizon. It first cast a faint hue of orange-red, gradually dyeing half the sky and tinting the clouds into a tapestry interwoven with gold and crimson.
Countless golden threads pierced through the thin mist, spilling over the vast Wilderness. The originally gloomy grassy plains were plated with a layer of warm light. Dewdrops on the blades of grass refracted crystal-clear specks of light, and the low hills and sparse woods in the distance gradually became clear in the morning glow, exuding vibrant Vitality.
"What time is it?" Li Matai was awakened by the noise, climbing up and letting out a yawn.
"It's seven o'clock!"
"Isn't it still early..." he muttered. Pressing a button next to him, he roared into the Megaphone, "It's the weekend today, everyone go back to sleep!
Don't wander around until nine o'clock!"
His voice echoed throughout the town via the Megaphone above the room. The prefabricated housing area, which had just started stirring, completely returned to silence within a minute or two.
"Holy shit, you..." Cheng Ye stared, a little dumbfounded.
"Strict discipline has to be trained through good things like this first. Sleep a bit longer. I'm going back to sleep." Li Matai mumbled, rolling over and drifting off once more.
Cheng Ye shook his head helplessly, suddenly at a loss for words.
Since he no longer felt sleepy after getting up, he simply headed outside the room to stretch his limbs.
To his surprise, Wu Rui was currently leading his squad members in morning exercises in the open space. Seeing him look over, Wu Rui immediately revealed a bright smile.
Cheng Ye walked over and caught a glimpse of the accompanying squad having pitched tents in the charging area; they had actually slept on the ground.
"Captain Wu, apologies for wronging you by having you sleep in tents last night."
"What are you saying, Inspector Cheng!" Wu Rui waved his hand dismissively. "This is no different from sleeping on a bed, we've long been used to it. Besides, staying inside the town is so safe. How could it possibly be called a grievance?"
After speaking, he paused and asked, "The vehicles are all fully charged. Are we still going to check out other Satellite Cities today?"
Cheng Ye glanced at his Recharge Value. In forty minutes, it would reach 60% again, allowing him to search once more.
Although this trip to East Peace Town hadn't fully replenished his energy, he had harvested a Life Blessing and two Lv4 Perfect Talents. It felt genuinely satisfying.
"We'll leave in a bit. We'll head to Wenlu County to take a look, and once we're done, we'll return to the Buffer Zone to debrief."
"Got it!" Wu Rui nodded in agreement and turned around to head back into the vehicle to fiddle with the communication equipment, contacting Wenlu County and the Inspection Station in advance to make preparations.
Cheng Ye mused as he walked to the side, stopping beside Dai Zun, who was doing push-ups.
"Inspector Cheng?" Dai Zun immediately looked up at him.
"It's nothing, keep training. I'm just watching casually." Cheng Ye squatted down with a smile.
He helped count a few push-ups for Dai Zun and accompanied him as he finished two sets of training to exhaustion, before speaking up, "Dai Zun, this ability of yours to feel no pain is a double-edged sword."
"Yeah, I used to often get injured without noticing. It's only over the past few years that I've gradually started paying attention to it, so it's gotten a bit better." Dai Zun nodded. He casually lifted his shirt, revealing lean, muscular flesh covered in all sorts of scars of varying depths.
Cheng Ye nodded in approval and asked casually, "Are there other people in our Happiness City like you?"
"There's one, also from the legion." Dai Zun chuckled. "But he's from the Blood Dragon Legion, and he's slightly different from me. I can shield against contact pain, while he shields his internal organ sensations. Everyone calls him 'Run to Death,' though there was one time he almost ran until his lungs exploded."
"Oh?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow. "What's his name?"
"Michelle James. I used to chat with him a lot in the past. Special Ability Users of our kind occasionally gather together to share experiences."
'Same type?' Cheng Ye's heart stirred, but his face remained calm. "Are there many ability users like you?"
"Hmm, compared to other types of Special Ability Users, there should be a bit more. But everyone's abilities don't overlap. At most, we exchange tips on how to protect ourselves and avoid getting hurt because of the lack of pain perception."
"What about over in Guang Province? Are there ability users like you over there?"
"There are!" Dai Zun nodded repeatedly. "It seems like there are seven of them over there. Two of them are even more formidable than me. Not only do they feel no pain, but they can also switch back to a normal state for daily living. However, every time they switch, it seems they have to pay some sort of Cost."
"Could you compile a list for me later?" Cheng Ye rubbed his chin. "I'd like to do some research into this kind of situation."
"Sure, I'll put it together for you when I get back." Dai Zun didn't ask any further questions, agreeing with a smile. "People have studied us before too. They wanted to create a special, non-toxic, and harmless anesthetic so that if an Infection Source possessed someone, there would be a way to counter it. However, no one has succeeded yet. I donate nearly three liters of blood every year. If Inspector Cheng needs it, I haven't donated my quota for this year yet, so I can..."
"No need." Cheng Ye immediately interrupted him, his tone serious. "Don't draw blood so frequently in the future either. Your body isn't considered strong to begin with; you need to rest and recover properly."
Then, softening his tone, he added, "Don't give up hope. Your legs are gone, but in the future, there might be a way to help you get them back. If you collapse, though, there won't be any chance at all."
"I will firmly remember Inspector Cheng's words."
As his voice fell, Dai Zun's face still bore that same strong and cheerful expression, exactly identical to the night they had met three months ago, constantly exuding an air of open-mindedness.
'What a good kid!'
Cheng Ye sighed inwardly. Aside from Dai Zun's legs, Luo Kuke also lacked legs.
If he had the chance in the future, he absolutely had to properly research and develop related technologies. He wanted to give these people who were willing to follow him and sincerely dedicate themselves a safeguard, an unexpected surprise.
When the time passed eight o'clock, Cheng Ye went back and grabbed the Perfect Talent "Cedar Rooting" as well.
Before heading out for Field Duty, the two of them would have to interact at least a few more times, so there was no rush to acquire the other two Talents for the time being.
Moreover, with so many skills of the same type, using them individually would be too much of a waste of slots. It would be best if they could be fused into one.
Waiting until nine o'clock, his Recharge Value recovered to 15%. Cheng Ye did the math in his head; just from staying with Li Matai this one night, he had charged over 1,50
0 kilowatt-hours of energy.
He hadn't tried to hide or zero out the power meter either. He had nothing to fear in the Buffer Zone, and naturally, he didn't need to tie his own hands after coming to East Peace Town.
The Residents woke up to go about their activities once more. Having slept for an extra two hours, everyone appeared full of energy.
Li Matai saw the convoy off to the gates, just as the two were about to part ways.
Unexpectedly, the transport trucks delivering equipment from the industrial zone drove over again—a full two trucks of brand-new equipment.
Li Matai glanced over the convoy, stepped forward, and pointed in the direction of Dabo Town. "I won't be needing these here anymore. Send them all to Dabo Town for me."
"This..." The truck driver was stunned. He looked down at the itinerary in his hand, a troubled expression appearing on his face.
"Forget it, I'll go report to Inspector Lei."
Li Matai shook his head, turning around to head back to his room to contact the industrial zone directly.
The power circuits had already been laid in place, so naturally, the signal wasn't left behind. The Defense Terminal quickly connected.
"Li Matai?" Lei Hu's gruff voice came from the receiver.
"Station Master Lei, I want to move this batch of equipment and production lines to..."
Before he could even finish speaking, Lei Hu's voice boomed out as expected, carrying a surge of anger. "What the hell are you up to now?"
"Forget it, let me talk to him." Cheng Ye looked at Li Matai shrinking his neck and smilingly took over the Defense Terminal. "Station Master Lei?"
"Hm?" Lei Hu's voice paused as he asked uncertainly, "Cheng Ye?"
"Yes, it's me."
Cheng Ye responded, then proceeded to explain the existing issues with the production lines and Dabo Town's desire to exchange equipment with East Peace Town one by one.
To Li Matai's great surprise, Lei Hu's voice instantly softened, and he agreed to the matter without the slightest hesitation.
"Alright then, I'll have the workers go over and help you move it. But hasn't Dabo Town yet to build a factory building?"
"I've already cleared an open space. Just put it on the open ground and cover it with tarps for now."
"Alright, we'll get started today." Before hanging up, Lei Hu cursed again, "Let Li Matai answer the phone."
Li Matai hurriedly leaned in, cautiously calling out, "Station Master Lei?"
"I don't want to wipe your fucking ass for another day!" Lei Hu's roar made the receiver buzz. "Remember, you owe me ten favors! Otherwise, I'll expose you and let the Inspectors below hack you to death!"
After saying that, the call was directly hung up.
Li Matai rubbed his nose and laughed dumbly, then looked over with an inexplicable expression. "You're going to inherit my... brand?"
"Does it have a name?" Cheng Ye asked in return.
"Not yet, temporarily. I originally planned to call it the Triangle brand."
"Triangle brand sounds too ugly." Cheng Ye waved his hand. "From now on, let's call it... Prism."