blueteamnovel 103. Putting Appraise Object II to Good Use
103. Putting Appraise Object II to Good Use
103. Putting Appraise Object II to Good Use
NEX was a currency as far as Nav was aware of.
It was granted by the Nexus, and used mostly within the Nexus to purchase land or property within its residential floors, or to trade between fellow Blessed for goods.
It was the sole currency of the Nexus, and the ability she gained raised a few questions.
The implications were a mixed bag for Frost. It either meant that she could gain NEX from the Nexus itself despite lacking access to a Repository, or, that she could accumulate it in some other way.
The latter was the likely answer, considering it was raw NEX... Whatever it meant.
There was ultimately only so much they knew. And Frost had little confidence in their nature, considering that the coins were physically crafted from the living.
These thoughts circulated her mind as they traversed through the boneyard, striding through the barren field beyond.
Surrounding them in this massive sinkhole were walls many tens of meters in height, appearing like a supersized caldera. The golden glow could no longer be seen from here. The only other point of interest now was a grand ravine that split the cliff face into two at the other end.
Frost’s ability to see in this darkness was a godsend. She was their eyes, and Res was their ears. L.S was more or less their VIP. Her skillset and natural abilities were rendered useless here in the darkness.
L.S was the definition of ‘levels do not mean strength’. Most of her levels were in either Support or Exploration-esque Professions. But since she was not a Blessed, there was no real method of figuring out just what her true Profession was, aside from maybe a literal laughing stock.
While normal people did not have defined professions like that of the Blessed, they could still be categorized into one. A swordsman for example was a profession in of itself and did not need to be defined by the Blessing.
Yet the Blessing still did, and it locked people into said Profession until they hit a milestone level and unlocked new professions; whereas normal people had the ability to naturally change themselves.
In a sense, the Impuritas may be something between a Blessed and a normal person. But Frost was hard pressed to believe that without any concrete evidence, although...
Profession. A reflection of your existence. I remember that being its flavor text. It was the first ever answer you showed me as well. Haaah... how long has it already been since then?
“I showed you? You are misremembering it. I wasn’t even conceptualized at the time.”
Maybe not. But I like to think that you were with me since the start. Well, I guess you are the system in a way. Our system.
“Then you admit I am some sort of AI.”
Not at all. You’re you. You’re Nav.
“Short for Navigate... Your taste in naming is as dull as a rock.”
Thank you. I take pride in it.
Frost grinned to herself. Her eyes illuminated her face enough for L.S to catch a glimpse of it. Once again, she easily concluded that Frost had some sort of mental condition.
“On the topic of naming and flavor texts, I believe you should have a look at your new Corrupted Skills. You’ll find them quite interesting.”
< ACTIVE: Stacking Wealth >
< As they stack their wealth, do they stop to think where those coins come from? >
< EFFECT: Coins carrying a converted power may be used. All coins containing a unique power may only be used once >
< Cost: 5,000 MP >
< PASSIVE: Mangled Coins >
< The ancient machine was an impossible relic of an era unbeknownst to us >
< EFFECT: Summon a hundred Touch of Golds. They have come to your aid >
< PASSIVE: Corporeal Value >
< Inherent value was determined through one’s use. Their hearts and souls were never considered as a part of the whole >
< EFFECT: Place a value on all those within sight. The higher their value, the better >
Corporeal Value confused Frost because it was similar to The Language of Greed.
It already allowed her to see the value of people’s hearts, albeit she didn’t exactly know how to do it in the first place.
Nav clarified that the ability was meant to see the cost of swaying a person, whereas Corporeal Value essentially placed a price tag on people, revealing just how many coins they could be turned into.
< ACTIVE: Hired Arms >
< Mercenaries both near and far could not resist. Endless greed fostered civilization’s moral ambiguities >
< EFFECT: Hire an alternate version of yourself with half your stats. It will equip itself with your skillset and possessions. Your Hired Arm will enact your Will at a price >
< No initial cost. Upkeep and skill usage requires coins >
Frost’s disappointment was immeasurable, and her glee was nearly ruined by this lackluster reveal. Her face shifted so quickly that Res had to wonder just what was revealed.
“What does it say?” She had to ask, expecting some sort of grand reveal.
“It must be incredible!” L.S added.
“... it’s just feather.” Frost nonchalantly revealed, putting the thing away.
“Oh... ahaha.”
“... well, on the bright side it confirms that it is a feather.” Res joked, causing Frost to deeply sigh as she appraised the other feathers one by one.
And unfortunately, many of them had little to note. That was until she appraised the golden feathers of the One Thousand Eyed Bird’s innards.
< Feather of a Throne >
< Belonging to a thousand-eyed creature >
And this was not the only one with a unique flavor text. Or description? She didn’t know.
< Righteousness Feather >
< It is attuned to the truth >
This likely meant that her coat was made from a combination of these two feathers, and there may even be a possibility to creating another Coat of Prejudice. Although, the question of how would understandably be unanswered.
But Res was smart. Unlike her sisters, she was quick to pick out that the feathers matched Frost’s apparel. When she pointed it out, she then mentioned something interesting.
“You call that coat a Corrupted Object, correct? There are other strange items like that collected from defeated Corrupted. The items gathered afterwards can usually even recreate much weaker variants to the original.” Res explained, knowing well of Frost’s ignorance.
“With a crafting skill, I’m guessing.” Frost wrongly guessed.
“No! Ever heard of ImpulseWorks!? Many of our weapons and apparel are created by our friends over there!” L.S answered before the words could even leave Res’ lips.
“That’s correct. ImpulseWorks is responsible for creating my eyes. They gauge a person’s desires and create a weapon best suited for them.” Res added. “Those items gathered from a Corrupted can be repurposed. But it requires a lot of NEX. Looking at around several million. They don’t do anything for free unless you’re close to them. Or if you’ve recently graduated as a Moon or Star.”
“And we Exalted only get apparels. It’s so heartbreaking!” L.S fake cried.
The topic left Frost pondering on the possibilities of creating additional Coat of Prejudices. Or perhaps Corrupted items for people she trusted, which was already concerningly low. It opened future prospects, but of course, it would all depend on her relationship with ImpulseWorks.
In the end, Frost put the feather away and pulled Jury’s tail from the Dimensional Storage.
“Oh and that reminds me! Speaking of the Black Forest – the story itself was always an odd one. The crying child never made any sense! How out of place, don’t you agree?” L.S suddenly brought up as they neared the end of the massive gorge.
“In what sense?” Frost had to ask.
< Feathered Tail >
< It radiates an aura of divinity >
Divinity? Huh!?
“Unknown. Jury does not understand either.” Nav swiftly answered as they reached the final few steps before entering the coldness coat of the golden light.
“That the child tried to warn people to stay away. A Corrupted warning people of a Corrupted. How can there be such a thing!? A Corrupted would never lend a hand to a person in need!” L.S boldly proclaimed in the face of Frost.
“Well, you haven’t met the ones I’ve met.” Frost spoke fondly of her lover and her fuzzy friend. “If you did, then you’d have a lot more hope.”
She hid her smirk well under a stoic veil as they entered new territory.
What humored her was the fact that it was Jury who saved her from being killed outright by her own hands. But the mention of Jury being misplaced in the tale irked her a little.
Because L.S was right in a way.
Where did the crying child fit into the tale? Who was this crying child? At no point did Frost ever hear of people actively trying to ward others away from the forest in the past events that transpired in the Black Forest.
Additionally, Jury’s chimera-like appearance also made it difficult to determine just what race she took after.
There was a gap in the tale of the Black Forest. Furthermore, Jury had lived as a Corrupted for 26 years. She recalled the very words that were shared with her by one of the village women.
‘But we’ve never actually seen the source of it before. For 12 years it’s been like this...’ So what the fuck happened to Jury for the last 14 years prior?
“Jury remembers that much. She says she was always waiting in the dark. For something.”
“Wait a second. I’m hearing something ahead! Stay close to Frost!” Res exclaimed as the whispers of chatter began to emit form somewhere outside.
“But then one day, she was awoken by a strange light. It was a streak of light that crossed the dark sky.” Nav described a similar sight that Frost saw in her dream just moments before Nav itself came to life.
They finally stepped into the light, and in that moment, a hundred panicked voices surrounded them.
As did the sound of unsheathing blades and clashing metal.