Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game-Chapter 640 - 322: Return to the Nest and Molting, Firefly Gem_2
After Lin Xun thought it through, he prepared to leave this place and headed to the hidden map ’Abandoned Ancient Nest’ to investigate.
Suddenly an idea flashed in his mind as he looked at the worthless skill called ’Molting’.
If he timed it right, Missionary Jinmu should be about to return to the ’Firefly Temple’...
He decisively used the ’Molting’ skill.
[An intense pain suddenly engulfed your whole body. Grey-white carapace on your skin started to crack, and the cracks spread like a spiderweb...]
[You can’t help but let out a painful howl, curling up on the ground.]
[The hard shell fell off, revealing the Maggot Man’s unique skin once again.]
[Compound eyes transformed back into black and white pupils, and the chewing mouthparts changed again into lips...]
[You stood up, staring at the palm with five fingers. The overwhelming power of Feathered faded away, and you became the incredibly weak ’Feathered Maggot Man’ once more.]
The other Shells have potent evolutionary skills, but this Maggot Man Shell alone has the chicken-like regressive skill. It’s like a knife stabbing at his ass — what an eye-opener.
Lin Xun used the successfully regressed Maggot Man’s Shell and summoned the courier beetle to go to the ’Firefly Temple’.
On returning to the temple, he saw Missionary Jinmu hadn’t returned yet.
Lin Xun planned to role-play directly, but the underworld game seemed unwilling to let him do so.
[...]
[The statue of the ’Initial Firefly’ is only half-human in size, with a glimming gem embedded in the tail of the flying firefly. It flickers with the faint but everlasting light of a firefly.]
[You can recognise that the luminescent gem is somewhat similar to the ’Stone of the Firefly’ that Jinmu had gifted you with, but it seems to be a little special.]
[Do you want to pry out the gem?]
Lin Xun used a strategy to deceive Jinmu away, then saved the Maggot Man...
He had planned to return to the temple with the Maggot Man’s body, creating the illusion that the Maggot Man was still there, and find an opportunity to escape.
This way, Jinmu wouldn’t suspect he saved the Maggot Man, and they could continue their good relationship with the plot character.
However, the gem in front of him messed up his plan...
After a slight hesitation, he finally pressed ’Yes’.
[You advanced boldly, took out a sword, and pried out the gem.]
[You’ve obtained ’Divinity-condensed Firefly Gem’ (Epic Item)!]
[’Divinity-condensed Firefly Gem’ (Epic Item): The firefly statue has been devoutly worshipped for countless years. The faithful beliefs of the followers have materialised, imbuing the firefly gem with a trace of divinity.]
[When using this item, you will gain a point of Divinity!]
"It’s a divinity item!"
Lin Xun was overjoyed. It had been a long time since he last encountered a divinity item.
His compatibility boost right now wasn’t enough, so he needed this item to enhance his soul talent.
However, the grade of this divinity item was epic. He would need to accumulate a few more similar items to upgrade the talent.
[You feel the gaze of an unknown existence. Your connection with the ’Initial Firefly’ deepens!]
The underworld game popped up a prompt, and then there was nothing else.
Lin Xun snorted: "Even the great Firefly Envoy needs to be paid for his hard work, don’t they?"
"I haven’t forgotten my mission. I’ve killed so many feathered ones with untiring efforts. It’s reasonable to get some interest, right?"
After he received his wages, he lay down on a bench, let the Valkyrie tie him up, and then began role-playing. No, it was his plan to pass the buck.
The things were stolen by the ’Feathered Maggot Man’, not by the ’Desire’s Star Lord Canis’.
In the eyes of the ’Initial Firefly’, he was collecting his salary, and in Jinmu’s eyes... well, Jinmu had exploited his so many cabbage-like things. It wasn’t too much to retrieve some losses, was it?
Missionary Jinmu returned slower than he had expected, half an hour late in fact.
[...]
[You lay down on the bench, your eyes tightly shut...]
[Suddenly you feel a slight vibration from the ground in the distance. Soon, the temple door is pushed open, and footsteps draw near.]
[The muttering voice of ’Missionary Jinmu’ resounds by your side...]
[How strange, the Maggot Man looked so thin and weak, how did he defeat the ’Dragon Knight’? ]
[Moreover, why would he ask for help if he has the ability to defeat the ’Dragon Knight’? It’s so inexplicable!]
[Huh? Did that Maggot Man see his special ability and purposefully leave the corpse of the ’Dragon Knight’ to allow him to play to his strengths?]
[Upon reflection, that Maggot Man must have a kind heart, not much different than the kind-hearted Jinmu.]
[Sadly, the ’Dragon Knight’s’ body was too large... if it had been slightly smaller, maybe he could...]
[Missionary Jinmu dismissively pats your forehead, sighing, "A good-hearted creature such as that won’t have terrible luck for long. Recently, it’s been rather fortunate. It ran into a powerful, grateful Maggot Man and a fellow like you."]
[Hey, those brainless heretics couldn’t understand. Your mutation seemed to fail, but it was actually a success, and you gained the same ability as Jinmu.]
[However, this kind of ability needs a long time to show... um... it seems there’s a method for premature activation.]
[Let’s forget about it. The Villain brainwashed you thoroughly and it will take quite some time to rectify your wrong beliefs...]
[Just as Missionary Jinmu says this, a sudden deafening roar comes from your surroundings!]
[Who was it?! Who dared to defile my divine statue and steal the ’Firefly Gem’?!]
[Damn it, it’s definitely you! Are you still pretending to be asleep?]
[You feel a sudden pain on the face and involuntarily...]
[You see ’Missionary Jinmu’, infuriated, standing before you. Underneath his mask, his eyes are filled with a desire to rip you apart.]
[He loudly interrogates you, asking if you’re the one who stole the ’Firefly Gem’.]
[Will you admit it?]
[You scoff, nod, and loudly declare that those divine beings worshipped by demons are demons themselves. If it weren’t for these fetters restraining you, not only would you pry away the jewel, but you would also destroy the statue!]
[Jinmu’s eyes are filled with fury as he suppresses his anger and interrogates you about the hidden location of the ’Firefly Gem’.]
[You respond to him with a mocking smile, telling him that you’ve swallowed the ’Firefly Gem’...]
[Before you can even finish your sentence, Jinmu suddenly attacks you. All you see is a flash of cold light in front of you, your chest and belly are suddenly full of chill, followed by an excruciating pain.]
[Jinmu cuts open your stomach and starts searching within...]
[As you lose more and more blood, everything before you gradually fades to black...]
[...]
[You’re dead!]
[...]
[A powerful Wandering Soul is reborn in the gloomy Chamber of Penance...]
In the original Game Process, you should have had to choose between Jinmu and the Maggot Man.
Rescuing the Maggot Man would’ve drawn Jinmu’s ire.
Even if you got one Hidden Map and two regular maps, you would be unable to continue obtaining maps from Jinmu, and perhaps even cut off a side quest from him.
Going the Jinmu route would mean you wouldn’t get the Hidden Map and lose the opportunity to learn about the Maggot Man’s successful mutation.
After this roundabout journey, you finally managed to strike a balance so you can have the best of both worlds.
"Uh... I’ve shifted the blame, but how do I get to the Divine Kingdom now?"
Lin Xun was at a loss.
Since Lin Xun didn’t come across the Rest Page in the Divine Kingdom, he respawned where he started.
He could only leave the monastery and fly to the ’Sea of Corruption’ again.
Thankfully, collecting his pay did not upset the ’Initial Firefly’, and after infiltrating the ’Sea of Corruption’ for a while, he came across the free transport, the ’Ancient Broadwing Lingulata’ again.
Lin Xun, after a lot of hassle, finally returned to the Divine Kingdom of the ’Desire Wet Nurse’.
He was very curious, if the Divine Kingdom of the Wet Nurse was underground, then where was the ’Initial Firefly’s’ base?
If he said it was on the surface, apart from the ’Ancient Broadwing Lingulata’, he did not see a single creature with the ’Mutated’ prefix.
"Could it be in the sea?"
"If you have a good relationship with Jinmu, could you unlock the Hidden Map in the ’Sea of Corruption’..."
Lin Xun speculated for a long time before coming to a reasonable conclusion.
However, improving relationship standings was not a priority. The current imperative was to get to the Hidden Map location, the ’Abandoned Ancient Nest’.
From Jinmu’s earlier revelations, it could be inferred that the Maggot Man, after a successful mutation, acquired the same special ability as Jinmu.
The specific special ability would most likely be discovered by exploring the Hidden Map for clues.
