My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 133 Aguru, A Bizarre Tale of Gluttony (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
[Main Quest 2 (Phase Two): Protect Prince Caesar from assassination attempts by the First and Second Princes, ensuring his survival until August 1st.]

As her gaze swept over the black and blue text on the panel, Ji Minghuan immediately wagged her round, shark-like tail.

Inside the crystal ball, the shark pondered: "So it seems Li Qingping was right. The Third Prince's two older brothers want to kill him, but why would such an innocent and useless little brat be targeted? Is it to fight for the throne?"

It shook its head and quickly stopped thinking about the question: "Anyway, I'll understand later."

Ji Minghuan lowered his gaze and brought up the character panel for the third mech, "Agubaru".

[Character Name: Ababaru (Miniature Form) (Different forms of Ababaru possess different attributes)]

“I see…” Ji Minghuan suddenly realized, “No wonder a 100-meter-long shark’s strength is only at the D level, which is really unbelievable. It turns out it’s because its body size has been miniaturized.”

[Character Type: Fantastic Beasts]

[Current Nickname: None (Not well-known in the real world, not yet prominent)]

[Character's Age: ? ? ? years old]

[Character Gender: Male]

[Basic Attributes: Strength: D-rank; Speed: D-rank; Spirit: S-rank]

[Currently held event cards: 0]

[Current attribute points: 1]

[Current skill points: 1]

[Current number of Mystery Fragments consumed: 0]

[Special Note: When the Eternal Abyss Shark transforms into a "Medium Size", its Strength attribute increases and its Speed ​​attribute rises;]
When changing to "Large Size", the Strength attribute continues to increase, while the Speed ​​attribute decreases;
When transforming to "Extreme Large Size," the Strength attribute reaches its "maximum," while the Speed ​​attribute decreases to its "minimum."

As Ji Minghuan's blue eyes swept over the pattern descriptions on the panel, his mind immediately began to wander.

"When this shark reaches its maximum size, how much would its strength attribute have to skyrocket? Even if it's just bloated, it should at least be at least an A-level, right?"

"Could it be... that I didn't need to add any points to it in the first place? The S-rank mental attribute already gives a clue that the shark's physical attributes must be quite high."

That's what he thought, but he still honestly allocated his only attribute to "strength".

The "Strength" attribute of Unit 3 "Aguru" has changed: D-rank → D+-rank (↑1 point)

After allocating the attribute points he had, Ji Minghuan then brought up the shark's skill tree.

Branch 1 (Emperor): Dark Fang (To be learned) (1 skill point) → ... (Unlocked after learning the previous skill)

Branch Two (Sea): Undercurrents (To be learned) (1 skill point) → ... (Unlocked after learning the previous skill)

"There are only two branches?"

Ji Minghuan muttered with slight surprise, then glanced at the descriptions of the two skills.

[Dark Fang: Grants your fangs a temporary ability to "devour elements" with dark energy.]

[Undercurrents: Gain the power to control "dark currents," enabling you to fly in mid-air and greatly enhancing your agility.]

"Shouldn't we learn this 'undercurrent' technique first? Otherwise, in a place without water, wouldn't this shark just be crawling on the ground like a maggot?"

Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan slapped the shark's tail onto the "Undercurrents" text icon and pressed it for a long time.

Immediately afterwards, the text reflected in the shark's pupils went from dim to bright, eventually bursting into a blend of black and blue, with a notification popping up in the center of the color.

[1 skill point consumed, successfully learning the "Sea" branch skill - "Undercurrents".]

The next skill for the "Sea" branch is now available for learning.

"What's the new skill?" Ji Minghuan asked curiously as she looked at the branch's new skill.

Branch Two (Sea): Undercurrents (Learned) → Tsunami (Branch End) (Learning this skill requires 3 skill points)

"No way... we've already reached the 'end of the branch'? Is it really that simple and brutal?"

Ji Minghuan was stunned for a moment, then tilted the shark's head and muttered to himself.

He felt like his eyes were about to be blinded by the words "branch endpoint".

The skill tree of the third unit is completely different from that of the first two characters. In comparison, the skill trees of "Black Chrysalis" and "Chess Player," which stretch like the Great Wall, seem somewhat comical. After regaining his composure, he couldn't help but remark:
"Could it be... that this is the legendary numerical monster?"

Ji Minghuan quickly accepted the simple and straightforward skill mechanism and turned to the "exclusive training system" of the No. 3 mecha.

This character's exclusive development system is the "Gourmet Feast System".

The core rules of the "Strange Tales Gluttony System" are:
1. The more fragments of wonder you devour, the larger you will become.

2. When you consume fragments of extraordinary events of "Generation Level" or higher, you will awaken new powers.

This culture system does not have any culture tasks.

"No training mission?" Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow.

He then thought, "But from another perspective, no matter how many fragments of strange tales it consumes, there will be real-time feedback of 'size increase,' and if it consumes fragments of generation level or higher, it can awaken special powers... So it seems that the upper limit of this shark may be even higher than the other two characters?"

"If I could swallow a 'mythical' wonder, wouldn't I be able to fly straight to the sky?"

"However, this thing is too hard to find. Currently, all the known mythological fragments in the world are concentrated in the Salvation Society. The only one I know is 'Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven'."

After thoroughly understanding the mechanism of the No. 3 mecha, Ji Minghuan quickly figured out that the most urgent task for this mecha was to get the shark to swallow more fragments of strange tales and try to grow its main body to a length of more than two hundred meters.

Finally... he swallowed the legendary whale whole.

After consuming the legendary whale, this shark's growth potential was almost exhausted.

Ji Minghuan used the shark tail to turn off all the panels reflected in her pupils, and then tested the "Undercurrent" effect in the crystal ball.

The next moment, dark blue water suddenly appeared around the shark, dragging its body at high speed in the crystal ball, churning the seawater inside the crystal ball upside down.

Just then, it heard footsteps coming from outside the bedroom; it must be the Third Prince returning.

So Ji Minghuan immediately deactivated his skill and lay quietly inside the crystal ball, gazing at the bedroom entrance.

Caesar walked in dejectedly, his crown tilting precariously as if about to fall off.

"Where's that 'Li Qingping' you mentioned?" Shark asked as he approached.

Caesar sighed: "Li Qingping said he and the Second Prince encountered some trouble when they went to Tokyo for the auction. He has to report these things to his father first before he can come and meet me. I don't know how long that will take..."

"So what?" the shark said nonchalantly. "I'll see him later."

Caesar picked up the crystal ball, lay down on the bed, and stared blankly at the little shark.

"Actually, I also really want to leave here like my second brother and go out to see the world."

"Will have the opportunity next time."

"Really?" Caesar asked softly.

"Of course." The shark snorted confidently, thinking to itself, "Once I swallow the legendary whale, you'll have to see the outside world whether you want to or not. Aren't you happy?"

A brief silence fell between the two; Caesar seemed unwilling to speak.

“You look a lot like one of my friends,” the shark in the crystal ball suddenly said.

"Why?" Caesar tilted his head. "Does your friend also have albinism?"

"correct."

“Albinism is such a hassle. When the sun is out, I can’t open my eyes very well,” Caesar muttered, puffing out his cheeks.

"It's okay, I can be your eyes."

The shark's eyes were piercing, and his tone was as sincere as if he had read "If I Had Three Days to See" a hundred times in one night.

“Aguru…you’re talking as if I’m blind.” Caesar was puzzled.

"Oh, then I won't be your eyes anymore."

As they chatted, Ji Minghuan suddenly recalled Lan Duoduo, who had died suddenly at the auction.

So, controlling the shark, he asked, "Speaking of which... if a mystery maker dies, will the mystery fragments in his mystery record disappear? If they don't disappear... then where do these fragments go afterward?"

"The textbook mentioned that if it is a generational wonder, it will stay in place, while other levels of wonders will return to nature."

"I understand... Can you take me outside to see what's going on?" the shark asked, thinking to itself, "Let me see just how big an area I'm going to eat next."

"Of course, come with me!"

After saying that, Caesar, clutching the crystal ball, crawled out of bed and happily trotted to the rooftop connected to the bedroom.

He placed the crystal ball on the railing, raised his head, and looked out into the world inside the whale's belly along with the shark.

The sky was the color of sunset, with fiery rays streaming down from the belly of the whale overhead, and schools of colorful fish swimming like birds beneath the sky.

Caesar and the shark were above a floating island.

Looking down from the rooftop of the medieval castle, one sees a vast ocean below, dotted with isolated islands. On these islands, half are mountains, half are human settlements. Today, it seems some kind of celebration is taking place; the residents, arm in arm, dance and drink strong liquor around a bonfire, twirling and circling.

"It's so high up here? Where are we?" the shark asked curiously.

"This is the Floating Royal Court. My father, mother, brother, and I have lived here since we were little. Everyone else lives on the small islands below. The islands float on the sea and come together for a few days each month. At that time, the residents gather on the central island to sing, dance, and share food."

"Is it dusk now?" the shark asked.

It looked up at the crimson sky, or rather, the belly of a whale.

“Yes! There is no daytime in the Whale Garden, only dusk and night, and night is about to fall.” Caesar looked at the sky gradually darkening and patiently explained.

"What's that place over there?" The shark brought its head close to the surface of the crystal ball, its eyes fixed on a floating palace.

A colossal statue of a knight stood outside the hall. The crimson glow of the setting sun bathed the statue, giving it a solemn appearance.

“That’s the Royal Court Hall!” Caesar said excitedly. “Historically, after members of the Royal Court died, the royal family would build a statue for them and leave it in that hall, with their life story engraved on the statue.”

He paused, then continued, “The generational fragments of wonder they used will also be left in the Royal Court. Some talented individuals will be selected to go to the Royal Court and try to resonate with the fragments of wonder.”

"And what is the Royal Court Team?"

"They are heroes who have protected our royal family for generations. Only the most outstanding Oddity Envoys will be selected to become members of the Royal Court Team. At least one 'Generation-level' Oddity Fragment is required to join the Royal Court Team."

"Wow...that sounds amazing." The shark thought for a moment, "Could you take me into the royal court and secretly feed me those fragments of heroic tales?"

"what?"

The shark said seriously, "Think about it, if we leave the generational fragments in the royal palace, wouldn't those with ulterior motives have an opportunity to take advantage of us? But if we hide the fragments of wonders in my belly, those bad guys will never be able to find them again!"

Caesar was stunned, then turned pale with shock: "Of course not! My brother and father will scold me to death. Even princes cannot enter the Royal Court at will; it is the most heavily guarded place in the entire Whale Kingdom."

"Ok."

The little shark looked away in frustration.

"By the way, the 'Li Qingping' I just told you about is a member of the Royal Court team, and he's even the vice-captain... But he rarely comes back and spends most of his time in the outside world. Father was angry about that before."

“Although… this Li Qingping doesn’t seem very smart,” Shark said. “Although I’ve never met him, I just feel like he doesn’t seem very intelligent.”

"You are not allowed to speak ill of Li Qingping!"

Caesar got angry and shook the crystal ball hard until the shark begged for mercy, only then did he stop.

He lowered his eyes and said softly, "Every time Li Qingping comes back, he tells me about the outside world, like Tokyo, London... He says the outside world has day, noon, dusk, and night, unlike the whale's little garden, which only alternates between dusk and night; he also says that humans outside use a small iron block called a 'cellphone' to communicate, unlike us, we all communicate through the strange fragments called 'pigeon messengers'."

"It sounds like... you really like Li Qingping?" Shark scrutinized Caesar's expression.

Caesar raised the corners of his mouth: "Of course, he's the only one in the royal court team who's really close to me. The others prefer to associate with my two older brothers. Even if they run into me, they'll just salute and run away. They don't even want to chat with me for a couple of minutes."

He paused for a moment: "Everyone treats me like a child, only Li Qingping understands me."

"Sounds like a good person."

“Li Qingping is amazing,” Caesar said calmly. “He was the first person to resonate with the fragments of legends left behind by the heroes of the Royal Court, but in the end he did not accept those fragments. Instead, he left and went to explore the outside world alone, eventually finding the generational fragment ‘Red Dragon Wales’.”

He lowered his voice: "Everyone says he is a genius who appears once in millions of years. He was only 12 years old when he left the Whale Garden. But I am also 12 years old now, and I can't do anything, I don't understand anything... I haven't even stepped out of the palace."

As he finished speaking, the third prince's voice gradually lowered, and his face revealed an undisguised disappointment.

The shark looked at his sad expression and glanced up at the gloomy sky.

"Night has fallen," it whispered.

Caesar looked up.

As night falls, the sky above the whale's miniature garden seems to transform into a series of undulating waves. Countless fluorescent lights surround the swarms of fish, and endless fish swim silently beneath the whale's belly, adorning the dark sky like stars.

Just then, a bird engulfed in flames flew in from one corner of the island.

It trailed its dazzling peacock tail feathers and called softly towards Caesar on the rooftop.

"It's Li Qingping's 'Phoenix'!" Caesar exclaimed with delight.

He glanced at the phoenix, then turned to look at the entrance to the floating island.

As expected, Li Qingping, dressed in a black suit, was standing at the entrance of the floating city. He had one hand in his pocket, a smile on his face, and waved to Caesar from afar.

“Li Qingping is here!” Caesar said.

"The big idiot is here," said the little shark.

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(End of this chapter)