I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Fifty thousand Silent Points is already a huge sum of money. At Lu Ban's current pace, it would take him at least five or six missions to reach that amount.

What are the remaining three materials?

He placed his finger on the statue of the Black Queen Mother of Mercy and saw the description inside.

[The Compassionate Statue of the Black Queen Mother]

The belief in the Black Queen Mother persists in certain areas of the Black Forest.

They believed that as long as they worshipped this deity, they could find salvation in darkness.

Even if it requires sacrificing one's relatives, it is a test from the gods.

Chapter 058 Breakthrough Materials

"The Black Forest? Is that the Land of Night?"

Lu Ban recalled that this was indeed the area where the Night Kingdom, this alien realm, existed.

Judging from the item description, this idol seems more like a relic of some evil religion. In other words, such a religion exists in the Night Kingdom, and one must either follow it or participate in tasks related to this religion to obtain the idol.

He looked at the [Silent Department Store], trying to find the item, but no matter how many times he looked inside, Lu Ban only saw "Item Not Found".

Out of politeness, he also searched for the other two sources, but naturally couldn't find them either.

In other words, Lu Ban must find these three materials while doing tasks and collect them all in order to refine the next stage.

"If you think about it carefully, by the time it takes to accumulate 50,000 Silence Points, you'll have already collected all three materials."

Lu Ban pondered.

He then looked at the descriptions of the other two materials.

[Remains of a Saint]

Even in the wilderness, there are always sages.

The remains of a deceased saint are believed to possess extraordinary powers.

In fact, the remains of some saints do still walk on the earth to this day.

"The wasteland doesn't look like the ruins of a deserted city; it's a new, unfamiliar place I've never seen before."

Lu Ban remembered that some of the items in [Silent Department Store] were described as wastelands, which looked like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

The Sigh of the Uncertain Fog

The unpredictable fog that permeates the sea

Inhaling too much can cause hallucinations, allowing one to see things that do not belong to this world.

However, some argue that that is the real world.

"The unpredictable fog must be the fog over the sea near the island, meaning we need to take a boat deep into this fog?"

Lu Ban connected it with He Dao.

To obtain the three materials, Lu Ban needs to go to at least the Night Kingdom, the Wasteland, and the Island—three different realms.

He had originally planned to continue exploring the Lost City if he wanted to go to the Otherworld, since he had been there once and was relatively familiar with it. Now it seemed that he could either stay in the Lost City and farm high-quality items to be fully equipped before seeking the essence materials, or he could visit each Otherworld and prioritize completing the extraction.

Honestly, given the strength of Lu Ban's current [last words], he felt that if he were to face the situation from the previous Abandoned Capital mission again, he could handle the ratmen and the flying fish himself, except for the wildly growing grassland that he couldn't avoid.

"Perhaps we could try a different approach and farm materials in the easiest difficulty of the Otherworld?"

He thought of some settings from the game.

"In short, let's take a look at the next task options."

Lu Ban has completed the career development task and can now choose a new task.

"Countdown... This time it's five days."

Lu Ban saw the countdown on the system task interface, which showed more than 110 hours. Obviously, he had about five days to prepare this time.

Looking down, he saw three tattered pieces of cloth on the computer screen.

These fabrics looked as if they had been torn from clothing; they were rough, dirty, and covered in grime of unknown origin.

The mission information was written on the cloth in crooked and distorted characters.

【Big day】

[An auspicious day, a time of great joy]

In the Kingdom of Night, there is a tradition that when newlyweds get married, they need to invite relatives and friends to gather for a moment.

You arrive in the town of Drywater, located on the edge of the Black Forest, to attend your friend's wedding—a trip that should have been enjoyable.

However, beneath the festive music, there seemed to be a hidden unease and restlessness.

"Congratulations on your marriage, no matter what!"

The cloth was red, and the fabric was relatively fine, but it was already tattered, as if it had been torn from some red garment. The writing was in deep black, the red and black contrasting sharply, which was unsettling.

"Do people in the Night Kingdom also wear red for weddings?"

Lu Ban thought about it for a moment and felt that the mission was not as simple as it was described. It might be a bloody wedding that would stain the wedding dress red.

Lu Ban looked at the second piece of cloth.

The fabric was stiff, like canvas or waterproof material, and had a camouflage pattern. The writing on it was messy and illegible, as if it had been written under some kind of crisis.

Random Thoughts on Shelter

Contrary to popular belief, the wasteland is not desolate.

Once you remove some monsters, most traps, all natural disasters, and a small number of wasteland wanderers, this is a beautiful land.

You're lucky to have found shelter in the wilderness.

However, the dust rising in the distance and the earth-shaking roar made this place seem a little unsafe.

But at least you still have one bullet left, don't you?

"There's a shelter in the wasteland. It really is a wasteland. This mission is probably a survival type. Are you a man who goes down a hundred levels?"

Lu Ban found it interesting and looked at the last piece of cloth.

April Story

In April, cherry blossoms fall, and all things grow.

The annual festival on the island is about to begin.

Only the most outstanding shrine maidens can enter the main hall of Wajima Taisha Shrine, become Saiō (priestess), and serve the gods.

You are escorting a candidate to He Island; the pitiful young girl is more beautiful than the scenery along the way.

However, intrigue and scheming have tainted the sea, and beneath the cherry blossoms, corpses nourish the land.

The cloth was pure white, like the sleeve of a shirt, with a damp, decaying texture, reminiscent of moldy clothes.

"Is Hejima originally Japanese style? I thought it was a Caribbean pirate type... No, these exotic art styles are always weird."

Lu Ban thought of the ruined capital. The information he obtained from the "Madman's Knowledge" seemed to be from Europe and America in the 1920s and 30s, but it was actually more like Shanghai in the Republic of China era. Who knows, the scene on the island might just be a group of black men with dreadlocks dancing in red and white shrine maiden outfits.

"Then a few black men lifted the coffin, and background music started playing..."

Lu Ban's mind wandered elsewhere.

Are there any hints for the three tasks?

He came to his senses and realized that these three tasks corresponded exactly to the three materials from other realms that Lu Ban needed for his [Last Words], making it hard not to draw connections.

Lu Ban's gaze naturally fell on [The Madman's Knowledge].

"I have five days to prepare. Tomorrow I can go to the zoo and chat with the elephants and whales. During these five days, I can do a single draw every day to get more information. I definitely need to be well prepared this time!"

He thought he was incredibly smart.

"As expected of me."

Thinking of this, Lu Ban stood up, took off his clothes, and went to the bathroom.

After all, when he drew the "Madman's Knowledge" last time, he lost a lot of blood, which stained his clothes, and he had to wash and dry them. This time, Lu Ban was smarter and took off his clothes and went to the bathroom. No matter how much blood he lost, it wouldn't be difficult to clean it.

He found a low plastic stool and sat on the bathroom floor. Lu Ban's reflection in the mirror seemed to have a somewhat unfocused gaze.

By pressing the purchase button, Lu Ban spent 50 Silent Points to exchange for [The Madman's Knowledge].

Chapter 059 Single Pull Success

What appeared in Lu Ban's hands was still a skull.

However, this skull is different from the strangely shaped skull with a pointed snout and monkey-like face from last time; it is more human-like and has a normal shape.

Inside the skull was a flame as black as ink, a color unlike any flame one would normally see in reality. Contrasting with the pale white skull, it created a sinister and eerie atmosphere.

Lu Ban held the skull in his hand, preparing to crush it as he had done last time, but as he looked at the rough and grayish-white skull, a sudden idea struck him.

"I wonder what it tastes like?"

He stuck out his tongue and gently licked the skull.

The subtle, rubbing sensation is like the joint end hidden beneath the cartilage of a chicken wing.

"It doesn't taste good."

Lu Ban drew this conclusion.

He then used force to crush the loose skull.

The gray dust and pure black flames transformed into a deep, thick fog that moved without wind, drilling towards Lu Ban's ears, nose, and mouth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw wet, black hair shrinking back like a worm in the drain of the sewer.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Ban's eyes rolled back, and no pupils could be seen. He began to convulse, like a patient having an epileptic seizure.

The bathroom mirror trembled slightly, water droplets dripped continuously from the faucet, and a dark shadow flickered outside the bathroom door.

Lu Ban felt his brain was on fire.

A black flame rose from his spinal cord, and pain traveled through his nerves to his limbs. Lu Ban felt as if countless worms were wriggling, scratching, and gnawing inside his body. He subconsciously scratched his body, trying to expel the worms under his skin.