https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-605-The-Arrival-of-Boss-Cat-the-Eighth-Rank-Divine-Beast/12584928/
Chapter 606: Cardinal Lanchi Succumbs to Comfort
Chapter 606: Cardinal Lanchi Succumbs to Comfort
"Boss Cat, how do you feel?" Lanchi asked, looking down at the motionless little black cat.
The cat seemed lost in a storm of thoughts. Compared to Lanchi and Shubelian, who had just reached the sixth rank and had not yet entered the seventh rank of transcendence, Boss Cat was the first among them to truly touch the eighth rank.
"Meow... Is it true that I'm now an eighth-tier divine beast?" Boss Cat asked, still incredulous as it sensed the changes in its body.
Although its race made it inherently weak, it was now undeniably an eighth-tier beast, comparable to the domains of Grand Cardinal Loren and Bishop Askesang of the Extinction Faith!
"Indeed, I feel you've become much stronger," Lanchi nodded.
Even at the seventh rank, Boss Cat possessed strength comparable to a fourth-tier beast. Now, at the eighth rank, it was a force to be reckoned with, even among fifth-tier creatures. It could be considered the weakest member of their team in terms of combat strength, but its mana bar wouldn't be depleted after casting 'Storm of the Furious Dragon' just once.
"Meow?" Boss Cat looked up, noticing Lanchi's thoughtful expression. It had a feeling that Lanchi was thinking something very rude! Before it could confront him, however, a new development occurred.
[Settlement Rewards: Dawnstorm (8th-tier Epic Equipment Card), Kaliera's Shadow Weave Record (1st-tier Epic Material), Demon Fusion (6th-tier Epic Equipment Card), Her Golden Moment (1st-tier Epic Artwork), and Freebie (1st-tier Common Item).]
Soon, several luminous orbs, each surrounded by a different colored aura, appeared before them like stars. One drifted towards Boss Cat, while the remaining four floated towards Lanchi and Shuberian.
"An eighth-tier epic...?" Boss Cat gazed at the most brilliant orange light, its mouth agape.
It was the first time it had ever seen an eighth-tier magic card, let alone a natural epic card!
Eighth-tier magic cards were rarely seen even in the auction houses of the Southern Continent's Card Crafters' Association.
As for natural magic cards, they often incorporated magic principles unrelated to the present era and associated with the shadow world being challenged, making them even more valuable than their man-made counterparts of the same quality and tier.
Of course, this was undoubtedly related to their final SSS-rank settlement in the seventh-tier shadow world. If they had received a B or A-grade rating, obtaining a rare-quality natural magic card would still have been impressive.
"Boss Cat, what's the attribute?" Lanchi and Shuberian also turned their attention to Boss Cat, curious about the legendary eighth-tier epic card.
Even though it was sealed, only an eighth-tier creature like Boss Cat could identify its attribute.
As Boss Cat gingerly raised its paw and touched the light, a necklace made of a rare, orange-hued metal appeared in its claw.
[Dawnstorm]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Grade: Orange Epic]
[Attribute: Wind]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: Triggered when casting wind magic, consumes mana to create an absolute immunity field. Can be triggered up to three times per twenty-four hours.]
[Note: The raging wind of dawn sweeps away helpless reason in the pitch-black snowfield, spreading the faith known as light to every witness.]
"This metal... can only be found in specific veins on Necaris Island, and the refining process is extremely complex. The small amount of final product obtained is both hard and lightweight, but I lack the ability to forge it," Lanchi said, examining the necklace.
The metal's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the gentle radiance of the morning sun's first rays. The inscribed runes on its surface seemed to speak of dawn and rebirth.
The irregularly shaped gems embedded in the links changed color with the light, shifting from deep orange to bright sky blue, mirroring the ever-changing sky.
"This wind-attribute epic is somewhat similar to the [Wind Phantom] card made by Senior Karren during the Aoralin Kingdom's academic visit, isn't it?" Shuberian recalled.
After observing Grand Cardinal Loren's original wind slab, Karren, a gold-tier card crafter from the Aoralin Kingdom, had crafted a fourth-tier sacred wind magic card. Its effect granted the user an extreme evasion opportunity every twenty seconds if there was a chance to dodge, at the cost of mana.
Shuberian had a strong impression of that card for only one reason – during that same visit, Lanchi had created the source of all evil, a counterfeit wind slab.
"Meow, meow, meow. Is it amazing?" Boss Cat, an outsider to the world of magic, felt its heart racing as it listened to Shuberian and Lanchi discuss the card.
"I doubt even Grand Cardinal Loren possesses such a wind-attribute artifact or spell."
"Hmm," Lanchi remarked, stroking his chin in contemplation. "This 'Dawnstorm' is also a wind-attribute protective magic card, but its dimension is completely different from 'Wind Phantom'."
"Meow meow meow~ meow meow meow~," Boss Cat sang happily, spinning in circles upon hearing Lanchi's high praise as a Platinum-level card maker. Unaccustomed to wearing necklaces, it wrapped the necklace around its paw several times, transforming it into a beautiful hand rope tied to its left claw.
Lanchi smiled contentedly, pleased to see Boss Cat so cheerful.
Boss Cat would soon progress from imitating Loren to surpassing him.
After using 'Dawnstorm' in the southern Krexe Empire, Destruction Bishop Ivanos would surely exclaim, "How could Grand Cardinal Loren hide such a skill?!", "Why can't I break through his immunity field?", and "Loren, how far do you intend to belittle me?!"
This would only enhance Grand Cardinal Loren's intimidation factor, leaving his opponents feeling utterly desperate as they futilely attempted to break through his three lifesaving chances during their battles.
"What about yours?" Boss Cat asked, perching on Lanchi's shoulder and eyeing the luminous orbs before him and Shuberian.
The two of them sat calmly on the steps of the Starry Sky Plaza, unfazed by the epic-level rewards.
Their composure was indicative of their experience in challenging shadow worlds on multiple occasions.
"Hmm, this painting?" Shuberian recognized one of the orbs as a picture frame, recalling the portrait Lanchi had drawn of her in the shadow world.
However, as Lanchi was the one who had earned the achievement, the ownership of the painting should rightfully be his to decide.
"If you wish, you can hang it in the Duke's Mansion," Lanchi suggested with a smile.
"Umm... then I'll gladly accept it," Shuberian replied after a moment's hesitation, nodding firmly and whispering, "Thank you, Lanchi. I'll treasure it."
She added, "When Father returns someday, he will surely be amazed to find such a treasure in our home."
Shuberian glanced briefly at another equipment card, her gaze drawn to a pair of black metal earrings. They appeared to have been refined from the ancient Abyss of Purgatory in the Demon World, absorbing and reflecting the faintest wavelengths of surrounding light. Under different starlight, they exhibited an unstable hue that shifted from deep red to dark purple.
The metal surface was covered with a thin layer of faintly glowing demonic runes, and the two earrings were asymmetrically shaped, one serving as the main earring and the other as its counterpart. One side featured sharp, tooth-like metal spikes resembling demon horns, while the other side had a slender, gracefully curved shape akin to a demon's tail.
[Demon Fusion]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Grade: Orange Epic]
[Attribute: Link/Enhance]
[Tier: 6]
[Effect: Give the other earring to a demon of the same gender to fuse with them, acquiring all their magic. Equipment usage cooldown: 30 days. There is a certain separation cooldown after fusion. It can also be used for compatibility testing by giving it to the other party without wearing it. The fusion degree (0% to 100%) is determined by the compatibility of magic affinity and bloodline affinity. The basic attributes after fusion are the sum of the attributes of both parties, multiplied by the fusion degree.]
[Note: Only the royalty who rule over the demons are worthy of wearing them.]
"These earrings..." Shuberian felt that there was something peculiar about them.
"If I use them, the compatibility probably won't be that high because I'm a half-demon... My bloodline is inherently impure." Shuberian hesitated to bind herself to this card, as doing so would be irreversible for the rest of her life.
For instance, Lanchi's demon curse mark couldn't turn her into a summon because she wasn't a pure demon; her human half prevented the technique from functioning smoothly.
"This one is meant for demon royalty," Lanchi commented, examining the epic equipment card.
His personal contribution degree in the shadow world was already quite high, and further grinding would only yield the limits of what a seventh-tier shadow world could offer. Thus, he had planned from the beginning to distribute the contribution degree among himself, Shuberian, and Boss Cat.
However, the achievements related to Shuberian's contribution might not necessarily align perfectly with what would be most suitable for her. This resulted in rewards that may not always be the best fit for Shuberian.
For demons, especially demon kings, it would be an incredibly powerful piece of equipment.
Yet, Shuberian was a half-blooded demon princess.
And Lanchi, being of human descent himself, knew that using this card would likely result in zero compatibility with demons.
"It's alright, I have a plan for this card," Shuberian said thoughtfully, picking up the earrings.
It was Tata's birthday soon, and she had always wanted to give Tata an invaluable gift to express her gratitude for her care over the years.
And Tata herself was a card maker capable of crafting Epic cards. Perhaps one day, she would help create an even more suitable Epic card for herself.
Soon, the only luminous orbs remaining before the three of them were the two belonging to Lanchi.
Setting aside the white Common-tier orb for now, the item that Lanchi obtained this time was rather peculiar.
The color of the orb was a deeper, more unusual shade of orange compared to the usual Epic-tier orbs.
It was only when Lanchi grasped the orb and the light faded away that it transformed into a gemstone.
[Kaliera's Shadow Weave Record]
[Category: Magic Tool]
[Grade: Scarlet Epic]
[Attribute: Illusion/Mental]
[Tier: 1]
[Effect: A gem diary cherished by the Great Demon Kaliera, it can be used as the highest-grade Illusion or Mental-type material.]
[Note: The only regret of the Fallen Lord's life was witnessing the unfulfilled dreams of her friend, the Sun's Son, in the Land of Indolence. Everything recorded in the 'Shadow Weave Record' will never be repeated from eternity to eternity, because the being destined to bear this loneliness will never have a second chance to appear on this earth.]
The multifaceted gem felt icy cold to the touch, each facet as if personally carved by Kaliera with utmost care. The light blue hue of the gemstone had a subtle gradient, gradually becoming more delicate from the center to the edges, like the shallow shore of the ocean, shimmering with light.
"Scarlet Epic?"
Shuberian frowned.
Epics were typically orange in color.
Only Primordial Tablets and some of her father's Epic creations had a hint of scarlet, but even then, the scarlet coloration was minimal.
This was the first time she had seen an Epic-tier material labeled as scarlet.
"It's off the charts," Lanchi shook his head.
He had never seen such a material before.
Even someone as old as Tata might not have come across it.
However, since it was related to Kaliera, a Ninth-tier Great Demon, he didn't think there was much cause for concern. Kaliera herself was a being that had reached the pinnacle domain.
"If an Epic were to completely shed its orange hue and turn scarlet, would it become an entirely new grade?"
Boss Cat gazed at the gem in Lanchi's hand and asked.
"I don't know," Lanchi replied.
Based on his understanding and the literature of the Southern Continent's Card Crafters' Association over the past century, while there were a few mentions of scarlet light, there were only uncertain legends regarding the color red.
"I sense a considerable amount of magic from the Land of Indolence within this gem of Kaliera's," Lanchi murmured, holding the gem and immersing himself in his thoughts.
Having experienced the trials of the Great Demons and the true Land of Indolence himself, he was all too familiar with Kaliera's aura.
"But your affinity with Illusion magic isn't that high, is it?" Shuberian asked.
"My Mental affinity is passable, and for this item, I can't craft it into a magic card by myself. I'll need to find a more skilled card maker to take the lead while I assist," Lanchi thought aloud.
Perhaps this material could be crafted into the highest-grade Spell card.
Up until now, he had never seen a Spell card in the Epic category.
Spell cards didn't have the lengthy cooldowns of Equipment cards, nor were they as vulnerable to being destroyed like Summon cards. Once cast, they became the caster's own magic.
"A more skilled card maker..." Shuberian muttered to herself.
If they wanted to create a Mental-type card, not only would Lanchi, as the assistant, need to have a Mental affinity, but the main card maker would also have to excel in Mental-type magic.
There was indeed someone who fit that description among their acquaintances!
However, it had probably been a long time since Talia had collaborated with Lanchi on card crafting.
According to Shuberian's understanding, in the beginning, Lanchi and Talia had mutual respect for each other.
But now, she felt like the two of them might create a scene just by talking, like feuding rivals with bad blood between them.
She wondered what kind of chaos they would stir up if they tried to work together and concentrate on crafting a card.
"Oh right, meow, why is there also a first-tier Common item, [Freebie]?" Boss Cat looked up at the unremarkable orb.
If it weren't for the fact that he remembered there were supposed to be five rewards this time, he would have already packed up and left for Boss Cat Restaurant.
"Indeed," Lanchi agreed, equally puzzled.
Since he started challenging shadow worlds, he had never encountered a white Common-quality reward.
As he reached out to touch the orb, suddenly, there was a loud bang, and a sofa appeared on the steps in front of them.
The two of them and Boss Cat stared at the sofa, bewildered.
4,000-word mega chapter! Xi Gouzi wishes everyone a happy new year! Please support with monthly votes!
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