Chapter 275 - 184: The End of the War (Part 2)

He still had much to attend to, starting with the matter of the players’ War Contribution.

To be honest, he hadn’t really given it much thought at first.

After all, with their home on the brink of destruction, who would have wasted mental energy on such things?

But now that they had won, it was time to give it some serious consideration.

’Weapons, equipment, and special items... I should definitely put some of those in...’

’But it would be better to add something else, or it’ll be no different from a regular shop...’

’What should I add...’

After a moment of thought, Luo Ge’s eyes suddenly lit up. He had an idea.

[Your War Contribution has been calculated]

[The Contribution Store is now open. You may now exchange your points for items.]

After chatting with the other players for a bit, Li Miao noticed a new system notification.

’Oh? The Contribution Store is open?’

Li Miao curiously opened the Contribution Store to browse its wares.

[Current Contribution: 512]

He had killed a good number of Firewood Thieves, and every player who entered the battlefield received a base amount of War Contribution plus a bonus for defeating the Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster, so his total looked quite substantial.

However, compared to the dazzling array of goods in the Contribution Store, his points suddenly seemed rather inadequate.

The items in the Contribution Store were similar to those in the Candlekeeper’s shop, selling everything from weapons, equipment, and accessories to special items, Skills, and consumables. However, it also featured some unique, top-tier items that couldn’t be found in the Candlekeeper’s store.

For example, there were several items related to the Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster.

[Banner·Wood-eating Poisonous Touch]

[Type: Skill Book]

[Quality: ?]

[Effect: Recite a Prayer to summon a giant poisonous tentacle, dealing damage to enemies and inflicting a Poisoned effect. The larger the user’s body size, the stronger the Effect.]

[Explanation: A powerful Prayer that the Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster is born knowing.]

Many players on the battlefield had already experienced this Prayer Skill from the Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster. Squishier players were mostly swatted to death on the spot, while those with more health simply died a bit slower. It was incredibly powerful.

The most interesting part was that the Skill seemed to be enhanced by the user’s body size.

Of course, it wasn’t cheap, costing 500 War Contribution. Besides, its Tier was too high for most players to learn at the moment.

The next few Skills, like [Wood Devouring Echo], were the same—very expensive and currently unusable.

However, it seemed these items were in limited supply.

Li Miao kept scrolling.

Then he saw Skills related to the Fallen Fire Knight.

The Fallen Fire Knight seemed to be a Faith + Constitution build, which was somewhat different from Li Miao’s Power + Constitution path.

This made Li Miao suppress his urge to buy them.

"Why is it all Skills? Didn’t those two big bosses drop any equipment?"

Li Miao wondered aloud.

But as he scrolled further, he quickly realized why the Contribution Store wasn’t selling equipment.

[Fallen Fire Knight Helmet (Cosmetic)]

[Type: Cosmetic]

[Effect: No Effect, but can be equipped over other gear. Does not affect combat, obstruct vision, or take damage (Bound).]

[Explanation: A Fallen Fire Knight who arrived with the Firewood Thieves. Filled with malice toward the Candlefire, they seem to be connected to the power of corruption.]

[Price: 400 War Contribution]

In addition to the helmet, the Chest Armor, Arm Armor, and leg armor were all available.

There was also a cosmetic set for the Firewood Thief—the Pot Head look.

New cosmetics!

’So that’s why they aren’t selling equipment. They dismantled the appearances of the Fallen Fire Knight and the Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster to sell as cosmetic sets. No wonder!’

Li Miao instantly understood.

He’d already heard about the Fallen Fire Knight in the chat, and word was that it looked pretty cool, so he had been looking forward to its equipment.

’Selling it as a cosmetic set... I guess that works. I just wanted the look anyway.’

’It’s just that the price is a little steep. It’ll probably take several dynamic wars to collect the whole set, won’t it?’

Li Miao scratched his head at the thought.

A glance at the group chat and world channel showed that other players were discussing the same thing.

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "These cosmetics in the Contribution Store are a little pricey..."

Black Mountain Little Demon: "I can’t believe it. You can’t even trade War Contribution..."

Bron Really Not Deaf: "Hahahaha, this is an Epic Level nerf for all the Krypton Gold whales."

Battle Bliss: "I want that great hammer, but I don’t have enough contribution. When’s the next big war?"

I do Bull’s Push-ups: "That Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster set looks pretty good."

GottaEatMushrooms: "...What’s wrong with your taste? That thing is ugly as sin, dude."

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "So annoying. Of course the Knight Armor Set comes out first. I’m positive the dev is one of those Low IQ Knights hiding among the player base!"

"..."

Whether they were veterans or newbies, no one seemed to have any objections to the Contribution Store, especially not about these purely cosmetic items that looked good but served no practical purpose.

Even with the high price, which clearly meant they’d have to fight in several large-scale wars to afford them, the players didn’t see anything wrong with it.

Some players even thought that only three cosmetic sets were too few and suggested adding more...

Cosmetics were, by nature, all for show anyway.

After sorting out the War Contribution matters, Luo Ge let out a long sigh of relief.

’Thank goodness.’

’I really have to thank certain game companies for conditioning players over the years. Now, everyone has the preconceived notion that "cosmetics" are all flash and no substance.’

’Otherwise, he’d have been hard-pressed to find something good to satisfy the players’ appetites on such short notice.’

He was also well aware, however.

Cosmetics could only serve as a garnish to satisfy the players’ desires; in fact, he should create them as sparingly as possible.

After all, the players’ main task was to help him explore the map and fight monsters, which made their personal strength paramount.

If there were too many cosmetics, and players started chasing them instead of improving their own strength, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

"Mr. Luo Ge."

"Lord Luo Ge..."

Just then, Burton Mage and Noxia arrived one after the other, bowing to him in greeting.

After seeing that Luo Ge was unharmed, Noxia breathed a sigh of relief. She gave a brief report on her situation and then stood silently to one side.

Burton Mage, however, wore a grave expression. He spoke with great seriousness.

"Mr. Luo Ge..."

"Just Luo Ge is fine, Burton Mage," Luo Ge replied with a smile. Burton Mage had already earned his trust.

Burton Mage nodded, but he had no time for pleasantries. He got straight to the point.

"Regarding the Fallen Fire Knight that appeared during the war, have you heard anything?"

At this, Luo Ge glanced at Noxia.

She shook her head gently, which meant Luo Ge couldn’t have known about it either.

"The Fallen Fire Knight... Is there something special about them?" Luo Ge asked, his brow furrowed.

He hadn’t been in Sea Zone One, so his knowledge of the Fallen Fire Knight was naturally limited.

If Burton hadn’t killed it and had left it for Luo Ge, he might have been able to obtain some information. But it was obviously impossible to make such demands during a battle.

"The Fallen Fire... They are a faction that existed even before the Descent of the calamity," Burton Mage said in a low voice. "It took me a long time to recall, but I’ve found some traces of information about them."

"Some traveling Fire Witches died because of them. Evidence from certain overthrown nations even suggests their involvement..."

"I fear there is an inseparable link between the Firewood Thieves and the Fallen Fire."

Burton said gravely.

Upon hearing that some Fire Witches had died because of them, Noxia pursed her lips and silently edged a little closer to Luo Ge.

Luo Ge listened, nodded, and committed this new information to memory.

Noxia and Burton Mage soon departed to carry out their respective duties.

Back on the battlefield, after the players had killed the Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster, he had used the Candlefire to burn it away completely. Naturally, he had received some feedback from the process.

The Wood-Eating Giant Sea Monster was a Giant Monster cultivated by the Firewood Thieves, and it had a single purpose: to devour everything related to "Firewood," be it inanimate objects or living creatures.

Although he didn’t know what "Firewood" specifically referred to,

in Luo Ge’s view, this so-called "Firewood" either referred to High Tier lifeforms like gods, or it referred to things like the "Candlefire" and the "Campfire."

And the goal of the Firewood Thief faction was the complete and utter annihilation of anything related to Firewood...