Chapter 54: Stats of the Half-Divine Artifact

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Stats of the Half-Divine Artifact

Chen Shang gently pushed the wooden box back. "I have already reported the reward for resolving the Plague to my superiors. Once the review is complete, it will be credited to my account. There’s no need for the people of this Plane to offer anything else, especially something this valuable.

"If you have a request, just say it directly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare accept this."

The old woman’s eyes lit up, as if she had received the exact answer she had been waiting for. Not receiving a flat rejection was a good thing.

When she first heard that Chen Shang was willing to attend Lucy, she had a premonition that this Wizard Apprentice might be somewhat different from the others.

She picked the wooden box back up. "Nothing escapes the Lord Envoy’s eyes. The young boy of my family wishes to take you as his master. This is a meeting gift for you."

Hearing this, Chen Shang paused in surprise, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "You are truly putting me in a difficult position. I haven’t even completed my own training yet. What qualifications do I have to take on an Apprentice? Please take this back.

"If anyone in your family wants to pursue the Wizard System, they can start by learning some basic public knowledge. However, I must remind you that this path is not an easy one."

The old woman fell silent for a moment but did not put the box away. Instead, she said, "The Star Leaf Clan has been passed down for so many generations that we have lost count. Ever since the Divine Spirit we worshipped disappeared, each generation has been weaker than the last. The enemies we provoked in the past..."

Chen Shang finally understood. She didn’t want him to take on an Apprentice; she was seeking his protection.

This was easy enough to handle. Under the rules of the Pan-Wizard Alliance, everything was the property of Wizards, and they would not allow living beings to slaughter each other.

"In a world under the banner of Wizards, everything must follow the rules," he declared. "No one is allowed to initiate a war without authorization."

A smile finally broke out on the old woman’s face.

Although the Pan-Wizard Alliance forbade living beings from warring against each other, there were still many petty tricks that fell outside the Alliance’s jurisdiction. Chen Shang didn’t actually have to do anything. Just by him reiterating the rules of the Pan-Wizard Alliance, any hostile actions targeted at her family would naturally vanish.

This was exactly why she had opened the wooden box in public. It was evident that Chen Shang had grasped her intention, which was why he had publicly reaffirmed the Pan-Wizard Alliance’s rules.

The old woman offered the wooden box once more. "Please, you must accept this."

"Then it would be impolite of me to refuse!" Chen Shang accepted the box.

The old woman bowed slightly and turned to leave. Her steps were slow, and the surrounding crowd automatically parted to make way for her, many looking on with complex expressions.

Trading a Half-Divine Artifact for the protection of Wizard rules proved that this old woman had plenty of audacity. As long as a family like hers was given time to recover, powerful individuals would certainly rise from their ranks.

Chen Shang stored the wooden box in his Space Book. The Golden Crow poked its head out from inside, took a glance, and shrank back, muttering softly, "Boss, you made a huge profit."

Ignoring it, Chen Shang stood by the lake and opened his system interface. The Elves possessed quite a few attribute entries, and the Quality was quite good.

In just this short while, he had extracted [Natural Arrow (Green)], [Grass Element Affinity (Green)], [Wind Track (Green)], [Vine Entanglement (Green)], and more.

There were also over a dozen fragmentary grayish-white entries. He didn’t examine them closely and simply pocketed them all. Who knew if they might serve as prerequisite entries for some formidable figure later on?

Halfway through the evening banquet, the crowd began to disperse in twos and threes, slipping into the scattered wooden cabins dotting the lakeside woods.

Holding a glass of juice, Chen Shang watched as pairs of Elf men and women held hands, laughing as they disappeared at the end of the forest paths.

Just as he retracted his gaze, a silver-haired Elf girl walked over with a wine glass. Her cheeks were flushed, and her light Purple eyes stared directly at him.

However, before she even had a chance to speak, Ailarya stepped in front of her and whispered a few words in the Elf Language. The girl’s face turned even redder; she curtsied and quickly walked away.

Chen Shang raised an eyebrow.

Ailarya turned around, looking somewhat embarrassed. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. "That is... an ancient Elf ritual for propagating life. Please do not take offense."

Chen Shang paused, recalling the meaning of Lucy. "Uh, I respect your race’s rituals," he quickly replied.

Ailarya looked up at him, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something.

Chen Shang set his glass on the table and gave her a slight nod. "I have gathered all the necessary information, so it’s time for me to head back. Thank you for the invitation."

Ailarya half-raised her hand before letting it drop. "Have a safe journey, Lord Envoy," she finally said.

Chen Shang turned to leave, his black robes fluttering gently in the night breeze before the darkness completely swallowed his figure.

Upon returning to his laboratory in the High Tower, Chen Shang dumped all the Scrolls from his Space Book and lined them up across his desk.

He categorized them by coordinates, terrain, Energy distribution, and danger Level, piecing them together before meticulously filtering, comparing, and eliminating options.

Some fragments had already completely merged with this Plane, their Divinities thoroughly dissipated. Others were buried deep underground, making excavation far too difficult. Naturally, these unqualified targets had to be ruled out.

Finally, he circled a target on the map—an area deep within the Northern Border Mountains marked as the "Crown of Thranduil."

According to the records, it was once the location of the throne belonging to an Elf God named Celeandir. When the Divine Kingdom fell, the throne crashed into the mountain alongside a Divine Country Fragment.

The concentration of residual Divinities there was incredibly high. Furthermore, it hadn’t fully assimilated into this Plane, maintaining a relatively independent Space structure.

Chen Shang packed away the remaining Scrolls and recorded all the data concerning the Crown of Thranduil into his Crystal Plate.

He then brought out the Half-Divine Artifact Magic Staff—Natural Fury.

Chen Shang channeled his Spiritual Power into the Magic Staff, probing it inch by inch along its wooden grain, and began testing it with various rituals.

One Hourglass later, he inscribed a string of data onto his Crystal Plate.

[Natural Fury (Half-Divine Artifact)]

Material: Preliminary analysis suggests the body of the Magic Staff is a fusion of a Divine tree’s branch and native plant life. The Gemstone is "Tears of the Stars," a natural crystal that forms exclusively in Void environments.

An inherent Energy Circuit exists within the Magic Staff, extending from the Tail all the way to the Gemstone at its head. It consists of seven and a half spiral loops, capable of storing an amount of Spiritual Power equal to two-thirds of the total capacity of a Tier Four Elf.

There are two methods to recharge it: natural recovery or manual replenishment. The former requires it to be placed in an environment with growing plants, recovering about 5% of its Energy per day. The latter involves actively infusing it with Spiritual Power or Elemental Energy.

The Magic Staff comes with four built-in forms of Magic.

First, Natural Affinity: Grants an approximate 230% bonus when casting Wood Magic and reduces Spiritual Power consumption by 45%.

Second, Giant Wood Guard: Imbues trees with vital energy to transform them into Tree Giants. Combat power depends on the infused Energy and the tree species, reaching up to Tier Three.

Third, Rain of Fertility: Condenses a sweet rain that accelerates plant growth, converting Energy into nutrients beneficial for flora.

Fourth, Forest Fury: An offensive Magic that summons the Power of the forest. However, it is restricted by the natural environment; its potency is severely weakened in terrains like deserts or oceans.

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[Author’s Note: Friends, we are entering a popularity contest tomorrow! I humbly ask for your follow-up reads tomorrow. Your support is endlessly appreciated.]