Chapter 415 - Star Shrine
Nie Yan wondered if these Rock Giant Stargazers could be lured away from the Sacrificial Star Platform like those seven Rock Giant Hunters guarding the entrance to the ravine earlier. Were that to be the case, he would have to sacrifice Lil’ Gold this time since he had already used Divine Recruitment. Although the loyalty lost would take a long time to recover, it’d be worth it if he could obtain Empress Finas’ Venom Sac.
Nie Yan retreated out of the open space to a secluded area about 300 meters away and summoned Lil’ Gold. He started making his preparations.
Nie Yan entered stealth and returned to the open space. He circled around to the north of the Sacrificial Star Platform, then ordered Lil’ Gold to approach from the south.
Before long, Lil’ Gold caught the attention of the three Rock Giant Stargazers. All of them turned to focus on him.
Nie Yan cautiously approached the platform. He was waiting for Lil’ Gold to lure away the Rock Giant Stargazers, so he could run up and snatch away Empress Finas’ Venom Sac.
Lil’ Gold breathed out scorching hot flames at the Rock Giant Stargazers, only to see a dark membrane of light envelop their bodies at the last moment.「Bang!」The Dragon Breath collided with the Dark Barriers and exploded into embers which quickly faded into the sky.
The flames couldn’t even touch the Rock Giant Stargazers’ robes.
Nie Yan hurriedly ordered Lil’ Gold to flee.
Contrary to Nie Yan’s expectations, the Rock Giant Stargazers didn’t leave the platform. They waved their staffs and summoned three Wolf Golems. Standing over two meters tall with massive builds, they immediately pounced after Lil’ Gold, who was much slower than them. After all, they were Level 100 summons!
Lil’ Gold barely made it about 400 meters before the Wolf Golems caught up and clawed him to shreds.
Nie Yan winced at the tragic fate that befell his pet. Lil’ Gold wasn’t a match for these Level 100 Wolf Golems.
Your pet Lil’ Gold has died.
Nie Yan was just about to rush up the platform when he halted his steps. Slowly, he backed away. His plan had gone up in smoke after failing to lure the Rock Giant Stargazers away from the altar.
Nie Yan paced back and forth at the outskirts of the Sacrificial Star Platform, trying to come up with a suitable plan. But nothing came to mind. He could only wait until the next day for some of his key skills to come off cooldown.
Nie Yan found a safe corner in the ravine and logged off.
Wondering how Asskickers United was holding up without him, Nie Yan called up Guo Huai. Since Guo Huai also had a game capsule, they could talk while he was still in game.
Guo Huai sent over a few videos to Nie Yan, who played them on his cellphone while being briefed on the situation.
It appeared the war was already in full swing. After surrounding the Blackstone Stronghold, Bloodlust Blades had set up their three Armoured Catapults, which launched glowing red-hot iron balls weighing almost 30 lbs into the sky. They flew several hundreds meters and crashed into the outer walls. Several even landed inside the stronghold and exploded into crowds of people, killing dozens of players in an instant and transforming them into rays of light.
Asskickers United had suffered heavy losses after launching several raids in an attempt to destroy the three Armoured Catapults. The elites dispatched by Angel Corps from the Stareen Empire had placed down all sorts of obstructions outside the Blackstone Stronghold, Caltrops from the Demon Hunters and Thunderstorm Mines from the Elemental Shamans. The Thunderstorm Mines in particular were spread out quite extensively, dotting the ground in a 500-meter radius. Any player unlucky enough to get too close would be annihilated by an explosion of lightning energy that covered a five-meter radius.
Bloodlust Blades didn’t send any of their players out. They continued using the Armoured Catapults to bombard the Blackstone Stronghold, destroying the outer walls at a rapid pace.
Each of the Armoured Catapults could launch five iron balls at a time every 120 seconds.
Asskickers United’s side had already descended into chaos. Bladelight and Smoke Stub were in charge of the Blackstone Stronghold’s defense. Many of the walls required urgent repairs. They knew the chances of winning this siege were slim to none. Their only goal was to delay Bloodlust Blades for as long as possible.
Almost all the players guarding the Blackstone Stronghold right now belonged to the five auxiliary guilds. Although they numbered over 100,000, they were weak. Even if they died, the loss wouldn’t hurt Asskickers United.
About half an hour into the video, the outer walls finally collapsed, and the forces from Bloodlust Blades flooded into the Blackstone Stronghold like a surging tide.
After an entire day of fierce fighting, it finally came to an end.
The Blackstone Stronghold was lost.
The forces from Bloodlust Blades started marching on towards the Cripps Stronghold, causing Asskickers United to sink into panic. The Cripps Stronghold absolutely couldn’t fall! Asskickers United had poured a vast amount of resources into it, not to mention the capital invested into it by the Dragonsoar Financial Group. If it were to fall, all their efforts would go down the drain. Especially the Dragonsoar Financial Group, it would take them at least 20 days to recoup their initial investment. Yet the Cripps Stronghold had only been captured less than a week ago!
If the Cripps Stronghold was fully developed, it would almost assuredly become a flourishing metropolis second only to Calore. Even if Asskickers United was on the verge of collapse, the Cripps Stronghold couldn’t fall!
It would take Bloodlust Blades’ forces at least three hours to arrive at the Cripps Stronghold. Asskickers United had to stall for as much time as possible!
Asskickers United started mobilizing their forces in Calore. Regardless of whether it was Sapphire Shrine or Holy Empire, they were all preparing for war.
Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine continuously dispatched troops to harass Bloodlust Blades. However, they suffered great losses at the hands of the Armoured Catapults. A single bombardment wiped almost 300 players from over 500 meters away. This destructive power was truly frightening!
After watching through all the videos, Nie Yan had a rough understanding of the situation. If the Cripps Stronghold fell, Asskickers United would suffer a huge blow. He needed to hurry back to the surface.
During most of the day, Nie Yan discussed with Guo Huai about what steps Asskickers United would be taking going forward. As long as he returned to the surface, the 1,000,000 gold could turn the tides.
Later in the evening, Nie Yan logged back into Conviction. He glanced at his skill bar. With the start of a new day, all his skills were off cooldown.
Nie Yan continued trying to find a method to steal Empress Finas’ Venom Sac. He watched the three Rock Giant Stargazers walk to the other side of the Sacrificial Star Platform.
Perhaps this was an opportunity!
Nie Yan slowly snuck over while in stealth. However, when he was only 20 meters from reaching the platform, he was stopped by a faint membrane of light. There was also a barrier here!
He had no way of approaching the Sacrificial Star Platform!
Nie Yan fell into a daze. What the hell! A barrier too? There’s no way I can complete this quest like this!
At his wits end, Nie Yan was prepared to leave. However, Bennett’s Soul kept lingering near the Sacrificial Star Platform, refusing to leave.
At this moment, Nie Yan happened to look east and spotted a six-meter tall stone tower sitting on a cliff edge 300 meters away. His mind trembled. Maybe it was related to the quest!
Nie Yan made his way over and discovered a black tower. There was a giant black gem at the top which shone with a mesmerizing light. The walls of the tower were carved with all sorts of intricate constellations. It was a star atlas that represented the night sky!
You have discovered a Star Shrine.
Nie Yan opened up his quest window.
Objectives
☐ Destroy all the Star Shrines: 0/6.
☐ Enter the Sacrificial Star Platform.
☐ Obtain Empress Finas’ Venom Sac.
Nie Yan looked around and spotted five other black towers flickering in the darkness. With the Sacrificial Star Platform as the core, they formed a hexagram array.
Nie Yan approached the Star Shrine before him.
After thinking for a bit, Nie Yan took out Zennarde’s Sword. He leaped into the air with the Leaper Ring and slashed down on the black gem at the top of the shrine, shattering it into pieces.
Nothing could stand up to Zennarde’s Sword!
Following the destruction of the black gem, the Star Shrine collapsed on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust into the air.
You have destroyed a Star Shrine.
Following the quest markers, Nie Yan found the five remaining Star Shrines and destroyed each of them.
When Nie Yan destroyed the final Star Shrine, the barrier surrounding the Sacrificial Star Platform shattered like glass before disappearing into the air.
The three Rock Giant Stargazers turned their heads in Nie Yan’s direction. They then left the altar and started moving towards him.
Nie Yan’s eyes widened in alarm. He quickly entered stealth and made a large detour around the Rock Giant Stargazers before fleeing away.
His fate would be sealed if the Rock Giant Stargazers caught him.
Failing to find the perpetrator, the Rock Giant Stargazers turned around and returned to the Sacrificial Star Platform.
After destroying the barrier, it was possible to lure away the Rock Giant Stargazers. With no other choice, Nie Yan once again summoned Lil’ Gold along with the Rank 8 Paladin Rennes.
Finished with his preparations, Nie Yan had Lil’ Gold and Paladin Rennes approach from opposite directions.
Paladin Rennes was the first to attract the attention of the Rock Giant Stargazers. They waved their staffs and summoned three Wolf Golems which immediately pounced after her.
Paladin Rennes immediately turned around and fled.
At this moment, Lil’ Gold emerged from the opposite side and breathed out flames at the Rock Giant Stargazers. After being attacked, they left the Sacrificial Star Platform and moved to surround him.