SWNOVELXO Chapter 279: The Burning Expedition · The World’s Graveyard
Right now, Nivalis was back to her original size. When Rita lay down, her entire body was still shorter than Nivalis's foot! Standing before Rita, Nivalis was entirely unable to block her.
So, Rita ended up standing completely unguarded under Nivalis's dragon tail, awkwardly showing herself to everyone present.
With a slightly embarrassed smile, Rita waved at Holy Cup North Year and Snow Pile, trying to cover her awkwardness. She smiled again, thinking she hadn't smiled brightly enough, so she did it once more—forcing a smile.
Finally, Snow Pile came to her rescue, tossing a bone tile toward Rita. "Come to me in two days. I'll answer your questions about the Eternal Night Fortress."
The bone tile was in her hands, and Nivalis, no longer playing around, hurriedly bade farewell to the elders and flew with Rita back to Nivalis's dragon nest.
Nivalis shrank her size and perched on Rita's shoulder. Rita, eager, took out the three tiles—[6-Tong], [8-Tong], and [7-Tong]—and placed them together.
With a snap, the three tiles instantly fused, and a series of system prompts rang in her mind.
---
[System Notification]
Detected that the player has collected key destiny items.
Congratulations, you have unlocked the Destiny Mission—The Burning Expedition!
You are now aware of the truth of the world.
This is an invasion from another realm, but it is also a game. The difference is that you are not players, and your world is but an object.
The fate of Blue Star is like a candle in the wind.
Will you break the shackles and fight for your world, or will you respect destiny, set aside foolish bloodlust, and offer the World's Graveyard as a bargaining chip to the 12 Holy Races of Lania Kaia, exchanging power and protection for submission? The key is in your hands, and you are ahead of all others. You have more choices than anyone else.
Mission: The Burning Expedition — With the World's Graveyard Key, you can consume a World Grave ticket to enter the higher-dimensional battlefield and fight for your world and race. The battlefield opens on the 1st and 15th of every month.
Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire
---
The three combined bone tiles also revealed their item information.
[World's Graveyard · Oak Acorn · 678]: World's Graveyard Key ★
Necessary for entering the world battlefield.
[Skill] Rookie on the Table: Upon entering the world battlefield, you (and your pets) can unlock a Divine Gift skill.
---
Rita and Nivalis were silent for a long while, both understanding that these tiles were not just ancient treasures or some rare game items but the tombstones of worlds that had been destroyed. Each one was a grave, a marker of destruction.
Rita did not hesitate long. After reading the system prompts and seeing the 10,000 honor points she had gained, she turned to Nivalis and said, "I must take this mission. Will you still honor our contract?"
Nivalis, clearly even more excited than Rita, replied without hesitation, "Of course! This is the great adventure that only a protagonist like you could have!"
Rita couldn't help but laugh softly.
She played with the bone tiles in her hands. She had never once thought about sharing this information with Shadow.Q or Eclipse Vanguard. In the end, she was selfish. If the royal families of various races used such items to rise to power, she definitely wouldn't let it slip from her hands, even if the recipient was Eclipse Vanguard.
If the tiles could elevate an entire race, she knew there had to be even greater benefits for those who took part in the game. No one was truly selfless, and there was no way she would let something like this slip away from her grasp, especially now.
If anyone had to rise to the top, why shouldn't it be her?
As for her promise to Shadow.Q about understanding priorities? Well, that wasn't a lie. She was very much aware of where to draw the line when it came to big decisions. Letting go of some small interests was no big deal. But when it came to power? Everyone else needed to stay out of her way.
She pulled out more bone tiles. Each one had its description.
---
[World's Graveyard · Thirty Thousand]: Carry this item into the world battlefield to unlock one item for you (and your pet).
[World's Graveyard · Fifty Thousand]: Carry this item into the world battlefield to unlock one item for you (and your pet).
[World's Graveyard · Nine Stripes]: Carry this item into the world battlefield. You may bring one teammate (limited to those of the same race).
---
The worlds that had perished didn't even deserve names, and each tombstone had its own function. Rita wasn't about to rush into this. Even in a game, no one went in without a plan.
She intended to ask Snow Pile more about the world battlefield when she saw him tomorrow.
Nivalis, already excited, hurried back to her treasure vault, but most of her treasures were dragon-specific. If Rita wanted to use them, she'd have to pay an exorbitant price, and the available power would be limited.
For instance, when Jameson used the dragon scales, Rita noticed that his four major attributes had each dropped by one point, and he had several negative debuffs as well.
That night, Rita and Nivalis hardly slept, lying in the dragon's nest, discussing the world battlefield.
The next day, Snow Pile let out a loud roar from his own dragon nest. Rita and Nivalis immediately flew over.
Snow Pile was lying on the ground, not getting up. Unlike their previous formal "family dinner," today was more casual. Without much pleasantry, he said, "Sit."
Rita and Nivalis took seats near his dragon head.
Snow Pile didn't waste time with small talk and went straight to the point. "The Eternal Night Fortress is also known as the Heart of the Oak Acorn. During the final battle between Oak Acorn and Lania Kaia, it was created using the blood of millions of 12 Holy Races warriors, as well as the essence of Oak Acorn's legendary spirit. Because it grew within Oak Acorn's domain and was made from the spirit of Oak Acorn, all 12 Holy Races acknowledge it as belonging to him, though all races are allowed to use it."
He continued, "Inside, countless battles are sealed—fragments of souls and memories from warriors. When you enter the tower, your body will be protected by it, but your spirit and mind will be randomly sent to a time within its history to relive various battles. The time flow within the tower differs from Lania Kaia—one day here equals one hundred years in the tower. Once inside, either your mind will collapse, and you'll be thrown out, or you'll live out dozens of reincarnations as an Oak Acorn warrior. Or if you survive three hundred years in the tower, you'll be able to conquer it."
He paused before adding, "Everyone thinks that those who emerge from the tower are turned into Oak Acorns, but that's not true. Even after three hundred years, those who enter the tower will experience life as an Oak Acorn warrior. No matter how steadfast your mind, your cognition and sense of self will still be affected."