Chapter 108 – Book
In the darkness, the pages of a book flipped open on their own, and a line of text began to appear:
[Opera Ending: The True God Nyastora is successfully unsealed.]
[Necessary Conditions: Charles VI must die, Charles VII must ascend to the throne, relevant legislation must be enacted, the Life Alchemy Society must gather sufficient life force… (several steps omitted).]
[Main Cast: Charles VI (exits via death), Charles VII (key figure), Wayne Sturwell (marked for death), Richard Pessa (deceased), Kien West (marked for death)… numerous names omitted.]
Four-Act Opera:
Act I, Scene I: "Fated Death"
Main Characters: Wayne Sturwell, Alan West, Richard Pessa, Luke Shaw, etc.
Synopsis:
In a dark prison cell, Wayne Sturwell and thirty-one other prisoners await their fated deaths. The sacrificial ritual may fail, but their doomed fate remains unchanged.
Dialogue:
(Too much to list, omitted)
Conclusion:
Performance successful, but the sacrifice fails. Wayne Sturwell, Alan West, Richard Pessa, and Luke Shaw survive.
---
Act I, Scene II: "Partnership"
Main Characters: Ensemble
Synopsis:
In the Kingdom of Ruins, a cooperation agreement is established with the Life Alchemy Society. In exchange for helping them create divine beings, the two sides agree to work together.
Dialogue: Omitted
Conclusion:
Performance successful. The two sides form a close partnership.
---
Act I, Scene III: "Wretch"
Main Character: Holwig Gai
Synopsis:
At Vick University, Holwig Gai, an exchange student sponsored by the Life Alchemy Society, is a weak-willed man with a habit of keeping a diary. In this scene, his downfall is inevitable—he kills two innocent girls, learns about the alchemical bomb plan, and writes it all in his diary. His identity as the killer is exposed, and the diary falls into the hands of Darkland's extraordinary task force. He dies a wretched death.
Dialogue: Omitted
Conclusion:
Performance successful. Holwig Gai is killed by Wayne Sturwell. The diary reveals the alchemical bomb plot to the extraordinary task force.
---
Act I, Scene IV: "Alchemical Bomb"
…
---
Act II, Scene X: "The Death of Wayne Sturwell"
Main Characters: Elvis, Wayne Sturwell
Synopsis:
Although Wayne Sturwell has developed far faster than expected and is a gifted extraordinary individual, he only excels in shooting and has virtually no close-combat skills. During an exploration of the mirror world, Elvis Bart discovers a twisted realm created by Archmage Damian, where flying projectiles don't work. He accepts a mission to assassinate Wayne Sturwell and ultimately kills him inside the mirror world.
Dialogue:
Elvis (smiling): "Welcome to my world."
Wayne Sturwell (grave expression): "Elvis Bart?"
(Omitted)
Conclusion:
Unexpected performance failure. Wayne Sturwell suddenly displays unanticipated combat strength. Elvis Bart is killed by him, rendering the script for Act II, Scene X void.
---
Act III, Scene VII: "The Death of Wayne Sturwell" (Reprise)
Main Characters: Wayne Sturwell, Harrison Rivers, Alva Roskin, Charles Scott, etc.
Synopsis:
Under Harrison Rivers' orders, Charles Scott uses an ancient tome to lure Wayne Sturwell, who will unquestionably take the bait. At approximately 7:53 p.m., he will arrive at 52 Woodgate Street and ultimately die in an ambush.
Dialogue: Omitted
Conclusion: Pending performance.
When the final line was written, the book closed once more, and darkness returned.
---
After exiting the library, it began to rain again. Thanks to a reminder from the elderly lady he carried with him, Zhou Ning had already brought an umbrella. Opening it, he walked toward the school gates.
Today was Wednesday—less than a week remained before the players arrived.
From his past life's experience, he knew that once the players descended, elemental activity would intensify. This would affect not just the weather—making it more volatile—but also lead to the appearance of more elemental monsters in the wild. Fire elements would bring scorching, extreme weather and spawn numerous fire elementals. Ice elements would cause bitter cold and unleash roving ice elementals...
During the lengthy first version of the game, battling wild elemental monsters and beasts was a key way for players to gain experience.
The second version, "Elemental Chaos," was caused by the rampant spread of elements—though the Curse God Cult certainly played a role too.
Thinking of all the changes the players' arrival would bring, Zhou Ning felt both anticipation and a bit of a headache.
The days of peace were numbered.
He hailed a rental carriage and headed toward the trade district. Since it was raining heavily, most pedestrians wore hats or carried umbrellas.
After dropping off his damaged coat at the tailor's to be mended—he was told it would take a full day—Zhou Ning spent another 20 Roshens on a new top hat. He wandered toward the nearby herbal store.
With the players about to arrive, Zhou Ning planned to stock up on Devil Fruit materials and also prepare basic potions like low-grade health and mana potions. Selling them to players could turn a solid profit.
In addition, he planned to buy materials for crafting mechanical arms and transformation potions. It was going to be an incredibly busy week.
The carriage stopped near the canal. Across the river stood the Golden Oak Herbal Shop, but after a brief hesitation, Zhou Ning chose another route.
Because he had killed Richard, a shadow lingered in his heart—he couldn't bring himself to face Richard's parents just yet.
Fortunately, another herbal store from the West family stood nearby—Silas Apothecary.
After some thought, Zhou Ning stepped inside.
The spacious, well-lit lobby welcomed him. Zhou Ning showed his VIP card from the West family and received warm hospitality. A pleasant-looking maid handled his entire visit.
Even with a 20% discount, their prices were still around 20% higher than Golden Oak's. But the shop offered a better variety and higher quality herbs, making the extra cost worthwhile.
After some browsing, Zhou Ning bought a large batch of materials, including ingredients for Devil Fruit production.
"One thousand two hundred Veckta in total," the lovely maid said with a smile. "We offer free delivery within twenty minutes via carriage. There's also an alchemy lab in-store—if a station is free, you're welcome to use it at no charge, though ingredients are billed separately."
No wonder it's considered one of Darkland's top herbal stores—the service is outstanding. Zhou Ning gave silent praise in his mind.
After paying, he hitched a ride on the Silas Apothecary delivery carriage and returned to his personal alchemy lab.
Over the next three hours, Zhou Ning worked non-stop and produced three Devil Fruits. He gained 10,000 experience points and brought his accumulated total close to 120,000.
No need to hold back—now it was time to spend it.
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