Chapter 213: Stand Ability
As for the missing component of the [Stand User's Cry] bond, Zhou Ning guessed that it probably wasn't something that could be taken out of the JOJO world—it was either a Saint's Corpse or the Green Baby. Perhaps it could only be obtained through fusion during a tracing event. Zhou Ning wasn't in any hurry for now.
After completing the full collection of the "Mist-Lost London" display rack, the entire rack immediately radiated a golden light, and everything on it became vivid and three-dimensional, as if they truly existed.
At the same time, the "Claim" button behind each item on the rack disappeared, replaced by the word "Exchange," meaning he could now use Traversal Coins to trade for these items.
Zhou Ning's heart stirred slightly. He clicked on "Flawed Aja Red Stone" to take a look—he remembered that three "Flawed Aja Red Stones" could be combined into one "Perfect Aja Red Stone."
According to the original manga's setting, the Stone Mask was created by the Pillar Men for self-evolution, but it could also turn humans into vampires. From what was shown, vampires were like a weaker version of the Pillar Men. Although Zhou Ning didn't know what would happen if a vampire put on a Stone Mask fitted with an Aja Red Stone, judging from his own vampire body's physical strength, it should be possible to succeed—though limited by his original bloodline and body, the strength would be weaker than the Ultimate Lifeform Kars.
If he ever had the chance to get a Perfect Aja Red Stone, Zhou Ning wouldn't mind taking the Stone Mask and studying it thoroughly. After all, a player had already become a vampire, so he could experiment on her first.
But when Zhou Ning quickly scanned the list and saw the Aja Red Stone's price, he couldn't help but curse aloud, "Damn!"
He remembered clearly that when he had first collected an Aja Red Stone, the Hall of Curiosities had refunded him 8 Traversal Coins. Now the price was a whopping 800 Traversal Coins—one hundred times more expensive!
And the Locacaca Fruit, merely an alchemy ingredient, actually cost 200 Traversal Coins each!
Zhou Ning was dumbfounded—calling this daylight robbery would be an understatement. It was pure extortion!
Seeing these prices made Zhou Ning acutely aware of his own poverty. His 10,000 Vecktas savings suddenly felt far from secure.
In front of the Traversal Simulator, money was never enough.
Closing the Hall of Curiosities, Zhou Ning exhaled slowly and took out the bow and arrow from his inventory. According to the instructions, all he had to do was shoot himself with it. It wouldn't kill him.
The only difference would be whether he could successfully awaken a Stand, and how strong it would be.
Right now, fortune was on his side—this was the perfect time to try awakening his Stand.
By this point, Zhou Ning was a little nervous, but he managed to keep himself steady. Drawing the bow, he aimed at himself in a self-inflicted stance and let the arrow fly.
Come on, Star Platinum! Come on, The World!
With a slight sting that wasn't even very painful, Zhou Ning suddenly felt a tightness in his head, as if his spirit had been drawn out of his body. From an observer's perspective, he looked at his own physical form.
In the glow of the gas fireplace, he saw a human silhouette emerging from his body, gradually taking shape—could this be his Stand?
The figure lasted only for a brief moment before vanishing. A moment later, Zhou Ning felt his body was once again his own.
At that moment, he knew he had passed the trial of the bow and arrow and had become a Stand User. A system prompt popped up on his panel:
"You have obtained the Stand Ability: ?????. You may name this Stand yourself."
The awakening process hadn't made him break a sweat, but his mind was unusually exhausted. Exhaling heavily, he forced himself to stand, walked over to the full-length mirror, and tried to summon his Stand.
But strangely, nothing happened.
Zhou Ning: ???
What's going on?
Had he failed to awaken? Or was his Stand's manifestation rule different in this world? This was completely different from what he had imagined.
While briefly puzzled, Zhou Ning's gaze unintentionally fell on an oil painting hanging in the distance. The painting, left by the house's former owner, depicted a scene from the second war between the Bryston Kingdom and the Northlanders—an old soldier, in his last moments, facing the enemy's charge. It was hailed as the pinnacle of battlefield art.
As Zhou Ning looked at it, he suddenly noticed the figure in the painting move. Then, under his gaze, the man stepped out of the canvas and into reality.
He was wearing an old Bryston military uniform, covered in blood and wounds, holding an old flintlock rifle, his expression blazing with zeal. He shouted, "For Bryston!"
After this last cry, the old soldier seemed to exhaust all his strength. His body staggered and finally collapsed to the ground.
Zhou Ning's Observation Haki told him the man was already dead. Moments later, the body dissolved into light and vanished, and the soldier in the painting disappeared as well.
The whole thing lasted less than ten seconds. But during those ten seconds, Zhou Ning's stamina and focus values had plummeted—using his Stand consumed "mana." At his current endurance, he could only last four to five minutes.
Zhou Ning: …
So this was his Stand ability!
It seemed somewhat similar to Bohemian Rhapsody—being able to bring drawings to life.
Destructive Power: None; Speed: None; Precision: None; Growth: None—a true "Four-Zero" Stand. Its ability was to turn fictional works from anime, novels, games, or artistic paintings into reality.
When the "virtual figure" that a target loved appeared before them, they would be drawn into that character's story and ultimately experience the character's ending.
However, compared to Bohemian Rhapsody, his Stand's area of effect seemed smaller—but possibly more powerful. He would need to test it further to know for sure.
Exhaling slowly, Zhou Ning's lips curled upward.
After a moment's thought, he stepped back a few paces and looked at the painting hanging over his bed. He tried to materialize it as well—it was a semi-nude portrait of the famous beauty, Lady Theresa, painted by Bryston's renowned artist Sinclair.
When he looked again, a golden-haired, delicately featured young woman, bare from the shoulders up, stepped out. She looked around in slight confusion, then her face gradually turned red as her gaze met Zhou Ning's.
It actually worked…
Zhou Ning looked at her purely from a biological perspective—her body was constructed exactly like a real human's, and she seemed to have the same mental faculties. The shy, intimate expression on her face was definitely genuine… This Stand ability was really interesting. He also wondered whether it could materialize objects along with people. Still, the mana drain was far too fast…
Thinking of this, Zhou Ning ended the Stand's effect, watching the young woman dissolve into light and vanish.
It wasn't like he was playing some "edging challenge." There wasn't much point right now.
He then tested other items: a Korra Bird statue in the room—success; an old flintlock rifle from a painting—success, and it could fire; a short story from a book—failure, though it cost him a lot of stamina and left him feeling faintly mentally drained. It seemed possible, but it would require practice.
As the tests continued, Zhou Ning grew more confident. This Stand truly had the power to break the dimensional barrier, with huge potential for development—probably stronger than Bohemian Rhapsody.
In the end, Zhou Ning couldn't help but sigh—it was a pity he couldn't draw. Otherwise, he could paint a few of his "waifu" characters from his previous life.
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