Chapter 57: The Sanctuary of God

Inside the narrow and dim room, [Shadow Hunter] and [Crystal Rose] were hiding within a hemispherical energy barrier emitting a faint blue glow.

This barrier seemed to be composed of flowing stardust, with runes flashing across its surface from time to time, completely isolating the disturbing silence and rules of the library outside.

[Shadow Hunter] spoke with a trace of smugness, "Those sickly men of East Asia probably thought we would honestly clear the instance according to the rules."

"They could never imagine that the omniscient and almighty [Lord of All Laws] had long foreseen this situation and bestowed upon us this [Sanctuary of the Gods]."

The [Sanctuary of the Gods] was a Grade-B item, and its effect was to grant complete immunity to the influence of external rules within the barrier's range.

However, its usage restrictions were extremely harsh: it only took effect on instances below Grade C-. Upon clearing the instance, it would only yield the lowest Grade-F evaluation, and the rewards would be limited to experience points and game currency, with all other rewards forfeited.

Once entering the [Sanctuary of the Gods] and leaving it, one could not return.

Furthermore, the next mission would inevitably be a penalty instance with its difficulty increased by one tier.

It could be described as a desperate last resort to be used only when completely cornered and fighting for one's life.

Yet, for devout followers of the [Lord of All Laws] like [Shadow Hunter] and [Crystal Rose], all these costs were worthwhile.

As long as the authority of the [Lord of All Laws] remained unshaken, their families could enjoy eternal wealth and peace.

Especially now, after the descent of the Twilight Game and the complete restructuring of social order in foreign countries, top-tier players held supreme power.

[Crystal Rose] also sneered, "Let those gooks struggle in vain outside. Even if they are gooks from the relevant authorities, they will sooner or later be dragged down by that laughable 'mercy'."

"They are severely understaffed and destined to stop us."

"Moreover, the prophecies of the [Lord of All Laws] have never failed. Prepared as we are this time, we will surely be able to return home."

Foreign countries possessed the advantage of lower human rights standards; if players caused trouble, they simply caused trouble. The authorities usually just maintained appearances on the surface and never thoroughly eradicated the root cause.

In fact, foreign lands were already filled with various cults and sects, where anyone could easily fool a bunch of people into becoming believers. With the sudden emergence of players possessing superpowers, it was hardly a big deal at all.

At most, they would cover it up on the internet and completely ignore everything else.

The domestic situation was different; the death of even a few people was a major event, and no matter what, social stability had to be maintained at all costs.

This resulted in the personnel of the relevant authorities being stretched to the breaking point, and items were inevitably depleted at times.

Coupled with the multitude of external enemies faced by the relevant authorities, even as a populous nation, individual resource allocation still fell short compared to the top-tier players of organizations that employed bloody methods such as farming, intercepting, and sacrificing.

[Crystal Rose] let out a sinister, low chuckle, "However, just to be safe, I am going to add a little 'spice' for them."

***

Having said that, she retrieved a somewhat aged clockwork puppet boy from her [Inventory], with visible wooden textures at its joints.

"Go on, little Jim," she gently wound the clockwork behind the puppet, producing a crisp ticking sound, "let those gooks get a real taste of what a Grade-D instance truly feels like."

"You are a precious Grade C- item bestowed upon me by the [Lord of All Laws], so do not disappoint me."

...

When Bai Ming first entered the instance and met Su Yeye, he was indeed slightly stunned.

That was not because of her plain appearance at the moment and the absence of her Lolita attire.

He was not so obtuse; naturally, he understood the reasoning behind concealing one's strength within an instance.

Even if concealing one's strength was not foolproof, it was still far safer than brazenly flaunting one's prowess.

What truly surprised Bai Ming was Su Yeye's incorrect level.

He clearly remembered that during their first meeting, Su Yeye had already accumulated experience at Level 5 for a while.

Given her Grade-S evaluation level, completing another instance should have advanced her to Level 6.

Yet, ten days ago, Bai Ming had already known she entered an instance, and now she still remained at Level 5.

Now, Bai Ming finally understood that Su Yeye was intentionally "stalling her level."

And the reason for stalling her level was undoubtedly related to the [Midnight Library].

She had known long ago that upon entering this instance, she would have the opportunity to achieve a breakthrough.

Similarly, Su Yeye was also aware of Bai Ming's leveling progress, information that in itself did not need to be concealed.

Therefore, she anticipated that upon discovering the increased difficulty of the instance and directly obtaining experience rewards, Bai Ming would most likely deduce her plan, and thus she simply let him take the lead in guiding the situation.

[Sorrowful and Whispering Rustle] still held some doubts, "Going to grind for experience at this critical juncture—won't that instead impair our combat effectiveness?"

He knew the effects of the [Retrieval Monocle of the Midnight Library] all too well; it was fundamentally equipment that "sacrifices a thousand to gain fifty."

Was it really wise to consume one's own combat capability before fighting the white-skinned pigs?

Bai Ming said, "It won't, because I am only 5 experience points away from reaching Level 5, and [Frosting] is also short of some experience to reach Level 6."

[Puppy That Can't Play Games] immediately became excited, "That's fantastic! What are we waiting for? Hurry up and find those 'players of the royal court'!"

***

[Sorrowful and Whispering Rustle] was also visibly stirred.

They were well aware of the disparity brought by level progression, not to mention the inevitable increase in willpower attributes. Just the Grade D- skills obtainable at Level 5 and the specialties selectable at Level 6 were each a qualitative leap.

Especially for Grade-S players, the enhancement brought by each level-up was even more pronounced.

This also meant their survival probability would drastically increase.

[Sorrowful and Whispering Rustle] spoke up first, "Both my intelligence and perception have reached 12 points, meeting the usage requirements of the [Retrieval Monocle of the Midnight Library]. Let me use it."

Instead, Bai Ming directly took the silver-rimmed glasses from Su Yeye's hand.

Meeting her inquiring gaze that demanded an explanation, he calmly stated, "I have a one-time item that can exempt me from equipment penalties, but the item is bound and can only be used by me. Therefore, handing it to me to use is the most appropriate choice."

If the [Retrieval Monocle of the Midnight Library] merely provided environmental bonuses to "search," "appraisal," and "decryption,"

Bai Ming would never have bothered using [Null]. Compared to immunizing oneself against the rules of the Midnight Library, those bonuses were hardly worth mentioning.

Even if it could help eliminate wanderers to gain experience points, it wouldn't be worth it; willpower was precious and could not be abused here.

However, the [Retrieval Monocle of the Midnight Library] additionally provided +4 Perception, which made it impossible for him to ignore.

Generally speaking, buffs of the same type do not stack. That is to say, if both are enhancement bonuses—say, one is +2 and the other +4—only the highest +4 will actually apply.

However, [Bai Xiaozhi's Homework Book] provided an "insight bonus," while the [Retrieval Monocle of the Midnight Library] provided an "enhancement bonus," and different types of bonuses could stack.

Therefore, upon wearing the monocle, Bai Ming's perception attribute would increase by another 4 points.

This was already enough for him to unleash [Null].

After all, his core ability had always been [Coward].

A +4 bonus to perception would also amplify perception-based abilities.

Su Yeye said, "Since that is the case, hand this piece of equipment over to you to use."

Bai Ming put on the [Retrieval Monocle of the Midnight Library] and smiled, "Then let's go, I'll take you to grind for experience."