Chapter 228: Boss Has to Worry About Planning

"Feng Ge, I've brought you those Talisman and Spell!"

Bi Gelei, carrying a sack of Talisman and Spell, called out loudly outside the door; Feng Xue got up, took the sack, and said casually:

"How's the Full Moon Pearl working?"

"Amazing! Just leave it under the moonlight all night during the full moon, and then you can use it as if it's always full moon—totally a genius invention! How did you make it… oh, sorry, I just asked out of curiosity, but one unit still isn't enough—can you make me a few more? Name your price!"

When Bi Gelei brought up a serious matter, she instantly transformed from that flustered girl into a composed, elegant posture; Feng Xue thought for a moment and said:

"No problem at all. As for payment… I do have some Many Ideas, and I need your help."

"Say it!"

…

After seeing Bi Gelei off, Feng Xue returned to his desk with the sack of Talisman and Spell, activated the Qi-Viewing Technique, opened his pre-civilization laptop, and began examining the traces with Xiao Lingdang.

The so-called Talisman and Spell were essentially no different from Feng Xue's belt; thanks to Xiao Lingdang, his micro-control ability had significantly improved, allowing him to condense rituals that once required individual linking into Talisman and Spell no larger than half a fist.

But he didn't distribute these Talisman and Spell to players for warmth—players in this world don't generate Wish-Power; no matter how many Many Ideas they have, Feng Xue cannot receive them. The true purpose of the Talisman and Spell is recording.

He deliberately obscured their usage, letting players deduce and speculate on their own. In terms of Feng Xue's "Many Ritual-Linking Spell Unit" system, the Talisman and Spell are the belt, the spells players cast are the jade talismans Feng Xue normally inserts temporarily, and the energy enabling players' spells is Feng Xue's Qi, Yuan-Qi, and similar sources.

Thus, as players continuously study, their spell-casting and skill-use processes leave traces within the Talisman and Spell; once a player dies and the Talisman and Spell drops, Feng Xue can recover them, analyze the residual traces, and decipher the energy and ritual changes occurring during the player's spellcasting—essentially a form of reverse mapping.

Yes, despite his outward disdain, Feng Xue was deeply envious of these players' skills; even just the so-called Three Pure Fire Talisman and Nine Heavens Thunder Control Talisman from cultivation players thrilled him, let alone the abilities of other classes.

To accommodate various classes, he specifically differentiated the Talisman and Spell, giving each type unique spell compatibility to facilitate player development.

Feng Xue's task was to extract these traces and hand them to Xiao Lingdang for computation, ultimately summarizing complete rituals.

Unfortunately, players' current experiments remain relatively conservative; what could be read from the Talisman and Spell were still only simple applications. But in Feng Xue's view, since players could indeed cast spells via Talisman and Spell, the rest was merely a matter of time.

Still, this world was ultimately too monotonous; if things continued this way, players would only obsess over clearing maps and plots, inevitably shortening the game's lifespan. If players started abandoning the game en masse before even understanding the Talisman and Spell system, that would be a nightmare.

Never mind how the benevolent bosses in Demon Wang Cheng would fare after game shutdown—Feng Xue's research time would be compressed first.

So he had to find a way to extend the game's lifespan—at least until he'd squeezed every last bit of wool from these players, he couldn't let the game end.

"Sigh, here I am, a proper boss, having to worry about planning duties—no one has ever had it this bad."

Muttering to himself, Feng Xue swiftly tossed the emptied Talisman and Spell aside, intending to fetch new ones for continued recording—only to realize this batch was already finished. He silently marveled at how practice breeds mastery, pondering whether to head into the city for some amusement, when three sharp knocks suddenly rang out.

The knocks were spaced with perfect uniformity: a brief pause, then three more. Though only one person in Demon Wang Cheng knocked this way, Feng Xue still asked:

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Mary." A flat voice came from the door; Feng Xue was about to rise when she continued:

"Don't bother opening the door. I'm just here to remind you: recently, the number of challengers for my and Evelyn's dungeons has dropped, meaning the new wave of heroes has hit their current limit. Your dungeon will soon face a massive influx of players—prepare yourself."

"Understood. How's the thing I asked you about?" Feng Xue wasn't surprised; instead, he inquired about the prior matter. Mary immediately replied:

"Technically no issues, but the workload is large—it'll take some more time. Should be done around the next siege day."

"Good. Take these new Talisman and Spell out and distribute them to the demons—same as before." Feng Xue pointed; Seeing Mo Ying immediately flew over and opened the door.

Mary, standing outside, said nothing more, picked up the red sack by the door, and turned to leave.

"Haa~" Feng Xue yawned, stretched his limbs, and abandoned his plan to go out—

Occasionally entering a dungeon to hone combat skills isn't bad.

…

"Guan Er, isn't it said online that you can't tank this boss head-on?"

At the entrance to the 【Demon Dragon Rebirth】 dungeon, a cultivation player looked at the tank with unease.

The player called Guan Er rolled his eyes and said bluntly: "Did they clear it? I'm a strategy group player—trust me! Lei Bi! Xue Bi! Shuang Bi! All ready?"

"Ready!"

The other three White Mages answered in unison; Guan Er immediately clicked to enter the dungeon…

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Amidst the sound of shattering stone, the Demon Dragon broke free once more; his gaze swept over the five, and he sneered:

"Hmph, another bunch of overconfident fools…"

"You bastard!" Guan Er initiated a zero-frame taunt; before the boss could finish his opening line, he hurled his taunt. The towering Demon Dragon lunged forward in several swift steps, and Guan Er twisted his body—white light flashed, followed by a strange, creaking sound.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Almost simultaneously, three beams of Bai Guang struck Guan Er's body; he straightened his stance, and the Bai Guang—like a compressed spring—exploded outward. The Demon Dragon boss, famed for his high stats, stumbled backward. Seeing this, Guan Er beamed and shouted to the delayed cultivation player:

"Er Bi! Go!"

"You're the one who's Er Bi!"

(End of Chapter)