Chapter 133

"First of all, about myself, you can treat me as a basic intelligence born from an artifact."

The shapeshifter began to explain:

"In addition, I need to obtain soul energy by killing creatures to charge, which is also the reason why that personality operated a robbery team in Lizard Alley before."

Luo En nodded; this was consistent with his guess.

"Because I need to hibernate regularly, and the expenses for maintaining the mercenary team are not small."

The shapeshifter continued: "So my savings are not much, totaling ten complete magic stones. Now, they are all yours."

An unexpected fortune of ten magic stones! It was enough to make him feel overjoyed.

The shapeshifter pointed to the storage box that Luo En had brought back earlier:

"Besides magic stones, there is also a special item you can use."

Luo En opened this storage box that could completely isolate the magic power fluctuations of objects, inside which was a piece of metal about the size of a palm, presenting a deep silver-gray color.

"What is this?"

Luo En carefully picked up the metal piece, feeling the mysterious energy contained within it.

"Soul Steel." The shapeshifter's mechanical voice carried a hint of awe:

"An extremely rare extraordinary material; weapons forged from it possess astonishing plasticity and can change forms freely according to the holder's needs."

Luo En's eyes widened: "What is the value?"

"Hard to measure." The shapeshifter answered:

"In the Dwarf City-State Union, this piece of Soul Steel is enough to buy a city. Even using magic stones as a unit of measurement, it is difficult to accurately estimate the price."

Luo En carefully put the Soul Steel back into the storage box, already starting to think about how to utilize this precious material.

"In addition, about the Sands of Time." The shapeshifter continued:

"It is indeed the key material for activating the Time Guardian Pocket Watch. But true Sands of Time are extremely rare and only form in areas with abnormal time flow."

"And the small bottle I gave you was collected over many years. It is enough for preliminary experiments, but to fully activate the pocket watch, I'm afraid more is needed."

Luo En carefully put the Soul Steel back into the storage box, his thoughts turning to the problem of the Sands of Time.

He stared at the golden sand grains flickering with strange light in the small bottle, countless questions surging in his heart.

"Regarding the Sands of Time, I still have many questions. First, how exactly is it formed?"

The shapeshifter seemed to have anticipated this question:

"This question involves some information you might have heard of."

"Have you heard of the 'Bloodline Altar' recently?"

Luo En raised an eyebrow, not expecting the shapeshifter to take the initiative to mention this:

"I have indeed heard of it; it is said to be a mysterious place located in some exotic rift here."

"Not just a mysterious place."

The shapeshifter's mechanical voice became low:

"The Bloodline Altar is actually a time projection of an ancient world, a solidified fragment of history. And the Sands of Time are precisely the time traces formed in this special environment."

Luo En's eyes lit up: "You mean, these Sands of Time of yours were obtained from the Bloodline Altar?"

"Exactly. Every time the Crystal Spire and the Black Fog School open the Bloodline Altar, the previous personality would secretly send subordinates to try to collect the time fragments that dissipated during the opening process."

Its mechanical voice revealed a bit of helplessness:

"But this is by no means an easy task. Every operation consumes a lot of manpower, and the harvest is extremely limited. The small bottle of Sands of Time in your hand is the entire accumulation of the past few decades."

Luo En observed the golden sand grains in the bottle thoughtfully.

Under the light, they presented a flowing texture, as if every grain sealed countless tiny time fragments.

"What is the specific situation of this Bloodline Altar? Can you explain in detail?"

The shapeshifter could only express regret:

"Regrettably, I know very little about the specific situation of the altar. As a rare antique, I can only be bound to a small range around Lizard Alley and cannot go to that exotic rift myself."

"I can only rely on the descriptions of those subordinates who accidentally escaped back, and..."

The shapeshifter paused: "And the terrifying aura that spread to here every time the altar opened."

"Terrifying aura?" Luo En keenly captured this word.

The shapeshifter's form seemed to tremble slightly:

"It is a pressure that makes all living things tremble; even from a very far distance, it still makes me feel instinctive fear... that is the aura belonging to a Dark Sun-level wizard."

A trace of doubt flashed in Luo En's eyes: "Dark Sun-level? I have never heard of this classification."

"That is the level division after breaking through formal wizards."

The shapeshifter explained: "According to the order of increasing power, they are Morning Star-level, Moon-level, Dark Sun-level, and above that is the legendary Great Wizard realm, which has already exceeded the scope of my cognition."

Luo En silently digested this information, his understanding of the extraordinary world expanding by another layer.

"The strongest in the Black Fog School is only the Vice Dean, who is said to have reached the Moon-level realm."

The shapeshifter added: "And the Crystal Spire sends a Dark Sun-level wizard to lead the team to the Bloodline Altar every time."

"How strong is the destructive power of the Dark Sun-level?" Luo En couldn't help but ask.

"Judging purely by destructive power, a Dark Sun-level wizard using super-magic techniques can easily steam dry the sea surface for nearly a thousand miles, or sink small and medium-sized landmasses directly."

The shapeshifter's voice carried a hint of awe:

"If that Dark Sun-level wizard from the Crystal Spire really went all out, this region, including human kingdoms and many alien territories, would likely turn to ashes in an instant."

Luo En couldn't help but gasp.

Such terrifying power had already exceeded his imagination.

Dark Sun-level can destroy continents; how strong should the Great Wizards who form an essential life gap above this be...

Like recorded in books, enough to crush stars or even move huge galaxies?

But this also made him more convinced of the value of the Bloodline Altar—a place that can make such a powerful existence personally escort it must contain incomparable opportunities.

"The Crystal Spire attaches such importance to the Bloodline Altar; it seems I must find a way to obtain the qualification to enter." Luo En said firmly.

The shapeshifter affirmed:

"With your talent and potential, plus the various resources you now possess, obtaining a spot is not impossible. But even if you enter the altar, you must remain cautious. A place that can be personally guarded by a Dark Sun-level wizard must have dangers of the same level."

Luo En pondered for a moment and asked again:

"Regarding the Sands of Time, do you know how to use it most effectively to activate the pocket watch?"

"I only know it is a key material, but the specific activation method..." The shapeshifter shook its head:

"I'm afraid you need to explore it yourself, but since the pocket watch has already had a preliminary reaction to you, I believe you will find the correct method."

Luo En picked up the small bottle, carefully observing the golden sand grains inside, his thoughts thousands of miles away.

Obtaining more Sands of Time from the Bloodline Altar and fully activating the Time Guardian Pocket Watch would be one of his important goals next.

It paused and added:

"As an auxiliary program that has been edited, I will do my best to assist you in exploring the truth of this world, finding more rare antiques, and unlocking their power."

Luo En nodded, his gaze falling on the Sands of Time on the experimental table and the storage box hiding the Soul Steel, already starting to conceive the next plan in his heart.

As the opening time of the Bloodline Altar approached, he must speed up his pace and make full preparations for the upcoming opportunities and challenges.

The shapeshifter patiently answered all his questions and finally said somewhat casually:

"I can perceive the existence of other rare antiques within a general range; if I perceive their aura nearby, I will notify you."

"Alright, I should hibernate; if the master needs anything, just call me directly..."

After speaking, the shapeshifter turned directly into a pool of silver liquid, attached to Luo En's skin again, and soon entered a dormant state.

Like a film that was almost impossible to detect, it perfectly hid under his body surface.

Luo En took a deep breath, looked at the storage box and Sands of Time on the table, and a sense of satisfaction rose in his heart.

Today's harvest far exceeded expectations, not only obtaining powerful protection and disguise capabilities but also collecting key materials to activate the pocket watch, as well as priceless Soul Steel.

In the following time, Luo En completely immersed himself in the research of the Sands of Time.

In the most secret laboratory in the workshop, he carefully tried various methods to activate more functions of the pocket watch.

"According to the results of extraordinary identification, the pocket watch needs to match 'time' attribute energy, and after charging, it will unlock new functions..."

Luo En muttered to himself, his fingers gently stroking the black gem on the pocket watch.

He first tried the most intuitive method—sprinkling the Sands of Time directly on the surface of the pocket watch, but there was no reaction.

Then he tried putting the sand grains into the internal mechanical structure of the pocket watch, which was also ineffective.

"Perhaps it needs some kind of medium?"

Luo En pondered, his gaze falling on his fingertips.

The last time the pocket watch was activated was after his fresh blood dripped onto the gem, and he could also feel that the pocket watch itself seemed to have a certain consciousness, not a completely dead object.

He decided to try it, using a small knife to gently cut his fingertip, letting a drop of fresh blood fall onto the prepared Sands of Time.

The moment the blood touched the sand grains, those golden particles suddenly became active, flickering like miniature stars; his blood seemed to contain special properties.

"It really has a reaction!"

Luo En's spirit was lifted, and he immediately took out more Sands of Time, repeating the steps just now.

Each time he added, the humming sound of the pocket watch became louder, and the light of the black gem became hotter.

The pocket watch began to emit a slight humming sound, and the rotation speed of the internal mechanical gears accelerated significantly.

Luo En felt a palpitation, as if countless tiny needle tips were piercing his heart at the same time.

This feeling was not painful, but carried a strange intimacy, as if the pocket watch was establishing a deeper connection with him.

【Detected Sands of Time...】

【Energy absorbing...】

【Current Energy Quota: 15/15】

"It works!" Luo En looked at the panel prompt in surprise, hurriedly taking out more Sands of Time, repeating the steps just now.

Each time he added, the humming sound of the pocket watch became louder, and the light of the black gem became hotter.

【Energy absorbing...】

【Current Energy Quota: 20/20】

【Energy absorbing...】

【Current Energy Quota: 30/30】

【Energy sufficient, unlocking new function: Time Stasis】

With the absorption of the last batch of Sands of Time, the appearance of the pocket watch underwent subtle changes.

More fine and complex patterns emerged on the originally monotonous dial, and a circle of tiny star-point marks surrounded the black gem, just like a miniature version of a constellation map.

"Time Stasis..." Luo En whispered the name of this new function, excitement surging in his heart.

This sounded like an extremely powerful ability, far exceeding the simple state reset before.

【Time Stasis: Can cause a specified target to fall into a special solidified state, completely blocking movement and making its defense fragile.

Consumes 10 energy quota per second

Function activation phrase: "Bite the second hand!"】

【Scope of action: Below Great Wizard】

"This..." Luo En took a deep breath, unable to hide the shock in his heart.

Being able to block existences below Great Wizard meant that even facing a terrifying existence like a Dark Sun-level wizard who could move mountains and fill seas with a lift of their hand, he had a glimmer of hope.

But this power needs to be tested in practice.

Luo En took down a transparent glass cage from the experimental rack, inside which were kept several white mice used for experiments.

He took one out cautiously, placed it on the experimental table, and held the pocket watch tightly, his spiritual power resonating with it.

"Bite the second hand!"

As the activation phrase was silently recited, the black gem in the center of the pocket watch suddenly erupted with a sharp black light, shooting straight at the white mouse that was sniffing around.

Instantly, all the movements of the white mouse were solidified, as if sealed in transparent amber.

Its posture was lifelike, its tail slightly raised, its front paws lifted, but it was motionless, and even its breathing seemed to have stopped.

【Time Stasis activated, energy consuming...】

Luo En observed breathlessly, gently touching the white mouse with a thin rod.

To his surprise, although the white mouse could not move, it still reacted to external stimuli, emitting a faint squeaking sound.

"So that's it; this ability can only block movement and attack capabilities, rather than complete time stillness."

Luo En pondered, then lifted the ability.

"Thank you for your affirmation, Mentor Lai La." Luo En responded politely.

The white mouse immediately resumed activity, but seemed to be frightened, scurrying around in a panic, and was eventually carefully put back into the cage by Luo En.

"Consumes 10 energy per second, now the quota is 30, can only maintain for 3 seconds at most..." Luo En calculated:

"But even if it's only 3 seconds, it's enough to turn the tide or escape danger at a critical moment."

He stroked the surface of the pocket watch, feeling the mysterious power contained within it.

The Time Guardian's Pocket Watch is becoming increasingly powerful, and this might just be the tip of the iceberg of its full potential.

Thinking of this, Luo En couldn't help but start conceiving future plans.

He reopened a bookshelf in the library of thoughts in his brain and began to record the arrangements in detail:

"First, go to the slave chamber of commerce next week to buy various alien embryos and start practical research on bloodline modulation; this is crucial for perfecting the Chimera bloodline and Ailan's evolution."

He pondered for a moment and continued to record:

"Secondly, accelerate the research progress of spells and alchemy, especially the perfection of the 'Ring of Radiance' and the research on the application of Soul Steel. Improve the evaluation in the school, strive to promote ranking in the candidate wizard sequence, and lay the foundation for obtaining the spot for the Bloodline Altar."

"In half a year, no matter what, find a way to promote to a high-level apprentice; this is crucial for obtaining more resources and permissions."

Luo En opened his eyes and took a low breath.

Time is tight, but he already possesses a better starting point and resources than the vast majority of apprentices.

The advantage of the unlimited profession column is becoming increasingly apparent, and the linkage effect between various professions allows him to make astonishing progress in multiple fields.

Coupled with two powerful rare antiques, the Time Guardian's Pocket Watch and the Skin of the Shapeshifter, as well as the bloodline modulation research that is about to begin...

"The road has been paved; next, just step forward steadily..."

(End of chapter)