Chapter Fifty-Eight: Nationwide Quest—Civilization Investigator

"...I have no idea whether the drawings made by whatever old snake-skin are simple or not, but I’m feeling increasingly uneasy. It looks like I've gained a lot, yet somehow it feels like there’s nothing at all."

Colin noticed that regardless of whether these items possessed mysterious properties, each weighed hundreds, even thousands of pounds. The candlestick alone was measured by the ton. There wasn’t a single item here he could actually use. Every piece was far too massive—no matter how he considered it, the size was simply wrong. Even the lightest ceremonial robe weighed over two hundred pounds.

However, upon seeing the final piece of equipment, Colin was nearly moved to tears. At last, there was something he could just barely use!

["Meditation Headscarf": Worn to cover the body, it keeps the mind clear and can resist eighty percent of Lord-level aberrant beings’ mental influence.]

[Note: Do not disturb my thinking!]

[Tip: You believe it can be worn as clothing, granting double the speed of thought and immunity to mental influence below Lord-level aberrant beings. However, wearing it for more than three hours will gradually erode your emotions; beyond five hours, this effect becomes irreversible.]

[After a period of twenty-four hours without contact, the usage time resets.]

"Moved..."

Colin took a deep breath. The headscarf’s function was quite decent, with no major negative side effects.

At this moment, he had been observing for nearly ten minutes. The war vehicles had all rolled into the woods, stopping nearby. Still, no one interrupted Colin’s inventorying of his spoils. They tacitly protected him, ensuring his safety. Some survivors inquired curiously about the loot, and Colin did not shy away—he openly shared the joy of acquiring equipment with everyone.

It was only a pity that, as a "big shot," he could no longer play the "newbie just got this item, is it good?" meme.

"There’s just one last thing. That’s the end of what this Lord-level aberrant being carries..."

Colin’s gaze shifted to the "Twisted Soul." Compared to those he had encountered in the past, its flames were markedly fiercer. After all, it came from a Lord-level aberrant being!

But Colin did not immediately crush it. Through repeated encounters, he had discovered that as the soul’s concentration grew, every time he broke one open, he felt as if he might slip into a dream. Luckily, he always woke up in time. If he failed to do so, who knew what strange happenings might occur. So this time, Colin planned to be more cautious—he would thoroughly check it with his hint ability before deciding whether to crush it.

But just then, the system’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind, interrupting his actions.

[Global survivor progress check in progress...]

[Current total number of level-three territories: approximately 0.0001 percent.]

[Page (1/3)]

[Current total number of level-two territories: approximately 24 percent.]

[Current total number of level-one territories: approximately 75 percent.]

[Current total number of level-one war vehicle lords: approximately 0.0000001 percent.]

[Current total number of floating islands: approximately 0 percent.]

[Lord-level aberrant being hunting condition achieved...]

[Total hunts...]

[Resource assessment...]

[Survivor progress check has met requirements...]

[Global task about to be issued: "Civilization Investigator": Collect those long-buried histories; rewards will be given once progress meets requirements. Duplicate information will be counted using the most accurate and earliest source, unless the survivor dies completely.]

[This task has been added to the "Sheepskin Scroll—Task List." Please open for details.]

[Global task about to be issued: "Gray Mist Explorer": Expand the gray mist’s horizons. For every certain amount of mist explored, a reward will be granted.]

[This task has been added to the "Sheepskin Scroll—Task List." Please open for details.]

"New tasks?"

Colin abruptly looked up at the other lords and found their expressions equally astonished. Clearly, every living survivor had received this information.

Elsewhere, several survivors whose sheepskin scrolls Colin had confiscated crowded around Li Hang, urging him:

"Hurry, Li Hang, take out the sheepskin scroll and check what the task is."

The group gathered, staring at the scroll, excited as if old-timers watching black-and-white television.

Seeing this, Colin temporarily set aside his plan to crush the soul and handed out a few sheepskin scrolls to them, opening his own task list as well.

["Civilization Investigator"]

[Task Description: When global progress reaches five percent, the first task settlement will occur.]

[Task Requirement: Collect the histories beneath the mist, probe the origins of the catastrophe. The more you learn, the better your chances of survival, including but not limited to humanities, geography, customs, and history...]

[Current global progress: Not yet at entry standard.]

[Current personal progress: approximately 0.0002 percent.]

[Global task rewards: A "Civilization Investigator" attribute title, nine hard black breads, one backpack expansion card, and one all-attribute enhancement potion (permanent).]

[Personal task rewards: To be issued based on circumstances.]

"It’s here, it’s here—the system brings its most beloved nuclear-powered bread maker to distribute tasks."

[Page (2/3)]

Colin remarked sarcastically. No, a nuclear-powered bread maker doesn’t reflect its identity as a high civilization or superior being. It should be called a quantum engine bread maker.

His gaze sharpened as he pondered the task.

[Hint: You think this task is tailored for you; you possess an advantage no one else can ignore.]

An advantage impossible to ignore... hint?

Colin muttered quietly, dismissing the hint from his mind.

So far, the hints had proved reliable, but only if one could extract and distinguish useful information from them. Otherwise, not only could they be unreliable, they might even be harmful. Especially the recent hint—"a hundred pounds of explosives will cause unavoidable damage"—Colin was not about to forget.

He had used nearly four tons of explosives, almost a hundred iron shells, mobilized nine war vehicles and over four hundred people, and finally deployed mysterious items in his battle against the Lord-level aberrant being. If he had trusted that nonsense, bringing only a hundred or two hundred pounds of black powder, the grass on his grave would likely be three yards high by now.

On the whole, however, Colin’s cooperation with this "golden finger" had been fairly pleasant. If it eventually posed a problem, it would likely wait until he was fattened up before striking. For now, he was still lean, everything could be exploited.

On the other side, a crowd of survivors gasped in disbelief when they saw the task rewards. The game was actually granting items that could make them stronger!

It was as rare as the moon rising from the sun.

Aside from that axe, almost no one had ever received anything from the system that could increase combat power. Shauna, Number One, Number Two, and the others stood aside, not quite understanding the survivors’ excitement.

Human sorrow and joy are not shared; they only found the commotion irritating.

So noisy that their lord was disturbed!

Colin paid little attention. He knew this task couldn’t be completed in the short term. He gathered his scattered thoughts and casually opened the other global task.

...

...

...

[Page (3/3)]