Nie Yan circled around, avoiding the line of sight of the Sanguine Rogue, and edged closer to the chest. Getting near might be possible, but to retrieve the contents without the Sanguine Rogue noticing was going to be difficult.
This seemed like an impossible task.
Was he going to give up now?
That wasn’t Nie Yan’s style at all!
After much contemplation, Nie Yan realized he still needed to bypass the Sanguine Rogue and enter the dungeon behind the throne. Should he deal with the chest only after returning from the dungeon?
The chest was woven from bamboo strips; the craftsmanship here was indeed quite primitive.
Decorative objects could be altered, just like real-world objects. A thought sparked in Nie Yan’s mind.
The chest was about twenty yards away from the Sanguine Rogue. If the lid moved, the Rogue would definitely notice. But what if he didn’t lift the lid? Was there another way to get the contents?
As Nie Yan’s mind raced, the Sanguine Rogue suddenly seemed to sense something and glanced in Nie Yan’s direction. Nie Yan quickly ducked behind a pillar.
The Sanguine Rogue stared in his direction for a while before turning his gaze away and continuing his patrol.
Nie Yan’s heart pounded. The Sanguine Rogue’s perceptiveness was truly impressive. Nie Yan was about thirty yards away, yet the Rogue still sensed his presence. The chest was only about twenty yards from the Rogue. If Nie Yan moved the chest, the Rogue would probably attack immediately.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Nie Yan’s mind, and a faint smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.
He equipped the Gnome Ring and activated its Gnome Transformation ability. His body rapidly shrank, and everything around him seemed to grow enormous. The distant Sanguine Rogue now appeared like a giant.
Now a tiny figure in stealth mode, Nie Yan started walking toward the distant chest.
The bamboo chest, now towering over him, was a massive structure. His height matched the chest’s.
After transforming into a gnome, Nie Yan’s invisibility far surpassed his usual state, making him extremely hard to detect. Thus, as he passed about twenty yards from the Sanguine Rogue, the Rogue remained completely oblivious.
Nie Yan gradually approached the chest and reached its side. The chest sat in a corner but wasn’t flush against the wall, leaving a gap of about a yard.
Nie Yan hid behind the chest. With his reduced size, the chest completely concealed him.
Being small had its advantages!
Regarding the Gnome Ring, there were some amusing facts. The goblin mages of the Underdark tribes revered the Gnome Ring the most. They were already small, about a third the size of regular players. The Gnome Ring could shrink them by another third, making them only three or four inches tall. They would dart around on the ground, blasting melee enemies with magic. Their tiny size made them hard to hit, making this the goblins’ most despicable and unbeatable tactic.
What other uses the Gnome Ring might have remained to be explored.
Many items in Faith were incredibly wondrous. Only with rich imagination could one fully exploit their potential.
The Sanguine Rogue glanced at the chest in the corner as usual before turning his gaze elsewhere.
Through his observations, Nie Yan noticed a pattern: every three minutes, the Rogue would look this way. During those moments, he absolutely couldn’t move, or he might be discovered.
Nie Yan pushed the chest slightly. It was very heavy, likely filled with many things.
Nie Yan sat down in the corner, hiding behind the chest where no one could see him.
He pulled out Zennarde’s Sword and slashed at the corner of the chest.
Decorative objects could be altered and destroyed!
The sharp Zennarde’s Sword easily cut through the bamboo. Beneath was a wooden layer, but even that was no match. The sword cut through the wood like breaking decay, creating an opening in the chest’s corner, revealing black iron beneath.
Another layer! This chest was surprisingly sturdy!
Nie Yan’s mouth opened slightly. He had been deceived by the chest’s exterior!
He wondered if the iron could be cut. Thinking about it, Zennarde’s Sword was a divine-grade weapon, the absolute top-tier equipment!
Nie Yan slashed the chest with Zennarde’s Sword, leaving only a shallow mark, about half a centimeter deep.
Though slight, this mark boosted Nie Yan’s confidence. He could open the chest!
Nie Yan truly felt like a thief now, using stealth to steal items for the first time.
Three minutes. Nie Yan calculated the time, then paused, motionless, holding his breath.
The Sanguine Rogue glanced his way. From his perspective, the chest appeared undamaged, its damaged side hidden from view, and Nie Yan behind it was completely invisible.
The Rogue’s gaze lingered on the chest briefly before shifting elsewhere.
Once the Rogue’s attention turned away, Nie Yan resumed work. He cut away the bamboo and wood layers of the chest, piling the shavings aside. The black iron core was exposed, and he began hacking at it with Zennarde’s Sword.
Metal was harder, making the task more challenging, but iron shavings gradually fell away.
Every three minutes, Nie Yan paused. After six minutes, a hole finally appeared. A coin rolled out, clinking as it hit the ground. Nie Yan caught it instantly.
But the sound still echoed far.
The Sanguine Rogue was patrolling elsewhere when he suddenly heard the noise. Alert, he turned toward the chest and approached.
Nie Yan crouched behind the chest, heart pounding. If discovered, he might lose his chance to open the chest. His only escape plan was using a random teleport scroll!
He absolutely wouldn’t leave unless absolutely necessary!
He curled tightly, pressing against the chest.
The Sanguine Rogue approached slowly, stopping about five or six yards away, inspecting the chest’s surroundings.
Nie Yan felt the Rogue’s sharp gaze sweep across the wall behind him. He forced himself to stay calm, holding his breath.
The Sanguine Rogue lingered, the chest fully concealing Nie Yan. With the Rogue’s low intelligence, he probably assumed no one could hide behind it.
Finding nothing, the Rogue turned away, resuming his patrol.
Feeling the Rogue’s footsteps recede, Nie Yan exhaled in relief. He resumed hacking at the chest with his sword, iron shavings falling as the hole expanded. He began pulling out coins, stuffing them into his backpack.
One coin, two coins…
Coins poured out, increasing rapidly, filling Nie Yan’s backpack.
Soon, he had opened a two-inch square hole, just enough to insert a hand. He began reaching inside. Initially, only coins, handfuls of them, dazzling to the eye.
From this small opening, Nie Yan retrieved over 3,000 gold coins. He reached again, pulling out a spherical object with edges—it looked like a gem.
He gripped it, pulling his hand out. Examining it, a golden gem sparkled in his palm.
It radiated golden light with a strange transparency.
A Luster Gem!
Nie Yan’s hand trembled slightly. An ordinary gem wouldn’t impress him so much. He had seen considerable wealth, handling hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Yet, holding a Luster Gem excited him.
This item was relatively common at levels seventy to eighty, selling for a few thousand gold coins. But currently, no Luster Gems were on the market. Even for 20,000 gold, Nie Yan wouldn’t sell his!
He wondered if there were more.
Nie Yan continued searching inside, emptying one corner of the chest.
He expanded the hole enough to enter. Without hesitation, he transferred everything to his backpack: a total of 7,000 gold coins, five Luster Gems, and a necklace.
Examining the necklace’s attributes, Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat—it was another special item.
Necklace of Metamorphosis (Epic): Special Item.
Attribute Description: Set a specific animal form to transform into, gaining additional attribute bonuses for five minutes. Cannot attack in transformed form; the transformation ends if attacked. Skill cooldown: one natural day.
For example, transforming into a cheetah grants agility, a grizzly bear grants significant strength, and a seagull enables low-altitude flight.
Nie Yan considered, setting the transformation to lynx for its enhanced jump ability.
Choosing the lynx was strategic. Lynxes were small, agile, and adept at evading danger. Their jump ability was enhanced by 300%. Accounting for size differences, this allowed a maximum jump distance of nine yards and height of five yards.
Such items had significant utility, though few could utilize them effectively.
Nie Yan recalled Tang Yao also had a similar item, but Tang Yao chose to transform into a seagull. Different transformations offered different functions.
After setting the transformation, Nie Yan rechecked the necklace’s attributes.
Necklace of Metamorphosis (Epic): Special Item.
Attribute Description: Transform into a lynx, Agility +300%, Jump +300%, lasts five minutes. Cannot attack in transformed form; transformation ends if attacked. Skill cooldown: one natural day.
Limitation: For player Nie Yan only.
Bound upon acquisition, non-tradable.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage