Stepping onto the ground, more than half of Nie Yan’s calves sank into the snow. A gust of cold wind blew against him, making him shiver involuntarily.
Nie Yan recalled his Darkwing Dragon and, braving the frigid wind, started walking forward step by step. Each step across the snow was extremely difficult.
Fortunately, his cold resistance was sufficient; otherwise, the freezing wind would have completely paralyzed him.
He kept walking across the vast snowfield.
This area spawned some level 60 monsters—Frostland Giants. Occasionally, some Frostland Giants approached, but upon catching Nie Yan’s scent, they immediately retreated. These creatures had a keen sense of danger and instinctively knew they couldn’t challenge him.
Even if Nie Yan were to kill these Frostland Giants, he wouldn’t gain much experience. He didn’t bother chasing them and continued moving through the snowfield, searching for the designated coordinates.
Only some elemental mages were leveling here because they had special skills to resist the cold. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Nie Yan stealthed away whenever he saw other players approaching.
About twenty minutes later, Nie Yan arrived at a fissure at the foot of a mountain. Looking down, the water surface was calm and still, its depth unfathomable and its destination unknown.
Nie Yan checked the coordinates—it was here.
Thin streams of cold mist rose from the icy spring.
In his past life, the Sothoth Feather had been retrieved from this very place.
Nie Yan drank a Master-level Cold Resistance Potion and jumped into the water. A piercing chill immediately penetrated his body, causing him to tremble slightly.
If his cold resistance were below 200, he would likely freeze into an ice pillar instantly.
Nie Yan activated his Underwater Breathing ability and dove deeper. Beneath the icy surface, it was pitch black, but thanks to his Dark Vision, he could still make out vague outlines.
The water was filled with long strands of seaweed, stretching over ten yards, drifting with the current.
Nie Yan swam through the seaweed, moving steadily forward. The underwater world was eerie and ever-changing, occasionally revealing schools of fish and shrimp. These creatures were harmless and non-aggressive.
After about ten minutes, Nie Yan finally spotted his target—the Sothoth Feather.
The Sothoth Feather was a white feather about five to six inches long, emitting a holy white glow. It floated quietly in the distance. A current of water flowed toward it, yet the feather seemed unaffected, floating serenely.
Near the Sothoth Feather, three mermaids hovered. Their upper bodies were those of beautiful women, while their lower halves were fish-like tails covered in scales. Each held a trident.
Their faces were stunning, their upper bodies bare—an alluring sight. However, the gleaming tridents in their hands warned players that they were not to be trifled with.
Nie Yan stealthily moved behind a cluster of coral and cast Detect on one of the mermaids.
Maiden Velena: Level 120 Enhanced Elite.
This mermaid had nearly three million hit points. Enhanced Elites were close to boss-level creatures!
These three mermaids patrolled near the Sothoth Feather, stopping occasionally to glance at it.
Seeing their stats, Nie Yan furrowed his brows. Why were there three level 120 elites here? In his past life, he had heard that there were no significant guards around the Sothoth Feather, and Shadow Dancer had retrieved it easily.
The information he had gathered was secondhand and inevitably inaccurate. Details often got distorted over time, so discrepancies were normal. The fact that he had even found the Sothoth Feather based on rumors was already impressive.
Trying to bypass these three mermaids and obtain the Sothoth Feather was extremely difficult. Nie Yan was no match for them, especially underwater, where the strong currents severely limited his mobility.
Nie Yan checked his surroundings. Within a hundred yards, teleportation scrolls and recall potions were disabled. This further complicated his mission—because even if he obtained the feather, if he were killed here, it would drop.
Nie Yan lingered at the periphery for a long time, unsure of how to proceed. His time was limited—his Underwater Breathing ability only lasted about thirty minutes. With backup potions in his bag, he could extend it to about an hour.
He had already used over twenty minutes and needed to act quickly. If his Underwater Breathing expired, he would have to swim over a hundred yards away to use a Recall Potion and return, which would mean coming all this way for nothing.
Using a Recall Potion would mean failing this trip entirely.
Nie Yan pondered whether he could stealth past them and grab the Sothoth Feather.
Aquatic creatures generally had low perception.
Nie Yan activated Stealth and slowly drifted toward the floating feather.
He drew closer, now only about five or six yards away. The three mermaids nearby seemed to sense something and turned their gazes in his direction, scanning the area and slowly swimming toward him.
Nie Yan dared not provoke them and silently retreated, hiding behind a coral reef about ten yards from the feather.
The three mermaids patrolled the area but found nothing, returning to their usual drifting.
Staring at the feather—so close yet so unattainable—Nie Yan felt frustrated. The current was too strong. If he used the Weaver’s Ring as usual, the spider silk would be swept away by the water. This plan was clearly unfeasible.
Spider silk, currents—the words flashed through Nie Yan’s mind. He felt like he was missing something, but his thoughts remained muddled.
There had to be a way, Nie Yan reassured himself. He needed to think calmly. His mind was too chaotic here—he would wait a bit longer. He wondered if there was anything else in this area besides the Sothoth Feather. He swam outward to search.
After about ten minutes of searching nearby, Nie Yan’s Underwater Breathing ability from the Fishman’s Pearl was about to expire. He used a backup potion to extend the duration.
Could he only give up and return?
Nie Yan felt indignant. He resolved to make one more attempt—if he could obtain the Sothoth Feather, that would be ideal. If not, he would retreat and return later once he devised a solution.
The currents here were strong, making swimming difficult. Fortunately, his high strength and endurance allowed him to resist being swept away.
While swimming, Nie Yan suddenly noticed some glowing lights in the distance. His heart quickened—was it a treasure chest?
Using the current’s force, he swam toward the light.
After swimming about thirty yards, Nie Yan spotted a silver-white chest wedged between dense coral reefs. It resembled an artifact from the Dark Age, though it had become deformed and lost its original appearance.
It was indeed a treasure chest, unlocked, as the lock was broken.
The chest was stuck in a crevice, making it difficult to retrieve. Nie Yan took out his dagger and tried to pry it open.
Inserting the dagger into the edge of the lid, he applied force. With a click, the chest opened. Inside lay an ancient book. Though worn, it was intact, with a dark gray cover. The book was thick and heavy. On its cover, in Draconic script, were golden words—The Forgotten Tome.
Nie Yan was puzzled about what The Forgotten Tome was when suddenly he heard a crisp system prompt.
“System: You have discovered The Forgotten Tome, hidden among the coral reefs. Its ancient cover holds a distant history. Will you pursue its past and seek the lost history?”
Yes!
Nie Yan thought for a moment. This was likely the beginning of a quest. Taking on another task was no big deal. He could deal with it when the time came. Without hesitation, he confirmed.
At that moment, The Forgotten Tome suddenly radiated brilliant light, enveloping Nie Yan. A surge of dark energy entered his body. He felt his pet, the Darkwing Dragon, becoming restless inside the pet space. He quickly calmed it down.
The Darkwing Dragon finally settled.
Nie Yan felt surprised—this dark force was incredibly strong!
The Forgotten Tome opened its first page, narrating a story: a lonely ranger searching the dark wastelands for the Evil Blade, intending to destroy it. However, upon finding the blade, he was instead controlled by it, sprouting black wings from his back and becoming a demon.
Quest Progress: Chapter One, The Evil Prelude. Kill Demon Jacep, destroy the Evil Blade with The Forgotten Tome, and collect the Demon Feather.
This was likely a multi-part quest. He didn’t have time to work on it now. It probably wasn’t much different from ordinary quests. He didn’t pay much attention to it, as there were no detailed notes. He placed The Forgotten Tome into his backpack for later, deciding to focus on retrieving the Sothoth Feather first.
Nie Yan swam toward the Sothoth Feather, his gaze falling on the seaweed below. The seaweed drifted with the current.
The undercurrents here were too strong, making even swimming difficult.
As he watched the drifting seaweed, a sudden idea flashed in his mind—he had a plan!
He thought of a way to obtain the Sothoth Feather without alerting the mermaids.
Nie Yan became excited and hurriedly tested his idea, accelerating toward the distant coral cluster. The Sothoth Feather and the three mermaids soon came into view.
Using the coral as cover, he stealthed closer.
About seven yards from the feather and six yards from the nearest mermaid, Nie Yan seized the moment when the mermaid’s gaze shifted away and sprang into action.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage