[Vol. 1] Chapter 29: The Casket of Ascension
Violet spoke with a serious tone and pointed to the opened book's table of contents.
"Before the real teaching begins, there's an important question you must answer, Lilya. Regardless of whether you succeed or not, you need to be clear about what you want to learn and what path you want to follow."
"Remember, you have only one chance, and once you choose, there's no turning back."
In reality, there were items like skill reset potions that allowed players to relearn their skills, and someone currently had one in their inventory.
But for players, the attributes they've cultivated, their equipment, and their pets are all challenging to change, so what Violet said wasn't necessarily deceptive.
"I…," Lilya began but then hesitated.
It was clear that she was simply yearning for power, and as for whether she wanted to become an archer like Flora, wield miraculous healing powers like Violet, or something else, she hadn't really thought about it.
In the princess's eyes, having a being of surpassing wisdom willing to listen to her request and bestow power was already fulfilling enough. Who would have expected the opportunity to choose as well?
Seeing the princess's hesitation, Violet wasn't surprised.
"Don't rush into a decision, Lilya. You can take your time to think about it. Keep this book for now, and the glasses as well. But remember, before you get my permission, do not look at the second half of the book, that's something you're not ready to understand and endure at the moment."
Violet wasn't exaggerating. While it was just a catalog book recording various in-game skills, each entry had a visual element that was transmitted to the reader's brain to aid understanding.
In the game, this was fine, but as it became a real-world object, Violet discovered that those high-level skills, especially powerful magic spells above the 8th tier, contained an overwhelming amount of information that was difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.
When Violet cast the 9th-tier spell [Blessing from the Skies] before, both Lilya and Flora claimed to have seen the semblance of an angel and heard the choir of hymns, which wasn't an inherent effect of the skill.
Violet later pondered and believed that it might have been their brains being influenced by the excessively high-level power, causing them to experience corresponding illusions related to the skill.
[Blessing from the Skies] was relatively mild, and the effects were manageable, but if it were a highly destructive skill or if one received too much information at once, it could potentially damage the psyche of lower-level beings.
Even if it was just images or the true name of a skill, Lilya, at her current stage, should avoid exposure to them.
As for why perfectly fine skills became like this, Violet speculated that it was related to what Xiao Guang had said about the different rules governing this world.
Violet initially thought that the princess might not fully understand or take her warning seriously. However, Lilya nodded very earnestly and carefully stowed the thick black skill catalog into her ring.
"Don't worry, Violet. I won't do anything reckless."
"Is that so… Well then, take this as well, but don't put it in your storage space, remember to carry it close to you."
Violet pushed the box, which appeared rugged, in front of Lilya, and voluntarily explained.
"This item is called the [Casket of Ascension], and it's also a magical item, or you can call it special equipment."
"It has two effects. First, it will slowly increase the wearer's overall attributes… I understand that you might not fully grasp it. To put it simply, just wearing it will gradually make your physical qualities stronger, making you capable of fighting against stronger opponents."
"At the same time, this equipment can automatically block one fatal attack with damage not exceeding 99,999 points… How should I explain the concept of damage values…"
Violet wore a pained expression and yelled as if giving up.
"… Just think of it as being able to survive a lethal attack once! The condition is that the opponent shouldn't be too powerful, and after it's activated, regardless of whether the shield value is depleted or not, the [Casket of Ascension] will go into a 24-hour cooldown, meaning one day and one night. Do you understand?"
"….?!"
After hearing Violet's somewhat laborious description, Lilya was almost scared enough to throw the iron box in her hand, despite having prepared herself psychologically. Even though she had mentally prepared for the worst, it was difficult to maintain her composure.
To unconditionally become stronger, to have a daily life-saving ability, such a terrifying function exceeded the realm of ordinary magical equipment. In Lilya's understanding, only true magical artifacts could achieve such unimaginable feats.
Princess Lilya firmly bit her lip, struggling to avoid looking at the plain little box on the table, and spoke sincerely without any hint of evading.
"I… Violet has already done me a great favor, and I cannot accept such a precious divine item. While the Human United Kingdom may have precious treasures, they are not easily accessible, even as a king. Apart from that, I… cannot think of any compensation I can offer for it."
"?"
Is it necessary to go to such lengths? Although this item is indeed very useful, it's just a special golden magical item that Violet obtained by chance during a mission in her early years. It's not worth mentioning. Violet is giving it to help the physically weak Princess Lilya establish a foundation.
If it were an ordinary person, Violet would certainly consider the risk of giving such an item and whether it might be seen as harboring ulterior motives. However, Lilya is a noble princess, and the [Casket of Ascension] will only benefit her.
As for Violet, the item currently serves no purpose for her, so she didn't expect any compensation from Lilya. Having her protected with enhanced abilities would be convenient for her as well.
The greatest advantage of the [Casket of Ascension] is that, as a special item, it has no usage level restrictions. While it would indeed provide a similar effect of ascension for new players in the early stages, its efficacy diminishes as one levels up.
Firstly, the [Casket of Ascension] can only increase each attribute of the same unit by 1000 points, with a limit of 10,000 for HP and MP. If these numbers are exceeded, the first effect of the equipment will no longer be in effect.
While resisting a lethal strike of 99,999 sounds useful, the cooldown is too long. Furthermore, at max level, even players who focus on the intelligence aspect, like Violet, have over a million hit points. Any regular skill heals tens of thousands of HP, rendering the small shield almost irrelevant.
By the time she reached level 40, Violet had already switched to better special equipment. She had only kept this piece of equipment as a memento, and now it was just right for Princess Lilya's situation.
Though it's not clear how these attributes translate into concrete numbers, given the Princess's current situation, it's estimated that the three attributes combined add up to less than 100.
As long as the [Casket of Ascension] amplification is maxed out, and Princess Lilya learns some basic skills from the game, she should be able to protect herself. Moreover, with Princess Lilya about to lead her army out of the city, this life-saving ability might come in handy in case of unexpected circumstances. At the very least, legendary-level characters will not be able to bypass the protective shield of the [Casket of Ascension].
"This is not something precious to me. Lilya, don't overthink it, just take it and rest assured."
"Since you're learning from me, consider yourself half my disciple. As a teacher, shouldn't I give my apprentice a welcoming gift?"
At this point, Violet deliberately wiped away non-existent tears with a sad expression. "Or is it, Princess, that you think a commoner like me isn't qualified to be your teacher…?"
"How could that be!"
Miss Princess, for some reason, suddenly stood up excitedly. After locking eyes with Violet's seemingly mocking gaze, she suddenly lowered her head in embarrassment and started to change the subject hesitantly.
"Ah… I mean, sister Violet, being willing to be Lilya's teacher is an honor for me. I'll accept it. Um… do we need to perform a formal ceremony? I heard many strong individuals value those…"
Hehe, the Princess is really easy to fool.
Violet felt a sense of satisfaction, as if she had successfully teased her own little pet.
Xiao Guang: …..?