Chapter 59: Forum
Back at Sun City High School, Leon did not rush to return to the space he had rented but instead started browsing the school forum.
Since the game started more than 40,000 years ago, the forum hasn't changed much. It remains an independent virtual space, with countless doors labeled with categories behind them.
Most of the spaces behind the doors resemble round table conferences, with various posts floating up and down in the center. Every player can freely sit at the round table and casually browse the contents of the posts.
At the same time, players in the forum can speak freely, ask questions, but unless it's written in a post, spoken words leave no trace.
Leon entered the school forum and easily made his way into the Shadow Affinity section. There were three large doors here, corresponding to Magic Affinity, Combat Affinity, and Dual Affinity for both magic and combat.
Each mini-forum behind the doors had a dedicated manager, though the Dual Affinity forum, due to having few students, was currently under the control of Victor and Leon.
Once inside, Leon started searching through old posts. In fact, he had seen most of the posts here. During his first year of enrollment, he spent an entire month here choosing his path.
Most of the posts were videos and insights from previous Shadow Affinity players at Sun City High School when they chose their professions in magic and combat.
Leon quickly sifted through the posts and soon found what he was looking for.
He dragged the post in front of him and clicked it open. It was a video, starting with the self-introduction of the one who recorded it, a senior from over sixty years ago who followed the Mech Knight path.
However, Leon wasn't interested in the path the senior took. What caught his attention was the mech that appeared at the end. The senior didn't explain the mech's origins at the time, and Leon had jokingly called it a "Pig-Head Ghost Mech."
But now, it looked completely different. Leon could see that this mech bore a striking resemblance to the Seven Knights I-Type - Adrian Solis Mk I that Ember used, especially with the identical white snowflake emblem on its chest.
Leon was convinced that what the senior had obtained must be the Seven Knights I-Type - Azrak Nightshade Mk I that Ember mentioned, which was said to still be in the Princess Tomb.
Thinking about how Ember tried to tempt him with something that had already been taken, Leon couldn't help but show a hint of disdain. He loosened his grip, and the post flew back to its original position.
Exiting the Shadow Affinity Magic and Combat Affinity forum, Leon turned and headed to the school's Technical Area.
Most of the posts here were technical, with some being highly advanced, while others were extremely imaginative. Finding something valuable required both insight and technical skill, which is why this area was often called the "Experts' Zone."
Leon rarely came here. Even when he did, he would usually have a couple of acquaintances guide him.
But today was different. Leon was looking for a post he had read before, needing to review some specific details.
Soon, Leon found what he was looking for at a round table. The post had been transformed into a book that he held in his hands, reading. The cover of the post read "On Stimulating Key Acupoints to Transform Snakes, Fish, and Horses into Legendary Jiao: Operational Precautions."
Holding the book, Leon quickly flipped through it. Last time, there were some points he couldn't fully grasp, and during his time dealing with the primary control hub in the Boneyard Desert at the Storm Isles, he had new ideas.
He should have come here to check the details right after leaving the Storm Isles, but the Energy Distribution Room had taken priority.
As Leon read, a male player walked in from outside. He initially sat down randomly but, upon seeing Leon, smiled and walked over, patting Leon on the shoulder and saying, "Leon, it's been a while. Have you given any thought to the Three-Jiao Warrior I mentioned last time? It's great material for making high-level undead."
The player's name was Theodore Warden, a Natural Affinity magic user. However, what made him famous wasn't his affinity but his creativity and knowledge.
He was the president of several biological research clubs at Sun City High School and conducted research on biological species fusion and evolution.
One of his studies involved stimulating snakes, fish, or horses with energy to turn them into jiao, and eventually into dragons, based on concepts from Eastern-themed games.
Most of the data was available to players who had participated in Eastern-themed maps, but Theodore Warden's research expanded and simplified the range of creatures that could be transformed into jiao.
This alone was enough to prove his abilities. The last time Leon had come searching for information, it was Theodore Warden who had helped him find this post.
At that time, Theodore Warden didn't know what Leon was looking for, but knowing that Leon had Shadow Affinity, he enthusiastically recommended the newly completed jiao they had developed. It was formed from common fish stimulated in a short time, with no significant combat strength, but its body had fully undergone the transformation. The dragon blood and bones were authentic.
It was the perfect material for making bone dragons, and if a large quantity was needed, it could be produced even more cheaply.
At that time, Leon had no time to deal with the matter. However, since Theodore Warden had helped him find a useful post, recommending his own product seemed fair. So Leon pointed out a few flaws.
This sparked Theodore Warden's interest in Leon, and from time to time, he would inform Leon of the progress of his new developments, asking if Leon was interested.
Recently, however, Leon had been busy with missions and had no time to pay attention to Theodore Warden, much to Theodore's dismay. Seeing Leon in the forum today, Theodore Warden wasn't going to let the opportunity slip by.
Leon smiled slightly at Theodore Warden. "It's Theodore Warden! Actually, I have a question for you. Last time you mentioned that the Ji Position is the whirlwind caused by the dragon's tail swing, and you also said that 'Wind follows the tiger, clouds follow the dragon.'
I've recently come across something that I'm not sure if it's a natural phenomenon. It happened when a violent storm swept a control hub and a large amount of sand into the wind, forming a sandstorm that covered everything. I managed to get the entire operating trajectory of the control hub.
I noticed that the hub was moving in a fixed trajectory centered on a specific point, carried by the wind.
I tried spinning a spear in a similar pattern, and the sandstorm gathered around it, centered on the spear. Now I'm wondering if there's a way to replicate this trajectory with the Ji Position."