### Chapter 25: Annie's Revenge — Final Preparations for the Mission
After leaving the Baron Manor, Su Yu made his way toward the Wizards Guild, located to the east of the village. As he walked, he couldn't help but reflect on the main storyline of the **[Saint of Oran City]** from his previous life.
The game world of *Evolution* is vast, comprising three major empires, numerous kingdoms, and countless principalities, alongside various races like elves, orcs, and goblins. Among these, the Gorse Empire stands out as one of the three dominant human empires. Currently, it is the first expansion piece of *Evolution*, with only the Plantagenet Empire and its associated territories open for exploration. Future updates will unlock even more areas.
The **[Saint of Oran City]** storyline is pivotal to the entire Gorse Empire's narrative in this expansion. It revolves around a rural girl named Garcia, who encounters the imperial princess, rallies the imperial army, and ultimately triumphs over the northern rebels. This event engaged nearly all players, though most undertook minor side quests, leaving only a select few to experience the main quest firsthand.
Su Yu had joined the game too late to participate in the initial expansions, relying on compiled data from veteran players to understand the broader event. He recalled that some players had likened the **[Saint of Oran]** questline to the historical tale of Joan of Arc. Both feature a rural girl leading her nation's army and symbolizing her country's will. While Joan was known as "The Saint of Orleans," Garcia ultimately earned the title of "The Saint of the City of Orleans."
Despite his limited knowledge, Su Yu understood the significance of engaging in the **[Saint of Oran City]** quest. The rewards for main quests are typically substantial, and even a player like him, with the "Unlimited Gold Coins" feature, coveted such rewards.
Upon entering the Wizards Guild, Su Yu exchanged his two **[Honor Medals]** for skill scrolls. The first scroll was an easy choice: **[Blink]**. For the second, he deliberated and ultimately decided on **[Invisibility]**. This spell is one of the most challenging to acquire among the excellent quality skills for mages. Given Su Yu's current damage capabilities, he found that functional spells like this were more essential.
After exchanging the two skill scrolls, he immediately set about learning them.
**[Blink (Excellent)]:** Teleports you 15 meters ahead, stopping when there are obstacles along the route, and removes all stun and immobilization states. Instant cast, 15-second cooldown, costs 20 mana.
**[Invisibility (Excellent)]:** After casting the spell, it takes 3 seconds to enter the "invisibility" state, lasting for 20 seconds. If you attack or cast a spell during this time, the "invisibility" state will be canceled. Instant cast, 5-minute cooldown, costs 30 mana.
These two spells significantly enhanced Su Yu's survival skills, providing alternatives to relying solely on **[Ice Shield]** and evasive maneuvers.
With a wave of his hand, he upgraded both spells to rare quality. **[Blink]** now allowed a teleport distance of 20 meters and a cooldown reduced to 12 seconds. Meanwhile, **[Invisibility]** lasted for 30 seconds with a cooldown of just 4 minutes. These spells could even manifest in reality, showcasing their true magical potential.
As Su Yu checked the countdown for **[Annie's Revenge]**, he noted there were only 40 minutes and 29 seconds remaining until the **[Dragon King of Star Casting]** made his appearance. He needed to maximize his preparations for this mission in that time.
Opening a private chat with Xuehualuo, he asked, "What would you do for the **[Annie's Revenge]** quest?"
Earlier, while completing the Baron Manor quest, Xuehualuo had inquired about the follow-up quest for **[Tears of the Goddess of Sawei]**. Now, Su Yu sought Xuehualuo's advice, hoping to rule out any wrong choices.
"Emmm…" Xuehualuo replied after a moment of thought. "I remember a cliff on the edge of Wolf King Valley to the west. If it were me, I'd jump from the cliff 2 or 3 seconds before the **[Dragon King Casting Star]** arrives. The acceleration from gravity could help me achieve high speed, possibly allowing me to avoid fatal attacks."
"Sounds reasonable," Su Yu responded, considering the suggestion. However, he also realized that since Xuehualuo had proposed it, it was unlikely to be the solution.
"Are you going to use my idea?" Xuehualuo pressed eagerly.
"No, I have another plan."
"What's your idea?" Xuehualuo asked, intrigued.
"If you want to know, the village chief will be here in 40 minutes, but it's best if you stay away."
With that, Su Yu closed the private chat window. His strategy was straightforward: stay close to the village chief of Novice Village. As a prominent figure, the village chief attracted many players and NPCs around him. Given his unique status, Su Yu figured that **[Dragon King Casting Star]** would likely control its attack range to avoid harming the chief.
If the attack radius remained less than 20 meters, Su Yu could easily dodge it using **[Blink]**, thus successfully completing the quest.
"Sounds good!" He felt confident in his plan, having found no flaws in it.
Before heading to the village chief, however, he needed to purchase equipment to boost his movement speed and enhance his chances of survival. So, he visited the warehouse and acquired all the available speed-enhancing gear.
Most of the items focused on increasing movement speed were various types of leather armor:
- **[Shadowmoon Cloak lv1 (Excellent)]** (Defense 5, Movement Speed +0.4)
- **[Assassin's Shoulderguards lv2 (Excellent)]** (Defense +4, Movement Speed +0.2)
- **[Shadow Boots lv1 (Excellent)]** (Defense +5, Movement Speed +0.5)
These green equipment pieces, while considered mediocre by average players, were perfect for Su Yu. After donning the leather armor, he looked more like an assassin, with a movement speed reaching 2.4.
A movement speed of 2.4 indicated he could walk at a speed of 2.4 meters per second and sprint at 12 meters per second, far exceeding the limits of an average human.
With his new equipment, Su Yu made his way to the village center, positioning himself beside the village chief. At that moment, there were 29 minutes and 12 seconds left until the **[Dragon King of Star Casting]** would arrive.
The village chief, a kindly old man with a white beard, was currently occupied with handing out tasks to the surrounding players, blissfully unaware of the impending danger.
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*(End of this chapter)*