Chapter 22: The Resting Page

After the previous incident with the shell going out of control and killing people, Lin Xun was far more cautious this time, and quickly returned the Summoning Horn back into the game.

He opened the Apostle Forum and searched for information about summoning items. What he found was that such items were quite rare—very few civilian Apostles had ever obtained one.

Of the extremely few Apostles who did have a summoning item, none had ever posted to confirm whether the mount could actually be summoned into the real world.

The reason was simple: the organization strictly monitored civilian Apostles. Without permission, any unauthorized materialization of game items in the real world would be met with severe punishment.

Of course, that oversight wasn’t 24/7 or completely foolproof. Unauthorized item materialization had surely happened in secret. But for officially registered civilian Apostles—who were mostly law-abiding—they generally wouldn’t misuse game items to disrupt social order.

Using his access to the Intelligence Division, Lin Xun browsed some restricted internal Apostle posts that required contribution points to view.

At last, he confirmed: summoning items could be used in reality.

A grin spread across his face as he dove back into the game.

The stables had already been fully explored—next up was the barn.

[You exit the stables, pushing aside the overgrown sunflowers, and make your way to the barn.]

[You step into the barn. Inside, linen sacks are stacked in orderly rows, filled with some kind of edible grain.]

[Do you wish to search the barn?]

Was that even a question? Lin Xun unhesitatingly clicked ‘Yes.’

[Searching…]

[You obtained ‘Crimson Sunflower Seeds’ ×3 (Item) scattered on the ground.]

[Searching…]

[You obtained Fading Fragment of Spirit ×1]

[Searching…]

[The barn has been completely looted. No usable items remain.]

Crimson Sunflower Seeds?

Lin Xun had always found the sunflowers blooming in the castle courtyard a bit suspicious. Thinking back to the strange vine structures on the castle’s outer walls, he had a vague sense of unease.

He opened his inventory to take a look.

[Crimson Sunflower Seeds: These are ovular, long-pointed fruit containing the power of the Corrupting Blood Sun. The shell can be peeled away to eat the contents. When used, they restore some stamina for devout believers of the Blood Sun.]

Crimson Sunflower seeds… weren’t those just regular ol’ “guazi”? Common snacks?

[T/N: Guazi is a popular snack consisting of roasted seeds, often melon or sunflower seeds.]

Cracking seeds restores stamina—what kind of absurd design was that?

Lin Xun twitched at the corners of his mouth.

The repeated taming attempts earlier had drained some stamina from his Paladin of Discipline shell—it was a bit fatigued.

Still, Lin Xun didn’t use them right away. The Paladin hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion yet, so there was no need to waste resources. Save where you can.

He also didn’t use the Spirit item he’d just obtained—better not to risk losing it in case of a player invasion and PK drop.

With the barn cleared, the left side of the castle’s inner courtyard had been fully explored.

Lin Xun perked up and got ready to move on to the right side—the guardroom and the small chapel.

[You exit the barn, push through the overgrown sunflowers, and head toward the right side of the inner courtyard.]

[You arrive at the guardroom entrance.]

[You push open the door. Most of the castle’s guards are nowhere to be seen, but the floor is littered with over a dozen desiccated corpses—dried-up husks as if wind-dried long ago.]

[Each corpse stares with bulging eyes, and their clouded pupils still reflect the fear they felt in death.]

[In a corner of the guardroom, three human figures stagger about like the walking dead.]

[You move closer to inspect and discover three soldiers corrupted by the Blood Sun’s power.]

[Do you want to attack the “Corrupted Castle Soldiers”?]

The name alone screamed “trash mobs here to hand out XP.” Lin Xun was about to press attack, but suddenly remembered—he still had the enchanted Dragonhunter Lance equipped.

He hadn’t used it to attack the vines at the castle gate, so the White Moon power on the lance was still intact.

He moved the ‘Two-Handed Knight Greatsword’ from the Blood Sun Cultist’s equipment slot over to the Paladin of Discipline’s gear.

[You raise the ‘Two-Handed Knight Greatsword’ and strike at the three shambling undead…]

[You easily defeat the “Corrupted Castle Soldiers.” Experience slightly increased.]

[You obtained Military Crossbow (Common+ Grade Weapon)]

[You easily defeated a “Corrupted Castle Soldier.”…]

[You obtained Wooden Crossbow Bolt ×3]

[You easily…]

[You obtained Wooden Crossbow Bolt ×2]

[You look at the fallen soldier’s shell…]

[Corrupted Castle Soldier Shell: A soldier corrupted by dark powers. These were once commoners who took up arms as militia at their lord’s summons. A blood-rimmed hole pierces through their left chest—you can see the scenery behind them through it. Compatibility: 93 (+25%)]

Another drop! Lin Xun marveled—this castle really was a treasure trove.

He opened his inventory to take a look.

[Military Crossbow (Common+ Grade Weapon): A standard-issue crossbow forged with top-tier craftsmanship. Despite poor materials, the blacksmith gave it everything they had, maximizing its potential power.]

[Wooden Crossbow Bolts: Projectiles for use with bows or crossbows, made of wood. Extremely fragile, and cannot be recovered after use.]

For Lin Xun, the only ranged option he’d had until now was a stockpile of throwing weapons—his Poisoned Throwing Knife—that he was too stingy to use.

Now, with bolts in hand, he had a second form of ranged offense.

He tried moving the crossbow into the Paladin’s equipment slot and found that the shell could indeed equip and use it.

As for the Corrupted Soldier Shells lying on the ground—his Shell Slots were already full. Not that he’d want these trash mob shells even if he had space.

[You exit the guardroom, push through the overgrown sunflowers, and head toward the chapel.]

[You enter the chapel. Rows of benches are covered in burning white candles. The pure white flames bathe the room in light, leaving you feeling slightly uneasy. At the far end of the chapel, the preacher’s podium bears the symbol of the radiant crescent moon.]

[Behind the podium, something unusual seems to be present.]

[Do you want to investigate?]

Hmm? Lin Xun perked up.

The castle’s inner courtyard had offered generous rewards so far, but honestly, it hadn’t been very dangerous. The risk-to-reward ratio felt off—definitely suspicious.

To play it safe, he unequipped the crossbow and re-equipped the greatsword.

[You stride forward and see the strange object behind the podium.]

[It is a giant page, half the height of a person, floating silently in midair. It seems completely out of place in this world, its surface inscribed with bizarre, yet strangely familiar alien script.]

[You have discovered a torn page from the Book of Salvation — the Resting Page!]

It was the Resting Page!

A flicker of joy flashed through Lin Xun’s eyes.

He had read about many game mechanics and lore pieces on the Apostle Forum.

The Resting Page before him was one of the most important features in the game.

[You reach out and touch the Resting Page. A mysterious divine force lingers within it, stirring your heart. Your feeble soul resonates strongly with the page.]

[You may now access the following functions of the page.]

[1. Set Resurrection Point: You may bind this Resting Page as your resurrection location. The next time you respawn, your wandering soul will revive here.]

[2. Rest and Recover: You may rest here. The Resting Page holds wondrous powers that will heal your shell’s injuries and fatigue. However, be warned: resting will cause external monsters to respawn.]

[3. Teleportation: You may teleport to any other Resting Page you’ve resonated with, or return to the Library.]

The Library!

Lin Xun stared blankly at the third option.