Transitioning from the "Steel Jungle," filled with the stench of motor oil and the roar of metal, to the small, exquisite accessory area, the abrupt shift in style made even Lin Qingyue want to facepalm.
One moment it was steampunk; the next, a boutique dollhouse.
The leap was truly a bit much.
Still, at least they could finally find something useful here.
Xia Lian's eyes immediately locked onto a small brooch, finally finding a piece of equipment that fit her size.
[Eagle Brooch]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Type: Accessory]
[Equipment Effect: Agility +20]
[Use Effect: Agility +100 for the next 15 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.]
"The stats are very practical."
Xia Lian carefully pinned it to her breastplate. The tiny metal eagle seemed to come alive, as if about to spread its wings and fly.
Su Wan, meanwhile, gracefully picked up a moon-shaped metal pendant with two slender fingers.
[Silver Crescent Emblem]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Type: Accessory]
[Equipment Effect: Intelligence +20]
[Use Effect: Intelligence +150 for the next 10 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.]
"Such a crude burst, completely lacking in finesse."
She commented softly, but her actions were honest, pinning the emblem to the collar of her mage robe.
Lin Qingyue's eyes lit up as she directly picked up a necklace with an ancient, simple design.
[Battle Sister Necklace]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Strength +20, Agility +20, Constitution +20]
Good stuff!
Battle Sister—the name was practically tailor-made for her!
Boosting all three core stats: simple, unadorned, and brutally effective!
She absolutely loved this style!
The moment she put on the necklace, a warm current surged through her body. She could clearly feel her muscle fibers tighten slightly, her reflexes sharpen, and even her breathing become steadier.
As for Lin Xiyue, she had no interest in these clinking trinkets.
She dove straight into the traditional shield section, hoping to find a usable Knight Shield to replace her Immovable Mountain, which had shattered into pieces.
However, her elegant brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
"Too small, like a pot lid. How is this supposed to block damage?"
She disdainfully pushed aside a round shield.
"What's with this hollowed-out floral carving in the middle? Afraid the enemy won't see my face and it'll ruin my taunt's effectiveness?"
She stared at an overly artistic square shield, completely speechless.
"This one... has a cup holder welded onto it? Seriously? Planning to take a sip of water between blocks?"
Lin Xiyue stared at a shield shimmering with a "user-friendly" glow, fell into a long silence, and finally tossed it aside, unable to bear it any longer.
"What is all this junk?!"
She complained, puffing out her cheeks until her face resembled a steamed bun.
Just as she was about to give up and settle for a pot-lid shield, her gaze swept across the deepest corner of the storeroom.
There, a massive tower shield leaned quietly against the wall, covered in a layer of dust thick enough to write on, as if forgotten by the world.
It was enormous, nearly 1.5 meters tall, its surface devoid of any fancy patterns, bearing only the mottled scars of time.
Its design was ancient, even somewhat ugly.
Lin Xiyue walked over.
The moment her palm gripped the shield's edge, a heavy, mountain-like presence surged up her arm and into her heart.
So heavy!
But this weight brought an unparalleled sense of security.
The muscles in her arm bulged slightly as she exerted force with one hand, easily lifting the heavy shield and swinging it casually.
Whoosh!
The giant shield whipped up a vicious wind, emitting a dull roar.
[Blackstone's Protection]
[Quality: Excellent (Peak)]
[Type: Tower Shield]
[Attributes: Constitution +30, Strength +25, All Elemental Resistance +15%.]
[Special Effect: Immovable as a Mountain. When holding the shield and standing still, physical impact effects are reduced by 50%.]
[Description: It was Blackrock Stronghold's first line of defense, and its last.]
The highest-tier Excellent quality, just below Epic!
"Sis! Look!"
Lin Xiyue excitedly shouldered her new shield and rushed to Lin Qingyue like a child showing off a treasure, slamming the shield heavily onto the ground.
Thud!
The entire floor of the Steel Cave trembled, and the weapons hanging on the racks buzzed.
She swung the tower shield with impressive force, yet the massive shield seemed unusually agile in her hands.
She executed a fluid series of blocks and shield bashes, making the nearby Guard Captain's eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
This girl looks so slender, how is her strength more terrifying than an ox-man's?
A glint of admiration also flashed in Su Wan's azure eyes.
Her mind was already rapidly calculating how much power her ice lance would need to leave even a white scratch on that black shield.
Lin Qingyue nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. It suits you perfectly."
This shield was practically tailor-made for her younger sister.
It radiated an overwhelming sense of security.
"Hehe," Lin Xiyue giggled foolishly, stroking the rough shield surface, unable to put it down.
It felt so good to have a shield again!
-
As the four walked out of the armory, dusk had fallen.
The entire Blackrock Stronghold, far from sinking into silence, had plunged into an unprecedented frenzy.
The square in front of the City Lord's Mansion was a sea of people.
City Lord Punk stood on a high platform, delivering a speech in his loud, inflammatory voice.
"...Three days! We only have three days!"
"The cultist legions are swarming in from all directions! They want to use our blood and souls to please their filthy, evil False God!"
"They want us to die, but we will live!"
"Residents of Blackrock Stronghold! Take up your weapons! For your homes, for your families, and most importantly, for yourselves! Fight!"
"Now, the Recruitment Office is right behind me! All warriors who answer the call will receive double military pay and honorary medals after the war!"
Below the platform, the crowd's emotions were completely ignited.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Kill those sons-of-bitches cultists!"
However, Lin Qingyue and her group soon noticed an interesting phenomenon.
Among those rushing to the Recruitment Office were not just the solemn, resolute male and female Professionals.
What was truly strange was another group mixed in with them: the unarmed, ordinary male citizens.
The expressions on their faces weren't the tragic heroism of defending their homeland, but rather... a sense of relieved liberation?
It was as if they were heading not to a battlefield of life and death, but to some blissful paradise far from the mortal world.
In contrast, the ordinary women in the city merely watched from a distance, their faces showing a familiar mix of resignation and disdain.
"Pfft—"
Lin Xiyue couldn't hold back and burst out laughing on the spot, nudging Su Wan beside her, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
"Look at those ordinary men. Why are they even more excited than the Professionals going to war?"
Su Wan's gaze swept over the men with "finally saved" expressions, and she calmly offered her conclusion.
"A classic case of stress-induced avoidance."
"To them, the battlefield is a safer place than the city."
Xia Lian looked utterly bewildered. "Huh? What does that mean?"
Lin Xiyue gleefully explained to her:
"It means that for them, going to the battlefield to hack those brain-damaged cultists to death is safer than staying in the city and being cornered by girls asking, 'Hey handsome, want to come to my place for a drink tonight?'!"
Xia Lian: "..."
She understood, and her face instantly turned bright red.
The rules of this Dungeon were truly twisted!
To avoid sleeping with women, they chose to go to war!
Lin Qingyue watched this bizarre scene, already laughing so hard she was slapping her thighs internally.
Good grief, she thought. True warriors dare to face gushing blood but not a girl's invitation.
"No, this isn't twisted. This is them reaping what they've sown, a boomerang hitting them square in the head!"
She suddenly understood the key point.
This entire situation was caused by the followers of the Mother of Rebirth themselves!
Now, with the Evil God Legion at the city gates, these terrified men had suddenly found the perfect sanctuary: the army!
This move, oh, this move was called "choosing the lesser of two evils," also known as "hoisting oneself by one's own petard"
Even the Evil God would weep at this sight. The terrifying atmosphere he'd painstakingly created, the city-destroying crisis he'd unleashed, was less intimidating than a beautiful woman's romantic overture.
[Ding! Host has witnessed the world-class spectacle "The Evil God's Boomerang," experiencing immense satisfaction. Elation Value +2333!]
The System's notification perfectly punctuated this absurd scene.
As the four women watched this recruitment farce of the year, a waiter navigated through the frenzied crowd and approached them.
His tailcoat was immaculate, his steps composed, a stark contrast to the surrounding roars and stench of sweat. An invisible barrier seemed to separate him from the chaos.
"Good day, esteemed ladies."
The waiter bowed, presenting a black envelope sealed with dark gold thread.
The envelope's leather was supple, branded with a silver-threaded, half-bloomed rose.
"My master has returned from his travels and heard of your righteous deeds. He has prepared a modest banquet at the Star-Plucking Terrace on the top floor of Tender Village and awaits your presence."
Lin Qingyue accepted the invitation.
She broke the seal and found a faintly fragrant card inside.
Elegant handwriting read:
"Welcome, heroes of Blackrock Stronghold. I look forward to dining with you."
The signature read:
Lilina.