Chapter 21 : Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Pilot Trailer Released
"Where are we going?" Yulian asked curiously as he followed behind Lin Qi.
"To the basement," Viola replied from her position in front of Lin Qi.
"Why are we going upstairs to get to the basement?" Lin Qi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Because the entrance to the basement is located upstairs."
Dammit! No wonder I could never find it. To think the entrance to the basement was actually on the third floor. Usually, one would enter a basement from the first floor, yet the cellar of the Didier Manor was accessed through the third floor.
The downside was that one had to descend a very long flight of stairs to reach it, but the benefit was that an ordinary person would never be able to find the place.
"Are you talking about this?" Viola asked. She was already inside the basement and handed Lin Qi a crystal ball.
Character Panel. Lin Qi thought the command silently as he took the object.
Name: [Voice of Nightmares]
Type: [Music Box]
Grade: [A-Class Forbidden Object]
Abilities: [1. Dream Sinking: Upon winding the gears, the music box will deploy a forced-sleep field with a radius of approximately fifty meters centered on itself. Aside from the wielder, all living beings within range will fall into an irresistible, deep slumber. For those who remain asleep for more than ten hours, their dreams will completely consume their perception of reality. While the physical body remains alive, the consciousness is permanently trapped within the nightmare plane, turning the victim into a living sleeping beauty.]
[2. The Otherworld: The wielder gains a physiological trait of infinite wakefulness and no longer requires natural sleep. When the wielder actively chooses to fall asleep, their consciousness will enter a unique dream world constructed entirely by their own subconscious.]
Cost: The user becomes unable to distinguish between reality and dreams for twelve hours.
Description: When the melody plays, lucidity becomes a luxury.
So that is how it worked. In his previous life, Lin Qi had always been curious about how Viola, who could not distinguish reality from dreams, managed to avoid starving to death and even reached Sequence 8. This Otherworld was essentially a total exploit. Within a world entirely shaped by the holder's thoughts, everything was fundamentally real. Furthermore, not needing sleep was equivalent to having double the time for cultivation!
"Do you use this music box every day?" Lin Qi asked.
"I am sorry. This was a gift from my elder sister. I did not realize it was an engagement gift from your fiancée. I use it to fall asleep every night," Viola said, lowering her head shyly.
Since it is just a dream anyway, it does not matter if I give the music box to him. When I return to reality, I will still have another one.
"I understand. Come find me again in twenty-four hours," Lin Qi said, giving Viola a deep, meaningful look.
"What do you mean? Why are you staying in my house? Hey!"
The three of them left the basement accompanied by the sounds of Viola trying to drive them out.
"Is that a Forbidden Object?" Yulian asked, looking at the music box in Lin Qi's hand with curiosity.
"Yes. Its ability can force people within a certain range into a deep sleep. At the same time, the wielder no longer requires sleep. When they do sleep, they enter the interior of the music box, which contains a small world that changes according to the wielder's desires," Lin Qi explained, inspecting the scenery inside the crystal ball.
"There is actually a whole world inside? Is it really that powerful?" Yulian was somewhat shocked. Having come from a small village, Yulian had not seen much of the world.
"The cost is equally high. The user will lose the ability to distinguish between the two worlds," Lin Qi said, throwing a bucket of cold water on Yulian's excitement.
"So she is..."
"Exactly. She believes that all of this is a dream."
"So that is why you told her to come find you tomorrow..." Yulian fell silent as he thought of the young girl who was about the same age as his younger sister.
"I hope she can endure it once she learns the truth."
Lin Qi returned to the bedroom and placed the Voice of Nightmares on the table. At the same time, he retrieved several Forbidden Objects from his system inventory.
Name: [Envy]
Type: [Longsword]
Grade: [B-Class Forbidden Object]
Abilities: [1. The wielder can freely switch between two forms via thought: a straight sword or a flexible blade.]
Cost: The wielder must clearly and loudly shout the name of the Forbidden Object and its ability when using it.
Description: It loathes all singular existences; therefore, it always keeps another face ready for itself.
Name: [Brute's Grip]
Type: [Knuckles]
Grade: [B-Class Forbidden Object]
Abilities: [1. Grants the wielder an extraordinary boost to arm strength and explosive power, while increasing the destructive force of their strikes.]
Cost: Wearing the knuckles will gradually erode the user's sanity.
Description: It grants you the power to crush everything, while simultaneously taking away the patience to consider why things must be crushed.
Name: [Devil's Contract]
Type: [Bell]
Grade: [A-Class Forbidden Object]
Abilities: [1. Causal Backflow: When encountering an attack that is conceptually guaranteed to hit, the cause and effect of that attack will be forcibly reversed and returned to the initiator.]
[2. Return of Pain: Transfers damage already sustained by oneself or others to another recipient.] (Only one ability may be used at a time.)
Cost: Every use of an ability will directly deduct a corresponding portion of the user's lifespan based on the scale and nature of the intervention. Additionally, the bell itself will enter a dormant state for thirty natural days.
Description: Every instance of haggling with fate uses your remaining time as currency.
It feels as though... none of these Forbidden Objects are suitable for Yulian or Kaff.
Lin Qi intended to return the Voice of Nightmares once Viola regained her clarity. After all, the item belonged to her. Meanwhile, the Rose of Truth, Judgement, and Sasha's relics were all Forbidden Objects that Lin Qi planned to use himself.
Most of Sasha's relics were D-Class Forbidden Objects related to daily life. Their abilities were quite potent and required no cost, but they were exclusive to Isaris; no one else could use them. As for the Rose of Truth and Judgement, those were combat-oriented Forbidden Objects gifted to Isaris by his uncle and father.
The abilities of these newly acquired Forbidden Objects were quite strong, but their costs were also relatively high. Currently, there were no suitable owners for these items.
Just as Lin Qi was lost in thought, a crisp chime suddenly rang in his ear.
Epoch of the End Pilot Trailer: [Singular Scenery] has been released. Please enter the system to view it!
It is here! The pilot trailer!
Upon hearing the news, Lin Qi could not wait to summon his panel to admire his own heroic figure.
The video was two minutes and forty-seven seconds long. It began with a medium shot of a carriage traveling down a street lined with vendors.
Is this not Kissmark Town?
Before Lin Qi’s thoughts could wander further, the camera followed the passing carriage and focused on a manor gate. A rose emblem hung upon the gate. It was Roland Manor!
In the next scene, a young boy as exquisite as carved jade was lifting a longsword and practicing on a grassy field. Beside the boy, a woman sat at a nearby table sipping black tea.
It was Isaris as a child and his mother, Sasha!
The perspective shifted. A silver-haired young girl sat at a desk studying; a young boy rummaged through trash on a filthy, dilapidated street; a blonde young girl fiddled with an abacus; and a red-haired young boy was bound in chains and locked inside a prison cell.
These were the four protagonists of the game.
The next scene took place inside a tavern filled with hulking men.
The Black Skull! That segment had indeed been included in the pilot trailer.
At the entrance of the tavern, a blonde youth nonchalantly loaded bullets into a pistol. Beside him stood a person dressed strangely whose silhouette suggested a young woman; she was raising her hands toward the tavern.
Then, the camera moved into the girl’s palms as the image turned transparent. Immediately after, the youth kicked open the doors. With a single sword strike, he decapitated a man attempting an ambush. Simultaneously, three white threads bound three gun barrels that were aimed at him.
This scene not only showcased an intense fight but also displayed Lin Qi’s Gravity Thread and Elaine’s Echo.
Lin Qi originally thought his screen time would end there. After all, the pilot trailer from his previous life had showcased battle scenes for all twelve Sequences. Since the video was already more than half finished, there shouldn't have been many shots left.
To his surprise, the next shot was the fight that had occurred within Roland Manor!