66: Wisdom invades the brain

"Director, did Shi Li really encounter the Mascot?"

"The Mascot that only the fated can encounter?"

The two Recruitment Officers asked Hu Lan curiously.

"I heard rumors before that the Mascot was appearing in the Jiangnan Province area.

It seems it's true after all."

Hu Lan nodded, and seeing their eager expressions, she said, "But you two can forget about it."

The Mascot is generally elusive, and before it is defeated, it will always remain active within a certain area.

Now that Shi Li has defeated this Mascot, it means there probably won't be another one in the Jiangnan Province for a while.

"I heard that the Mascot is very difficult to defeat, and even a Jade rank player might not win against it."

"Why was Shi Li, who is only Gold rank, able to defeat it instead?"

The two had new questions.

"The Mascot has its own set of rules; it gets stronger when facing a strong opponent and weaker when facing a weak one."

"And depending on the individual, these rules can also vary."

"I heard that this time's Mascot will match whatever level of card its opponent reveals and how many cards they use."

"So, if a Gold 4 player encounters the Mascot, it will only have a Gold 4 deck strength."

Although Hu Lan said this, she knew in her heart that even with the same deck strength, the Mascot was not that easy to deal with.

Their deck depth remained a mystery from beginning to end.

"However, the Gold 4 Mascot's wish power is ultimately limited, and I wonder what wish he made."

Looking at Shi Li on the screen, she said with interest.

At this moment, Shi Li was completely engrossed in the simulated mission.

Refresh successful.

This mission is named: Dragon Burial Ancient Tomb (Star Up).

The ancient tomb sees the light of day again, and amidst the constant harassment of tomb raiders, Tiao Tiao finally awakens…

Please help him make a choice.

A. South No. 1 Tomb Chamber.

B. South No. 2 Tomb Chamber.

C. South No. 3 Tomb Chamber.

D. South No. 4 Tomb Chamber.

"Choose D."

After multiple trials, Shi Li knew that the best option for the first step was D.

After making his choice, lines of text appeared.

Although Tiao Tiao didn't like the guy in the No. 4 Tomb Chamber, he knew the opponent was very strong.

After some consideration, Tiao Tiao decided to walk into the South No. 4 Tomb Chamber.

This was a cold and damp tomb chamber; as Tiao Tiao stepped in, he immediately heard the clanging sound of iron chains.

The thin, dark zombie bound by chains had already awakened, its crimson eyes fixed on Tiao Tiao, letting out a provocative roar.

Tiao Tiao knew he needed to "convince" this guy through a battle.

Buzz...

Following this, the card game began.

The opponent's cards quickly appeared.

Tiao Tiao Secret Artisan

Balanced, ATK 40, 200/200

Secret Art Strike - Passive: Each attack by Tiao Tiao Secret Artisan will permanently deduct 20 maximum health from the target.

This guy's permanent deduction will be in effect throughout this simulated mission.

So, this first stage is actually a very simple calculation problem.

The Jumping Guardian, as the trump card, has an attack power of 60 points; defeating the opponent requires 4 attacks.

And after 4 attacks from the opponent, Tiao Tiao will have its maximum health reduced by 80 points, becoming a 10/10+10/10 card.

This is quite disadvantageous for subsequent growth and battles.

But luckily, he has Dimensional Intervention, which allows Red Blade Maiden to be added to the deck.

Although once selected, no additional cards can be added to this simulated mission, and Red Blade Maiden is not very useful in the final BOSS battle.

But she can undoubtedly provide great help in the early stages.

Directly let Red Blade Maiden serve as the external card to resist the opponent's permanent DEBUFF, and it only takes 2 rounds to defeat the opponent.

This way, the Jumping Guardian, which is automatically on the field throughout the battle, can maintain optimal condition, free from maximum health deductions.

The initial card game was very simple and ended quickly.

New options soon appeared before Shi Li's eyes.

Due to the erosion of time, the opponent's body was too fragile.

Tiao Tiao accidentally ( ) killed the opponent.

But on the wall behind the Secret Artisan, a riddle and a two-digit number dial were revealed.

There is a number whose count is unknown; when counted by threes, it leaves a remainder of two; when counted by fives, it leaves a remainder of three; when counted by sevens, it leaves a remainder of two.

What is the number?

This is what Tiao Tiao dislikes about the Secret Artisan.

Please help him turn the dial to make a choice.

This is a math problem, which translates to modern terms as: there is a number that, when divided by 3, leaves a remainder of 2; when divided by 5, leaves a remainder of 3; and when divided by 7, leaves a remainder of 2.

Shi Li casually spun the dial, choosing 2 for the tens digit and 3 for the units digit.

The answer is 23.

He had tried deliberately choosing the wrong answer before, which triggered an explosive trap, giving Tiao Tiao a DEBUFF that reduced his charge.

As the dial settled, the sound of stone mechanisms immediately rang out.

The originally sealed stone wall slowly opened, revealing the passage behind it.

Tiao Tiao gained the buff Wisdom Invades Brain.

Wisdom Invades Brain: All cards in the deck gain +10 energy when revealed.

"OK."

Shi Li knew this BUFF was very important.

In the final BOSS battle, character cards must use a large number of AOE skills to quickly eliminate enemies.

Using a large number of skills naturally requires energy to maintain the cycle; 10 points at the start allows the character cards to quickly warm up.

This Wisdom Invades Brain is one of the few, and Shi Li believes essential, modifiers to acquire in this simulated mission.

However, Shi Li chose the Tiao Tiao Secret Artisan route not just for this modifier.

Following the passage, Tiao Tiao arrived at the Secret Artisan's collection room.

The collection room displayed four mechanism boxes; Tiao Tiao recognized this type of mechanism.

Once one is chosen and opened, the other three will be permanently closed.

Please help him make a choice based on the names on the mechanism boxes.

A. Tiao Tiao Guillotine

This is a torture device the Secret Artisan liked to use, specifically for dealing with guys with many heads.

According to memory, choosing this would grant a special attack modifier against single human enemies.

However, aside from the final BOSS battle, there aren't many human enemies in this stage.

And the significance of a single-target special attack isn't that great either.

B. Lightning Talisman

A room accessory the Secret Artisan used to pursue new experiences, but it's unknown how much electricity it still holds.

Inside is 1 AOE hand card that can be used 3 times in total, with considerable damage.

But Shi Li didn't choose it.

C. Linen Stockings

These are personal items of the owner of the No. 2 Tomb Chamber; it's unknown why they are here.

Choosing this would result in the addition of Tiao Tiao Priest after a few stages.

This is equivalent to choosing Room No. 2 in the initial options, and also getting a Wisdom Invades Brain modifier.

However, Shi Li still didn't choose it.

His finger had already reached for the last option.

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