498: Face-to-face meeting battle (Part 1)

The downside: it's ridiculously expensive; and the package description states: 'For beings possessing top-tier talents or authorities such as "True Sight" or "Spacetime Regression," the effect is diminished.'

After hearing this, Shang Wan Ning did not hesitate.

"Xiao Si! Use Plan B."

"The authenticity of the flesh reshaping is paramount. For existences like the Candle Dragon, even the slightest falsity could be magnified several times over."

"The energy simulation must also be flawless. As for the plane aura primer..."

She swiped her Storage Ring, and an unremarkable stone appeared in her palm, its surface marked with naturally formed spiral patterns.

"A crystal from the 'Gray Mist Territory' of the Ativi Continent. I picked it up on a whim during my last visit; it carries a faint, complex, yet authentic trace of the ley line aura from that other plane."

"Is it enough?"

"Enough! More than enough! With this physical primer, the authenticity of the background constructed by the Mirror Generator can be increased to over ninety percent."

Star's expression softened slightly.

Ling Qi also nodded slightly.

"Then it's settled." Shang Wan Ning made the final decision. "Adopt Plan B, and set the background to 'Alvaro's Private Prayer Chamber'."

"Star, you prepare in the Internet Cafe private room immediately, and Xiao Si will redeem the items. AQi, you assist Star and do a final check of all details regarding the Abyss Church of the Ativi Continent before the video call."

"Especially the etiquette, commonly used sacred objects, and prayer jargon; you must not make any rookie mistakes."

"Understood." Star and Ling Qi replied in unison.

Wangchuan Internet Cafe, Private Room No. 3.

The lingering scent of incense offerings and osmanthus cake had not yet dissipated, but the atmosphere inside the private room had already become somewhat tense.

The Old Woman Zhao Yun had long since cleared out the private room, leaving only the necessary equipment. Zhou Wenyuan hugged a stack of documents regarding the Abyss Church of the Ativi Continent, his fingers tapping away on his laptop keyboard.

Liu Shuo was pacing back and forth in the corner, muttering, "Don't panic, don't panic."

As soon as Star entered, he saw the three items floating in mid-air. The Flesh Reshaping Scroll, the Source Fluctuation Resonance Instrument, and the Plane Fragment Mirror Generator.

On the left was a leather scroll embroidered with complex, reverse-growth patterns in silver thread, with the faint sound of flesh pulsing.

In the middle was a thumb-sized prism, completely transparent.

On the right was a palm-sized hexagonal metal plate, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the distorted scene inside the private room.

"Begin!" Shang Wan Ning's voice came through the communication jade talisman. "Star, use the scroll first. The process is a bit painful, so endure it."

Star nodded and reached out to grasp the scroll. The leather was warm, and he could feel the slight throbbing of vein-like structures beneath it.

He gritted his teeth, silently recited "Alvaro," and slowly unrolled the scroll...

There was no burst of light, only a dense, bone-gnawing pain like ten thousand needles, instantly spreading from his wrist to his entire body!!!

"Urgh..."

"Urgh..."

The pain of flesh reshaping was far beyond imagination.

It was not the sharp pain of lacerated skin, but the dull ache of bones being crushed inch by inch by a giant hand, then reassembled according to a strange template.

Muscle fibers were torn apart and then grew wildly; beneath his skin, it felt like thousands of tiny insects were crawling and gnawing, altering his contours and texture.

Star fell to his knees, stifling a roar in his throat, his forehead pressed against the floor, beads of sweat instantly soaking through his hoodie.

The private room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, save for his heavy breathing and the "creaking" of his bones.

Zhou Wenyuan's fingers hovered over the keyboard, his face pale. Liu Shuo had long stopped pacing, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The Old Woman Zhao Yun narrowed her eyes, her hand clutching the string of sandalwood prayer beads she never left home without.

On the other side of the communication jade talisman, Shang Wan Ning guided Star: "Hold on, Star. Think of Alvaro's appearance, think of the wind in the Gray Mist Territory, think of the emblem on the Abyss Church altar."

"Let the scroll 'see' the person you want to become."

Star gritted his teeth, his consciousness clutching tightly onto those fragments amidst the excruciating pain: the cold, stern face of "Alvaro" seen in the documents (already fine-tuned and adapted to Star's Eastern skeletal structure), the gloomy sky of the Ativi Continent from his memories, the low, hoarse rhythm of the Abyss during prayer...

The pain lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

When the final dull thud of bones settling into place subsided, Star collapsed onto the floor, nearly exhausted.

He struggled to lift his head.

In the decorative mirror on the opposite wall, a completely unfamiliar face was reflected.

The skin was a pale white from years without sunlight, the cheekbones were slightly high, the eye sockets were sunken, the bridge of the nose was prominent, and the lips were thin and pale in color.

A head of slightly curly, deep chestnut-colored long hair rested on his shoulders, the tips still stained with some sweat.

The originally soft, Eastern-leaning contours had been replaced by a rugged bone structure, and his shoulders and back seemed broader, wrapped in a slightly loose black priest's robe.

He actually possessed a bit of the cold, stern temperament of an Ativi Continent superior.

The most peculiar feature was his eyes.

Deep within the pupils, a speck of dark gold slowly rotated, like the gaze of a beast in the abyss; this was a simulation of the magical characteristics of the "Key of the Abyss."

"Did, did it succeed?" Liu Shuo asked in a low voice.

Star tried to move his fingers and then touched his face.

The sensation was real; he could even feel the pulsation of blood vessels beneath the skin. He opened his mouth, and the voice that emerged was low and hoarse, carrying a strange, exotic accent: "I... feel acceptable."

The language plugin had long since been installed during the excruciating pain, and he spoke the Ativi Continent Common Tongue as fluently as his native language.

"Quick, the resonance instrument!" Zhou Wenyuan reminded him.

Star took a deep breath, grabbed the transparent prism from the side, and pressed it against his chest.

The prism dissolved and seeped into his body.

A lukewarm wave of energy emerged from his body, stabilizing at the peak of the Sixth Tier, and carried the obscurity unique to the Abyss, circulating smoothly without the slightest hindrance.

"The background, quick!" Zhao Yun looked at the final metal plate.

Star placed the fragment of the Gray Mist Territory crystal given by Shang Wan Ning into the center of the metal plate.

The metal plate hummed, projecting a pale gray light screen that expanded rapidly, covering the entire interior of the private room.

In the blink of an eye, the modern decor of the Wangchuan Internet Cafe disappeared.

Replacing it was a dimly lit stone room.

The walls were built from gray-black stones with natural patterns, and moss-like plants emitting a faint glow grew in the crevices.

A solid ebony long table was placed against the wall, with leather scrolls, quill pens, a few yellow crystals, and an oddly shaped incense burner—which looked like it was carved from some kind of bone—spread out on the table, emitting wisps of pale purple smoke.

In a corner of the stone room, there was a small altar, on which the emblem of the Abyss Church was hung.

The Plane Fragment Mirror Generator successfully constructed "Alvaro's Private Prayer Chamber."

"Perfect..." Zhou Wenyuan muttered as he looked at the miraculous changes around him.

"It's not over yet." Ling Qi's voice inserted itself at the right moment through the communication jade talisman. "Star, final check: The honorific for the Lamp Bearer in the Abyss Church; in informal private settings, you can use 'Guide' or 'Key of Radiance' as a substitute to avoid overusing 'Your Excellency'."

"When mentioning the Ancient God Text, you can quote the fragments from Chapter 7 of the 'Old Testament of Nature,' but remember the pronunciation of the closing prayer; the tip of the tongue must press against the roof of the mouth..."