Chapter 60: 060: Parasite
[Wow, golden legend!]
The black silk ribbon dissolved into scattered points of light that vanished into nothingness the moment it was untied.
Don looked at the golden glow emanating from inside the gift box, completely unable to see what was actually inside. After a moment of silence, seeing that the golden light persisted, he said, "System, turn off the special effects."
[Oh, okay.]
The glow dimmed, and inside the not-so-large gift box was only one item.
It was a monocular telescope made of some unknown material, entirely pitch black.
At the same time, the system's notification sound rang in his ears.
Craftsman uses, appraisal uses, and the number of knowledge fragments were all obtained by Don the moment he opened the box, along with a new 'Bionic Marionette' module loading slot.
A pillow when drowsy...
But none of these were the main point.
Don took the black monocular telescope out of the gift box.
It was quite heavy, with a completely different texture from when he had been shaking the gift box earlier.
Don pondered for a moment, then looked at the system description that appeared with it.
[ 'Astronomical Telescope for Stargazing']
[Quality: System Exclusive.]
[In the night sky, the human naked eye can see at most about six thousand stars across the entire sky, most of which are self-luminous stars... But since this world underwent earth-shaking changes, humanity's exploration of the starry sky has stagnated for a long time. This is not only because of indescribable existences, but also because there are no longer tools capable of accurately observing stars!]
[Fortunately, the Astronomical Telescope for Stargazing has won you this opportunity to directly observe the stars!]
[But is what the astronomical telescope shows real? Illusory? Past? Present? Or future? Something you know? Or an unsolved mystery of the world? What are the extinguished stars like? Whose incarnation is the shadow shrouding the Astral World...]
[Use the "Astronomical Telescope for Stargazing" to explore the truth hidden behind various unsolved mysteries, and you will be able to see all their reality!]
[What are the real stars like? I believe you're also very much looking forward to it, right?]
[System reminder: Best used in combination with the "Mosaic Glasses for Stargazing"~]
'Astronomical Telescope for Stargazing'
Don's expression was inscrutable as he took out an item he had obtained from a previous system upgrade from the system storage.
'Mosaic Glasses for Stargazing.'
Same introductory style, series items, set equipment?
"If that's the case, there wouldn't also be things like 'Stargazing Platform for Stargazing', 'Magnified Objective Lens/Eyepiece for Stargazing' 'Star Finder for Stargazing', 'Clothes for Stargazing'? and such, would there?"
He had the feeling that collecting a complete set could summon a dragon.
"Moreover, the construction of an astronomical telescope isn't this simple." Don weighed the monocular telescope in his hand.
The content mentioned in the system's description made Don subconsciously think of the world where the 'Observer' state existed.
Plus the system had also said that the 'Mosaic Glasses for Stargazing' came from the Knowledge Moor, not from it.
He had originally wanted to risk directly entering the world of the 'Observer' state once, but before the system and theater core could discuss it thoroughly, this thing had arrived in his hands first.
That made sense—under normal circumstances, he couldn't use the 'Observer' module before advancing to Sequence 4. If he wanted to guard against Amon, this item was actually the best option.
The Knowledge Moor was really thoughtful...
It was just this probability—could the so-called 'Mystery Gift Box' be the Knowledge Moor observing his situation and then randomly distributing corresponding items?
Like giving key items to lower the difficulty.
It was just that thing shouldn't be able to monitor his surroundings at all times, so this item was now somewhat redundant.
Don frowned, pondered for a moment, and decided to test the effects first.
After putting on the mosaic glasses, Don brought his eye close to the telescope, and the scene he saw was very blurry.
He began adjusting the eyepiece and objective lens, and the scene before his eyes gradually became clearer.
At the same time, Don felt that this item was rapidly absorbing his spirituality.
"The consumption rate isn't too large—compared to the spirituality consumed after entering that world, it's much smaller. This should be related to the difference between a spirit body entering for observation versus just one eye observing."
"So, what will I see?" What he most urgently needed to confirm right now...
Continuing to adjust, Don began divining through his own spirituality, recalling what he had seen and thought when he encountered Amon.
"Let's see if I can directly observe Amon's avatar."
The first thing Don saw was a bustling street.
From the moment he saw the image, his spirituality began consuming at an increased rate.
This wasn't a fixed value—it would change based on the observation target, clarity, and distance.
Don calmly continued adjusting the image.
The scene in the telescope kept zooming in, getting closer. Soon, he saw a living room and a somewhat weak-looking young man.
Continuing to adjust.
Blurry figures appeared on the weak young man's body. At the same time, around him—on the table, on insects in the trees outside the window, on certain particles of dust in the air—faint, blurry figures gradually appeared as well.
Don didn't zoom in further to see the physical state of Amon's avatar clearly, as that would consume quite a lot.
As long as he could confirm it was a parasite, that was enough.
"Really dense..."
The mosaic glasses didn't react—this observation wouldn't attract the attention of Amon's avatars.
The scene continued adjusting, and Don saw merchants on the street.
Several of these merchants also had Amon's shadow on them.
Continuing to adjust.
East Borough of Tingen, the slums, areas mixed with corpses and reeking of foul odors.
The green-headed flies hovering over corpses also had blurry figures on them.
Continuing...
West Borough of Tingen...
Continuing...
North Borough of Tingen...
Continuing...
There were range limitations—he couldn't see where the main body was located. The maximum observable range was only within Tingen.
Don directed his vision to where his own territory was located.
His spirituality rapidly depleted—a Sequence 5's spirituality couldn't withstand this kind of consumption.
Don saw a young man.
It was a man holding a long sword, looking somewhat baby-faced, with characteristics that made him look like the foolish son of a landlord family... the type who looked very easy to deceive.
Don's expression became stern, then turned strange after adjusting the distance closer.
Setting down the telescope, Don sat in his high-backed chair in prolonged silence.
[Host?]
"Don't speak, let me think quietly."
After waiting a while, Don finally spoke leisurely, "Good news and bad news—which do you want to hear first?"
System: [?]
Don ignored the system's confusion and continued on his own: "The good news is that Amon's avatar hasn't come knocking yet, which at least means we still have time to make some arrangements and hide ourselves."
"As for the bad news... a parasite has run to my place, and Amon might be coming to find him."
(End of Chapter)