Chapter 83: Cain's Gift

A world of deathly gray, this was my first impression upon stepping into Tristram. The entire sky was a murky gray, and the earth was tinged with a dull gray hue. The broken stone walls, the remnants of tall towers, and the fallen carved pillars seemed to tell the story of its former prosperity. The bones on the ground, the earth stained with blood, and the cold wind howling mournfully all spoke of the fall of prosperity and the destruction of civilization. Everything was a testament to the sins of the hellish beings.

The city was filled with collapsed ruins and withered tree trunks, not a single human figure in sight. No, perhaps I shouldn't say that. The skeletal archers, who lurked in the shadows, filled with jealousy and hatred, and vowed to destroy all living things, were likely once part of this place.

After quickly circling the entire city, the first task Cain gave me was completed—Tristram had completely fallen, turned into a pile of ruins, and become a paradise for monsters. I hoped Cain could accept this reality. With his wisdom, he should have foreseen this outcome, but out of an old man's stubbornness, he still clung to the last bit of hope.

Calculating the time, it had been nearly half an hour. There was still plenty of time, so I continued toward the city center, hoping not to encounter the former paladin—Griswold, the best blacksmith in the Rogue Encampment. After all, this wasn't a game. With his strength, he might have escaped long ago and gone into hiding somewhere. I prayed that I wouldn't let this poor old man, Cain, suffer any more. If he couldn't handle it and passed away, I would be in deep trouble.

But reality was cruel. In the central square of the city, the towering and muscular figure, like a giant beast, came into my view. His eyes were already clouded, exuding a lifeless aura, and his entire body was enveloped in a layer of black gas, a clear sign of being completely corrupted by hellish power. His original soul had long been destroyed. Even if the highest-ranking angel were to come, the only option would be to purify him.

The completely fallen Griswold, apart from the residual strength of his body, had lost all other abilities. The hellish corruption had granted him the power of curses. If one was accidentally cursed by him and then hit, the consequences would be severe. However, after a series of attacks from me and my summoned pets, he finally let out a mournful cry of liberation. His grim face gradually softened, and his sturdy body rapidly withered, finally collapsing to the ground like an old man who had found peace, a smile on his lips.

Griswold was not a projection, so his body did not disappear, and there was no loot to speak of. I looked at his corpse, hesitated for a moment, and then threw it into my inventory. Sweat... I didn't expect that the inventory could actually store corpses. What a ridiculous game mechanic.

However, when I accidentally saw the attributes of Griswold's corpse, I nearly spat out blood.

Griswold's Corpse

+3 Strength

+3 Vitality

It turned out that this corpse was a piece of equipment similar to a small amulet. Should I keep it for myself? Or not? I decided against it, as it felt strange to keep it in my inventory.

In the last few minutes, I finally stepped into the return portal, returning to the stone wilderness. The red gate behind me soon closed.

When I returned to the Rogue Encampment and told Cain about the situation in Tristram, his face instantly turned pale. I hesitated for a moment and then, amidst Cain's disbelief and heartbreak, I took out Griswold's corpse. Seeing his already pale face age by several decades, I felt a sense of guilt.

"Dear Wu, I am truly grateful for your help. You have helped me fulfill a long-standing wish."

After a long while, the tearful Cain looked up at me with genuine gratitude.

"Don't mention it. Serving Lord Cain is my honor. Please take care of yourself."

I was almost in tears. Lord Cain, please don't do anything rash, or else Akara and the others will tear me apart.

Fortunately, Cain seemed to have some unfinished business and was not in a hurry to end his life. He took weak steps into his house, fiddled around for a while, and then came out with a delicate box.

"Dear Wu, I don't have much that you would find valuable, but this box has been with me since I was a young scholar. Although it's not a great item, I hope it will be of some help to you."

Cain gently caressed the box as if it were his child, his sad eyes revealing a hint of kindness. Finally, he firmly handed it to me.

The black sandalwood box itself was already quite valuable, and it even emitted a faint magical aura. OMG, could it be a legendary artifact? I accepted Cain's box without any false modesty, seeing his weary and dejected appearance, I wisely chose to take my leave.

After bidding farewell to Cain, I hurried back to my room at the inn, closed the door, and drew the curtains. Yes, I even covered myself with a blanket—artifacts emit a dazzling light, and it wouldn't do to have others discover it. Good things should be enjoyed alone first.

After all preparations were made, I carefully opened the small box. Weapon? Jewelry? Armor set?

Uh... Inside the box was a thick, black leather book. It didn't seem particularly special, not even a hint of magical aura. However, after the experience with Griswold's corpse, I no longer dared to underestimate items that transcended the game. I checked the book's attributes, and as expected, it was as I had guessed.

Cain's Book of Wisdom

+2 Skill Points

+10 Vitality

+20% Casting Speed

Although the attributes were far from those of a legendary artifact, I was still overjoyed. I had been considering whether to allocate attribute points to vitality, and now I had this. The casting speed increase was something every character class dreamed of, and a full 20% would reduce the casting time of my Magma Rock by almost a second.

But how should I use it? Could it work like a small amulet, taking effect when placed in the inventory? I tried placing the book in my inventory, and indeed, my vitality immediately increased by 10 points. The +2 skill points also appeared in my skill list. So, it was a skill point-boosting item, a property usually found only in unique equipment!

Praise you, Cain!

However, since this book contained Cain's life's work and essence, there must be more to it. I took the book out again, carefully opened it, and slowly flipped through the pages. After a while, my expression grew increasingly serious.

I don't know how long it took, but I finally took a deep breath, rubbed my sore eyes, and saw that it was already late at night. I had been reading for over ten hours without realizing it.

I carefully closed the book, placed it on a box with an air-sealing magic array, closed the lid, and then solemnly put it in my inventory—this book had brought me too many surprises and shocks. Compared to its content, its attributes were almost insignificant. This book truly deserved to be called a legendary artifact.

The first half of the book recorded the culture, geography, and customs of the Darklands, essentially a Darklands encyclopedia. However, these parts were not very useful to me, so I only glanced over them. The important part was Cain's lifelong research, including gems, runes, classes, skills, equipment, and weapons, which greatly broadened my horizons. I hadn't played Darklands for years, and I had forgotten most of the content. Cain's book, like a comprehensive encyclopedia, covered various topics, including some unique rune words that made me realize—being a former Darklands fan, I had forgotten even this. If not for Cain's book, I wouldn't have remembered.

In the last part of the book, there was a detailed account of the apocalyptic war between the demons and the sin war that plunged the Darklands into chaos, more clearly and thoroughly than what Akara had told me. It delved into the essence of the matter. The secrets and mysteries of the Sin War, the enigma of Tal Rasha, and some secrets of the angelic race were all mentioned, making me break out in a cold sweat—seemingly, not just me, but all adventurers and even the entire Darklands had been drawn into a massive conspiracy. I hoped the leaders had some plan to help the Darklands escape this thousand-year-old vortex.

However, a term in the section about Tal Rasha caught my attention. Yes, the Horadric Cube. According to Cain's speculation, Tal Rasha's power, which allowed him to eventually stand against the three prime evils, was closely related to this cube.

Sweat... I had naively assumed that the Horadric Cube was a common item, freely distributed in Lut Gholein, with one for everyone. Damn! My perfect gems! My orange equipment!

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