Chapter 143: The Power of the Black Prison

Black River Prison really was connected to the Black Prison.

Black River Prison was the central structure of New Capital’s Eighth District. Throughout the years his game character had spent serving as a night patrolman, the night watchmen had never entered the prison itself; their duties had always been limited to patrolling outside.

Although Black River Prison was the most famous building in New Capital’s Eighth District, it was also the most mysterious.

With a thought, Morningwake turned the pages of the book within his mind and continued reading.

【Through the object retrieved from the edge of the High Heavens, people gained the possibility of coming into contact with the world known as the “Black Prison.”

This was undoubtedly good news. It gave them a means of dealing with the great disasters that rose again after death without relying on the burning of the Daylight.

The Black Prison lay in a corner of some distant part of the High Heavens. It did not exist in this world. According to their deductions, it was connected to the High Heavens’ River of the Dead.

Through the First One’s research, they discovered that the Black Prison was an extremely ancient place, one in which traces of humanity could still be found.

Within the Black Prison, numerous terrifying ancient calamity monsters were sealed away, along with certain sinners from history.

A river flowed through the Black Prison, containing immense power that could be drawn upon at any time.

Anyone within the Black Prison who had committed a great sin would be bound by its chains, their strength weakened beyond comparison with that of the outside world.

Their fragmented souls were trapped within the Black Prison, becoming part of the immense power that sustained it.

These imprisoned monsters were weak, yet their power could be extracted.

After conducting their research, people discovered that the Black Prison itself was an excellent place for dealing with great sinners and calamity monsters. As long as they could master the power of the Black Prison, countless problems could be resolved!】

【From that point onward, the one who returned from the edge of the High Heavens was honored with the title of Prison Lord for his achievements.

The Prison Lord continued studying that world and gradually mastered the means of utilizing the Black Prison’s power.

Within the Black Prison, the older a monster was, the more difficult its power was to extract. By contrast, the power of sinners and calamity monsters that had only recently entered the prison was much easier to draw out.

Unfortunately, after completing his compilation and research into the power of the Black Prison, the First Prison Lord died when a calamity entered his body.

After several decades of subsequent effort, people finally established Black River Prison in New Capital’s Eighth District, creating an entrance that could reach the Black Prison.

Through Black River Prison, they could extract the power within the Black Prison. They could also cast countless calamity monsters and sinners who could not otherwise be dealt with into it, then send in powerful individuals who had mastered the power of the “Book of the Black Prison” to extract their strength and convert it into fuel for the Daylight.

The discovery of this otherworld not only gave New Capital’s powerful figures another path toward greater strength, but also solved the problems of supplying energy for the Daylight and disposing of corpses.】

This was a passage concerning the history of the Book of the Black Prison.

Morningwake let out a long breath, froze the book within his mind, and pondered for a moment.

Put simply, another world existed—a world that imprisoned powerful monsters.

And the Book of the Black Prison explained how to extract those monsters’ strength.

Morningwake carefully scanned the historical records. Aside from the Black Prison, New Capital should have command over the powers of many other worlds as well.

Each otherworld corresponded to a powerful spellbook.

Those who could harness the power of an otherworld could expend only a small amount of spiritual power to unleash astonishing strength.

Whether one could utilize the power of an otherworld was an important measure of strength.

Morningwake continued reading.

        All the spell arts that followed required him to find a way to reach the Black Prison.

Of course, according to the book, his physical body could never make the journey. Even through the entrance created by Black River Prison, a physical body could not remain in the Black Prison for long.

Only by using something akin to a “soul reflection” could one safely reach the Black Prison.

The Blackfire Walker he had encountered earlier had already been faintly capable of this.

Morningwake rubbed his temples.

At that moment, text appeared in the game as well.

【World Wanderer, you have officially begun learning the Black Prison spell arts.】

【You must currently master: “Black Casket.”】

Morningwake carefully read through the spell art that followed.

If he wanted to draw upon the power of the Black Prison, he had to accomplish two things.

First, he had to find a way to master the spell art known as the “Blackfire Path,” allowing his soul to travel along it and reach the Black Prison.

Second, he had to create an item known as the “Black Casket.”

The Black Casket was an object used to store energy from the Black Prison. Only by possessing one could he gather the Black Prison’s power, store it, and use it for himself.

And the difficult part now was the Black Casket.

Morningwake had no way of obtaining such an item. He could only make it himself.

He searched through the books in his mind and examined the method for crafting the Black Casket.

First, he needed at least five Blade-Aspect Stones or Void-Aspect Stones, as well as five Shadow-Aspect Stones. Which type he used depended on his highest aspect.

That was not a problem. Morningwake had stored quite a few Blade-Aspect Stones aboard the train, and he also possessed Shadow-Aspect Stones.

Even if he lacked enough, he could simply purchase more through the player forums.

The true key was an ingredient known as a “Blackfire Tempering Stone.”

It was an item obtained from a monster called the “Blackfire Armor,” and it was an excellent material for containing the power of the Black Prison.

As for that item, he currently had no idea where to find it. The monster itself was exceedingly rare, and according to the book, the Blackfire Armor was most likely above Level Twenty. Even if he encountered one, he might not be its match.

This was going to be difficult…

Morningwake leaned back and scratched Little Lantern Shadow Fox beneath the chin.

“Little Lantern Shadow Fox, do you know where the Blackfire Armor is?”

“Sorry… I don’t know, Master.”

Little Lantern Shadow Fox’s ears drooped as it shook its head. Although it had seen many monsters, it could no longer remember them clearly.

Morningwake thought for a moment. Fortunately, he now had some standing with the Calamity Messenger Tower. Perhaps he could rely on its intelligence network to resolve the matter.

“Wait…”

A new thought occurred to Morningwake. He did not necessarily have to search for the material in New Capital.

        This kind of calamity monster might appear on Earth.

With the opening of the open beta, calamity monsters had multiplied throughout the world.

Every day, new “monsters” made the headlines on video-sharing websites, along with quite a few fabricated recordings.

Thanks to satellites and surveillance systems, as well as the many enthusiastic reports submitted by ordinary people, humanity’s advantage in population and technology made the discovery of monsters far more efficient than it was for the Calamity Messengers of New Capital.

Many calamity monsters survived for less than an hour on Earth—shorter than the lifespan of an insect.

Morningwake opened the forums and entered the “Instances” section.

He noticed at once that, after only a few days away, the forum had gained even more functions.

The gaming forums of every country were now being developed through the combined efforts of countless top experts.

The Instances section was divided into three major categories: “Monsters,” “Against the Holy Calamity,” and “Dispatch Missions.”

They were further ranked by difficulty: White, Green, Blue, and Red.

The Monster category consisted of missions devoted specifically to hunting monsters. The Calamity Hunt category focused on dealing with the Holy Calamity Association.

As for Dispatch Missions, these were assignments that various organizations could not complete themselves and had posted on the instance forums.

Requests from the Herb Garden and the Divine Craftsmen’s Guild for specific materials, for example, along with various monster-hunting requests.

There was also a type of international mission, but those were prepared for elite and special-grade players. They had nothing to do with ordinary players like them, at least for the time being.

Just to be safe, Morningwake opened the search bar and entered the word “armor.”

The entire forum had been built through the efforts of countless top experts, and its intelligent search function was remarkably powerful.

Morningwake went through the armor-related missions one by one.

Cursed Armor: wearing it would subject the user to a curse and intensify their desire for battle.

Automatic Life-Assist Armor: once worn, the armor would forcibly make the wearer fight and manage their daily life.

Deep-Sea Tentacle Armor: armor discovered aboard a ship. Its effects could not be described.

…

Morningwake scanned them all. Most had nothing to do with the Blackfire Armor.

Then his eyes suddenly lit up.

Within an image collection attached to a joint mission, one photograph taken by an enthusiastic citizen showed a floating suit of armor wreathed in fire and cold on a dimly lit street.

Thanks to Lin Xuhao for the one-hundred-coin tip, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and votes! (づ)

(End of Chapter)