Chapter 240: Chapter 242: Shadow Stone and Shadow, Who is the Insect Eggs?


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    “Uncertain. There are records in the documents, but what exactly it is, you will need to see for yourselves,” Qin Muye said.


    “Alright, I’ll take a trip there. If it is indeed there, then Professor Li, you won’t need to exchange for low-level shadow stones anymore, switching directly to intermediate ones wouldn’t be a problem.”


    “We must understand why this thing can activate shadows,” a crimson crystallization appeared in Qin Muye’s eyes, forming a unique non-human vision.


    “We need to find a way to pry open the shadow stone and see what’s inside,” Qin Muye narrowed his eyes, the original inhabitants of this world couldn’t accomplish this, but that doesn’t mean Qin Muye couldn’t.


    “Professor Li, are you adapting well to working in the archive room?” Qing Jiao walked in leisurely.@@@@


    ...


    “Oh? Professor Li, you wouldn’t have found another Yin Mountain Army treasure vault, have you? Your efficiency is quite high,” Qing Jiao said with a strange expression.


    “Captain Qing Jiao, what brings you here today? Aren’t you on a mission?” Qin Muye put down the file he was holding. All these were archives in the room, and there was no prohibition against viewing them.


    “So, could this be insect eggs?”


    “I would advise you, Professor Li, not to use this high-level shadow stone for awakening because it would be too wasteful. It’s better to wait a while longer, then use your merits to exchange for a lower-level shadow stone for awakening, and later use a higher-level shadow stone to nurture the strength of your shadow,” Qing Jiao advised.


    “I understand, thank you for the reminder, Captain Qing Jiao,” Qin Muye said, putting the high-level shadow stone into his pocket and then continued, “I have to say, your timing is perfect, Captain Qing Jiao.”


    “You know, an intermediate shadow stone has a hundred percent awakening success rate, and it can even reach the Solid Shadow stage,” Qing Jiao said, then left in a hurry.


    “Shadow stones are categorised into four grades: low, intermediate, high, and the top-tier, which does not circulate among the lower and middle levels.”


    “It’s unlikely that the shadow stones are insect eggs, but what if shadows are insect eggs?”


    “Interesting, no wonder they say the hardness of the shadow stones is quite high, even the Shadow Administration can’t break their shells,” Qin Muye observed the shadow stone and said.


    “Here you go, delivering shadow stones. Considering your contributions, Professor Li, your low-level shadow stone was replaced with a high-level one. Sheesh, I’ve been captain for so many years and have only exchanged about a dozen myself, and here you are with one already.”


    “This vault does not belong to the Yin Mountain Army; it belongs to our local Guardian Army from a thousand years ago. It was abandoned for unknown reasons, so don’t hold too many expectations, the location is roughly here...” Qin Muye slowly said.


    After all, the main quest is to resolve the great terrestrial impact in a manner befitting one’s identity, so neither a history professor nor any other identity would be suitable. Only an identity as a Shadow is needed, then one can unleash their unique combat abilities to resolve this matter.


    And it can only be absorbed by human shadows, regardless of other plants, animals, or even ordinary objects like table and chair shadows, which can’t absorb shadow stones, leading some documents to speculate that this might be related to human intelligence.


    He found that although this temporary Skill was somewhat flawed, it endowed him with extraordinary knowledge in history, folklore, and mysticism, much like the temporary Skill “White Horse Prince.” As long as he had a white horse with him, anyone who saw him would know he was a prince.


    He did not want to speculate in the worst possible way but the existence of Dead Shadow and Shadow Realm forced him to deal with the worst-case scenarios.


    There were no further classifications above because no one would intentionally reveal the strength and capabilities of their own shadow.


    Intimidating others was still feasible, but taking action was not, because it was still just an illusion of light and shadow, not a real existence.


    Like the high-level Shadow Stone in his hand, the patterns covered four-fifths of it, indicating that it was among the better ones in high-level Shadow Stones.


    Choosing a host naturally means choosing the best; where else could other life forms get such treatment?


    If the enemy knew and targeted it specifically, wouldn’t that be a certain death?


    The absorption of a Shadow Stone was simple, just place the Shadow Stone within one’s shadow, and the shadow would absorb it in a special way.


    Shadow Stones were not only used for awakening shadows; they were also the most fundamental material for strengthening shadows.


    Shadows were divided into three stages: first, the Illusion Shadow, where the shadow had just awakened and was still in an illusory state, not much different from a normal shadow. If one really had to point out a difference, it was that during this stage the Shadow could control its movements on a flat surface.


    If shadows were insect eggs, and Shadow Stones were nutrients, then it all made sense.


    Moving further up, naturally, there were the least in quantity, the top-level Shadow Stones. Generally, only the name, not the substance, was known to common members, belonging exclusively to the Imperial Palace.


    At this stage, it was still undetermined what the shadow would ultimately develop into.


    These patterns were the physical manifestations of the energy within the Shadow Stones, thus more patterns meant better quality of the Shadow Stone.


    This unearth finding from the Yin Mountain Army Treasure Vault significantly supplemented the lack of Shadow Skills within the Shadow Administration, sparking a frenzy of exchanges among the internal Shadows.


    The real confidential files would not be kept here, so these were just some more general files, accessible to any member of the Shadow Administration.


    Normally, this form lasted only three to five days, the quickest of all forms, while others took from three months to a year, the specific reasons for which were unknown, and perhaps, if known, would not be disclosed.


    It was just that he found that the exterior of the Shadow Stone had properties that blocked prying, preventing him from seeing the internal structure.


    Only in the third phase, Shadow Transformation, did the shadow start to actually develop, turning into a cocoon-like form.


    As for progressing further, it involved the cultivation of the shadow, requiring various Shadow Skills, resources, and the development of the shadow’s capabilities and so forth.


    The lowest level Shadow Stones normally have patterns up to one-third, while intermediate ones have patterns from one-third to two-thirds.