A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 9: Chapter 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_2

As the words resounded, abruptly, a translucent figure of a man, much like a ghost, quietly appeared before Duanmu Huai. With an expression of excitement and enthusiasm, he was waving his hands.

“With this power, my country would never again have to suffer the pangs of warfare, nor fear invasion. Everyone could enjoy a life of peace and tranquility!!”

Duanmu Huai just stood there, watching quietly. This scene wasn’t unfamiliar to him, any fragment that is fortunate enough to be preserved carries the creator’s intense thoughts and ideas. Clearly, this young man must be the owner of this room.

After speaking these words, the man disappeared, and Duanmu Huai continued to advance. Soon, he crossed the entrance and arrived inside the house. The first thing he saw was a wooden workbench. Judging by the limbs strewn about, this man should be a Puppeteer Master.

“Puppets are wondrous existences…”

At that moment, the figure of the man reappeared. He was sitting in a chair, seemingly crafting something meticulously.

“Born from the hands of humans, imitating humans, yet they are not. Beautiful, pure, perfect… that is what I long for…”

The voice slowly faded away and the phantom of the man shattered.

Duanmu Huai took a glance at the workbench before him, then proceeded forward. But just as he approached the next room…

“Thud!!”

Suddenly, a teacup flew out, smashing heavily on the floor. Duanmu Huai peered into the room, only to see that what should have been a study was now a mess, the table overturned, teacups and teapots shattered. The man was taking deep breaths, sitting in a chair. His face looked incredibly old, whether due to time or mental strain wasn’t clear.

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“He deceived me! That liar! He deceived me! The puppets were to defend the nation, not for invading other countries! He turned me into a blood-stained invader, an executioner!!”

The man roared like a beast, burying his face in his hands, his body trembling uncontrollably. Then, he seemed resolute, standing up.

“I won’t let him get away with this, I’ll stop everything. I’m sorry, it seems… I was too naive.”

Finishing his words, the man reached into his pocket and put something on the table, then he sighed.

“I hope you find your purpose for existing, my child.”

After he uttered these words, the man turned around with a determined expression, left the room, and vanished.

So that’s how it is.

Huaving witnessed all these events, Duanmu Huai more or less understood what was going on. According to Elisa’s previous conversation, it was apparent that the owner of this house was a very powerful Puppeteer Master. He manufactured the Puppet Army that this country once possessed, however, his initial intention was only to protect his nation. He had no idea the king would use this army for invasion. After listening to Elisa’s taunt that the king was planning to create a Demon Puppet that could conquer the world, the man must have finally made his decision to completely destroy him and his ambition… If Duanmu’s guess was correct and this man was the one who finally succeeded in creating the Demon Puppet, and used it to raid the Royal Palace, kill the king, and ultimately self-destruct to obliterate the whole nation, then his will and belief would indeed be capable of solidifying the World Fragment.

Now let’s see what he left here.

Duanmu Huai approached and saw a lone key adorned with a green gem on the table in the room. At that moment, a line of system notifications popped up before Duanmu Huai.

[Task Activated “Legacy of the Puppeteer”]

[Task Objective: Obtain the Legacy]

[Task Description: Obtain the acknowledgment of the will of the Puppeteer Master and gain his legacy!]

“Meh, it’s a bit troublesome.”

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows.

In order to acquire these fragments, all sorts of trials need to be passed. Generally, these could be divided into three types.

One is to help the will within the fragment achieve its desires.

Another is to defeat the challenge within the fragment to prove your strength.

The final is the simplest, but also the most troublesome – you must resonate with the will within the fragment.

In simple terms, if the two of you hit it off and get along with each other, it’ll be given to you directly.

But if not–then you must fight.

At this point, the player might ask, isn’t it just a matter of dialogue options and favorability? Can’t I just choose according to his preferences?

Well, of course not.

Because through such exchanges, the other party can read your initial thoughts.

For instance, if you enter the will’s world of a Sacred Knight and want to get his Holy Sword, then he asks you whether you could abide by the virtues of a knight.

At this time, it wouldn’t matter how eloquently the player speaks, if their true thoughts are different such as “Perhaps I could sell it for a good price,” or “I can gain a powerful weapon for PvP,” then the knight will straight-up refuse. Next, the player could either resort to stealing it, or simply be kicked out.

However, there is a third method, persuasion.