Chapter 50: Azrak Nightshade and Sylas Greenvine's Choice
After hearing Victor's words, Leon's mood remained unsettled for a long time. He had understood that this testing ground would be the final stop for many players on this map. Here, they would obtain the information they wanted, and then take their last gamble to see if they could find some top-secret materials.
If possible, they would even try to see if they could obtain the original model of the Seven Knights V. That might be their greatest reward.
Leon was not surprised by this choice at all. These players, like him, were risking their lives. They knew what they wanted, how their paths would unfold, and what kind of harvest would be worth the risk, even if it meant death.
After thinking it through, Leon made his decision. He wanted the research data. He didn't think there would be anything good left for him at the Princess Tomb. On the other hand, the research data of the Seven Knights IV suited him better, especially since many aspects of it could be applied to the transformation of the Sea dragon.
With this in mind, Leon approached Lynn. She was conversing with another player at the moment. When she saw Leon approach, she merely nodded and gestured for him to wait.
Once the player had left, Lynn walked up to Leon, "What do you need?"
"The last day’s operation is registered with you, right?" Leon asked directly.
"That's correct. It seems you've made your choice. But don't worry. Lady Ember has already planned everything. As long as we don't act recklessly, the chances of dying in battle are low. Besides, I don't think your target is the Seven Knights V, is it?" Lynn smiled as she asked.
"No, I just want some research data," Leon answered honestly.
"Exactly. I've looked into it for you. You can try to find the research data of Azrak Nightshade or Sylas Greenvine. That should be the most useful for you," Lynn confirmed, "First, search in the general area to see if my suggestion makes sense. Once you've decided, come to me to register. But you must follow orders."
Leon nodded, "Don't worry. I'm not the type to be insensible. Just tell me what needs to be done, and I'll follow instructions."
Lynn smiled without saying anything more and left.
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Leon, of course, didn’t linger there either. On his way here, he had already seriously considered it, and just as Lynn had said, the powers of the Seven Knights, especially Azrak Nightshade and Sylas Greenvine, were the most suitable for him.
Just hearing their names already gave away the nature of their powers. Among the Seven Knights IV, Azrak Nightshade was the smallest, while Sylas Greenvine was the second largest.
Compared to Adrian Solis's magma and Dorian Sandshade’s earth, the materials that composed Azrak Nightshade were semi-solidified liquids. This liquid wasn't water but materials transformed from the souls of ghosts after death. Even though there was a standard method of transformation, these materials were relatively scarce, so Azrak Nightshade was always the smallest among the Seven Knights IV.
Of course, for this very reason, Azrak Nightshade was also the most capable of endurance in prolonged battles. Once Azrak Nightshade killed an enemy, the enemy's soul would be absorbed, becoming a part of its body.
Leon had studied this method while learning undead techniques, referring to it as the "ghost effect," which was generally disliked by normal necromancers.
If a slain enemy were transformed into a ghost, then the necromancer wouldn’t be able to extract their soul, making it impossible to convert or craft the body into a suitable undead. Most necromancers didn’t want to have a bunch of ghosts as subordinates. That combat style was too monotonous and had easily exploitable weaknesses.
However, putting that aside, the rest of Azrak Nightshade’s abilities were highly valuable to Leon because Azrak Nightshade was the only shadow-affiliated existence among the Seven Knights. Leon wanted to learn what chambers were needed for a shadow-affiliated mobile fortress, or more specifically, how to arrange most of the structures.
What should be prioritized for construction? What needed to be prepared in advance for the benefit of building the mobile fortress?
These were things that couldn't be learned from books, and Leon couldn’t afford to experiment with his Sea dragon. He wasn’t a student with a family background, and there was only one Sea dragon. If this experiment failed, Leon might have to change his path forward.
So, obtaining the research data from the original model of the Seven Knights IV—Azrak Nightshade—was extremely useful to Leon.
As for the Seven Knights IV—Sylas Greenvine—it was another type of Seven Knights IV. From the name alone, it was clear that Sylas Greenvine was plant-based.
The Seven Knights IV was composed of a green vine, rumored to have been planted by one of the original Seven Knights. This vine had extremely strong vitality. Even a random branch stuck in the ground could take root and grow into a colossal vine.
The researchers at the Seven Knights IV lab reprocessed the fully grown giant vine and transformed it into Sylas Greenvine.
It was said that as long as Sylas Greenvine survived the battle, it could repair itself using its own ability, requiring little maintenance.
However, what Leon valued wasn’t this attribute but rather its growth property. Sylas Greenvine was the only one among the Seven Knights IV that could grow without absorbing external materials.
Leon’s Sea dragon was certainly large enough, but it was evident that it could only support him up to level 3. Once Leon’s power surpassed that level, the Sea dragon’s effectiveness would diminish, and he would have to search for new materials again.
In this case, Leon’s early investments could end up being wasted. To avoid this, Leon might have to search for a way to let the Sea dragon slowly "grow" by absorbing materials during level 2.
If so, the internal structure of the Sea dragon would change, requiring frequent adjustments to the available space.
At this point, Sylas Greenvine’s role would come into play. Sylas Greenvine was the only one of the Seven Knights IV capable of growing on its own, meaning it had a way to automatically allocate space for new structures based on its growth.
Though this method might not be fully reflected in the initial experimental data, the approach would definitely be there.
Once he found that, Leon could apply this method when his Sea dragon grew, without needing to make constant adjustments.
From these two points, it was clear that compared to the other five Seven Knights IV, Azrak Nightshade and Sylas Greenvine were the best suited to Leon.
Leon wasn’t the type to oppose others just because they had guessed his intentions. He simply thought about whether there were any details he had missed and then set off to find the data he wanted.