Lin Xun opened his inventory to check the relic it left behind.

[Doll Mechanist’s Refined Copper Heart (Special Item): A slowly pulsating refined copper heart that emits a soft dark-golden glow. It beats ceaselessly, as if it will continue until the end of the world.]

[Using this item on a doll will elevate it from a follower to a Watcher capable of growth.]

Lin Xun’s eyes widened.

What kind of god-tier item is this?!

Summoned creatures, by their nature, can’t equip gear and have no growth potential.

Take the Three-Headed Lion, for instance: early in the Blood Sun world, it was a ferocious combatant, capable of holding its own and acting as a mini-boss level monster.

But at this stage of the story, its strength only slightly surpassed elite mobs, no longer reaching boss-level, gradually becoming just a tactical supplement.

Not that the Three-Headed Lion was useless, you could still sell it at a solid price in the library.

It’s just that with Lin Xun’s exploration becoming more difficult, the lion was falling behind.

Now, the Battle Angel – Valkyrie had already evolved from a mere summoned creature into an equipment-wielding follower.

By using this item, she could evolve again, from a follower into a growth-capable Watcher.

Just as Lin Xun was about to use the item, a thought struck him: why didn’t the Doll Artisan drop a Refined Copper Heart when he killed it?

After a moment’s reflection, he understood, items of this caliber clearly required hidden storyline triggers to obtain.

If they just dropped from killing an NPC, it would devalue the item entirely.

Without further hesitation, he clicked on Doll Mechanist’s Refined Copper Heart.

[Would you like to use Doll Mechanist’s Refined Copper Heart on follower Battle Angel – Valkyrie?]

[You have used the item. Your follower Battle Angel – Valkyrie has evolved into a Watcher!]

Lin Xun quickly opened Valkyrie’s panel to check.

[Watcher: Battle Angel – Valkyrie]

[Watcher Level: 40 (This level matches the Apostle’s current Shell level)]

[Watcher Quality: Epic+ Grade]

[Watcher Equipment: Black Linen Robe (Ruined Grade), A plain black linen robe with no defensive value beyond modesty.]

[Watcher Skills: None (Follower skills will gradually awaken through battles alongside the Apostle.)]

Lin Xun was still possessing the level 40 Smelting Plant Owner shell.

He tried switching to the Earth Giant shell, and the Valkyrie’s level immediately dropped to 35.

Watchers would grow stronger as the Apostle did, no longer just summonable cannon fodder from the sewers.

With all the NPCs in the Doll Factory gone and the mobs cleared out, Lin Xun returned to the Resting Page at the factory entrance and teleported back to the library.

At the Book of Craftsmen, he grabbed the upgrade blueprint for Longbow of Windchant and Moonsong for free.

To evolve the weapon into Epic grade, the required materials were, Branch of the Dark Elf Hearth Tree and Advanced Wind Elemental Core.

Both were available for purchase in the Book of Trade, but the former cost 55,000 Spirit Essence, and the latter 43,000.

The total price was a staggering 98,000 Spirit Essence, an outrageous sum.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Epic weapons typically sold for between 100,000 and 200,000 Spirit Essence.

Rare+ grade weapons usually fetched 30,000 to 50,000. If materials were too cheap, Epic weapons would flood the Book of Trade.

He gritted his teeth and bought the two materials, switched to the blacksmith shell, and began crafting for himself…

It’s worth noting that when a weapon advances to a higher tier, its enhancement level can drop.

[Weapon Upgrading…]

As always, the game text stalled.

The blacksmith was likely hammering away with sparks flying.

After about an hour of waiting, the new weapon was successfully forged.

[Weapon Upgrade Successful!]

[You obtained Longbow of Windchant and Moonsong +1 (Epic Weapon)!]

[Longbow of Windchant and Moonsong +1 (Epic Weapon): The bow body is crafted from Sacred Birch Bark, Horn of a Gale Demon, and a Branch of the Dark Elf Hearth Tree. Powdered Advanced Wind Elemental Core is infused within. The bowstring tanned from Whispering Elk Tendons and Drifting Sands of the Pale Moon.]

[The full-length bow is nearly as tall as a standard shell. When drawn, it forms a perfect moon arc; when loosed, the arrow flies like a meteor with immense power. Requires extremely refined archery skills to wield this weapon effectively.]

At this point, Lin Xun had only about 2,200 Spirit Essence left.

His inventory still contained a baton and student robe, both ruined quality and essentially worthless. Even listed on the Book of Trade, no one would buy them.

Only the Thick Black Hard Baton and Academic Mentor’s Robe were Ordinary+ Grade, worth a few hundred Spirit Essence.

And now that he had the longbow, his Military Crossbow was obsolete too.

Lin Xun listed all three items for a quick low-price sale.

Soon, he earned 1,800 Spirit Essence.

With a total of 4,000 Spirit Essence in hand, he decided to spend it all, no point in hoarding it only to get fleeced by NPCs again.

He opened the Book of Trade and checked the price of arrows.

Single wooden arrows were dirt cheap, practically free, selling for just 5 to 10 Spirit Essence each.

But these low-tier arrows could only be used once and couldn’t be retrieved after firing.

Some higher-grade arrows were reusable, but their prices skyrocketed, reaching hundreds or even thousands per arrow. He even saw one priced over 10,000.

There was a type of equipment called a quiver, which not only allowed for fast arrow retrieval but also had the ability to auto-collect arrows after battle, a borderline broken mechanic.

He spent 1,000 Spirit Essence to buy a quiver, then picked up 10 Light Swiftwood Arrows for 100 each. These arrows could be recovered and packed a decent punch.

Later on, he could resell the arrows, so long as they weren’t lost in battle, they were essentially reusable currency.

With his remaining 2,000 Spirit Essence, Lin Xun bought a powerful arrow.

[Hurricane Arrow: A powerful arrow forged from Snow-Patterned Steel. The arrowhead is grooved with blood channels, and the fletching is made from feathers of a Hurricane Raptor, increasing flight speed. Reusable. Must be paired with a bow-type weapon.]

Priced at 2,000 Spirit Essence, Lin Xun bought it, and his funds dropped to double digits, back to peasant status.

He placed all eleven arrows into the quiver, then equipped both the Longbow of Windchant and Moonsong and the Quiver onto the Valkyrie.

[Your Watcher Battle Angel – Valkyrie has become even more powerful!]

“Just one piece of armor left…”

Lin Xun stroked his chin with a sigh.

But with his funds dried up, he could only let the Valkyrie wear the Nano-Bio Combat Armor for now.

Once he had money again, he’d buy her something nicer, Love Nikki style.

[T/N: Love Nikki is a chinese dress up game.]

With her gear assembled, he teleported back to the current chapter.

Then boarded a Brass Carriage headed straight for Bennett’s Transplant Clinic.

In his inventory were eighteen Eyeball of the Subterranean Oculomass Demon. He planned to transplant them into the Yellow-Robed Bishop. The skill Infusion of Illusory Knowledge seemed perfect for a spellcaster.

[The carriage door opened on its own. You stepped down slowly…]

[Ahead of you was a building shrouded in mist. You could only make out the first and second floors. Above that, blurry outlines of spires and flying buttresses could be seen.]

[You stepped into Bennett’s Transplant Clinic. Behind the counter, the bird-masked Bennett had been waiting for you for some time.]

[Bennett claimed that the second floor of the clinic had been cleaned and prepared. It would be honored to guide the Apostle of the Omniscient True Knowledge for a personal tour.]

[Would you like to follow Bennett to the second floor of the clinic?]

The eyeball transplant option hadn’t even popped up yet, and the text was already offering to explore the clinic’s second floor.

Lin Xun narrowed his eyes and clicked ‘Yes.’

He was curious what exactly was on the second floor that Bennett felt so proud to show off.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep