Chapter 11: Three Stages of Moving the Puppet

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Staring at the attribute panel, Mo Jiang sensed the presence of a trap; the stone door seemed to be guiding him toward a certain direction. Suddenly, an idea struck him, but now was not the time to dwell on it.

"You may go," he said.

After dismissing the third puppet, Mo Jiang opened the mud-stained chest. Inside lay a puppet dressed in a tailcoat, resembling a noble gentleman, yet with a longsword at its waist, giving it the air of an ancient hero from the Central Lands.

It was a puppet with mismatched artistry.

Mo Jiang studied the puppet for a while, then shifted his gaze to the "Fruit of the Witch’s Sin and Redemption" in the shop panel.

No change.

But when Mo Jiang quietly uttered "Show details," a stream of information flooded his mind.

"A fruit stripped of redemptive power, inheriting the witch’s most fundamental source of strength. It signifies sin, but also stands as a symbol of might, capable of granting life to the lifeless and forcing servitude. Therefore, it must be unlocked by the power of a wish representing beauty and hope, to remove the restrictions imposed after its creation."

Upon reading this, Mo Jiang understood why the price fluctuated so greatly. The fruit had actually been "processed" by the stone door. Yet this left him uneasy, for after he spoke aloud, there was another phrase in the information display—four words: Currently in stock.

Mo Jiang pondered, then looked at another item in the shop and murmured "Show details."

"Extraordinary Fire! Originating from the miraculous power of an extraordinary being, stripped away and sealed so it does not dissipate. By fusing with this fire, one may gain the powers of the extraordinary, but may also be reduced to ashes by its flames—currently out of stock."

He immediately checked the third item.

"Corpse-return Grass! Also known as the Elixir of Immortality, the only rare medicine in the world capable of extending life. Consuming it is akin to living anew—currently out of stock."

Mo Jiang looked at the fourth item, then the fifth...

One by one, his expression grew increasingly strange.

The shop panel displayed only a few items, arranged eight by eight, totaling sixty-four products. Yet, among them, apart from the "Fruit of the Witch’s Sin and Redemption," all sixty-three others were marked as "currently out of stock."

"If I don’t sell to you, does this shop panel even need to exist?" Mo Jiang mumbled, barely audible.

He looked up, and was dumbfounded.

The shop panel had truly vanished.

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A soft sound.

Mo Jiang saw a fruit spinning right before his eyes, round and flawless.

He studied it closely and realized it was indeed his "son."

"So it's returned to me?" Mo Jiang was bewildered. What was this? Had it all just been a deliberate tease?

That thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly froze. "Perhaps it wasn't a tease, but a deliberate torment, and now… so..."

Mo Jiang drew a deep breath, feeling increasingly certain. He called out, "Qingqing, is that you?"

His voice echoed into emptiness, but there was no reply. Instead, instructions for using the "Fruit of the Witch’s Sin and Redemption" appeared in his mind.

His scattered thoughts instantly converged.

"Swallow whole? Without chewing? Luckily, it's not too big..."

This bizarre method of consumption hardly surprised Mo Jiang. He tossed the fruit into his mouth, and as his gaze unconsciously fell upon the puppet, something wondrous—and perhaps eerie—occurred.

The puppet convulsed violently, then began to struggle; its mouth, stitched together with thread, suddenly "split" open, gaping wide and emitting a beast-like roar. Its eyes began to shine—mere carved holes now seemed as lively as real pupils.

At last, the puppet stood up, drew its sword, and attempted to strike Mo Jiang.

But it managed only to half-unsheathe the blade before it froze.

Its nascent consciousness, birthed by the fruit, was forcibly erased, replaced by Mo Jiang’s mental link.

At that moment, Mo Jiang experienced a strange sensation.

He felt as though he had gained a second body, and could shift his consciousness effortlessly between the two.

Lingering in the puppet’s body, Mo Jiang discovered something peculiar hidden within. When his awareness extended there, a sudden burst in his ears left him temporarily deaf. Once his hearing returned, he found himself suddenly enlightened with three sword techniques.

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The first sword technique enabled him to move rapidly three times within a short span, with the third movement returning him to the position of the first.

The second technique created a cross-slashing attack.

The final technique was rather peculiar. It required the simultaneous release of the first two techniques, after which he could unleash this skill: a sword aura that pierced seven times in an instant.

"Such strange skills... And yet..." Mo Jiang returned his consciousness to his own body, glanced at his attribute panel, and found that the only skill listed was the basic Antique Appraisal.

"These three sword techniques must belong exclusively to the puppet; no one else can use them."

He tried equipping the puppet with the bone armor and bone-handled axe, but their passive effects failed to activate.

"How unfortunate," Mo Jiang remarked, donning the bone armor himself. When he picked up the bone-handled axe, the strength column in his vision still displayed Level One!

But he could feel a surge of strength within himself, his whole body boiling with energy.

"Seems my strength is merely at the very bottom of Level One," Mo Jiang said, glancing at the puppet. "As for this puppet, its strength surpasses mine, but still doesn't exceed Level One. Yet with those three sword techniques, its combat power can instantly leap to Level Two!"

Recalling the stone man form and the attribute panel’s assignment of Level Three strength, along with the passive boost from the bone armor, Mo Jiang now fully understood the distinctions between Level One, Two, and Three.

The Sugar Doll Princess should possess Level Two strength, but with the Ten Transformation Puppet Drama, she could reach Level Three.

The first puppet and the Decayed Ghostface Garden puppet were likewise at Level Two.

As for the witch from Mo Jiang’s first world, she was also Level Two, but closer to Level Three, hence her invincibility in that realm.

"So it seems I've married another lady boss?"