"Princess, how can I take you back?" This is what I need to worry about right now.
Princess Misha's soul was already extremely weak, and she whispered, "Take this Soul Scepter; it will guide my soul to my body. Also, my body is in the basement; you must find it!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Misha's soul gradually blurred and then attached itself to a worn-out scepter on the ground. I saw that my health had almost recovered, so I immediately took the scepter and went to the dark, damp basement. The Princess's body was indeed there. Although it was also quite unsightly, it was at least much more pleasant to look at than the ghost's appearance.
I brought the glowing tip of the scepter close to the Princess's forehead. After a milky white light flashed, the Princess slowly opened her eyes. When she saw me, a hint of surprise appeared on her face, which then turned into an expression of relief.
"Thank you for saving me. My body is still quite weak right now. Can you escort me back to the Royal City?"
I nodded awkwardly, and the system prompt immediately appeared.
System Notification: You have accepted a relay quest for the Princess Rescue mission: escort the Princess back to Hurricane City. You must protect the Princess's safety along the way!
Princess Misha stood up and slowly walked outside. Wait… there are still monsters outside! This foolish woman, why did she rush out?!
I immediately ran out and began the task of clearing the path in front of Misha, killing monsters. Although it wasn't very strenuous, being ganged up on by a group of Skeleton Warriors was definitely not fun. I could faintly hear two higher-level mage MMs outside the graveyard pointing and saying, "Look, there's a handsome guy over there tanking a bunch of monsters and killing them! Wow, could it be Qing Cai Bai Yu Tang, the number one expert in our town?"
...Killing my way back to Hurricane City, I felt like one man holding off ten thousand. Misha followed silently behind me. She's an NPC, so of course she wouldn't say unnecessary things... A player bringing an NPC back to town surprised everyone. There was even a large crowd watching. Still in the alley of the residential area, Lance looked as down-and-out as ever, but when he saw Princess Misha behind me, his wrinkled face actually broke into a smile that gave me goosebumps.
"Young man, I didn't expect you to really rescue the Princess from those evil demons. Thank you so much!"
"Then… the reward should be generous too!" I blurted out.
Lance visibly paused, perhaps my words affected the program, but thankfully I didn't say anything that would crash the main program.
"The reward is certainly deserved. The Old King must be very happy that the Princess has returned safely! Young man, this is your reward!"
"Ding~!"
System Notification: You have completed the mission to rescue Princess Misha, gaining 82000 experience, 12 gold coins, +500 reputation, and received item: Guardsman's Armor!
Another piece of equipment dropped, perfect!
[Guardsman's Armor] (Blue Equipment)
Defense: 52
Stamina: +16
Strength: +14
Agility: +15
Required Level: 21
...Hmm, blue armor, it seems like this equipment was arranged for me by the quest! Oh right, I think two pieces of equipment and a book also dropped when I killed the Princess's soul. Let me check my inventory:
[Ghost Gauntlets] (green equipment)
Defense: 26
Stamina: +10
Strength: +8
Required Level: 18
[Wizard's Hat] (green equipment)
Defense: 14
Stamina: +8
Intelligence: +11
Required Level: 18
[Divine Protection] (Skill Book)
Allows a Priest to learn the Protection skill, which can apply a defensive shield to themselves or allies... I was stunned for a long time. It seems most of the equipment that has dropped recently is for Xu Lin. Fortunately, the Ghost Gauntlets are something I can use, and the armor cannot be equipped by Xu Lin, who is a fragile mage.
After all this time, I finally got a skill book for Lu Xuehan. That girl's current level in our family is second only to mine. Without excellent skills, having only a high level is useless.
I immediately equipped the gear I could use, then went to the Exchange to consign the removed green soldier's armor with 22 defense for 1200 RMB. This item's price is depreciating very quickly now that everyone's levels are higher; I estimate it will only sell for 100 in another week.
After calling Xu Lin and Lu Xuehan back to the city, I also sorted out my own equipment. Although there were still many parts of my body without equipment, wherever there was equipment, it was top-tier, not just filler, and the attributes were frighteningly high.
Qing Cai Bai Yu Tang (Swordsman)
Level: 22
Health: 1020
Attack: 150-186 (×110%)
Defense: 152 (×110%)
Reputation: 1110
Luck: 0
Equipment:
Two-Handed — [pine forest greatsword] (green equipment)
Attack: 24-45
Strength: +8
Stamina: +7
Required Level: 12
Chest — [Guardsman's Armor] (Blue Equipment)
Defense: 52
Stamina: +16
Strength: +14
Agility: +15
Required Level: 21
Legs — [Wild Wolf Greaves] (green equipment)
Defense: +8
Stamina: +3
Strength: +2
Required Level: 4
Hands — [Ghost Gauntlets] (green equipment)
Defense: 26
Stamina: +10
Strength: +8
Required Level: 18
[Gravekeeper's Ring] (Blue Equipment)
Strength: +15
Stamina: +12
Agility: +16
Special Effect: When attacking an opponent with this item equipped, absorb 3% of the damage dealt to the opponent's health.
Required Level: 20
[Heart's Desire Necklace] (No Grade)
Stamina: +10
Strength: +12
Intelligence: +8
Agility: +14
Additional: Increases skill success rate by 50%
...Looking at my attributes, I was speechless with surprise. It seems that in moons constant, equipment is enough to make a player's attributes far, far higher than others of the same level. My original 742 health, after equipping two blue items and two green items, has now reached a staggering 1020 points. If I were to remove all my equipment, an ordinary swordsman who doesn't put points into stamina would at most have less than 500 health at this level. As for attack, it's even more needless to say. My current equipment adds a total of 61 points of strength, plus the 24-45 weapon damage, my total attack has reached 150-186. Without so much high-quality equipment, a full-strength swordsman of the same level would only have 65-80 attack, and it would be questionable whether they could even deal double-digit damage to monsters level 20 and above.
Currently, not many players have green equipment. The players all over the street look like they're wearing all white gear. Having one green item would already make someone considered an expert. Someone like me, with two blue items on my body, wouldn't dare to make my equipment attributes public; otherwise, being photographed would guarantee instant fame on the game forums.
Equipment in moons constant is divided into ten slots: weapon, shield, helmet, chest armor, greaves, boots, gauntlets, cloak, necklace, and ring. Currently, I only have six pieces, and most of them are trashy green items below level 10, so my equipment isn't considered very good. However, for players at the current stage, this equipment is already extraordinary.