Chapter 144: The Ghost Carriage

Chen Qi zoomed in on the image to examine the details of the black-fire armor.
Along the cracks of the armor, black flames could be seen burning continuously, as if they would sever all living creatures ahead in the very next second.
"This is the black-fire armor, there's no doubt about it."
A wave of joy washed over Chen Qi, and he entered the mission's details page.
[Mission Codename: Phantom Carriage.]
[Mission Difficulty: Blue, recommended for levels 8–15.]
The primary objective of this mission was a calamity monster named the "Phantom Carriage."
According to information provided by the intelligence officer, the Phantom Carriage was level 11, possessed a Void aspect, and had a massive health pool of 500 points, classifying it as a boss-tier monster.
This carriage would appear during the early hours of the morning, seeking out solitary individuals and luring them aboard. Once anyone boarded, they would be transformed into its minions.
In addition to this boss carriage, when the carriage appeared, the surrounding area would be shrouded in black mist, accompanied by various minor monsters.
The black-fire-engulfed armor, blackened sorrowful passengers, and dark archers were all among these lesser monsters, ranging from level 7 to level 11.
Chen Qi stroked the little Shadow Lamp Fox. The "black-fire armor," a terrifying monster from the Book of the Black Prison, was actually classified as a mere grunt in this mission.
This was likely due to the influence of Earth. Whether it was the shadow beasts at the beginning or the red-moss-covered giant tree he encountered earlier, compared to New Capital, their power was vastly diminished.
The "black-fire armor," which was notoriously difficult to defeat in New Capital, had its strength heavily nerfed on Earth.
Chen Qi felt a surge of delight; this was undoubtedly good news for him.
He pinched the floppy ears of the Shadow Lamp Fox. The black-fire armor could use his body as a vessel, briefly enter the black prison to gain immunity to physical damage, and wield the Blade of Extreme Cold.
Had its level not been so low, it would have been extremely difficult for him to defeat this monster. Most importantly, without the big data from Earth, he would have hard times encountering such a monster within New Capital.
"I accept this mission."
Chen Qi checked the rewards for the mission.
Aside from a substantial amount of cash, the mission did not offer any direct New Capital currency rewards.
New Capital currency could not be manufactured on Earth. By now, New Capital currency had become like gold, functioning as the universal currency of the entire world, and it was appreciating sharply every day.
Recently, there had even been auctions concerning the "Commemorative Daytime Coin," which had been bid up to astronomical prices.
His largest expenses had been purchasing the Lamp-Flame Bow and paying for its repairs, totaling 11 Daytime Coins.
Combined with selling and buying items on the train, as well as the generous reward of 5 Daytime Coins from the Raven Witch, after adding and subtracting, his current savings amounted to a little over 20 Daytime Coins.
Chen Qi pondered for a moment; he could now be considered quite wealthy, whether in New Capital or on Earth.
Although this mission lacked a guaranteed New Daytime Coin reward, quite a few people were participating.
Most players joining this mission paid little attention to the lesser monsters, focusing all their goals entirely on the boss, the "Phantom Carriage"!
According to the mission information, the Phantom Carriage could drop a material called the Phantom Horse, which happened to be the exact component needed to craft a "Flame Carriage."
According to the blueprints provided by Mo Jiang, a super-tier player from the Divine Artisan Guild, with this Phantom Horse, they could construct an oversized carriage in New Capital and establish a mobile carriage base.
The concept of a "player base" was extremely popular right now, and defeating the Phantom Carriage would allow them to claim the Phantom Horse and build their own base in New Capital.
The Phantom Carriage designed by the Divine Artisan Guild could travel for extended periods, resist nighttime shadow demons, and accommodate at least ten people. Its drawbacks were its slow speed and its vulnerability to being targeted by others.
Many organizations had dispatched players to join this mission, all aiming for the boss's drop.
To prevent disputes among players, the mission specifically emphasized that, with the exception of the Holy Calamity Association, once anyone obtained the Phantom Horse, all others must cease contention and were strictly forbidden from snatching it further.
Chen Qi stroked the Shadow Lamp Fox. Since he possessed the Traveler's Box and the Shadow Lamp Fox, the Phantom Carriage was of little use to him.
The true key was the black-fire armor seen in the image.
After confirming the mission details, Chen Qi accepted the quest.
Upon acceptance, the mission information bar provided further intelligence.
The mission was located near a suspended university.
The Phantom Carriage was a bizarre calamity monster that only appeared around 3:00 AM at night.
The scheduled time for the mission was 3:00 AM the day after tomorrow.
Chen Qi checked the roster of mission participants. Much like the raid on the Kin-Slayer base, the attendees were a mixed bag of skilled and unskilled individuals.
To his surprise, Lin Yuxing's ID had also accepted this mission.
Compared to Chen Qi, most of Lin Yuxing's levels had been gained in reality, and she was not entirely free in New Capital, required to complete assignments at the Calamity Messenger Tower every single day.
Without the Raven Witch's permission, she was not allowed to leave the tower arbitrarily.
"3:00 AM the night after tomorrow, huh..."
Chen Qi stretched his body.
The boss of this mission was level 11 with a Void aspect, making it vulnerable to his Lamp-Flame Bow.
Furthermore, aside from the black-fire armor, most of the lesser monsters were already recorded in the database and lacked formidable strength.
If the mission intelligence was accurate, the difficulty of this mission was not high for him, and soloing it was even a distinct possibility.
Chen Qi got up, retrieved a constitution-enhancing fruit from the box, and consumed it.
Next, he patted the Shadow Lamp Fox, brought out a pet skill scroll he had previously traded for on the forum, and instructed the Shadow Lamp Fox to train with it.
Then, he opened the New Day game.
For this period, he could have his game character study the "Path of Black Fire," eliminating any need to undertake further risks.
Chen Qi thought for a moment; he could make a trip back to the Tower of Potion-Crafting right now.
[You continue searching this cellar with the Morning Star, but find no other good items.]
[You shake your head, leave the cellar, and head to the Tower of Potion-Crafting to rest.]
After handling matters within the game, Chen Qi began to acclimate himself to the Circuit Garment and prepared for the Phantom Carriage mission the day after tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)