Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu didn't hurry to overwrite the engraving effect of the first Meteorite Shard.

He planned to activate all the additional effects of the Purple Equipment as much as possible before considering compatibility.

This was also why Ma Lu spent all the Atonement Points he had at once.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Though there was Golden Equipment above Purple Equipment, which allowed one more engraving, its price was generally about 7 to 8 times higher than that of Purple Equipment, while the increase in strength was only 15%-30%.

It was not cost-effective and not something the current Ma Lu could afford.

Blue and White Equipment, which were cheaper, became obsolete too quickly to be worth engraving on due to their fast turnover rates.

In comparison, Purple Equipment offered the highest cost-performance ratio.

Moreover, if a piece of Purple Equipment was engraved twice and the additional effects weren't too outrageous, it could generally match Golden Equipment, allowing for the swiftest improvement in the team's strength.

Ma Lu currently had 4 pieces of Purple Equipment, allowing for a total of 8 engravings.

This was also his goal for the trip to Circle Mirror Lake—to find 8 Meteorite Shards.

Of course, if he could secure all 11 Meteorite Shards in the vicinity, that would be even better.

The extra Meteorite Shards could then be used to reroll unsatisfactory additional effects or saved for new equipment.

Ma Lu used the second Meteorite Shard on Yun Que's sniper rifle again, and this time he gained a new additional effect—shooting range increased by 20%.

This effect was clearly better than the previous one, which reduced Earth Attribute damage. Although it was not a direct increase in damage, the increased range was quite beneficial for a marksman.

Ma Lu continued his efforts and pressed on towards the location of the third Meteorite Shard.

This time, in addition to two 3-star Energized Plants, there was also a 4-star Energized Plant named Sad Onion Head.

If Ma Lu had encountered such a combination previously, it would have been somewhat difficult, but now the team he led had greatly improved.

The purple-haired girl, equipped with Iron Will, had an Attack Power base value of as high as 21 points.

As the secondary damage dealer, Yun Que's Attack Power had also reached 15 points, and she could initiate attacks from over 200 squares away.

The two 3-star Energized Plants didn't even make it to the team before Yun Que took them down single-handedly.

As for the remaining Sad Onion Head, although it successfully closed the distance to 10 squares, it had already lost nearly a third of its health to chain lightning, and when it approached a bit more, the Hellhound pounced on it.

At the same time, both the Ouroboros Serpent and the Bliss Bird joined in the attack.

With that, Sad Onion Head's health dropped even faster, and its ultimate skill, Group Crying, was nullified by the Bliss Bird's Skill.

The whole battle lasted less than two minutes before Sad Onion Head fell to the ground, ending its sorrowful life.

However, at this point, the Bliss Bird's Skill, Song of Bliss, had also run its course.

The very second its Skill ended, tears unavoidably streamed down Ma Lu's face.

He wasn't mourning Sad Onion Head's passing; he was simply overwhelmed by the spice.

Onions naturally irritate the eyes, and Sad Onion Head, being an Energized Plant, had spice levels that could ascend to the status of a biochemical weapon.

Not only was Ma Lu crying, but the remaining four witches were wailing even more heartbreakingly, among them, the Hellhound was crying the fiercest.

The purple-haired girl, being a melee fighter and the closest, had her face, body, and weapon splattered with lots of onion juice. Although her new gear, Iron Will, was immune to poison effects, the liquid from Sad Onion Head couldn't strictly be considered a poison, so the Hellhound didn't escape its effects either.

Bliss Bird wanted to cast Song of Bliss once more, to remove the abnormal state from everyone, but Sad Onion Head wasn't infamous as the bane of Mages for no reason.

Firstly, Bliss Bird's skill was still on cooldown, and secondly, she was crying so loudly herself that she couldn't even recite the incantation.

In the end, it was Ma Lu who tearfully collected Sad Onion Head into the Collection Bag, and then everyone headed to Circle Mirror Lake. They washed their faces with the water there several times before their cries finally began to subside.

However, as a result of this ordeal, Ma Lu had leveled up again. His Knight Level had reached Level 12, and he had acquired a new Virtual Item—a Slow Trap.

Like the Banners he had received before, the Slow Trap could also be placed in a designated slot. When an enemy stepped on it, it would trigger, causing a 20-second slowdown effect on all enemies within a 3×3 area.

Under the slowdown effect, the affected units' movement speed would decrease by 60%.

This debuff was pretty severe, especially against some melee glass cannons, who might get taken out before even laying eyes on their adversary.

While Ma Lu was still examining his newly obtained item, he heard a burst of loud laughter from behind him.

Turning around, he saw the purple-haired girl holding her stomach and rolling around on the grass nearby, laughing so hard that she was bending forward and back.

Pointing at the Ouroboros Serpent beside her, she said, "Ha ha ha ha, what's with the two walnuts on your face? I can't, ha ha ha, it's too funny."

The Ouroboros Serpent was a bit speechless, "You too have swollen eyes from crying. Speaking of walnuts, yours are even bigger than mine."

Yun Que also added, "Right, A'Quan, you were the one crying the loudest just now."

"Who says that? Clearly, the Knight was crying the loudest," the Hellhound retorted loudly. Then she ran to Ma Lu, nudging his armor with her shoulder, "Hey, take off your helmet and let everyone see your walnuts too."

"......"

"Stop messing around and extend your Mechanical Arm over here. I'll strengthen the enhancements first," Ma Lu said, taking out the third Meteorite Shard he had just picked up, speaking to the purple-haired girl.

But the latter did not extend her Mechanical Arm as told, instead she puffed out her chest, "Better strengthen my heart first."

"Hmm?"

"I want to strengthen my heart first," the Hellhound repeated.

Ma Lu thought about it. After all, he had been planning to strengthen the Purple Equipment anyway; it was just a matter of order. So he didn't persist.

"Do I need to take off my clothes?" The purple-haired girl asked, but one hand had already unzipped her pilot's jacket.

"That should be adequate," Ma Lu said, and then placed his palm, holding the Meteorite Shard, over her heart.

Feeling the strong rhythm from the other side, Ma Lu used the imprint function, and after a while, the Meteorite Shard in his hand disappeared. Discover exclusive tales on empire

At the same time, an additional effect appeared on the Hellhound's Iron Will—each loss of 10 HP would increase Attack Power by 1 point.

Ma Lu's luck had been average in the previous two rounds, but this time he finally hit the jackpot.

This extra effect was undoubtedly a grand prize. For example, with the Hellhound's current 134 HP, in the most extreme case, her Attack Power could increase by 13 points, potentially turning her into a veritable killing machine.