abnormal mutation

Chapter 104 Infection Source and Memory Lock

After the two went downstairs, Leongard called for a steam locomotive, which was reserved for hotel VIPs and did not require any extra payment.

“This is called a car,” Leongard explained with a smile. “They’re said to be everywhere in the South, but they’re not this bulky.”

"How much?" Roland sat in the back of the car and didn't see any instruments, only a few steering wheels, pressure valves, and simple control levers.

“It was probably around 1,500 German dollars,” Leongard recalled.

Roland clicked his tongue in amazement. His uncle, who was considered middle class, had struggled for many years but still couldn't afford a car.

Moreover, the ride in this car is not pleasant; it's bumpy, noisy, and not very fast.

As they walked and talked, Roland learned more about Sogattak.

For example, Sogattak has a gas supply throughout the city, supplied by the Northern Union Chamber of Commerce. The gas can be used for lighting, heating, boiling water and cooking. It is metered and charged, and the price is relatively high, so ordinary people can only use it sparingly.

The city's design originated from a Solonian mayor and is designed to effectively resist cold winds. Combined with the thermal effects of factories and gas, the city's temperature is several degrees higher than the outside temperature.

After their meal, the two went to a shopping mall directly under the Northern Chamber of Commerce.

Unfortunately, gold was only discounted by 10%, but it was still cheaper than at the bank. Roland bought 2,000 German dollars and received more than 3,500 grams of gold.

Besides personal use, some of the gold is processed into mediums and then sold, making a profit from each transaction.

…………

At dawn, on the chessboard of the spirit world.

Roland focused his senses and realized that several of the gold mediums he had previously sold had already been bought and were scattered throughout Grantham, with one even in an unknown small town.

He can use these media at any time to disregard spatial and distance limitations and descend into the real world.

Early media would certainly work, but he couldn't clearly perceive the situation around the media, so they could only be considered as a second choice.

This is just the beginning.

With a wave of his hand, the scene changed, and the Dragon's Nest and the Fat Fire Dragon appeared.

The chessboard trembled, and powerful force fields pierced through the endless sky, falling into the real world.

A moment later, four figures landed on the chessboard in succession: Apprentice-Mengwei, Hunter-Caius, Knight-Walter, and Spider-Wright.

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

The chessboard trembled, and the magical yet realistic simulated battle officially began.

The players were completely focused and extremely tense.

Roland was not interested in watching the game; he was still hesitant. How should the infectious abnormal mutation appear?

Rewards from simulated battles? Or will they spread silently?
After ten rounds of matches, he glanced around and set his gaze on the Hunter-Caius.

Just as the force field sent the group back, a barely perceptible dark purple aura flashed across the hunter's body.

…………

Grantham, the run-down hunter's inn.

Caius felt his body sink, his consciousness returned, and his nostrils were filled with the smell of rotten wood. He rolled over slightly and bumped into the wall with a thud, all he could hear was annoying snoring.

"Hey--"

He sat up, looking dejected. He played simulated battles every day, which was very interesting, but his extraordinary dream remained out of reach.

Touching the amber in his arms, the starlight shone even brighter, containing the spiritual glimmer he had won, but he dared not sell it, nor dared he reveal it.

After the White Bear Labor Company was dissolved, he and his men took the opportunity to embezzle a sum of supplies. After exposing the White Bear incident, they fled to Grantham overnight.

He wanted to go south and return to his hometown.

As he was pondering this, his body stiffened, and a sudden burst of intense pain erupted, as if thousands of cat claws and iron hooks were tearing at his skin, flesh, and internal organs in all directions, causing his nerves to tremble and the pain to pierce his very bones.

She wanted to scream, but she didn't have the strength to shout. She could only collapse helplessly onto the bed, her whole body convulsing.

'Who is it? Thistle Flower Merchant Guild...Enforcer...Why...No...'

His mind was in turmoil. Out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to see patches of dark purple moss growing on his skin, ugly and itchy, which filled him with even greater fear. In the shadows outside the window, Roland leaned against the wall, motionless, sensing everything in the room with his spiritual awareness.

More than two hours later, Caius's vital signs finally stabilized. He closed his eyes and breathed evenly and strongly.

Apart from that, there were no other abnormalities.

But even after Roland withdrew his spiritual senses, he could still perceive Caius's presence, as well as his current state and emotional fluctuations, much more clearly than through a medium.

With a sudden thought, a dark purple aura rose abruptly from Caius's soul, flickering like fireworks.

'I cannot control him, but I can sense and influence his soul through abnormal mutations, because I am the source of the infection.'

Could we add something to the infection? Once the thought came to mind, I couldn't stop.

He set out to try to apply psychological suggestion during the infection, creating something like a memory lock that forbade the disclosure of any information about the spirit chessboard.

He tried many times but failed. He knew that it should be dominated by extraordinary traits, but he didn't know how to construct it. He didn't understand things like magic circles or spells.

Sensing the liquid divine metal flowing quietly within his body, he had a sudden inspiration. He used the Lightless Arrow to gather his own will, using the liquid divine metal as a carrier and infection as a means of transmission to condense the memory lock.

Fine, delicate strands of gold spiraled and intertwined, gradually transforming into a hollowed-out golden sphere, its surface covered with magical patterns.

With a tremor in his soul, the golden sphere vanished, silently appearing deep within Caius's soul, merging with the dark purple infection and soul, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

"It's done?!" Roland's face was full of smiles.

This memory lock only requires a little spiritual energy and less than a gram of liquid divine metal. If the effect is half of what is expected, it will be exceptionally worthwhile.

Of course, this was just an unexpected bonus.

Once the infection spreads, it will definitely trigger a series of changes. These infected people can act as a medium for transmission, be recruited into the game to work, and be developed into a reserve force.

Imagine that a chessboard could summon a team of tens of thousands of people with a mere thought, and even exert limited psychological influence. Even if there were some traitors among them, it would still be extremely absurd.

He couldn't control these people, but he didn't need to worry about betrayal. The infected had a deep connection with Roland and the chessboard, making it possible to forcibly pull them into the spirit world. Even if he couldn't, locating and hunting them down would be a piece of cake.

'You're feeling better!'

He was in a great mood and took his big mouth outside to "relax" for a while.

While others were asleep, he infected Er Gou-Herman of Ice River Town. The infection then entered a "cooling-off" phase, requiring time to recover before it could infect again.

Let's not rush things with Evan's close relatives; let's observe them first.

…………

As the first rays of sunlight fell from the horizon, Roland awoke from a deep sleep, opening his eyes and thinking he was in a hotel, only to find himself in the spirit world.

Sleeping on a chessboard is certainly not as comfortable as a luxury hotel, but it's safe enough that other places can't match it.

He returned to the real world, got up and opened the inner window. Golden sunlight instantly chased away the darkness, and fine dust particles floated in the beams of light, making the world come alive.

The days in Sogatta are longer than in Glacier Town, and the further south you go, the longer the days become.

Evan and his friends had gotten up early and strolled around the streets. They even brought Roland a piece of sweet cake, showing that they had already taken a liking to the place.

Roland treated them to a free breakfast on the second floor, then found a clothing store and bought each of them a new outfit, so they wouldn't have to wear old fur coats, which were neither presentable nor convenient.

He then declined Leongard's suggestion to go sightseeing and wandered around alone. During this time, he secretly found a few small shops and sold twenty pieces of various gold jewelry for a total of 40 shekels, making a small profit and killing two birds with one stone.

Infectious abnormal mutations need time to develop, and in the near future, it is still necessary to continue spreading the golden medium.

In the afternoon, when he returned to the hotel, Leongard was waiting for him in the lobby.

"If you don't come back soon, I'm going to come looking for you."

"Are we going in this early?" Roland suddenly realized that he must be referring to the extraordinary trade fair that evening.

“Didn’t you say you had something you wanted to sell? Sellers need to get it appraised early; no items will be accepted two hours before the trade fair starts,” Leongard explained.

"I see. Wait a moment, I'll go get something." Roland hurried upstairs.

(End of this chapter)