abnormal mutation

Chapter 118 Fugen's Tavern and the Paradoxical Potion

Without hesitation, Roland decisively chose to prioritize repairing the chessboard.

This is his divine kingdom, which has saved his life many times. The stronger his chessboard, the safer he is, and the smoother his future development will be.

The next moment, 5000 spiritual glimmers and 50 units of extraordinary qualities vanished from the energy pool.

The chessboard shook violently, the cracks on it disappeared at a visible speed, and the platform slowly expanded outward.

A realization dawned on Roland; the chessboard was helping him determine the platform's living environment. He subconsciously said, "Fugen Tavern."

The surrounding scenery has undergone a dramatic transformation. Bars, wine cabinets, lights, and chairs have been raised one after another, and a spiral staircase leads directly upstairs to five floors. The atmosphere is full of life, with a retro feel and a touch of exoticism.

This time it's not an illusion, but something real.

Roland was somewhat dazed, thinking he had returned to the real world. With a wave of his hand, one wall became transparent, revealing the endless void outside.

"Zizi-"

Drake picked up a glass from the glass rack next to the bar, turned on the barrel tap fixed to the side of the bar, and the rich, mellow ale flowed into the glass.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he took a small sip, then his eyes lit up, and he gulped it all down in a few mouthfuls, letting out a satisfied burp afterward.

Then, without saying anything, he poured himself another large glass.

The others immediately realized what was happening and quickly grabbed a glass and rushed over. Who knew how much was in the bucket? What if it was all drunk up?

Roland's lips twitched, and he opened his mouth, but he didn't stop them.

He knows the chessboard best. The bar is real, with music and chess games, as are the ale, wine, and gin, but there's only one barrel a day, randomly generated, which can restore stamina and injuries.

There are dozens of rooms upstairs where chess players can rest. Everyone deserves privacy and should have their own private space. It is not elegant to always lie on the hard chessboard to sleep.

In addition, there is a breeding room on the first floor, specifically for keeping the captured spirit creatures. One side is transparent, allowing people to observe and tease them. The basement also contains a secret storage vault and a prison, the purpose of which is self-evident.

Although it is just a living facility, it is very necessary. Yizi is also a human being with desires and various needs. Only when living conditions are good can he maintain his state and concentrate on his work.

Fugen Tavern is just a basic feature; the chessboard also adds two new capabilities: move and data-driven identification.

Teleportation is similar to blinking; when the chessboard is in danger and stealth fails, one can use a long-range teleport to avoid enemies in the spirit world. Conversely, it can also be used to chase enemies or hunt.

The identification process is quite powerful. All items or creatures that enter the chessboard are fully digitized and analyzed using domain rules to determine their purpose and negative effects from their essence.

This is extremely useful for Roland. Whether it's special products from the spirit world or magical items he obtains, he can appraise them to avoid being afraid to use them and wasting them by leaving them unused.

These functions are useful, but they all come at a cost; each use consumes energy. Teleportation is the most expensive, requiring at least 500 spiritual glimmers. Appraisal is slightly better, requiring anywhere from one to dozens of glimmers each time.

The pub is affordable, and the lighting and music cost very little, so you hardly need to worry about them.

But a small barrel of liquor a day is not enough. In just a short while, the five of them had already finished ten kilograms of ale and were now looking longingly at Roland.

Only Aileya was thoughtful enough to save him a large cup separately.

Left with no other choice, Roland could only expend thirty spiritual glimmers to have the tavern "brew" three more barrels of liquor: one each of ale, wine, and gin.

These are minor flaws; overall, the chessboard upgrade is still very worthwhile, and the energy expenditure is not a loss at all. It's just that his spiritual glimmer is almost exhausted, and for the first time, his extraordinary traits are even more abundant.

Descending the stairs beside the tavern, you arrive at the underground vault. It's quite large, with shelves all around and stone platforms scattered in the center. But the vault contains very few items: just a few extraordinary materials and a few magical objects.

He walked to one of the stone platforms, where a long staff lay horizontally, enveloped in a thin layer of energy shield—his rarely used staff of chanting.

He lightly touched the energy shield, and a stream of messages flooded into his mind.

[Staff of Lament]: A magical item crafted primarily from the trunk of a withered soul tree, Sequence Level 8... The description is incredibly detailed, even explaining the various undead in the Eternal Corridor and their strength. Considering his experience using it, it couldn't be more accurate.

'Not bad.' He was delighted, glanced around, and hurried to the stone platform next to him.

The Eye of Pro was sealed within the energy shield and could not move. When it saw Roland approaching, it frantically glared, clearly unable to transmit any information outward.

【Eye of Pro】: A magical item from the Scholar pathway. After the death of a high-sequence scholar, their extraordinary traits converge in their eyes and are made into an ornament. Through the baptism of history and time, they unexpectedly awaken their consciousness, calling themselves Pro, with a sequence level of 6.

Core features: equivalent exchange, every statement is true, knowledge revival.

Amazing ability: Using knowledge as a guide, one can perceive all kinds of hidden secrets encountered.

Negative effect: Addiction to knowledge. With each exchange of knowledge, the thirst for knowledge seeps into the soul and mind, leading to a willingness to pay any price, ultimately turning one into a prisoner of knowledge.

The resurrection of knowledge means that the Eye of Pro will not truly die; the bracelet is merely a vessel. It will always be resurrected on some magical item obtained through the scholar's path, but some of its memories will be forgotten.

Pro wasn't lying, but that wouldn't change Roland's mind; it could only be an offline advisor, forever remaining on the spirit world chessboard.

He continued to examine the information on the [Code of Tyranny] and the [Paranormal Worm].

The Code of Tyranny is indeed unsuitable for him to possess; it is a magical item from the Lawyer's Path, Sequence Level 7, which can only be reforged or fed to a Rune Seed.

The Paradox Worm has a sequence level of 4. Its ability is to synthesize a unique potion called the Paradox Potion, which reverses contamination into paradoxical properties similar to it, and its power increases with each iteration.

The most ingenious aspect is that the paradoxical nature does not merge with its own spirituality, and therefore cannot pollute it. It will hatch a secondary paradoxical worm, which carries the paradoxical nature, coexists with the human body, feeds on life, and is infinitely reborn after death.

This idea was wildly imaginative, and the key point is that it actually succeeded.

The Paradox Worm carries information about an ancient organization called the "Ember Council," which operates in secrecy and whose members are all Extraordinary individuals who have advanced through Paradox Potions.

"Radiance" symbolizes new life, and "ashes" symbolize rebirth; transformation is seen amidst contradictions.

Only symbiosis can reveal this, but the chessboard easily identified it.

The glory of the Ember Council also indirectly confirms the success of the Paradox Potion, but the limitations of the Paradox Worm make it difficult for the Paradox Potion to spread.

Because the Paradox Potion can only hatch new worms with the help of the Paradox Worm or the Subparadox Worm.

The Paradox Worm before us is in a dormant state. It will help the first person to take the Paradox Potion to bear the paradoxical properties and live in symbiosis with them until death.

The Paradox Worm is unique; there is only one. All the other worms are its offspring, but it cannot control its offspring; it can only roughly perceive their location and living conditions.

Theoretically, it has no negative effects, but symbiosis comes at a price. One person's life is shared by two organisms, which is equivalent to halving one's lifespan. Without a lot of confidence, one would probably not dare to use it.

Roland gently touched the Paradox Worm, and without sensing the presence of other worms, it was clear that the Council of Embers from several eras ago was indeed gone.

The Yiguang Society will not give up easily.

Even Suleiman didn't know the purpose of this thing, but the Yiguang Society, having never even seen it, dared to pester it relentlessly. They probably knew some inside information and certainly wouldn't give up easily.

He held the Paradox Worm in his hand, lost in thought. How much help would this thing be to him? He didn't lack lifespan, but he couldn't afford to waste it easily.

The Paradox Worm's abilities are directly related to its paradoxical nature, and there's a bit of a gambling element to it.

Aside from its random abilities and immunity to contamination, the Paradox Worm can freely travel between realms, acting as a messenger. It can also shield its master from curses, instant death spells, or mind control spells, making it highly functional.

Or perhaps... the [Ember Council] should be re-established.

(End of this chapter)