abnormal mutation

Chapter 16 Spirituality

Grandma Mia didn't continue the topic. Instead, she took out a silver-inlaid mahogany box from her bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Roland.

"Is it because of the Thorn Medal?" Grandma Mia asked in a gentle, unhurried voice, as if she had already known the reason.

“Yes, Hughes said it’s related to the recruitment of law enforcement officers.” Roland nodded slightly.

He picked up the box, pressed the clasp, and with a click, the box opened, revealing a silver shield-shaped medal with the imperial emblem embossed on it and surrounded by thorns.

Actually, the medal had always been kept by Grandma Mia, and Roland didn't take it with him when he left, fearing it might be lost. When the original owner was interrogated, she refused to say anything, precisely because she didn't want to bring danger to Grandma Mia.

"Who did this? I'll kill those bastards..." Hoff finally realized what was happening, his eyes wide with rage, his hands trembling with anger.

"I don't know, those people are all dead." Roland couldn't tell Grandpa Hoff; he had a bad temper and wasn't in good health.

Old Hoff didn't believe him. He was like an enraged lion, his white beard bristling: "Don't try to fool me. You'd better keep quiet if you're up to something. Speak boldly, there's no one in the entire Ice River Town that I can't mess with..."

In Roland's opinion, this was obviously boasting. If Old Hoff really had that ability, he wouldn't be unable to support an orphanage. Old Hoff grew up in Ice River Town, and if he went crazy, he could definitely cause a lot of trouble, but he was far from being able to fight against a criminal gang like the White Bears.

"Grandpa Hoff, I'm not lying to you, they really are dead. Eight people, and I brought back their clothes and weapons." Roland slammed his hunting knife on the table, speaking the truth with confidence.

Old Hoff looked suspicious, picked up the hunting knife and examined it for a long time, feeling that something was wrong.

"How did you die?"

"Killed by wolves."

"Why are you okay?"

"They're probably... full."

"..."

The two stared at each other, one with a look full of doubt, the other feigning innocence.

Grandma Mia couldn't help but chuckle, immediately breaking the "standoff" between the two.

"Hoff, I see Roland brought a lot of things. Go and organize them, and bake a few batches of bread." Grandma Mia clearly wanted to get Hoff out of the way.

“Great, we’re almost done with our bread.” Hoff didn’t really want to leave, but he never refused Grandma Mia’s requests.

Bang! The door slammed shut, and Roland's heart skipped a beat.

“You have something on you, it’s dangerous!” Grandma Mia’s expression turned serious, her eyes fixed intently on Roland.

The inevitable had finally arrived. At this moment, Roland felt that the original owner of this body was a complete idiot, guarding a great god yet ending up in such a miserable state.

“Grandma Mia, are you… an Extraordinary?” he asked cautiously.

"I suppose so. My spirit was damaged when I was young, and now I'm pretty much the same as an ordinary person." Grandma Mia's smile remained unchanged, as if she didn't care about the past.

"Spirituality?" Roland's eyes lit up; the mysterious world was finally beginning to reveal itself.

“Spirituality is the extraordinary power born from the soul; it is the core and foundation of the extraordinary,” Grandma Mia explained patiently. “Roland, everything related to the extraordinary is dangerous. Tell me honestly, don’t hide anything from me.”

Silence fell; Roland's eyelids drooped slightly, and his lips remained tightly closed.

If it were the original owner of this body, he would have revealed everything long ago, but the problem is he isn't. He's conflicted; he wants to gain trust to understand Feifan, but what if the existence of the Twin Wolf mercenaries contradicts Feifan's common sense? The consequences would likely be even more severe. "You've really grown up. You're no longer as enthusiastic as before, sharing every little thing you see and hear with me." Grandma Mia wasn't angry; her tone remained gentle.

She stood up, walked slowly to Roland, raised her hand and gently touched the scars on his face, softly and carefully.

Roland did not dodge; despite his resistance, the warm touch made him somewhat reluctant to leave.

“Roland, stay away from the extraordinary. You… don’t have that kind of talent. You can’t handle it.” Grandma Mia withdrew her hand, staring at him blankly, her tone somewhat reluctant.

"..." Roland was struck dumb, finding it hard to accept.

But then he thought again, Grandma Mia was talking about the original owner of this body, and his situation was different. He had the chessboard and the abnormal mutation, weren't the Twin Wolf mercenaries extraordinary? Weren't summoning heroes extraordinary? What about the job change emblem?

Just because others can't do it doesn't mean you can't; it just means your process might be different from the natives'.

"Don't be discouraged. Extraordinary people have abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, but they also face unpredictable dangers at all times. This world is very complicated. It's much better to be an ordinary person and live a peaceful life," Grandma Mia comforted her.

"What is talent? Does not having talent necessarily mean you can't become an extraordinary person?" Roland was puzzled.

"Talent is a quality of the soul, something innate, and I don't know exactly what it is. Talent is an essential element for becoming extraordinary; this is common knowledge in the realm of mystery."

Roland picked up the Thorn Medal and asked in confusion, "What's the deal with the Enforcer?"

"Hughes told you that?" Grandma Mia's almond-shaped eyes widened, and her voice became stern. "Enforcers are not extraordinary beings in the conventional sense. They are a cage woven by the Imperial Enforcement Spirit Domain. Once you enter, you will completely lose your freedom and self, and even death cannot free you!"

"The Enforcement Spirit Realm?" Roland didn't quite understand. "Could you explain it to me in detail? I want to understand all of this."

“I can’t tell you more.” Grandma Mia sat back in her chair and shook her head slightly. “Everything about the extraordinary belongs to the realm of mystery. The more you know, the more dangerous it is.”

“But I’m already trapped.” Roland persisted. “I have nightmares every day. In my dreams, there’s a monster that gets closer and closer to me, but I can’t move…”

With a thud, Grandma Mia stood up abruptly, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes filled with worry. "How could this be... How far away is that monster from you? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

“I escaped,” Roland hurriedly explained. He had never seen Grandma Mia so distraught. “I escaped that half-black, half-transparent sphere and flew into a bizarre and wonderful world, like the sky, like a dream…”

"Impossible." Grandma Mia put a hand to her forehead, her worry slowly turning into astonishment. "How...how did you leave that world?"

"I'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Roland said, forcing himself to speak. Since things had come to this point, he could only continue, half-truthfully, "The monster is still here, and I have to find a way to deal with it."

Tap, tap, tap, Grandma Mia paced back and forth, the wrinkles between her brows deepening, her expression filled with an overwhelming sense of confusion.

After a long while, she sat down again and pondered, "That is a Nightmare, a creature from the spirit world. There are many kinds, and extraordinary people can sign a contract with it to drive it to kill people. This is collectively known as the Nightmare Killing Technique."

It can only operate in the spirit world, so it will first anchor its target, and then pull them into the spirit world's dream realm while they are asleep, constantly devouring their dreams, and finally killing them.

Theoretically speaking, ordinary people cannot escape the Nightmare Killing Technique, and entering the Spirit Realm is extremely dangerous. However, in the mysterious realm, nothing is absolute…

“Nightmare, spirit world…” Roland’s eyes widened, looking eager to learn.

Grandma Mia sighed helplessly, but decided to give in to Roland to prevent him from overthinking things.

She pondered for a moment, then calmly and deliberately told him about the taboos and common sense related to the extraordinary matters.

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(End of this chapter)