abnormal mutation

Chapter 22 A Glimmer of Spiritual Light

Lunch was again at Lucky Whitebeard. This time, Roland didn't order roasted lamb chops, but instead had steamed potatoes, bread, vegetable soup, and a sausage, aiming to be economical and filling.

On the way, he bought a decent wool shirt at old Taylor's tailor shop for 23 cents. It didn't have a strong wool smell and was quite a bargain. Considering that his entire fortune amounted to only 15 francs, this was already a luxury.

Back home, Luke and the others were busy making charcoal. There was a lot of firewood piled up in the yard, and the carbonization furnace was bubbling and smoking.

"Big brother..."

When the group saw Roland, a hint of embarrassment appeared on their faces. Roland had just said in the morning that the charcoal business was suspended, but they had started doing it on their own in the afternoon.

Roland wasn't angry. After putting down his things, he stood aside and instructed them. Unlike the original owner, he taught them very carefully.

The process of making charcoal is not very complicated. It's just that Roland and Karl were always the main force, while others were just assistants. They didn't use their brains much and didn't understand the whole process and details. With a little guidance, they could quickly master it.

Traditional earthen kilns can produce charcoal on a large scale, but it takes a long time. They are essentially small workshops, with small carbonization kilns producing just one batch of charcoal per day, which is just right, but the downside is that the output is too low.

Time always flies when you're busy.

As the last rays of light on the horizon were swallowed up and night fell over the earth, two moons, one purple and one red, hung high in the night sky, shining brightly in the east and west, dyeing the night sky a strange purplish-red.

The moonlight, like a veil, enveloped Roland's entire body. At first, he found it quite amusing, but soon he felt his heart racing, his body burning, and his breathing becoming heavy. Images of Julia's fair, smooth flesh and exquisite curves kept appearing in his mind.

‘Something’s wrong! ’

He rushed into the house, tightly closed the doors and windows, and lowered and fastened the inner fur windows to prevent any moonlight from shining in.

"Big brother, what's wrong?" Evan, who was cooking, noticed something was wrong and asked with concern.

"It's nothing." Roland waved his hand and sat quietly in the chair to calm his breathing, but the effect was limited.

He had clearly dodged the crimson and purple moons, but his body was still reacting. Perhaps the moonlight was just a trigger; once the fire was ignited, it would be difficult to extinguish. He didn't know what was going on; he had never encountered anything like this before.

"Big brother, why are your eyes so red?" Evan asked in surprise, looking at Roland's eyes.

Roland was taken aback. He carried an oil lamp into the washroom and saw that he looked different in the mirror. His pale skin had become warm and rosy, and his eyes were covered with a red veil with spiderweb-like patterns.

'Spider web? Moonlight spider silk frost?' He wasn't quite sure, but he couldn't think of any other reason.

How could he know that this thing had side effects! Yulia didn't tell him, but given her eccentric personality, it's not impossible that she deliberately didn't say so.

He was in great pain and suffering, but he was very patient. However, his desires were not being satisfied, which made him somewhat restless.

"Big brother? Are you alright?" Targen stood outside the washroom, looking at his back with concern.

"It's nothing, just something in my eye. Is dinner ready?" Roland extinguished the oil lamp, and the light became dim, making the abnormality in his eyes and skin less noticeable.

"it is done."

"Let's eat."

Dinner was the same as usual: bread, vegetable soup, and baked potatoes. The group shared a large white fish, while Roland, being wounded, enjoyed two eggs all to himself.

The group ate and chatted, but Roland remained silent, keeping his head down as he ate. By the time he finished, most of the others were still eating.

There was no way around it, it was too agonizing. He planned to enter the spirit world chessboard after finishing his meal to see if he could escape the influence of the physical body on the mind.

"Brother, are you feeling unwell?" Evan asked with concern.

"My wound is very itchy." Roland made up an excuse. He gulped down a glass of cold water and felt a little better. "From now on, I'll leave the charcoal business to you. I won't be involved anymore."

"Don't worry, brother. I heard that the price of charcoal has gone up, so we'll definitely earn more in the future," Targen said, patting his chest confidently.

"As long as we don't lose money," Roland chuckled. There are many intricacies involved in making charcoal. Different types of wood and wood with different moisture content have different charcoal yields. Generally, hardwoods have a charcoal yield of 30%-40%, while softwoods have a charcoal yield of 20%-30%. Equipment and craftsmanship also affect the charcoal yield.

If you don't know how to select wood, or buy it at too high a price, or if your craftsmanship is poor, or if the wood is of poor quality and the appearance is bad, you may lose money if you can't sell it for a good price.

“If you make money, keep it for yourselves, divide it among yourselves, or have one of you manage it together. You’re all grown up now, it’s time to save money for your future and start your own families,” he added.

"Oh? How can that be?"

"Big brother, you don't want us anymore..."

"..."

The group reacted strongly, chattering amongst themselves, which only made Roland more irritable.

"Alright, it's settled then." He rubbed his head to calm his restless mind. "Don't overthink it. Men must learn to be independent. Don't worry about the orphanage, everything will be fine."

"Yes, brother..." The others could tell that their brother was in a bad mood, so they didn't dare to say anything more.

"I'm going to bed."

After saying that, Roland got up, went to bed, covered himself with the blanket, and immediately called for the chessboard.

The familiar suction force arrived as expected, and in an instant, he was pulled into that bizarre and fantastical world.

Under his urgent urging, the scene before my eyes was like a fleeting shadow, until I fell into the membrane of light, and all the strange phenomena disappeared in an instant.

"Phew—it's not completely blocked out, but it's much better." It turns out that hiding in the spirit world is useful.

But he'll definitely hold Yulia accountable for this. That woman even got two of his white-crested snow chickens for free. Once he's healed, he'll definitely go to Grandma Mia and complain about her, and make Grandma Mia spank her.

The chessboard remained unchanged, with the cracks barely revealing any alteration.

'So this is the spirit world, the realm of imagination. No wonder there are so many indescribable things here.'

He dared not move the chessboard again. The dream realm was relatively safe; ordinary people with amazing spiritual senses would occasionally wander in during their sleep, and some could even return.

The upper Lost Realm is extremely dangerous; even extraordinary individuals dare not enter it lightly, and countless souls have lost their way there.

The extraordinary energy gathered from the chessboard should be spiritual, which is divided into spiritual glimmer and spiritual essence due to different densities and ways of condensation, together with extraordinary qualities to form the extraordinary foundation.

He reached out and grabbed a round crystal that shimmered with a faint light. It was as light as a feather, yet contained countless brilliances, clearly not an ordinary object.

Grandma Mia said that spirituality is a very idealistic power, with an almost indelible will attached to it. Therefore, no extraordinary person would absorb free spirituality. It is generally used as extraordinary material, and various rituals, potions and magical items cannot do without it.

Compared to the real world, the spirit world is filled with purer, wandering spirits. Its unique environment gives birth to countless wondrous creatures and objects, making it a treasure trove of miracles. Despite the numerous dangers lurking within, it still attracts countless extraordinary individuals.

'I wonder if this thing can be taken out?' Roland's mind raced, and he thought of two possibilities.

First, the gathering of spirituality on the chessboard is probably not accidental. Does the same spiritual light or essence exist in the outside world? If so, what are the costs and values? Wouldn't he be making a fortune by reselling it?

Secondly, he thought of two words that Julia had mentioned: anchoring and medium.

If he uses spiritual glimmer as a medium to anchor the holder, could he use the chessboard to pull people into the spiritual chessboard in their dreams? The chessboard is like a barrier; it could be used to deceive or interrogate people for information, or even to kill them.

This inspiration comes entirely from the Nightmare Killing Technique. Nightmares are like elite monsters in the Dream Realm, whose behavior is always simple and brutal, yet difficult to counter.

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(End of this chapter)