abnormal mutation

Chapter 27 Star-patterned Amber

"A customer?" Yulia took two steps back, jumped lightly, and sat on the counter, staring at Roland with a resentful expression. "Yesterday she was calling me 'aunt,' but today she's all changed. If I used my potions and skills on a dog, the dog would at least wag its tail at me."

"Cough..." Roland knew she was faking it, but he still felt a little guilty and didn't dare to look her in the eye.

After all, those non-potions were so expensive, let alone potions. If Julia changed her mind, he probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

“Hehe…” Julia just looked at him and smiled.

Roland felt he was being a bit foolish; he should have asked Grandma Mia to introduce him to another reliable Extraordinary.

"Where did the scholar go?" He glanced at the empty recliner and deliberately changed the subject.

"What bachelor?" Yulia was taken aback, then realized, "You mean the medicine residue? He was disobedient, so I sent him to test the medicine. Whether he comes back or not is up to fate."

Roland felt a chill run down his spine, gaining a deeper understanding of Julia's temperament. He coughed lightly and said, "I think Grandma Mia is right. Spiritual glimmers are extremely rare. Seeing one once is pure luck, and there's absolutely no chance of encountering one a second time. I have to go now."

"Stop right there," Yulia snapped. "Don't even think about going anywhere else. Do you think all extraordinary beings are philanthropists? If others discover your value, they'll squeeze every last drop out of you."

Then she changed her tone, "I happen to be short of an apprentice. If you stay, I'll give you one for free. Think about it, there are countless people in the clan who want to come."

To be honest, Roland was very tempted; learning alchemy was much better than charcoal making, but he was afraid of becoming a second scholar.

“I’m clumsy and I probably won’t be able to learn it. I’d like to pay for it, is that okay?” He made one last attempt.

“You are indeed quite stupid,” Julia nodded. “Do you have money?”

"I've saved up a little."

"Wait here." After saying that, she ran upstairs to the second floor.

Things suddenly took an unexpected turn, and Roland realized that he couldn't use common sense to guess Julia's behavior and thoughts.

A few minutes later, Yulia came down carrying a large trunk. She placed the trunk on the counter, opened the lid, and pulled on the brass rings on both sides. The layers of storage compartments inside the trunk were pulled up, forming two opposing terraced three-dimensional structures, making all the items visible at a glance.

“These are all odds and ends I’ve collected. Most of them don’t have any extraordinary properties, and they won’t be dangerous for ordinary people to keep. Since you call me aunt, I’ll give you a 50% discount, 10 Nisu per item.” She crossed her arms, raised her chin, and gestured for Roland to choose for himself.

"..." Roland looked at the dozens of oddly shaped and tattered items in the box and felt like he had been ripped off. He hesitated for a moment, "I don't know much about this. Could you help me pick out a couple of things that are discreet and easy to carry?"

"You're really rich?" Yulia was surprised and stretched out her small hand. "Give me the money first."

Roland had no choice but to take out his wallet, pull out two 10-yuan bills, and place them in Julia's palm.

"Hey, you've struck it rich?" Julia glanced at Roland's wallet and was quite surprised. "No wonder you're so confident."

She picked and chose four items from the box and placed them on the counter in a row, then introduced them to Roland one by one.

"This is called star-patterned amber. I dug it up many years ago. It has a natural ability to store spiritual energy, but the capacity is very small, at most two or three pieces..." This is an amber stone about the size of a thumb, with some kind of intricate star pattern hidden inside. It has been made into a pendant with a very retro design.

"This is a soul-soothing amulet, a standard Northern style. It's broken, but it can still store spiritual glimmers." The amulet's material is like jade and bone, and its shape resembles a tombstone, about half the size of a palm. When held up to the sunlight, you can clearly see the intricate patterns inside.

"This is quite good. It was originally a magical item called the Demon-Teng Brocade Bag, but unfortunately it was severely damaged and is now completely ruined. Its material is special, more than enough to capture even the faintest spiritual light..."

The bag was about the size of a palm, with a pull-out closure, but it was really ugly, like the work of a poorly crafted apprentice. The brown surface was covered with black spots, making it look dirty. "The last item is a Fire Spider Silk Sac. Its extraordinary properties are almost gone, and it hasn't been processed, but it's still usable." The Fire Spider Silk Sac was quite pretty, about the size of a baby's fist, like a small sachet or pendant, and it felt warm to hold.

Roland picked up each item and examined it repeatedly, but he lacked insight and could only judge by appearances. He knew these items were to be distributed, so he shouldn't consider their actual value, but rather choose those that looked expensive to attract the attention of the owners.

"Have you thought it over? You can only choose two items," Yulia urged.

“These three.” He took the three items in his hands, except for the Moteng brocade bag, and then took out a 10-yuan bill from his purse and handed it to Yulia.

"Are you sure? Young man, you can't judge a book by its cover. The one you gave up is actually the most valuable one," Yulia teased.

“I’m sure,” Roland said, staring at Julia’s face. “As long as she looks good, nothing else matters.”

“Haha…” Julia laughed happily, “If you really capture a glimmer of spiritual light, I’ll buy it at a premium.”

"It's a deal, I'm off." Roland carefully put the things away. He was very excited to have the items in his hands and couldn't wait to start his experiment.

“My words always hold true, little apprentice.” Yulia chuckled at Roland’s retreating figure.

People with such outstanding five senses are extremely rare, making them excellent candidates to become alchemists.

The curtain was lifted, and Roland strode away, pretending not to have heard.

…………

When they got home, Evan and the others had already returned and were gathered around the carbonization furnace, burning charcoal.

After a brief greeting, Roland went into the house alone and quietly went to the west-facing room. This room was large and usually served as a storage room; in this weather, a room without a fireplace couldn't withstand the cold night.

After locking the doors and windows, he found a corner to crouch down, clutching three items tightly in his hands, silently calling for the chessboard.

The familiar pulling force descended, and his body felt light. He instantly entered the spirit world, where light and shadow flickered, dazzling his eyes. He looked down and saw that his hands were empty; he hadn't brought any of the three items with him.

'Go back.' The traction reversed, the body anchored the soul, and his body sank, instantly returning to the storage room.

It seems that items from the real world cannot be brought into the spirit world, even if they have some connection to the extraordinary. He had expected this, so he wasn't too disappointed.

He listened intently. Evan and the others were still busy, and the surroundings were relatively quiet. He didn't notice anyone spying on him.

With his right hand outstretched and eyes slightly closed, Roland focused his mind on establishing a connection with the chessboard. This time it went very smoothly, and a few seconds later, a faintly glowing crystal appeared out of thin air in his palm.

He dared not delay, and with his right hand, he grasped the spiritual light and pressed it onto the star-patterned amber stone. The crystal seemed like a phantom, disappearing into the amber. Points of starlight lit up on the stone, twinkling and connecting to form a dazzling display, as splendid as the starry sky.

'This should be successful, right?' He waited quietly for a few minutes, but there was no sign of spiritual energy dissipating.

Next, he needed to find someone to test it out. He paced back and forth, his eyes shining, unable to contain his excitement.

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(End of this chapter)