abnormal mutation

Chapter 88 Divine Catalyst

Roland wanted to reforge the Paradox Worm as the first magical item, but he was reluctant to do so because luck played a huge part, so he had to put it aside for the time being.

'The rune seed seems to have changed as well.'

He leaped into the air and gently touched the surface of the sphere, causing the rhythmic frequency of the rune seed to suddenly increase.

His connection to the Rune Seed deepened, but the changes were not significant. The number of times he could waive the cost of aberrant mutations increased to six, and digestion efficiency also improved to some extent.

'That's already very good. Check my attributes.'

【罗兰，生命：811/811 + 150/150，灵性：101/432，强度：185，伤害增幅：19%】

The attributes have been greatly improved: health increased by 252, spirituality increased by 220, and strength increased by 80. This includes the boosts from entering the extraordinary realm, four bloodline sublimations, and a voracious appetite. The specific values ​​are indistinguishable.

However, he speculated that the improvement brought about by the four bloodline sublimations accounted for a very large proportion, because the lifespan of the low-sequence extraordinary being Mengwei was only a little over two hundred, and his spirituality was only a little over one hundred.

The life bonus from the Sniper God Emblem is calculated separately and is not added together.

The mental energy has been replaced by spirituality, and its upper limit is very high, but the current reserves are low, which is probably related to the fact that I have just become an extraordinary being.

This data is quite explosive, at least in the low-sequence stage it seems too overpowered, but the extraordinary ability is somewhat singular.

It was already 5 a.m., so the simulated match had to be canceled.

Unlike games, the simulated battles in the spirit world are more realistic, with a slower pace and each round taking longer. In the end, it can take one or two hours or more to play, which can affect your rest.

…………

The next morning.

Roland stood in the bathroom, staring blankly at himself in the mirror. Although his appearance and figure hadn't changed much, he felt like a completely different person from before.

Deep within his profound pupils, five irregularly shaped rings nested together, appearing and disappearing, shifting and changing.

He has just entered the extraordinary realm and is still in a period of rapid growth. His spirituality is too great and his control cannot keep up, so he occasionally experiences some unusual phenomena. It should be fine after a while.

His hair and beard were a bit long, so he took out scissors and trimmed them. He combed his hair back and kept his beard as short as possible, because being too unkempt would affect his life.

After washing up, he had a meal with Evan and the others at Lucky Whitebeard, and then went to the Rose Cross Pharmacy alone. Julia and Veldora had already left, and even Tanya had gone with them. Only the maester was minding the shop.

The scholar looked at him with suspicion and uncertainty, yet remained respectful, clearly having discerned something. But Roland still preferred the eccentric old man with his distinctive personality.

Afterwards, he bought some gifts and had lunch at the sales home.

He told Grandma Mia and Grandpa Hoff that he had entered the extraordinary realm and decided to go out and see the world, and might not be back for a while.

He didn't say where they were going, and Grandma Mia didn't ask either, nor was Grandpa Hoff allowed to ask.

But the atmosphere at lunch was not dull. Grandma Mia was in a good mood. She believed that the world was wonderful and that everyone should live for themselves, especially Roland, who should not bear responsibilities that were not his responsibility.

After leaving the orphanage, he intended to go to the law enforcement agency to ask Chief Mark to issue Luke a gun license, but the officer on duty was clearly acting strangely, giving him an odd look, which was probably related to the newspapers from the past two days.

After a moment's thought, he made his way to the residential area north of the law enforcement office and found Hughes's house at the alley entrance.

"Dong dong dong..."

Hughes opened the door groggily, his hair a mess, muttering incomprehensible slang. But he immediately snapped out of it when he looked up and saw who it was.

"You're back?" His expression changed.

“I got back yesterday.” Roland looked at him strangely; the news was way behind schedule. “You haven’t been ostracized, have you?”

"Come in and talk."

He let Roland in, then quickly closed the door, his eyes lingering on Roland with shock: "I didn't even recognize you. It seems you really did kill the white bear."

Roland was even more puzzled: "Didn't this all make the newspapers? Director Mark should have been back by now, right?"

“You wouldn’t believe it, most of the law enforcement officers only found out about this from the newspapers.” Hughes plopped down in his chair, looking dejected. “Chief Mark has disappeared, and I’ve been suspended. The department is in complete chaos right now.”

"Missing?" Roland asked in surprise. "Hasn't he returned?"

“He’s back. Someone saw him, then he disappeared again.” Hughes looked worried. “After the newspapers exposed it, the law enforcement agency was in a very passive position. Many law enforcement officers said that Caius was acting on your orders.”

I argued with them for a bit, and then Deputy Director Fanny suspended me. She was doing it to protect me…”

Roland was surprised. So much had happened in just a few days. The law enforcement officer had been thrust into the spotlight and had inexplicably offended a large number of people.

"What's the situation at the newspaper?" he asked.

“Everything is normal. They said the press release was in accordance with procedure, only the editor was dismissed.” Hughes shook his head. “There’s definitely something fishy going on. The Ice River Town Law Enforcement Agency is finished. The higher-ups will be coming down soon to thoroughly investigate this matter. The best outcome will be dismissal.”

"It can't be that bad, the judicial system is short-staffed," Roland reassured her.

Hughes shook his head: "You should leave as soon as possible, lest the fire spread to you."

"I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm really leaving soon. I'll send you my address after I settle down."

"Alright." Hughes looked disappointed.

Roland patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave. "Are you... an Extraordinary?" Hughes murmured, standing in the doorway and watching his retreating figure.

Roland paused, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

Hughes is a very righteous law enforcement officer, but he is not just hot-blooded; he is quick-witted, agile, and never bound by circumstances.

Seeing his dejected look, Roland felt terrible.

But that's the reality: trying to change the entire system by one's own power is as difficult as climbing to the sky. When one's position is low and one's voice carries little weight, one cannot even control one's own destiny.

'Strength is still the most reliable thing.'

Passing through the law enforcement office, diagonally opposite is a large white stone building with the words "Imperial Royal Bank" written on it. It is heavily guarded and has many soldiers.

Roland's heart skipped a beat. He touched his wallet; he was in dire need of gold.

He wasn't going to rob a bank, of course; he was going to buy something. But instead of stopping at the bank, he headed east, crossed the square, entered the East Market, and stopped in front of a jewelry store facing the Sea Dog Avenue.

The shop is small, with old shelves piled high with all kinds of ornaments, mainly ivory carvings, bone carvings, and necklaces, inlaid with gold and silver, which are very characteristic of the North.

"Uncle Worth, I have a big deal!" Roland shouted, slapping the counter.

"Come on, come on."

A short, elderly man emerged from the aisle behind the counter. He had a long nose, messy gray hair and beard covered in white particles, and wore a single-lensed spectacle over his right eye.

"Roland?" The old man took off his glasses, looked him over carefully, and was quite surprised.

The two knew each other, and Roland had even considered learning jewelry making from him, but unfortunately, she didn't have much talent for it.

"How's Uncle Voss doing lately? He's getting old, he should take a break, don't ruin his eyesight," Roland said with a smile.

"Ha, young man, take care of yourself first. Fighting and killing, don't risk your life one day." Voss was short but had a loud and energetic voice; he had clearly read the newspaper.

"Come on, you had a temper that was bigger than anyone else's when you were young," Roland teased.

“You know that was in the past,” Uncle Voss said irritably. “Young people never listen to the advice of their elders. By the time they realize it on their own, it’s too late.”

“I understand. But everyone’s path is different, and your experience may not be suitable for me.” Roland was also helpless when he was lectured every time he came.

"Hmph, what do you want? No credit." Uncle Worth could tell from Roland's clothes that he was well-off lately.

"Is there any gold?"

"Hmm?" Uncle Voss asked in confusion, "The kind of gold jewelry you give as a gift?"

"No, gold dust, gold nuggets, raw gold, and pure gold are all fine, but not gold jewelry." The premium for gold jewelry is too high, so it's not worth it.

“Yes.” Voss gave him a strange look, beckoned to him, and turned to go into the inner room.

Roland walked around the counter and followed behind him. There were a few steps leading down the aisle, leading to a large, warm, square space.

The room was surrounded by shelves with raw materials or finished products. There was a fireplace in the middle and a workbench next to it with various tools.

Worth pulled a small wooden box from under a shelf. When he opened it, he revealed a small portion of gold dust, mostly yellowish-brown or greenish-yellow particles with a very rough surface.

The gold sand has a small amount of gold nuggets on its surface. The particles are not large and the surface has a gray-black oxide layer, so its appearance is not very appealing.

“These are all unrefined and of very poor purity. I can smelt them into raw gold for you, but it will take a few days and the cost will be higher,” Voss said, pointing to the gold dust.

Roland crouched down, reached out and grabbed a handful. His bloodline abilities stirred, and he could sense that the purity of the gold dust was around 50%, which was pretty much accurate.

"How can you sell it without smelting it?"

“One sheckler of gold is worth 2.40 German cents, and one sheckler of gold is worth 3.90 German cents,” Worth said thoughtfully.

The bank's gold exchange rate is 1 shekel to 5 German dollars, but it's not pure gold. Nisso gold coins are 90% pure, and the alloy is more durable. Investment gold bars are 99.5% pure and generally not in circulation.

These gold dust particles have a purity of approximately 50%, and their unit price is slightly lower than that of pure gold. This is because smelting them into pure gold is time-consuming and laborious, and the identification process is also troublesome. Furthermore, traditional methods such as the touchstone test or acid test are not very accurate.

“That makes sense.” Roland nodded, counted out two hundred and forty German dollars from his wallet, and handed it to him. “I want one hundred shekels of gold dust.”

Without asking any questions, Voss deftly filled a small leather bag with gold dust, pouring in most of it to make a total of one hundred shekels.

"Young people should learn to save money, just in case something unexpected happens..." he couldn't help but advise.

“I understand, you’ve forgotten my background.” Roland waved his hand and hurried away.

The 800 grams of gold dust cost him most of his savings, leaving him with only forty-odd German dollars in his wallet.

'I wonder if those four extraordinary creatures have been sold yet?'

He stuffed the leather bag into his pocket, and his right hand darted into the gold dust. The gold dust trembled, and a fine crackling sound rang out in the wind. The gold turned into liquid, actively shedding impurities and flowing onto his skin.

Moments later, the gold seeped into the skin, leaving only a pile of mineral impurities in the bag.

(End of this chapter)