“Can the elemental field actually serve such a purpose? “
Still, that makes sense. Besides resonating with the “Source of the Holy Spirit ” using a brand new Bloodline Statue, the only way to harness the power of the Five Elements field is through the method of “cultivating secret techniques of five different elemental attributes ” to achieve resonance.
For ordinary people, this is virtually an impossible feat, because the length of a human lifespan simply cannot support them in cultivating all five different secret techniques to such a profound level.
Yang Zicang knew that his own achievements in this regard relied entirely on the aid of his Mind Field and Boboli.
And besides that, that Steffen fellow Bai Yuxian possessed powers that are not easily attainable for ordinary people.
Yang Zicang turned to look at the old man opposite him.
“Sir, you seem quite familiar with such abilities? ” As he spoke, he lifted his injured finger, his gaze slightly withdrawn as the five elemental abilities within him began to circulate rapidly.
As the energy around Yang Zicang shifted fiercely, a faint white illusory figure flickered between those two fingers, trembling repeatedly like a dying flame about to sputter out.
“Wow, it’s true! Without the help of models or statues, our Hero can actually accomplish such an amazing feat! ” Leonardo exclaimed, both surprised and excited.
He Yishu also looked over in astonishment.
He had no idea how this guy suddenly boosted his strength again. They had only been apart for a short while, and yet he had already gained such power once more.
But no matter how curious he was at the moment, he didn’t ask about it in front of the others.
He wasn’t Leonardo; prying into someone’s secrets so casually—especially matters as sensitive as this—was something he himself couldn’t bring himself to do. At least not in front of everyone.
“It really is the energy of an elemental force field! Ah, I never thought I’d see such a thing from one so young. Truly incredible. “
“Hehe, Mr. Saas, don’t you know that we Fogfolk can live as long as turtles? ” Leonardo said with a grin.
“Hey, hey, that metaphor of yours… well, whatever. “
Saas chuckled as well. “It’s simple: it’s all in the temperament. You see, an older person—even if he regains a youthful appearance through all sorts of means—will still have that stubbornness honed over countless years. It seeps out from under the skin, flows through the blood, shows in the eyes, and speaks through every move and gesture. It can’t help but emanate the moment he just sits there. “
“Ah… well… ” Leonardo scratched his head.
Saas continued, “So, sir, even though your current appearance looks to be about forty, I’d guess your actual age isn’t that old, am I right? “
“Ahaha, well, about that… ” Leonardo, looking awkward, rubbed the back of his head. “Actually, the appearance I’m using is only around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. “
“What! “
The people around them spluttered tea from their cups in unison as they all whipped around to stare at him.
This guy looked, by all accounts, like someone nearing forty, didn’t he?
“I just like being out and about. It’s so hard to find a bottle of sunscreen these days… “
Sunscreen… Major Otto, listening to their conversation, pondered silently. It seemed he’d heard of this thing more than once before.
Remembering his girlfriend… Although she’d occasionally use a sun-protective oil, it wasn’t very effective. He really wanted to know what those sunscreens so often mentioned by the Fogfolk in their world actually looked like.
Or maybe… inside some Secret Box, there might be preserved knowledge about how to make sunscreen, passed down from the previous era four hundred years ago.
He was overthinking it… Otto turned his head to look at “Yang Buchen ” across from him.
This newcomer was definitely going to be a formidable figure among the Fogfolk in the future. Even without Sal’s mention, he believed that if the kind of situation that could open a “conclave ” ever arose, this man would certainly be recommended by someone.
“Back to business, ” Sal’s voice pulled everyone’s thoughts back.
“Restrain and spread the power of your elemental force field flat, then get closer to these materials. You should be able to sense the unique aura emitted by different elemental substances. “
Yang Zicang complied, following the instructions.
As he perceived…
The man, with his eyes closed, exerted effort several times before finally restraining his surging power to the very surface of his fingers.
So this is how Bai Yuxian must have touched the name card back then,he thought.
A trace of chaotic energy surged. Yang Zicang couldn’t help but think back to the previous night.
In those final seconds of last night’s perilous Sub-Ether space movement, I had used the power of the elemental field to enter. But due to being unfamiliar with my response to the elemental force field, I ended up completely destroying a name card in a blaze of ice and fire. This nearly left me lost within the “Sub-Aether Force Field Space. “
-｛Distributor Loki·Tata Mingqi expresses, “Hang in there. “｝
Yang Zicang snapped back to the present.
His fingers, now covered in a layer like white film, slowly approached the various oddly-shaped materials spread across the table.
As he drew nearer, true to expectation, a sense of chaotic dissonance began to appear on his fingertips.
But as he quickly calmed his mind and grew more focused, this chaotic feeling began to show distinctions.
A stone fragment of murky color under his fingers transmitted a faint, acrid warmth.
In that split second, he could dimly see weak sparks floating up from the stone’s surface, as if from thin air.
“Are you sensing anything? ” Leonardo asked, his voice with a clear hint of impatience.
Yang Zicang withdrew his hand.
“Not bad. It seems there’s more of the fire element in this one, though a little bit of other elements remains. “
“Whoa! ” Leonardo exclaimed in wonder, picking up the stone to feel it himself. He couldn’t detect a thing, but the lady who refined this stone had indeed briefly described its general properties.
“What about the rest of them? Wanna give those a try?“
Yang Zicang nodded and looked at a charred, withered branch beside him. He first touched it with his hand—it was as hard as a brick. Then he brought elemental-radiance-attuned Void Flame close to it, and the more intense, formless dusk dissipated, revealing a cold, decaying interior.
“This… “
“If I’m not mistaken, this belongs to the wood element, or as you call it, the ‘Wood Path,’ ” explained Old Man Sass.
Yet, this thing no longer had any sense of the “Wood Path” at all. Or was it that rotten sensation akin to “decayed wood ” one of the Five Phases as well? Hmm…
Yang Zicang took greater interest as he perceived several other materials one by one.
Seeing him identify the general elements of these materials one after another, Otto began to grow surprised.
Such a high success rate was unattainable even by the researchers in the laboratory with such precision.
Yang Zicang withdrew his finger from a similarly color-mixed glass bottle.
“The powder inside feels somewhat thick and dense, yet its fluctuations are barely perceptible—slow and dull. I think it must be the earth element. “
“Excellent! Well done! Ah… you truly are a genius in perception! Many delve at it for months, barely scratching the surface, yet you not only mastered the trick of control in such a short time but even successfully discerned the elements of nearly every material here! “
Having voiced his genuine praise, Sass continued:
“Well then, besides elemental direction perception, can you also sense their degree of purity? “
From an unlidded box, he picked up two blistered black stones that looked very much alike.
“Come, take a look and see if they’re different? “
-｛Distributor May·Valkyrie commented from rich experience that the glorious overture of my pregnancy had spawned a new node.｝
Hearing this lady’s reminder via the “Distribution Beacon, ” Yang Zicang immediately cast a more careful glance at Sas for a moment, then directed his gaze to the two items in his hands.
After a touch.
“They… are very different. ” Yang Zicang raised his head. “The fire elemental power within this stone is far purer and more condensed than that in the one next to it, even though they look quite similar. “
He pointed to the ore in Major General Sas’s left hand.
A look of extreme satisfaction—borderline pleased relief—spread across Mr. Sas’s face.
Here it comes.Yang Zicang saw the seemingly heartfelt smile on the other’s face and instinctively felt that Lady Fu Jian’s latest “new node ” reminder just now must be connected to this very moment.
The older man turned to Otto and said, “See that, sir ‘Hero’? Absolutely more of an expert than our own specialists. If we have him take our place for that material procurement, there shouldn’t be any issue, right? “
Otto understood that the Major General was aiming to leverage his own connections regarding the monster-exchanging meeting among Fogfolk.
“Mm, Mr. Buchen, it’s like this… ” He rummaged from his bosom for a moment before pulling something out. Yang Zicang took a look—this was something that would likely catch Gold Crest’s interest.
It was a carved stone beast’s head, polished from animal bone, roughly shaped like a distorted wolf cranium.
“This is? “
“This is our small gathering’s identity token. “
Otto held the small bone insignia before his palm, his tone relaxed as he said:
“Because we’re here, I trust you won’t let this secret slip. In this city, there is a clandestine material trading fair, and I happen to be one of the shareholders. “
“A material trading fair… a shareholder? “
In an instant, Yang Zicang ‘understood’ why the other had called himself a ‘collector’ and possessed such extensive knowledge about these elemental materials.
Catching the slight, barely controlled look of realization on the ‘hero’s’ face, Otto felt a swell of inner satisfaction. That’s more like it, he thought; even this ‘hero’ had a mind just like any ordinary person.
“Most of the participants are those with a need for rare materials, ancient relics, and certain ‘special intelligence.’ You’ll see things that could never appear on the open market. Mm… this time, I’d like to ask you for a favor. “
Yang Zicang sensed something was off. If he was a shareholder, why would he needhimto help… Could it be some internal infighting among the shareholders? Still, he gestured for the other to go on.
The two men beside him showed no intention of leaving.
“Gentlemen… ” Otto looked at them.
“I’m fine, I’m just listening, ” Leonardo said, then gestured with his finger toward He Yishu beside him. “He’s Mr. Yang’s brother-in-arms, who has shared life and death with him. You wouldn’t ask him to leave, would you? “
Otto was momentarily speechless. Søs laughed and said, “How about this? Write it down for our gentleman here. As for how Mr. ‘Hero’ decides, let him decide for himself. Mr. Yang, what do you think? “
“I can take a look. ” Yang Zicang said, rising to find some paper, but He Yishu gestured for him to stay seated, then got up and fetched a notebook and pen.
“How often do you hold these material transactions? ” Leonardo asked from the side.
Otto glared at him with irritation for a few seconds, but ultimately held his composure and said:
“In the past, we’d have one almost every week, but recently there have been fewer people here, so the timing isn’t fixed. However, the next one will be in two days, in the evening. “
“Ah! That’s soon! We’ll need to prepare properly. If I’m not mistaken, you’re looking for our hero here to help pick out some valuable items, aren’t you? “
“Well… ” Otto stumbled over his words.
“It’s fine, such things are perfectly normal. ” Leonardo covered for him.
The two Steffen men across from them forced a dry chuckle.
Intelli couldn’t recall seeing intelligence gathering so blatantly out in the open like this. Feeling cornered but adept at sailing through any challenge, Otto sensed a dull throb of internal injury coming on.
He took the pen and paper handed to him by He Yishu, turned his back, swiftly scribbled a few lines, folded them carefully, and offered them to Yang Zicang with due diligence.
The motion carried a subtle gravity that wasn’t easily overlooked.
“Ahem. “
Yang Zicang accepted the note, and beneath the unwavering stare of the two across from him, turned his body toward the window and gently unfolded it just enough.
—Next gathering at the old dock of Hydrapower City. Confirm authenticity and appraise the value.
—Someone will sell a material called “Ember Ore Crystal “; we need to find a different “ore ” from within.
—Additionally, if anything related to the ‘Black Sheep’ appears, track its whereabouts and contacts. Reward: sizeable gold bars or equivalent materials, and permanent member status at gatherings. If you agree, we will provide sample materials._”
Yang Zicang had just looked up when Leonardo leaned in and asked, “What does it say? “
“Nothing much, just sit back. “
Leaking news from Otto and leaking it from himself fell under two completely different circumstances. So, before deciding whether to involve this guy Leonardo in any way, he had to keep the content from him.
Yang Zicang eyed Otto and let out a breath before asking, “Sample materials? “
“Yes. ” Seeing he didn’t immediately refuse, Otto let out a slight sigh of relief and explained, “If you don’t mind, we can discuss it in detail tonight. “
Yang Zicang understood that “discussing it in detail ” meant he would be delivering intelligence.
Meeting Otto’s hopeful yet slightly tense gaze, Yang Zicang hesitated briefly, then slowly nodded.
Helpless—aside from the inn, here was another statue requiring him to exchange Radiance for each layer of Moon Herit. This help request handed right to his door really left him with no good reason to reject it outright!!
He carefully refolded the note and asked, “Just a look-see to assess and check whereabouts? No other trouble involved?“
Otto immediately assured him:
“Absolutely not! You just need to participate as an ordinary guest. Regardless of the outcome, as long as you bring back information, the basic compensation won’t be lacking. And… ” he lowered his voice, “a place like that might just have something you’re interested in, don’t you think? “
That was true.
“Fine. ” He finally nodded. “When can the samples arrive? “
“Excellent, Hero Sir! ” Otto was genuinely delighted.
He just so happened to not have to worry about how to get his researchers involved in this matter!
“Soon. ” Otto cracked a slight smile. “If you’re free tonight. “
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