Chapter 159: Fifteen Superior Draw 1

After breakfast, no one got up immediately.

The Bridal Chamber had already begun clearing the table.

Plates, glasses, and cutlery gradually disappeared into the kitchen as the nine occupants made their way to the spacious lounge area.

Adam settled comfortably into one of the large armchairs.

The eight women naturally spread out around him.

Some took their places on the sofas.

Others preferred the cushions arranged in the large central alcove.

After the meal, no one seemed particularly rushed.

They still had the whole day ahead of them.

Astraea was to take Adam to the conservation areas of the World Tree a little later.

The others had also begun organizing the rare objects they wanted him to handle before their departure for the Black Abyss.

For now...

They could simply digest and rest.

The conversations began quickly.

Shiora and Isadora were already discussing several items stored in the ducal reserves.

Vespera was trying to convince Elaria that an ancient runic crystal absolutely had to be added to the list.

Selene and Elena were still talking about the journey.

Lyriana listened to all of this with her usual calm.

Adam, meanwhile...

Suddenly realized he finally had a few minutes to himself.

He slightly closed his eyes.

"Let’s see where I stand."

His interface appeared.

The first thing that caught his attention was, naturally, his total Satisfaction Points.

The previous day, he had gained:

+4,800 PS.

Then, during the morning:

+200 PS.

To this were added the 10,474 PS he already possessed.

Adam quickly calculated.

"Fifteen thousand four hundred and seventy-four."

15,474 PS.

His gaze remained fixed on the number.

Then it moved down to a function he hadn’t used in a while.

Superior Draw.

Cost:

1,000 PS.

Adam remained silent for a few seconds.

With his current total...

He could perform fifteen draws.

And still keep some points.

He glanced briefly at the women.

None of them were really paying attention to him.

"Very well."

A small smile appeared.

"Let’s try our luck."

First Draw

The wheel began to spin.

Adam followed the different lights.

Then it slowed down.

And stopped.

A card appeared.

Adam recognized it almost immediately.

Expansion Card — Permanent Bridal Chamber Door.

He blinked.

"Another one?"

Then his expression changed.

"Actually... perfect."

He had already installed a Permanent Door in Sylvaris.

And he had wanted to create other access points to important locations for some time.

This new card would be extremely useful.

He put it away.

"Excellent start."

Second Roll

The wheel spun again.

This time...

Ten black ingots appeared in his inventory.

Adam recognized them immediately.

10 Black Iron Ingots.

He remained silent.

Then he thought of Elaria.

And especially of her reaction to the simple piece of pure Black Iron he had given her.

Adam glanced briefly in her direction.

She was still talking with Vespera.

"I think I’m going to trigger a fit of happiness in her."

He put away the ten gold bars.

Third Draw

The third result was much stranger.

A black garment appeared.

Adam opened its description.

Adjustable Physical Restraint Garment.

He frowned.

At first glance...

It looked like a black bodysuit covering almost the entire body, except for the face.

But its function was nothing like a simple garment.

Once worn, the garment created resistance in all directions.

Raising an arm became more difficult.

Lowering it, too.

Walking.

Running.

Turning the head.

Squatting.

Even performing a simple movement could require more effort depending on the chosen setting.

The difficulty was adjustable.

Very low to start.

Then gradually much higher.

Adam continued reading.

Once properly synchronized with its wearer, the garment could also blend seamlessly into the skin, becoming virtually invisible under ordinary clothing.

Adam stared at the image.

For a long time.

His first thought was extremely simple.

I’ll throw it away.

Then he stopped.

"Wait..."

He imagined his training sessions.

Running.

Dodge.

Fighting.

Using multiple weapons.

All of this with constant resistance.

He sighed.

"It’s probably excellent for training."

Then a second thought appeared.

Selene.

Adam closed his eyes.

"She’s going to love this thing."

He hesitated.

"Me, not so much."

He put the garment away anyway.

He would obviously test the settings gradually.

He had no intention of starting directly with maximum resistance.

Fourth Roll

The next result was much simpler.

+5 Stat Points.

Adam smiled immediately.

"Always useful."

He didn’t distribute them.

Like the previous ones...

They would remain in reserve.

His total available points increased again.

Fifth Roll

A pair of glasses appeared.

Adam mentally took them from his inventory.

At first glance...

Ordinary glasses.

Then he read the function.

Accelerated Reading Glasses.

Available speeds:

×2

×4

×8

×16

×32

×64

×128

Adam sat up straight.

"Oh."

He continued immediately.

The glasses altered the perception of written information.

They didn’t provide instant knowledge.

They simply allowed the brain to follow extremely fast reading.

But there was an obvious drawback.

The higher the speed used...

The faster mental fatigue increased.

At 2x or 4x, use remained relatively comfortable.

At 16x...

The required concentration became significant.

And at extreme settings like 64x or 128x...

Fatigue could become considerable.

Adam smiled.

"They’re going to drive you crazy."

He immediately thought of Elaria.

Then Vespera.

Then Astraea.

And probably Shiora.

Even Isadora could use them to quickly skim reports.

Adam carefully put the glasses away.

"This one is excellent."

Sixth Print

A box appeared.

Portable Alchemist Kit.

Adam opened the description.

The kit contained all the essential equipment needed to prepare simple or advanced alchemical potions and mixtures.

Small containers.

Measuring tools.

Grinding equipment.

Controlled heating devices.

Storage containers.

Filtering tools.

And several pieces of equipment that could be stored in an extremely small space.

Everything was designed for use on the go.

Adam smiled.

"Elaria."

He didn’t even need to think.

"Definitely Elaria."

Seventh Drawing

This time...

A huge book appeared.

Adam read its title.

Then he sat up straight.

Dictionary of Ancient Runes.

Origin:

The same ancient civilization that created the Network’s Tech Archive.

Adam’s smile vanished immediately.

His attention became much more serious.

He continued reading.

Contrary to the information contained in the Archive...

This dictionary wasn’t limited to runes used in transmission technologies.

It also listed runic structures related to other areas.

Energy.

Stabilization.

Protection.

Conversion.

Storage.

Identification.

Flow Control.

Isolation.

And many other categories whose purpose Adam didn’t even understand yet.

"Oh..."

He looked at Vespera.

This time, she was laughing with Isadora about something.

Adam murmured,

"She’s going to steal the book before I’ve even finished speaking."

He carefully put it away.

Eighth Cast

The light changed.

Adam immediately recognized its golden hue.

Then a familiar object appeared.

A small gem.

He remained silent.

Then he read its name.

Minor Luck Gem ×1.

Effect:

Luck +1 permanently.

Adam blinked.

Then he smiled broadly.

"Another one."

This time, he had truly been lucky.

The item cost 75,000 PS in the Shop.

And he had just obtained it with a roll that cost only 1,000 points.

Adam stared at the gem for a few seconds.

"Profitable. Very profitable."

He didn’t use it yet.

He wanted to finish the rolls first.

Ninth Roll

The wheel spun.

Then an orange light appeared.

Adam immediately sat up.

"Finally, a skill book."

He hadn’t obtained any of them during this series.

The book appeared.

Rank:

Orange.

Grade:

Unique.

Adam smiled.

Then he read the name.

His smile vanished.

Stomach That Digests Everything.

Silence.

Adam stared at the title.

"Seriously?"

After names like Kamasutra, Desire, or Weapon Mastery...

He had now obtained:

Stomach That Digests Everything.

Adam sighed.

Then he opened the description.

And his expression changed completely.

"Wait..."

This skill was far more impressive than its name suggested.

It allowed his body, according to the supernatural rules of this skill, to convert a very wide variety of absorbed matter into usable energy.

This energy could then contribute to:

his physical recovery,

his stamina recovery,

his mana recovery,

or simply his body’s ordinary energy needs.

The skill also possessed an extremely powerful neutralizing function.

Substances that his power identified as assimilable were transformed before they could cause his usual effects.

As the skill progressed...

The variety of convertible materials would increase further.

Adam remained silent.

Then he reread it.

"So in this world..."

He immediately thought of a long expedition.

A dungeon.

A situation where supplies would be lost.

"I greatly reduce the risk of running out of food."

And potentially...

He could recover energy from resources normally unusable for him.

Adam smiled.

"The name is ridiculous."

He looked at the description again.

"But the skill is excellent."

He decided not to delve any further into it now.

"I’ll talk to the others about it later."

Tenth Draw

The wheel stopped.

Adam blinked.

Then he looked at the result.

Expansion Card — Permanent Door to the Bridal Chamber.

Again.

"Two today?"

He smiled.

This immediately changed his plans.

He now had two new connection possibilities.

He thought about the women’s places of origin.

Vespera.

Shiora.

Selene.

Three destinations he might eventually want to connect to the Chamber.

"I’m still missing one."

Two cards available.

Three cities to connect.

"Good."

He put the card away.

"Maybe on the next draw."

And if not...

He would simply wait.