Chapter 2323: Egg Incubator

Chapter 2323: Chapter 2323: Egg Incubator

The witch spoke:

"That’s all the traits of the dragon scales, but these traits are sufficient for a Sage-level rating."

"So the cultists steal it for what purpose? To cultivate new Half-Blood Dragon Beast monsters? Shard said, the monsters they cultivate are indeed numerous."

Dorothy asked perplexedly, and Luviya speculated:

"Though the relic’s traits are powerful, they don’t justify the Dragon Feast Cult launching such a large-scale operation to seize it. I worry they are focused on the ’dragon,’ not for cultivation but for absorption. Didn’t Shard describe that sacrificial site as being able to absorb dragon power?"

"Yes, exact information indicates that it’s a sacrificial site of the Ancient God."

Shard said, and this information actually came from Luviya herself.

Then the witch, while having breakfast, explained the second stolen relic:

"If the scales weren’t one-time use, the rating would be higher. The second relic isn’t as formidable — a Scribe Level relic, the Egg Incubator from Shire Farm."

The other three, hearing the name, all looked up at her:

"Is this relic really in Moon Bay?"

"Seeing you all, it’s clear that the introductory textbook on relic studies at the Three Major Academies still uses this relic as an example for explanation. How many years has it been since the academy’s textbooks were updated?"

The Scribe Level relic, Shire Farm’s Egg Incubator, has a history that traces back to the dark and chaotic times of the Fourth Era. The exterior of the relic is a complex metal machine of unknown principle, about the size of a shoebox, connected to an iron funnel.

Though named "Egg Incubator," its function is to toss any living creature into the funnel, and the machine at the bottom will produce an egg about the size of a chicken egg. The shell of the egg’s appearance is related to the creature’s own trait, and after a cycle of approximately 60 days, the egg in continuous incubation state will grow to about the size of the creature itself, and the hatchling will be at the age when it was put into the machine.

Although the funnel of the machine is roughly the same size as the funnel in Shard Family’s kitchen, it can suck in even a dragon without resistance, indicating that the machine possesses bizarre spatial effects.

The Egg Incubator works on any known creature, for instance, if Mia were put into it, Shard would obtain a cat egg poised to hatch, and the shell’s pattern would likely be alternating orange and white like Mia’s fur.

Shard recalled:

"I remember that relic was primarily used for... allowing creatures to re-experience their growth status. However, it cannot adjust one’s own physiological defects or other traits through re-growth. Of course, the book also states it can be used to seal a creature, because as long as it remains in an unhatched state and the egg isn’t broken, the egg’s state will stay constant."

Luviya continued:

"The machine’s defect is that the re-hatched creatures will lose some memory. And if it’s a Circle Sorcerer, there’s a high chance of losing learned Arcane Techniques and even Spirit Runes. However, most importantly, using the machine to re-hatch oneself occasionally results in one’s core Spirit Rune gaining an additional Enlightenment [Egg] or Enlightenment [Rebirth]."

Dorothy nodded as well:

"This is, so far, one of the few methods in the Material World to harmlessly increase core Spirit Runes at a low cost."

According to current records, the Shire Farm’s Egg Incubator was discovered on an abandoned farm during the Fourth Era. At that time, the machine was buried under a heap of straw, with a roll of parchment next to it, detailing the general functions of the relic.

It was later proven that the content on the parchment was accurate, and the relic has been passed down until now. The textbooks of the Three Major Academies take it as a typical "Scribe Level" relic to write in the textbook, but the book also does not specify where the relic is currently housed.

"Did the Dragon Feast Cult steal this relic because of the giant egg with the Sacrificial Bone Sword you mentioned last night?"

Miss Galina asked Shard, Shard shook his head:

"Though I suspected it to be related, I’m not certain. Speaking of which, is there a special effect if egg types are placed into the Shire Farm’s Egg Incubator?"

"Yes, eggs are considered biological by the machine, but they don’t form a new egg since having an extra eggshell has no significance. Typically, putting an egg into the relic results in obtaining an identical item, and the egg doesn’t gain supernatural traits as a result from other generated eggs. But in rare cases..."

The Duchess paused:

"A special result known as the ’Egg Effect’ occurs, posing the question of whether the chicken or egg came first, causing the ’egg’ to spiral into a paradoxical chaotic state. The Council’s former Chaos Great Witch conducted very cautious research about this and concluded that this special state can make the egg never hatch, but once successfully hatched, it will give birth to a half-alive, perpetually cyclical Evil Object."

The girls at the table furrowed their brows, though not understanding its significance, it was certain to be formidable:

"Shard, is this thing our opponent this time?"

"It’s hard to say."

Shard continued eating his breakfast; compared to the potential arrival of an Evil God, an egg-hatched Evil Object doesn’t seem like a frightening adversary:

"Don’t worry about that; after last night’s events, the major churches in the Moon Bay Parish should be troubled now, especially the Dawn Church. Today happens to be Holy Prayer Day; I can hardly imagine the state of the local church. Is it more important to conduct self-examination, seeking out traitors and summarizing lessons, or should celebrating the festival come first?"

Seeing Shard reluctant to talk more about the stolen relic at the dining table, Luviya didn’t continue discussing the topic. She stirred the thick soup with a spoon and concernedly asked:

"So, what are your plans for today? I remember you promised Bishop Owen to go to the church for activities, correct?"

"Yes, but I only need to go in the afternoon. The morning blessings and performances at the square outside the Dawn Chapel, Priest Augustus said if I had something else to do, I could skip it, and he would save me a souvenir. I plan to go to Moon Bay first, they might need me there."

Dorothy then turned to ask Luviya:

"Luviya, when do you plan to set off for Moon Bay?"

Miss Galina also looked at her. They knew Shard really needed Luviya’s help in Moon Bay.

The purple-eyed girl thought for a moment:

"The association still has some work to deal with, then I’ll take a year’s leave, probably in a couple of days, I’ll leave. Traveling by train is out of the question, I know Old John recently got a relic that allows spatial movement, I’ll use that to go."

The "One-shot Deadly Pistol", if used as a means of spatial movement, requires the user’s body to be very strong. The doctor surely mentioned this to Luviya, meaning she feels she doesn’t need to worry about bodily harm during spatial movement.

Before breakfast ended, the ladies brought up another matter to Shard:

"I plan to move in for a while, and leave after Tifa returns."

The Duchess said, glancing at Luviya:

"With Tifa not by my side, the manor outside the city is too far, so it’s better for me to stay here in Saint Delan Square temporarily. I can stay updated about Moon Bay, and I can help whenever you need it. Plus, there will be hot meals at home when you return, I think that’s nice."

Shard also looked up at Luviya across the table. The purple-eyed girl suspiciously looked at them:

"Why are you looking at me? It’s a good idea, I think Dorothy should temporarily move in too. She can use the Ancient God Statue in the basement and needs to be by your side more often. I feel the same, but I won’t be staying here long; soon I’ll be off to Moon Bay."

"I’ll inform Dorothy."

Her Highness the Princess said.

"Of course I welcome you all, being greeted when returning home at night—that’s what life is about."

Today is Monday, and because of last week’s exam preparations, Shard feels last week’s time has passed unusually fast. In any case, since it’s Monday, not only does the adventure of the "Gravel Golden Sea" resume, but it’s also time to use the "God’s Gift Box".

Recently, over the past few months, Shard hasn’t been able to pull anything useful from the box, so he was quite looking forward to it this time.

The three ladies watched him in amusement as he made his move, but just as Shard extended his hand, he hesitated, then grabbed the cat eagerly watching:

"Mia, you do it."

He placed the cat into the box, and the cat seemed very happy. Shard then added:

"If what you pull out satisfies me, this time I’ll take you along to the ’Gravel Golden Sea’, but you must behave."

Seeing this, Dorothy laughed and told Galina and Luviya:

"Shard saying this means he’s already decided to set off with Mia."

The entire cat entered the box, but before it could adjust its posture, Shard pulled it out again.

"Meow?"

Looking rather aggrieved, the cat was only halfway out when a dazzling golden light surged from the bottom of the box.

That brilliant light forced Shard to squint, and the voice beside his ear chuckled, reminding him:

"Outlander, you’ve encountered a ’Miracle’."

"Such a strong Miracle Element! Did I really find something good this time? What is it?"

The three ladies curiously gathered around, so Shard continued to pull up the body under the cat’s front paws. Not sure if it was an illusion, Shard felt the cat seemed to get longer as he lifted it.

As expected, the cat’s tail was curled around something, and the glowing object was precisely that item. Upon closer inspection, it was an archaic parchment roll with scorched edges, rolled into a long cylindrical shape, which Shard painstakingly retrieved from the unhappy cat’s tail.

Including the cat, five faces leaned in to look together at the opened parchment roll, revealing a rather rudimentary map drawn in red ink.