Chapter 482 - 481: The Second Fissure

Chapter 482: Chapter 481: The Second Fissure

This was like the Great Khan’s grand muster.

And these ashes were practically superglue—you could use them anywhere, for anything.

Moreover, the word "Advanced" appeared before every line in its description, signifying that this wasn’t some entry-level scrap but a primary material for core crafting.

’Is this really the drop from a B-level monster?’

Seraphina Sinclair marveled for only a moment before her gaze returned to a particular term in the Description—Refiner.

’Why does that term, appearing here, sound so much like a crematorium worker?’

Seraphina Sinclair chuckled at her own thought.

’Now that I think about it, it is a bit similar. They both process "remains," they both burn things to ash, and they both put the final product into a container for the family... no, for the player. The only difference, I suppose, is that a crematorium worker produces ordinary ashes, while this Refiner produces B-level materials.’

Seraphina Sinclair turned the bag of ashes over and over. The complex hand-seal knot at its opening cast a delicate shadow in the light.

She brought the bag to her nose and sniffed. There was no scent at all.

The contents of the bag seemed to have been completely purified. Aside from the occasional flickering specks of silver-gray light, there was almost no sign that it had once belonged to a B-level monster.

This stuff could obviously be used as runic ink, too, but right now, Seraphina Sinclair simply didn’t have the energy.

She walked over to the Sunflower and, without a second thought, lay down on the pile of blankets at its base.

The Sunflower, with its big, smiling face, didn’t seem to mind the little person taking over its territory. In fact, it seemed to welcome her enthusiastically!

Seraphina Sinclair reached out and poked the Sunflower’s stalk. It was firm, with the unique resilience of a plant.

"What in the world are you?" she muttered to herself. "Why are you so different from everyone else’s sunflowers? You’re so big. How am I supposed to join the next instance?"

The Sunflower’s head shifted, tilting slightly in her direction as if it were watching her.

Seraphina Sinclair met the gaze of the droopy-looking flower head for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

’It’s so strange. This guy can’t help with anything besides shouting about food in my head, and it even went on a hunger strike before. And yet...’

Whenever Seraphina Sinclair was near it, she felt at ease.

It wasn’t the kind of security that comes from being protected, but rather the sort of peace one feels when curled up by a window on a rainy day as a child, listening to the patter of the rain and daydreaming.

No matter how strong the wind and rain outside, there was always a dry corner here just for you.

Seraphina Sinclair closed her eyes, the corners of her lips curling into a smile.

After darkness fell, the campfire inside the mobile cabin flared to life.

Patches of light danced across Seraphina Sinclair’s face, flickering in the gloom.

Her eyelashes cast fragmented shadows on her cheeks, trembling with the leaping flames. The stray hairs on her forehead curled slightly in the heat, haloed with a soft golden edge in the orange-red light.

Just as the mobile cabin reached its warmest, 001 suddenly returned.

It didn’t say a word, seeming incredibly busy. It hastily shoved a few pieces of expansion essence and a Sheepskin Scroll into Seraphina Sinclair’s hands, then turned and plunged back into the Lightgate, disappearing instantly.

Seraphina Sinclair: ???

’That busy?’

’They say a new official lights three fires to show their vigor. But watching 001, it looked like those fires had been lit on itself. Its every move was frantic.’

Seraphina Sinclair looked down at the items that had been shoved into her hands, stunned for several seconds.

A few pieces of expansion essence—not too many, not too few. Combined with what she already had, it was exactly fifteen pieces, enough for an upgrade. The other item was one she had acquired before—the [Proof of Lens Repair]!

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the items in her hand, then at the spot where 001 had disappeared. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she just swallowed the words ’Go on, be busy then.’

The Lightgate had already closed, not even leaving a trace behind.

She had definitely picked the right person for president.

Seraphina Sinclair pulled the Secret Peeping Single-Lens Mirror from her pocket and examined it in the campfire’s light.

The cracks on the lens were exceptionally clear in the orange-red glow of the fire. There was nothing to think about. Time to repair it.

Seraphina Sinclair placed the Single Lens on the workbench and set the Proof of Lens Repair beside it.

She took a deep breath and chose to use it.

[Repairable Item Detected: Secret Peeping Single-Lens Mirror (Legendary B-level)]

[Use "Proof of Lens Repair" to proceed with the repair?]

[Warning: The repair process is irreversible and may trigger unknown changes.]

’What unknown changes could there possibly be? Last time she repaired it, Seraphina had been a nervous wreck. If it weren’t for the Moonlight Jellyfish’s Blessing, she wouldn’t have even dared to click confirm.

And what was the result?

The remark changed! Just that one line of text!’

Seraphina Sinclair had been speechless at the time.

Now, this was the second Proof of Lens Repair, and only two cracks remained on the Single Lens.

Seraphina Sinclair pressed confirm without a moment’s hesitation.

’Let it change however it wants. It can’t get any worse than this, anyway.’

The moment the Proof of Lens Repair touched the workbench, it dissolved into a ball of white light, cool to the touch just like before. But this time, the light didn’t seep slowly into the lens. Instead, it contracted sharply into a beam and shot precisely into the thickest crack on the lens.

Seraphina Sinclair jumped in surprise.

The beam of white light was so bright she had to squint.

Through her half-closed eyelids, she saw the white light detonate inside the crack, exploding into countless fine threads of light that spread out in all directions like roots. The threads burrowed into every tiny fissure, pulling the fragments together bit by bit and sealing the gaps.

The lens began to glow.

Seraphina Sinclair held her breath, watching as the final crack was filled with white light.

Then, the light on the lens’s surface suddenly went out.

Only a quiet lens remained on the workbench. Its silvery-white patterns glowed faintly in the darkness, like the faintest stars in the night sky.

Seraphina Sinclair waited for a while, but nothing else happened.

Just as she raised her hand to touch it, a notification screen popped up before her eyes:

[Item has undergone an unknown change.]

Seraphina Sinclair took a deep breath, then used Insight!

[Secret Peeping Single-Lens Mirror (Legendary A-level)]

[Description: Forged from stardust within a rift of black mist. The frame has completely dissolved, transforming into a perpetually swirling halo of Dark Gold mist that hovers at the lens’s edge. Capable of providing Insight into the Weakness of All Things, identifying structural gaps, and pinpointing the breaking points in energy flows...

Remark: "It no longer needs a frame. Next time, it may no longer need a lens."

Owner: Seraphina Sinclair.]

Seraphina Sinclair spotted the changes to the item at a glance.

The B-level Single Lens had only one function: Insight into the Weakness of All Things. But now, it had two new ones:

Viewing structural gaps and the breaking points of energy flows!

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the new terms in the Description, mulling them over for a few seconds.

’Structural gaps... that must refer to weak points in an object’s internal structure.

For example, where a wall is easiest to break through, or where the seams on a piece of armor are weakest.’