Bailu was completely absorbed in studying the Curio in her hands when the sudden shout startled her so badly that she jolted, her mind going blank for a split second as the mine in her hands nearly slipped free.
Her two small hands moved with the same nimble agility Guinaifen showed during her juggling performances, frantically trying to catch and steady the smooth metal casing in midair, as if grabbing a sweet potato just pulled straight from the furnace.
"Freeze!"
Seeing how flustered she was, Sylvester acted decisively, pointing straight at the metal object. A translucent figure formed of gentle light instantly appeared in front of Bailu, stabilizing the Curio with a single hand.
This was a simplified version of the Lightning-Lord incarnation he had developed. Thanks to this low-power mode incarnation, the Lightning-Lord could not only fight, but also do laundry, cook meals, and clean up—steadily marching toward a more all-encompassing future.
Even though the Lightning-Lord did not particularly wish for such a future, Sylvester felt that they probably did.
"Ah, th-thank you." After wobbling about for a moment, Bailu finally managed to hold the Curio steady.
For an instant, she froze, unsure of whom she should thank first.
But before she could decide, the figure made of light had already dispersed on its own.
Bailu shifted her gaze toward the counter, only to discover that Sylvester, who had been sitting there calmly just moments ago, was now standing right in front of her.
Before he even spoke, his hand reached out, directly pressing the red button. The red beam that had spread so widely it was nearly invisible suddenly converged, then vanished.
Sylvester released the Curio and let out a long breath, his entire body relaxing.
"Your luck is really good—good in every sense of the word."
Bailu was completely unaware of the danger she had just been in. Not only was she unafraid, she was positively beaming.
"Huh? You mean this Curio is really strong?"
She looked at the metal box in her hands with delight, mimicking how elders used to praise her, gently patting it. "Not bad, not bad. You're really doing your Dragon Lady proud. Don't get arrogant—keep working hard, okay?"
Listening to her expectations, three black lines appeared above Sylvester's head.
Still need to work harder?
Was the conceptual fire of 'burning all things to exhaustion' not enough? Add another spark and this little bean would really turn into a roasted milk dragon.
"It is strong—very strong, in fact."
After all, it was a conceptual attack. Even though it was a one-time-use item, its power was absolutely genuine.
"This thing is called the [Directional Anti-Organic Biological Mine (Endless Inferno Type)]. It's a directional explosive mine-creator."
"Ah… w-what directional what mine?"
Although Bailu was very skilled at treating wounds caused by all kinds of weapons, she knew very little about the weapons themselves.
This long string of words was especially hard for her to pronounce. She stumbled over it for a while, but in the end, still couldn't get it right.
Seeing how hard it was for her to remember, Sylvester said bluntly, "You just need to remember that this is a very powerful mine. You know Yanqing's [Massacre Ruler], right?"
"Of course!" Bailu nodded vigorously. "That's a Curio with conceptual power. In the past, you could only see that kind of thing on Aeons. Not even two days after he got it, the entire Luofu was buzzing about it. Even the physicians in the Alchemy Commission who don't understand fighting at all were super jealous."
After saying that, a spark of inspiration lit up in her little head.
She tiptoed, stretching her body as straight as she could to get closer to Sylvester's face, and exclaimed excitedly, "You're saying this mine also has conceptual power?!"
Realizing this, the smile on Bailu's face grew brighter and brighter.
This was power on par with an Aeon. Even though it couldn't compare to the golden Curio she had obtained earlier, for anyone else, it was still an unattainable top-tier treasure.
And it just so happened to coincide with the Xianzhou's current "concept craze." She knew very well that anyone who wanted to see a conceptual weapon had to go through all sorts of trouble, pull strings with the Cloud Knights, stand in long lines just to take a look at the [Massacre Ruler], and maybe touch it once.
Even then, Yanqing wasn't willing. To avoid his "fans," he had directly moved into the Seat of Divine Foresight dorms.
By day, he claimed to be teaching disciples and wouldn't come back for days on end, making the other Cloud Knights shout about how "stingy" he was.
And now, she herself was holding a conceptual weapon in her hands?
This was way too impressive!
From now on, anyone who wanted to see it would have to pay a hundred Credits for a ticket—and taking photos would cost another two hundred!
Bailu gently stroked the metal box in her hands, her expression so careful it was like she was grooming an extremely picky cat.
Even though it was just a blue Curio, compared to the talisman she had used earlier, it was like night and day.
Watching Bailu look as if she wanted to organize an exhibition for the mine, Sylvester blinked slowly.
This kid really has guts. At this rate, something might actually happen to her one day. I'd better scare her a bit.
His eyes rolled once, and an idea came to mind. He smiled faintly.
In a calm, gentle tone, he said, "That's right—and it's not just any conceptual power. The combat core inside it is the flame of 'burning everything down to obliteration.' Once you're tainted by this fire, unless it's countered by an equal-level conceptual power, no amount of water or ice will do anything."
With one hand, he mimicked flames roaring upward, his mouth vividly imitating the whoosh whoosh of burning fire.
Then he slapped a hand onto Bailu's shoulder and said, "And even if it's just a tiny spark on your fingernail, the seed of that flame will instantly invade every cell in your body. Like a curse that clings to the bone, it won't stop until the entire person is burned to ash. Cutting off an arm or tail to survive won't help at all—not even a little."
As he finished speaking, a rather cheap smile spread across his face. He squatted down so that he and Bailu were positioned on opposite sides of the mine.
With an affable expression, he said, "So? Pretty amazing, right?"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm!"
Bailu nodded like a pecking chick.
"That's incredible! Just touching a tiny bit can burn someone completely to ash. Wouldn't that be especially tormenting for those Abundance abominations? Not only would they die horribly, it'd look awful too, right?"
"Exactly!"
Seeing that Bailu had grasped this point, Sylvester nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Now I'll tell you how to use it. See this red button? Press it, and it'll activate a 120-degree scan with a five-meter radius—just like how the red light scanned you earlier."
"Oh, so that red beam was for that."
Bailu nodded thoughtfully, then immediately felt that something was a bit strange.
Why did he use me as the example? Was that just a slip of the tongue?
Before she could figure it out, Sylvester's voice drifted over again, eerily calm. "Then, just press the white button, and the mine officially enters standby mode. As soon as a living being enters the detection range, it'll automatically explode."
"But don't worry too much. This mine uses special directional charges, meaning it only attacks in one direction. Otherwise, even if you were pressed right up against it, you wouldn't be hurt at all. As for the exact direction of the explosion…"
At that, Sylvester's smile grew even more mysterious.
He didn't say anything. With just a flick of his finger, Bailu's gaze followed, landing squarely on the words [THIS SIDE TOWARD ENEMY].
Bailu suddenly remembered something. Just now… hadn't she been only one button press away from activating this mine?
Out of nowhere, a thin sheen of moisture appeared on her little head.
Then she saw the hand that had been mimicking flames earlier gently touch her forehead.
"Bang!" Sylvester softly uttered.
Bailu shuddered violently, her face turning pale as she stared at the mine in front of her.
J-just now… did she almost turn into a dragon egg ahead of schedule?
===BREAK===
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