"To awaken everyone in the world and send them back—I really used up all the Source Flame I took out. Not a bit was left."
Linsey shook his head slightly, confirming Wala Wala's astonishment.
"Then where did these flames come from?" The girl frowned, sounding deeply troubled. "They can't possibly be some other identical flames, can they? The aura I sensed was clearly exactly the same as the Source Flame from before!"
Linsey immediately explained:
"The Source Flame I took out back then was indeed used up."
"But as it happened, I had some interesting items on hand, and they helped me make another batch."
As he spoke, Linsey posted the properties of the item he had previously consumed in the Friend Channel.
Consumable: Strange Matter
Strange Matter can be used by selecting one of two functions.
Strange Assimilation:
After release, Strange Matter assimilates all matter it comes into contact with in reality into Strange Matter. This process continues until all matter it can touch has been assimilated, after which the Strange Matter naturally disappears.
Strange Hypothesis:
Lock onto any physical substance in reality and transform itself into an identical item.
"A wondrous fluid containing up quarks, down quarks, and strange quarks!"
"May be found in the core of a neutron star!"
A peculiar mineral whose value was impossible to estimate.
"..."
Wala Wala read through every word of Strange Matter's description. Her astonished voice could not help but carry a trace of reverence.
"This thing... could be used to destroy the world, right?"
Linsey nodded first, then shook his head.
"That's right, but there's no way I'd use it for something like that."
"So copying a batch of Source Flame was the best use for it I could think of right now."
Wala Wala scrutinized Linsey with an unreadable