Although he had wasted a lot of paper, Feng Xue couldn't say he had gained nothing. Apart from the three Phantom Objects, what caught his attention most was, as expected—as expected—a black sphere.
The black sphere had originally been a paper bracelet. During the Reforge process, it had spontaneously spawned more than a dozen elements. Feng Xue had thought it would turn into something huge, but who could have guessed that those elements would suddenly shatter, and then, along with the paper, shrink into a black ball about the size of a marble?
What unsettled Feng Xue was that his Golden Finger showed the same mosaic sphere that belonged only to Omens when he looked at the black ball. The difference was that it showed no signs of being alive, nor did it have any visible Trait entries constantly swimming across its surface.
"What exactly is this thing?" Feng Xue carefully avoided touching the black ball with his hand. Instead, he took out one of the Unspeakable Rod-shaped Objects that had just come out a little crooked and poked it. Nothing like the scene he'd imagined, where the ball would corrode the object, happened. Then again, the fact that it had been sitting on the table without corroding it meant it probably wasn't all that dangerous.
"I'll experiment with it later..."
Feng Xue shook his head gently. For now, he had no intention of putting the inky-black thing into his Storage Bag. Instead, he shifted his attention back to the three Phantom Objects.
When he thought about those three things, Feng Xue felt an old complaint get stuck in his throat. He couldn't say they were as useless as that pink remote-controlled toy, but how should he put it...
They were just... weird!
The first Phantom Object was the Unspeakable Rod-shaped Object he'd used to poke the black sphere—
Name: Phantom Object Rod-shaped Object Elements: [Sturdy], [Durable], [Storage], [Versatile], [Weapon], [Tool] Description: Although it looks like nothing more than a red crowbar, it seems to have been tainted by some unspeakable presence. This makes it almost indestructible and allows it to lower the sanity of enemies it hits. It can also be put inside any place that "looks like it could hide something" and taken out at will. Note: Works best with an Old Seal and a friend!
If he had to say, this thing was actually pretty useful. It was nearly indestructible, could lower enemies' sanity, and was easy to store and retrieve. But after reading the note, Feng Xue could easily imagine what kind of hellhole it had come from.
That was beside the point, though. The main thing was, if he remembered correctly, this thing belonged to some Evil God's counterpart, didn't it?
Still, despite all that, this was actually the most practical of the three. The second Phantom Object was a cardboard box.
Yes, a cardboard box. It was a little over half a meter tall, the kind of corrugated box commonly used for large deliveries—
Name: Phantom Object Cardboard Box Elements: [Storage], [Concealment], [Infiltration], [Assassination] Description: A cardboard box used by a mercenary to infiltrate enemy ranks. Its interior is much larger than it appears, with enough room for two adults. Once someone enters the box, their presence is greatly diminished. However, when a living creature is watching the box, the person inside cannot move. Note: You can't see me!
It wasn't entirely useless. If he simply slept in the box at night, he basically wouldn't have to worry about keeping watch. The interior space was just a little awkward. It wasn't so small that two adults crouching inside would feel cramped, but it wasn't so big that they could stand up, and it wasn't wide enough to lie down in. The only way to stay inside was to crouch.
More importantly, all three of its Trait entries apart from Storage were top-notch! Every time Feng Xue looked at the thing, he couldn't help wondering: if he hadn't put the [Storage] element into it, and had used an [Assassin] element instead, would he have ended up with something even better?
Compared to those two, the third object was the one that made Feng Xue want to curse the most. To be fair, it did meet his needs. It was a decent Storage Item. The problem was, it was a skirt...
Name: Phantom Object-dimensional Short Skirt Elements: [Storage], [Clothing], [Transformation], [All-match] Description: An ordinary-looking short skirt that seems to go with most tops. What's curious is that, once the skirt is worn, the unknown dimension between the thighs and beneath the hem becomes a boundless Storage Space. Note: What exactly is under a girl's skirt?
If Feng Xue could just barely accept and use the first two objects, then this skirt... Its practicality was exceptional, but he had to decline!
Although the skirt was constantly whispering to him like a demon, its unparalleled practicality made it feel as if a demon were singing in his heart.
A man can't, and at the very least, shouldn't!
Feng Xue gritted his teeth and forcefully smashed that demon into two little pancakes. Then he picked up the skirt and spoke to Chen Xiyao with the grim resolve of a warrior severing his own arm:
"It's yours!"
"Huh?!" Chen Xiyao was still fretting over "where exactly to put the pink remote-controlled toy" and "if I put it somewhere out of sight, will people suspect I've equipped it?" When she heard Feng Xue, she jumped in fright. Only then did she notice the short skirt flying toward her, and her face turned even redder.
"This, um, isn't it a little too short...? And giving me a skirt—isn't that..."
"It's a Storage Item. Ever heard of a four-dimensional skirt?" Feng Xue forced himself to look away from the short skirt, afraid that if he let his guard down for even a moment, he'd make a choice he would regret for the rest of his life.
He had given careful thought to whether he should reveal his Golden Finger to Chen Xiyao. After weighing the pros and cons, he had still decided to expose his ability to Reforge Phantom Objects.
First, Chen Xiyao didn't know the specifics of this world. In that situation, the less he seemed to care, the more she would take it for granted as "common knowledge" in this world.
Second, the necessary condition for becoming a Weird Tale was to leave a deep impression on outsiders. Compared to an assassin who barely drew attention, a maker who could create all sorts of strange objects would obviously be easier to remember.
And even if Chen Xiyao herself would remember either of them equally well, what about the story spreading? After reading the information about the predecessors who had gone to the Real World to wreak havoc, Feng Xue had learned from the Gatekeeper's knowledge that the Real World definitely had official organizations capable of dealing with Weird Tales. This meant that after Chen Xiyao returned, she might be interrogated or even have her memory wiped. In that situation, having encountered an assassin and having encountered a Mysterious Person who could create Phantom Objects were two entirely different things. The authorities wouldn't care about the former, but as for the latter, they might remember Feng Xue's existence because of the enormous value he represented.
Even if he considered the worst-case scenario—Chen Xiyao accidentally got separated from him, was captured by the Cross Sword Guild, and then exposed his ability—what then?
How would the Cross Sword Guild react to someone who could produce Phantom Objects?
Even in the worst case, they'd only enslave him and use him as livestock to produce Phantom Objects, right? But if the Cross Sword Guild didn't know about his ability, what would happen if they caught him?
Without a doubt, as someone who had made an impression on Outsiders and had also rebelled against the managers, the best outcome for Feng Xue would be to hang on the execution platform, waiting to be evaporated.
Feng Xue firmly believed in one thing: as long as you were alive, there was hope. Even locked in a cage, as long as he didn't die, he would always have a chance to turn things around. But once a person was dead, they had nothing!
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