Listening

Back in her main body, Xu Zhi first checked the classification of the cores in the warehouse. She then discovered that [Cup] cores were the most numerous, while there were absolutely no [Lamp] cores!

Out of a total of six hundred cores, [Cup] accounted for over a hundred, nearly two hundred. The remaining attributes were scattered in small numbers. [Heart] was the rarest, with fewer than twenty. She had around sixty [Moth] cores, over a hundred and twenty [Blade] cores, and nearly seventy [Winter] cores. The rest were [Opening] and [Forge].

The distribution of these cores alone was enough to reveal some of the outside world's views toward Transcendents of different attributes.

[Cup] was the least wanted, [Lamp] the rarest, and [Heart] came next.

Obtaining six hundred cores at once sounded like a lot, but Little One was now a "gold-devouring beast." Splitting those hundred-plus [Blade] cores between Little One and Doggie would not last them long at all.

[Moth] and [Winter] were useful to her. As for the remaining cores of other attributes, she planned to use [Winter] Attribute Cores to raise Gyrfalcon to level 20. After choosing her fourth Familiar, she would give the temporarily useless cores to her Spirit Vessel for randomization and see whether it could land somewhere near Nanshan Villa District.

After all, the Special Investigations Office had given her a "difficult problem."

Moreover, the information she traded away was a one-time resource. She could not mindlessly sell every piece of information she had; she needed to choose carefully. So, she could not trade too frequently either.

Thinking about the number of cores her Familiars would need after all of them broke through level 20, Xu Zhi deeply felt that she lacked resources. Even her sudden windfall could not solve that problem at all.

Therefore, before she squeezed every last core's worth of profit out of this information, she had to obtain a steadier source of Attribute Cores. Perhaps Nanshan Villa District could become part of that.

During this transaction with the Special Investigations Office, neither side had mentioned that these cores were actually all "low-grade cores." Thus, neither could accurately judge whether the other knew this. But next time, Xu Zhi only intended to trade for cores of fixed attributes, as well as higher-level cores.

She did not believe that no one in such a vast Federation had discovered that cores came in different grades—or rather, different "purities."

"Don't these different-grade cores have names or something?"

Xu Zhi picked up the Game Console and asked.

[No.]

The Narrator was exceedingly cold.

"Not professional enough!" Xu Zhi complained. "Forget it. I'll ask the Special Investigations Office whether they've named them next time."

Asking her to come up with names herself was out of the question. Naming things was what she was worst at.

"I need the Eye of Secrets. Can it be brought into my Spirit Vessel?"

Xu Zhi asked again. She had a bold idea that needed the [Eye of Secrets] to verify.

After roughly three or four seconds, the Narrator leisurely replied with three words.

[Suggestion box.]

"Hmph, you're so cold when you talk."

As the girl opened the suggestion box and typed in her previous question, she added another sentence: [The Narrator is too cold and not humanized enough!]

A receipt quickly appeared on the screen.

[This function has been added to the Spirit Vessel. You may now pay a certain number of cores to choose special Transcendent abilities you possess and bring them into the Spirit Vessel.]

Her complaint against the Narrator was ignored.

"Pay a certain number of cores? I get it."

In other words, it would cost a lot of cores. She was already used to that.

Recalling Xiao Zhen, Xu Zhi grabbed a handful of [Winter] Attribute Cores from the warehouse and tossed them to it.

After it ate more than seventy of them, its Evolution Points finally filled up, leaving only thirty-two cores behind. Watching Xiao Zhen enter advancement sleep, Xu Zhi belatedly realized that once resources became plentiful, even raising Familiars could be greatly accelerated.

The time Little One had spent reaching level 20 was incomparable to Xiao Zhen's.

But level 20 was clearly a dividing line. Feeding Xiao Zhen the cores used to directly push it from level 19 to level 20 after it completed its advancement would no longer produce such a good effect. After reaching level 20, the cores' greater effect was no longer increasing Evolution Points, but increasing the Familiar's Transcendent affinity and accelerating the rise of its [Evolution] level.

To max out [Evolution], if she relied solely on these low-grade cores, the required quantity would probably be astronomical.

She still needed to get more high-level cores.

While Xu Zhi planned for the future, Xiao Zhen also woke from its advancement sleep.

[Familiar: Gyrfalcon Lv19→Lv20

Spirit: 730→960

Body: 2400→2800

Traits: Sharpness Lv6, Agility Lv9, Endurance Lv6, Strength Lv6, Listening Lv5, Evolution Lv1

Special Ability: Instant Death Lv3]

[Evolution Points: 0/7000]

[Congratulations, your Familiar's special ability level has increased.]

[Instant Death Lv3: When the Familiar activates this Transcendent ability, its attacks may cause the target to die immediately. Instant Death cannot be resisted, reversed, or altered. Current activation chance: five in a thousand.]

"As expected, every Familiar unlocks the Evolution trait upon reaching level 20."

However, Xiao Zhen had also gained a previously unseen [Listening], and [Instant Death] had risen by one level.

The system announcements were not over yet.

[Congratulations, your second Familiar has reached level 20. The fourth Familiar slot has been unlocked. You may go to the Familiar selection interface to draw your fourth Familiar.]

[Because you have raised two Familiars to level 20 and entered the Metamorphosis Phase, the initial life level of the Familiars available for selection has increased.]

[Your Familiar Gyrfalcon has entered the Metamorphosis Phase. All aspects of the Familiar will enter a period of rapid growth. When its Evolution level reaches the maximum level of 10, the Familiar will complete its metamorphosis, break through its limits, and become a higher-level life-form.]

[Familiars that enter the Metamorphosis Phase have increased demand for Transcendent energy. Please provide it with more cores of suitable attributes.]

Other than that, no new function had been added like when her first Familiar broke through level 20.

Still, gaining another Familiar was already quite good.

"Eat."

Xu Zhi kept only five [Winter] Attribute Cores and gave all the rest to Xiao Zhen.

Familiars suffered no side effects from devouring these low-grade cores. Unlike her, they did not need to be cautious about eating too many at once for fear of becoming lost in hallucinations.

Xiao Zhen's size had not changed much after reaching level 20, except that it seemed even more beautiful. Its eyes had turned a deep azure, clear and crystalline like some expensive gemstone. Its white feathers seemed to emit a faint glow in the dimly lit room. At a glance, it looked like a divine bird standing on a god's shoulder in mythology.

Xu Zhi looked it over and concluded, "You're really getting more and more conspicuous."

The current Xiao Zhen was at the point where anyone could tell at a glance that this Gyrfalcon was no ordinary creature.

That was fine too. Little One already handled concealment, so having Xiao Zhen draw eyes and attention in such a high-profile way was not bad either. As for Doggie, Xu Zhi still did not know what changes it would undergo after level 20, and she was looking forward to it.

"Let's see what choices I have for my new Familiar."