Materials Testing

After recounting the thrilling cosmic encounter and the battle within the Mirror Dimension, then patiently answering Gwen, Peter, and Harry's machine-gun barrage of curiosity and questions, Lin Hai felt his throat had gone a little hoarse.

He got up and brewed a pot of chrysanthemum tea to clear away heat, pouring everyone a cup.

"Come on, have some tea and soothe your throats." Lin Hai pushed the cups toward his companions. "After hearing the story, looking at these 'local specialties' should feel a little different now, right?"

The four of them held their cups as fragrant steam carrying a faint chrysanthemum scent rose up, dispelling the tension from the earlier story. The backyard atmosphere became warm and relaxed.

After drinking the tea, the dryness in their throats eased, and everyone's attention returned to the sieves on the stone table, where the items had been sorted into categories.

"Alright, now let me properly introduce what we brought back this time." Lin Hai set down his teacup and began explaining them one by one.

He first pointed to the largest sieve, which contained various bone products. "Most of these were dropped by those undead minions or monsters, or were parts of their weapons."

He picked up the ancient-looking bone horn. "This horn should originally have been able to sound, but the energy inside it has already been depleted."

He then picked up a pendant shaped like the skull of some small creature. "This one looks a little scary, but its energy has dissipated too. It might be alright as an accessory?"

"These bone fragments may once have had runes inscribed on them, but they've all failed as well. Still, the material itself seems to have some affinity for energy."

Next, he pointed to the metal items. "These metal chunks and parts are