Special items (Part one)

Everyone froze in unison and started asking, "Make things? What things? How?"

Clone No. 4 spoke slowly and clearly. "This is a world of supernatural abilities. What the market lacks most is practical little ability-powered items. We don't need to make cumbersome weapons. We should make portable ability items that meet everyday needs and are useful to everyone. As for how to make them, I haven't figured that out either."

Xing Yao stood to one side, listening quietly and mulling it over. The more he listened, the more feasible the proposal seemed.

But Clone No. 1 suddenly slapped his forehead and dumped a bucket of cold water on the idea, his face full of gloom. "We don't have any high-tech equipment! People who make special items have to use professional instruments to channel energy into them and fix it in place before they work. But we don't have any equipment at all. Ideas alone won't cut it. How are we supposed to make them?"

Just as everyone was at their wits' end, Xing Yao suddenly looked up and spoke with certainty, breaking the deadlock outright. "The plan is feasible. We don't need specialized machinery at all. We have absolutely no need for that complicated stuff."

Everyone instantly turned toward him in unison, their eyes full of confusion.

The corners of Xing Yao's mouth lifted slightly, with a hint of cunning and amusement. "We can imitate a certain person from ancient times. Back then, he sold things at a street stall. Every item had an overpowering effect, and the side effects were even more absurdly strong, but they weren't lethal. They specialized in messing with people's heads. We'll follow his approach, using Resentment Points as a catalyst to condense energy into items. Simple and direct."

He paused, a trace of wicked amusement surfacing in his eyes, then slowly laid out the core plan. "We'll do just one thing-sell special items with side effects and earn Resentment Points out in the open."

Curiosity instantly filled the four clones' faces. They crowded forward, staring intently at Xing Yao, brimming with anticipation and questions, eager to learn just how these items would be made and how their side effects would be designed.

Xing Yao didn't keep them guessing. He simply waved a hand and said crisply, "Come on. Let's go into the mental world."

The next second, their figures flashed, and they stepped straight into Xing Yao's mental world. The instant they landed, a torrent of resentment so dense it was choking rushed into their faces. All four clones froze on the spot, their expressions instantly becoming quite a sight.

Clone No. 1's eyes went perfectly round. Even beneath his mask, his face was covered in shock, and he inwardly exclaimed, Holy crap! This resentment is insane! It's as thick as blood mist that won't disperse. We haven't been here for one day, and it's already this red? This is ridiculous!

Clone No. 2 sucked in a sharp breath, instinctively shrinking back before craning forward again in irrepressible curiosity, an endless stream of thoughts flooding through their mind. Fucking awesome, boss! This stockpile of resentment is ridiculously rich! It might not be growing as crazily as before, but there's enough here to make however many items we want. We're taking off!

Clone No. 3 smacked his lips, his eyes gleaming with greed. He rubbed his hands, itching to try, his heart blooming with joy. We're rich, we're rich! With this much resentment, won't our cards absolutely slaughter the competition? Add whatever side effects we want, rake in Resentment Points however we like-isn't that mansion practically within reach?

Even the usually steady and composed Clone No. 4 raised their eyebrows slightly, a clear trace of surprise crossing their eyes as they silently marveled. It's become this dense in just one day, so deep red it's almost solid. The growth may have slowed, but the stockpile is enough to support the plan. We've got this.

Throughout the mental world, scarlet resentment mist slowly churned, its color several times richer than the day before, so dense it almost condensed into liquid. Although its growth had slowed considerably, the stockpile stretching before their eyes was astonishingly abundant-more than enough for making things, experimenting, and stirring up trouble.

Clone No. 1 took a deep breath and looked at Xing Yao, his tone full of excitement and anticipation, his voice almost floating:

"Boss! If we really make these items and actually sell them... these Resentment Points will definitely see a qualitative leap!"

Watching the scarlet resentment churn before him, Xing Yao's gaze darkened slightly, and his tone suddenly took on an inexplicable gravity. "I have a feeling that once I reach tier two, I'll develop some very strange connection with this world. I can't explain exactly what it is right now."

Hearing this, Clone No. 1 immediately nodded beside him, his tone carrying a genuine sense of that same perception. "I... I have that strange premonition too. Like something is waiting for us to break through."

Xing Yao nodded. Without dwelling too much on that vague sensation, he made the call at once, his tone decisive and practical. "All right, let's set those unknowns aside for now. There's no need to overthink things at this stage. First, make money, make items, and raise our levels. Everything else comes later!"

Xing Yao tried condensing resentment into a card. With a thought, a cloud of scarlet resentment mist immediately swirled up in his palm, rapidly compressing and taking shape.

In just a moment, a resentment card with a dark red sheen and neat edges formed steadily in his palm.

His gaze sharpened, and he channeled the spatial power within his body, trying to lock the energy completely inside the card.

But the instant he poured the power in-

Bang-!

With a soft bang, the newly formed card exploded outright, scattering into a skyful of tiny motes of resentment that vanished without a trace.

Xing Yao raised his eyebrows slightly and clicked his tongue. "Ah, failed."

He turned toward the clones beside him and said briskly, "You guys try too. With enough practice, we'll find the feel for it."

They immediately spread out, each settling down to try condensing cards. Red light flickered through the mental world as cards formed and exploded, exploded and formed. They kept at it for a long while, the sounds of failure rising one after another.

Just as everyone was nearly out of patience, Clone No. 2 suddenly gave a low cry, their palm abruptly steadying.

A translucent card with a faint glow slowly took shape, its energy stable and its patterns clear, without the slightest sign of dispersing.

Even Clone No. 2 froze for a moment before crying out in delight, "It worked! I did it!"

Xing Yao walked over to look and nodded slightly. "Not bad. What does it do?"

Clone No. 2 sensed the energy inside the card and immediately answered:

"It's an invisibility card. After using it, you can turn invisible for a full hour."

Clone No. 1 stared at the completed card and chuckled a few times, his tone carrying a mischievous grin and anticipation:

"Now we're set. We need to give some real thought to what side effect to use."

Clone No. 1's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at Clone No. 2 and earnestly checked:

"Invisibility can turn objects you're touching invisible too, right?"

"Then that makes things easy."

Clone No. 1 split into a grin, his face looking wicked to the bone. He pulled Clone No. 2 straight over, and the two put their heads together, muttering and feverishly tinkering. His fingers tapped and traced lightly over the card, embedding the nasty side effect he had already thought up, bit by bit.

The two worked away for ages. Beside them, Clone No. 3 watched with unblinking eyes, craning forward one moment and pulling back the next, his curiosity clawing at his heart until he finally couldn't hold back:

"What are you two tinkering with over there? What kind of cursed thing have you made? Come on, tell me!"

Clone No. 2 cleared their throat, straightened their back, and lifted their chin, looking utterly smug as they announced loudly as though they had won a grand prize:

"Watch this! Tear the card and it activates. One hour of invisibility, with the effect maxed out! But-the moment that hour is up, the person becomes visible, while their shoes, equipment, backpack, hair... all stay invisible!"

At those words, Clone No. 3 sucked in a sharp breath on the spot. His whole body stiffened, his eyes went perfectly round, and the corner of his mouth twitched hard.

It wasn't the invisibility that frightened him. He was simply stunned numb by a side effect so wicked it practically smoked. Pointing at the two in disbelief, even his voice shook:

"Holy shit... aren't you two way too underhanded? Who wouldn't have a breakdown on the spot after using this? That's some serious psychological torture!"

Xing Yao, who had been quietly watching beside them, had taken in the entire process. His face showed little expression, but a trace of approval flashed through his eyes.

He took a step forward, and his voice suddenly deepened. The playful tone from before was gone, replaced by greater seriousness and steadiness.

"This card's power and side effect are both too extreme. We can't just sell it at a street stall, much less let it fall into ordinary people's hands."

Xing Yao swept his gaze over the four clones and said with utmost solemnity, stressing every word:

"If we really sell it, we can only sell it to the state. If it falls into criminals' hands, the consequences will be unimaginable. It'll cause serious trouble."

At those words, the smiles instantly vanished from the clones' previously grinning faces, and every one of them put away their playful thoughts.

Clone No. 1, Clone No. 2, Clone No. 3, and Clone No. 4 all grew solemn and nodded at Xing Yao with utmost seriousness. Not one of them objected.