Chapter 589 - 579: Sound Source Pollution 31

After checking the quality of the thirty feathers, the guards let the group inside.

Noting it was their first time, they also gave them a list of rules before letting them pass.

After receiving the list, they saw the first rule was that they were not to tell ordinary people about this place.

The next few rules were more of the same.

In short, it all boiled down to one word: "Secrecy!"

After Moira Lynch entered the tunnel, she discovered there were quite a few people shopping here.

However, to trade here, you didn’t use money; transactions were done by bartering.

Caelus seemed to have had this kind of market before, and she had even visited a few times.

But on Caelus, the hard currency was Gold, while here, it was headphones.

Although they also accepted Gold, its value was nowhere near as precious as headphones.

After walking a few steps, Moira Lynch stopped in front of a stall.

The owner of this stall was a well-dressed, middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, and his wares were a bit different from those of the surrounding vendors—they were all stones.

From their appearance, these stones looked no different from ones you’d pick up off the side of the road. As a result, while the other stalls were crowded with people, this one was completely empty.

After all, in times like these, no one was willing to trade their supplies for a worthless rock.

Even if these stones were meteorites, most people were just ordinary folks who couldn’t tell if they were real or fake.

"This gentleman must be a meteorite Hunter," Hugh Finch said.

"You’ve got a good eye, young man. I am indeed a meteorite Hunter, and also a meteorite collector. Everything here is my treasure. If it weren’t for these wretched times, I’d never be willing to part with them for a trade."

The previously silent middle-aged man, upon speaking of his hobby, became a torrent of words, as if a switch had been flipped. He described every meteorite on his stall as if it were a family heirloom.

However, Moira Lynch hadn’t stopped to listen to stories.

Her gaze swept over the stones on the stall, one by one, finally landing on a pockmarked, fist-sized rock.

Noticing Moira Lynch’s gaze, the middle-aged man explained, "I found that stone in a meteorite crater on a mountain."

"The meteorite broke up in the air as it fell. By the time I got there, I only found this small piece. Someone else must have gotten to the rest first."

As he spoke of this, his tone held a hint of regret, as if lamenting that he hadn’t been faster.

"How much are you selling this meteorite for?" Moira Lynch asked, holding it in her hand.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man held up two fingers. "Two pairs of noise-canceling headphones, and the meteorite is yours."

"You’re charging two pairs of headphones for a stupid rock? Why don’t you just rob us!" Barry Wallace, at her side, was the first to lose his cool.

"If you don’t have headphones, I also accept feathers as payment. But first, you’ll have to tell me what your talents are. If they’re relatively weak, I might have to charge more."

"And of course, you’ll be the ones providing the energy for the feathers."

Before Barry Wallace could say another word, Moira Lynch cut him off. "We just paid the entrance fee, and our energy hasn’t recovered. Let’s not trade with feathers. Hugh, give him two pairs of headphones."

At her side, Hugh Finch took off the backpack he was wearing, opened it, and took out two brand-new pairs of headphones that had been removed from their packaging.

The middle-aged man took the headphones without any hesitation and hid them away as quickly as possible.

Just then, Moira Lynch suddenly asked, "Sir, what did you mean earlier by a ’feather trade’?"

After stowing the headphones safely, the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief. Even his tone when speaking to Moira Lynch became much gentler.

"It’s your first time here, isn’t it? Feather trading is a rule set by the founder of this market."

"If you don’t have any goods to trade, you can use feathers—the same kind you charged to get in. After they’re charged, it’s like your talent is stored inside, making them a one-time-use weapon."

"A feather trade, in other words, is exchanging your own talent’s energy. Powerful talents like fire or lightning will fetch a higher price, while some weaker talents are worthless even after being charged."

"Also, for every feather trade, the master behind this place takes a thirty percent cut."

After learning what a feather trade was, the three of them left the stall.

Moira Lynch carefully put away the meteorite she had just bought, afraid of bumping or chipping it. At the same time, her gaze toward Barry Wallace grew increasingly gentle.

"When we leave, can we take him with us?" Moira Lynch asked Hugh Finch through the Communication Corridor.

Hugh Finch, who had already guessed the meteorite wasn’t simple, heard Moira Lynch’s words and saw her expectant expression. He replied helplessly, "That’s probably not possible. After all, our Space Buttons can’t transport living people. Dead people should be fine, but don’t forget, we have other things to carry."

Hearing this, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment. "Alright, fine."

"By the way, what exactly was that meteorite?" Hugh Finch asked curiously.

"The meteorite had an Eternal Evolution Stone inside it," Moira Lynch said, the corners of her mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.

’To think I’d run into something this good. My luck is unbeatable.’

"An Eternal Evolution Stone? What’s it for? What does it evolve?" Hugh Finch asked.

’Something that could get even Moira so excited must be really good.’

"You know about Awakening Stones, right? The reason I can produce a constant supply of Awakening Potions is because I got an Eternal Awakening Stone in a previous game. Regular Awakening Stones disappear after one use, and they don’t even guarantee a successful awakening. But an Eternal Awakening Stone can help people awaken over and over. The Eternal Evolution Stone has the same effect."

After hearing Moira Lynch’s explanation, Hugh Finch grew excited too. "So, can this Eternal Evolution Stone be used to evolve talents?"

"Of course," Moira Lynch said with certainty. "But there’s no telling what it will evolve into."

Before Hugh Finch could get too excited, Moira Lynch threw a bucket of cold water on his hopes.

Unlike the Eternal Awakening Stone, which is all benefits, the Evolution Stone is a double-edged sword. The direction of the evolution is uncontrollable.

"The energy of an Evolution Stone is highly unstable, and no one knows what it will ultimately evolve into," Moira Lynch said. "But that’s not a problem. When we get back, I’ll put it into the Pharmaceutical Ring. Turning it into a Medicine should stabilize it."