Chapter 841: Remnants of a Miracle

841. Remnants of a Miracle

"My... body, what... did you... do to me!"

The man's body dispersed like liquid, transforming into a different mode of existence.

"Have you ever seen a conch? If you spiral upward along its curve, you'll return to the starting point. That's the Conch Ritual, and every ritual node connected to the cult becomes a sacrificial offering for it."

Lin Ye answered the question with something entirely unrelated, stating what was happening right now.

"What Conch Ritual? Why are you completely unaffected?"

The man's body began flowing upward along a spiral trajectory, streaming toward the direction where the cult was located.

"Inside the Black Card is a dark space used to store abnormal Trade points. That space is vast, but as long as I can create a Mental Mark near another Black Card, I can locate every single one of them. My mental energy just happened to improve a little recently.

Unlike Miracle City, that dark space doesn't prohibit large-scale use of mental energy."

When completing commissions, Lin Ye had left mental nodes at those commission sites. Whenever a Black Card appeared near any of those locations, he could use the dark space to pinpoint where that card was.

After that, it was simply a matter of transferring those abnormal Trade points to other Black Cards. For someone who had handled all sorts of dangerous substances, this was hardly a problem at all.

A simple touch was all he needed to complete the transfer.

The man talked far too much. If he had made his move immediately after the travelers were absorbed by the Black Card, Lin Ye could only have pushed those abnormal Trade points out and handed them to the system for processing, unable to complete the Conch Ritual.

"...Unlike me, you're a true powerhouse, but to the system, you're nothing more than... can't even say it here, can I? As expected of the system... Remember this, one day, you will regret this."

The man completed the Conch Ritual along the spiral trajectory and vanished completely from Miracle City.

"Too bad I can't see what's happening with the cult. Hopefully it won't completely collapse, they still owe me a few million Trade points."

The Conch Ritual didn't just return the abnormal Trade points, it was also a path to attack the cult. The system's counterattack against abnormal Trade points would also land squarely on the cult's head.

If he weren't worried about colliding with the system's counterattack, Lin Ye would definitely have tossed some dangerous items into the cult's territory as sacrificial offerings.

"Sorry, I had no idea that Black Card was a trap designed for you."

The Black Card had been circulating in Miracle City for some time now, and Scarlatti had assumed it was just a simple gift.

This too was part of the cult's plan. The cult hoped Lin Ye would eliminate Scarlatti, which would have been a welcome outcome for them.

"Then give me a new gift instead, I accept your apology."

Lin Ye naturally wasn't about to let the cult have its way.

"This is the spare key to my residence in Miracle City. Feel free to come rest at my place anytime."

Scarlatti pressed her lips close to Lin Ye's ear and whispered softly.

At the same time, she slipped a black key into Lin Ye's pocket.

"...I thought you were going to gift me a house."

Lin Ye hadn't expected Scarlatti to own property in Miracle City.

"If you'd like, that's not entirely out of the question either."

Scarlatti narrowed her eyes and spoke in a gentle voice.

........................................................

[Exploration Mission Complete]

[System Evaluation Increased]

[Miracle City Permission Acquired*1]

[Exploration Chest Acquired*1]

[Please Draw Today's Card]

"My turn! Draw!"

This time, the card's face depicted a red spider. The card dissipated, and a fluffy red spider materialized in the center of the Shelter.

Unlike those steady Card Creatures, the spider hopped around the bedroom, finally coming to rest on Lin Ye's shoulder.

Lin Ye didn't particularly like spiders, but this one was like a living plush toy, it actually looked pretty cute.

After petting the fuzzy spider, Lin Ye began inspecting the loot gained from this Exploration Mission.

First were the Trade points. Lin Ye wasn't sure about the system's exchange rate, but he still had 214,509 Trade points remaining.

'Not bad, seems like the system paid out part of the Trade points stored in the Black Card.'

Being able to obtain this many Trade points was already more than satisfying for Lin Ye.

Next was the exploration chest. Lin Ye opened it, and inside was a colorful card.

[Remnants of a Miracle]

[Using this card grants the remains of a Miracle]

[Note: When a Miracle shatters, all that remains of Miracle City is a colorful ruin]

'Another one of those things with no idea what it's for...'

Lin Ye put the card away and opened the system interface to check the Miracle City permission details.

He quickly discovered that, just like before, his Shelter's tier wasn't high enough yet to use this permission.

Closing the system interface, Lin Ye began tending to the plants and animals in the Shelter. He also prepared a hearty dinner for himself, then opened the Group Chat and the Music Box, and started eating.

(465179/1000000)

"Haven't seen Brother Lin posting anything in the trading area these past couple days."

"He's probably been busy lately."

"Could he be busy advancing?"

"Advancing to Controller? That fast?"

"What's a Controller?"

"When adults are talking, kids shouldn't interrupt."

"Brother Lin's been a Controller for a while now, hasn't he?"

"Hard to say. I ran into Brother Lin outside a few days ago, I didn't even dare get close back then."

"Yeah, there's a really intense sense of pressure."

"You guys keep chatting, I'm going to study this new spiral bracelet I bought."

"What the hell... no way?"

"No, this can't be real!"

"I was only away for a little while, and I already missed it?"

"It's fine, it wasn't anything good anyway... Anyone looking to sell one? I'll pay top dollar."

"Brother Lin just got back?"

"Exploration Missions usually don't last this long, right? I've never encountered one that lasted more than a day."

"Can you compare yourself to Brother Lin?"

"That's true."

"Any high-tier brothers here? How do I solve insufficient mental energy?"

"Of course, train your mental energy. Don't even think about rapidly boosting your mental energy level, or turning into a monster would already be a good outcome. I once ran into a Lunatic during an Exploration Mission, he wanted to rapidly improve his mental energy, and in the end, his consciousness fused together with the consciousnesses of several other creatures."

"I've seen similar cases too, extremely dangerous stuff."

"Huh? No way? But I've already completed my enhancement..."

"What did you use to enhance your mental energy?"

"Uh... a spiritual energy item sold by Brother Lin. I feel fine, haven't noticed any problems."

"Then you're doomed. Some effects might be lurking deep in your subconscious, that's very dangerous. Quick, lend me that spiritual energy item so I can research it, I'll solve your problem for free!"