Chapter 9: The Vortex of Relics

After gliding for several minutes, the two landed on a medium-sized floating island.

This island was close to the towering giant structure, and the buildings here were sparsely arranged compared to the ground, mostly consisting of gray stone towers. Strong young men stood atop the towers, using cannon-like devices to shoot streams of white water. Many bore scars that had only recently healed.

“Are they ‘salvaging’ relics?” Chu Hengkong asked. “It looks a lot like fishing.”

The white water streams remained mostly still, like fishing rods planted amid a tide of weapons. At that moment, a suit of armor seemed to flow down from the sky into one of the water streams. The young men gasped softly, adjusting their devices with tiny movements, beads of sweat the size of beans dotting their faces, their tension palpable as though walking a plank rigged with explosives.

“You saw correctly. They’re waiting. The force of these salvage streams is so strong that one careless moment could tear a person apart. So most of the salvagers’ time is spent waiting for relics to naturally ‘bite,’” Ji Huaisu explained. “Highly skilled salvagers can actively lure relics, but most here are outsiders scraping a living—they don’t have that ability.”

“An interesting job,” Chu Hengkong said eagerly, thinking that if time permitted, he might try it. “So the main trade in the workshop district is salvaging and selling...”

“Salvaging, appraising, and selling,” Ji Huaisu corrected. “That’s common knowledge across all Dust Islands. Relics must be appraised before use.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at a corrugated iron warehouse, seemingly one of the logistics hubs for the workshop district. Salvagers frequently pulled carts in and out, transporting relics. Their destination was a red brick building attached to the warehouse. The windows were patched with tape, seemingly broken and awaiting repair. Inside, the right wall was lined with various cold weapons, while behind the counter sat a short, plump middle-aged woman.

Chu Hengkong raised an eyebrow. The place resembled a hastily altered Iron Oar shop, but what intrigued him more was the woman behind the counter. Her face was flat, her skin adorned with pale green scales—though the scales were sparse.

“Hello, Mrs. Ansa,” Ji Huaisu greeted.

Mrs. Ansa’s eyes flicked over, her tone far friendlier than her appearance suggested.

“Glad to see you, Huaisu,” she said leisurely, pulling two boxes from under the counter. “Is this the newcomer from yesterday? Beautiful tentacles.”

“Your… scales are quite green,” Chu Hengkong said cautiously.

“Thanks, but we usually say ‘lustrous’ or something like that. My great-grandfather always said it’s proof of ancient dragon bloodline, but most of us think it’s just some ancestor fooling around with a lizard a few generations back,” Mrs. Ansa muttered as she opened the boxes, revealing a pendant and an iron ring.

“Here you go, take a look at your goods.”

Chu Hengkong first picked up the iron ring. Lines of glowing text appeared in his mind.

[Basic Pendant-Type Relic – Enhancement]

[Rating: Low-End]

[Effect: Grasp the necklace tightly to enhance perception for 1 to 3 seconds. The degree and duration of enhancement depend on emotional intensity.]

The relic’s duration was tied to emotion?

He then picked up the iron ring meant to enhance strength. This time the description was different from what he expected.

[Basic Bracelet-Type Relic – Charge]

[Rating: Low-End]

[Effect: When the bracelet is colorless, it can actively accumulate power. The more power stored, the darker the color, with full charge turning it black. Upon attack, it can release the accumulated power; the maximum release per attack depends on emotional intensity.]

“The captain was right, appraisal is a crucial step,” Chu Hengkong shook his head. “I thought this was a simple power amplifier…”

The bracelet was now an ivory-like white, indicating its stored power had been completely used up. That fool Hugos had completely misunderstood how to use the relic. This thing was clearly meant for a decisive, lethal strike at a critical moment, yet he treated it like a flashy threat.

Mrs. Ansa chuckled. “That happens all the time. Many foolish kids skip the craftsman’s appraisal to save money, only to fail miserably with the relic’s effects. You wouldn’t believe how strange their deaths are—each one a classic joke…”

Seeing Mrs. Ansa about to start a long-winded tale, Chu Hengkong quickly asked what he was more curious about. “Madam, these two relics are powerful—why are they only rated ‘Low-End’?”

Mrs. Ansa and Ji Huaisu laughed simultaneously.

“Tentacle boy, do you really think these things are impressive?” Mrs. Ansa’s eyes glimmered with nostalgia. “If you’d come to Huilong City twenty years ago, you wouldn’t be asking that. Back then, our trade routes connected over three hundred Dust Islands, and the top geniuses came with their caravans to exchange treasures from their homelands. The workshop district buzzed day and night, and appraisers barely got a chance to close their eyes. Third- and fourth-tier relics weren’t even worth our time. We saw world-rending halberds, staves that governed time and space, elixirs that banished all evil… that was the glory of Huilong City…”

Mrs. Ansa’s eyes shone unusually bright, as if painting a golden, flawless dream. She tried to capture the gleam of that dream with the most beautiful words, sketching just a glimpse of the past. But suddenly her voice darkened, and she awakened from the dream; her gaze reflected not radiance but the dust on the table.

“And those remarkable relics vanished with their owners in the great war,” she sighed. “You’re right. These things now are the city’s treasures—the current top-tier.”

Ji Huaisu couldn’t bear to listen further and changed the subject. “Don’t dwell on it, Mrs. Ansa. Things will get better! By the way, there’s still one relic you haven’t shown us, isn’t there?”

“Oh, that book…”

Mrs. Ansa smiled faintly. This time she didn’t use a box, pulling an enormous silver-eyed tome from a drawer. Chu Hengkong rolled the book with his tentacle, and the new appraisal text made him pause:

[Unknown]

[Rating: Unknown]

[Effect: Unknown]

[Note: Throw it as far as possible]

“The best appraisers died in the war too. A half-baked one like me can’t figure out the details.” Mrs. Ansa said cheerfully; appraisers always liked odd items. “The last line is my advice: get rid of it quickly. Unknown origins always equal danger and death.”

“I’ll consider it.” Chu Hengkong stuffed the tome back into his coat, eyeing the assorted weapons in the workshop. “By the way, do you sell prosthetics here?”

“You really are a newcomer,” Mrs. Ansa said with a subtle tone. “Prosthetic limbs and artificial arms are trouble zones. Not just here—look all over the city, you won’t find a safe fake arm.”

“...Why?”

Muffled voices came from outside the workshop. The salvagers seemed to be arguing. Ji Huaisu edged toward the door, grinning mischievously. “Most prosthetics are traps filled with malice, designed to prey on those eager to shortcut their evolution.”

“I want so badly to be a ‘craftsman’! Don’t stop me from chasing my dream!” Mrs. Ansa mimicked the silly tone of youth. “But within half an hour, that fool will be devoured by the ‘bad stuff’ inside the prosthetic, turning into a freshly manufactured mud monster, robot, or something worse. Take my advice: if you want to evolve, do it yourself. Shortcuts are always dead ends.”

Chu Hengkong didn’t fully understand but realized the prosthetic route was likely hopeless. He nodded and glanced at the broken window. “By the way, how’s security in the workshop district?”

Ji Huaisu answered tersely, “Terrible. Duck.”

Mrs. Ansa muttered and instantly crouched beneath the counter. A moment later, the shattering of glass broke the quiet air as a large stone smashed through the freshly patched window. A short man wearing a hood leapt inside, eyes wild with greed and madness.

“One last job before heading home—ah!”

Chu Hengkong’s right hand shot out, effortlessly pinching the thief’s face like catching a chick. He slammed the man to the ground; the thief’s face smashed against the floor, legs twitching before falling silent.

“Heading home?” Chu Hengkong raised an eyebrow.

“Damn it, those outsiders never quit!” Mrs. Ansa fumed.

Chu Hengkong stepped outside to survey. His eyesight was sharp enough to clearly see the scene beneath the gray stone towers in the distance. Young salvagers were scattering in all directions, while dozens of hooded bandits armed with strange guns seized the salvage tower. They wore crude burlap sacks over their heads. Amid the splattering water bullets, the bandits shouted frenzied slogans:

“Break the curtain! Leave the city! Return home! Break the curtain! Leave the city! Return home!”

The bandits’ water bullet guns wielded a peculiar power. One unlucky salvager barely took two steps before being struck. The water bullet transformed into a raging torrent blasting skyward upon impact, sending the salvager hurtling dangerously high, nearly shredded by the weapons within the water curtain.

Ji Huaisu had already charged out. “Emergency mission, engage!”

“Understood.” Chu Hengkong stretched out a tentacle and plucked a small pouch of stones from the weapon wall.

“Temporarily requisitioned, will return later.”