Chapter 42: Hall of Curiosities
"Finally done."
Zhou Ning set down his tools and let out a breath of relief. In front of him was a neatly arranged set of 200 specially crafted bullets.
Tomorrow was Freshman Orientation Day at Vick University. As the head of the Alchemy Department, no matter how much he slacked off, he had to show up this afternoon to help set up the venue and assign personnel—so many things to do.
Fortunately, he was already quite skilled at making these special bullets. After organizing his alchemy materials in the Alchemy Building, he slipped away from work early and, rushing all the way, managed to finish the order just before noon.
Deadlines really are the ultimate productivity booster, Zhou Ning grumbled internally.
He grabbed a bullet pouch and packed all the bullets, getting ready to take them with him. Next up was his routine lottery draw.
Opening the simulator, he saw he still had 8 traversal coins left, including the 2 from the past two days' login bonus. Without hesitation, Zhou Ning topped up his balance—spending 100 Vecktas to purchase 10 coins—then opened the Mist-Lost London loot pool and tapped on a ten-pull.
[You obtained Rare Item: Browning M1906 Pocket Pistol, includes .25 ACP caliber rounds.]
[You obtained Rare Item: M1 Garand Rifle, includes 7.62mm caliber rounds.]
[You obtained Rare Item…]
…
The first ten-pull was average—no surprises, no letdowns. He got three rifles, five pistols, and two miscellaneous junk items of little use.
Zhou Ning immediately started the second ten-pull.
[You obtained Rare Item: M1 Garand Rifle, includes 7.62mm caliber rounds.]
[You obtained Rare Item: Lee–Enfield Rifle, includes .303 British caliber rounds.]
…
[You obtained Epic Item: Flawed Aja Red Stone.]
[You have obtained more than three epic items. The Hall of Curiosities is now unlocked.]
"Hall? What hall again?"
The second ten-pull was going about the same—four rifles, three pistols—when a new system notification caught Zhou Ning off guard.
He opened the simulator and tapped the small arrow on the right. Sure enough, a new tab labeled Hall of Curiosities had appeared beside the task list, marked with a red dot.
Upon entering, the interface showed a spacious room with three storage racks and three currently available maps. The first rack held items from Mist-Lost London. The first slot contained the Stone Mask; the second, the Aja Red Stone. Both had a small icon marked "Claim."
There were still three locked slots on the first rack, showing they had yet to be activated.
Zhou Ning couldn't help but mutter, "This is textbook gacha game stuff, isn't it?"
First they stir up your collector's impulse, then they bleed your wallet dry. Standard whale-bait tactics. A clever guy like me saw through it instantly.
He tapped "Claim" and received notifications: +4 traversal coins, +5 traversal coins.
The second rack clearly stored items from Endless War. It was tall, with over ten slots. The first slot was the Super Soldier Serum he had already used. The second held his Phoenix Battle suit. More "Claim" icons were visible further down.
He tapped to claim and received another +10 traversal coins.
The third rack was for Across the Seas and was currently empty.
Zhou Ning also noticed that two item synergies had been activated: Ultimate Lifeform and Phoenix Hero.
[Ultimate Lifeform: Stone Mask + Aja Red Stone. A rare item combo from the Mist-Lost London map. Synergy bonus: All Attributes +1.]
[Phoenix Hero: Super Soldier Serum + Phoenix Battle Suit. A set belonging to Tony Stark of Earth-83716. Synergy bonus: Strength +2, Agility +2.]
Zhou Ning: …
Well played. Now I kinda want to roll another ten-pull or two…
Closing the Hall of Curiosities, he opened his inventory and tapped on the newly acquired Aja Red Stone to inspect it.
A prompt appeared:
[Flawed Aja Red Stone: A rare natural gemstone. It can greatly enhance Ripple energy when activated. Three flawed stones can be combined into one Perfect Aja Red Stone. Embedding it into a Stone Mask can evolve someone with Pillar Men blood into an Ultimate Lifeform. Effects on humans: unknown.]
"Not bad, I suppose." Zhou Ning shrugged. The only use he could think of for the Aja Red Stone was to make it into a bullet. But this thing was obviously hard as hell—whether he could even cut it was a question for later. He'd have to research it more thoroughly.
After sorting through his newly acquired firearms, he now had 7 rifles and 8 pistols. Together with his 200 special bullets, he could expect to trade them for over 400 Vecktas.
Zhou Ning packed the guns into a suitcase and left the lab carrying it.
The lab was located near Vick University. A few days ago, the nearby houses had all been unoccupied. But today, as he stepped outside, he realized he had new neighbors—a gray-haired elderly woman was moving boxes into the house next door. A wheelchair sat nearby, occupied by a sharp-looking old man with stiff, spiky white hair—your classic protagonist hairstyle.
Zhou Ning blinked in surprise.
Wait… weren't those Mr. and Mrs. Turing?
"Good day, you two. Need a hand?" Zhou Ning walked up quickly, tipping his hat politely.
Mrs. Turing looked back in surprise, then smiled warmly upon seeing him. "Hello, little Wayne."
Zhou Ning smiled in return, set down his suitcase, and began helping them move.
There wasn't much to carry, and it took less than ten minutes. Just as they were wrapping up, the usually silent Mr. Turing suddenly asked in a low voice, "Did you just brew Flame Oil?"
Zhou Ning nodded, puzzled. "How did you know?"
"The smell," Mr. Turing pointed at his nose and grinned mischievously. "A good alchemist needs a sharp nose and a good tongue."
"If that's the standard, then John's dog, Bobby, should be an excellent alchemist," Zhou Ning thought wryly. "Not only is her nose sensitive, but she's a total lick-hound—she'd lick anything with that tongue…"
"Quit spending all day doing alchemy," Mrs. Turing chided playfully, tapping Mr. Turing on the shoulder. She then handed Zhou Ning a clear glass of liquid. "My special iced mint tea—never sold to the public. Care to try it?"
Zhou Ning thanked her and took a sip. The flavor reminded him of Sprite from Earth—only sweeter and more refreshing. The fatigue from earlier melted away instantly.
"Delicious!" Zhou Ning praised sincerely.
"I'm glad to hear that." Mrs. Turing smiled kindly as she watched him finish the drink. "If you liked it, I'll bring you some every evening."
After chatting a bit longer and politely declining their invitation to stay for dinner, Zhou Ning picked up his suitcase and headed for the intersection. He caught a public carriage and rode to the city's west end.
Following the address, he arrived at 355 Will Street, the West Lin General Store. He placed his suitcase on the ground and knocked on the door with his left hand in his pocket.
A moment later, the door opened—and Zhou Ning froze at the familiar black hair and familiar face.
"You again?"
Sherlock glanced at him with his usual dead-fish eyes and said flatly, "Why wouldn't it be me? I need to discuss something with you later."
Zhou Ning nodded, carried the suitcase inside, and opened it on the table. "Seven rifles, eight pistols—246 total. Add 200 bullets. I'll give you a discount and make it 440 Vecktas."
"Why so many all of a sudden?" Sherlock looked surprised.
"Can't handle it?"
"No, the more the better." Sherlock pulled out a stack of bills and slid them across the table. "Here's 500 Vecktas. The extra 60 counts as a deposit."
Zhou Ning casually counted it in his mind, then asked, "So, what was it you needed to discuss?"
Sherlock's face turned serious. "I heard you're one of the orientation organizers? We might need your help with something during the event."
Zhou Ning was about to reply when a prompt suddenly appeared in his ear.
[You have triggered a B-rank mission: "Conspiracy." Accept/Reject?]
Accept.
Zhou Ning accepted the mission without hesitation.
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