abnormal mutation

Chapter 48 Roots and Anchors

Then the winner appeared, Roland ended the game, the scene changed, and the chessboards inside the bubbles disappeared, leaving only a dragon's nest. Three figures sat on the platform, clearly still immersed in the strange scene they had just witnessed.

"How are you feeling?" Roland asked with a smile.

"Guide, why is this time different from last time?" Caius looked grim. He was the first to arrive, but he ended up being the last.

“Oh, of course, simulated battles aren’t static, otherwise they’d be too unchallenging. Although the details are different, the overall gameplay and rules are the same. You need to understand the essence of it; rote memorization won’t work.” Roland spread his hands, looking disappointed.

What he needs are laborers; as long as they participate in simulated battles, they'll be effective. Being number one will only cost him money, so the worse they are, the better. He'll occasionally give them a small reward to prevent them from giving up.

"Don't worry about winning or losing, get ready, and we'll start the second round right away," Roland urged.

The three of them immediately lit up with excitement. Losing was certainly frustrating, but the simulated battle was so addictive that they couldn't stop.

From this perspective, it's understandable that Roland would charge a "net fee".

The second simulated match began quickly, with Walter covering the cost. The version was Wheel of Fortune, also known as the Chosen One.

Roland also participated this time, wanting to test whether his guess was accurate.

Several tens of minutes later, the three were eliminated one after another: Wright finished eighth, Caius finished seventh, Walter continued his good luck and made it to sixth, and Roland fought his way to fourth.

After a simulated match ended, three more spiritual glimmers of energy appeared, no more, no less, but with more extraordinary qualities than before. Roland was a little disappointed; it seemed he and the chessboard were one, and whether he joined the match or not wouldn't affect the final outcome.

This isn't all bad. As his strength increases, the chessboard will also strengthen, and his basic aggregation ability will naturally rise accordingly.

After the match, Walter's mental attribute decreased by 10 points, suggesting that the cost of a simulated match is around 10 points.

Roland called the three of them together, his expression serious: "That's all for today. I'm giving you all one last warning: do not spread what happened here. If you do, you will be stripped of your status as the Chosen One, or your soul will be annihilated."

"Absolutely not!"

"Don't dare..."

"No, no."

The three were terrified and shook their heads repeatedly.

"Let's go."

With a wave of his hand, three invisible force fields appeared on the chessboard, dragging the three people into the endless void where they quickly disappeared. Just to be on the safe side, the chessboard would return them safely, like a free shuttle bus.

"There aren't enough people," he sighed. "It would be best to have five more, but no, that would mean losing a reward. Three or four would be better."

In fact, recruiting people doesn't have to be limited to simulated battles. You could also form a secret club to exchange extraordinary knowledge, share intelligence, trade resources, and offer bounties, but the risks are too great. If something goes wrong, his foundation will be destroyed.

He just needs a group of "chosen workers" now. He doesn't want to be a behind-the-scenes boss. It's tiring and dangerous, and he doesn't think he has that kind of sophisticated brain.

"Take your time, I'm not in a rush."

Roland looked up at the rune seed that was still "digesting" and took out the contract again.

He had already turned the page; the first page was gone, leaving only six pages.

"The hunt begins tomorrow!"

The chessboard has no intelligence, only instinct. Without his command, spirit creatures cannot enter, nor will the chessboard actively kill them. Therefore, he must personally take control.

…………

The next day, before dawn, Evan and his companions got up early and started working. They planned to sell the charcoal as soon as possible and then go to the sawmill in the north of town to buy some cheap timber. After breakfast, Roland sorted through the contents of his suitcase, took out all the money, put all the banknotes and a small number of coins into his wallet, and put the remaining twenty German dollars in coins into an old purse.

He took off his coat, fastened the holster under his arm, loaded the Exile with anti-magic bullets, and adjusted it to a comfortable position. He didn't need to use firearms against ordinary people; this was mainly for defense against extraordinary beings.

He openly and legitimately carried the revolver on his waist; he had a gun license, so it was all legal and compliant.

Then, holding the [Hidden Veil] and the [Wheel of Oblivion], he summoned the chessboard and let the pull draw him into the spirit world. However, only the pocket watch was successfully brought in; the priest's robe remained outside.

Unable to figure it out, he hastily placed the pocket watch on the chessboard and returned to the real world. Holding his priest's robes, he pondered: 'Is it too bulky, or too low-ranking?'

It seemed he needed to ask someone, so he locked his suitcase again, picked up his money bag, and left the room.

"Clatter—" He placed the money bag on the dining table, opened the bag, and revealed a pile of coins of various denominations.

"Each person should have five yuan, which they should keep themselves. Young people should have their own little savings and not spend it recklessly." This was his start-up capital for the young people.

"Ah..." The group looked surprised.

"Big brother, if you've given them all to us, what are you going to do with them?" Evan asked, puzzled.

Roland pulled out his thick wallet and waved it around: "I'm rich now, this little bit of money is nothing."

Only then did the group dare to step forward and divide the money. They were excited, their eyes fixed on the coins. They all came from poor backgrounds; who wouldn't love money?

As dawn broke, Evan and his companions didn't delay, pushing their carts out the door and hurrying towards the East Market. Roland then locked the door and left, strolling towards Rose Cross.

When he arrived at the pharmacy, it was broad daylight, and the golden sun leaped into the sky, shining its light upon the earth.

"Good morning, Bachelor." After a brief greeting, he ran up the stairs in a few quick steps.

There was no one on the second floor, but there were three books on the table: one was "An Overview of Mysticism" which I had read yesterday, and the other two were "On Extraordinary Talents" and "Crossroads of Fate: Risk Assessment of Initial Path Selection".

'Yulia truly understands me,' Roland thought to himself. Talent and extraordinary paths were indeed what he cared about most.

He sat back down in his original spot, bathed in sunlight, opened "An Overview of Mysticism," and continued studying the remaining parts.

The remaining content consists mostly of common knowledge about the mystical realm, including the general evolution of the mystical realm during the five epochal transitions, the spirit world, gods and celestial phenomena, and a focus on listing the nine Enneads and their powers.

Lord of Order, God of Storms, God of the Ocean, Mother Earth, God of the Sky, God of Death, Goddess of Life, God of War, God of Wisdom.

The content is relatively simple, but it suits Roland perfectly.

After reading it, he closed his eyes and reviewed it. The content was clear and without any errors. His memory was many times stronger than in his previous life.

He then picked up "On Extraordinary Talents," which was very thin, only about twenty or thirty pages long.

The first chapter of the book defines talent. It's abstract, existing within the soul, and in the mystical realm, it's often referred to as a "root" or "anchor"!
These types of people share a common characteristic: a strong soul, a vibrant spirit, and keen intuition. This is an appearance, not a standard for evaluation, and the reverse is not true. For example, a person's accurate intuition does not necessarily mean they have talent.

The mystical realm believes that the "root" is the way the soul anchors itself to the world, protecting it from being easily torn apart by unknown "rules." Especially after awakening spirituality and stepping into the extraordinary realm, without "anchoring," even the first step of integrating extraordinary characteristics is extremely dangerous, and one may very well be devoured by the authority of the source.

The role of "roots" goes far beyond these. Like the roots of the soul, they more easily absorb nourishment, awaken spirituality, and help spirituality better integrate with extraordinary qualities.

Ordinary people without roots are like floating grass; no matter how hard they try to gain weight, they cannot withstand strong external forces. When the wind blows, they sway in all directions and cannot control themselves.

In the extraordinary world, the extraordinary characteristic is the wind. If you can't control the direction of your soul, how far are you from madness?

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(End of this chapter)