America: The Cremator

"Mithril?" Surong repeated the obscure word.

As he finished speaking, the pale blue system panel unfolded on his retina without warning.

[Special spiritual resource detected—Mithril.]

The upgrade path from two stars to three stars for this entry has been unlocked.

Su Long was shocked. He never expected that upgrading an entry from two stars to three stars would require such special materials. No wonder the upgrade channel had been delayed.

He calmly placed the light yet sturdy metal disc back onto the silver tray, then turned his gaze back to the gangster godfather sitting in the main seat, pretending to be completely clueless and waiting for the other to continue.

Vladimir picked up his glass, and the deep red liquid swirled on the glass.

"This is a rare metal containing sacred power. It cannot be synthesized by modern industrial systems. The vast majority of those circulating in the market are passed down from ancient times, and a small number are products of melting down sacred objects."

"It can be used to forge and upgrade sacred objects, or directly to enhance the bloodline abilities of certain special extraordinary individuals."

Looking at the three silver coins on the tray, Surong asked, "How do I use them to enhance the sacred object?"

Vladimir placed his glass back on the table and explained in a deep voice, "Craftsmen who specialize in mystical forging exist all over the world. Seattle happens to have one. He lives in the old town downtown. Later, I'll have Dania give you the specific address and visit pass."

"However, that craftsman has a very eccentric temperament, so you'd better be mentally prepared before you visit him."

After saying that, Vladimir pushed the tray forward and continued, "These three mithril coins are the advance payment for the family to hire you as their executioner."

"From today onwards, I will pay you an extra mithril coin for every cleanup mission you carry out for the family."

"Sulong, is this condition sufficient to demonstrate my sincerity?"

Su Long looked at the silver coins on the tray and fell into deep thought.

If mithril could only be used to enhance relics, he might weigh the risks and benefits of getting involved in gang warfare.

However, the system panel clearly indicates that this metal is an essential resource for upgrading the entry to Samsung.

He has too many entries, and there will be even more in the future. He doesn't know when he will be able to accumulate them all by himself. Moreover, he has no idea where to get these metals. Even if he goes to an auction, his savings probably won't even be enough to meet the threshold.

The price Vladimir is offering now at least guarantees him a stable source of income.

Moreover, in this bizarre and absurd world, the strength of an attribute directly determines his chances of survival, and he must obtain this core resource.

After thinking it through, Su Long laughed: "Indeed, your terms are something I can't refuse."

Vladimir laughed heartily. He rose from his seat and extended his hand to Suron: "Welcome to the family, Suron."

Su Long stood up and shook hands with him, then asked casually, "So what is my current task?"

Vladimir sat down again, placing his hands crossed on the table, and said calmly, "There are no specific tasks at the moment. Igor's network of influence in Chicago is still under investigation."

"All you need to do is be patient and wait for the family's intelligence department to confirm the target's location."

"The moment when you need to step in will come soon."

Having resolved the core issue, Vladimir abruptly changed the subject, bringing up another topic: "You just mentioned that you and Dania have an employment relationship, and you're still the only employee of her exorcism organization?"

Su Long sat back in the high-backed chair and nodded in acknowledgment: "Yes, we are partners now."

Vladimir's expression turned serious: "I'd like to ask you one more thing. Please look after this child for me."

"She inherited the Slavic stubbornness, often acted without considering the consequences, and easily put herself in extremely dangerous situations."

Suron glanced at Dania sitting beside him, then nodded to Vladimir and said, "I will, Mr. Vladimir."

……

Five hours later.

Late at night, in the suburbs of Seattle.

Inside a guest room at Elena's villa, Su Long leaned back on the sofa, twirling a mithril coin between his fingers.

The light blue system panel floated in mid-air, and the previously dim two-star entries were now all lit up with golden plus signs indicating that they could be upgraded.

He focused his attention on the [Prometheus] item at the top of the list to check the advancement requirements.

[Prometheus upgraded from ☆☆ to ☆☆☆, required materials: 1 Mithril Coin, 30 Experience Points.]

Looking at the exorbitant cost, Su Long couldn't help but click his tongue and say, "That's really expensive."

Thirty experience points means he needs to burn thirty ordinary human corpses or six D-level bizarre remains.

Add to that the extremely scarce Mithril Coins, and the cost of upgrading a three-star attribute increases exponentially.

He lowered his gaze and selected the two entries that were associated with the sacred relic.

[Upgrading Sirius's Contract from ☆☆ to ☆☆☆ requires: 1 Mithril Coin.]

[Raphael's Contract ☆☆ to ☆☆☆ requires: 1 Mithril Coin.]

Unlike other ability-related attributes that require experience points, the attributes of the Relic Contract can be upgraded directly with just one mithril coin.

Perhaps it corresponds to the function of Mithril Coins in real life, which can be used to upgrade relics?

Su Long leaned back on the sofa, his mind rapidly weighing the priorities of resource allocation.

He currently only has three mithril coins, and who knows when he'll get another one. This resource must be used wisely.

While enhancing a relic can certainly bring a direct boost to combat power, a weapon is ultimately an external object.

The primordial fire provided by Prometheus is the fundamental means of purifying the bizarre.

【Ode to Flesh and Blood】 ensures his continuous recovery ability during high-intensity battles.

The American Dream is a trump card that can directly reverse fatal damage.

The survival and combat capabilities provided by these three core terms are clearly of higher priority than simple weapon enhancement at this stage.

He decided to keep the three mithril coins for now and, once he had accumulated enough experience points, prioritize upgrading his core attributes to three stars.

"Yes."

Just as he was pondering his next plan, a dull thud came from the closed glass window behind him.

Su Long quickly turned his head and saw a brightly colored butterfly crashing into the outside of the double-layered soundproof glass, its magnificent wings slowly opening and closing in the night.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; the hands had already passed the midnight mark.

The curse status has been refreshed for a new day, and I, Butterfly, have arrived.

Su Long sighed, got up and walked to the wardrobe, putting on the slightly heavy DuPont protective suit again.

He checked all the zippers and seals, took a deep breath, then walked to the window and opened the glass pane a crack.

The butterfly slowly flew into the room through the crack, circling twice in mid-air. Su Long stood still, his gaze fixed on its flight path.

The butterfly eventually landed on the transparent mask on his head, quietly folding its wings, its six tiny legs crawling back and forth on the smooth plastic surface.

Looking at the butterfly so close to him, Su Long realized that the description was correct. Although it was a deadly threat that would kill him if he touched it, it did not have any supernatural abilities. The thick physical protective suit perfectly blocked its direct contact with his skin.

He walked slowly to the low table beside him, took out a tissue, and quickly crumpled the butterfly in the middle of the tissue.

Immediately afterwards, a cluster of golden primordial fire surged from his palm, instantly engulfing the paper ball and the insects inside.

The bedroom door was pushed open at that moment, and Elena sniffed as soon as she entered the room, her brows furrowing immediately. She scanned the room with her eyes and asked:

"What are you doing in the house? Why does it smell burnt?"

Su Long raised an eyebrow and held out his hand, saying, "Roasted butterflies, do you want some?"

Elena's face showed obvious disgust. She took a half step back and said, "Throw it away right now. I won't eat this disgusting stuff."

Su Long stopped joking and clenched his fist tightly, crushing the carbonized remains into indistinguishable powder.

After crushing the ashes, Suron took out the white letter that Vladimir had given him.

"By the way, I've found a substantial clue about the 'Dream Potion,' which you should find very interesting."