Chapter 352: Recovery, Position Reversal, and Plans

The fingers gripping the pastel gemstone exerted an imperceptible force, causing the skin of the fingertips in contact with the gem's surface to blanch from the pressure.

Xia Nan's pitch-black eyes flickered for a moment due to the mechanical voice ringing in his mind, his emotions surging accordingly.

Yet, the expression on his face remained tightly controlled, showing no obvious change.

Coupled with Margaret's somewhat agitated reaction nearby, which drew the attention of the others present, no one noticed his body, which had suddenly stiffened after his fingers touched the gem before quickly returning to its original state.

【Dream-Weaving Corridor】... Charging... 0.0003%!?

Xia Nan had set charging this piece of extraterrestrial technology he possessed and finding its unlock key as his mid-term goal.

But in reality, neither the "key" itself nor the energy required to activate the device could be found just anywhere.

Compared to the vast expanse of the Aifala Dalu, if one were to wander aimlessly without key information, the probability of Xia Nan achieving his mid-term goal was akin to finding a needle in a haystack—almost zero.

This was precisely one of the reasons why, after learning from the Druid's experimental notes that a certain young master from the Morton family might possess clues to the 【Dream-Weaving Corridor】 key, he had planned his long journey without a second thought.

Clues regarding this special item were far too scarce; even the slightest possibility should not be missed.

To be honest, if his own strength hadn't been lacking, he would likely already be on his way to the Morton family ancestral home in the Nianshu Territory.

For 99.99% of adventurers on the Aifala Dalu, the temptation of a special item like the 【Dream-Weaving Corridor】, which could rapidly increase combat technique proficiency, was absolutely irresistible.

Xia Nan was no exception.

But what he hadn't expected was this.

Before even half the journey was completed, and while the key existed only in his expectations,

an unexpected surprise had crashed into him, just like the large truck that had sent him to this other world.

The 0.0003% energy was merely a primer.

What truly caused the emotional turbulence in Xia Nan's heart was what Huolake had mentioned—something that might exist around Yangjiao Town...

A mine!

—A Secret Realm!

If a pure gemstone the size of a fingernail could provide 0.0003% charge to the 【Dream-Weaving Corridor】, Xia Nan dared not imagine what an entire vein would do...

It might even be enough to max out his lv3 【Gravity Etching】.

Thoughts flew through his mind.

Yet, in reality, Xia Nan subconsciously glanced at the 【Dream-Weaving Corridor】 silver ring on the ring finger of his right hand.

Seeing it still resting quietly on his knuckle as it always had, without any strange activity caused by the absorption of that 0.0003% energy;

the gem pinched between his fingertips still refracted a faint light under the dim glow from the window, its surface unchanged.

Xia Nan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As a key item second in importance only to his "Attribute Panel," he did not want to inexplicably attract the attention of others due to some special circumstances.

It was unclear when it started, but the air in the room had become quiet once again.

Huolake's abnormal behavior allowed the two members of the Black Wood Squad to instantly confirm the hypothesis Xia Nan had proposed to them earlier.

Knowing how difficult it was to deal with things that subtly influenced will and cognition, Margaret nearly jumped up the moment she received confirmation.

The powerful explosive force of a lv4 【Swordsman】 was vividly displayed in an instant.

Before the stool she had been sitting on could even fully tip over, the agile female swordsman had already dragged her braid and retreated rapidly to the doorway.

On the other side, prompted by Margaret, the dwarf Suoerding, who suddenly realized the direness of the situation, was now squatting in the corner of the room, his sturdy, short body looking like a tree stump, with his large, fan-like hands firmly covering his eyes, not daring to look again.

For a moment, of the three veteran adventurers at the table who had already attained professional levels, only Xia Nan remained sitting in his original spot.

"Xia Nan! Are you alright?"

Margaret's voice, filled with deep anxiety, rang out behind Xia Nan, worried that he had already been affected by the gem.

To reassure his teammate, Xia Nan placed the gem in his palm and tossed it casually, like a coin.

Then, without a hint of reluctance, he placed the gem back on the table with a soft "tap," even pushing it toward Huolake on the other side of the table to signal that he had finished his inspection and it could be taken back.

However, what happened next was unexpected.

Huolake, the merchant who had been incredibly anxious the moment the gem left his hand, staring at it as if it would vanish into thin air if it left his sight for even a second,

now showed no reaction at all to Xia Nan's action of returning the pastel gem.

Instead, he stood there with an indescribable expression—a mix of blankness and deep confusion—staring blankly at the gem pushed back onto the table in front of him.

He didn't even notice that the small jewelry box he had been clutching tightly in his palm had fallen to the floor.

"Hmm... did I see wrong just now?"

"Looking at it now, it seems to just be an ordinary gem of decent quality."

"How strange. Could it have been my imagination?"

Nearby, the dwarf squatting in the corner of the room separated his thick, short-radish-like fingers from his face, revealing his eyes, which were full of bewilderment, and muttered to himself.

Huolake's behavior and the dwarf's muttering made Xia Nan realize something.

When he looked carefully at the pastel gem again, its dazzling appearance, which in his memory had seemed like condensed brilliance, had truly dissipated without a sound.

All that remained was an ordinary pink gem the size of a fingernail.

"Could it be..."

Xia Nan already had a hypothesis in his heart.

He reached out, took the gem in his hand, palm facing up, and took the initiative to hand it back to Huolake on the other side of the table.

"Why are you still stunned? Why don't you take it back?"

"Don't want it anymore?"

Xia Nan said to the merchant with a hint of undetectable probing.

"No... I don't know..." Huolake, dazed, took the gem from Xia Nan's hand, but instead of rushing to put it back in the jewelry box, he pinched it between his fingertips and examined it carefully against the sunset glow outside the window.

The expression on his face gave one the feeling of, "I traveled all this way just for this?" and "What on earth was I thinking at the time!?"

At this point, seeing the reactions of the others, Xia Nan was 80% certain. ===== CHAPTER 353 =====