Chapter 352: Bracelet and Key

Once the squirrels and Bond Cui Qian had scattered, Luo De pried open the pile of greeting gifts.

He pulled out two items containing the 【Treasure Obsession】 guiding threads.

A rust-covered iron bracelet, stained dark red.

A brown wooden key.

【Treasure Hunting Guide Ended】

【Treasure: Rusty Ring】

【Treasure Trait: Corrosion】

【Details: The bracelet possesses potent corrosion power, usable only through direct contact by the wearer, and strongly suppresses metal and magical metal objects.】

【Treasure: Phase Key (Fixed)】

【Treasure Trait: Planar Transit】

【Details: The holder need only turn the key slightly to open a phase gate to other planes via a phase anchor.】

Warning!

This item lacks a phase anchor!

The destination plane is unknown and already fixed!】

Luo De rubbed his chin.

The 【Rusty Ring】 is good—practical in combat.

But the 【Phase Key】 is a pity.

Until a phase anchor is found, being forced to travel to an unknown plane is deadly and useless.

Just the words "unknown plane" would deter most arcane mages skilled in dimensional exploration.

In the chaotic yet boundless void between planes, even a plane of madness beyond comprehension wouldn't be surprising.

Even with Luo De's strong mental resistance, he wouldn't risk touching this thing.

Meaningless.

"Huh? Phase Key?"

Kali said, surprised.

Luo De didn't hide his inspection—he used 【Treasure Obsession】 to remove the item's seal immediately.

After all, everyone here was trustworthy.

He handed the key to the elf without hesitation, placing the 【Rusty Ring】 in her hands too.

Two items?

The elf was startled again, still unprepared to examine them.

Then she suddenly realized something and fixed Luo De with a serious gaze.

"Human, I must tell you—whether magical artifacts or naturally formed sentient treasures, they are exceedingly rare and valuable. You shouldn't expose them so casually, nor hand them over so lightly. Do you know how powerful the thieves' and bards' trick 【Switching the Beam】 is?"

"There's no one else here."

Kali had been about to scold him further, seeing him shrug dismissively.

But then she caught his gaze—his handsome, rugged face, far more masculine than the effeminate features of elven men.

"Besides, I'm giving it to you. With us like this, I could just hand it over outright."

A warm, tingling sensation spread through her chest, even her palms grew itchy.

She wanted to smile—but absolutely refused to let this dog-man see her pleased.

So she clenched her teeth hard, forcing a cold, expressionless face.

"Hmph. I don't need trinkets."

She began examining the two treasures.

The 【Rusty Ring】 was no problem—straightforward and clear.

The key issue was the 【Phase Key】.

Kali's warning matched the item's details—no need to repeat.

"I know how to craft phase anchors, but it requires several rare materials. None have appeared in the past decade—I suspect the creatures and plants used in the recipe are already extinct."

She clutched the wooden key fondly, clearly fascinated by its structure and magic.

But extinct?

That's problematic.

"Haa—"

Tally, leaning against Luo De's back, blew warm breath into his ear.

"Master forgot the cat spirit's ability~~"

Luo De's eyes lit up.

The cat spirit's unique spiritual art: Manifestation.

It had once created the body material for the cursed dragon Naulin—how much easier would it be to manifest a few simple materials?

Hmm.

Anyway, soon I'll be grafting Fei tree branches into the 【Cat Spirit Paradise】—I'll just have the witch cat do it.

Kali also has a cat spirit friend—the druid cat spirit Xiao Ju who helped with the rat-hunting squad.

She frowned and cast a spell to block eavesdropping:

"You mean Xiao Ju? How do you know cat spirits can manifest? Even if she agrees to help, one cat spirit's manifestation ability is extremely limited."

Luo De gave no direct answer.

He just smiled, urging her to wait—he'd take her to see for herself soon.

In the afternoon,

Luo De went to Selina's lab hut.

Today was the day the new batch of magic rings was ready—he needed to take them to the market zone of the Magic Control League for sale.

High-quality fake magic rings were made by only a handful across the entire continent; the Heavenly Court Flower Kingdom strictly controlled them, so he used an anonymous shop here and even bought a magic doll to serve customers.

Click—

Luo De pushed open the door.

There, the zombie Selina was squeezed into the corner by Yuna, whose spider body was slightly larger, expressionlessly igniting a flame to heat a black solution in a beaker.

She glanced at Luo De once, then returned to her work.

The room was cramped; Yuna struggled to turn and bowed to him.

"How is the new lab setup?"

The lab hut was too small and insufficiently hidden—a major problem.

So Luo De began relocating.

He quickly settled on a spot: a cave not far away.

When searching for a dwelling for the mushroom girl Scarlett, he'd explored the forest's hollows—and now it proved useful.

The soil provided natural insulation—an ideal secret chamber.

"Back to Master, the new lab is ready. Once Miss Selina finishes here, we can move."

Luo De nodded.

He walked over and patted the zombie girl's head.

Her body remained frozen at age twelve, when she became a zombie—short, her feet dangling above the chair. She was kind of cute, really.

"Selina, this month's stock? No—did you not use the hair cream I bought you? Your hair's dry and split."

【Dust Cleansing Spell】 is convenient.

But it's a crude method—harsh on hair and skin—usually only for emergencies.

Many beauty-conscious female mages stick to traditional washing.

Like Pan Ni—the ghoul girl's room is piled high with skincare products; I suspect her pocket money goes entirely to them.

"I must stay messy, to avoid being noticed by someone and dragged to bed."

Selina said, expressionless.

"You're probably overthinking it—because that someone doesn't like skinny little zombie girls, hahaha—"

Click—

Selina crushed the glass test tube in her hand; shards and broken skin scattered on the floor.

Luo De laughed, brushing the fragments from her hand:

"Just kidding. You've actually become quite cute lately. Maybe soon I'll invite you myself."

He wasn't lying.

Selina's scars had long healed; when wrapped in her robe, only her delicate, cool face showed—she was truly a lovely girl.

But clearly, she didn't care.

She scoffed a few times, too lazy to argue with the lecher.

She reached into a wooden box on the desk's corner and pulled out a tray of neatly arranged magic rings—colorful and glittering.

(End of Chapter)