Coming from a 'capitalist' background, Mira Tsubakihara fully understood the concept of investment. Yet to her, Luo Shu's current so-called 'investment' felt more like 'sophistry'.
While there might be genuine hope for gaining benefits from abilities, Mira suspected Luo Shu coveted more than just abilities.
After glancing up at Luo Shu, Mira picked up the 'Observer's Dust' that had appeared on the table. After a moment's thought, a glass of water materialised in her other hand.
When it came to providing ordinary items, the base's system functioned like an omnipotent sprite, capable of supplying nearly every convenience of modern living - provided the item's value didn't exceed 1 point.
Fully aware of this, Luo Shu showed no surprise at Mira conjuring the glass.
By now, Mira had already poured the dust into the water. Under Luo Shu's watchful gaze, she swirled the mixture, then closed her eyes and drank it down like bitter medicine.
From his seat opposite, Luo Shu could clearly see the movement of Mira's throat as she swallowed. He watched her consume the Observer's Dust, waited five or six seconds, then asked:
"Well?"
Mira frowned, appearing slightly uncomfortable. "I don't feel much difference... Hmm, perhaps it needs something appropriate to trigger it."
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately spent 300 points to exchange for a counterfeit 'Demon Heart' from the system, placing it before Mira:
"Take a look at this."
"'Demon Heart'?"
Mira gave Luo Shu a puzzled look before picking up the ring he'd placed before her. Squinting at it, she suddenly froze:
"Eh? Why do I feel like... given enough time and materials, I could actually make a 'Demon Heart'..."
This discovery shocked Mira, yet the intuition felt overwhelmingly strong. She could now clearly 'see' the exact materials needed to craft a Demon Heart.
'10ml of diluted Succubus blood'... '3 carats of ruby'... '30 grams of mercury'... As Mira mentally listed the materials - even deducing precise quantities - she looked up at Luo Shu in stunned silence:
"I suddenly feel like I might lose my home."
In that moment, Mira realised how significantly her ability could boost the 'family business' - and simultaneously recognised the risks this power entailed.
Though she trusted her family, she trusted their 'capitalist instincts' even more. She understood that familial bonds were the last thing in this world she could afford to gamble with.
If her family discovered she could now replicate Abyss Artefacts like the 'Demon Heart', even her doting grandfather might be unable to suppress the rest of the clan's pursuit of 'profit'.
Hearing Mira Tsubakihara say she was 'about to lose her home', Luo Shu froze for a moment before guessing the worries in her heart.
Facing this situation for the first time, Luo Shu didn't know how to comfort her and could only repeat himself like a broken record:
"If confidentiality is handled well, you shouldn't need to worry too much."
After saying this, Luo Shu himself felt it lacked persuasiveness, so he added:
"This ring isn't actually the Demon Heart, but a counterfeit I obtained. It costs about one two-hundredth of the original, and its abilities are severely degraded. So the scenario you're worried about most likely won't happen now."
On this point, Luo Shu wasn't lying—it was the system's internal pricing.
There was clearly a vast difference in ability between alchemists who crafted Elite Rank artefacts and those who made shoddy imitations.
So while Mira Tsubakihara's concerns still existed, the risks weren't as enormous as she imagined.
"A counterfeit?"
Mira Tsubakihara was startled, then carefully examined the ring in her hand. Based on the materials, she deduced its effects and said in surprise:
"Limited to charming living beings, only one target at a time, with just one command that lasts five minutes... ineffective against those with strong mental resistance or extreme unwillingness to obey... It really is an inferior product."
Recalling the 'Demon Heart' she had encountered yesterday, Mira Tsubakihara keenly recognised the difference.
Even now, with her awakened abilities, she wouldn't know how to resist the genuine article. But with this counterfeit, she felt she could shatter its commands with her mental power at any moment. Moreover, her mental power seemed to be growing rapidly, far from reaching the lower limit of a 'normal state'.
Realising this, Mira Tsubakihara let out a sigh of relief.
"It seems I was overthinking things."
While Mira Tsubakihara had been observing, Luo Shu, sitting across from her, could clearly see faint indigo patterns flickering in her pupils when she concentrated.
Was this the activation of the subordinate ability of 'Analysis'? Luo Shu wondered, glancing at the system notifications.
[Familia Mira Tsubakihara has acquired the Common Rank ability 'Observation'.]
[Familia Mira Tsubakihara's talents have been supplemented. Common Rank abilities 'Observation', 'Enhanced Comprehension', and 'Dexterous Hands' form a stable framework. Has acquired the Excellent Rank ability 'Artefact Crafting'.]
Seeing this, Luo Shu immediately understood Mira Tsubakihara's current state and deduced that she must have also advanced in rank.
Based on the three Excellent Rank abilities he had obtained yesterday, which elevated his individual Authority to 'Excellent', Mira Tsubakihara's current Authority should be at the 'Common' level.
Of course, this 'Common' wasn't the common of ordinary people, but rather the 'Common' of those who had stepped into the realm of ability-users—a tier above the unevaluated general populace.
'Still, three Common abilities can combine into an Excellent ability, but three Elite abilities still form the Elite Rank Alchemy... Is it because the Hero stage is special? A further evolution of life?'
'So the reason my three Excellent abilities aren't combined into one stronger ability is because they lack synergy?'
As Luo Shu pondered this, Mira Tsubakihara had already removed the ring and placed it back on the table, saying:
"Luo Shu-kun, are you planning to submit this replica to SDS?"
Luo Shu shook his head in denial: "No, Chief Tachibana didn't request its submission. She asked me to keep and use it. This replica is just for inspection purposes."
"Let you keep and use it?" Mira blinked in surprise before realisation dawned on her face. "Keeping an Abyss Artefact within SDS? It seems Chief Tachibana intends to help her friend climb higher in the Zeus Industrial Group."
Luo Shu merely listened and noted the power struggles between major arms dealers. If this dragged him into serious trouble, he'd immediately fake his death and flee, or switch allegiances to Miss Mira's side.
Ultimately, he'd joined SDS only to navigate his initial unfamiliarity with this world - not to risk his life for someone else's benefit.
Of course, taking advantage and then slipping away was rather two-faced behaviour. But contributing labour wasn't the same as sacrificing his life - Luo Shu's life wasn't that cheap.
Thus, 'slacking at work' and 'being ordinary among elites' would become his new 'labels' within SDS.
For someone with these labels, powerful Abyss Artefacts were naturally unnecessary. The replica 'Demon Heart' was precisely adequate:
"So, do you think this could fool Zeus Industrial's research team?"
Though Mira had only just gained her abilities, Luo Shu wouldn't underestimate their power. Naturally, he sought the opinion of the newly minted 'artefact expert', Miss Mira Tsubakihara.
After consideration, Mira responded.
Though she didn't handle Abyss Artefacts in her family business, her aunt, who oversaw such matters, had taught her basic knowledge to recognise dangerous items.
This made Mira's understanding of Abyss Artefacts superior to that of anyone else in the Astronomy Club.
"From what I know, current technology can't fully analyse an Abyss Artefact's composition. Especially powerful ones. Even if they extract considerable data, they wouldn't believe it represents the complete picture."
"So barring accidents, Zeus Industrial's experts likely won't detect anything amiss. Even if they notice something, they'll assume the Demon Heart is simply like this."
"Meaning it's completely safe, right!"
As he spoke, Luo Shu picked up the 'replica' from the table, lightly tossed it into the air, caught it, and smiled:
"In that case, things just got simpler."