"I was just about to say," Zheng Qing said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "some strategic props, the Special Warfare Bureau is not going to trade them, and the 'Nine Heavens Thunder Liquid' is not enough for an exchange."
"So, are you saying that the props here are neither strategic nor particularly valuable?" Li Qianxia asked.
"That's right."
There were not many props, just nine, but considering they were S-level, that was quite a few; the Special Warfare Bureau probably didn't have as many as twenty in total.
The three of them began to make their selections seriously.
Since Turquoise Pool was there to help and it was her obligation, the stronger the special effects of her teammates' props, the safer she would be (the difficulty of the instance was equivalent to the player's strength, but the same S-level prop with different special effects required different handling methods, which decided whether it was safe or not).
The power of S-level props was undoubtedly immense, though they were all "inferior goods" that the Special Warfare Bureau had put up for grabs, the three of them couldn't make up their minds for a while.
"I really want to take them all!" Li Qianxia stared at a prop named 'Dawn Mirror'.
[Name: Dawn Mirror]
[Type: Prop]
[Quality: S-]
[Special Effect: Become your former self]
[Minimum Use Conditions: Life form; Ability over one thousand (Human Immortal); Charm of at least eight points; Nobly born]
[Introduction: 1, When looking into the mirror, you can save your current self. Every morning or dusk when looking into the mirror (based on Earth's Xia City sunrise time), you can retrieve the saved version of yourself;
2, A single save can last for 500 years and can only be retrieved once;
3, After retrieving yourself, everything including memory, lifespan, ability, and appearance will revert to the state it was when saved;
4, The same state cannot be saved repeatedly; there must be at least a thirty-minute interval;
5, You can only save three states at a time, which can be of the same life form or three different life forms (Note: Life forms must meet the minimum use conditions);
6, Saving consumes 1000 points of ability, retrieving does not consume ability]
[Note: Worried about your changing looks? Try the Dawn Mirror.]
"If it weren't for the strict usage conditions, this prop would probably be 'strategic' as well," Turquoise Pool said with a laugh.
What would it mean to have the 'Dawn Mirror'?
For example, a high-ranking official who is now sixty years old, when he becomes ninety, could look into the mirror and become sixty again; waiting thirty minutes, he could save his state once more.
Assuming he doesn't use any means to extend his life in this period, for the next thirty years, every thirty minutes would be like another thirty years for him. How long could he live?
525,600 years.
Over half a million years!
And that's just a regular person using this prop, a sixty-year-old who is not considering scientific advancements or taking any life-extending drugs.
If a player had this prop, the margin of error in instances would significantly increase. If Li Changzhou had had this prop before, he'd already be back in the saddle by now.
Speaking of which, a lecher with this prop wouldn't have to worry about physical incapabilities (those already impotent would indeed still be so).
Giving it to a lecher would be a pure waste; if this prop were to be used on a regular person, it should be for scientific research, like repeatedly dealing with (treating) cancer patients, for example.
"Do you like this one?" Li Changzhou asked Li Qianxia.
"Hmm—" Li Qianxia was very conflicted, "Let me keep looking."
She flipped two pages back in the booklet. It seemed that among the nine props, she was hesitating between this 'Candle' and the 'Dawn Mirror'.
[Name: Candle]
[Type: Prop]
[Quality: S-]
[Special Effect: Absolute Protection]
[Minimum Use Conditions: Ability above two thousand (First-class Human Immortal)]
[Introduction: 1, Once lit, the life form or object within the candle's glow is absolutely safe until the candle burns out;
2, Lighting the candle consumes at least two thousand ability; the more ability used to light it, the slower the candle burns;
3, The stronger the attack received, the faster the candle burns;
4, Once the candle has burned down, it will regenerate on the Candle, during which time it can also be lit;
5, The candle is 24 centimeters long, regenerating one centimeter per hour;
6, The range of the Candle's glow is fixed, with the candle as the center, forming a circle with a radius of 1 meter;]
[Note: When the Candle turns to ash, the tears begin to dry; I can only protect you this far, the rest of the journey is yours to make.]
Li Changzhou rapped Li Qianxia on the head.
"What for?" Li Qianxia clutched her head and glared at him.
Li Changzhou didn't choose for himself, so she chose something that could help him, whether it was the "Dawn Mirror" or the "Candle."
Li Changzhou ignored her and pointed to an item on the third page, saying, "Choose this one."
[Name: Chaos Series - Flame Butterfly]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: S-]
[Special Effect: One More Time]
[Minimum Use Conditions: Ability over two thousand (Human Immortal Grade One); Charm either 3 points or below, or 8 points or above;]
[Introduction: 1. When the Flame Butterfly flaps its wings once, you can reset your status to before the current battle began;
2. In each battle, the Flame Butterfly can only flap its wings once;
3. The Flame Butterfly can only flap its wings three times a month, with the count resetting at the end of each month on Earth;
4. The Flame Butterfly cannot be destroyed by any items or skills outside of the 'Chaos Series';
5. If the Flame Butterfly is destroyed, it can be reignited using a Chaos Spark;
6. When the Flame Butterfly flaps its wings, the player incurs no cost;]
[Note: Every person is a butterfly who can stir up a storm on the other side of the planet with a single flap of their wings, and you, will become the most special one on the battlefield.]
"For you?" Li Qianxia asked.
Li Changzhou's right hand, which was pinching the booklet, snapped out like a spring, flicking her forehead.
With Li Changzhou's current physical condition, Li Qianxia was no longer at the level of being able 'to dodge with her eyes closed,' but she was still hit.
Li Qianxia rubbed her brow and said to Zheng Qing, "My brother says this one so, this one it is."
"Confirmed?" Zheng Qing asked.
"Confirmed?" Li Qianxia turned her head and asked Li Changzhou.
"Confirmed," Li Changzhou said.
Zheng Qing nodded slightly, and a cylindrical column rose from the empty ground. On the bottom surface above the column, there was a flame-colored butterfly on display.
From a distance, the butterfly looked like a small ball of fierce flames, but up close, one could see its exquisitely beautiful structure, as surreal as it was lovely.
"Just drop blood onto it, and as long as you meet the minimum use conditions, you can activate it."
"Don't use my blood," Li Changzhou warned his sister.
The Blood Pearl was his blood, too.
"In your dreams, you think everything is about you?" Li Qianxia walked forward and dropped a bead of blood from her fingertip onto it.
As the blood fell, the wings of the Flame Butterfly trembled and flapped once, coming to life from stillness, igniting like real flames.
The Flame Butterfly danced gracefully, scattering sparks like dots of light. It circled Li Qianxia twice before disappearing onto her shoulder.
It would appear only when it was needed to flap its wings.
"What are you picking for Qing Lan?" Zheng Qing asked Li Changzhou.
"The 'Candle,'" Li Changzhou replied.
Lighting this item once would consume 2000 points of ability. If it were Yang Qinglan, it would use up all of her ability in one go, turning her back into an ordinary proprietor of the Qing Lan bookstore.
But paired with Li Qianxia's Flame Butterfly, in a battle with no chances of winning, it could be ignited without cost (once Li Qianxia ignited it, she could return to her previous state).
In a critical moment, Li Changzhou, Yang Qinglan, and Turquoise Pool could also ignite it without regard for mana, as long as they could buy some time. Together with Li Changzhou's "Teleportation," the four of them would almost never be trapped in a situation with no way out.
Moreover, this item was useful not just at the Human Immortal stage but would remain useful in the future, as long as they increased the ability consumption for lighting it.
If it wasn't for the too small range of the light and too harsh conditions for ignition, this would definitely be another 'strategic' item.
With Yang Qinglan's personality, if she were choosing herself, she would pick this item too.
Li Changzhou had a little thought of his own—as the Candle burns to ash and the tears dry up, in giving the 'Candle' to Yang Qinglan, he signified his intention to guard her until he turns to ashes.
As for his sister, a woman who would fall in love after three million years, he'd give her everything he could - whether she lived or died was up to her.
Another similar column rose from the ground, with the 'Candle' on top, a white candle like jade, intricately carved with complex patterns, very exquisite.
"Not bad, not bad," Turquoise Pool was very satisfied, having yet another item that could protect her without spending any money.
She said this out loud, but inwardly she was considering how to improve herself because if she relied entirely on Li Changzhou and the others, wouldn't she become a burden?
Li Changzhou took away the 'Candle' and immediately threw it into the Honey Jar World, sending it to Yang Qinglan's hands.