Ghost Amber (3)

Among current ink-blending materials, most were graded based on the energy they contained and the card ink they could produce. For example, five-star card ink required a five-star material as its primary ingredient combined with other substances; if the highest-grade material was only four-star, it was impossible to blend five-star card ink. However, there were one hundred types of materials that fell outside this rule, known as S-grade materials.

In short, S-grade materials were ungraded. This was because with the same S-grade material, a five-star ink-blending master could blend five-star card ink, while an eight-star master could blend eight-star card ink without needing eight-star materials. If a nine-star master truly existed, nine-star card ink would no longer be a myth. Furthermore, if a card maker used ink blended from S-grade materials (known as S-grade card ink) to craft cards, the success rate would be incredibly high. Even for a seven-star card maker crafting a seven-star card, where the average success rate was only about twenty percent, using S-grade card ink could boost it to eighty percent—an astonishing figure. However, these materials were terrifyingly rare, even scarcer than nine-star materials, so their prices were astronomical, far beyond what ordinary people or even six-star and seven-star experts could imagine.

One of those S-grade materials was the Astral Butterfly Amber. True to its name, it was a butterfly fossilized in amber, but not just any ordinary butterfly—it was an Astral Butterfly, an ancient species. The Astral Butterfly was only about the size of a bottle cap, possessing seven wings with seven different colors. According to scientists, the Astral Butterfly had gone extinct sixty-five million years ago, yet inside the amber fossil, it retained its original colors. Most remarkably, it maintained an extremely stable spiritual wave field covering a range of one to two meters around the amber. Although it was unclear how this spiritual wave field survived for so long, the benefits it brought were undeniable. Simply remaining within its range would accelerate the cultivation speed of spiritual force, while also dispelling fatigue and other negative states. Setting aside ink blending, this effect alone made the Astral Butterfly Amber an invaluable treasure.

However, that was only when the Astral Butterfly was fossilized alive. If it died before being covered by tree resin to form amber, the entire block of amber would turn gray, and people called such amber "Ghost Amber." Unlike the Astral Butterfly Amber, Ghost Amber was no longer an ink-blending material, but a piece of waste. There was no combination or ratio that could blend card ink from Ghost Amber. It still possessed a spiritual wave field, but anyone within its range would have their spiritual force rapidly eroded, even seven-star or eight-star experts (though the effect on them was minor), making it a highly dangerous object. No one wanted to buy or keep Ghost Amber, so its price was only equivalent to a common three-star material.

Before Song Lin was indeed Ghost Amber, and due to its spiritual wave field, no one could get close. Although no one wanted to buy this dangerous item, the Association still brought it to display at each branch for a day, as it was highly rare and possessed great reference value.

But Song Lin didn't just want to look; he wanted to buy it. This was because he had memorized the old book and knew a method to blend high-grade card ink from this waste material. To others, Ghost Amber was just a curiosity, but to him, it was a treasure that could be encountered but not sought. It was also a stroke of luck; if the material had been Astral Butterfly Amber instead of Ghost Amber, he wouldn't have been able to afford it even if he came across it.

However, while Ghost Amber wasn't expensive, the accompanying item, the Baiyuan Box, was by no means cheap. Baiyuan was a naturally occurring lead alloy with an extremely strong ability to isolate spiritual force, making it specialized for holding spiritual-attribute materials. Although it could be refined with current metallurgical technology, the cost remained high, equivalent to a common four-star material. Song Lin could still afford a four-star material, but it would be a significant dent in his current budget. However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he couldn't afford to pass it up.

Making a quick decision, Song Lin walked over to the transaction counter. When he held the box containing the Ghost Amber under the gazes of everyone looking at him as if he were a madman, he could hardly believe it himself. A rare item of this caliber had actually fallen into his hands. Although he couldn't use it yet, it would be essential in the future. However, he also discovered a problem: the Baiyuan Box could not completely isolate the spiritual wave field of the Ghost Amber; it could only weaken it by ninety-five percent. The remaining five percent still constantly eroded his spiritual force. At this rate, in just half a day, his spiritual force would be completely depleted. If he opened the box, he couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be. It was best to keep this item far away until his spiritual force was strong enough to withstand it; it was simply too dangerous.

The class quickly came to an end, and by nearly four in the afternoon, Song Lin boarded a flying car to return home. He didn't want to stay near this thing any longer. In just a few hours, more than half of his spiritual force had been consumed, and that was with him sitting a meter away from the Ghost Amber.

After driving for about twenty minutes, the car suddenly veered into a deserted side street. On both sides of the road, there wasn't a single building taller than a hundred stories, only dilapidated old apartment complexes. Only occasionally did a few people pass by, all dressed in faded clothes. It was extremely rare to see anyone with a card device on their wrist, and even then, it was the cheapest, oldest model—bulky and with only two slots.

With just a glance, Song Lin knew where he was. There was no area in Chaihe City more squalid than the poor district, also known as the slums.

Although Song Lin's life had been difficult before, at least he had a house and could work to make a living. But the people in the slums were different; they were unemployed and homeless, and the government housed them in these apartments. Don't be fooled by how deserted the place looked; in reality, it was incredibly crowded. At least ten people shared a single apartment room, making it extremely cramped. During the day, they all worked labor jobs for the government, so almost no one was home.

The slums were located on the edge of District A but did not border District B, so Song Lin's usual route did not pass through this area. The flying car entering this place puzzled him, but he didn't say anything. If the driver took a detour, it would only cost the driver money, as he already knew the exact distance of the trip and had agreed on it with the driver beforehand.