Chapter 27
The uncle who owned the stall grew increasingly anxious as he observed the shocked expression on Ray's face. Despite further inquiries, Ray remained silent, squinting at the pearl in his hand. The stall owner's anxiety intensified, but seeing the serious look on Ray's face, he refrained from speaking out.
After some time, Ray finally finished examining the pearl. However, the expression he displayed was far from pleasant as he shook his head and sighed helplessly. The stall owner's uncle felt displeased upon witnessing this reaction, although the pearl had been sitting in his stall for quite a while.
What bothered him wasn't the fact that the item remained unsold, but rather the annoyance that arose when customers inquired about it without any intention to purchase. Wasn't it all just empty talk?
Despite his inner irritation, the stall owner continued to observe Ray closely. As the uncle regained his composure, a sudden realization struck him.
"Is this kid playing tricks on me?" he thought.
The uncle began recalling Ray's previous behavior, and the more he pondered, the more convinced he became.
"Yes, how could he react with surprise and then display such an unpleasant expression so openly in front of me? Is this merely a charade to negotiate a lower price?" the stall owner's uncle mused to himself.
With this revelation, a mocking smile formed in the uncle's heart.
"Hey, young man, you think you can deceive my experienced eyes? Don't even try. I'll make you regret it," the uncle sneered inwardly.
"Okay, young man, what do you think of that pearl? Isn't it nice?" the uncle asked with excitement.
Ray, who heard the question, could only respond weakly, "Ah, uncle, the pearl is beautiful, but I don't think I can take it."
Observing Ray's overly contrived demeanor, the uncle became even more convinced. He couldn't help but mock Ray internally for being too clever for his good.
"Sure, it's no problem. There will always be someone who wants to buy those pearls in the future," the uncle replied, looking forward to seeing Ray's regretful expression.
"Ah, yes, okay, uncle. I came here to buy the 223X alloy metal," Ray said.
The uncle, who had been smugly mocking Ray in his mind, suddenly froze.
"Uh, the price for that... Umm, what did you say?" the dumbfounded uncle asked.
"I need the alloy 223X," Ray repeated.
Hearing this clearly, the uncle couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"Alright, just wait a moment," the stall owner's uncle said, getting up and searching the area.
After a while, the uncle returned with a metal object resembling an airplane wing.
"Here it is, the broken wing of a drone. If you melt it at a boiling point of 500 degrees, it will become the new 223X alloy metal," the uncle explained.
Ray picked up the drone's wing and began inspecting it closely. As he examined the wing, he occasionally noticed white pearls embedded within it, a detail that caught the stall owner's uncle's attention.
Once Ray finished his inspection, he seemed satisfied with the damaged plane wing. Based on the descriptions he had read online, the wing he held in his hand was indeed the 223X alloy.
"Okay, uncle, how much is this?"
"It's 50 value units per kilogram. The wings weigh approximately 3.5 kilograms. Just give me 170 value units for it."
Upon hearing this, Ray was naturally satisfied with the price offered by the other party. He took the money and paid immediately.
"Okay, uncle, thank you. I'll be going now," Ray said as he walked out, but he couldn't help glancing at the precious pearl subconsciously.
Observing Ray's gaze, the shop owner's uncle could no longer remain silent.
"Hey, young man..."
"Yes, what's the matter, uncle? Is there something wrong?" Ray asked.
"No, no. Honestly, I noticed that you seem interested in this pearl from time to time. Isn't it a beautiful pearl? Why don't you buy it?" the uncle asked, feeling a lump in his heart.
"Oh, these pearls? Actually, after looking around, I have no idea what they're made of or their purpose. They just look pretty, and I thought of giving one to my little sister at home. But when I heard the price is so high for something that seems to have no practical value, I naturally couldn't buy it," Ray explained honestly.
Upon hearing this, the stall owner's uncle felt conflicted. He didn't believe what the young man in front of him said, but he still wanted to sell the pearl. After all, maintaining cash flow is crucial for running the kiosk safely, and idle inventory is not favorable for a small businessman like him.
With that in mind, the stall owner's uncle began persuading Ray to buy the pearl, appealing to his desire to please his sister. Despite Ray's hesitance, he remained firm in his stance and didn't easily agree to the price offered.
In the end, the stall owner's uncle gritted his teeth and sold the beautiful pearl for 50 value units.
Ray, who heard this, felt a little excited in his heart. However, he still had to put on an act of reluctantly giving his money to the shop owner's uncle, making the other party almost overjoyed.
"Hasn't he already reduced the price so much? Especially considering that this kid didn't even like it!" the shop owner exclaimed inwardly.
...
Back at home, Ray attempted to absorb the 223X material. After an hour of absorbing and using it, his index finger bone was perfectly coated in metal. He took out a tree trunk from his storage ring and immediately pierced it with his index finger.
During the piercing process, no disturbing sounds emerged, perhaps only a faint smacking sound, so as not to worry anyone at home.
However, after a while, a pitiful scream escaped Ray's mouth.
"Agh!"
Feeling the intense pain, Ray quickly released his index finger that was stuck in the tree trunk. It took some effort, but eventually, a finger covered in blood appeared before him.
Seeing the severity of the wound, Ray swiftly bandaged it and drank a healing potion to speed up his recovery. Fortunately, he managed to suppress any screams to avoid causing worry among the people in the house. He didn't want to endure another lecture for his foolish actions.
Once Ray calmed down, he cursed himself for his carelessness. After all, it was only his bones that had been strengthened, while his flesh and blood remained the same. It was logical that the flesh couldn't withstand the newfound strength of his bones. Ray also noticed small cracks between the reinforced bones and his old bones, indicating that his old bones were not strong enough to endure the impact of his new abilities. This meant that during future fights, there was a high possibility of losing his finger.
Contemplating his mistake, Ray sighed and resolved to be more thorough in the future. He realized that not everything that appeared good would necessarily be beneficial.
Pushing aside his worries, Ray shifted his attention to the milky white pearl now in his hand. Its presence at the stall had surprised him, not because of its value, but because it could be absorbed using his [D rank Iron Bone] passive ability. It was a rather fortunate coincidence.
Although Ray was initially surprised by this discovery, he didn't give it much thought afterward. He had many other materials to absorb and didn't want to waste money on gambling. Additionally, he abandoned the idea of absorbing the pearl because he knew nothing about it. What if the absorbed materials contained substances that were harmful to his body? He had been searching for the safest materials to enhance his body, and the 223X alloy was commonly used by the general public.
While the body would adjust when the passive ability was activated, what if the absorbed material turned out to be so toxic that it worsened his condition before his body could fully adapt? Losing his hands instead of gaining an advantage would be a devastating outcome.
However, as Ray continued to glance at the pearl, his curiosity grew stronger, leading him to purchase the pearls to satisfy his burning curiosity. For some reason, he felt lucky to have bought them, even though he couldn't explain why.
While still admiring the beautiful pearl, Ray suddenly recalled something.
"Oh, how could I forget? Shouldn't I try scanning it with the Tesseract? If that doesn't yield any results, I can always search for relevant information later."
With that in mind, Ray scanned the pearl using the Tesseract in his sea of consciousness.