"Stop the nonsense, Sophia! "
"What are you talking about, .....,fighting for power? "
"We are one family, we should unite and live in harmony," Fourth Mistress Evelyn scolded her daughter gently.
She worried Eddie might act impulsively, perhaps out of resentment, and contract the Five Elemental Puppet Mice.
Stepping forward, she placed her hand reassuringly on Eddie's shoulder, "Eddie, let's just keep it for now. We'll study it carefully and understand its use before contracting it later. It's not too late to make a decision then.
Uncle Zhong, please relay to the head of the family that both the Fourth Mistress and Eddie are grateful for the family's gift. When Eddie makes his mark, he will certainly repay the family's nurturing with interest."
After hearing Evelyn's words, the servant Uncle Zhong bowed his head and respectfully presented a special gold-edged and silver-patterned promissory note stamped with a distinctive seal.
This is the financial support granted by the Yue family to each member who successfully contracts a Totem. With this promissory note, Eddie can redeem a hundred gold in any major city within the country's borders.
One hundred gold is not a small sum. Naturally, Eddie wouldn't refuse and accepted it. Sophia watched with a slight sense of injustice.
She knew that while everyone nominally received a hundred gold for support, members from the primary and secondary branches often received one hundred fifty or even two hundred gold.
Even for herself, it was one hundred twenty. Now, for Eddie, why was it only the bare minimum of one hundred gold? Clearly, this was a sign of disrespect.
"Don't be upset, Sophia. Receiving a hundred gold is already quite good," Eddie reassured her, feeling that being an impostor and still receiving money was a pretty good deal already!
Considering the Yue family's disregard for Fourth Mistress Evelyn, not appreciating such a kind and virtuous daughter-in-law, Eddie resolved to bolster his own strength.
He vowed to bring Evelyn back to the Yue family estate in a grand fashion, stepping firmly on those arrogant relatives to vindicate her honor as a daughter-in-law of the Fourth Branch.
Although he was not truly the unfortunate son of the family, he was indeed enjoying all the love she poured out for him. He might not express it, but deep down, Eddie harbored plans to avenge her.
After the old servant Uncle Zhong departed, Sophia repeatedly admonished Eddie not to contract the Five Elemental Scout Mice, as it would be a waste of the precious pages of the Bronze Totem. Eddie outwardly nodded, but inwardly, he was amused.
How could the Five Elemental Scout Mice, one of the most incredible inventions of the genius inventor Yue Gong, be worthless?
These mice could combine into one entity, occupying just one page in the Totem, but only those unaware of their summoning secrets would consider them five separate entities — a most foolish and laughable misunderstanding!
In reality, they were not called Five Elemental Puppet Mice. Their original name was 'Quintessential Elemental Scout Mice', possessing an extraordinary ability to detect various ores, energy items, mechanical traps, force fields, and so forth.
For instance, if there was a gold mine within a hundred yards, they would sniff it out instantly. If there were hidden treasures or buried divine artifacts, they would detect them right away.
Most importantly, these Scout Mice were versatile across all terrains. No matter the environment — be it a fiery river or a chilling glacial valley — each of the quintessential elements, gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, had a corresponding Scout Mouse that could navigate effortlessly.
As level one puppet beasts, they lacked combat prowess and vitality, making them virtually immune to attacks in the territories of powerful beasts.
Eddie knew he had stumbled upon an underestimated treasure. While everyone else saw them as nuisances, he was ready to tap into their true potential and uncover the riches and secrets they were uniquely qualified to find.
Indeed, these Quintessential Elemental Scout Mice were veritable treasures, combining detection and treasure hunting capabilities.
Even if used in combat, they could unveil hidden traps and force fields on the battlefield.
If such remarkable capabilities weren't lauded, would the ingenious inventor Yue Gong have treasured them so dearly? Eddie marveled at how future generations had overlooked their value, relegating these miraculous creatures to the status of worthless trash.
Eddie, now privy to this secret, had no intention of sharing. He simply smiled and nodded to Fourth Mistress Evelyn and Sophia, feigning compliance with their advice not to contract the Scout Mice. But as soon as they left, he eagerly contracted them.
A burst of golden light illuminated the room, and five enchanting, differently colored mechanical mice materialized on the fourth page of his Bronze Totem, surrounded by an intricate diagram of interwoven elemental symbols.
"Let's uncover any hidden treasures nearby!" Eddie thought, delighted to find that all five mechanical mice could be simultaneously summoned without restrictions.
As they materialized, their jewel-like eyes sparkled, and they scurried towards the same spot, chirping animatedly. A magical line of text then appeared on the blank space of the fourth page of his Bronze Totem: 'Minor quantity of gold detected; substantial energy stored in jade-like items discovered.'
Eddie couldn't contain his excitement and leapt up joyfully. He had long suspected that the unfortunate man who had drowned himself had left some belongings behind, as his room had been devoid of money or valuables.
Surely, the man wouldn't have taken all his wealth to his watery grave? There must be something hidden, but despite searching for weeks, Eddie had found nothing.
Now, with the Quintessential Elemental Scout Mice in action, the hiding place was revealed.
Even more thrilling was their ability to roughly estimate the quantity and function of the items, demonstrating that their capabilities were far more extensive than simply locating hidden treasures.
With these five little helpers, Eddie's future treasure hunts would be significantly smoother! He unearthed a wooden box hidden beneath the floor tiles and discovered, indeed, all the 'inheritance' left behind by the tragic man.
Fifteen gold coins, sixty-two silver coins, and hundreds of coppers tucked into a small leather bag. Apart from the man's childhood wooden toys, clothes from his youth, and two diaries left by his parents, there was also an unremarkable, dull black jade necklace.
Had the Quintessential Elemental Scout Mice not detected substantial energy in the jade necklace, Eddie might have overlooked it as a mere trinket.
Even his special talent, Insightful Eyes, couldn't penetrate the secret of this seemingly mundane necklace.
"This must have been a precious gift from the unfortunate man's parents. Poor guy, he passed away too early to learn its worth and ended up treating it like junk," Eddie mused as he slipped the necklace around his neck.
It was an immediate fit, as if it was meant for him all along. He pocketed the gold coins and decided to rebury the wooden toys and childhood clothes.
Flipping through the diaries, Eddie sensed there was more to them than the loving memories penned down by grieving parents. The diaries likely contained crucial information written in invisible ink or some other secretive method.
Unfortunately, his Insightful Eyes weren't advanced enough to decipher it. "Thank you, kind souls. I'll treasure these dearly," Eddie whispered to the empty room, fully embracing his new identity.
Feeling especially content after claiming his newfound wealth, Eddie drifted into a peaceful sleep. That night, the enigmatic Sword Spirit Elder Sister, who had haunted his dreams for days, miraculously appeared once more.