Yue Shi and Zhong Mo headed downstairs and left the old residential area.
However, they didn't go home to rest. Zhong Mo said, “Let’s find a place to eat first. My treat.”
“No problem,” Yue Shi agreed.
Zhong Mo hailed a taxi by the roadside and gave the driver an address. Once inside the car, he immediately made a call to reserve a private room at a hotel.
Sitting in the back seat, waves of exhaustion washed over Yue Shi. He didn't check his newly acquired abilities for the moment, choosing instead to close his eyes and rest.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
Upon entering the hotel’s private room, Zhong Mo familiarly ordered a table full of signature dishes. He didn't forget to ask Yue Shi, “Do you want to drink?”
“No,” Yue Shi declined. He was already tired, and alcohol would only interfere with his thinking.
Once all the dishes were served, the door to the private room was closed.
Zhong Mo reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a teardrop-shaped transparent pendant, giving it a gentle shake in front of his eyes.
After a moment, he smiled and said, “Good, there’s no third party eavesdropping or spying here.”
Yue Shi raised an eyebrow. Zhong Mo was cautious, but this felt more like a subtle display of strength.
For this meal, what they ate was secondary; what they said was what mattered.
“You should have more than just two supernatural abilities, right?” Zhong Mo spoke first.
Yue Shi didn't deny it. Instead, he asked, “Are transcendents with multiple abilities rare?”
Zhong Mo shook his head. “The number of transcendents with multiple abilities isn't high, but it's not exactly rare either. It's just that...”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “Most multi-ability transcendents have some commonality between their powers. It's more like they've developed different branches based on the same fundamental power.”
“For example, if a transcendent has two abilities—say, the power to make objects burn or freeze—it might look like ice and fire. In reality, the essence is the directional manipulation of temperature. They can only control a fixed high or low temperature, which eventually manifests in two different forms.”
“Truly rare multi-ability transcendents have powers that are completely diametrical and utterly unrelated. As for what those types of transcendents represent, I'm not entirely sure myself.”
Yue Shi thought about his own abilities. Well... his situation might be even more complex.
He shifted the topic and asked, “What is ‘source’?”
Zhong Mo picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of cabbage carved into the shape of a flower, and said slowly:
“The fundamental core of all supernatural, mysterious, and unnatural powers displayed by supernatural creatures or transcendents is source. It is the root of supernatural power, the most essential underlying logic that constitutes it. No matter how miraculous or powerful your ability is, it is merely a derivation and extension of the source you possess.”
Yue Shi asked, “Transcendents have source too?”
“Of course,” Zhong Mo replied.
“Every transcendent or supernatural creature possesses their own source, though the two are fundamentally different.”
“Some supernatural creatures have human forms and look no different from normal people on the outside. However, a supernatural detector can immediately identify them by distinguishing the aura of their source.”
“As for the specific differences between a supernatural source and a transcendent source, I don't know. I only know that a transcendent source grants humans supernatural power, while a supernatural source also grants humans certain powers, but it is often accompanied by physical and mental mutation.”
Yue Shi listened intently. For a moment, it felt like he was back in high school.
“Since source is so important, can one plunder someone else's source for their own use?”
Hearing this question, Zhong Mo's hand reaching for food paused. After learning about the existence of source, the first thing this guy thought of was plundering...
That was quite a perspective.
Nevertheless, Zhong Mo explained truthfully, “Source is an abstract thing. It isn't a physical substance or an organ. You can't see it or touch it, and it can't be quantified, let alone extracted, stored, or transplanted.”
“The source is tightly integrated with the body of the transcendent or supernatural creature; they are inseparable. Even in death, it only exists within the corpse and then gradually dissipates in an incomprehensible way as time passes. It cannot be separated or collected.”
“Unless your awakened ability itself is to devour or steal source, eating a transcendent's corpse wouldn't do you any good.”
Yue Shi slowly poured a glass of orange juice and asked curiously:
“If the corpses are useless, then why does the Investigation Bureau or private organizations carefully recover the bodies every time a supernatural creature is dealt with? And as far as I know, some illegal organizations hunt transcendents to use them as experimental subjects.”
Zhong Mo remained silent for two seconds, weighing his words. “The information I just gave you is only what I know. There might be some errors in the source of that information.”
“Since the birth of supernatural creatures and transcendents in this world, countless people must have had the idea of plundering others' sources or abilities. It's possible that the people at the very top have already made countless attempts and achieved some results. But such things would be strictly confidential. No news would ever leak out, and small-timers like us wouldn't be able to touch that kind of secret.”
“However, as far as I know, the corpses of supernatural creatures do have many uses. While the source cannot be used directly, they can work around it indirectly. For instance, using supernatural corpses to extract and manufacture new types of drugs or weapons. So, the corpses are very valuable.”
Zhong Mo didn't mention what happened to transcendents hunted by illegal organizations, but one could guess.
Yue Shi’s main focus, however, was that supernatural corpses were very valuable!
In the future, when he handled supernatural creatures, could he take the corpses and sell them himself?
The thought only lasted for a second before he dismissed it.
He had neither the professional equipment to store supernatural corpses nor a safe and stable sales channel. If a buyer saw he was just an individual seller, they might drive the price down or even rob him outright. That would be more trouble than it was worth.
Getting the equipment and finding sales channels would waste a lot of time and energy. It would be putting the cart before the horse. For now, his focus should be on improving his own strength, not changing careers to become a merchant.
At that moment, Zhong Mo spoke again, offering a reminder. “By the way, if that Parasitic Mushroom was telling the truth earlier, this so-called ‘Boss Pi’ really does run a clothing business by collecting source.”
“Setting aside how many supernatural creatures have disguised themselves as humans through him, the mere fact that he can transfer source probably puts his threat level at A-rank or higher. This must be a very troublesome and difficult supernatural creature. How do you plan to handle this intelligence?”
Yue Shi smiled and countered with a question, “Who says Boss Pi must be a supernatural creature? What if he’s a transcendent?”
Rate on N.U.
