Chapter 251: Brothers (Vii)
Chapter 251 Brothers (Vii)
"Oh... I see now." Feng Bu Jue gazed at the golden strands of hair between his fingers, countless doubts suddenly resolving. "From my subjective perspective, I'm still myself..." He stretched his arm, examining his sleeve and palm. His attire remained the joker avatar from the game—yellow skin, black hair visible when he lifted his eyes.
He placed the strands under a magnifying glass. "But... from this scenario world's objective viewpoint, I should be someone else. When hair separates from the body's whole, I can see its true form." He laid the strands on the desk, then retrieved a small wooden comb from his pocket. Using the magnifying glass again, he inspected the hair caught in its teeth. "Hmm... color, length, texture—all match."
Feng Bu Jue pondered for over a minute. "Wait... I only combed my hair twice at the scenario's start. Unless this character's severely balding, there shouldn't be so much hair on the comb." He grabbed his hair again, this time with more force.
To his shock, when he pulled his hand away, a large clump of hair came with it—attached to a bloody patch of scalp.
"What the hell..." Feng Bu Jue hastily opened his menu. Fortunately, his vitality value hadn't dropped. He focused carefully but felt no intense pain.
"Alright, alright... calm down... calm down..." He muttered nervously. To him, hair loss seemed like a catastrophic condition.
After discarding the hair, he steadied his nerves, then realized something else. "Come to think of it... there's been no mirrors at all. Is the system deliberately hiding my reflection?"
His gaze returned to the photo: "Assuming the kid on the left is the short figure dragging me in the opening CG, and the other child is the character I'm playing... what brought them to this point..." He flipped the photo over.
On the back was handwritten text—"Arthur and Andrew, my children, my love."
"Oh, these two are brothers..." Feng Bu Jue mused. "Wait... Arthur and Andrew..." He picked up the wooden comb again, staring at the 'A.A' engraving. "Arthur and Andrew?" Rubbing his chin, he speculated, "I knew this was a limited edition... heh."
For the next ten minutes, Feng Bu Jue eagerly read Advanced Alchemy.
Opening the navy-blue cover, the first passage read: "After studying Basic Alchemy, you might believe this craft's pinnacle is transmuting metal into gold or brewing longevity potions.
This book will tell you such thoughts are utterly foolish.
Alchemy is sacred technology that elevates humans to deity-like existence. Those obsessed with wealth and immortality will never touch the divine realm."
Though the tone was mocking and ominous, Feng Bu Jue felt no offense. These words radiated an aloof aura that only fueled his research passion.
Unfortunately, he only finished the table of contents and first chapter. Chapter Two and beyond remained blurred and inaccessible. Even Chapter One's content baffled him—likely due to lacking Basic Alchemy's foundation.
"Chemistry knowledge at least at high school level, plus mastery of 'matter-philosophy' concepts, is required to complete the three steps: comprehension, decomposition, and reconstruction. Only then can one perform the simplest alchemy." After closing the book, he muttered, "Even from the few examples in Chapter One, the formulas' complexity is staggering... Building on that, combining astrology, runic scripts, and the alchemist's personal abilities and innate talent, one simplifies it into a transmutation circle." He tilted his head, marveling, "That Arthur in the earlier vision was probably only ten or so, yet calmly reading this... What a genius."
Advanced Alchemy was a story item that couldn't leave the scenario, certain to be needed later. Feng Bu Jue temporarily stored it in his satchel, placing the photo in his inner jacket pocket.
He then searched the study thoroughly, finding no clues or keys. Grabbing his kerosene lamp and magnifying glass, he moved to the next room.
The adjacent kitchen faced a wall with a grimy stove and chimney. Though dirty, usage marks showed it was still functional. Below were cabinets, with more storage built into surrounding walls.
In the kitchen's center stood a four-legged wooden table, two meters square. Its stained cloth hid original patterns. A large bowl of meat paste sat atop it, beside an unwashed plate with dried residue.
Looking out the kitchen window revealed the same black void as the study. The glass should reflect like a mirror, but Feng Bu Jue saw only a murky shadow. He tried several polished metal utensils, scrubbing them clean to check his reflection—each attempt failed.
"Is the system dead-set on hiding mirrors from me?" Feng Bu Jue shrugged.
He opened every cabinet, hunting for clues. He found pots, pans, and utensils—but no knives or useful items.
"This room can't have zero valuable items..." He muttered after searching thoroughly. "The storage had a kerosene lamp, the study had a magnifying glass, photo, and book. The kitchen must have..." His voice trailed off as his gaze fixed on the meat paste bowl.
"Alright, let's try this..." He overturned the bowl, spilling paste onto the table. Scooping through the mess with his hands, he finally felt something—
A key:
[Name: Red Key]
[Type: Plot-Related]
[Quality: Common]
[Function: Permanently unlocks the red iron door, disappears after use]
[Can be taken out of scenario]
[Background: Hidden in a red place]
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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