Back in his room, Richard locked the door and drew the curtains.
He took the copper coin and the Incense Burner from his leather pouch, placing them side by side on the velvet top of the nightstand.
The Gargoyle squatted in the corner of the desk, its mouth agape and facing the room, its ferocious expression artistically rendered.
This stone sculpture had been in his possession for nearly two days.
The night he brought the Gargoyle back from his grandfather’s study, he’d slept with it cradled in his arms.
The half-turn of the Seal his grandfather had loosened was like a faucet pried open; Ether continuously trickled out from the crack.
The first night, he absorbed about 0.4. The next day, he held it intermittently a few more times, and the number climbed to around 0.7.
He’d held it again for a while before leaving today, ultimately obtaining a total of around 0.82.
[Available Points: 1.32]
The seepage rate had already slowed significantly. There was very little Ether left that could leak out.
He didn’t rush to touch it, turning his attention instead to the two items he’d acquired today.
First, he picked up the copper coin. The panel appeared the moment his fingertip touched it.
He held the copper coin in his palm and leaned back against the headboard in a comfortable position, waiting.
The Points slowly climbed at a rate of about 0.01 per minute.
The Seal structure on the copper coin was relatively simple, likely a standard commercial seal Donal had applied himself to ensure the Marvels on his shelves didn’t leak Ether while in storage.
The strength of a commercial seal was far inferior to a Priest’s Inscription Seal or the kind of Silver Bottom Engraving Mr. Hutton used.
Once removed from the enhancing environment of the shop, it was like taking a block of ice from a cold storage unit into a room-temperature environment.
It wasn’t melting fast, but it was melting constantly.
He switched hands and continued to hold it, simultaneously recalling the wording Donal used when quoting the prices.
The copper coin was six pounds, the Incense Burner seven pounds.
Donal had spent a long time examining the coin’s casting marks and patina with a magnifying glass, and he had turned the Incense Burner over and over, tapping it several times.
When his grandfather had appraised the Gargoyle in his study, he had also used visual inspection and touch, supplemented by experienced deduction based on the object’s historical background.
When Mr. Hutton reinforced the Seal in the basement, he judged the degree of its decay by observing the blurriness of the Silver Seal and the degradation of the Wax Seal.
Three people, three different scenarios, all using indirect methods.
Not one of them had ever pulled out some instrument, scanned an Ether Field or a Marvel, and reported a precise number:
"The Ether content here is X units."
Appendix C was very clear in its introduction to Ether: colorless, odorless, and undetectable by any instrument.
If instruments couldn’t detect it, human Perception was just as vague.
The only exception was something like the pillar from the Fire God Temple in Donal’s back room, where the Ether deposit was so large it formed an independent Ether Field around the object, causing a tightness in the chest for anyone who drew near.
The copper coin grew colder in his palm as the residual Ether faded at an accelerated rate.
About ten minutes later, the rate suddenly slowed; it was nearly empty.
[Available Points: 1.81]
He intentionally left a tiny bit, not absorbing it completely, and placed the copper coin on the nightstand.
’It’s common knowledge that Ether decays naturally after a Marvel is removed from the protection of its Seal and environment.’
’But what if the copper coin was drained to the bone in one go, as clean as a freshly unearthed stone?’
’That wouldn’t be normal.’
Leaving a breath of it inside was a form of camouflage for himself.
From the outside, the copper coin was still a copper coin, and the Marvel was still a Marvel.
Only he knew that it had been squeezed dry, with nothing but dregs left inside.
He committed this principle to memory:
’From now on, for every Marvel that passes through my hands, I’ll stop after absorbing over ninety-five percent. I will never drain them completely.’
The remaining less-than-five percent would convert to a negligible amount of Points. The significance of leaving it behind was far greater than taking that last bite.
Having figured this out, he picked up the Incense Burner.
Although the Incense Burner’s seepage rate was fast at first, it quickly slowed down.
Just as he had pointed out at the counter, the lid of this Incense Burner had been replaced at a later date, and the bottom had also been modified.
A complete, original Incense Burner from the Sophie Sanctuary, steeped in a century of rituals, should have contained far more Ether than the copper coin.
But this repaired Incense Burner... He had a pessimistic premonition.
Just like with the copper coin, he stopped as it neared the bottom, not draining it to the bone.
[Available Points: 2.23]
The more expensive item, the Incense Burner, actually had less Ether content.
The Incense Burner was larger, looked more complete, had a more direct ritual connection, and its appearance suggested a greater age.
The copper coin was small, thin, heavily worn, and made of a copper-mixed alloy.
All observable external indicators pointed to the same conclusion: the Incense Burner should have been better.
But Ether doesn’t care about appearances; it cares about the depth and continuity of its infusion.
Richard got off the bed, walked to the sink, and turned on the faucet.
He splashed cold water on his hands, washing away most of the rust and grime left by the copper coin and the Incense Burner.
As he scrubbed the accumulated grime from between his fingers, his mind was on matters concerning his future development.
’My golden finger requires consuming a large number of Marvels. That much is set in stone.’
’As my need for Points grows, the frequency and quantity of Marvels I acquire will only increase.’
According to what Vincent mentioned during their casual chat in the carriage:
after establishing an Ether Micro-Cycle, a Cultivator would slowly draw upon the Ether seeping from Marvels through daily meditation and Breathing Techniques to replenish their own consumption.
It’s like a jug of aged wine. Others take a small sip each day and can make it last for over half a year.
But when it comes into my hands, I chug the whole thing, and it’s empty in minutes.
’Therein lies the problem.’
’If I follow the normal path—spending money to buy Marvels, draining them dry, then buying new ones—the cost will be absurdly high.’
’Besides, just as I’ve considered before, accumulating a large number of drained Marvels would both attract unwanted attention and be a waste of resources.’
The more he thought about it, the clearer his plan for the future became.
’What if I become an Appraiser? Or, taking a step back, start as an intermediary agent?’
’Helping people with appraisals, transfers, purchases, and sales... every Marvel that passes through my hands would stay with me for a period of time.’
’During that time, the panel would be working.’
’I don’t need to drain them dry; just siphoning off a portion would be enough.’
’The remaining Ether would still be in the Marvel, and the buyer could use it as they please. The transaction wouldn’t be affected at all.’
’After all, something like Ether can’t be accurately measured or valued. As long as I don’t overdo it, no one will ever find out that I’ve siphoned some off.’
’This way, I could skim some free Points from every transaction.’
’The greater the volume I handle, the more Points I’ll accumulate.’
’Buying them outright is a one-time deal, but being an intermediary offers a slow, steady stream.’
’Buying outright costs my own money. Being an intermediary uses other people’s money, and I even get to collect a commission.’
’An intermediary’s role would also allow me to constantly come into contact with Marvels from various eras, of different origins, and with all types of infusion.’
’This would create a virtuous cycle with the experience accumulation for the [Wisdom] category of Skills.’
’The more items I handle, the broader my knowledge becomes, and the stronger my appraisal ability gets.’
’I’ll be able to take on higher-end jobs, handle better-quality Marvels, and the panel will be able to extract more Points from them.’
’Points drive Skill upgrades, Skill upgrades improve appraisal ability, and appraisal ability brings in more high-end jobs.’
’Once the flywheel starts turning, it will spin faster and faster.’
But there was a prerequisite for this path: he had to first become a middleman or Appraiser recognized by the market.
No one would entrust valuable items to an unknown youth.

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