The blue stone was beautiful, with delicate snowflake‑like patterns running across its surface.
It was another mineral Qianyan had never seen before.
"Maybe you're just fated to open rocks," Captain Beidou said with a hearty laugh. "Out of three jars, one was empty, and two had stones inside."
"I wish I knew why," Qianyan replied helplessly. She could only accept her fate—it wasn't like she wanted stones.
Still, this one looked nice enough to keep. The snowy patterns gave it an elegant charm.
"This one isn't ordinary," Hu Tao said, grinning. "I can feel Cryo energy from it. It's not simple—there's elemental power sealed within."
As a Vision holder, Hu Tao was sensitive to elemental reactions. The icy pulse from the stone was something familiar yet strange—definitely real, unlike the purely decorative Fire Agate earlier.
Beidou, also a Vision holder, nodded in agreement; the elemental trace was obvious.
[Ice Stone] — A mineral containing frozen elemental energy, recognized in a world rich with the power of ice. Said to strengthen beings of Cryo affinity or to aid those who wield that element.
Felix glanced at the stone, raising his eyebrows. He hadn't expected this one to appear in the rotation. The description seemed slightly different from what he knew.
"This," he said, "is an Ice Stone—full of cryo elemental energy. For living beings attuned to ice, it has miraculous effects. Even Vision users of the same element might gain a slight boost."
"That's a great find!" Qianyan smiled brightly. Anything tied to elemental energy was valuable. Among sailors, such items fetched tremendous prices.
She tucked the stone away carefully and smashed another jar.
Crack!
From the fourth jar, yet another stone rolled out.
Qianyan: "..."
Beidou: "..."
Hu Tao: "..."
Huixing: "..."
Felix: "..."
Another one? Everyone fell silent.
Even Felix's eyelid twitched. Three out of four jars full of rocks—what were the odds?
At least this one was recognizable to everyone:
[Noctilucous Jade] — A rare Liyue mineral that glows softly at night, said to form from condensed elemental energy flowing beneath the land.
"A Noctilucous Jade!" Qianyan said in relief. "That's a valuable one at least. I can sell it for a nice amount of Mora."
Sure, it was "just another rock," but at least it was worth something.
"Next, next!" she said, pressing on.
Crack!
The fifth jar broke open—revealing a single blue plant.
[Sea Ganoderma] — A special life‑form found only on certain islands, appearing fungal but actually produced by soft‑bodied organisms.
"Ahhh," Qianyan groaned. "It's that thing again."
Her shoulders slumped. "Another useless pull."
Crack!
The sixth jar—empty.
Crack, crack! The seventh and eighth burst open, revealing one white orb of light and one corroded short blade.
"Finally, something different!" Qianyan brightened. A white light‑orb usually meant knowledge or skill.
[A Bricklayer's Thousand Lessons] — Memories from an unknown craftsman, providing mastery in brick‑laying after fusion.
[Rusty Short Dagger] — A damaged weapon from an underground world; entirely useless except as scrap metal.
Felix sighed inwardly. This girl's luck was tragic.
"So," he explained, "this one grants the ability of an experienced bricklayer—fuse it and you'll know how to build walls. The knife," he said, tapping the blade gently, "is nothing special—keep it for smelting."
Qianyan stared blankly.
Bricklaying skills? What am I supposed to do, patch ship hulls?
She was a sailor on the Crux Fleet, not a craftsman. And the short dagger? Pure junk.
Her expression collapsed.
"Ugh," she muttered, opening the last jar without enthusiasm.
Crack!
The ninth jar split, releasing a rolled parchment inscribed with mysterious black patterns. Strange runes shimmered faintly across it.
"Huh?" Beidou raised an eyebrow. "A scroll?"
Hu Tao leaned in, intrigued. The object radiated an uncanny energy. "A scroll, huh. Looks like something for cultivation—or at least sorcery."
The black inscriptions and faint energy reminded her of old ritual texts.
"Shopkeeper, what is this?" Qianyan asked, puzzled. "I've never seen a scroll like it."
Felix examined the object—and froze.
[B‑Rank Mission Scroll] — Contains a random B‑rank mission. Opening it generates a timed quest; if completed before the timer expires, the user gains rich rewards. If time runs out, the scroll vanishes and no rewards are given. The countdown begins upon unsealing.
Felix blinked. A "B‑rank" scroll? Then there might also be A‑ and S‑rank versions out there.
The variety of strange treasures never ceased to surprise him.
He looked up at Qianyan. "It's a mission scroll. When unsealed, it produces a task to complete. Succeed, and you'll earn a reward. Fail—or ignore the time limit—and it disappears. As long as you don't tear it open, nothing happens."
"What? There's something like that?" Qianyan's eyes widened. The idea sounded incredible—a magical document that spawned opportunities out of thin air.
What kind of quests could it create? And what kinds of rewards?
Beidou crossed her arms, astonished but thoughtful. "So it's basically a random mission with prizes at the end... reminds me of the Adventurers' Guild."
At the Guild, completing quests also yielded compensation, but they were transparent—rewards were listed, deadlines optional.
This scroll, however, gave no hints and seemed to generate tasks from nowhere.
Thinking back to her earlier pulls—like the Zanpakutō and the Steam Battleship—Beidou quickly accepted it. "Well, considering where we're standing, a reward dropping from the sky doesn't sound impossible."
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled. "That sounds fun! Way more exciting than those dull Guild errands."
"And the rewards?" Qianyan asked nervously. "How do you even claim them?"
"They're unknown," Felix said honestly. "Maybe you'll learn the reward once you open it. Maybe not until you finish the quest. I'd recommend waiting until you have free time before unsealing it—once opened, the timer starts."
"I see..." Qianyan nodded slowly. She decided not to open it just yet. For all she knew, it might trigger some impossible task when she was off duty.
Overall, though, she felt satisfied. The Mora she'd spent hadn't gone to waste.
"Huixing," Beidou turned with a smile, "how about you? Got the urge to try your luck next?"
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