Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 49: Pick up corpses

Su'en approached the shop filled with raw stones and casually identified a stone using the All-Knowing Eye.

Cursed Raw Stone

Explanation: Purity 6;

There was no further explanation, only a purity number.

He identified several more stones, all of them being low-quality raw stones with a purity of less than ten.

This pile was the cheapest, costing two hundred lisuo per piece.

Su'en identified dozens of them, consuming a considerable amount of dark energy, but he didn't find a single stone with a purity higher than ten.

He speculated that they were all waste stones, so he didn't buy any of them.

"If the probability of cutting a 'Cursed Crystal' is theoretically no more than 2% for a stone that costs two hundred lisuo, then only one out of every fifty stones on average can produce a crystal. The merchants are the ones making a profit... In other words, only stones priced above fifty can have a chance of producing a crystal."

He calculated in his mind and knew that unless he had extraordinary luck, this probability was normal.

Merchants were shrewd, so the price of gambling stone ore fluctuated.

After a vein was opened, the ore merchants could only estimate the approximate crystallization rate of the raw stones through samples. However, no one could determine the final condition of this batch of stones until they were cut open. There might be cases of localized rich ore or localized poor ore.

If the frequency of crystals cut during sales was high, the shop owner would automatically increase the price of this batch of stones.

If the probability was low, it would be reduced accordingly.

Therefore, theoretically, the probability of raw stone crystallization could be roughly estimated from the unit price of the raw stone.

***

Su'en didn't rush to make a move, as cautious as ever. He carefully observed on the side, wanting to see if there were any other tricks in this gambling stone.

The size and appearance of the stones varied, and the size of the crystals determined their value.

The two-hundred-lisuo raw stones were slightly smaller, with the lowest probability of producing crystals. On the other hand, the five-hundred-lisuo and eight-hundred-lisuo raw stones were larger, of better quality, and had a higher chance of having a purity between 10 and 20.

While Su'en was observing, the cutting room in the shop suddenly heard good news from time to time.

"Oh! Congratulations to this gentleman for cutting a medium-sized 'Cursed Crystal'. Our shop is willing to purchase it for thirteen thousand lisuo!"

"Look, this lady's luck is also quite good. She cut some good-quality crystal fragments, worth at least one thousand lisuo. You only spent five hundred and earned double..."

"Wow~ That gentleman's batch of thirty thousand raw stones unexpectedly produced crystals worth over fifty thousand. Oh my, such good luck..."

"...."

The shop manager energetically presided over the sales, loudly announcing each shipment with enthusiasm.

This also led to more and more people coming to mine the stones.

The people in the outer city seemed to enjoy this novel form of gambling.

Those who could come to the black market were probably not poor. Batch after batch of raw stones were cut open, and news of stones being cut out would occasionally spread.

More and more people came to watch the excitement.

Su'en silently watched on the side.

After watching for a while, he finally figured out the rule for displaying the purity of the stones.

Purity below 10 meant low-quality stones that were completely useless.

Among the piles of raw stones, over ninety percent were these low-quality ores.

Those with a purity between 11 and 20 could be cut into some crystal fragments. Although their value was not high, it was enough to break even.

Then there were the ones with a purity above 20, but they were extremely rare.

Su'en looked at every stone that produced a crystal when cut in the shop, and they all displayed a purity of "20" or higher.

Having figured out this rule, Su'en looked at the piles of raw ores and a meaningful smile gradually appeared in the corner of his eyes. He murmured to himself, "This is the correct way to use the All-Knowing Eye..."

***

As time passed, more and more people crowded into the gambling stone shop. Su'en was not afraid of attracting attention and blended in with the people selecting raw stones.

He pretended to learn from others, shining lights, watering, and carefully observing.

Then, after appraising dozens more stones, his eyes lit up.

Cursed Raw Stone

Explanation: Purity 24;

Seeing this gray stone in his hand that was almost indistinguishable from the other raw stones, Su'en calmly put it in his pocket. To avoid trouble, he also casually stuffed a few low-quality ores.

Five pieces in total, costing one thousand lisuo.

Su'en still had over three thousand lisuo in his pocket.

In this way, Su'en picked and chose, squatting among the group of people selecting stones. He picked a basket full of stones, big and small. But out of these dozen or so stones, eight of them had a purity of over twenty.

This meant that once they were cut open, they would be worth at least eighty thousand lisuo!

A cost of three to four thousand turned into eighty thousand, a twenty-fold increase, faster than gambling!

But Su'en didn't plan to continue selecting.

First, he didn't have the money to buy more raw stones today. Second, he felt that if he used cheating methods to pick out most of the stones with crystals from this batch, the shop owner might become suspicious.

However, good luck kept coming.Just as Su'en was preparing to pay and leave, suddenly, an unremarkable stone was thrown at his feet.

It was a piece of ore that others had overlooked. Among the 800-unit price ores, this one indeed had a poor appearance.

Since Su'en was already planning to leave, he casually appraised it and immediately realized that he had found a treasure.

Cursed Origin Stone

Detailed explanation: Purity 99;

"Such high purity?"

Su'en's eyebrows jumped in surprise.

With a purity of 20, it was already possible to produce cursed crystals. How could a 99 purity suddenly appear?

Clearly, this was most likely the legendary "top-quality cursed crystal" worth a hundred thousand!

Finding such a treasure, Su'en didn't show any unusual expression and casually threw the stone into the frame.

The staff enthusiastically helped him settle the bill.

"Sir, would you like us to cut it open on the spot?"

"Alright, cut a few pieces to test my luck..."

Su'en didn't behave too differently and chose two pieces of inferior ore with a quality below 10 to be cut open. As expected, they were both worthless.

Seeing this, he had an uninterested expression and stopped the staff from continuing to cut, muttering, "Forget it, I'll take the rest back and deal with it myself."

The gambling stone shop was bustling, and the staff happily packed it for Su'en.

And so, Su'en discreetly left the black market with a stone worth nearly two hundred thousand.

***

Shortly after Su'en left, this batch of ore had already been sold out, and a new batch arrived. The manager of the gambling stone shop also had doubts.

"Huh... strange, even though a batch of high-quality ore was selected and sold at a reduced price, why is the probability of finding valuable stones not as high as expected..."

"Also, this pile of 800-unit ores was brought from the special rich ore area that produced 'top-quality ores.' They even said they would create an explosive atmosphere today, but not a single one has been found until now..."

But because the quantity of ore sold today was too large, the abnormal probability of this batch of stones was quickly overlooked.

The gambling stone shop continued to be lively.

***

As the instigator, Su'en had already taken a steam train back to the small inn on Green Street.

He rented a room and locked the door.

He took out the pile of ore from his storage ring and started cutting it himself with cutting tools.

Choosing a piece with a purity of over 20, as soon as he made the first cut, he saw a pure green light representing a crystal flash before his eyes.

Although Su'en was already quite calm, he couldn't help but mutter, "I'm going to make a fortune..."

After polishing, a walnut-sized "cursed crystal" appeared in his large hand.

It was like the most beautiful gem in the world, emitting a strange and vibrant green light under the lamp.

"So, this is a cursed crystal..."

Su'en looked at the green gem in his hand, his gaze deep.

With just this crystal, it could release astonishing energy.

Cursed Crystal

Detailed explanation: An energy gemstone containing the power of dark origin force, it is the energy source of alchemists.

Su'en was not yet a formal professional, so he didn't have many places to use this thing.

However, that didn't prevent him from selling it for money.

And then, he continued cutting the next piece.

Su'en also felt a bit lucky. The All-Knowing Eye was indeed an S-level talent.

As he cut, he muttered to himself, "I just said I spent all my money on buying blueprints, and now I have materials for alchemy equipment..."

As he continued cutting, he thought of the mysterious person who sold potions in the black market.

If he had discovered this batch of ore earlier, he estimated that he could have obtained those potions.

But Su'en didn't dwell on it because he was certain that the owner of the potion shop would most likely contact him.

Because no one would probably buy those potions based on their appearance, but that person urgently needed money.

***

In a short time, all the ore was cut.

Just as he expected, there were eight differently sized cursed crystals in front of him, as well as one dazzling green "top-quality cursed crystal."

For less than four thousand li, he exchanged for crystals worth nearly two hundred thousand in total.

Moreover, this was a sustainable and stable source of income.

Su'en felt that this was a good sign, and it seemed that he could see a long period of time in the future where he wouldn't have to worry about money.

"The 'Rose Ore Trading Company' came to the black market today for a sales exhibition. It's obvious that they're not here to sell a few pieces of ore, but to promote this business. It's not surprising that this new form of gambling, stone gambling, will soon become popular in the outer city..."

Su'en pondered in his mind.At this moment, he seemed to have thought of something, muttering to himself, "If we consider the shipment probability of around 2-8%, out of tens of thousands of raw stones in a shop, only about a thousand could possibly yield crystals. If I were to hoard them all, it would definitely cause problems. It seems I'll have to run around the city from now on. Otherwise, if I keep shearing a single sheep, once it's bald, it would easily arouse suspicion..."

However, although running around the city was a bit tiring, compared to hunting in the wilderness or going into the sewers to kill mutated monsters as backup money-making plans, gambling on stones was obviously a much easier way to make money...

With money, Su'en also gained confidence.

He planned to buy the materials needed for alchemical implants and get himself some new equipment.

For instance, replacing the famous gun, "Three-headed Ghost", in his hand.