In that other category of items lay two nearly transparent crystals.
Matthew held them in his palm, focusing his attention to examine them closely.
The crystals were regular and smooth, their surfaces as polished as mirrors. They felt warm to the touch, completely lacking the rough texture of natural ores.
However, it was precisely this “perfection” that aroused his suspicion—the craftsmanship of this world could never polish minerals to such a seamless, natural state.
He lightly ran his fingertip over the crystals; they were crystal clear inside, without a single speck of impurity.
Under the light, their contours were as smooth as if finely carved, yet there was not a trace of craftsmanship to be found.
“They aren't man-made,” Matthew muttered to himself. “Then they must be naturally formed... But how could a natural crystal be so perfect?”
Although the oil lamp was dim, with Matthew's 【Eagle Eye Gaze】, seeing clearly inside a palm-sized crystal was not a problem.
He suddenly recalled the energy crystal cores he had obtained from the goat demon and the giant bear—though those two contained energy, they were rough in shape, with impurities visible to the naked eye.
In contrast, the two before him looked more like some pure substance that had naturally condensed into a “perfect form” over long years.
In that moment of contemplation, a tiny yet exceptionally clear stinging sensation suddenly came from his palm tightly holding the crystals!
“Hiss!” Matthew instinctively gasped, his wrist shaking, almost dropping the crystals.
He immediately stabilized his mind. The touch on his fingertips was still warm and smooth, but the fleeting “sting” from just now was incredibly real.
He hurriedly placed them on the wooden table and activated 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 to look at the crystals, but still came up empty-handed. The crystals remained crystal clear without any change, showing neither traces of energy flow nor any unusual movement.
But that slight sting just now was absolutely real... With his current Constitution, ordinary bumps and scrapes wouldn't cause him such a distinct pain, let alone make his mind suddenly tense up.
For a moment, Matthew's thoughts were a bit chaotic.
He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and concentrated, carefully reflecting on the fleeting “sting” from just now.
This wasn't a purely sharp pain, but rather felt like a cold, subtle, yet highly penetrating “radiation.” The moment it touched his skin, it was like a needle pricking in, going straight into his body.
Thinking of this, he felt a faint sense of familiarity with this slight sting.
An unusual look flashed in his eyes. With a thought, he immediately released his Spirit, letting it spread outward.
The invisible spiritual tentacles quietly spread like ripples, quickly covering the entire room.
The table and chairs, the oil lamp, the cloth bags in the corner... every detail inside the wooden house clearly emerged in his Perception, with no anomalies or hidden threats.
However, this was also the limit of his Spirit's coverage at this time—about twenty square meters with him as the center.
After confirming the environment was safe, his mind settled slightly, and he refocused his attention on the two nearly transparent crystals on the wooden table.
He guided his gathered Spirit, carefully probing into the interior of the crystals.
The moment his Spirit touched the surface of the crystals—
a rich and pure wave of energy particles, like a disturbed, tranquil deep pool, spread out gently yet majestically.
The purity and richness of this mana was far beyond anything he had perceived anywhere on the outskirts of the forest, even a notch above that cave known as the “blessed land.”
And there was not the slightest sign of violent instability.
“As expected!”
Matthew realized that the familiar “stinging” sensation was precisely the subtle stimulation of pure and dense energy particles on his body when they were extremely close to his skin.
This was something Matthew had experienced when he first learned meditation and entered the outskirts of the forest.
This was not an attack or malice, but rather the “presence” of the energy particles themselves.
Fully focused, his Spirit acted like the finest probe, attempting to perceive the core of these two crystals even deeper.
Soon, he captured more information:
The internal structure of the crystals was extremely stable, with almost no signs of energy leakage. They seemed to be self-contained, perfectly sealing this pure mana within.
“This is somewhat like the 'spirit stones' in the cultivation novels of my past life, but in this world, perhaps they should be called 'magic stones.'”
Matthew thought to himself, lost in thought.
The uses of this kind of high-concentration mana source probably far exceeded imagination.
Whether it was aiding meditation to improve his Spirit, or quickly replenishing the Spirit consumed in battle, they possessed extraordinary value.
This had been the case in the kobold nest earlier—the energy particles in the surrounding environment were too violent, making them difficult to convert and absorb, let alone replenish his consumed Spirit.
If he had had two such magic stones in hand at that time, they would have played a crucial role, ensuring that Matthew could continue firing 【Energy Missile】.
Even in daily meditation, the pure mana these two magic stones could provide was far superior to that cave known as the “blessed land.”
He carefully grasped the two crystals back in his hand. What came from his palm was no longer a sting, but a coolness hidden within warmth, along with the majestic mana settled deep within the crystals.
“This trip has yielded a bountiful harvest indeed,” Matthew murmured, his thoughts clearing as a growing joy welled up in his heart.
“Just the gains from the wizard path include the 'Oath Ring' and these two 'magic stones.'”
“Not to mention that pile of coins.”
With these thoughts, he suppressed his joy and put away the two “magic stones” along with the “Oath Ring.”
These magic stones were strategic resources in his mind, not to be consumed casually.
To improve his Spirit, he could progress step by step and rely on daily cultivation, taking his time. He couldn't waste these magic stones like that.
Then, his gaze fell upon the final category of loot on the table.
It was a pile of scattered, small iron objects, mostly rusted and in various shapes:
there were several broken arrowheads, a deformed dagger, a few metal pieces of indistinguishable use, and several severely rusted iron rings and buckles.
Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be remnants of equipment left behind by past adventurers, or scrap iron the kobolds had randomly scavenged from the corners of their nest.
Matthew didn't expect there to be anything special among them—after all, if there were any intact equipment, they would have been put to use long ago during the previous chaos.
The kobold priest's intelligence was not low.
As he casually poked through them, panel prompts popped up in front of him from time to time, but they were all useless things.
【Rusted Arrowhead: Ordinary iron arrowhead, severely corroded, no special value.】
【Rusted Iron Ring: ...】
Looking at the nearly worthless appraisal information that kept popping up on the panel.
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Rate on N.U.
