Chapter 65 The method of seduction is problematic.

Let's continue using Cinderella's glass slipper as an example.

As a shoe, its best mutation direction would be to align with the owner's wish to "return home before midnight," resulting in attributes that increase speed and prevent it from being easily lost.

Complying with the owner's hope while also fitting the function of a shoe—this is the most suitable mutation direction.

Is it possible for it to mutate other abilities, then?

It is possible.

Although there aren't enough samples yet, the Special Security Bureau has preliminarily determined that the mutation direction of all items follows the former owner's mood—it could be a strong desire or just a fleeting thought.

The glass slipper might also align with Cinderella's desire to "want to dance," evolving the ability where "anyone who wears the glass slipper will become proficient in all kinds of dance steps."

Or, "If the person wearing these shoes wants to attend the ball, no one can stop them."

This was also Cinderella's wish, so this mutation direction could also exist.

This direction isn't as useful as "speed," but as an item, if used properly, it can have unexpected effects.

Are there any absolutely useless mutation directions, then?

There are plenty.

To be precise, useless mutations are the most common.

Depending on Cinderella's past wishes, the shoes could evolve the ability where "the person wearing the shoes can quickly sort two different types of beans in a basin."

Or "These shoes can attract birds just by being placed there."

Or perhaps they just turn into "No one can wear these shoes except Cinderella"!

In short, a pair of shoes might have hundreds of mutation directions, but only three or four are useful.

Something like [Qin Jianyuan's Utility Knife], which has a high level and a mutation direction that perfectly aligns with its own capabilities, is one in a hundred; the system would have to give several thousand underworld currency for it upon recycling!

"Are you interested in handing over this knife? Of course, we will provide a compensation of several thousand underworld currency," Bai Luying said.

"Hand it over? I can't hand this over. This knife is already bound to me. I can't sell it to anyone while I'm alive, and when I die, it disappears with me. There's no way to hand it over!"

Bound?

A flash of disappointment crossed Bai Luying's eyes.

If this knife were his...

"This knife, this is what that girl gave me!" Wang Guiying happily took the knife back. She seemed not to notice the change in the two men's expressions:

"At the time, I was all muddled. I couldn't hear people talking, couldn't see anyone, but I remember, a little girl helped me up, took me out of the residential complex, and then fed me something."

"I remember it seemed to be a blue medicine. I don't know what brand it was, but it worked wonders! After I drank a bottle, my condition improved immediately. Although I wasn't as sharp-eared and quick-witted as I am now, I could at least hear people speaking normally."

"That little girl shoved this into my hand and said this item could be given to me, but she had to erase the image of her in my mind. She said it wouldn't affect anything, just like pixelating a video."

"Well, my old life was saved by her. If she doesn't want me to remember what she looks like, then I won't remember. It's no big deal; as long as I'm still alive, that's good."

Speaking of this, Wang Guiying sighed deeply.

"Comrade, whatever you want to ask me, I'll tell you everything I know. But if you ask me what that little girl's name is, I really can't remember."

Bai Luying frowned and glanced at Kong Ningxiang.

Kong Ningxiang had obtained an item after entering an instance. It wasn't a high level, just C-rank, but fortunately, its mutation direction was very compatible with the item itself; she was equivalent to a human lie detector.

The troublesome part was that Kong Ningxiang had been listening with a frown for a long time, and she actually nodded.

Wang Guiying really didn't remember [Perfect Chrysanthemum Thirty-Six Folds].

...

"So, what you're saying is that in the first instance, this [Perfect Chrysanthemum Thirty-Six Folds] purchased a contamination clearing potion worth five hundred underworld currency from the mall, bought [Memory Blurring Gauze] worth two thousand underworld currency, and casually gave away a B-rank excellent item—where did she get so much money?"

Special Security Bureau Director Yan Yushu listened to the report from Bai Luying and Kong Ningxiang, frowning in deep thought.

"That's right, Director Yan. These items purchased after the instance starts cost double."

So the price of the contamination clearing potion was one thousand, and the price of the Memory Blurring Gauze was four thousand.

The effect of the Memory Blurring Gauze is to make a specific person in the target's memory appear as if they are wrapped in gauze, making it impossible to recall their height, appearance, or voice.

There are actually cheaper memory erasure devices in the mall that can directly make people unable to recall memories from the past few days, as if the memories were directly excised.

They are more convenient, faster, and safer. The only drawback is that their effects can be broken by higher-level items; in other words, they can be investigated.

But [Memory Blurring Gauze] won't be. It doesn't delete memories, so they can't be retrieved. It just makes people's memories seem like they happened a long time ago, forgotten naturally and irresistibly.

And forgetting cannot be repaired.

So, [Perfect Chrysanthemum Thirty-Six Folds] had planned from the beginning to buy more expensive and safer items just to guard against them investigating?

Yan Yushu pondered.

In this instance, it was learned from Wang Guiying that she had spent five thousand; this was the minimum. She must have spent even more in places Wang Guiying didn't know about.

The total time Wang Guiying spent with her was less than two hours!

Clearing a one-star instance is one hundred, a two-star instance is three hundred, and a three-star instance is one thousand—just on Wang Guiying, she had already easily spent the equivalent of five three-star instances!

Not to mention that her personal strength was already strong enough to clear a three-star instance, let alone the fact that the weird world had just descended; even if she had the ability to clear instances, where did she find the time?

Yan Yushu unconsciously tapped on the office desk. After a while, she ordered: "Wang Guiying... arrange for her to stay near the Special Security Bureau first. She is the person closest to [Perfect Chrysanthemum], so she cannot be let go for the time being."

"However, we probably won't be able to get any more information from her. Let's shift our focus elsewhere..."

"By the way, what about the person responsible for contacting [Perfect Chrysanthemum] via the backend? Any progress?"

Yang Miao stepped forward.

She was a rather serious-looking woman with her hair in a bun, wearing a black suit and black trousers. Her shirt was of the most ordinary kind, buttoned up to the very top, and she wore narrow red-framed glasses. She didn't wear nail polish, and her nails were trimmed to 1mm.

"Our group of 20 people sent private messages to [Perfect Chrysanthemum] via the backend with different reasons. The excuses we have already used include:"

"Seeking help for injuries, purchasing instance information, worshiping and asking to join her organization, spending large amounts of underworld currency to buy instance items, inviting her in the name of the Special Security Bureau, requesting cooperation, and... seduction. But she hasn't replied to a single one."

Yang Miao paused, revealing a look of reflective thought: "Of course, now that we know [Perfect Chrysanthemum] is a female, it cannot be ruled out that our seduction method was problematic... It is very likely that the type we found and our way of speaking were not of interest to her. We will try another way."

Yang Miao really hadn't expected [Perfect Chrysanthemum] to be a woman.

Among the women she had come into contact with, none were quite this... well, this open-minded.

She had always assumed that anyone who would give themselves such a name was a shameless hooligan, most likely a man, the kind with a big belly and a gluttonous look.

Who knew it would actually be a young lady.

This touched a bit on the blind spot of our upright and serious Ms. Yang.

She decided to go back and discuss it with the two younger girls in her group. The two of them had once suggested the possibility of "Perfect Chrysanthemum being four women," but at the time, Yang Miao thought it was impossible.

As for now...

Yang Miao pushed up her glasses.

She decided to update her knowledge base; the hobbies of young girls nowadays might be far from her understanding.