126: Chapter 126 The Cost of Double Replication

Lin Tian rubbed the cold, smooth mirror surface, shrewd light flickering in his eyes.

"The most urgent task is to quickly test its actual consumption. What item is the most cost-effective to replicate? Elemental crystals? High-level arrows? Or some special material that is difficult to mass-produce?"

Suppressing the urge to immediately find something to test, he carefully tucked the "mirror of replication," which might change the future landscape, into the deepest part of his storage backpack, placing it alongside the attack order token and the drifter signpost.

The three rewards: the attack order token represented the "spear" of expansion and destruction, the drifter signpost represented the "shield" of development and population, and the mirror of replication could become the near-infinite "resource bank" supporting the first two!

Not long after dawn broke, Lin Tian felt like he had a lively rabbit jumping around in his heart, thinking of those three "rewards" he had just obtained.

Especially that mysterious "mirror of replication," which made him itch with curiosity, wishing he could immediately get to the bottom of its... ah, no, get to the bottom of its secrets.

After hurriedly washing up, he pushed the door open, and Lin Yin was indeed already waiting quietly outside.

She had changed into a clean, moon-white casual outfit, her hair simply tied behind her head. Her face still held a hint of pallor, but her eyes were clear. Seeing Lin Tian come out, she gave an almost imperceptible nod as a greeting, then very naturally followed half a step behind him.

The two didn't say much, heading straight for the territory's warehouse area one after the other.

The morning mist hadn't fully dissipated, and the air was mixed with dew, earth, and a trace of lingering burnt smell.

Lin Tian walked straight into the large warehouse where basic materials were stored.

Inside were mountains of wood, stone, and iron ore, as well as neatly stacked Refined Iron.

He swept a glance over them, having a plan in mind.

"This will do."

He stopped, and carefully took the ancient-looking "mirror of replication" out of his storage space.

In the dim warehouse, the runes on the mirror's frame seemed to be absorbing the faint light, flowing with an indescribable rhythm.

Lin Yin's gaze fell on the mirror, a trace of curiosity flashing in her clear eyes, but she just watched quietly, not making a sound to disturb him.

"Let's try the cheapest one first."

Lin Tian muttered, bending down to pick up a piece of standard-sized wood (one unit) from the wood pile nearby.

He then fished out a Low-grade Spirit Crystal that was emitting a faint glow.

Taking a deep breath, he felt a bit nervous and excited, like an elementary school student doing a chemistry experiment for the first time.

Following his vague intuition, he brought the spirit crystal close to the mirror surface.

The spirit crystal touched the mirror surface like a water droplet falling into a lake, silently "melting" into it, and the mirror surface rippled with an extremely faint seven-colored wave.

Immediately after, Lin Tian aimed the mirror at the lone piece of wood in his hand.

Something wonderful happened.

In the mirror, the reflection of that piece of wood seemed to come alive, beginning to twist and expand slightly.

The next second, there was no change on the front of the mirror, but beside Lin Tian's hand holding the wood, five pieces of wood identical in size, texture, and even dryness appeared silently in the air!

"It worked!" Lin Tian's eyes lit up, but then, the excitement on his face froze for a moment.

Looking down at the five extra pieces of wood in his hand, and thinking of the Low-grade Spirit Crystal that had just disappeared, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"... Only five?" He muttered, his tone full of disappointment, as if saying, "Is that it?"

"The market price is ten units of wood for one spirit crystal! This is basically cutting it in half and then some? What a rip-off!"

Heartache aside, the test had to continue.

He threw the wood back into the pile, picked up a standard piece of stone (one unit), and once again invested a Low-grade Spirit Crystal, aiming it at the stone.

A faint light flashed across the mirror. Three pieces of stone appeared next to it.

"stone is an even worse deal... one for three." Lin Tian's face darkened a bit.

Next was iron ore. One Low-grade Spirit Crystal was invested, the mirror light flowed, and only one unit of iron ore appeared next to it.

"Good grief!" Lin Tian curled his lips, feeling like the mirror was mocking him.

Then it was the Refined Iron.

This time he learned his lesson, weighed it first, and invested two Low-grade Spirit Crystals.

The mirror light was clearly a bit brighter than before, and the humming sound was slightly louder. A moment later, a piece of Refined Iron glowing with metallic luster appeared next to it.

"Two spirit crystals for one piece of Refined Iron..."

Lin Tian rubbed his chin, quickly calculating the cost and market price in his mind.

"It's about... one point five to two times the market price? Fine, barely acceptable, it's usable. At least there are some rare things that can't be bought just with spirit crystals."

Putting down the Refined Iron, his expression became serious.

The previous ones were just appetizers; now, it was time for the "main course."

He took out the gold crystal he had obtained last night.

In the dim light of the warehouse, the golden crystal stone emitted a sharp brilliance of its own.

Lin Tian hesitated for a moment, then took out two Low-grade Spirit Crystals and brought them close to the mirror.

The mirror didn't react at all, even giving off a faint feeling of "disdain."

After thinking carefully, he switched to two mid-level spirit crystals, whose energy was unknown how many times purer.

This time, the mirror got excited.

"Hum!"

The mirror surface erupted with seven-colored brilliance several times brighter than before!

The runes on the mirror frame were like little snakes coming to life, swimming crazily!

A huge suction force came from the mirror, and the two mid-level spirit crystals dimmed and shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, finally turning into two wisps of pure energy that were sucked into the mirror.

After the mirror light slowly subsided.

In the palm of Lin Tian's hand, next to that piece of gold crystal, lay another gold crystal that was completely identical in size, color, and internal energy flow!

"Two mid-level spirit crystals..."

Lin Tian looked at the two gold crystals side by side in his palm, feeling the surging sharp metal element power within them, unsure whether he had made a profit or a loss.

A mid-level spirit crystal was worth far more than a Low-grade one, but elemental crystals were priceless...

"It really is a gold-swallowing beast!"

He finally reached a conclusion, his tone much calmer, even carrying a sense of "as expected" relief.

"Replicating basic materials is a huge loss, replicating high-level materials is roughly breaking even or a small loss, and replicating elemental crystals or special treasures like this... is likely a sky-high price. And, the higher the quality, the more terrifying the consumption."

However, the test results also gave him a bottom line.

This mirror was not a wish-granting machine that turned stones into gold, but a "super converter" that could use a massive amount of spirit crystals to "exchange" for certain scarce, urgently needed, or strategically valuable items.

Used well, it could turn the tide at critical moments;

Used poorly, or used blindly, it could instantly empty out the family fortune he had worked so hard to save.

"It's enough for now, as long as I have a count in mind."

Lin Tian carefully put the mirror of replication away, and collected both the new and old gold crystals.

Although the test cost him a few spirit crystals and made his heart ache a little, understanding the rules made the money well spent.

Having settled the matter he was most concerned about, his mood was much lighter.

Looking at the sky outside, the morning sun had completely leapt above the horizon, and the golden sunlight dispelled the morning mist, plating the dilapidated territory with a warm, vibrant color.

"Let's go, Lin Yin, let's go handle the other 'little trinkets' too." Lin Tian called out and started walking outward.

Lin Yin followed silently as always.

She had taken in the entire testing process, and although she didn't quite understand the specific conversions, she could read the changes in Lin Tian's expression, from excitement to heartache, and finally to understanding and calmness.

As long as Brother Tian thought it was useful, that was enough.