Under the sunlight, it had a matte finish, with not a trace of tallic sheen, even though its exterior was a relatively reflective silver-gray.
"This is Chadite, a very precious steel material," Simon explained. "I obtained this from the Holy Machine Church so ti ago and spent a great deal of money. It's said that this material isn't native to the Endless Sea but is a special material brought by outsiders from the starry sky. This special steel, which floats in the cosmos, is extrely rare."
Upon hearing Simon's explanation, Alka understood its value.
Clearly, this is a very fine material, he thought.
Yet, despite Simon's obsession with machinery and various minerals, he had only bought a small piece for display and collection. That alone was enough to show how valuable and rare this item was.
Simon spent money almost as recklessly as Jason. If it weren't for Alka's shared Dream Realm reducing his costs for experintal supplies, Simon might have been the first among them to declare bankruptcy and start borrowing money. A visit to Simon's room on his ship, or his exclusive spot in the manufacturing hall, would reveal where he spent his money. So of his acquisitions weren't practical; they were more for his collection. Simon was quite the collector, mostly of items related to ancient machinery and mineral stones. He was willing to spend a lot of money, even if it ant getting ripped off.
Alka reached out to take it.
"Be careful," Simon cautioned.
Listening to Simon's warning, Alka nodded, gently lifting the container and examining it closely. He touched the transparent glass.
Wow, even the container itself is a Magic Item made of Spell Materials! Alka thought. This is the kind of container even Matilda is reluctant to buy more of; she usually only uses them for very precious liquids. About 40 Golden Sails for such a small container. Inside, there are Protective Spells for sealing Magic, ensuring preservation, and maintaining confidentiality layered within. It even has a ti-slowing effect. This is definitely in the luxury item category. Truly extravagant.
Though Alka was grumbling internally, he still carefully observed the mineral within.
Just great, Alka thought. The likelihood of them obtaining the key is even lower now.
But he couldn't help asking, "How much is this little bit worth?"
Upon hearing Alka ask about the price, Simon was visibly interested. He gently took the transparent glass tube container from Alka's hand and said, sowhat proudly, "This small amount? 120 Golden Sails. And it's practically priceless on the market because it's so rare."
Hearing this price, Alka silently closed his mouth. He began to recall the size of the keyhole in his mind.
By a rough estimation, a piece of mineral the size of my fingernail would need to be multiplied by 70 to 100 tis to make that key, he calculated.
HISS...
I can't think about it too much. Alka silently shook the thought from his mind.
"SIGH!"
Alka sighed heavily, leaning back against the railing of the Flying Swallow.
"What's wrong? Does the condition to open the door relate to this mineral?" Chadite asked from beside him.
Alka nodded. "You all saw the keyhole in the center of that door earlier, right? It requires a key made of Chadite to open."
Upon hearing this, everyone who had seen the keyhole gasped. They had just heard the price of this material.
To use such a mineral to make a key that big... they thought. The cost would be unimaginably high! It startled them. It could be worth more than half a Treasure Coin! They had many Treasures, but they couldn't just sell them off, could they?
"Then how about... we just give up?" Jason suggested from the side. Although he was currently the most cash-strapped in the group, he hadn't lost his sanity. Even if the anticipated Treasures in the Treasure Vault were vast, the upfront cost was more than they could afford. Moreover, they couldn't guarantee there would be that much treasure left, or if soone had already gotten there first. For example, a forr mber expelled from the family would have had far more advantages and could have already unlocked the Treasure Vault, sweeping its contents clean. This was especially true after several decades had passed. Those individuals weren't so long-lived race with a vague concept of ti; decades was a significant period for them.
"Is a key made of Chadite really necessary?" Simon asked, frowning doubtfully.
Alka nodded.
"Does it specifically require Chadite's structure? Or its material composition? Or perhaps its tallic surface, or its unique properties?"
Hearing Simon's questions, Alka shook his head. He didn't know the answers to those questions.
"You're not sure? Hmm, let's not be so pessimistic," Simon said, seeming to have thought of sothing. He then raised his right hand; a faint flicker emanated from his Treasure-imbued forefinger. A key constructed from tal materialized in his palm.
Next, he took the container holding the Chadite fragnt with his left hand, gently opened it, and picked up the mineral, holding it between his left thumb and forefinger. His Treasure-imbued forefinger lightly touched the Chadite, and a faint glimr of light lingered on its tip. This faint glimr then touched the key made of iron.
In an instant, the ordinary, dark iron key transford, its material becoming seemingly identical to Chadite.
"You... you can change the material of minerals?" Alka exclaid in surprise.
If that's truly possible, directly turning things into gold would make us a fortune! he thought.
Simon shook his head. "This isn't permanent. It's a simulated change that requires a constant supply of Magic Power. The so-called ability of my Treasure to enhance the power and various properties of chanical structures cos from its capacity to temporarily replace their materials with superior ones."
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