The sunset had already dipped below the mountain ridge, and the sky was steadily darkening.
Inside the Michael Inn, Finn gave a pull-cord switch a tug. After two faint zzzt sounds, the incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered to life, casting a dim, yellowish glow.
It looked like the power grid inside Black Mountain was still running just fine.
“Bro, can I borrow your sword for a sec? Just wanna touch it,” Jimmy asked carefully.
“Touch it?” Finn looked a little confused, but he still pulled the Skybearer Sword out of his storage space and tossed it over.
Jimmy caught the sword with both hands, eyes shining with pure reverence and envy. Ever since he’d watched Finn swing it and slice a rocket clean in half, he’d been dying to get his hands on it.
Since the day he’d been yanked through a forced transmigration, the only two people who’d shown real power in front of him were Sis Avasarala and Finn. And Finn especially—long sword in hand, roaming the wasteland like he owned it—looked exactly like the cool swordsmen straight out of a wuxia novel.
Jimmy gazed at the Skybearer Sword with the solemn eyes of a pilgrim, slowly running his fingers along the blade as he clicked his tongue in awe.
“What a ridiculously sharp divine blade! Cuts iron like it’s mud, cold light sharp enough to freeze your soul. It sliced a rocket apart and didn’t even get a scratch! This has gotta be an ancient godly artifact! I bet those legendary swords forged from meteor iron that fell from the heavens, tempered nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-one times, and refined with the cultivator’s own lifeblood essence… aren’t any better than this!”
“Cut the crap,” Finn said flatly. “I bought this thing for five hundred bucks on Amazon.”
“Ah?” Jimmy stood there holding the sword with both hands, face completely blank.
Finn hadn’t been lying to him. The Skybearer Sword really had been bought on Amazon—five hundred bucks apiece, 9260 silicon-manganese spring steel, modern manufacturing, totally reliable.
Finn had ordered a hundred of them in one go. Because it was such a big bulk purchase, the shop owner agreed to custom-make them just for him.
Finn sent over his body measurements and arm span length. The owner used ergonomic principles to tweak the blade and hilt lengths, crafting the perfect sword tailored to him.
“But… how the hell can a five-hundred-dollar sword slice a rocket in half?” Jimmy stared down at the longsword in his hands, looking completely lost.
Finn pointed at the talismans engraved into the blade and said,
“These are the ones I carved myself—Sharpness Talisman, Diamond Talisman, Heavenly Resilience Talisman… and a whole bunch more. They don’t just boost the sword’s base stats. When I use it, I can pour Profound Energy straight into them along the blade for a massive power boost.”
“Oh, I get it! It’s basically like enchanting!” Jimmy nodded, eyes lighting up with sudden understanding.
He reached out and gently ran his finger over the talismans on the sword. They felt cool and smooth to the touch. It was these very talismans, infused with extraordinary power, that had massively boosted the Skybearer Sword’s hardness, toughness, and sharpness—letting Finn wield it like a true divine weapon.
“Bro, you really carved all these talismans by hand? I never knew your cultivation was this deep! Crushing stone tablets with your bare fingers would be child’s play for you!” Jimmy snapped out of his daze, voice full of awe.
“Uh… I actually used a diamond engraving tool,” Finn said. “Diamonds are harder than 9260 spring steel anyway. But carving them by hand is way too much trouble. I’m planning to grab a laser engraver soon.”
Jimmy nodded silently and handed the Skybearer Sword back to Finn.
“What’s wrong? You look a little off,” Finn asked, noticing Jimmy’s furrowed brows and the troubled look on his face.
“It’s nothing. I just feel like my whole worldview just got flipped upside down,” Jimmy scratched his head and let out a sigh.
“Don’t overthink that crap. Go take a shower first and wash all that dust off you. Tomorrow we’ll keep searching for the World Nucleus. If we don’t find any clues around here, we’ll have to think about leaving and trying our luck somewhere else.”
Finn pulled a bucket of purified water out of his storage space—the kind used for water dispensers. Jimmy grabbed the bucket and headed into the bathroom to shower.
If anyone else in the wasteland knew Finn was using such precious pure water just to bathe, they would explode with rage. Wasteland life was indeed brutal, but for Finn it was no big deal.
Finn sat on the edge of the bed, pulled out an old, worn book scroll titled 21 Days of Talismans: From Beginner to Buried, and began studying it seriously. Learning was a lifelong commitment—he could never afford to slack off.
……
At the same time, six hundred meters away from the Michael Inn, a black figure lay flat on the rooftop of a tall building. Dark brown burlap provided perfect camouflage for the silhouette. Beneath the burlap, the lenses of a pair of binoculars poked out just a little.
“I refuse to believe it. You can’t possibly keep activating your special ability forever! There’s definitely a chance for me to see right through you!” Olivia muttered to herself under the dark brown burlap.
Her eyes stayed glued to the binoculars, locked tight on the Michael Inn. In her field of view, everything was crystal clear—except for Finn sitting on the edge of the bed.
The very first time she ran into Finn, Olivia had already discovered that her X-ray vision had zero effect on him.
She’d always figured it was one of two things: either Finn had some kind of special ability that blocked X-ray vision, or he was wearing clothes made from special materials.
But if she just kept watching him long enough, Olivia was dead certain that one day Finn would drop his act and reveal what he was really made of.
“Wait a minute! Where the hell did that bucket of water in Finn’s hand come from? Is that another special ability? Just how many powers does this guy have?”
Olivia’s eyes widened in shock, and she pressed them even harder against the binocular lenses. After all, in this wasteland, she had never once heard of any mutant who possessed two or more special abilities.
This outsider is hiding way too many secrets! For the sake of Black Mountain, I must uncover the truth!” Olivia thought with a strong sense of justice. She lay prone on the rooftop, utterly focused as she peeped on Finn.
In all her twenty years of life, nothing had ever stayed hidden from her sight—everything had always been completely transparent and crystal clear. Finn was the first man she couldn’t see through, and it lit a massive fire of curiosity inside her.
Through the military binoculars, the young guy traveling with Finn had just finished showering and stepped out of the bathroom. Finn gave him a nod and a quick greeting, then walked into the bathroom himself and started stripping off his clothes.
“Chance time!” Olivia’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk, the smile of someone who’d finally gotten her way. No way Finn could keep his special ability active while he was showering.
……
“Bro, I’m done,” Jimmy said, stepping out of the bathroom while towel-drying his dripping hair.
Finn gave a nod, tossed the book 21 Days of Talismans: From Beginner to Buried onto the bed, and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was just as rundown as the rest of the wasteland—rusty pipes, cement floor covered in grime. Finn twisted the faucet. Sure enough, murky yellowish liquid poured out of the old pipes.
This was water piped straight from the storage tower. For the people living in the wasteland, just having any water at all to bathe with was already an insane luxury—forget about filtering it.
When you’re out on the road, you make do with what you’ve got.
Finn shut off the faucet, pulled a bucket of purified water, soap, a towel, and fresh clothes from his storage space. He channeled Profound Energy into his palms until they radiated heat, warming up the bucket of water. Then he lifted it overhead and started taking a proper hot shower.
Warm water cascaded over his body, washing away the dust and exhaustion. Finn let out a deep, satisfied sigh. Soapy water mixed with foam flowed across the floor, draining into a small hole. Outside, the sound of splashing and gurgling echoed.
Black Mountain didn’t have any real working sewer system. The old pipes from before the Cataclysm were all clogged, so wastewater just got dumped straight outside and flowed wherever it wanted.