"Did you want a strand of my hair?"
Upon hearing the request from the rebel leader across from him, Leon immediately became alert.
Although the opponent's ability seemed related to the "Gate," there was a connection between the rebels and the Aquarius Director, and Aquarius had created so many Anomalous Objects, it was very likely they left him with one or a few casually.
So, if this Anomalous Object could use hair to test someone's state, would the identity he "borrowed" through the photo risk exposure?
Seeing that Leon didn't immediately pull out a strand of hair but instead stood silently in place without any action, the chubby uncle beside him couldn't help but get anxious, quickly reaching out to nudge him.
"Hurry up! What are you waiting for?"
"Sorry, I... I'm a bit too excited!"
Using the momentum from the chubby uncle's push to stagger slightly, Leon quietly slipped his hand into his chest, tapped the small mirror, beckoned to Young Ha inside with his finger, then said with a grateful expression, "Thank you, leader, for the opportunity! I'll pull out some hair right away!"
With a curious crowd watching, having played his part as a boy "frozen" with surprise, Leon quickly pulled his hand out from his chest and then reached behind his head to pull hard.
"Leader, is this enough?"
"It's enough, it's enough... Actually, you didn't need to pull out so much, just one would do..."
Seeing the small bunch of black short hair in "Little Baskin's" slightly trembling hand, the middle-aged man couldn't help but give a wry smile, then took one from it, and gently rubbed it on the inside of the watch, following the method taught by the Aquarius Director.
Accompanied by a faint sound similar to metal gears grinding together, a small gap suddenly opened on the side of the watch worn by the middle-aged man, revealing the internal mechanical structure.
Under the "shocked" gaze of Leon and his companion, the six-needle watch, with its bizarre design, seemed to come alive, and the brass gears, flywheels, and eccentric pillars, resembling sharp twisted teeth exposed in the gap, directly swallowed the black hair.
"This is something a friend of mine gave me. It can use hair to test whether someone can possess 'special' powers. The more and larger the needles move, the better your talent is."
After briefly explaining the function of the watch, the middle-aged man held the switch on the other side of the watch and gently turned it.
"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!"
With an extremely faint sound, five of the needles almost instantly began to jump, quickly moving towards the anomalous range.
Past, body, soul, personality, emotion... Even someone with Old Baskin's experiences only triggered three needles, and this kid had so many aspects deviating from normal people?
After giving "Little Baskin" a glance of surprise, the middle-aged man lowered his head, somewhat expectantly watching the watch. When all the needles stopped, he couldn't help but reveal a look of regret.
Although three needles passed, they weren't in three different groups; it was the past, body, and soul that passed. The final emotion and personality group only moved slightly and was far from becoming anomalous.
*Little Baskin had a painful past, but not a great future. His body and soul were both abnormal, but his emotions and character weren't up to standard, the movement barely a ripple.*
*It seemed, just as I suspected, that while this kid had a painful past, with Old Owen's family taking care of him, he hadn't truly sunk into darkness, just had a slightly radical character and emotion due to family upheaval.*
*What a pity, like his father, Old Baskin, while not impossible, ultimately fell short at the final hurdle.*
Facing the intensely hopeful eyes of Old Owen and Leon, the middle-aged man shook his head slightly, directly giving a negative answer.
"Little Baskin might not be completely without talent, but compared to the minimum standard, he's a bit lacking. As it stands, he doesn't have that kind of talent."
Hearing the middle-aged man's response, "Little Baskin," personally deemed talentless by the leader, couldn't help but have his gaze dim as he lowered his head, crestfallen.
Meanwhile, the chubby uncle let out a deep sigh, patting him on the back as a comfort, then forced a smile at the middle-aged man and said, "Thank you for your trouble, leader, but even without those magical abilities, we believe that as long as we work hard, we can still accomplish something!"
After hearing the chubby uncle's words, the middle-aged man couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.
*Just by working hard? Then why, despite trying so many times, did everything still slide toward the abyss both before and after I crossed the Gate of the Other World?*
*In this world, some things just can't be accomplished through effort alone. No talent means no talent, no qualification means no qualification!*
"Yes... just work hard... it should be possible."
Feeling a dull ache in his chest, the middle-aged man smiled and told a lie he didn't believe himself, then stepped aside to clear the path to the Capital City, and instructed Leon, "Hurry back. Although much of your money was likely drunk away by Old Baskin, and the remaining might have to pay fines for defacing the memorial wall, he probably didn't carry all the money with him. There might still be some left at home."
"So you can go check if there's any money left at his place, and if you find yourself short on funds, go to finance for an advance, just say I sent you."
"Thank you, leader..."
Facing the middle-aged man's concern, the dream-shattered "Little Baskin" nodded weakly to express gratitude, then followed behind the chubby uncle who was softly comforting him, looking despondent as he walked through the warehouse doors and left the valley that served as the gathering point.
And after their figures disappeared, unsure if disappointed by not acquiring a new Anomalous Object or lamenting a shared, powerless fate with him, the middle-aged man sighed as well, turning to walk toward the center of the valley, prepared to arrange the upcoming actions for some time.
But he had barely taken a few steps when he saw a robust figure rushing over, that person sniffing excitedly as he ran, and upon seeing the middle-aged man, his face lit up with joy as he dashed over.
"Nathan... Leader! Is this your aroma? How have you gotten even more fragrant?"
*What aroma? What does it mean that I've gotten more fragrant?*
Faintly startled, the middle-aged man sniffed his sleeve without finding any special scent, furrowing his brows as he asked back: "Teague? What on earth are you talking about? What fragrance do I have on me?"
*Indeed no fragrance... or rather, it's not his scent, and it's getting fainter...*
Leaning in close to the middle-aged man and taking a couple of deep sniffs, the strange man, covered in burn scars, shook his head in disappointment, then questioned with a face full of disdain, "Lea... Nathan, have you come across a true powerhouse? Where is he?"