Chapter 75: Morphis

Reinhard stepped out of the private vehicle beside Lucien and adjusted the cuff of his black suit.

He had dressed properly for the occasion, with a perfectly fitted black suit, a slightly open dark shirt, polished shoes, and dark sunglasses that completed the flashy look.

Lucien glanced at him and smiled. "You certainly dressed for the occasion."

"We’re meeting an important person. I can’t exactly show up looking ordinary." Reinhard adjusted his sunglasses. "Also, if they’re going to charge me emotionally for this meeting, I want to at least look like I can afford it."

"Nobody’s charging you anything."

"You say that now."

Lucien laughed as they walked toward Saint A’s entrance.

Reinhard had already activated the Merchant King’s Lens before leaving the vehicle, and nobody noticed anything unusual as the information appeared within his vision.

The first thing he checked was the firearm carried by the nearest guard.

[Market Value: $18,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $42,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Elyndor Awakener Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Security Combat.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Vitality Bullet.]

[Evolution Potential: High.]

Reinhard raised an eyebrow. That’s a gun holding a small mansion’s worth of value, and the man carrying it looks bored.

"Lucien."

"What?"

"That guard is holding forty-two million dollars like it’s a broom."

Lucien glanced over. "It’s a nice rifle."

"It’s not a rifle. It’s a retirement plan with a trigger."

Reinhard looked at another guard’s weapon.

[Market Value: $21,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $47,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Elyndor Awakener Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Suppression and Mid-Range Combat.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Combat Drone.]

[Evolution Potential: Moderate.]

These are not cheap security weapons, and I’m already doing math I shouldn’t be doing at a front door.

They entered Saint A, and Reinhard immediately understood why the organization had such a reputation.

Researchers moved through the corridors with sealed containers, medical drones transported supplies, and Awakeners were treated alongside ordinary civilians. Everything was centered around medicine, from the treatment rooms to the specialized transportation arriving through the lower levels.

Reinhard’s gaze settled on a medical drone.

[Market Value: $12,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $38,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Emergency Medical Assistance.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regeneration System.]

[Evolution Potential: High.]

"That little floating trash can is worth thirty-eight million dollars," Reinhard whispered.

"It’s not a trash can."

"It’s shaped like a trash can."

"It’s a medical drone."

"A very expensive trash can."

Reinhard looked toward the regeneration system the Lens had identified.

[Market Value: $4,800,000.]

[True Market Value: $13,600,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: High-Speed Tissue Regeneration.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regeneration Network.]

[Evolution Potential: Very High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

Thirteen million dollars and not a single flaw. I have a strong urge to put this in my Inventory and sprint.

He looked at another piece of equipment.

[Market Value: $76,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $200,100,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Gnosis Injury Stabilization.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regeneration System.]

[Evolution Potential: High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

Reinhard leaned toward Lucien. "I just want to point out, purely as an observation, that I could become a billionaire in about four minutes if security wasn’t watching."

"Security is watching."

"That’s the only thing stopping me. I want that on record."

"Noted."

"Write it down somewhere official."

"I will not be writing that down."

Reinhard smiled and continued walking. The Lens kept showing him the same thing. Saint A’s technology was extremely valuable, and more importantly, almost everything was designed to work with something else in the building.

The Compatibility function repeatedly identified the best equipment to pair together, while the Evolution Potential of the major systems was consistently high.

They aren’t just throwing money at expensive technology. They actually built everything to work together.

Lucien noticed him looking around and smiled. "Impressive, isn’t it?"

"Very. They spent an unreasonable amount of money on this place, and I would know, because I recently spent an unreasonable amount of money on a different place."

"How is your accounting department, by the way?"

"Crying, probably."

They reached a security checkpoint, where the guards were more heavily armed and the equipment was noticeably more advanced.

Reinhard scanned one of the weapons.

[Market Value: $32,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $85,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Elyndor Awakener Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: High-Risk Security Combat.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Combat Drone.]

[Evolution Potential: High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

This place is absurd.

Before he could scan another piece of equipment, a loud alarm echoed through the building. Red lights flashed, reinforced doors slammed shut, and the guards immediately moved into position.

Lucien stopped walking.

Reinhard looked toward him. "What’s happening?"

"An intrusion."

"Here?"

"Apparently."

Several security personnel rushed past them, and Lucien placed a hand against Reinhard’s shoulder.

"Wait here."

Reinhard glanced toward the corridor before shrugging. "Sure. I wasn’t going to help anyway. I was going to watch and take notes."

Gunfire erupted in the distance.

Reinhard turned toward the sound and saw several security personnel fighting an intruder. One guard was thrown into a wall, another was knocked down, and a third suffered a deep wound across his side.

One of the security personnel raised his weapon. A green projectile struck the injured guard. His wound immediately began closing, and within seconds he was back on his feet.

Reinhard’s eyes settled on the weapon.

[Market Value: $35,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $110,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Instant Battlefield Recovery.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Security Personnel.]

[Evolution Potential: High.]

"That gun just healed a man for a hundred and ten million dollars," Reinhard said quietly. "I’ve paid less for medical treatment."

"That’s an odd thing to be jealous of."

"I’m not jealous. I’m doing math, and the math is insulting."

Another guard was injured.

Another Vitality Bullet restored him.

Reinhard slowly turned toward Lucien. "What was that?"

Lucien watched the battle calmly. "They’re called Vitality Bullets. They can instantly heal the target."

"So instead of a first aid kit, they carry a small fortune with a trigger guard."

"Essentially."

"I love it here."

More security personnel arrived, and several combat drones descended from the ceiling.

Reinhard scanned one.

[Market Value: $24,000,000.]

[True Market Value: $68,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Elyndor Awakener Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Intruder Suppression.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Barrier System.]

[Evolution Potential: Very High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

The drones formed a barrier around the combat area while the security personnel attacked together. The intruder tried to escape, but the barrier held, and within moments the attacker was restrained.

The injured security personnel were treated immediately, with Vitality Bullets restoring them to full strength.

Reinhard watched quietly. They can replenish their own security force in the middle of a fight.

"They handled that in under a minute," Reinhard said. "If someone broke into my house, it would take me longer than that just to find my shoes."

"You could probably handle a break-in without shoes."

"I’d prefer not to test that theory."

Lucien glanced toward him. "Shall we continue?"

Reinhard looked at the restrained intruder being carried away. "Sure. Poor guy picked the one building where getting shot is a mild inconvenience."

They continued deeper into Saint A. Reinhard scanned a specialized medical scanner.

[Market Value: $14,400,000.]

[True Market Value: $44,200,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Gnosis Injury Diagnosis.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Gnosis Treatment System.]

[Evolution Potential: Very High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

He looked at another machine.

[Market Value: $23,700,000.]

[True Market Value: $33,900,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Cellular Regeneration.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regeneration Chamber.]

[Evolution Potential: Very High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

They’re not cutting corners anywhere. I respect it. I also want to put half this building in my pocket, but mostly I respect it.

They eventually reached a quieter research section. Through the transparent walls, Reinhard could see researchers working on biological samples, damaged tissue, artificial organs, and Gnosis-related injuries.

His gaze settled on a massive regeneration chamber.

[Market Value: $439,500,000.]

[True Market Value: $540,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Advanced Regenerative Treatment.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regeneration Network.]

[Evolution Potential: Very High.]

Reinhard stopped walking. "Lucien."

"Yes?"

"That machine is worth more than most countries."

"It’s a very good machine."

"I want to marry it. I’m already married, but I want to marry it too."

"You cannot marry a regeneration chamber."

"Watch me."

Reinhard checked the surrounding equipment, and the Compatibility function immediately identified the systems that worked best with the chamber.

They really built all of this properly.

A calm voice came from ahead. "You seem to be enjoying the tour."

Reinhard looked up and saw a man standing near the entrance to the next research area. He wore a dark medical coat over formal clothing, and his expression was calm and professional.

Lucien smiled. "Morphis."

Morphis nodded before looking at Reinhard. "So you’re Reinhard Ashcroft."

Reinhard smiled and extended his hand. "That would be me. Reinhard Ashcroft, professional appraiser of things, and constant heartthrob."

Morphis shook his hand and released it without comment before looking toward the container carried by one of Lucien’s attendants. "I was told you were bringing something important."

"You could say that."

Lucien gave a small nod, and the container was opened.

Inside was the Lumina Root.

Morphis’s expression barely changed, but his eyes immediately became more focused. He stepped closer and examined the material without touching it.

After several seconds, he asked, "Where did you acquire this?"

"Divine intervention," Reinhard said before Lucien could speak.

Morphis blinked once. "Excuse me?"

"It fell from the heavens. Ask around. I have a whole collection of things that fell from the heavens. It’s become something of a personal brand."

Morphis looked at Lucien, who simply shrugged.

"The source is confidential," Lucien said.

"That’s one word for it," Morphis replied.

Reinhard grinned. "See, he gets it."

"I did not say that as a compliment."

"I’m choosing to hear it as one."

Morphis studied him for another moment before turning toward the laboratory behind him. "Follow me."

Reinhard glanced at Lucien before following.

As they walked, Morphis said, "Saint A has spent considerable resources searching for Lumina Root. We received several leads over the past year, but none of them produced a reliable source."

"Sounds expensive."

"It was."

"How expensive?"

Morphis paused. "That’s confidential as well."

"Everything here is confidential except the part where everything costs more than a small nation’s budget."

Lucien coughed to cover a laugh.

Morphis continued walking. "Our current regenerative technology is already capable of restoring severe physical damage. We can accelerate tissue recovery, repair bone, reconstruct damaged muscle, and stabilize injuries that would have been fatal without treatment."

They passed another laboratory where a machine was restoring damaged tissue while researchers monitored the process.

"But there are limits," Morphis continued. "The more complicated the injury becomes, the more difficult complete regeneration is. Certain forms of damage remain beyond our current capabilities, and the process becomes increasingly inefficient when the body has suffered extensive destruction."

Reinhard looked through the glass.

[Market Value: $50,900,000.]

[True Market Value: $170,400,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: Advanced Tissue Regeneration.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regeneration Chamber.]

[Evolution Potential: Very High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

One hundred seventy million dollars, and I’m being told it still isn’t good enough.

Morphis stopped beside another laboratory. "This is one of our current regeneration prototypes."

Inside was a large medical chamber surrounded by specialized machines. A damaged biological sample rested inside, and when the machine activated, energy flowed through the chamber as the tissue began rebuilding itself.

Reinhard watched the regeneration accelerate.

The Merchant King’s Lens analyzed the entire system.

[Market Value: $80,700,000.]

[True Market Value: $260,000,000.]

[Recommended Selling Location: Aurileus Medical Exchange.]

[Optimal Use: High-Speed Physical Regeneration.]

[Compatibility: Saint A Regenerative Network.]

[Evolution Potential: Extremely High.]

[Vulnerability: None.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed slightly. Two hundred and sixty million, and it still has room to evolve.

Morphis watched the prototype. "This is where we currently stand."

The regeneration continued for several seconds before slowing, and the researchers adjusted several controls, but the process refused to advance beyond a certain point.

"Everything you’re seeing works," Morphis said. "Our problem isn’t whether regeneration is possible. Our problem is pushing it further."

Reinhard looked toward the Lumina Root container. "So it’s not that you’re bad at your job. It’s that your job got harder than your equipment."

Morphis paused. "That is a surprisingly accurate summary."

"I have my moments."

"You have exactly one moment so far, and it happened ten seconds ago."

Lucien laughed.

Morphis remained silent for a moment before turning toward Reinhard. "The Lumina Root may be the missing component."

Reinhard smiled faintly. "I figured it was important."

"You seem unusually calm for someone carrying a material Saint A has spent months trying to obtain."

"Maybe I’m just used to finding expensive things. I’ve also spent the last ten minutes pricing out your building in my head, so honestly, a rare herb barely moves the needle anymore."

Morphis stared at him. "You’ve been pricing our equipment."

"Only the impressive parts."

"That’s a security concern."

"That’s a compliment."

Morphis looked at Lucien, who simply spread his hands.

A faint smile finally appeared on Morphis’s face before he turned toward the next section of the facility. "There is more I want to show you."

He glanced back at the two of them and said, "Please follow me. It seems you two came far more prepared than I originally believed."

Reinhard adjusted his sunglasses and smiled. "Good. I dressed for the occasion."