Soon after Montez's words fell, the long magical counter appeared once more. It seemed to stretch to the left and right endlessly.
Leonel's first instinct was to get the best Zone Analysis Device he could. The price for lacking information was simply too steep. Just a single mistake could result in a failure. If such a thing happened, his life would be over.
"… Uncle Montez, are there… Escape treasures?"
Leonel suddenly thought of something. From what he had seen, it seemed it was impossible to find a device with 100% accuracy. At the same time, he didn't believe that the only remaining path in case of a mistake really was death.
Hearing these words, Montez grinned.
"Of course. However, they're all one time use items. In addition, they also only work for one person at a time. So, unless your whole team has one, you'll be branded as a Deserter and hunted by your world."
Saying these words, Montez's gaze flashed with a cold light. It seemed he wasn't new to such people.
"Aside from this, escape treasures are limited by their strength as well. A Tier 7 Black escape treasure can only escape Zones below Tier 8, for example."
After a while, Leonel hesitated again.
He didn't know the truth behind his dad's past, but what he did know was that he knew more than he had told him to this point. Leonel believed in his father. Since even he could tell how important Zone Analysis Devices were, his father wouldn't leave him hanging, right?
'That old man told me he left something in the basement for me. If it's not a Zone Analysis Device, the next time I see him, I won't acknowledge him as my dad anymore.'
Leonel silently harrumphed in his mind, clearly still somewhat unsatisfied with his father's abrupt departure.
Leonel sighed. "What do you suggest, Uncle Montez?"
He could only ask this question again. Though he knew what he wanted to some extent, he wasn't sure which tier of treasure he should allocate to which. In the end, he was lacking in too much fundamental knowledge. If it wasn't for his ability, he probably wouldn't have lucked into such a good Force cultivation method.
Montez stroked his chin, apparently trying to appear like a wizened elder. But, he was lacking in the beard department.
"Which of your Lineage Factors did you awaken?"
"Which?" Leonel frowned at the wording.
Montez coughed. "I mean what is your Lineage Factor?"
Hearing this question, Leonel suddenly remembered that both he and Aina couldn't really figure his Lineage Factor out. Maybe this was a good chance.
"I was meaning to ask you a question about that. My Lineage Factor is a bit weird. It seems to only activate when I wield a spear. It's very subtle in its effects, but I feel that it has great poten …"
Leonel's voice trailed off. Well, it wasn't that it trailed off, but rather that Montez's boisterous laughter completely drowned out his words. No matter how Leonel thought about it, he couldn't understand what was so funny about what he had just said.
"That bastard's probably rolling in his grave right now, HAHA! Wait, he's not dead yet, HAHA! He'll definitely pull his hair out when he finds out, HAHA!"
"… Um… Uncle Montez?"
Montez seemed to have finally realized that Leonel was here with him, but it still took him several moments to stop laughing and wipe the tears from his face. In fact, there was a point where he grabbed Leonel's wrist without a care for the grime covering him and burst into another fit of laughter.
"Is there something wrong?" Leonel asked worriedly. "Usually Lineage Factors are boosts to speed or strength, right? Why's mine related to a weapon?"
Montez waved his hand. "Those are low level Lineage Factors. Forget it, it doesn't matter much. I'll help you out."
"Should I pick a good spear?" Leonel asked.
"No." Montez smiled, but didn't explain his words. "A spear is the last thing you need. Soon, you'll have more than you know what to do with. Just keep the one on your back for now."
Leonel's expression only became weirder. But he had given up on asking questions. Montez clearly wanted to torture him, whether it be by his palm or with curiosity.
"Instead, there's something better. Here."
Montez clapped his hands and the counter quickly shrunk once again. The items left only made Leonel more confused.
There were five items in total, all of which fell under the Tier 7 Black grade.
The first two were lumps of what looked like unrefined ore. They had a silverish grey hue to them, but sometimes looked like clumps of coal when the light hit them just right.
The third item was a pair of black gloves. They seemed plain at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there were complex vein patterns running all across it. However, they were barely noticeable due to the fact they were black as well, albeit of a vaguely deeper shade.
The fourth item was a quill. It was quite a beautiful pen with a silvery and flexible tip. The feather attached to its back was a pure white and had faint fluctuations of wind around it. Leonel didn't know what beast this feather was from, but he was certain it had an ability related to wind.
However, even among all these odd, seemingly disjointed items, the last was even a level weirder. It was… a glob of liquid metal?
At first, Leonel thought it was just a silvery metallic ball. But then it became a puddle of goo. And yet after that, it became a small mountain range.
It kept flickering between its forms like a fickle child, painting all sorts of extraordinary scenes. Though, it still followed the law of conservation of mass. It never became something beyond itself and was kept confined within a small space.
The object itself was so odd that it wasn't until it became a simple silver cube that Leonel realized it had actually been encased in a glass cube. Now, it was just spreading itself to conform to its container as though looking for a way out.
When it failed, it slumped back down into a puddle, its surface burping with bubbles as though sobbing.
Seeing its personified actions and almost human-like emotions, Leonel's heart felt a slight pang. He felt bad for the little guy.