Faced with such a rare price reduction, Fang Senyan was immensely conflicted. If he had three thousand Universal Points, he would undoubtedly spend them on appraisal without hesitation. The core principle of the Nightmare space was to rapidly convert unused resources into combat power; the finest tools are scrap if they serve no immediate purpose. The problem was—Fang Senyan simply did not have three thousand Universal Points!

"Let's go," Fang Senyan managed, forcing a veneer of composure. Inside, he sternly cautioned himself, Do not let anyone see I'm short on cash, absolutely do not let anyone see I'm short on cash, or those bastards, cunning to the core, will haggle me down to the bone!

The Contractor grew frantic, grinding his teeth:

"Don't you know that black materials can often be forged into black-quality equipment? Appraise it early, get the gear made, and you'll have a better chance of survival next time you enter a world!"

Fang Senyan maintained his calm facade:

"I said, let's go. Not interested today."

The Contractor froze, his expression blank. After a long moment, he sighed deeply:

"Fine. I didn't realize you were an expert! Hand it over!"

This time it was Fang Senyan's turn to be astonished:

"Hand over what?"

The Contractor snapped:

"What else but the appraisal, of course! If my Appraisal skill proficiency wasn't just shy of the next level, I wouldn't offer this for free! Are you a friend of Lytle or Maddy? Only they know I'm stuck at this bottleneck."

Fang Senyan was overjoyed at this unexpected stroke of luck. Just as he was about to pull out a thick roll of leather, a sharp, insidious, unpleasant voice cut in from beside him:

"Wait! I'll pay 1,000 Universal Points to have that appraised for me."

Fang Senyan found the voice vaguely familiar. Taking a closer look, he realized the old man standing before him—wearing a bowler hat, with a pointed face and a perpetually treacherous expression—looked incredibly familiar. It was his servant, the Goblin Gold Mine! This creature had clearly disguised itself again using its shoddy magic. It puffed on a cigar and declared loudly:

"Hurry up, I'm in a rush."

The Contractor suddenly gave a cold sneer:

"Fine. I'll step aside. Give him 1,000 Universal Points, and I'll watch him appraise that black leather!"

Clearly, he suspected Fang Senyan was conspiring with Gold Mine to run a scam. Unexpectedly, Gold Mine swaggered forward, rolled up his sleeves to reveal thin, withered wrists, and then a faint white light emanated from both hands, ready to press down upon the bundle of leather.

The Contractor's eyes immediately went wide. He recognized the light as the casting of the Appraisal skill and rushed forward, shouting:

"Wait! 5,000 Universal Points! I'll pay 5,000 Universal Points! If you refuse, forget it."

What followed was a happy ending for all involved. Fang Senyan’s near-empty wallet received a substantial injection of capital, and Gold Mine, naturally, gleefully pocketed a portion of the windfall. Fang Senyan had asked if Gold Mine truly possessed the Appraisal skill. The smug Gold Mine readily affirmed it, but his next statement sent a chill down Fang Senyan's spine:

"But I can't guarantee the appraisal result."

For some reason, hearing Gold Mine say that, Fang Senyan suddenly recalled the heap of junk in his own room and nervously wiped his brow. Then, with a sense of gratitude, he began to examine the properties of the appraised material:

Troll Hide Origin: The Magical World of Harry Potter Category: Production Material Material Rarity: Black Composition: Protein/Tannin Weight: 7.14 kg. Use: Can be used to stitch armor such as boots, coats, and pants. Evaluation: It seems the legend that Trolls never bathe is true. Good heavens, the stench is unbearable! Note: Contractors/NPCs possessing the relevant ability can process this leather. If one's military rank reaches a certain height, direct processing within the space is also possible. It must be noted that equipment processed directly in the space will be standardized, only gaining the base attributes of that equipment, without any additional attribute bonuses.

At this point, those genuinely interested in purchasing the black weapon—the Troll's Massive Femur—also began to emerge. Fang Senyan knew that before entering a world, one should spend everything convertible into immediate combat strength; surely the other Contractors weren't fools? Having confirmed that the damned Fang Senyan was an impenetrable hard bargain, those eager parties finally relented, bringing out many items, including even a Silver Plot Item!

Regrettably, the most impressive attribute of this Silver Plot Item was +25% Maximum Spirit and +7 Intelligence. Fang Senyan wept tears of bitterness; how wonderful it would have been if it were +25% Maximum Health and +7 Stamina? He would have snatched it up immediately, but now he had to reluctantly part with it.

What truly caught his attention was a scroll.

A scroll of Tier Six!

This was the first time Fang Senyan had ever seen a tiered scroll! Previously, the scrolls he obtained were indicated by color to hint at their value. Besides that, in the Caribbean world, using Insight on Jack Sparrow allowed him to observe a Tier Seven special passive ability: True Luck! And this scroll was only one tier below the protagonist's signature ability; its rarity was self-evident. Fang Senyan requested to examine it, and the seller promptly sent over the data.

Uruk-hai Conditioning Notes (Chapter Three, Page Six to Chapter Five, Page Four) Author: John L. Nader Saruman Rank: Six Usage Effect: Grants mastery of the active ability, Uruk-hai Genetic Fluid Compounding. Usage Requirement: Strength 1 point Attached Note: Uruk-hai Genetic Fluid Compounding involves using various raw materials to concoct different Uruk-hai Genetic Fluids. Drinking this fluid temporarily increases the target's base attribute points; the increase varies depending on the compounding materials used. Because Uruk-hai Genetic Fluid oxidizes very easily in the space, its shelf life after drinking is only 120 seconds; therefore, on-site creation and immediate use are strongly recommended. Tip: The drinker can only possess one enhancement effect from an Uruk-hai Genetic Fluid at a time. Attached Note: Learning this scroll costs 5 Potential Points. Space Evaluation: D-Grade Note: Individuals wishing to use this must pass a genetic verification (i.e., the process of the blood recognizing the master). Note: This is a fragment of research notes left by the famous NPC from the Lord of the Rings world, the White Wizard Saruman. After Saruman gathered the Orc tribes of the Misty Mountains, he bred Orcs in Isengard, eventually creating the Uruk-hai, which mixed Orc and Human (possibly Dunlending) blood. This is the note he left while concocting the Uruk-hai. Though a fragment, it can still impart significant benefits.

However, what perplexed Fang Senyan was that this Tier Six scroll only received a D-grade evaluation from the Space! And the seller's stance was firm: one-for-one trade—scroll for weapon. At this point, although Fang Senyan was tempted, he couldn't help but think of his servant, Gold Mine. Although the creature was vile enough to sell counterfeit goods, it was undeniably useful. Especially those ??? abilities it possessed; they seemed half-baked but were certainly good enough for bluster.

"Gold Mine? Gold Mine?" Fang Senyan called out a few times but received no response. He immediately deployed his ultimate technique: "Gold Mine, someone dropped their wallet!"

Five seconds later, the sleazy creature came scrambling over, its eyes alight with greed:

"I love hearing that phrase! Whose wallet? Where did it drop?"

Fang Senyan gestured toward the scroll:

"See if this scroll can be traded for my weapon?"

Gold Mine stared at the scroll for a moment, then vigorously shook his head, shrieking like a broken drum:

"Time is money, my friend! Scammers like this should be sent to Azkaban!"

The Contractor bristled:

"Nonsense!"

Gold Mine sneered:

"Dare you let me touch this scroll?"

The Contractor's expression cycled through several changes, then he finally relented with a sigh. Gold Mine waved a dismissive hand, shoving Fang Senyan aside, and launched into a tirade filled with spitting rhetoric and exaggerated gestures, directly pressuring the Contractor into submission. With a long sigh, the Contractor traded the Tier Six scroll + 5,000 Universal Points + 13 Potential Points for Fang Senyan's black weapon + two doses of Black Voodoo Poison. It was likely that the poor soul didn't even notice the annotation beside the two doses of Black Voodoo Poison stating the 5% usage success rate.

After receiving the traded items with a jolt of excitement, Fang Senyan instantly understood why the Contractor had been willing to take such a loss. Because when his fingers touched the Tier Six scroll, a prompt immediately echoed in his mind:

"An indescribable evil force has enveloped you."

"Contacted: Uruk-hai Conditioning Notes (Chapter Three, Page Six to Chapter Five, Page Four), Scanning... Stamina value is 28 points. Hidden talent compatibility is: Resilience, with a fit rate of 87.33%. Complete learning success probability is 83%."

After receiving this prompt, Fang Senyan immediately grasped why the Space had only given this Tier Six ability scroll a D-grade evaluation. It was likely due to this compatibility rating!

Judging by his own profile, this note seemed intended for auxiliary Contractors who tended to focus on Intelligence and Spirit builds, but its hidden requirement was actually high Stamina and defensive talent abilities!

The narrow target audience meant it was unsuitable for the vast majority of Contractors, naturally resulting in only a D-grade evaluation. This situation was akin to a globally limited edition Mercedes model, which, despite being infinitely flashy, might garner less popularity and word-of-mouth praise than a Chery QQ, because for most people, it remains an unattainable picture on a wall.