Chapter 334: Unknown Mutation
To be honest, when Qi Han asked Ru Yi, he wasn't feeling too confident.
After all, every Blood Red Unicorn in this stable looked like a bunch of rejects.
Well, that made sense.
If any of them appeared extraordinary at first glance, why would they be placed here?
So when Ru Yi told him that there was indeed one with great potential among them, Qi Han kept a neutral expression, but internally, he immediately asked, "Which one?"
"That one in the corner to your left."
Qi Han followed her guidance and quickly spotted the unicorn she mentioned—only for his face to take on a slightly strange expression.
This Blood Red Unicorn had a similar build to the others—actually, it looked fairly normal compared to the rest in the pen.
That is, if you ignored what it was doing.
At the moment, the unicorn was rubbing its back furiously against the fence, like it had a serious case of fleas. It looked like it was suffering from some strange illness.
Still, Qi Han trusted Ru Yi's judgment. So he stepped a little closer and carefully observed the unicorn that was busily scratching its back against the railing.
The closer look did reveal something unusual.
This unicorn did have the species' signature crimson markings—but unlike the others, its markings were arranged in a geometric grid pattern, with each grid shaped like a hexagon.
Blood Red Unicorns' patterns were said to be as unique as human fingerprints, but this? This was something else entirely.
It was like comparing normal fingerprint whorls and loops to someone whose fingerprints were square.
The unique pattern was already strange enough, but Qi Han's gaze soon shifted to the unicorn's horn.
This horn…
Ordinary Blood Red Unicorns had horns with a keratin-like texture, dark red in color.
The atavistic one they saw earlier had a more glossy, crystal-like finish, and its color was a bit brighter.
But this one…
Its horn was like a crimson crystal—bright, clear, and dazzling, almost jewel-like in its brilliance.
With such a unique horn, it was clear that this unicorn wasn't ordinary. But all its other traits—especially its strange behavior and seemingly sickly state—were bizarre, even troubling. No wonder the An Trading Company had placed it here.
"Ru Yi, what exactly is going on with this unicorn?" Qi Han couldn't help asking.
"Did you notice what it's doing?" Ru Yi replied in her usual calm voice. "It's rubbing its back against the railing—not because of illness, but because of something else. Its back itches terribly due to an internal cause."
"Another cause?" Qi Han was more confused now, not less.
"Touch its back," Ru Yi instructed.
Qi Han nodded and stepped in closer.
Even though this unicorn was agitated, Qi Han was far stronger and had no reason to be afraid.
He placed a hand on its back and pressed down slightly, and then his expression shifted in surprise.
From the surface, it looked normal, but when he applied pressure, he could clearly feel something hard and bulging under the skin.
This was…
"Wings," Ru Yi gave the answer. "This Blood Red Unicorn hasn't experienced atavism. It has undergone a completely unknown mutation—and is in the process of developing wings. Right now, it's in a metamorphosis stage. Because of insufficient nutrition, the wings are struggling to grow out, causing it constant discomfort. As for the strange grid-like markings—perhaps they're signs of developing scales."
A completely unknown mutation?
Qi Han blinked in astonishment.
This was even a possibility?!
A unicorn that could grow wings and scales?
That sounded seriously cool!
Qi Han's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ru Yi, if I leave it to you, can you fix its current condition?"
"Of course," Ru Yi replied easily. "The problem is just that its life energy can't support the metamorphosis. Give it some good food and infuse a bit of life force, and it'll naturally complete the transformation."
It's decided then!
Qi Han walked out of the stable and smiled at An Long. "Shopkeeper An, I've made my choice."
As he spoke, he pulled out a gold note worth 2,000 Gold Coins from his robe and handed it over.
"Eh?" An Long was a little stunned. He had thought that after seeing all the oddly-shaped Blood Red Unicorns in the stable, Qi Han would definitely give up. "Which one?"
"The one in the far corner," Qi Han pointed.
An Long took a look, and his expression turned even more bewildered. "Young Master Qi, this one is… fine in most respects, but it seems to have some kind of lump on its back, which makes it uncomfortable to ride. It's also been in poor health because of the lump and constantly rubs itself on things. Are you sure you want that one?"
He wasn't trying to talk Qi Han down—he was just worried that Qi Han might be unaware and buy it on impulse. If problems arose later, it might seem like An Long had tricked him, which could damage An's Trading Company's reputation. Qi Han clearly wasn't an ordinary person, so An Long naturally hoped to build a good relationship.
"I'm sure." Qi Han smiled faintly. He was well aware of the issues An Long mentioned.
"Well… alright then." Seeing Qi Han was resolute, An Long didn't press further. "If you give me an address, I can have someone deliver it—"
"No need, I'll take it myself." Qi Han shook his head, then stepped forward, placing his hand on the unicorn's back. Using a special method Ru Yi had taught him, he activated his spirit power to relieve its discomfort.
Feeling the intense itch fade, the Blood Red Unicorn let out a human-like neigh of relief and turned to look at Qi Han with noticeably friendlier eyes.
"Come with me," Qi Han said softly, gently tugging the rope around its neck and leading it out of the stable.
The money had been paid, and the unicorn was now officially his. Qi Han led it to the front hall, called back Pururu—who was still happily munching on dried fish—and then said goodbye to An Qiongju before leaving straightaway.
He scratched Pururu's head, who had now returned to his shoulder, still clutching a small dried fish in its mouth, and quietly asked Ru Yi, "How long will it take for the transformation to finish?"
"Once it's inside the small world, I can accelerate time up to a thousandfold. It should only take one or two hours."
One or two hours?
That wouldn't delay his journey at all, he could definitely spare the time.
This made him even more satisfied.
Leading the unicorn through the street, he soon found a quiet alley. Once they were deep inside and out of sight, he patted the unicorn's neck. "Alright, time for you to transform. I hope you'll be something completely different next time I see you."
The Blood Red Unicorn neighed softly and nuzzled him affectionately, then entered the system's small world under Ru Yi's guidance.
Qi Han gave Pururu a little pat and stepped back out of the alley.
Now, he just needed to wander Nanyin City for an hour or two, wait for the unicorn to finish its transformation, and he could set off again.
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