Were these crystals worth the price?

Michael's heart and mind gave the same answer almost instantly.

No. Absolutely not.

They were too expensive. Ridiculously expensive. The price difference made no sense to him.

Just the Extraordinary Grade Evolution Essence Crystal alone cost thirty thousand Evolution Points. Thirty thousand.

With that amount, Michael could evolve two suitable creatures to Epic Grade. Yet this crystal was only Extraordinary Grade.

The comparison made Michael's eyelid twitch. "Is this thing robbing me?"

The more he looked at it, the more speechless he became.

Of course, Michael understood that the crystal had advantages. For one, it could be given to others and could even be used in item crafting. From a broader perspective, it was far from useless.

In fact, if sold properly, it could become a terrifying resource that countless factions would fight over.

After all, an item capable of raising attributes or helping nurture an item spirit, a feature usually only seen in Legendary Grade items, was undeniably valuable.

But to Michael personally? The current value was very questionable.

He did not lack ways to strengthen monsters, and he had no reason to spend tens of thousands of Evolution Points on something he could accomplish far more cheaply through direct evolution.

As for using it on intelligent races to raise attributes, the cost still felt painful. It was not a good enough reason for him to throw points away casually.

Michael stared at the crystal for a long time before sighing. "If a mere Extraordinary Grade crystal already costs this much, what about Epic Grade?"

His expression became strange. "Would it cost hundreds of thousands?"

The thought alone made him uncomfortable. And if his talent became more powerful in the future, what then? Would a Legendary Grade crystal cost millions? Would a Divine Grade crystal require something truly obscene?

Michael suddenly felt that this function was not something meant for his current stage. Perhaps it was designed for situations where direct evolution was simply impossible.

That particular thought struck a chord somewhere in his mind, but he could not quite place what it was he had been enlightened on.

In any case, for now the crystals were inefficient. Because of that, Michael had only condensed a small number for research purposes. A few Common Grade crystals. A few Rare Grade crystals. And only one Extraordinary Grade crystal. Anything more would be wasteful.

Yes, he was rich now. He had nearly ten million Evolution Points. But being rich did not mean he could afford to spend stupidly. Especially when his target was still fifty million.

Michael closed his fingers around the crystal and stored it away. "No more of these for now."

His decision was immediate. Until he fully understood their value, he would not waste large amounts of Evolution Points producing them.

Michael opened his status panel again. The number remained beautiful.

[Evolution Points: 9,823,643]

Beautiful, but not enough.

How great would it be if he has the treasury of another man's wealth.

He let out a long sigh before disappearing from the forest and reappearing back in the capital.

Though he had no intention of personally ruling the place, he still had to shoulder responsibility for certain matters until everything was stable to function without much intervention.

In the days that followed, life passed uneventfully until three days later when the Norman household received a surprising guest.

"Teacher Brian, what are you doing here? It's a pleasure to see you. Please come in."

Since he was going to be staying indoors for a while, Michael had no reason to hide his presence from his family, especially since he needed Jester nearby as well. Explaining a long disappearance without that context would have been a headache.

Michael had not expected Teacher Brian to come and find him. The reason he was already at the door before the man even knocked was because he had sensed him through their connection.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I just finished my business with the academy, and after so many days of your absence I thought I should come and see how you were doing. How have you been feel…"

Teacher Brian's words trailed off.

Michael had just led him into the sitting room when the older man suddenly stopped walking. Confused, Michael turned to look at him.

"Teacher?"

Brian did not answer immediately. His gaze had shifted past Michael.

At that moment, Aunt Mia had just come downstairs. She was dressed simply, yet the moment she appeared, the atmosphere in the room seemed to soften slightly.

Her steps slowed when she noticed there was a guest, especially one whose aura clearly marked him as extraordinary.

Michael noticed Brian's brief distraction but thought nothing of it.

"Oh, right." He stepped aside slightly. "Teacher Brian, this is my aunt, Aunt Mia."

Then he looked toward Aunt Mia. "Aunt Mia, this is Teacher Brian. He is one of my instructors and works directly with the Federation."

Aunt Mia's expression changed slightly. The Federation. For ordinary citizens, those two words carried enormous weight. Even knowing that Michael's current status was no longer ordinary, meeting someone connected directly to the Federation still made her feel a little nervous.

Still, Aunt Mia quickly composed herself. Her manners remained graceful.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Teacher Brian."

Brian seemed to recover only then. He cleared his throat lightly. "The pleasure is mine, Madam Mia."

His voice remained calm and polite.

Inwardly, however, Brian could not help but feel slightly surprised.

Michael's aunt was beautiful.

Brian had met countless powerful women throughout his time with the Federation. Yet Mia Norman gave off a completely different feeling.

At first glance, the resemblance between her and Michael was obvious.

The shape of her eyes, the structure of her face, and even certain subtle expressions carried traces of the young necromancer.

If Michael represented a handsome male interpretation of the Norman bloodline, then Mia felt like a more refined and elegant expression of the same features.