With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 37
The Difference Between Appraisers
It was late in the morning by the time I left the Iron Gray Fang warehouse.
I had another errand to run in the afternoon, which kept me out for the rest of the day, so it was already night when I finally made it back home.
When I opened the waist pouch, the protected juvenile was completely motionless at the bottom; the luminescence it had flashed toward the master box this morning was no longer lingering within its shell. Once I transferred it back into the containment vessel, it rested its shell against its usual spot and fell quiet.
Checking my phone, I noticed two unread messages from Takasaka sitting in my inbox.
The first was a file that had arrived earlier in the evening. Attached were a few photographs of the spell-matrix preservation slab, along with a written assessment sheet from the previous appraiser who had been asked to evaluate it. I skimmed through the contents and managed to grasp the general overview, but text descriptions and images alone couldn't reveal the finer details.
I'll just have to inspect the real thing, I thought, as I opened the next message.
The second text was regarding the scheduling layout.
“I hope you’ve had a chance to look over the files. Any time that works for you tomorrow morning would be great. The location will be the same warehouse bay as last time.”
I typed back a reply letting him know I would be there tomorrow morning.
"Better write up the monthly log before hitting the sack."
Before locking my phone, I opened the monthly record app. I logged today's on-site behavioral cues along with the materials we handled, and appended the status column with: “No environmental changes; low activity levels; continuing accompaniment to observe 5th behavioral cue.” I then hit save.
Casting my eyes down toward the containment vessel, I thought I saw the edge of its shell twitch ever so slightly, but it immediately went motionless again.
◇
The meeting spot was the same warehouse bay Iron Gray Fang had used previously, but this time I was guided over to a different shelf further in the back.
Takasaka had already unlocked the sealing door ahead of time and was waiting, with Kanzaki standing by his side.
"Good morning. Sorry to have you come out two days in a row."
"No problem at all, I just happened to have some free time."
I gave a brief nod to Kanzaki as well, who returned the gesture with a polite bow.
"Right this way. I'll guide you."
Stepping past the threshold of the door, the same crisp, cool air washed over us.
"This is it."
Takasaka opened a cabinet on the back shelf and pulled out a thin case.
What emerged from the case was a slender stone slab. It was about twenty centimeters tall, bearing a dull, faded gray color. Shallow lines of a degraded spell-matrix ran across the surface, though most of them had lost their coloration and snapped midway. Looking near the edges, a heavily faded inscription was barely visible. I could decipher that it was an old-style preservation slab, but the spell-matrix itself was completely non-functional—externally, it looked like nothing more than scrap material.
"The appraiser we hired before judged that it should be sent straight to sealed storage as a hazardous item," Takasaka explained. "Our clan left it completely untouched because of that, and as you can see, it's just been sitting here."
"The copy of that assessment sheet was included in the files you sent last night," I replied. "It read: 'Spell-matrix remnants active; unstable; risk of accidental triggering upon physical contact; opening highly discouraged.'"
"Yeah. That's why we haven't been able to move it."
He based his entire judgment on the surface layer, I realized. It wasn't an incorrect assessment... but it was incredibly shallow.
◇
I took a step forward, leaning closer to the stone slab.
The moment I did, a brief sound clicked out from the waist pouch at my belt—the faint clacking of something hard touching. A faint, blue-gray light was leaking through the seams of the pouch. The protected juvenile, which had been completely motionless at the bottom until now, was causing the light deep within its shell to ripple.
I popped the pouch open and scooped the protected juvenile into both hands. It slowly pivoted its head directly toward the stone slab and froze. The luminescence bleeding from its shell was radiating with an intensity that didn't even compare to how it looked in the containment vessel last night. It was the exact same reaction it had shown toward the master box yesterday.
Standing directly in front of the stone slab, I focused my [Appraisal] on it.
--------------------------------------------------
Spell-Matrix Preservation Slab (Two-Layered Sealed Object)
Rarity: B
Status: Outer Layer Non-Functional (Designed as a decoy layer) / Inner Layer Spell-Matrix Intact (Maintained)
Structure: The outer layer is a decoy intentionally designed to mimic advanced degradation. The authentic preservation spell-matrix remains fully intact within the inner layer.
Contents: Non-Degraded Preservation Materials ×2, Auxiliary Sealing Shard ×1
Estimated Value: 180,000 – 240,000 Yen (Depending on processing precision)
Opening Conditions: Strip away the degraded spell-matrix on the outer surface -> physically remove the decoy layer -> release the seal on the inner layer spell-matrix, in that exact order. Reversing the sequence will cause the inner layer to undergo thermal collapse.
Notes: The item is structured specifically to trick appraisers into overlooking the inner layer if they base their entire judgment solely on the outer layer.
--------------------------------------------------
"This isn't a hazardous item," I announced. "There's a decoy layer layered over the top, and the authentic spell-matrix is safely preserved underneath. It will break if opened incorrectly, but if we follow the proper steps, we can extract the contents safely."
A brief silence hung between Takasaka and Kanzaki.
"A decoy layer...?" Takasaka echoed.
"It's a structural design meant to protect the interior by making the outside look completely dead. The previous appraiser's judgment was based entirely on what was visible on the outer layer, so his logic itself wasn't wrong. He just couldn't see past what was underneath it."
Takasaka stared at the stone slab.
"Can you open it, Makabe?"
"Yeah. The appraisal laid out the exact procedures. As long as we maintain the sequence, the contents will be perfectly fine."
Takasaka cast a glance toward Kanzaki, who gave a silent nod.
"Then please, go ahead. We'll leave the call entirely up to you."
"Understood."
I placed the protected juvenile back into the waist pouch and fastened the latch. With both hands free, I crouched down in front of the stone slab.
◇
Following the exact procedures displayed by my appraisal, I began stripping away the degraded spell-matrix from the edges of the outer surface; dry, powdery residue flaked off in small clusters.
I peeled away the lines one by one, and once the surface spell-matrix was completely cleared, I set to work physically prying off the remaining decoy layer.
It was a thin, membrane-like layer, but when I applied pressure from the correct angle, it detached without making a sound—revealing a surface with a completely different texture underneath.
All that was left was to release the seal on the inner layer.
The precise positioning and sequence were already laid out by my appraisal. As I touched the designated spots in order, the edge of the slab lifted slightly on the third point.
Lifting it up slowly, two preservation containers emerged from within, sitting side-by-side. Each one housed a perfectly intact preservation material. The auxiliary sealing shard was affixed to the inner wall of the slab, so I peeled it free separately from the containers and extracted it.
When I appraised them individually, the interface displayed a total value of around 200,000 yen.
"The contents are out. The total comes to around 200,000 yen."
Takasaka punched the figures into his phone before picking up one of the preservation containers and tilting it gently. The materials inside showed zero signs of degradation, their pristine crystal faces clearly visible through the transparent walls.
"To be completely honest, I didn't expect this much to be preserved inside," Takasaka murmured.
Kanzaki looked back and forth between the thin membrane of the peeled decoy layer and the newly exposed face of the inner layer, before turning his gaze back to me.
"The last guy stopped because it was dangerous, but you can figure out exactly how it's dangerous and how to open it anyway. That’s the real difference between you two."
"Stopping was the correct judgment on his part," I replied. "If anyone had tried to force it open without knowing the sequence, the contents would have been instantly destroyed."
Kanzaki gave a short nod and carefully arranged the preservation containers back onto the collection tray. Takasaka pulled out the validation paperwork and began logging the processing details alongside the breakdown of the recovered materials. Once I signed my name and filled in the date, a duplicate copy was handed over to me.
While tucking the paperwork into my bag, I checked the position of the waist pouch on my belt. The protected juvenile inside was perfectly quiet.
"You've been a massive help," Takasaka said. "To tell you the truth, we actually have a few more stalled cases like this sitting in our inventory where a different appraiser called it quits. If any of them turn out to involve seals, would it be alright if I contacted you again?"
"Of course. Just send over the data files first, and I'll review their status before we coordinate on dates."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
Takasaka gave a polite bow. I exchanged a nod with Kanzaki as well, and headed toward the exit.
◇
The moment I stepped through the door of the warehouse bay and back into the main corridor, the ambient temperature surged back up. The chilled air of the sealed storage area receded from my back.
As I walked, I pulled out my phone to check my notifications and found a single message from Asada. The timestamp indicated it had been sent right while I was in the middle of the appraisal.
“Among the items seized last week, we discovered a talisman bearing a spell-matrix scar identical to the lineage we encountered before. I’d like to cross-reference it with your appraisal logs. Would it be possible for you to take a look at the actual item sometime soon?”
I followed the text to the very end with my eyes, my gaze locking onto a specific phrase: “identical to the lineage we encountered before.” There was no mistaking it; he was talking about the contamination-related spell-matrix scars we’d been exchanging data on since last month.
Given that he was actively requesting a log cross-reference, it felt like the Bureau was leaning toward the same conclusion.
Today's assignment was officially wrapped up here. Next on the radar would be evaluating that talisman—a task that carried a completely different weight of responsibility compared to handling standard sealed objects. With that thought, I cast my eyes down toward the waist pouch. The protected juvenile didn't make a single movement inside, its shell's light completely extinguished at the bottom. The intense radiance it had rippled with in front of the stone slab just moments ago was entirely gone.
I typed out a reply to Asada.
I provided two potential dates that worked for my schedule, adding: “If possible, it would be a huge help if you could send over photographs of the actual item ahead of time.” I hit send, slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket, and walked down the corridor toward the stairs leading up to the surface.
Comments
Post a Comment