With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 38

 The Confiscated Talisman and Shio (Tentative)

In the morning, I opened up my monthly record app.

While logging my entries once a day would technically suffice, lately I’ve made it a habit to fill out the logs twice—once in the morning and once at night. Following that routine, I entered the protected juvenile's condition for this morning.

Recently, the light intensity within its shell has been maintaining a steady, microscopic increase. Fascinatingly enough, the creature is capable of illuminating its entire shell; its luminescence varies heavily from day to day, shifting between distinct points of light, glowing bands, or a faint, ambient radiance that blankets the entire structure. Its movements inside the vessel have also become considerably more frequent compared to before. Previously, it would spend vast stretches of time resting motionlessly at the bottom, but over the past few days, it has been opening its eye-like organs much more often.

For its breakfast, I used a fine-tipped dropper to deposit a small amount of the specialized nutritional fluid for protected specimens—provided by the Management Bureau—onto the bottom surface of the vessel. It looks almost identical to water, but carries a subtle viscosity.

During the first few days of our temporary accompaniment, I had no idea what to feed it. When I filed an inquiry with the Management Bureau, they shipped over this custom-tailored fluid shortly after.

According to the Bureau representative, the blend contains a low concentration of mana mixed with trace amounts of mineral components, and I was instructed to observe its condition while using it. Apparently, this particular dungeon-derived organism is classified as a newly discovered species that isn't even registered in the official databases yet; they had simply formulated the nutritional fluid by referencing closely related species.

The moment the fluid hit the surface, the protected juvenile moved. It pivoted toward the liquid much faster than before, pressing its mouth close to drink. The volume it consumes is still quite small, but it has undeniably increased since last time.

When I brought my finger close to the side of the glass, the juvenile's eyes tracked the movement. Showing no signs of fleeing, it followed the motion for a moment before quietly closing its eyes.

I logged the intake volume into the record column and began packing up my gear. For the record, I wasn't running a stream today. Following the update I received from Asada the other day, I had a scheduled appointment to inspect the physical confiscated evidence at the Management Bureau.

◇

Getting to the Management Bureau takes about twenty minutes via the subway system.

Making a single transfer along the way, I kept my phone tucked away inside the train car, letting my eyes drift out the window to watch the scenery blur past.

Upon arriving at the Bureau, I cleared the reception desk and proceeded deep into the administrative wing, where Asada was waiting for me inside a briefing room.

Once I was ushered into the room, I noticed a single evidence-sealed bag resting on top of the desk. Spotting where my eyes had landed, Asada immediately stepped forward toward the desk.

"This is regarding the confiscated item I messaged you about," Asada said, sliding the bag closer to my side.

"It turned up during our routine sweep at the end of last month. The agent in charge flagged it after cross-referencing it with our previous case records, noting that the spell-matrix scars looked strikingly similar."

"Where exactly was it recovered from?"

"There's a high probability it traveled through circulation routes operating near the dungeons, but we haven't been able to pinpoint the exact source yet. The Bureau ran an initial appraisal on our end, but the results came back as: 'degraded spell-matrix remnants, untraceable source, no operational hazards.' The investigation stalled right there, which is why we'd like you to take a deeper look, Makabe."

"Understood."

I extracted the talisman from the sealed bag.

It was a thin, plank-like object roughly eight centimeters tall, its surface carved with slender spell-matrix lines. Portions of the lines were heavily blurred, rendering them entirely illegible. The piece was weathered all over, and the texture felt profoundly deteriorated to the touch; to any ordinary observer, it looked like nothing more than the scrap remnants of a dead talisman that had lost all functionality.

Angling the light closer, I inspected the surface. The way the spell-matrix lines had faded wasn't uniform across the piece. There were areas where the density remained tightly packed, contrasted against sections that had vanished almost entirely.

Typically, the fading pattern of a talisman that has naturally deteriorated over time differs fundamentally from one that has degraded due to some form of active deployment or exhaustion. However, looking at the exterior alone, it was impossible to determine which category this fell into.

It made perfect sense why the Bureau’s appraisal had hit a dead end at "untraceable." If you base your conclusion entirely on the surface condition, that is the exact answer you'd arrive at.

Right then, I felt a sudden shift in the waist pouch at my belt.

"Mind if I bring out the juvenile I'm fostering?"

"Of course, go right ahead."

◇

I placed the talisman on the desk and set the juvenile's carrying case right beside it.

A faint click resonated from inside the case. The light in its shell rippled softly, and its head pivoted toward the talisman—though the reaction wasn't nearly as intense as it had been with the sealed boxes. Even so, it froze in place, keeping its gaze locked onto the object.

Its sensitivity toward sealing and spell-matrix preservation systems was something I had verified multiple times by now. This talisman looked completely dead on the surface, yet the juvenile was still actively reacting to it.

Asada leaned over slightly to peer into the case.

"It's showing a lot more movement than when I saw it last."

"It's maintaining a steady recovery trend."

Asada gave a brief nod, shifting his eyes back to the talisman.

While keeping an eye on its behavior, I focused my [Appraisal] on the object.

--------------------------------------------------

Contaminated Talisman (Relay-Type)

Rarity: D

Status: Spell-Matrix Dissipated (Non-Functional)

Danger Level: Low (Due to non-functional state)

Estimated Value: None

Spell-Matrix Scars: Identical to previously recovered items (Matches the same lineage identified near Shinagawa Dungeon and around the Yokohama area)

Structure: The superficial degraded spell-matrix has lost its original functionality. However, the degradation is not a result of natural aging; it is determined to be the result of active deployment and exhaustion post-circulation.

Additional Info: Independent of the surface spell-matrix, a faint identification mark remains intact underneath. This functions as a relay identifier designed to interface with other individual units of the same lineage. This strongly suggests that rather than operating as a standalone item, it was manufactured and circulated under the premise that multiple units would function in coordination.

Notes: The identification mark remains embedded in a way that blends directly with the degraded surface spell-matrix, making it exceptionally difficult to detect through superficial appraisals alone. This points to an intentional design by the manufacturer/distributor to manage and link multiple units systematically.

--------------------------------------------------

"This is... part of the same lineage," I reported. "The spell-matrix scars match the contaminated talismans from before. However, this one contains a piece of information we didn't get last time."

"Information we didn't get last time?" Asada prompted.

"Yeah. An identification mark. This talisman wasn't meant to function as a standalone piece; it seems it was built on the premise of connecting with other units of the same type. The appraisal indicates that multiple pieces are designed to operate in coordination."

"That's definitely something that didn't show up in the Bureau's appraisal."

"It seems to be structured precisely so that once an appraiser checks the superficial degraded lines, they hit a wall and label it untraceable. The identification mark is preserved right beneath that layer, completely hidden from anyone just looking at the surface."

"Was this identification mark present on the previous talismans as well?"

"It didn't show up during those appraisals. I can't tell yet whether this feature is unique to this specific talisman, or if the previous ones shared the exact same structure."

"Do you have any reading on the overall scale of circulation?"

"I can't get that from this talisman alone. All I can tell you is that this wasn't a one-off leak. We won't see the full scope of the origin or the numbers in circulation without digging through the wider records."

"I see... I'll share these findings with the agent in charge."

Inside the case, the protected juvenile was still holding its position, staring intently toward the talisman.

◇

"On a related note, we have another talisman from a separate case that shares the same confiscation source," Asada continued. "It emerged from the exact same circulation route. It's scheduled to be delivered here as soon as the paperwork clears, so would you be open to inspecting it once it arrives?"

"Just let me know when it's here, and I'll make the trip."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Asada nodded, before adding, "Just one more thing."

"We're going to need a designated identification name on paper for the specimen temporarily accompanying you. Do you have anything in mind?"

My train of thought stalled for a second.

It hit me just now that I hadn't actually given it a name yet. On top of that, I hadn't anticipated needing an official name for the paperwork.

Looking down at the case, the protected juvenile was still staring toward the talisman. It was born in the Tide-Crystal layer of Yokohama, discovered and rescued by me.

"............Let's go with Shio."

"Shio, is it?"

Asada penned "Shio (Tentative)" into the temporary accompaniment management log, signed the validation sheet, and stepped out of the room.

Walking down the hallway, I gave it a bit of thought.

Shio, derived straight from the tide—it was incredibly literal. If I had taken a moment to think it through, I probably could have come up with a better alternative. Then again, it was just a tentative name; if it doesn't like it, I can always change it... probably.

As I made my way down the corridor, I checked on the waist pouch. Inside, the protected juvenile... no, Shio, shifted slightly. Our eyes met through the side of the container, and Shio kept its gaze fixed directly on me.

"Shio, huh... well, nice to officially meet you. Let me know if you hate it."

Shio didn't react, quietly retreating back into its shell.

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