Chapter 714: A Haul Worth Leaving With
Lu Pei ruined his first cut by trying to save the coating.
The paste stretched too thin across the underside. When he lifted the blue-white branch, a line of pale vapor escaped beneath his thumb.
He swore, set it down, and reached for the jar again.
"Better to lose a spoonful than the sample," the Vessian specialist told him.
"I know that now."
Leon watched the second attempt hold. The branch went into its wrapping without another leak, and Lu Pei finally allowed a carrier to take it from him.
Soon the collectors had settled into a rhythm. One exposed the seam, another treated the cut, and the carrier beside them opened a prepared case before the material came free. Nobody had to stand holding a volatile specimen while someone searched for a lid.
