Chapter 437 - 421: Assessing Shi Ming’s Strength (Part 2)
Ah Jian snorted with disdain. Its dormant doppelgangers had long since begun absorbing another Holy Hall Origin.
The Infinite Insect’s evolution was destined to be far faster than that of the Three-Eyed Golden Crow.
...
...
...
Shi Ming returned to the control room and opened the Vagrant’s Atlas. Two coordinates were already recorded on its previously blank pages.
First, the Unmoored Boat Holy Pot (the starting point of the ruined Wormhole).
Second, Azure Star.
With these coordinates, Grand Destiny could enter the Dark Cosmos and would no longer require Spiritual Power for navigation. Its speed would be five to ten times faster than before, allowing it to return to the Unfastened Boat Star Realm in two days at most.
Moreover, after its boundless upgrade, the Vagrant’s Atlas had gained seven "Shuttle Pages." Tearing a Shuttle Page would allow him to instantly return Grand Destiny to an anchor point. But with only seven such opportunities, they had to be saved for more urgent situations.
WHOOSH—
Grand Destiny launched.
"Three-Eyes, we’re the ’Nirvana’ now. You’re too big, so get in the ship’s hold and don’t come out flaunting yourself."
"CAW CAW."
The newly minted Star-class drifter ship shot out of the docking port. In an unnoticed corner of space, it transformed, becoming a sleek, cross-shaped vessel. Having reached the Star class, Grand Destiny could now freely alter its appearance. It currently bore the guise of the Dark Star Race’s "Nirvana."
Destination: Unmoored Boat.
’I’m curious to see how the expert controlling the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance compares to Rui Liang. Just how powerful is a supreme treasure that can extend its coverage to an entire Star Domain? And how much stronger is it than the top five treasures on the Endless Ocean’s list of wonders?’
The Dark Cosmos has no natural light sources like the real universe, but it wasn’t pitch-black.
On the way back to the Unmoored Boat, Shi Ming occasionally detected the traces of other ships. They too had been lured by the mission to hunt for treasure in the Unfastened Boat Star Realm, but most were merely Legend-class.
Grand Destiny entered autopilot, and Shi Ming focused his attention on his own training. This included ascending the final few floors of the Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower, the initial fusion of the seven Holy Hall Origins, and achieving a deeper understanding and utilization of "the Gnaw."
The man and his two beasts each focused on their own improvement.
...
"Approaching the Unfastened Boat Star Realm."
"As planned, the drifter will exit the Dark Cosmos and enter the Star Sea in five seconds."
This wasn’t their final destination, just a waypoint.
Shi Ming needed to investigate the edge of the Unmoored Boat ahead of time. He wanted to know what level of treasure the "Ten Thousand Vault Radiance" covering the entire Unfastened Boat Star Realm was, and what secrets and purposes the glow held.
Grand Destiny burst out of the Dark Cosmos. At the edge of the Unmoored Boat, its form shimmered back into existence, gradually solidifying.
Disguised as a member of the Dark Star Race, Shi Ming stepped out from the void. His gaze locked onto the faint, ubiquitous glow pervading the Star Domain before him. The radiance was barely there. From afar, it cast a hazy, weak layer of light over the Unfastened Boat Star Realm—already shaped like a great vessel—making it appear even more dreamlike and fantastical, like a true super-dreadnought sailing the Star Sea. Up close, however, it blended into the background, making its presence nearly impossible to detect.
That glow was the buff from the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance!
’But the great powers of the Star Sea are the type to insert exploitable backdoors even into Awakening potions. Shi Ming refused to believe someone would selflessly spread a buff across an entire Star Domain just to help adventurers recover their Physical Strength and complete the "Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat" mission more easily.’
’Something is definitely wrong.’
"Eye of Destiny, acquire intelligence!"
[BEEP BEEP...]
[Compiling intelligence.]
[Supreme Treasure: Ten Thousand Vault Radiance]
[The "Ten Thousand Vault Radiance" is a supreme treasure cultivated over a hundred thousand years by the advanced civilization of the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm, which poured in resources generation after generation. It appears as a thirty-three-story, palm-sized pagoda. When infused with Spiritual Power, it can transform into a colossal light tower thirty-three light-years tall, possessing the functions of guarding, sealing, and monitoring. The Hub Towers of the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm and its subordinate civilizations were designed with the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance as their prototype.]
[The Ten Thousand Vault Radiance is a support-type treasure that can provide various buffs or debuffs based on different commands. It can generate an enormous area of effect covering up to an entire Star Domain, but doing so consumes vast amounts of Cosmic Crystal Stone energy.]
[...]
[The Ten Thousand Vault Radiance’s current active commands are:]
[1. Enhancement Command: Provide a buff covering the Unfastened Boat Star Realm, including a 2% increase to Physical Strength, a 2% increase to recovery rate, and a 2% increase to Endurance.]
[2. Retribution Command: Strictly execute the secret retribution command. The secret command is "Glimpsing a Divine Rune." When an intelligent life-form enhanced by the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance sees an object resembling a "Divine Rune" within the Unfastened Boat Star Realm, the glow on their body will cause the power within them to go haywire and detonate, enacting the retribution. The explosive force of the glow can directly annihilate a Legend-class being and lightly injure a Saint Hall Level being.]
[...]
’Just as I thought...’
’Just as Shi Ming suspected, the entire "Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat" mission was a scheme to use the countless beings near the Unfastened Boat Star Realm as cannon fodder for a mine-sweeping operation. If a "mine" exploded, it would mean a Divine Rune had appeared. The creature that saw the Divine Rune would die instantly, preventing any information leaks. The mastermind holding the main body of the Ten thousand Vault Radiance would then undoubtedly descend at top speed to seize the Divine Rune.’
’And if the victim was a Saint Hall Level being, they would only be lightly injured.’
’This was the clever part of the "Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat" mission’s design. A reward of 100 Cosmic Stones was tempting to a Saint Hall Level Awakener, but not so much that they’d waste time searching for a needle in the Unmoored Boat haystack. It was far better to have the most numerous and expendable groups serve as cannon fodder.’
’As for the mission reward...’
’Anyone who discovered a clue was guaranteed to die.’
’So naturally, the reward would never have to be paid out...’
Shi Ming gained a deeper understanding of the "survival of the fittest" principle that governed the Star Sea. In the eyes of high-level beings, all life was a resource to be exploited. For many, the warning signal emitted by their explosive deaths was likely the most useful moment of their entire existence.
’Too bad for them. This mission was destined to be impossible for anyone to complete.’
Shi Ming noticed another detail.
Supreme Treasure.
This was clearly a different classification of treasure, distinct from "Wonders."
Earth alone had produced over one hundred kinds of Wonders, not to mention things like the Creation Star Core and the Unceasing Water that gave even Shi Ming headaches. The Vast Star Sea was boundless; it was only natural that it would give birth to even more extraordinary treasures. These, he surmised, were the Supreme Treasures.
The miraculous ability to cover an entire Star Domain at a whim only served to underscore the power of a Supreme Treasure. In contrast, a 2% area-of-effect group buff might seem mediocre, but considering the vast coverage and immense population affected, a 2% boost was already an unbelievably incredible bonus.
’I wonder which expert controls this Supreme Treasure.’
’How many Rui Liangs would their power be equivalent to?’
Shi Ming took a step, teleporting to the edge of the pervasive radiance. He extended his right hand and cupped a wisp of the glow. It felt tangible yet lacked substance. As it sprinkled over his skin, it felt warm and did provide a definite boost, but it was far less than 1%. He figured that because his own level was so high, the buff’s effect was reduced accordingly.
"..."
"Gnaw!"
Transparent, moth-like insects emerged from Shi Ming’s eyes, dissecting the fundamental nature of the radiance.
’The energy itself is harmless, but it uses a higher-order authority to induce a violent disturbance in an Awakened’s internal power, causing them to self-destruct.’
’There’s also editable, low-level code hidden within the glow.’
’It seems this isn’t a naturally occurring treasure of the Star Sea, but an artificial Supreme Treasure... Advanced civilizations are truly remarkable. A treasure forged from generations of accumulated heritage can be this terrifying.’
’If the research institutes on Earth could possess even one percent of its technology and design philosophy, wouldn’t that be a great help in creating the "Artificial Earth"?’
’The Star Sea really is filled with opportunities everywhere!’
A glint appeared in Shi Ming’s eyes, like a prospector striking gold. He stepped into the cross-shaped Grand Destiny, and with a WHOOSH, dove into the Dark Cosmos. Activating its most advanced stealth mode, he flew toward the interior of the Unmoored Boat.