Chapter 567 - 523: Which False God Do You Want to Kill?
"So, who is your target?"
The implied question was: which Usurper did they want to kill first?
"Ji."
The message arrived swiftly, another one that would self-destruct after being read.
Shi Ming felt a twinge of disappointment at the answer.
It was obvious. "Ji" referred to Creator Uncle Herakrode, who possessed the Nirvana skill [Ji] and the divine authority "Hand of Creation." While Herakrode was a formidable opponent, he wasn’t Shi Ming’s target.
If their target had been Bertutan, who commanded the power of [Kong], the collaboration would have been perfect.
A triple win!
But that wasn’t the case.
Bertutan wielded the authority of the Light of Enlightenment and was fond of traveling among the various civilizations of the Star Sea, leaving his mark wherever he went. The Endless Ocean was no exception. The "Firebearer" from over six thousand years ago and the Female Warlock recorded in the Scorpion King’s Pyramid were both traces of his activities. This so-called Light of Enlightenment had also sensed something special about Earth and used it as a petri dish. His goal was to cultivate a test subject capable of fusing with [Zero] so he could reap the final fruit.
He just never expected that in the blink of an eye, the fruit would rapidly mature... and then vanish.
To someone like Bertutan, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, two or three years was an incredibly short time—so short that he wouldn’t bother to look too often. An ordinary being needed hundreds or even thousands of years to advance from S-rank to the Holy Hall. For a harvestable fruit to ripen in his experimental plot, the process should have taken millennia at the very least.
Just because he wasn’t paying attention now didn’t mean he never would.
Once this powerhouse, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, realized what had happened, he would inevitably demand a reckoning.
When that happened, it would spell another catastrophe for the Endless Ocean.
That was why Shi Ming planned to strike first.
Unfortunately, Amonev’s target was [Yin]. But it didn’t matter. Both [Yin] and [Kong] were among the strongest of the pseudo-gods. During this first hunt, Amonev and A Li would tank the damage and draw the main firepower. He, as their backup, could just treat it as a practice run. Getting a feel for a peak-level battle in advance wasn’t a bad arrangement at all.
And so,
the pact to "kill the Usurpers" was made in secret.
It was just a verbal agreement.
It wasn’t binding in any way.
There wasn’t even an oath based on their Nirvana Origins, which made it all sound like child’s play. However, the other party had promised to give Shi Ming their full, unconditional support on one occasion, which could be considered a down payment of sorts.
It was a show of good faith toward a collaborator of equal standing.
...
...
...
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The extremely simple group named [Lost Kingdom] that Shi Ming had created, modeled after the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm’s Hub, was constantly receiving new membership requests. In just over a month, its originally small handful of members had quickly grown to over a hundred.
They had all read *Seeking the Lost Treasure: A Traveler’s Exploration Guide to the First Civilization Cosmic Country (Light Spender Edition), Volume One*, written by someone called "Great Philanthropist." They joined after receiving the group invitation from the referral information at the end of the book.
The sole requirement for joining was that one had to be physically present within the borders of the First Civilization Cosmic Country.
This meant that everyone in the group belonged to the first wave of people who had received confirmed news of the First Civilization Cosmic Country. They were all powerhouses capable of traversing countless light-years to reach this Star Domain with incredible speed. At a minimum, they possessed the strength of a [Marshal] or a [Sealed King].
’They could be exploited for value.’
The group’s functions were very simple. Unlike the Hub, it didn’t have a dazzling array of features. It only had basic chat and naming functions, and once a codename was set, it was locked in permanently.
Shi Ming scrolled through the group’s member list.
’He felt like a farmer gazing at a field of leeks.’
Ba Star, Silver Fox, Jimi, Taixu, Morakes...
The codenames made it impossible to determine their true identities. This, combined with a simple group that could be instantly verified as free of backdoors or traps, actually encouraged these Nirvana Powerhouses to lower their guard. They could communicate much more freely.
Here, they weren’t lofty Nirvana Powerhouses, nor were they Sovereigns or Pillar Stones who could rally legions with a single call. They were simply "ready players," each one exploring the Lost Kingdom.
’Every member of this group was a rival, an ally, and a tool.’
’How to use them was all a matter of skill.’
[Great Philanthropist: I arrived in the First Civilization Cosmic Country 37 cosmic days ago. The second volume of the guide is currently in the works. Once it’s finished, the members of the Lost Kingdom will be the first to read it. Of course, if any of you make new discoveries, I hope you’ll share them generously. Exploring the Lost Kingdom isn’t a zero-sum game. We can only help ourselves by helping each other.]
Shi Ming posted a message in the group.
That being said,
he didn’t actually expect the other members to selflessly share what they’d learned from their explorations.
Even if they did share, the experiences these Nirvana Powerhouses uncovered would seem amateurish to him, the Regent King. His purpose in creating the group was simply to be the hidden hand that, at the right moment, could trigger a tide powerful enough to change the entire situation.
And, most importantly, to harvest his crop of leeks.
To harvest them properly, you had to sweeten the deal first.
’When you’re the first to explore a new area, what’s the most important thing?’
’A guide.’
Shi Ming planned to establish himself as a "Key Opinion Leader" to guide the group members when needed. Thanks to the proven effectiveness and utility of his first guide, that image was already taking shape. All six major sections of the guide had been verified as extremely useful, saving the members of the Lost Kingdom a fortune in Cosmic Crystals and helping them avoid countless pitfalls. They were already far ahead in the initial stages of exploration.
[Silver Fox: Senior, your selfless dedication is inspiring. We will certainly share generously as well.]
[Night Emperor: We must work as one. Share all intel.]
[Taixu: Within the core of a barren planet called "White Dew Star," I have discovered a special substance: Silver Quicksand, a rare material for forging supreme treasures. Any Nirvana Powerhouses skilled in extraction who are interested can head to White Dew Star to collaborate.]
[Qingwu: White Dew Star?]
[Black Widow: How do we get to White Dew Star?]
[Taixu: You can all purchase a map of the Cosmic Country from the Divine Treasure Vault for 200 Civilization Stones.]
[Morakes: 200? Why is the Cosmic Country map I see in the Divine Treasure Vault priced at 400 Civilization Stones?]
[Taixu: ???]
[Silver Fox: The "Ultra Deadstock" tag is gone. The Great Philanthropist already pointed this out in his guide: items that haven’t been claimed for 100,000 years get an "Ultra Deadstock" tag, and their price drops to 50% of the original. For non-unique items like the map, as soon as one person buys it, the tag and the discount both disappear.]
For now, very few members of the [Lost Kingdom] were sharing intelligence. Firstly, they hadn’t been exploring this Star Domain for very long. Secondly, most of them were old geezers who had been alive for millennia and had developed a habit of hoarding their own discoveries, no matter how trivial.
But Shi Ming was quite satisfied with the group’s current atmosphere.
At least some people were willing to play along.