Chapter 433 - 419: Sinkhole-Level Mission! Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat
"And most importantly, it’s a huge leap in terms of perspective and social standing!"
"You might even get a chance to meet a Nirvana Powerhouse face-to-face!"
"A Nirvana Powerhouse... heheh. Just being able to say a single word to one would make this life worthwhile."
The speaker was a middle-aged man from Azure Star, holding a light blue glass filled with a clear liquid. A cybernetic prosthesis was implanted in his right hand. He sipped his drink as he spoke to Shi Ming, his eyes on the floating mission screen, seemingly searching for a suitable task.
"Now that you mention it, that does sound pretty good."
Shi Ming agreed.
’Give him a chance to make his life worthwhile, huh?’
For the people of Azure Star, the lofty Saints were merely at the Holy Hall level. The Nirvana realm was truly unattainable. An ordinary person could go their entire life without ever seeing a Nirvana Powerhouse. If one could even get close, the benefits that trickled down from them would be a blessing that lifetimes of cultivation could never earn.
When the others heard Shi Ming change his tune, they dismissed him as a country bumpkin who had never seen the world. They lost interest and went back to searching for their own missions.
Out of curiosity, Shi Ming checked the details of the "Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat" mission.
He walked over to a small terminal and tapped on the most popular mission to view its specific information.
[Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat]
[Danger Level: ※※]
[Mission Details:]
[The hidden Wormhole in the Unfastened Boat Star Realm collapsed not long ago, triggering a spatial torrent and causing a cataclysm in the star realm. The Blazing Race and the Seven-Eyed Race have been completely wiped out. According to an investigation by Ten Thousand Vaults Star, the disaster was likely caused by an uncontrollable treasure capable of shattering the Dark Cosmos. The treasure itself is extremely dangerous.]
[To prevent the disaster from spreading, the Unfastened Boat Star Realm has been sealed by the "Ten Thousand Vault Radiance."]
[Ten Thousand Vaults Star sincerely invites powerful and worldly Star Sea adventurers with the ability to protect themselves to travel to the Unmoored Boat and search for the treasure’s whereabouts. There is no need to risk your life to find the treasure itself; simply providing a valid clue will earn you a reward!]
[Wanqiong Star Hub Tower]
???
’The Blazing Race and the Seven-Eyed Race, completely wiped out?’
Shi Ming knew the Seven-Eyed Race had been more or less annihilated, but he had only killed three members of the Blazing Race. How could their entire race be gone? ’Could it be that in the past ten-odd days, some other powerhouse made a move and completely destroyed the entire Unmoored Boat?’
’To prevent the disaster from spreading?’
’The Wormhole already collapsed. What other disaster could there be? They’re just putting a nice spin on it. And what’s this Ten Thousand Vault Radiance? It can seal an entire star system? Talk about an impressive display of power.’
’Sincerely inviting adventurers with the ability to protect themselves and worldly experience?’
’Isn’t that just a call for cannon fodder?’
Others might not know what the treasure was, but as the person at the center of it all, Shi Ming knew perfectly well. Any person or faction that obtained it without the requisite power would be courting a disaster of their own making.
A common man is guilty of no crime; his only offense is the treasure he carries.
Without sufficient strength, anyone with even the slightest connection to the Divine Rune was doomed to a miserable end.
’Good thing I got out of there fast.’
’And I was especially cautious.’
’I didn’t reveal my tracks. At least this is a treasure hunt mission, not a warrant for my arrest.’
Even if it were a warrant, it wouldn’t matter. All the factions that had put a price on Shi Ming’s head had received their just "rewards," and the Star Sea would be no exception. If necessary, Shi Ming would show them the true power of a "native."
Shi Ming shook his head.
Seeing this, a blue-skinned woman approached him to start a conversation.
"Hey, want to team up?"
"I have a decent exploration ship inherited from my ancestors and a coordinate anchor for the Unmoored Boat. We can reach the relevant area in just seven days and get a head start."
A seven-day travel time was not unusual.
When traversing the Dark Cosmos, traveling with a coordinate anchor was a completely different speed from traveling without one.
Without a coordinate anchor, it was like blazing a new trail through the Dark Cosmos; the pilot had to constantly exert their focus to maintain their bearings while traveling faster than light. But with an anchor, it was like having a safe, automated route. The ship could fly on autopilot, and was easily five to ten times faster.
"No, thanks. I’m not interested in any of this."
Shi Ming refused.
On Azure Star, shaking one’s head meant "yes" and nodding meant "no." The reason the woman had approached him was that he had inadvertently shaken his head earlier, making her mistakenly believe he was interested in the mission.
The blue-skinned woman walked away, disappointed.
Shi Ming didn’t waste any more time on that mission.
A mere 100 Cosmic Crystals and an internship at the Hub Tower held no appeal for him. Besides, the mission was definitely a huge trap, and it was better to avoid trouble. His gaze shifted to the other missions. Sometimes, you could get a general sense of the local culture just from their descriptions.
"Harvest Exotic Wind Fruit: Travel to the Star of Decay to harvest Exotic Wind Fruit. 1,600 Cyan Blue Coins per fruit, settled monthly..."
"S-Class Sparring Partner: Recruiting 1 S-Class defense-type Awakened for combat practice. 300 Cyan Blue Coins per day..."
"Potion Trial: Recruiting 100 testers for a brand-new potion. 30,000 Cyan Blue Coins per trial! Limited spots available, don’t miss out."
Compared to the Treasure Hunting Unmoored Boat mission, the rewards for these tasks were more than just a little shabby. Even the "Potion Trial"—which was clearly extremely dangerous, had a low barrier to entry, and amounted to gambling with your life—only paid a paltry 30,000 Cyan Blue Coins.
From this perspective, the Endless Ocean seemed almost unbelievably simple and pure.
...
...
...
「Unfastened Boat Star Realm.」
At the location of the former collapsed Wormhole, where the Seven-Eyed Race’s holy artifact, the "Holy Pot," once was, a three-meter-tall man opened his eyes.
"..."
"That’s right... it’s the aura of that Rune. Combined with the fragmented information extracted from the residual genes of the Seven-Eyed Race, I can almost confirm it... a Divine Rune!"
The man’s eyes burned with fervent desire.
"And fate, death, scorching heat, sin, corruption."
The bustling scene of a million members of the Seven-Eyed Race worshiping with greed when Shi Ming had descended was gone. Only endless, deathly silence remained. The man’s presence was magnificent and vast, though he was only three meters tall. He stood there, holding a thirty-three-layered small tower in his hand.
The small tower’s appearance was very similar to the Hub Tower.
This was the ultimate, realm-suppressing treasure of the Advanced Civilization Star Realm, the "Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm." Its name was the "Ten Thousand Vault Radiance," but it also had a much lesser-known name: the Tower of Surveillance.
The Tower of Surveillance, or the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance, was a growth-type ultimate treasure.
It could be continuously improved and upgraded.
After endless eons and the investment of vast resources, it had now reached its peak and could no longer be enhanced.
But this also meant it had reached the pinnacle of its power. It could cover an entire star system with its radiance, and any being that set foot within its glow would receive a "radiance" buff. This radiance could nourish one’s Spiritual Power and provide considerable benefits.
What was not widely known, however, was that the radiance could also actively trigger a backlash against those who violated its rules and crossed certain red lines.
What those red lines were depended on the will of its wielder.
As a true magnate, a Nirvana Powerhouse of the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm, a deep-rooted pillar of his domain, and the wielder of the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance, the Tower King had once witnessed a true Divine Rune in a Divine Country. It was a symbol of such supreme honor that it was enough to make him abandon everything else...
And now, fate had delivered an opportunity.
The Ten Thousand Vault Radiance in the Tower King’s hand flashed.
The rule he had set for the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance was: [See the Divine Rune].
Once this rule was established, any creature in the Unfastened Boat Star Realm basking in the grace of the radiance who saw any Rune—even one that was merely fifty percent similar—would have the radiance on their body explode. The Tower King could then use the reaction and alert from the Ten Thousand Vault Radiance to arrive at the scene instantly.
This sounded rather inhumane.
But to the Tower King, it was a necessary sacrifice. As long as he could find the *Divine Rune* that had shot out of the collapsed Wormhole, any price was worth paying.
The original inhabitants here—the useless Seven-Eyed Race and Blazing Race—had already been purged.
Next, the Unmoored Boat would become a hunting ground where adventurers would gamble with their lives for treasure.
As for the reward...
The 100 Cosmic Crystals and the internship opportunity were certainly unattainable. But that didn’t matter. Being able to sacrifice one’s life for the Tower King was, in itself, a far more sublime honor.