Chapter 451 - 435: Information about the First Civilization Cosmic Country
As far as Shi Ming could see, one brilliant Crystal Teleportation Gate after another displayed holographic projections of different treasures.
Everything on display,
was merely a projection.
Only upon confirming a purchase would the real, physical treasure be dispatched from the Teleportation Gate.
Treasure Star was the trading hub of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, so it naturally housed many specialties and treasures from other Cosmic Countries. The cheapest items started at 100 Cosmic Crystals.
Sand of the Void,
silver sand from Chronos Planet.
Sold by the gram, it had a chance of causing a weapon to evolve a space-type ability when integrated. Merely gazing at its projection could cause creatures with weaker minds to experience an illusion of spatial distortion.
Star Butterfly Cocoon,
a cocoon from the Illusionary Star Realm.
After hatching, it could automatically seek out areas of spatial instability. There was a minuscule chance it would discover a Wormhole leading directly to an unknown Star Domain.
Symbiotic Spores...
Memory Metal...
In Shi Ming’s eyes, the array of treasures was dazzling.
Since the treasures were all holographic projections, the Brain of Creation couldn’t scan them. However, the information provided was extremely detailed. With the strength of his Spiritual Power, Shi Ming only needed to glance over them briefly to absorb all the treasure descriptions in an entire area.
To others, it looked like he was just giving the items a cursory glance.
After searching for a long time, his gaze fell upon a particular treasure.
The Silent Crystal.
The description read: "A crystal formed from the fusion of death energy in a certain Death Star Domain. Creatures with death-attribute skills can absorb the death energy within, with a chance of evolving their skills. There is also a certain probability of negative side effects."
’A Death Star Domain?’
He waved his hand.
A salesperson, who had been eagerly waiting on standby nearby, instantly appeared at his side.
"Honored guest, this crystal is no simple thing. It is said to have come from the distant and long-lost First Civilization Cosmic Country. This crystal was extracted and relocated by a supreme Nirvana-rank expert using special methods. It is exceptionally precious!"
The original crystal was indeed precious.
But the piece before him was just a tiny fragment among its many scraps, smaller than a flake of dandruff from an adult’s head.
"The First Civilization Cosmic Country?"
Shi Ming asked, feigning curiosity.
This was the first time he had heard anything about the First Civilization Cosmic Country since entering the Star Sea. Although it was just a rumor and couldn’t be confirmed.
"Yes! The First Civilization Cosmic Country. Legend says it was the kingdom of gods, but it vanished abruptly in the distant past. Now, everything about it is mere legend, impossible to verify."
As the salesperson gave his spiel, he thought to himself, ’Just as I expected. Giving an unpopular item an impressive backstory is the best way to attract these inexperienced, white-aura types.’
’In contrast, those with colorful auras wouldn’t even spare a glance for a crystal that hasn’t sold in decades.’
"How much is this crystal?"
"Can I see the actual item?"
’I can’t use the Brain of Creation on a hologram.’ For this reason, Shi Ming expressed a strong desire to buy, hoping to see the crystal’s true form. ’If it really is a treasure from the Tomb Star Realm, then buying it might let me use the Eye of Intelligence to uncover more information about the realm and find those deliberately hidden coordinates.’
"Honored guest, the physical treasure is stored in the Trading Tower’s vault. For a fee of just 10 Cosmic Crystals, we can activate a small Teleportation Gate and transport the item here from the vault."
’Ten crystals...’
’On Treasure Star, nothing is free.’
’Even just looking at the real item costs money.’
Shi Ming took out 10 Cosmic Crystals.
The salesperson took them with a smile and used an ID card from his waist to scan a sensor beneath the hologram. A sound like a howling gale erupted as the Teleportation Gate for the Silent Crystal began to activate. The hologram slowly faded, and then, amidst an interplay of light and shadow, a dark crystal fragment materialized within the gate.
"Guest, this is the Silent Crystal, a precious treasure."
"Due to its extraordinary origins, its price is a little steep, but it’s absolutely worth every crystal."
"2,000 Cosmic Crystals."
Teleporting the item before quoting the price was a little trick of the salesperson’s, but Shi Ming didn’t care. The moment his gaze fell upon the dark crystal, he activated the Brain of Creation and obtained its initial information.
[Fragment of the Silent Crystal]
[Level: 10]
[A special Crystal Stone from the edge of the First Civilization Cosmic Country’s territory. Over countless eons, it absorbed and fused with the deathly aura of numerous powerful experts in this dead Star Domain, forming the Silent Crystal. It may be possible to reactivate it after it fuses with the power of new experts.]
[Already upgraded to maximum level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Requirements for Infinite Upgrade: The blood of 3 deceased Nirvana-rank experts, and the blood of 3 living Nirvana-rank experts.]
’As expected,’
’it really is a product of the legendary Tomb Star Realm.’
The moment Shi Ming saw its information, he knew this fragment was meant for him. Information about the Tomb Star Realm was practically nonexistent in the outside world, as it had been deliberately hidden and concealed.
’It’s just that the price...’
’is far too expensive.’
’2,000 Cosmic Crystals... All my liquid assets only amount to a little over one thousand. I’m nowhere close.’
He then used the Eye of Destiny to scan the Silent Crystal again, obtaining more detailed information.
The crystal was a spoil of war, salvaged from the Tomb Star Realm by an incredibly powerful Nirvana-rank expert using some sort of spatial technique. Unfortunately, despite the immense resources spent to retrieve it, the crystal proved to be of little use. After extensive research, the disappointed expert stored it away. In the course of countless trades, the crystal eventually shattered, and the small fragment he was now looking at was merely one of the leftover scraps.
It had been discovered that it could be used to evolve death-attribute skills.
However, this evolution only involved one’s body fusing with the death energy inside the crystal to gain a portion of the power of the deceased. This power would act as a catalyst to promote the skill’s evolution. The process was extremely risky: if the fusion succeeded, the skill evolved; if it failed, death energy would permeate the Awakened’s entire body, resulting in true death.
Its narrow applications and severe side effects meant it was largely ignored and rarely drew any attention.
The Silent Crystal was currently in a state of true dormancy.
To activate it, the only way was to perform an Infinite Upgrade using the blood of six Nirvana-rank beings, some deceased and some still living.
For the current Shi Ming, acquiring six types of blood was not difficult.
His own blood, the blood from the Active Wormhole, and the blood of Rui Liang from the Dark Star Race made for three types. The blood he had casually collected during his recent battle with the Tower King made a fourth. He had already gathered two-thirds of what he needed.
The difficult part was—
although he had many treasures, he lacked the liquid funds.
’Rui Liang was a wanderer who had spent vast resources advancing to the Nirvana rank, so he hadn’t left many Cosmic Crystals behind. And Wise Chahar of the Seven-Eyed Race was just the leader of a low-level civilization—how much wealth could he possibly have had?’
’Looks like...’
’it’s time to figure out a way to make some serious money!’