Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe

The treasure tax was not a fixed rate.

It varied from 20% to 60%.

It was determined on a case-by-case basis. The rate changed frequently and fluctuated wildly. It might be 30% today and skyrocket to 60% tomorrow, making it impossible to deduce its underlying principles or predict its trends.

If one didn’t have enough funds to pay the "treasure tax," they could put their treasures up for sale on Treasure Star. Regardless of the sale price, after the transaction was settled, the fixed daily "treasure tax" would be deducted, and the rest would belong to the adventurer.

Leveraging the Star Sea conditions of the million star caves, Treasure Star quickly developed into the second wealthiest planet in the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. Its civilizational progress was also incredibly fast. This shaped the unique culture of this Star Domain—it was home to countless races, was extremely inclusive, and had distinct but rapidly changing social classes. A poor boy from yesterday might barge into a star cave today, stumble upon a fortunate encounter, and become a new "Thousand-Crystal Tycoon."

"Thousand-Crystal Tycoon" was a colloquial term.

It meant someone whose personal liquid assets exceeded 1,000 Cosmic Crystals.

Roughly equivalent to one Rui Liang.

...

Shi Ming spent the several-dozen-day journey tempering his Spiritual Power and cultivating the "Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower."

He had now cultivated his Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower to the 99th floor. With the 99-floor tower guarding his Sea of Spirit, his Spiritual Power defense was nearly perfect, but he just couldn’t figure out how to cross the threshold to the final floor.

It seemed he had hit a bottleneck.

During this time, Shi Ming had also used his Eye of Destiny to acquire more intelligence from the Star Sea. Some of this information was so precious it couldn’t be bought even for a thousand crystals, which gave him a deeper understanding of this infinite universe.

"Master, we will arrive in the Star Cave Star Realm in half a day. It will be another day after that before we reach Treasure Star."

"Very good. Maintain speed."

Shi Ming had two objectives for this trip to Treasure Star.

First, to see the strange artifacts and supreme treasures of other civilizations in the universe and use his Eye of Destiny or Brain of Creation to acquire a suitable "foundation" for himself.

Second, to try his luck inside the star caves.

Most adventurers who traveled to the Star Cave Star Realm had these two goals. Trying one’s luck in the star caves, in particular, was practically a required activity. Although that Star Domain was peculiar enough to block all forms of detection, for Shi Ming, who possessed the Eye of Destiny, this was actually an advantage. It allowed him to see treasures and information that others could not.

And if even his Eye of Destiny couldn’t see through it...

...then it would just mean that, like Mount Everest back then, it was hiding an even greater anomaly.

The final day of the journey quickly passed. After arriving at Treasure Star, Shi Ming immediately marked "Treasure Star’s" coordinate anchor in his Wanderer’s Atlas. This would make his next arrival much faster and allow him to effectively use precious teleportation methods.

The *Dayun* flew into Treasure Star’s docking zone.

Awkward the first time, a pro the second.

Shi Ming parked the drifter ship with practiced ease.

"Honored guest, step through the Star Realm Gate to enter Treasure Star. Please familiarize yourself with Treasure Star’s 123 rules, or you will face the corresponding punishments."

On the other side of the docking zone was the Star Realm Gate, a watery mirror’s surface that resembled a teleportation gate. Below the mirror, a radiant, shimmering gemstone was embedded—one of Treasure Star’s treasures, the "Eye of All Beings."

His Eye of Destiny gave him a prompt.

[Eye of All Beings]

[A peculiar artifact that can vaguely perceive the aura of treasures. Those who step through this gate will be enveloped in an iridescent glow corresponding to their treasures. The more precious the treasures, the more colors in the glow. Space-type abilities cannot evade this detection.]

Shi Ming stepped into the Star Realm Gate, passing over the Eye of All Beings.

A faint white light emanated from his body.

A guard responsible for maintaining the Star Realm Gate glanced over and sneered.

"A broke-ass like him thinks he belongs on Treasure Star?"

The other guard disagreed.

"You’re still too green, kid. On Treasure Star, the more someone has nothing, the more ’great value’ the higher-ups can squeeze out of them."

...

Stepping through the Star Realm Gate equipped with the [Eye of All Beings], he entered the dazzling, decadent Advanced Civilization Planet.

Compared to Azure Star, Treasure Star had a higher "degree of civilization."

Here, there were no ubiquitous service staff or tail-wagging guides. Instead, no matter where you were on the planet, you only needed to call out "Xingbao" for a holographic projection to appear before you.

"Xingbao."

Shi Ming tried calling out as he walked along a mechanical walkway filled with beings of various races.

The next second, a cute, miniature holographic robot materialized in the space before him.

"Greetings, esteemed Starry Sky Ferocious Beast. How may I be of assistance?"

Shi Ming’s eyelid twitched.

’Hold on, buddy.’

’I just randomly picked ’Starry Sky Ferocious Beast’ as my ID in the Azure Star Hub. We’re several civilized star domains away, so how did you directly pull up my registration info from the ’Azure Star Hub’?’

’Changing my name now...’

’Is it too late?’

"BEEP BOOP."

"Xingbao has analyzed that you seem to have the intention of changing your name. We offer the following name change services: You may spend 100 Cosmic Crystals to purchase a [Name Change Card], 1,000 Cosmic Crystals for a [High-Level Name Change Card], or 10,000 Cosmic Crystals for a [Supreme Name Change Card]. All of these can satisfy your name-changing needs."

"A [High-Level Name Change Card] allows you to enjoy the premium privilege of a red ID in the hubs of all civilizations."

"A [Supreme Name Change Card] will make you a star among the hubs. Every time you log in, a majestic banner will unfurl, announcing your arrival to every other user."

Shi Ming was stunned for a moment, a strong sense of déjà vu washing over him.

The tactics of this advanced civilization were exactly the same as some gaming companies on Earth. Was it that those "conscientious companies" were just too forward-thinking when it came to making money, or was it that the development of civilizations in the Star Sea followed the same universal tune?

’The lowest-tier Name Change Card costs 100 Cosmic Crystals? That’s highway robbery!’

"No thanks. This name is great."

"Of course! Xingbao thinks it’s a great name too! No need to change it at all! Every Cosmic Crystal is hard-earned, and whether one is poor or rich, none should be wasted!"

"..."

’Is this Xingbao an evolution of Doubao?’

"Xingbao, where can I experience Treasure Star’s deepest foundation and see the peculiar treasures of the Star Cave Star Realm? If I want to spend money, what places do you recommend? And if I want to sell treasures, what places do you suggest for that?"

The moment Shi Ming’s voice fell, the cute holographic robot replied with the corresponding information.

"Esteemed Starry Sky Ferocious Beast."

"If you wish to witness Treasure Star’s deepest foundation and see the most peculiar treasures of this Star Domain, you can go to the [Treasure Museum]. However, this requires a VIP status of five stars or higher from any hub. You currently only have a one-star VIP status from the Azure Star Hub and do not meet the entry requirements."

"If you wish to make purchases..."

"Every area on Treasure Star can satisfy your needs."

"But if you wish to buy or sell some precious and strange artifacts or treasures, you can go to the Star Cave Trading Tower."

"However, the Trading Tower requires an assets check to enter~ Those with assets below 1,000 Cosmic Crystals, or those who glowed with white light under the Eye of All Beings, cannot even enter the first floor~"

...

Shi Ming looked at the cute little robot in front of him, feeling very unhappy.

He felt that every detail, every expression, was written with two words—

Pay up.