Chapter 569 - 525: Sorry, I’m Going to Make You Pay
’According to my sister, most members of the Pillar Stone of Truth have fiefs granted by the gods. Huang Ji’s fief is the only one located on the edge of the Cosmic Country, and her Nirvana skill, [Life], can indeed resist the old aura of deathly stillness to some extent. It’s highly likely she has managed to preserve enough Civilization Stones.’
’The one who obtained the [Son of Civilization] title is most likely her.’
Soon after, Shi Ming received a reply from Ah Li.
Ah Li didn’t know much about Huang Ji. The information she provided to Shi Ming all came from her sister. Although the two sisters were not together at the moment, each with their own mission, they had a unique method of communication called [Heart-Star Fall]. By plunging their consciousness down into the Divine Country known as the [Sea of Falling Stars]—a place intimately connected to the Sea of Spirit—they could manifest their own astral forms. In that illusory yet real starry sky, they could communicate face-to-face in complete privacy.
"But you don’t have to worry too much. As far as I know, aside from my sister, among the other four New Gods, only this Huang Ji has a strange fondness for you."
"Not only will she not kill you,"
"she might even be planning to make you the father of her next child."
???
Shi Ming completely ignored Ah Li’s teasing.
’Become the father of her child?’
Through his Eye of Destiny, Shi Ming had gained a deeper understanding of this Huang Ji. The Withered Queen was no pushover.
In fact, she was the most wicked of them all.
Although she possessed the [Life] skill and the divine authority "Gift of Proliferation," her method of reproduction was exceptionally cruel. After completing the great harmony of life, she would use her navel to suck her male partner into her body, using his flesh, blood, and life essence as nutrients to gestate a new life.
Unless their power levels were basically equal, they would be devoured without a single scrap remaining.
She had once given birth to 1,121 children.
You could count the number of their fathers still alive on one hand. Even for the few who survived, their level of existence had plummeted. One who was once a Pillar Stone might now barely qualify as a Marshal.
"In any case, be careful."
"This time is different from the last. Every New God who has set foot in this place is in their absolute peak state. Their reserves and skills are unfathomable, and they don’t need to rely on any inanimate constructs to unleash one hundred percent of their power. Even if you have a higher-tier title, your depth of life is far less than theirs. You’ll surely be at a disadvantage if you face them alone."
"The next time I see Huang Ji, I’d rather not find her belly all swollen again."
"Or find that she’s given birth to you in another form."
After exchanging more information with Ah Li, Shi Ming also learned about the current situation of the other two demigods, Uncle Tian and Bertutan. They were about to leave the outer regions of the Cosmic Country, their target still the Primordial Star. That was the birthplace of the Cosmic Country’s new will. By waiting there, they were confident they could catch Shi Ming. If Shi Ming left alone and never returned to the Primordial Star, Bertutan could use his authority to perform a brainwashing-like second enlightenment on the Cosmic Country’s will.
"That’s all the intelligence I have for now."
"Do you have any other questions?"
Shi Ming thought for a moment.
"Do you know about the community called the [Lost Kingdom]?"
"I do. That community is quite crude, but the intel coming out of it is actually pretty remarkable. To the New Gods, however, these are just clever little tricks. They don’t care about saving resources, nor do they care about some mine or ruin that would excite an entire Cosmic Country. They only care about Civilization Stones, the Divine Treasure Vault, the will of the Cosmic Country, and you."
"If you’re also in the Lost Kingdom, I can let you in on something."
"Huang Ji’s nickname is Black Rose."
"Bertutan’s nickname is The Lantern Bearer."
"As for my sister and me... Hmm, you guess? The other two, Candela and Uncle Tian, haven’t joined the Lost Kingdom, at least not yet. The pride of the New Gods won’t allow them to be subordinate to anyone, much less become a vassal on someone else’s turf."
The exchange ended.
This exchange had been quite fruitful. At the very least, Shi Ming had identified the infiltrators in his community.
He wouldn’t kick them out of the community. On the contrary, this was a perfect opportunity to observe them, and under certain circumstances, even use them.
...
...
...
Through a rough scan using the Cosmic Country’s consciousness, Shi Ming discovered that on the 51st day in the reality of the First Civilization Cosmic Country, the number of travelers who had entered this Lost Kingdom had quietly surpassed 4,000.
The number of members in the [Lost Kingdom] community had also reached 300.
A total of 94 people had "made it rain" on Shi Ming, donating 1 million Cosmic Crystals each to obtain the [Forerunner] title. The 94 million Cosmic Crystals he received were all exchanged for Civilization Stones, totaling 940,000. This was enough for Shi Ming to redeem another treasure from the top 20 rankings! It was the biggest windfall he’d ever had.
’It’s been almost two months.’
’The era of the Forerunners should come to an end.’
With a thought from Shi Ming, a countdown appeared on the [A-Rank Commission: Lavish Spender].
[Ba Star: Did you guys notice? The only commission on the Mercenary Terminal has started a 9-day countdown. Doesn’t this mean that in nine days, the Forerunner title will be unobtainable?]
All [Traveler] permissions were at the lowest level, A-Rank.
They couldn’t see the indefinite W-Rank and X-Rank commissions at all. Therefore, when they used the Mercenary Terminal, they could only see that single commission. And soon, that one and only commission would be ending as well.
[Tai Xu: I’d like to take on this commission, but 1 million Cosmic Crystals is a hefty sum.]
[The Lantern Bearer: Let things run their course.]
’The Lantern Bearer? No, that’s Bertutan!’
’So you’re the Light of Enlightenment, huh? Why don’t you take a look at Huang Ji? She started developing on her own long ago, became a P-Rank [Son of Civilization], and has already achieved freedom of teleportation!’
As Shi Ming was grumbling internally, a notification from the Cosmic Country’s will sounded in his ear.
[A generous traveler has donated 1,000,000 Cosmic Crystals to you, completed the A-Rank commission ’Lavish Spender,’ and obtained the ’Forerunner’ title.]
[A generous traveler has donated 1,000,000 Cosmic Crystals to you, completed the A-Rank commission ’Lavish Spender,’ and obtained the ’Forerunner’ title.]
’It seems pressuring people to pay up has its uses.’
’Once I’ve accumulated a million Civilization Stones, I’ll go back to the Divine Treasure Vault and redeem a high-level item! Now that Huang Ji has freedom of teleportation, she could descend upon the Primordial Star at any moment.’
’Avoid her for now?’
’What’s that?’
’Demigods who team up? I’ll make a strategic retreat.’
’A lone Huang Ji? I’ll strike with overwhelming force!’