Chapter 570 - 526: Huang Ji’s Goal
After converting all the generously donated Cosmic Crystals into Civilization Stones and adding them to his existing reserves from recent explorations and accumulations, Shi Ming’s stash of Civilization Stones had grown to 1,570,000.
With the buff from "Super Unsalable Item" stacked with the discount from "Heir of the Gods," 1,570,000 Civilization Stones were enough to redeem a major treasure originally priced at over five million!
Shi Ming focused his attention on the treasures ranked eighth through twentieth.
The eighth-ranked treasure, [Knowledge Trap], had an original price of exactly five million. It was a consumable that could only be used three times. This meant each use was equivalent to flushing over a million Civilization Stones down the drain. However, the treasure’s effect was correspondingly powerful. It cursed the target with knowledge, causing them to fall into an inescapable trap of intellect. Even a false god would struggle to avoid it.
The more profound the target’s knowledge, the more effective the treasure.
If the target was a complete idiot, [Knowledge Trap] would have no effect; forcing its use would just be a waste of five million.
The ninth treasure was [Destiny’s Spinning Wheel].
A treasure of the destiny attribute.
The twentieth-ranked treasure, [Fruit of Division], allowed its consumer to create a clone identical to the original. Their minds would be perfectly linked, their fates nearly identical, and their skills shared. It was said that even a Pillar Powerhouse would struggle to tell the original and the clone apart. However, the fruit had its drawbacks. If one was harmed, both were harmed, and the damage was cumulative. While gaining a second body, one also had to bear double the risk.
Shi Ming deliberated over the items ranked 8th to 20th.
In the end, he spent 1,500,000 Civilization Stones to redeem the eighth-ranked treasure, [Knowledge Trap].
This was the result of his careful deliberation.
At his current stage, his opponents were Pillar Powerhouses and false gods. Ordinary experts, like Sealed Kings or those at the Nirvana stage, were no longer considered true powerhouses in his eyes. With his existing skills, he could already hold his own and remain undefeated. Against a false god, however, [Knowledge Trap] would be far more effective. These false gods, having lived for at least a hundred thousand years, possessed a sea of knowledge, which ironically made their resistance to [Knowledge Trap] quite low. With this, Shi Ming was adding another ace up his sleeve.
’Redeem!’
After Shi Ming’s redemption, the eighth-ranked treasure did not disappear from the list in the Divine Treasure Vault. Even its [Super Unsalable Item] tag was not removed.
But if any other being tried to redeem it, the system would display "Stock Insufficient."
This came from the Regent’s third authority.
The Regent could manage the operational strategies for the Cosmic Country’s three core facilities: the Divine Treasure Vault, the Mercenary Terminal, and the Teleportation Vortex. The authority Shi Ming had added allowed authority holders of X-rank and above to opt for a "covert redemption." When a treasure was redeemed covertly, it would not be delisted or have its status changed even if its stock reached zero. It would remain on display until someone tried to redeem it again.
This was to prevent the false gods from noticing a treasure missing from the Divine Treasure Vault and deducing that Shi Ming had acquired a new ace.
’Infinite Brain, activate!’
[Knowledge Trap]
[Level: 40+]
[Knowledge brings curses. That is its trap. No being can avoid it, not even an omniscient, omnipotent god. But a god can easily escape the trap by embracing foolishness. Can you?]
[Upgraded to maximum level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Infinite Upgrade complete.]
[Cannot undergo Infinite Upgrade again.]
Like the Apocalypse Divine Artifact, it had already been infinitely upgraded and could not be enhanced further.
Using it was also very simple: one just had to throw it at a target. It had a total of three charges but could not be used on the same target more than once. This made sense. A wise person might fall into a trap of knowledge once, but they wouldn’t fall for the same trap a second time. Even if they did, they would have already developed a resistance.
Shi Ming toyed with the cube, rolling it around in his hand like a die.
’He had now accumulated a solid foundation in the First Civilization Cosmic Country. When would he get a real fight to put all his recent gains to the test?’
...
...
...
Huang Ji stepped calmly out of a [Teleportation Vortex]. Her expression was serene, and she wore a gentle smile, like the most loving mother in the cosmos. The light gauze draped over her shimmered like moonlight, and the [Son of Civilization] title above her head lent her an even greater elegance.
Although the [Son of Civilization] title was a far cry from [God’s Favored], it still possessed decent effects.
It came with three effects.
[1. While wearing this title, when you obtain Civilization Stones via Cosmic Country infrastructure, the amount gained will randomly increase by 1 to 100. There is a minuscule chance for a critical bonus, granting up to 1,000 stones. This can trigger a maximum of 99 times per day.]
[2. While wearing this title, when you spend Civilization Stones via Cosmic Country infrastructure, the cost will be randomly reduced by 1 to 100. There is a minuscule chance for a critical bonus, reducing the cost by up to 1,000 stones. This can trigger a maximum of 99 times per day.]
[3. While wearing this title, you can claim 1-100 "Civilization Stones" as a daily stipend every Cosmic Day.]
It was an economic-type title.
If used properly (for instance, by conducting numerous small transactions), it could help Huang Ji acquire a massive amount of Civilization Stones. By staying in this lost country for a few decades or a century, she could easily recoup her initial investment, and everything after that would be pure profit.
But Huang Ji didn’t care about recouping her investment. She valued the title’s second effect: the random cost reduction for Civilization Stones.
After all, using a Teleportation Vortex cost 100 Civilization Stones per trip.
With this effect from Son of Civilization, she received a random discount every time she used a Teleportation Vortex. The average reduction was 50 stones. With such a massive discount, combined with the Civilization Stones she had inherited from her own territory, she would have no trouble affording the travel fees. Soon, she would be able to traverse half the Cosmic Country and set foot on the Primordial Star once more!
By then, with her realm as a [New God], dealing with any enemy would be a matter of dimensional suppression—an utterly overwhelming attack!
She had already planned out her objectives.
First, she would use her numbered skill [Life] and the authority granted by a god to send the nascent will of the First Civilization Cosmic Country into her own Divine Country, the [Breeding Womb]. There, it would be reforged. Through the law of causality, she would establish a mother-child bond with it, thereby gaining indirect control over the First Civilization Cosmic Country.
Second, she would find Shi Ming and bear her 1,122nd child with him.
Third, she would expand her advantage. If possible, she would slay the other false gods, reclaim their divine authority, and give birth to a true god.
These were Huang Ji’s goals.
And the wild ambitions of a mother.