"Is it convenient to disclose what you’re working on right now? Don’t worry, I won’t compete with you for business."

It was unclear whether Ye Liuyun did not care if his own business would be affected, or whether he had confidence in Dong Tianyu’s promise, but upon hearing Dong Tianyu’s question, Ye Liuyun did not conceal anything and frankly shared his money-making method.

Ye Liuyun’s money-making method was also quite simple, which was to sell high and buy low in the market. Since he was exploiting information asymmetry within the market of the base, the profits were not very high, but it was safe.

After all, having been in business for many years, Ye Liuyun not only possessed a sharp eye but also a silver tongue. Merely after observing the market for a little over a week, he had gained a general understanding of the prices.

And because he had just arrived here, Ye Liuyun wasn’t greedy when it came to big deals. If the value of the goods was small, he might even advance the funds, but if the price of the goods was high, he would just play the role of intermediary for both the buyer and the seller, simply taking a commission.

One might assume Ye Liuyun was only tinkering on a small scale, but judging by his current spirit, Ye Liuyun’s daily earnings must not have been insubstantial, or else he wouldn’t have been able to afford to invite Dong Tianyu to the teahouse for tea so generously.

Perhaps because Dong Tianyu had always claimed that he had joined a certain power, Ye Liuyun did not ask about Dong Tianyu’s recent experiences. After all, under normal circumstances, aside from complaining about a company or a person within the company, friends rarely discussed each other’s detailed work content.

During their casual conversation, Ye Liuyun suddenly asked Dong Tianyu whether his Companion Spiritual Treasure had evolved. In response to Ye Liuyun’s question, Dong Tianyu did not hide anything but merely said that it had evolved.

Upon hearing Dong Tianyu’s answer, Ye Liuyun’s expression suddenly became conflicted.

Although curious about why Ye Liuyun would look troubled after hearing that his Companion Spiritual Treasure had evolved, Dong Tianyu did not interfere and quietly waited for the other to finish thinking.

After a fierce internal struggle, Ye Liuyun finally made a decision, watching Dong Tianyu dump out the original tea in the teapot and refill it with fresh water to boil.

Ye Liuyun sighed somewhat helplessly. Dong Tianyu truly had no idea about the price of that tea water; his action was equivalent to wasting two Mysterious Cores. At this point, Ye Liuyun felt hesitant, unsure whether the decision he had just made in his heart was right or wrong.

Just as Ye Liuyun’s heart was once again feeling torn, he saw Dong Tianyu take out a tea canister from his backpack. As soon as he opened the canister, a unique fragrance of tea instantly filled Ye Liuyun’s nostrils.

Dong Tianyu generously poured the tea leaves into a teacup and, following the pre-cataclysm tradition of drinking tea, first rinsed the tea with boiling water, and then, on the second infusion, poured the tea for both Ye Liuyun and himself.

Watching Dong Tianyu’s action, Ye Liuyun did not show the excitement of tasting new tea; instead, he sighed again with a sense of reluctance, and then took out a Mysterious Core from his chest.

Dong Tianyu, seeing the Dark Green Trick Nucleus that Ye Liuyun took out, immediately showed a very surprised expression; ever since he last received a Dark Green Trick Nucleus.

While traveling, Dong Tianyu’s Divine Sense had mostly been in an expanded state, and compared to the Blood-Colored Ghost Ship he would occasionally see, Dong Tianyu had never again seen a ghost ship emitting a dark green aura.

Truth be told, for Dong Tianyu at the moment, if different colored Mysterious Cores were placed in front of him, he would not hesitate to kick out the Black Devil Core first.

Then he would start considering whether to choose the Blood-Colored Mysterious Core or the Dark Green Trick Nucleus.

Theoretically, the Blood-Colored Mysterious Core should be Dong Tianyu’s first choice, as it enhances the material of the ship’s body, a permanent upgrade that is always worthwhile, no matter what.

On the other hand, using a Dark Green Trick Nucleus could provide a piece of equipment for the Companion Spiritual Treasure. This option is honestly also not bad, as no matter how many times the Companion Spiritual Treasure upgrades, only the size of the ship’s body changes; unless it evolves, the ship’s model will not change at all.

Honestly, if Dong Tianyu had to choose between these two types of Mysterious Cores, he would become very conflicted.

But if there’s no choice and only one type of Mysterious Core is available, even the lowest grade Black Devil Core would not be frowned upon by Dong Tianyu, for everyone loves a free gift.

Seeing Ye Liuyun pull out the dark green Trick Nucleus, Dong Tianyu thought Ye Liuyun wanted to figure out what the thing really was, so he took it out to ask him.

Just as he was preparing to wait for the other person to ask him, he didn’t expect Ye Liuyun to directly place the dark green Trick Nucleus in front of Dong Tianyu.

Seeing Ye Liuyun’s action, Dong Tianyu was a bit bewildered and paused for a moment. After regaining his senses, he asked with some confusion, "What are you doing? Testing me with this thing? If I can’t withstand the test, you’re going to lose big time."

Hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Ye Liuyun seriously said to Dong Tianyu, "I know you’re not that kind of person, and besides, this little thing isn’t worth falling out over with me."

"This little thing? It seems you really don’t know its value!"

"What value could it possibly have!"

Upon hearing Ye Liuyun say this, Dong Tianyu was just about to enlighten him on the value of the object. However, witnessing the longing in Ye Liuyun’s eyes and how he had carefully taken it out from his chest just earlier,

Dong Tianyu knew that Ye Liuyun might not understand the real function of this thing but was certain it must be of substantial value, otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept it so carefully hidden in his chest.

Having figured out the reasons, Dong Tianyu initially intended to tease the other party, but after glancing at the watch on his wrist, he ultimately abandoned the idea. It was getting late, and Dong Tianyu wanted to have dinner with his parents, so he decided to wrap things up earlier.

"Alright, enough with the pretense. If you want to know something, just ask me directly. Don’t play games with me here."

Hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Ye Liuyun didn’t feel ashamed; instead, he earnestly asked Dong Tianyu, "Since you’ve figured it out, why don’t you tell me what this Trick Nucleus is actually for."

"Devour a Black Devil Core, and your Companion Spiritual Treasure upgrades in size.

Devour a Blood-Colored Mysterious Core, and your Companion Spiritual Treasure upgrades the material of its hull.

And by devouring this kind of dark green Trick Nucleus, a piece of equipment can be added to your Companion Spiritual Treasure."

"Add equipment to a Companion Spiritual Treasure?"

"Yeah, Companion Spiritual Treasures can’t bring things into the Sea of Consciousness with them; you know that, right?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Seeing Ye Liuyun nod, Dong Tianyu continued, "The equipment added by devouring a dark green Trick Nucleus is not affected by this. When you put away your Companion Spiritual Treasure, it can be taken into the Sea of Consciousness together with it."

Hearing Dong Tianyu’s explanation, Ye Liuyun looked disappointed. This feature was akin to whether a home desktop computer came with WiFi or not. While it’s better to have it than not, most people’s desktops don’t really need this feature.

Many people, after their Companion Spiritual Treasures devour a large number of Trick Nuclei and upgrade, will transform their Companion Spiritual Treasures into their own private dwellings and renovate the interior.

Once they’ve undergone renovations, most people won’t bring their Companion Spiritual Treasures back into their Sea of Consciousness again.

Thinking this, Dong Tianyu suddenly recalled another evolutionary path for Companion Spiritual Treasures: the transport ship.

According to previous explanations, choosing this evolutionary direction allows some of the space on the ship to be exempt from this rule, enabling direct transfer into the Sea of Consciousness.

Moreover, this area will expand with the increase of one’s Cultivation Level, eventually allowing anything placed in the ship’s hold to be brought directly into the Sea of Consciousness.