Chapter 159: Chapter 156: Purchasing S-rank Sea Beast Blood and the Obelisk’s Repayment

"Brother Stone, you said you want to purchase some S-rank Sea Beast Blood?"

At Shi Ming’s request, the two had finally changed their form of address from "Lord" to "Brother."

"That’s right," Shi Ming confirmed with a nod.

This was his main reason for coming to the Pharaoh.

"Then there’s no need to wait until tomorrow to pick and choose. My father is the captain of the Obelisk. Although he’s only a D-rank Awakened, the title of captain in the Pharaoh’s Cabinet Council is a legacy from the Land Era. It comes with priority purchasing rights for certain resources. It’s just that..."

The young woman paused, seeming rather embarrassed.

"Just what?"

The old man, Ah Bu, sighed and spoke up to explain:

"It’s just that the S-rank Sea Beast Flesh and Blood is incredibly expensive. We on the Obelisk can’t afford it either, or we would have gifted you some as thanks for your help."

S-rank Sea Beasts, even if they could no longer allow people to Awaken, were still strategic materials and extremely difficult to purchase.

The Pharaoh was selling it this time only because they were a general-grade wandering ship and lacked scientific research capabilities. Furthermore, they had paid a heavy price to kill this Sea Beast. Selling its body was partly to show off their power and display their strength, and partly to obtain a large amount of Pure Dome Crystals to recoup the cost of killing it.

A faction like the Lighthouse would absolutely never sell it to outsiders.

They weren’t short on money, after all.

Therefore, the Pharaoh’s pricing for this batch of flesh and blood was extremely high. 1,000 milliliters of blood sold for 100 Pure Dome Crystals, an absolutely astronomical price.

But for Shi Ming...

...money wasn’t an issue.

He still had a good chunk of his bounty money left to spend!

’Thank you, Reinhardt, for such a generous gift!’

...

...

...

The benefit of doing a good deed a day is that you truly get rewarded when you least expect it.

There was no need to wait for the Sea Beast Feast to begin the next day.

An hour later, with Ah Bu’s help, Shi Ming successfully purchased 1,000 milliliters of blood and 1,000 grams of tissue from the S-rank Sea Beast, the "Netherworld Feathered Serpent," ahead of schedule. This was the maximum share he was allowed to buy, and it cost him a full 150 Pure Dome Crystals.

He gently touched the Sea Beast blood with his right arm, but there was no reaction.

There wasn’t even an increase in points.

The Right Arm Red Pattern seemed to have absolutely no interest in the blood of this "Netherworld Feathered Serpent."

’As expected, the uniqueness of an S-rank Sea Beast skill is irreversible.’

’But this stuff is really expensive. If I run out of money in the future, I could always sell some Deep Sea Titan flesh and blood.’

’I just lack the channels for it. Sigh!’

Aside from the name "Netherworld Feathered Serpent," the Pharaoh did not publicly release any specific information about this Sea Beast or its Awakening ability.

This was normal. For any faction, such information was an absolute secret and a part of their hidden strength, something that could never be easily leaked. It would only be used as a trump card at a critical moment.

What’s more, curse-type skills weren’t exactly aboveboard and would lead to endless trouble if revealed. And Jia Fang was secretly creating "personnel"! If information about this kind of curse-type skill leaked, wouldn’t they become a public enemy?

Even for organizations with powerful research capabilities, it was very difficult to analyze the corresponding Awakening skill from the blood alone.

This further proved that Edward was the Lighthouse’s true treasure.

His skill could analyze and replicate the abilities of Sea Beasts, and in the past few years, it had helped the Lighthouse obtain a great deal of intel and information.

Unfortunately, one careless move led to his downfall upon the great sea.

He had become a true "treasure boy."

...

Satisfied, Shi Ming stored away the blood and flesh of the S-rank Sea Beast, the "Netherworld Feathered Serpent." Then, accompanied by Ah Bu and Nia, he was given a simple tour of the Pharaoh as a guest.

This giant, six-hundred-meter-long Pyramid-shaped wandering ship was truly a continuation of civilization and a marvel of industry. Below its golden steps, it was a tiered and overlapping structure, maximizing both space and stability to the absolute limit. The wandering ship was fully equipped with comprehensive facilities.

There was even a maritime garden for Ptolemy’s daily leisure.

While passing by the library, Shi Ming expressed his interest in browsing the Pharaoh’s collection of books.

’Since I’m already here...’

If he could find some information about the Scorpion King Era, it might help him explore the Scorpion King’s Pyramid, which lay buried beneath the ocean and sand.

He already had the coordinates of that place, and with the Brain of Creation’s ability, he had also restored the Pyramid’s internal structural diagram. Logically speaking, using brute force to sweep away all obstacles shouldn’t be a problem.

’Anyone who often raids tombs—ah, no, explores tombs—knows that it’s a job that requires skill.’

’Killing a Sea Beast just requires power, but tomb exploring requires much more consideration.’

’If I can get some other intelligence, like the structure of tombs from that era or the common defensive mechanisms they used, my chances of success will increase.’

"Of course. Brother Stone, are you interested in the culture of Ancient Egypt?"

Ah Bu asked Shi Ming.

When this topic came up, a confidence born from his very bloodline emerged. As an elder, he was extremely proud of his homeland’s culture.

And it was no wonder.

In the former Land Era, powerful nations were as numerous as trees in a forest, but those that could be called ancient civilizations numbered less than a handful—a mere four. Among them, the civilization of Ancient Babylon had already seen its lineage broken in the long river of history; the Hammurabi Scripture was lost, and the Sky Garden had long since become a pile of ruins.

But now, in the Wandering Era, only Da Yu and Pharaoh had carried on the legacy of their ancient civilizations.

’In the forest of world civilizations, only you and I remain!’

"Yes. Culture is the foundation of a people. It contains thousands of years of wealth. By using it as a mirror, one can understand the cycles of prosperity and decline, and discern gains from losses."

Hearing Shi Ming’s answer, Ah Bu gave a nod of deep approval. ’As expected of a Descendant of the Dragon, also from an ancient civilization!’

’These days, fewer and fewer Awakened know how to draw wisdom from books.’

’Many Awakened believe that power is the only thing that matters, and they look down on these treasures left behind by the ancients. But Ah Bu had always believed that this heritage was the true source of confidence, the foundation of a people. Only when power and civilization complement each other could they hope to restore the eternal legacy of their ancestors.’

"Brother, the library is just ahead."

"These are all printed versions and manuscripts, not original relics from ancient times. When the Wandering Era began, many classic texts were lost. The Pharaoh only managed to preserve several thousand scrolls. It’s a pity."

Shi Ming didn’t mind whether they were manuscripts or originals.

After all, he had the Brain of Creation.

It was just that none of the books here could be taken out. Even to enter, one had to be inspected, and items like "Hives" were strictly forbidden.

The guard on duty saw Ah Bu’s recommendation and knew of Jia Fang’s verbal permission, so he let Shi Ming enter.

"Captain, I’ll wait for you out here," Stone Pillar said.

"You can go wander around Seven Days Square." Stone Pillar was now a C-rank Awakened and could protect himself. Even if he ran into trouble, he could use his short-range communicator to contact Shi Ming. Reading would take too long; there was no need to have him stand guard outside.

"No need, Captain. I’m not interested in that stuff anyway."

Shi Ming didn’t press the issue and walked into the library with Ah Bu and Nia.

The scent of decay wafted toward them.

Even out at sea, the surfaces of many books were covered in a layer of dust, a clear sign of how long it had been since anyone had come here.

Ptolemy had even wanted to convert the library into a recreation room at one point.

’Brain of Creation, activate!’

Shi Ming’s eyes swept over row after row of bookshelves.