Due to years of drifting at sea and Ptolemy’s disregard for their preservation, the books here were severely damaged by moisture.

Consequently, the Brain of Creation could upgrade and restore most of these defective books. Under these circumstances, it acted almost like an index, helping Shi Ming rapidly extract each book’s introduction and synopsis, saving him a vast amount of time.

It was like he’d found another glitch to exploit.

Most of the books in the library were treasured volumes from the Land Era, along with some printed editions of ancient texts.

Shi Ming’s gaze swept across the titles.

The Pinnacle of the Pyramid: An Exploration of Civilization

The Book of the Dead

The Gift of the Nile: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Kingdom

The Creation and Post-Care of Mummies

...

Shi Ming caressed their heavy covers, feeling the accumulated weight of thousands of years of civilization. The books were well-organized; the history section was arranged chronologically, with the corresponding time periods growing more ancient the deeper he went into the shelves.

’The Tomb of Horus... a book chronicling the history of the Pyramid.’

’Unfortunately, most of it is vague and lacks in-depth research.’

’A History of the Pyramid... Hmm, this one’s research is quite detailed, but the historical dates don’t line up.’

With the aid of the Brain of Creation, Shi Ming perused the books one by one.

Ah Bu helped wipe the dust from the books, while Nia sat in a nearby chair, bored to tears.

’Hmm?’

He continued flipping through the books for a long time.

Suddenly, Shi Ming’s eyes lit up as he felt a prompt from the Brain of Creation.

[Mola and Totems]

[Level 1]

[A compilation of an ancient text with a long history. It recounts the deeds of a terrifying giant beast, the Desert Scorpion, and its master during the era of the Red King over five thousand years ago. It’s hard to imagine that such ancient events could have been recorded.]

[Upgrade Materials: Wood x3, Cuttlefish Ink Sac x1]

Shi Ming opened the book.

An ancient aura washed over him.

It was just damp, and the spine was also damaged, but it was still legible without needing an upgrade.

It was a historical study from five thousand years ago, recording ancient history—or perhaps, legends.

"The infamous Mola City was ruled by the tyrannical Red King III. Behind him crawled an evil behemoth that emerged from the yellow sands, a man-eating monster with eight legs and two pincers... The Red King fed it human sacrifices, and the beast’s violent aura grew stronger by the day..."

"The beast laid siege to cities for the Red King, and all captives became food in the monster’s maw."

"...Later generations no longer called him the Red King, instead renaming him Scorpion King III." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"..."

"When Scorpion King III fell, his giant scorpion followed him into eternal slumber within his tomb, along with a vast array of burial goods: meteorites that fell from the sky, Luminous Pearls from the oases, Everlasting Lamps crafted by Warlocks from human blood, and endless riches and treasures."

"..."

"With the fall of the Mola Dynasty, the Scorpion King’s tomb and treasures vanished into the yellow sands, lost to history."

The book’s contents were sparse, and Shi Ming quickly finished reading.

The story it told was ancient. Even with the Brain of Creation’s summary providing some backing, its authenticity was difficult to verify.

The beast depicted in the book was exceptionally terrifying.

When enraged, it could make the heavens and earth change color, shroud the sun in darkness, and turn the moon crimson... If this wasn’t artistic embellishment, a creature with such a commanding presence could easily be considered an S-class sea beast today!

However, Shi Ming’s previous scan with the Map of the Endless Sea had shown no S-class sea beasts anywhere near the Scorpion King’s Pyramid.

’Perhaps it was just an artistic description?’

’Or maybe such a powerful beast really did exist, and it simply died over the millennia?’

’Regardless, I can’t let my guard down.’

’Ancient tombs are typically riddled with traps. This one is now buried deep beneath the ocean and sand. To explore it, even without considering any sea beasts inside, I have to be constantly vigilant. Otherwise, if there’s a collapse, it wouldn’t matter how many trump cards I have; I’d be buried inside to keep the Scorpion King company.’

The setting sun slanted through the library window, casting a brilliant afterglow on the moldy bookshelves.

Ah Bu was already dozing off.

Nia, meanwhile, sat in her chair, watching Shi Ming read, lost in a daze.

Shi Ming closed the book and returned it to its original spot.

’A book’s value is transferred simply by reading it. The worth isn’t in the paper, but in the information.’

’I’ve done what I came to do. It’s time to go back.’

...

...

...

「At the top of the Pharaoh, in the golden hall.」

"Jia Fang, are you saying that young man has an irresistible attraction for your Netherworld Serpent bloodline?"

"Yes, Lord Ptolemy. Didn’t Ah Bu say he was a child of the Sun God? Perhaps this is a gift from the Sun God."

Jia Fang spoke these blasphemous words without a shred of concern.

Ptolemy leaned on his staff, deep in thought.

He had already learned from Singer of the Ganges that this young man named "Stone" was not a crew member of the Ganges. Instead, he was the captain of a mere Silver-class ship, an A-rank Awakened.

Although he appeared to be a lone operator,

he was suspected of being affiliated with the Dragon Country.

This young man was extremely wealthy, having spent 150 Pure Dome Crystals to purchase the blood and corpse of an S-class sea beast from the Pharaoh. Even the captain of a Golden Ship would struggle to have that kind of fortune. He must have a major power backing him.

He thought for a long time.

"Jia Fang, you may proceed as you see fit."

"But remember, you must have a proper pretext."

"As long as we have a valid reason, even if he truly is one of Da Yu’s subordinates, we won’t be in the wrong later."

"Besides, Da Yu is thousands of miles away. This is my, Pharaoh’s, territory. What can they possibly do to me?"

A delighted expression appeared on Jia Fang’s face.

"Yes, Lord Ptolemy."

He didn’t tell Ptolemy that he had already acted on his own, implanting the Nether Snake Feather into the man’s body. Even if Ptolemy, wary of the Dragon Country’s power, had forbidden it, he would have proceeded regardless.

’This delicious fruit is mine for the taking!’

...

Before they knew it, dusk had fallen.

His day trip on the Pharaoh was over. At the ferry dock at the base of the Pyramid, Shi Ming, along with the Stone Pillar, said his goodbyes to the old man Ah Bu and Nia, preparing to return to the Da Yun.

Word also came from the Ganges. Because [Shiva] had personally contacted [Pharaoh], they had received an envoy’s welcome aboard the flagship-class drifter. The treatment had also been quite effective; Singer and the other cursed individuals were beginning to recover and no longer needed to suppress their symptoms with Dome Crystal energy.

This was the power of having connections.

It was a good thing, all in all.

Shi Ming was about to board the ferry back to the Da Yun.

The air filled with a strange power, a profound, unsettling energy that seemed to emanate from the Netherworld. At some unknown point, Ptolemy’s advisor, the newly-promoted S-rank Awakened, Jia Fang, had appeared at the ferry dock.

"Seize him!"

Behind him was a full squad of Awakened.

"Jia Fang, what is the meaning of this?"

Ah Bu demanded angrily.

"Many of the Pharaoh’s precious books have gone missing, Mr. Stone. We require your cooperation with the investigation," Jia Fang said casually.

???

Shi Ming almost laughed at the shamelessness of the excuse.

"Absurd!"

"Nia and I were with him the entire time! Not a single book was missing when he left. How could anything have been lost?" Ah Bu argued forcefully.

Nia was about to speak, but Shi Ming held up a hand.

He looked at Jia Fang in the distance.

"You want to keep me here?"

"So what if I do?"

"You’re very confident."

Jia Fang looked at Shi Ming,

as if gazing at prey already in his grasp.

"Mr. Stone, you can call for backup, just like Singer did. I’ll even give you 72 hours. If you can find someone to save you, I’ll let you go."

Shi Ming chuckled.

"Seventy-two hours?"

"And besides, what makes you think I need saving?"