Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 91 - 88: Brain of Creation Activated: Bargain Hunting at the Marketplace
Shi Ming put away the Ocean Hunter Terminal.
This wasn’t the place for research. He planned to go back to his ship to examine it more closely.
He still had plenty of time.
What he needed to do now was "shop."
With a cheat like the "Brain of Creation," he could clearly judge the potential uses of upgradable items. This ability was like a game-breaking bug, perfect for finding hidden gems or assessing a product’s value and potential.
Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be wasted.
...
The most prosperous public market on Twelve Stars was called the "Sea Area Expo."
Though called an expo, it was essentially a public marketplace. Rows of rare and exotic materials from the ocean were displayed in transparent cases, openly for sale with clearly marked prices, fair to young and old alike. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Shi Ming walked in, carrying a few Dome Crystals and dozens of High-Level Sea Crystal Stones.
The selection here was indeed vast, with many items unique to the European Sea Region, such as:
Eyeball specimens from C-rank sea beasts,
Ores from the deep sea,
Shells ten times harder than diamond,
And light-colored amber with no discernible purpose...
The dazzling array of items was overwhelming.
There were also enthusiastic sales associates.
"Sir, this item was harvested from the deep sea by a powerful Awakened from Twelve Stars. It’s a pearl from a B-rank sea beast, the Mummy White Shell... They say consuming its ground powder can extend one’s life."
"It can also boost your endurance... down there~"
"It’s only three Dome Crystals."
The sales associate coaxed him earnestly.
Shi Ming paid him no mind.
’Endurance?’
’An ordinary person’s Endurance maxes out at 10 points. Mine is already at 72. What do I need this stuff for!’
’I’ll leave it for someone who needs it!’
"How about this item, then? Sir, you’ll definitely be interested in this. It’s an upgrade module for a captain’s Celestial Net Terminal. With it, you can increase your terminal’s user limit, expanding the capacity by 10 people~ Add more crew members to your wandering ship."
Shi Ming wasn’t interested in this item either.
The Celestial Net Terminal that Chunyi had left him already had a user limit of 100 people.
But right now, he had fewer than thirty crew members on his ship, and they were all long-standing members.
Besides, when it came to crew, Shi Ming always followed the principle of quality over quantity.
’The Dayun isn’t just for anyone!’
Seeing Shi Ming’s clear lack of interest, the sales associate gave up and turned to another potential customer.
Shi Ming wandered slowly among the items, occasionally using the Brain of Creation’s ability to probe their value.
...
[Tattered Notebook]
[Level: 1]
[A notebook lost at sea by some unknown person. Its material is special, remaining undamaged after years of soaking. Unfortunately, all the writing on it has been eroded and is now illegible.]
[Upgrade materials: Sea Crystal Stone x3, Wood x1, Cuttlefish Ink Sac x1]
Shi Ming’s interest was piqued.
The material of this notebook was very similar to the one he had found on the canoe.
That notebook from the Dragon Country Xirang Research Institute had been a huge help to him. Could this notebook, made of a similar material, also hold some long-lost secrets?
’Even though the writing is eroded now, maybe upgrading it will restore the text?’
’Why else would it require a "cuttlefish ink sac" as a material!’
’Buy it!’
It wasn’t even expensive, just three High-Level Sea Crystal Stones!
Apparently, the staff at Twelve Stars didn’t think it was worth much.
The prices for all goods here were set by the staff of Twelve Stars after research. If an item didn’t sell for a long time, its price would be reduced, but haggling was forbidden during normal sales, and there was no room for discounts.
After paying three High-Level Sea Crystal Stones, Shi Ming obtained the notebook.
It came with a complimentary shopping bag, a cheap, disposable bag made of seaweed.
Seeing that Shi Ming had made a purchase, the sales associate sidled over again.
Shi Ming ignored him and continued to look at the various items.
’Most of these natural products from the ocean can’t be upgraded, so the Brain of Creation can’t find anything to analyze. On the other hand, remnants of civilization, things made by humans, about 80% of them can be upgraded.’
’It’s just that many of them are useless to me.’
For example, there were small-scale energy extraction devices, but Shi Ming now had a more advanced one.
There were all sorts of melee weapons, but none could compare to the King Slayer he had hidden in his system space.
There were also some very expensive ship installations and machines, easily costing tens of Dome Crystals, which he had no real need to buy.
"Huh, what’s this?"
Shi Ming stared at an item that looked like a piece of facial skin.
"Sir, that’s a research product from Lighthouse, a mask made from the skin of a Hundred-Faced Sea Lizard. After applying it to your face, it can temporarily change your appearance, but it’s a single-use item and only lasts for 20 minutes."
The staff member explained patiently.
His attitude was excellent because when Shi Ming was paying earlier, he had accidentally glimpsed the Dome Crystals in Shi Ming’s pocket.
"Only one use? And just for twenty minutes? That’s pretty useless."
’I wonder if it can be upgraded?’
The Brain of Creation scanned it.
[Hundred-Faced Sea Lizard Mask]
[Level: 2]
[A mask made from the skin of the Hundred-Faced Sea Lizard sea beast. Its disguise effect is excellent and can fool the vast majority of detection devices. An essential item for concealing one’s identity!]
[Upgrade materials: 50g of Lizard Creature Blood, 50g of C-rank or higher Sea Beast Flesh and Blood.]
’Maybe after an upgrade, its current drawbacks can be fixed?’
’Buy it!’
Shopping was always a pleasant experience.
After wandering for a long time, Shi Ming spent another three hundred High-Level Sea Crystal Stones to buy three "Sky Net Intelligence Chips." These chips were the core components for many devices, sold at a fixed retail price of 100 High-Level Sea Crystal Stones each, so there was no way to find a bargain.
And an unofficial history: *Olympus Legends: The Love, Hate, and Drama of Zeus and His Twenty-Three Goddesses*.
He was very interested in the Deep Sea Titans of the Olympus Ruins, and thought he might find some inspiration or clues within the mythology.
At the same time, he spent one precious Dome Crystal on a small seasoning-production device.
People struggled out on the sea for no other reason than to live a better life.
This seasoning-production device could currently only produce four seasonings: "Refined Salt," "Chili Pepper," "MSG," and "Mustard," but Shi Ming believed that as his Brain of Creation improved, its capabilities would expand.
He just hoped Old Yang could further refine his cooking skills.
...
As he was leaving Twelve Stars, Shi Ming passed by the embassy district.
Some of the more powerful factions had set up liaison points on the King-level Wandering Ship.
He saw a plaque hanging in a corner of the district that read, "Vortex Country - Where the Sun Returns."
Below the plaque was a sixteen-character haiku written by Renhuang.
Its meaning was roughly, "Vast leagues share the same clouds and rain, together we watch the bright moon rise from the blue sea, our hometowns two separate places."
It read a little strangely.
Shi Ming mulled it over for a moment, then chuckled.
’Isn’t this just a rip-off of "The green mountains are one, sharing the same clouds and rain; how could the bright moon belong to two separate hometowns"?’
’Plagiarizing even for a single inscribed poem?’
