Chapter 162: Obtaining the Dragon's Blood
Chapter 162: Obtaining the Dragon's Blood
Most of the items on the table were stacks of US dollars—bundles of crisp green bills, each worth ten thousand, totaling over 200 million. At the current exchange rate, it amounted to more than 500 million Asian dollars.
Ever since the 1980s, the value of the US dollar had been lower than the Asian dollar. Even now, the exchange rate fluctuated around 1 to 4, and in the long run, the dollar's value had been steadily declining.
"More than 200 million dollars. It won't be easy to spend this in our country," Ji Xinghuo said as he eyed the pile of cash. "I'll have to find a way in Olympia."
He packaged the cash and stored it away in his dimensional pouch.
Aside from the cash, the most valuable items in Gonsaza's collection were the True Dragon Coins, of which there were five, all Golden Dragon Coins.
Each Golden Dragon Coin was worth approximately 4.5 million Asian dollars, bringing the total value of the five coins to 22.5 million!
"This is..."
Ji Xinghuo picked up a crystal and examined it closely.
The crystal was a hexagonal prism, about ten centimeters long and three centimeters in diameter. It felt heavy in his hand and was semi-transparent, with faint energy flowing within that reflected a soft rainbow glow—a truly unique sight.
"Aether Crystal!"
Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up as he recognized the object.
Aether Crystals were extremely valuable resources, naturally produced in the Star Realm and also artificially manufactured. They were considered hard currency in the Star Realm and the Galactic Civilization.
On Earth, the uses for Aether Crystals were quite limited, mostly used for maintaining the Spirit Stone World.
However, in the Star Realm, Aether Crystals were indispensable. Almost all Aether technologies were built upon them, and various structures, facilities, and manufactured objects relied on the energy derived from Aether Crystals for their operation. This was akin to the importance of petroleum on Earth before humans mastered controlled nuclear fusion.
The more powerful and advanced a realm or civilization, the more reliant they were on Aether Crystals.
Aether Crystals were also graded based on their energy density.
As Earth's nations had only a rudimentary understanding of Aether technology and had not yet entered the stage of practical application, Aether Crystals were not widely circulated.
You couldn't find Aether Crystals for sale on the market.
Nonetheless, their value far exceeded that of True Dragon Coins, with each crystal worth at least 10 million Asian dollars.
There were three Aether Crystals in Gonsaza's collection, all of the lowest grade, yet their total value exceeded 30 million Asian dollars. There were also some miscellaneous items, such as jewelry, luxury watches, and antiques, which added up to another hundred million Asian dollars or so.
This brought the total to over 100 million!
Even though Ji Xinghuo was already quite wealthy, he couldn't help but feel delighted at suddenly acquiring such a massive fortune.
"Indeed, unexpected wealth brings prosperity, just as a horse grows fat from grazing in the night," he mused.
Gonsaza had been the boss of a black society in the Immortal City for over a decade, and the wealth he had amassed was surely more than a hundred million. Most of it was probably spent on purchasing mechanical prostheses, indulgent pleasures, and acquiring numerous assets within the Immortal City. What was in the safe was likely just a small portion.
Ji Xinghuo guessed that Gonsaza probably had several hundred million more in his bank accounts, but he hadn't had the time to transfer the funds due to the urgency of their previous situation.
"What a pity..."
After packing up the items, Ji Xinghuo started thinking about how to spend the money to turn it into strength.
For the time being, he could set aside the idea of purchasing exotic species.
His weapons and equipment were also sufficient for now.
Ji Xinghuo's gaze fell on Qinghong by his side. Qinghong, as a super-ranked spiritual object, could also fuse with exotic species like intelligent races, but it required the use of expansion wonders.
So far, Qinghong had only ingested one Life Spirit Seed.
With his own promotion to a high-level alien, there was another opportunity to fuse with an exotic species, and if he successfully obtained the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood, he would need even more expansion wonders.
He opened up the online platform and searched for expansion wonders.
There were over a dozen known expansion wonders on Earth, but most of them were only mentioned in records and could not be mass-produced, making them unavailable for purchase on the market.
"Life Spirit Seed, 8 million."
"Amber Cat's Eye, 28 million."
These were the two most common expansion wonders, and Ji Xinghuo had used both of them. He also searched for the Qingkong Guo but found that it was out of stock on every platform.
There was also an artificial drug called "Red Rot Drug," which was the only expansion wonder on Earth that had mastered the method of mass production.
It was created by farming a tiny insect called "Red Rot," crushing the insect bodies when they matured, and then extracting hormones as raw materials to be synthesized into the drug. This process was similar to the expensive pigment vermilion, but even more complex and precise, making it extremely expensive.
Each dose of Red Rot Drug required the material from thousands of Red Rot insects, and when consumed by an alien below the legendary level, it could provide an additional opportunity to fuse with an exotic species.
As many companies produced Red Rot Drug, its price remained relatively stable.
"55 million!"
Ji Xinghuo shook his head. If it weren't for the windfall he had received today, he wouldn't have had enough cash to buy a dose of Red Rot Drug.
Life Spirit Seed, Amber Cat's Eye, and Red Rot Drug were the three expansion wonders that aliens could buy with money.
For the others, one would have to rely on luck.
For example, the Tears of the Stars.
While the online platform didn't sell Tears of the Stars, there were many people seeking to purchase it, with offers around 300 million Asian dollars.
"No rush. Let's deal with the dollars first," Ji Xinghuo thought. "Once we have enough money, I'll buy an Amber Cat's Eye for Qinghong and a dose of Red Rot Drug for myself." Not all expansion wonders were suitable for Qinghong, and the most compatible ones were ingestible wonders, which happened to include these three.
His bank balance was now back in the nine-digit range!
Feeling pleased, Ji Xinghuo checked the time and saw that it was just past eight in the evening. He then called Zhao Manying, who answered almost instantly.
Zhao Manying's stunning face appeared on the screen, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Xinghuo, you're back?"
"Mm-hmm," Ji Xinghuo replied without mentioning the task. "What are you up to?"
"Just finished dinner. I was about to go online to find someone to spar with in the martial arts," Zhao Manying said with a bright smile. "Are you asking me out?"
"Yes, I want to buy something. Want to come along?"
"Sure!"
The two met up soon after, and Zhao Manying had changed her look once again. Today, she was a youthful and vibrant girl-next-door with long, straight black hair and a simple yet elegant dress. She greeted Ji Xinghuo with a warm hug and asked excitedly, "What do you want to buy?"
"Red Rot Drug," Ji Xinghuo answered.
Both Amber Cat's Eye and Red Rot Drug were worth tens of millions, and buying them online was too risky. Buyers usually opted for offline purchases, which were more reliable and secure.
Zhao Manying smiled and said, "You're really raking in the cash now, going for the Red Rot Drug." She was already quite familiar with this expansion wonder, having used it herself a long time ago.
"I came into some unexpected wealth from this mission," Ji Xinghuo admitted.
"That's great!" Zhao Manying was genuinely happy for him. "Let's go, then. I know of a specialty store in Chang'an that sells expansion wonders. It has a good reputation; I'll take you there."
Time always flew by when one was having fun.
By midnight, Ji Xinghuo had returned home with an Amber Cat's Eye and a dose of Red Rot Drug in his dimensional pouch, and his bank balance was now 80 million less, almost entirely spent on the purchases he had made that day.
The next afternoon.
Ji Xinghuo was in the midst of cultivating when he received a message from Zhou Yishang: "Your item has arrived."
He immediately rushed to the Qinling Base and entered Zhou Yishang's office, where he found not only Zhou Yishang but also Tan Jichun, the chief of the training department.
Both men were smiling.
"Director Zhou," Ji Xinghuo greeted them.
"Take a seat, Xinghuo," Zhou Yishang nodded. "The titanium-cobalt dragon's blood you applied for has arrived. Please go through the standard procedure to receive it."
"Why is it so fast? I thought it would take three days," Ji Xinghuo asked, surprised.
"The Star Realm Department has the authority to allocate the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood, and you helped them retrieve crucial documents from Shen Yucheng, preventing a significant loss," Zhou Yishang explained. "Of course, they wouldn't hold up the approval process for you. We received the application from the Sword Bureau this morning, knowing it was for you, and approved it immediately."
Ji Xinghuo's face lit up with understanding.
At that moment, Tan Jichun opened the refrigerator in front of him and took out a test tube the size of a finger, handing it to Ji Xinghuo.
"This is the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood!"
Ji Xinghuo took the test tube, which contained a pale silver liquid resembling mercury but more viscous. He could sense the immense vitality contained within.
An information interface popped up in front of him.
[Alien Species: Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood]
[Grade: Super Limit]
[Fusion Success Rate: 96%]
[Upgradable: Yes]
"As I thought, the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood has a very high fusion success rate, much better than Counterattack and Block," Ji Xinghuo rejoiced inwardly, feeling quite emotional. For four long years, from the age of eighteen to twenty-two, he had worked tirelessly toward the goal of obtaining the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood.
He had thought he had missed his chance, but now, he finally held it in his hands!
"If there are no issues, please sign here," Tan Jichun said, handing over a signature panel. Ji Xinghuo signed his name.
This was the standard procedure for state departments, ensuring that regardless of the value, items were bestowed through official channels rather than through the personal power of officials.
The distribution process for the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood required the signatures and approval of many departments and officials.
Tan Jichun looked at the test tube in Ji Xinghuo's hand, his eyes filled with envy. "The Star Realm Department stipulates that the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood cannot be taken out of the Sword Bureau's base. You can only fuse with it here, and if you are unable to do so temporarily, the Sword Bureau will keep it in safekeeping for you."
"I'll fuse with it now," Ji Xinghuo said.
As he made his way to the cultivation room in the base, he quietly let Qinghong touch the test tube in his hand, gaining new information.
Qinghong's fusion success rate with the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood was 87%, extremely high, second only to the gravity mutation it had already fused with.
"If only I had two portions of the dragon's blood..."
Ji Xinghuo shook his head, knowing it was impossible. Even if he performed more meritorious deeds, there would be no reason to apply for a second portion. "I'll either have to find another source of dragon's blood or upgrade the Symbiotic Fusion with Alien Species to the next level, allowing Qinghong to share the benefits of the dragon's blood from here and hope for the best."
In the cultivation room of the base, Ji Xinghuo closed the door and took out a syringe, drawing the dragon's blood into it. He located a vein on his arm and injected the syringe.
The method of fusion for the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood was through injection.
Ji Xinghuo gently pushed the plunger, slowly injecting all the dragon's blood into his vein. Soon, he began to feel changes in his body.
(End of Chapter)
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