Chapter 229: The Magnetite Core

Chapter 229: The Magnetite Core

As soon as Ji Xinghuo entered, the Snow Ape Giant was surprised, and he bowed slightly, "Welcome, esteemed guest. Please take a seat."

He gestured to a row of stone chairs on one side of the hall.

The chairs were arranged from small to large, accommodating guests of various sizes and races.

The smallest stone chair was only a dozen or so centimeters tall, like a small stone stool, while the largest resembled a massive throne, towering over ten meters high. A guest sitting on that chair would have to be at least twenty meters tall, far beyond the imagination of ordinary people!

Ji Xinghuo sat down on one of the middle-sized stone chairs.

"The Lord just informed me that we have a new esteemed guest at Tianzui Cliff. Welcome!" Han Qiu spoke warmly, without an ounce of arrogance despite his status as a Heavenly King powerhouse. He also didn't show any disdain for Ji Xinghuo's lower cultivation, "I haven't asked for your name and race yet, so I can register it."

"Ji Xinghuo, Earthling," Ji Xinghuo replied.

Lord?

That must be Xu Lingke.

The giant chieftain's respectful attitude towards Xu Lingke was evident, and from his choice of words, it seemed that this Snow Ape tribe was completely subjugated by Xu Lingke, honoring him as their master.

Han Qiu took out a roll of beast hide, made from the tanned skin of some unknown beast, and incredibly tough. He condensed a thin layer of ice on his fingertip, using it as a knife to write nimbly on the hide.

Both men spoke in True Dragon language, and the writing on the beast hide was also in True Dragon script.

But Ji Xinghuo didn't pry.

"You are the 487th esteemed guest since Tianzui Cliff was established," Han Qiu said as he flipped through the records on the beast hide, "and the second guest from Earth."

Ji Xinghuo was astonished.

Tianzui Cliff was a trading post established by Xu Lingke, highly exclusive and secretive. Ordinary people didn't even know of its existence. In the hundreds of stellar years since its founding, there had been fewer than five hundred traders, showing how rare it was for someone to catch Xu Lingke's attention.

Ji Xinghuo had assumed he might be the first Earthling to meet Xu Lingke, but now he knew that wasn't the case.

"May I ask the name of my fellow Earthling?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"I cannot tell you," Han Qiu shook his head, "Tianzui Cliff strictly protects the privacy of its guests. You must also not mention the Lord or any transactions to anyone."

As he said this, a sense of authority emanated from the giant's face, which was covered in white fur.

"Please abide by the rules of Tianzui Cliff, esteemed guest," Han Qiu said solemnly, "It is for your benefit as well as ours."

"Thank you for the reminder, Chieftain," Ji Xinghuo said, his heart turning cold.

Although Han Qiu didn't explicitly state the consequences of leaking secrets, the fact that Xu Lingke had remained unknown to the outside world implied that he and his followers had the means to protect their secrets. Those who dared to divulge such secrets would undoubtedly face dire consequences.

Han Qiu was pleased with Ji Xinghuo's response and nodded. He then took out a large notebook made of beast hide, which floated over to Ji Xinghuo.

"This is the latest trading list, please have a look," the giant said, "Feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

"Alright," Ji Xinghuo said as he caught the heavy notebook.

The writing on the beast hide was in True Dragon script.

The content wasn't extensive, and Ji Xinghuo quickly skimmed through it, understanding its structure. The list was divided into two parts: items for sale and items for purchase.

About two-thirds of the list comprised items for sale, while only a third were items that Xu Lingke sought to acquire.

However, altogether, there were fewer than a hundred items.

Ji Xinghuo could tell from the fresh ink on the beast hide that this list had been tailored for him and might only represent a fraction of Xu Lingke's full inventory. Perhaps Xu Lingke didn't want to overwhelm him, or maybe Ji Xinghuo hadn't earned the right to access more advanced trades yet.

Even so, after reading through the list, Ji Xinghuo's heart raced with excitement.

The very first item caught his attention.

Magnetite Core!

The list included brief descriptions of each item. The Magnetite Core was a natural stellar gland, originating from a peculiar species called "Magnetite Beasts." These beasts were born on planets with extremely high magnetic fields, lacking self-awareness but possessing biological instincts.

Magnetite Beasts were incredibly rare, being energy-based life forms with ever-changing, amorphous bodies.

However, they had one crucial organ.

The Magnetite Core.

This star nucleus was a natural stellar gland, perfectly suited for occupations related to electricity and magnetism. It was even superior to artificially created stellar glands.

Many powerful civilizations in the Milky Way could craft top-tier stellar glands, but when it came to the path of electromagnetic evolution, nothing compared to the Magnetite Core.

Ji Xinghuo was extremely tempted, but he forced himself to remain calm.

Clearly, this was a bait set by Xu Lingke.

He had just reached the Advanced Alien stage, and the next step was to become a Super Alien, which required the implantation of a stellar gland. Conveniently, the most compatible stellar gland appeared before him—it couldn't be a coincidence.

Ether Crystals were the universal currency in the Star Realm and the Milky Way Galaxy. On Earth, a single Ether Crystal was worth approximately 10 million Asian Yuan, but in the Star Realm, its value doubled.

Three hundred Ether Crystals equaled sixty billion Asian Yuan! However, this was just a theoretical equivalence; sixty billion Asian Yuan wouldn't be enough to purchase 300 Ether Crystals.

It wasn't something that could be bought purely with money.

Ether Crystals had two sources: they could be mined from ether mines, or they could be created artificially by Evolvers and psychics who could sense ether energy, using their own bodies as mediums to produce the crystals with great time and effort.

Anyone who understood the true value of Ether Crystals would never exchange them for other currencies.

Ether Crystals were the currency itself.

They were also a commodity that was always in short supply and perfectly inelastic.

"I only have two Ether Crystals," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself. The Magnetite Core, priced at 300 Ether Crystals, didn't seem extraordinarily high; it could even be considered a fair price.

This might be a special newcomer discount from Xu Lingke.

Ji Xinghuo continued reading.

Listed were multiple exotic species: Ether Affinity, Shadow Clone, Banishment, Multiple Personalities, Sixth Sense, Blink, X-ray Vision, Giant's Strength, Mirage Beam, Life Revival, Ice Crown, and Psychics... All of these were super-limit exotic species, and there were over a dozen of them, priced between 30 and 50 Ether Crystals each.

"So expensive..."

That was Ji Xinghuo's first reaction.

But then his eyes lit up as he saw 'Psychic' on the list, priced at 50 Ether Crystals.

Super-limit exotic species were indeed precious, but they weren't worth that much money. Even the cheapest one on the list would cost over six billion Asian Yuan.

This was five to ten times the normal value.

And the Psychic species was even more outrageous, equivalent to a price of 1 billion Asian Yuan. If one had that much money, they could probably buy it directly on Earth without needing to come here for a trade.

It was absurd.

Then, Ji Xinghuo saw two Starfall exotic species, "Eye of Truth" and "Absolute Hit."

The former could see through all illusions and disguises, revealing the truth of the world and granting the user an omniscient field of vision, eliminating all blind spots.

The Eye of Truth also had many other functions beyond just enhanced eyesight.

It was priced at 1,000 Ether Crystals.

And "Absolute Hit" was even more powerful; it belonged to the mysterious psychic abilities. Once a target was locked within range, it would never miss!

It defied all logic and reason.

A guaranteed hit! The price of the Absolute Hit exotic species was even higher, at 1,300 Ether Crystals.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The Saint of the Stars truly had incredible connections; he even had Starfall exotic species for sale, although the prices were exorbitant.

They were definitely marked up!

In his mind, Ji Xinghuo had already labeled Xu Lingke as a "greedy merchant."

After perusing the exotic species, he moved on to the weapons.

"Exterminator 9-Type Adaptive Electric Flying Sword."

The name sounded familiar to Ji Xinghuo, and when he read the description, he realized it was a technological weapon from the Star Alliance, produced by the same manufacturer as the Purple Lightning Sword!

It was just that the Sword Bureau had given it a different name.

The selling price was 3,500 Ether Crystals!

"Holy crap!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed inwardly. This price far exceeded his imagination. Could a Tier One Star weapon really be worth that much?

And the Purple Lightning Sword was a mass-produced weapon.

It was highly likely that the Sword Bureau had purchased their sword from Xu Lingke.

From this, he deduced that the Earthling who had met Xu Lingke before was most likely a member of the Asian Communist Party.

He recalled Director Li Hui of the Sword Bureau mentioning that the Purple Lightning Sword had been obtained by the bureau's founder, Cao Qianfei, in the Star Realm, but Cao Qianfei had passed away over eighty years ago.

There were two possibilities: either Cao Qianfei was Xu Lingke's direct trader, or Cao Qianfei was merely the user of the Purple Lightning Sword, and the buyer was someone else.

"3,500 Ether Crystals, that's a lot of money!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but marvel.

In addition to the electric flying sword, there was another Tier One Star weapon, called the "Song of the Spirit String." This was a bow made with ether technology, and unlike the Purple Lightning Sword, which could only be used in the Milky Way Galaxy, the Spirit String could be used normally in the Star Realm, and its power was even greater there.

The lethality of the Spirit String depended on the user.

It could even be used without arrows, using star power to condense into projectiles, with a maximum range of 12,000 kilometers!

Of course, to unleash the full power of the Spirit String, it was best to have mastery over psychic abilities. It was a long-range weapon specifically designed for psychic string users.

The Spirit String was priced at 4,000 Ether Crystals.

The Ether Trader had probably included it on the list just for show.

There were even more expensive items on the beast hide scroll.

"Starseeker" Shuttle, a small spaceship capable of high-speed travel in the Star Realm, a fusion of ether and physical technology, and one of the fastest ships in the Milky Way Galaxy, originating from the "Infinite Trade Consortium" in the Seventh Star Zone. Its price? A staggering 45,000 Ether Crystals.

The next item was an exotic species called "Predestined Heaven's Mandate," also known as "Luck." It was a mysterious psychic ability that, when fused, would grant the user the status of a lucky child, passively attracting benefits and avoiding harm, drastically increasing the success rate of any endeavor.

The price for "Luck" was a whopping 100,000 Ether Crystals.

Ji Xinghuo counted carefully, and yes, it was indeed 100,000.

Of course, there were also some more affordable treasures, such as the Ice Crystal Dragon's egg for just 500 Ether Crystals, or the Terminus Blade from the Void Empire for 400 Ether Crystals. There were also knowledge offerings about high-tech weapon manufacturing, priced between 100 and 200 Ether Crystals.

Every item on the list was incredibly valuable, and Ji Xinghuo wanted them all.

However, he couldn't afford a single one.

Flipping to the next page, he found the acquisition list—items that the Ether Trader wanted and was willing to purchase with Ether Crystals.

The first item on the list was the Red Emperor Blood Crystal, with a buying price of 10 Ether Crystals.

"The Ether Trader wants the Red Emperor Blood Crystal, too?"

Ji Xinghuo's heart stirred.

As a Seventh-Rank Star Saint, the Ether Trader wouldn't need it for himself, but he could acquire it and sell it elsewhere for a higher price, profiting from the difference.

In the Star Realm, wherever there were bloody battles between followers of the Red Emperor, Blood Crystals would be produced.

The Bloodsoaked Plateau was a major source, considered a specialty of that region.

The Ether Trader could obtain Blood Crystals from the plateau and then sell them elsewhere for several times their original value.

In addition to the Blood Crystals, the Ether Trader was also seeking over twenty other types of rare expansion wonders, including the Blue Sky Fruit, Tears of the Stars, Toad Spirit Eggs, Amber Cat's Eye Stone, Etherian Holy Spring, and Imperial Yellow Crystal, to name a few. Common life essences were not on his list.

He was offering 3 Ether Crystals per Blue Sky Fruit.

Tears of the Stars fetched 15 Ether Crystals.

Toad Spirit Eggs could be traded for 10 Ether Crystals each.

The most expensive item on the list was the Etherian Holy Spring, for which the Ether Trader was willing to pay 1,500 Ether Crystals. This natural-born treasure would increase one's chances of successful fusion with exotic species by two to three times with just a sip.

Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up as he thought of Ren Mian.

If only he could get in touch with her and obtain hundreds of Blue Sky Fruits to trade for Ether Crystals, he could immediately buy the Magnetite Core from the Ether Trader.

"I wonder where Sister Ren is now..."

Ji Xinghuo sighed inwardly.

It had been over a year since they last met, and he missed her dearly.

The Ether Trader's acquisition list included more than just expansion wonders; there were also many other treasures, monsters, and raw materials that Ji Xinghuo had never heard of and didn't know the use for. The Ether Trader provided descriptions for each item, so he could recognize them if he came across any.

Ji Xinghuo closed the beast hide scroll.

"Finished?" Han Qiu asked with a smile.

"Yes," Ji Xinghuo nodded. "The items you've listed, Ether Trader, are all excellent, but unfortunately, I don't have any Ether Crystals to purchase them."

"The Lord gave you a Tianzui Token for a reason," Han Qiu said. "Just because you can't afford them now doesn't mean you never will. This trading list can be your motivation, and eventually, you'll obtain the treasures you desire."

You're quite the smooth talker; you'd make a great salesperson.

Ji Xinghuo thought to himself, realizing that Han Qiu was indeed the Ether Trader's sales representative.

Han Qiu continued, "There are some things that the Lord hasn't listed, but I can still make the trade on his behalf."

"Like what?" Ji Xinghuo asked, intrigued.

"The Snow Ape Giants are available for hire," Han Qiu said, a smile playing on his lips. "For the right price, myself included, we can offer our services to esteemed guests like yourself. Other guests don't have this privilege; it's a special treatment that the Lord has specifically instructed for you."

Ji Xinghuo's eyes widened.

The Snow Ape Giant tribe of Tianzui Cliff boasted over thirty Legends, including three Heavenly Kings!

They were a force to be reckoned with.

The Ether Trader had previously mentioned his desire to befriend Ji Xinghuo and make some investments, and hiring the Snow Ape Giants was likely one of those investments.

Ji Xinghuo asked tentatively, "What would be the price to hire your tribe's giants?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end