Chapter 493: The Stellar Mineral Planet

Chapter 493: The Stellar Mineral Planet

"Greetings, Your Majesty, the Azure Wave Dragon Emperor!"

As the watery figure appeared, Cang Ya stood up, and Ji Xinghuo followed her lead, bowing towards the dragon emperor hovering in mid-air.

The five dragon emperors of the True Dragon Empire were all Eighth-Ranked anomalies.

They were known as the Infinite Realm Masters!

Ever since he had heard this title from Xu Lingke, Ji Xinghuo had remembered it, and now he finally encountered one in person.

This was Ji Xinghuo's first encounter with such a high-ranking anomaly, and he felt both curious and nervous. If it were any other occasion, he would never dare to look around recklessly, but with so many people present, he didn't need to hold back.

The watery figure eventually transformed into a tall and slender female figure.

Her skin was smooth as pearls, and she wore a light blue, elegant long dress made of flowing lake water. She stood tall and graceful, but her facial features remained blurred, obscured by the constantly shifting transparent water currents.

Even so, everyone could sense her beauty.

This "beauty" was not just skin deep; it was a transcendent allure forged by her powerful strength, reaching straight into the hearts of those present.

Ji Xinghuo's mind trembled.

He felt a compulsion to observe this Infinite Realm Master with his Macroscopic Divine Eye, but as soon as the thought occurred to him, a warning sign flashed in his brain.

His Myriad Phenomena Star Pupils were alerting him of the danger of attempting to spy on her.

"Terrifying!"

Ji Xinghuo was secretly astonished.

Just a glance was enough to put him in danger, indicating that the Azure Wave Dragon Emperor would most likely sense his Myriad Phenomena Star Pupils' intrusion.

He could only resort to observing her with his naked eye. Through electromagnetic induction, he perceived the aura of this Infinite Realm Master as ordinary, with an energy intensity similar to the Star Shepherds present, or perhaps even slightly weaker.

Over the past few days on the Eastern Emperor Island, Ji Xinghuo had frequently used his Macroscopic Divine Eye to scan the entire island and observe some of the Star Shepherds.

However, he had never detected the presence of the Azure Wave Dragon Emperor.

"Thank goodness I didn't see her before."

Even now, Ji Xinghuo felt a sense of trepidation for his reckless impulse.

"This might just be a projection of the Dragon Emperor," he mused as he watched her receiving the veneration of the entire audience, "But even if it's just a projection, it's still incredibly formidable. Look at how respectful those Star Shepherds are."

The Azure Wave Dragon Emperor's gaze swept across the auction venue, lingering briefly on the VIP seats before moving on without any further indication.

"Please be seated, everyone."

Her voice echoed softly in everyone's ears, gentle and soothing, as if a friend was chatting casually.

"Welcome to the Eastern Emperor Island and the Cang Ming Auction."

"May you all find what you desire."

With just a few simple opening remarks, the Azure Wave Dragon Emperor's figure dissipated into water currents once more.

Only then did the entire audience breathe a sigh of relief.

The Dragon Emperor's power was overwhelming. Even without any malicious intent, her presence alone instilled a sense of tension in everyone. It was only now that they dared to sit down, including the Star Shepherds. The atmosphere in the auction venue relaxed once more.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but feel amazed.

Just moments ago, he had been marveling at the power of the Star Shepherds, but now, having witnessed the might of an Infinite Realm Master, he truly understood what real power was!

He turned to Cang Ya beside him and asked, "Can you meet with Her Majesty at any time?"

"Of course," Cang Ya replied proudly.

"Awesome!" Ji Xinghuo gave her a thumbs-up. The privilege of being able to meet with the Dragon Emperor at any time was, in itself, a form of power.

No wonder the Xu Kun family dared not lay a finger on Cang Ya, despite her being only a legendary dragon master who had not yet reached the Sixth-Ranked King level.

However, he was also a bit puzzled.

Among the core members of the Cang Long family below the Seventh-Rank, only Cang Ya enjoyed such treatment. In terms of talent, Cang Beiming surpassed her, and there were several Sixth-Ranked peak dragon masters in the family who were far stronger than her.

Cang Ya noticed Ji Xinghuo's confusion and smiled faintly before explaining, "Don't make random guesses, but also keep this to yourself."

"I won't tell anyone," Ji Xinghuo assured her.

"It's because I resemble Her Majesty very closely," Cang Ya said, her voice echoing in his mind.

Ji Xinghuo was taken aback, and his curiosity got the better of him as he asked, "How close?"

"I'm not sure either," Cang Ya replied. "It was Her Majesty who told me that."

Ji Xinghuo suddenly realized that Cang Ya hadn't actually seen the Azure Wave Dragon Emperor's true appearance herself. At the same time, he understood why Cang Ya always refused the title of "First Beauty of the Azure Wave Dragon Domain" and even seemed averse to it.

It was because Cang Ya believed that the Dragon Emperor was the most beautiful woman in the Azure Wave Dragon Domain, and she herself fell far short of that standard.

"The auction is about to begin!" Cang Ya announced.

Ji Xinghuo turned his attention to the center of the venue.

A watery gate opened in the middle of the auction venue, and a tall, slender man walked out. He appeared to be in his forties, with a cold expression and a powerful aura. He wore a battle armor that seemed carved from ice, bearing the emblem of the Cang Long family on his chest.

Cang Ya introduced him in a low voice, "This is our family's Cang Hao Dragon Venerable, who oversees many family matters, including the auction.

As he spoke, a watery sphere materialized in mid-air, revealing a slowly rotating planet.

The continents, oceans, and mountain ranges on the planet were depicted with stunning realism.

The viewing angle quickly pulled away from the planet's orbit, revealing three moons and the star of this solar system, along with four other planets.

Information about the star's size, brightness, and orbital period was displayed, along with similar data for each of the planets: their size, the presence of an atmosphere, geological analysis, and more. There were also images of the alien races native to the first planet that had been introduced.

They were a sub-human race, with an average height of about 1.6 meters, and they had two genders. The auctioneer provided details about their population, civilization, nation-states, genetic analysis, innate potential, and more, giving a comprehensive overview of the race.

The information was extensive and sparked excitement in the auction hall.

Ji Xinghuo was also intrigued by the first item, which was clearly a highlight of the auction. At the same time, he felt a pang of sadness for the planet and its native race.

It was a cruel fate to be exploited by one's own kind.

Based on the introduction, their level of civilization was comparable to that of Earth during the 15th century. With a global population of nearly ten billion, their racial talents were not particularly remarkable, but they possessed several desirable qualities: endurance, hard work, strong willpower, and a high level of group consciousness. They were an excellent choice for enslavement.

With some resource investment and cultivation, it would be possible to create a vast army of anomalies within three to four hundred years.

And among the exceptional individuals, there would likely be those who would ascend to become Heavenly Kings.

Additionally, the natural minerals on this planet and the resources offered by the other planets in the system would also provide tremendous value.

However, the most valuable asset was the race itself.

They were a "human mine."

This mine could be used to extract ether crystals.

The majority of ether crystals in the world were artificial, and their manufacturing process required the involvement of anomalies.

The production and manufacturing of ether crystals consumed vast amounts of energy. Typically, the production lines were built in near-planet orbit to utilize solar energy, and the process was guided and controlled by anomalies of the Fourth-Rank or higher. They collected ether energy, compressed and refined it, eventually resulting in the creation of ether crystals.

Of course, there were also methods of manufacturing that didn't require the involvement of anomalies.

However, neither the production efficiency nor the cost could compare to when anomalies were a part of the process.

The process of guiding the production of ether crystals was similar to the Stellar Gland Cultivation Law and was extremely tedious and mentally taxing. The most frightening aspect was that the anomalies involved in manufacturing ether crystals couldn't cultivate their stellar power; it would stagnate and even regress.

These anomalies became part of the manufacturing machinery.

They were enslaved, exploited, imprinted with ideological shackles, unable to escape or rebel, living a life worse than death.

There was even a specific term for them: "ether slaves."

Due to the extreme cruelty of this practice, the True Dragon Dynasty had prohibited the use of ether slaves tens of thousands of years ago. However, the practice continued in secret. No one dared to enslave an alien race that had already opened their stargate and was within the Dynasty's territory.

But for planets outside the Dynasty's jurisdiction, with stargates that hadn't been opened yet, it was a different story.

This planet fell into that category.

Its stargate was located in the Sea Abyss and had not yet been opened.

Anomalies of the Seventh-Rank or higher, who possessed powerful spiritual abilities and could manipulate spatial spirit strings, could open the stargate in advance as long as they had the coordinates.

Unfortunately, this planet had been discovered, and its native race now faced a bleak future. Unless something unexpected happened, they would be enslaved until their eventual extinction, with little hope of liberation.

The anomalies in the auction venue reacted in different ways: some shook their heads and sighed, some felt a sense of pity, while others wore greedy expressions.

If managed properly, the profits from this planet could be immeasurable.

Of course, no one openly stated their intention to engage in such exploitation.

After Cang Hao finished presenting the information, he announced, "The starting bid for this 'Narakex Star' is 4 million dragon crystals, and each bid must increase by at least 200,000 dragon crystals. Let the auction begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, several paddles were raised in the VIP seats.

"Priority bid from Guest Number 7..."

Before Cang Hao could finish his sentence, the bidder lowered their paddle and raised it again, shouting, "5 million!"

"Guest number 24 bids 5 million dragon crystals."

All eyes turned to number 24, a Star Saint, well-known among the audience as an extraterrestrial powerhouse. He didn't belong to any True Dragon family and occupied a large island in the Azure Wave Dragon Domain by himself, indicating his considerable strength.

Most anomalies carried ether crystals with them for convenience in transactions, but for larger amounts, it was more practical to deposit them in the Imperial Bank and exchange them for dragon crystal currency, which ranged in denomination from 100 to 1 million and was commonly used for substantial trades.

These dragon crystals could be exchanged for ether crystals at any branch of the Imperial Bank within the True Dragon Dynasty's territory.

Many star domains had similar forms of currency.

While the True Dragon Dynasty referred to them as dragon crystals, they were also known as "jingyuan," "eternal tokens," "digital ether coins," or "crystal coins." They were all just different names for ether crystals.

Most anomalies didn't possess large quantities of ether crystals, so they had little use for dragon crystals. Strong anomalies who did have substantial amounts of ether crystals rarely exchanged them for dragon crystals, so they weren't typically seen outside of large-scale auctions like this one.

"Guest number 15 bids 8.2 million dragon crystals," Cang Hao announced loudly.

After this bid, the competition slowed down.

Cang Hao scanned the audience with sharp eyes, not missing a single paddle raise. "8.2 million. Do I hear a higher bid?"

He looked towards the Star Shepherds who had been actively bidding earlier.

There were also bids from anomalies below the Seventh-Rank, who were likely representatives of True Dragon families, but they had now withdrawn from the bidding.

Finally, another paddle was raised.

"Guest number 24 bids 8.4 million!" Cang Hao declared.

Ji Xinghuo observed this bidder, a tall and skinny extraterrestrial sub-human race with shriveled, ash-gray skin like that of a corpse. Bald, with large eyes, a third eye in the middle of his forehead occasionally opened, emitting a chilling gaze.

Cang Ya had just introduced him.

His name was Sha Taiqi.

He was a Seventh-Rank, Second-Tier Star Shepherd with the ultimate profession of "Conqueror," specializing in spiritual psionic powers and command.

Sha Taiqi had a notorious reputation in the Azure Wave Dragon Domain, even bordering on brutality. His intention in bidding for this planet was clear to everyone.

However, 8.4 million dragon crystals was no small sum, even for Sha Taiqi.

Opening a stargate, cultivating a population and anomalies, developing technology, establishing ether crystal production lines, and enslaving a race—all of these endeavors required significant investments. Recruiting individuals to execute these tasks and waiting for a return on investment could take at least a hundred starry years.

For the venture to truly turn a profit, it would take even longer—two hundred starry years or more.

Additionally, there was the matter of protecting the stargate and preventing invasions.

The rewards of enslaving a planet were high, but so were the risks. During this extended period, one couldn't easily venture far from the stargate.

Sha Taiqi was widely disliked, and he had several formidable enemies just within the Azure Wave Dragon Domain. Knowing that he possessed this planet, they would undoubtedly covet it in secret. Even if they couldn't take it from him, causing destruction would be satisfying enough.

In short, high profits came with high risks.

Suddenly, another paddle was raised.

Everyone turned to look, and Cang Hao immediately announced, "Guest number 10 bids 8.6 million." Guest number 10 was a young-looking True Dragon man with delicate features, resembling an adolescent.

Sha Taiqi's expression darkened. "Zhi Jingqing, what game are you playing?"

Zhi Jingqing, a Dragon Venerable of the Zhi Dragon Family, slowly lowered his paddle without responding to Sha Taiqi's question.

The audience understood the situation between these two Star Shepherds; it was clear that there was no small amount of enmity between them. While others might fear Sha Taiqi's vicious reputation, a True Dragon family that possessed its own dragon domain was not one to be trifled with.

Sha Taiqi considered for a moment before raising his paddle again.

"Guest number 24 bids 8.8 million," Cang Hao stated.

Zhi Jingqing immediately raised his paddle to outbid him.

"9 million."

The two took turns raising their paddles, each increment a display of determination, neither willing to lose the bid in front of the gathered anomalies.

After several rounds, Sha Taiqi directly shouted, "10 million!"

A smile appeared on Cang Hao's face. This price far exceeded the expected selling price, and he turned to Zhi Jingqing, but the Dragon Venerable lowered his paddle and shook his head, indicating his withdrawal from the bidding war.

Sha Taiqi's expression turned gloomy; he knew he had been outmaneuvered. However, he had no choice. Zhi Jingqing had seen how desperately he wanted this planet.

"10 million dragon crystals. Do I hear a higher bid?" Cang Hao's voice echoed throughout the venue.

He scanned the audience repeatedly, asking multiple times to ensure there were no more bids before finally bringing down the gavel.

A massive drum, dozens of meters in diameter, appeared in the air above the auction venue, and a water hammer struck it, producing a thunderous sound that reverberated through the clouds.

"Sold for 10 million dragon crystals! Congratulations, Guest number 24," Cang Hao proclaimed loudly.

Whoosh...

The entire auction venue erupted in excitement.

Just with the first item, the auction had reached a staggering price of 10 million dragon crystals, comparable to the price of an Eclipse Exotic or a Celestial Treasure.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end