Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 529: Chapter 283: Soul Crystal; The Ring Spirit’s Response

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[Soul Crystal]

Description: A special, natural Crystal Stone from the Valley of the Dead in the Wilderness World, later re-crafted through artificial means. It can house one Soul and automatically absorb faith and Soul Spirits within a one-kilometer radius, thereby nourishing the housed Soul.

Grade: Special

Restriction: For Cultivator use only

Progress: 89%

Note: ① A wisp of a Soul is housed within the Crystal Stone, suppressed by some kind of Power. It can be absorbed and fused with to strengthen Soul Power, but there are unknown side effects. ② Can be sacrificed to the Marketplace Cabin to enhance its functions; the nature of the enhancement is unknown.

Points: 89,000

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As he carefully read the description, realization dawned on him.

’There really is something inside! And this high price is for this Soul Crystal!’

Reading the notes, the desire to absorb it was suppressed by his urge to understand it better.

He looked at the other two Divine Statues.

After appraising them one by one, he found they were basically the same, aside from their names and values.

So, after making his preparations, he once again set to work, digging the Soul Crystals out from between their brows.

As expected, two more terrifying auras appeared and vanished in the span of a single breath.

If he wasn’t mistaken, they must have been suppressed by the Ring Spirit of the Marketplace Cabin.

This was enough to demonstrate the Ring Spirit’s Power and control within the Wilderness World, and that the source of this aura was weaker than the Ring Spirit.

’Those auras... Without the cabin’s protection, I’m afraid something would have happened to me.’

Cheng Zongyang’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly looked up at the sky and asked in a serious tone, "Ring Spirit, since it says they can be sacrificed, come out and answer my questions."

Although these three Soul Crystals could be exchanged for over two hundred thousand Points, he was more interested in uncovering some secrets and finding out what new functions the cabin would gain after the sacrifice.

He paused for a few seconds. Seeing no response from the Ring Spirit, Cheng Zongyang continued,

"I’ve found new temples since, and I estimate there’s at least one more. Including the ones from these three Divine Statues, I now have six Soul Crystals. There might be more in the future. If you want all of them, then come out and answer my questions. Otherwise, I’ll consign them for sale instead of sacrificing them, and I certainly won’t sell them to you."

He was seeking a transaction, but it was also a threat.

Since the appraisal mentioned a sacrifice, it meant they were of considerable use to the Ring Spirit. But just how useful they were depended on whether the Ring Spirit was willing to come out and talk to him.

This time, after waiting for about ten breaths, just as Cheng Zongyang was about to give up, a sigh echoed from within the space:

"You are a first-time host, and I am, in the truest sense, a first-time Ring Spirit. Regarding the affairs of this world, I was not as omniscient as you imagined. I am also constantly upgrading, improving my functions and Abilities to better prepare for future hosts. This is how I complete my evolution.

Remember, I gain from you, and you gain from me. Our relationship is mutually beneficial. It is not an unequal partnership where I cannot function without you. If it truly becomes necessary, I will unbind the Stone Ring myself. Although I would be punished for unbinding, you would also be gravely injured.

Furthermore, appearing like this to converse with my host consumes a great deal of my Origin. I will grant you one chance for a dialogue. One Soul Crystal will buy you one minute of time, during which I will answer your questions about the Wilderness World. After it is over, we will proceed according to the rules."

After speaking, the Ring Spirit’s voice vanished. No matter how Cheng Zongyang questioned it afterward, it did not respond again.

But as he recalled what the Ring Spirit had just said, his face turned ashen.

’Damn it, so you’re just a rookie "system operator." What I got is basically a piece of software with incomplete features.’

Later, the Ring Spirit would gradually perfect its "system functions" through him, making it more convenient for future hosts to use these features.

No wonder it never answered his questions before. First, it consumed its Origin, and second, the Ring Spirit itself didn’t know the answers.

But its latter words also made him sigh. Although it was arrogant, it had a point.

The mutual exchange and trade of Points and items was a case of both parties getting what they needed. Neither was indispensable to the other.

But he had to admit, everything he had now came from the Ring Spirit. Without it, he truly would have nothing. On the other hand, if he hadn’t found the ring and become its master, it would not only have remained buried in Tianduan Mountain, but it wouldn’t even have had a chance to "get online."

One could say that the Ring Spirit’s initial situation had been quite pitiful.

Viewed this way, their relationship was indeed mutually beneficial.

’One Soul Crystal for one minute! I’d better make good use of this time.’

As for the Ring Spirit’s talk about preparing for future hosts, he could only say that it was thinking too far ahead.

Given his own cautious approach—avoiding fights unless necessary and using overwhelming force to end them quickly when they occurred—it would be difficult for him to get himself killed. Since his development began, he could count the number of his fights on two hands. The only likely end for him was dying of old age.

He stopped overthinking it. At the very least, he had gained a lot of information from the Ring Spirit’s words and had a much better understanding of its situation.

He stopped his Cultivation and returned to the first floor.

Luo Dingran was still there. Cheng Zongyang immediately said to him, "Go arrange for an exploration team. Have them check for village ruins within a kilometer of the second temple. If they find any, have them search the area spanning roughly 2.5 kilometers around both temples to find the third one.

Have them even re-explore all the other villages and towns we’ve discovered to see if there are any other temples with three-eyed Divine Statues containing Soul Crystals. I need those Divine Statues! The sooner, the better."

Since each temple’s Divine Statue covered a one-kilometer radius, it meant there was at least a village somewhere within a kilometer of the temple.

A distance of 2.5 kilometers was typical between villages.

Seeing Cheng Zongyang’s urgency, Luo Dingran figured he must have discovered something about the Soul Crystals from the three Divine Statues.

But the objective was clear—find the Divine Statues—so Luo Dingran didn’t waste any time. He immediately agreed and left. As for the matter of purchasing an Array, that was left to Cheng Zongyang.

After Luo Dingran departed, Cheng Zongyang fell into thought.

’A Deity would have mortals build temples to gather incense and faith, so there shouldn’t be just these few villages. The two temples are both near a large river, which means many settlements were likely built along it. If we continue searching upriver and downriver, we might find more temples.’

With this in mind, he glanced at the silent purchase-request section and left the Wilderness World.

He needed money to continue expanding his current territory, allowing his people to keep exploring north along the river.

The Ring Spirit had given him this opportunity, so he naturally had to buy as much time as possible.

His consciousness returned to his body. Cheng Zongyang left the secret chamber, went upstairs, and instructed a servant to summon Chen Kaishan.

A short while later, Chen Kaishan arrived on horseback.

"Zongyang, what’s the urgent matter?"

At the servant’s direction, Chen Kaishan rushed into the rear courtyard study. He got straight to the point the moment he walked in, his face a mask of urgency and confusion.

Cheng Zongyang asked with a serious expression, "I received a special message from the other side. I need a large amount of silver. What’s the maximum amount of silver taels the Da Yi Commerce Association can lend me? I can use the next ten years of Wilderness Rice harvests as collateral, or something else."

Hearing that the money was needed for ’the other side,’ he didn’t ask any further questions. After a moment of thought, he said, "The amount I can authorize personally won’t exceed five million taels, and that’s with me acting as the guarantor. Anything more requires approval from headquarters and tangible collateral.

Using ten years of future Wilderness Rice harvests as collateral is too intangible. According to the Da Yi Commerce Association’s rules, they won’t agree to that. How much do you need, exactly?"

Cheng Zongyang said, "The more, the better. At least one hundred million taels. And it all has to be in physical silver."

Chen Kaishan’s eyes widened in astonishment. He shook his head vigorously, his mind reeling in shock.

"One hundred million taels? In physical silver? Never mind the manpower and carriages needed to transport it, that amount alone would have a massive impact on the reserves of every Money Shop in Da Liang. They would never agree. It would cripple the Money Shops within Da Liang’s borders. If you were asking for Money Tickets, they might consider it, depending on the collateral."

In the eyes of the Da Yi Commerce Association, although the Land of Four Mansions was occupied by the Royal Family, it was still nominally Da Liang territory. Who it belonged to had no effect on the Da Yi Commerce Association.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t respond, continuing to think.

The amount he needed had to be enough to expand a very large area, to make it easier for the exploration teams to find the temple Divine Statues.

According to the expansion rules, it cost one thousand taels per kilometer. He needed to expand the territory by a sufficient distance this time.

After thinking for another moment, Cheng Zongyang said, "Ten million taels for a single spot to enter the Cultivation Immortality Realm. You can decide for yourselves how much you’re willing to give. And again, it must be in physical silver."

Ten million taels would be enough to expand the territory by ten thousand kilometers!

How much more he could get after that would depend on the Commerce Association.