Chapter 177 - 129: Three Major Barracks Upgrade, Gemstone Inlay

Chapter 177: Chapter 129: Three Major Barracks Upgrade, Gemstone Inlay

Shen Xing listed out the materials he needed to buy, one by one.

The transaction department manager, Ding Han, quickly took notes, his fingers flying across the screen.

"Mr. Shen Xing, please wait a moment while I check the prices for you."

He opened a special application that resembled a stock trading interface, its screen displaying fluctuating price curves for various transactions.

After searching for each material one by one, he carefully compared the quotes from different merchants.

A moment later, Ding Han looked up from the screen.

"Mr. Shen Xing, I’ve calculated the total for you."

"The three types of materials you need, with all the quantities combined, come to a total of 19,000 contribution points."

"As for the Black Moon Knight Scrolls, the current market price is around 600 to 700 contribution points each. However, the scrolls players are holding are quite scattered, so it will take some time to procure them."

"We can get you thirty scrolls for the first batch. How does that sound?"

Shen Xing thought for a moment before replying, "I’ll take all thirty. Please continue to procure more for me after that."

Based on Ding Han’s quote, one Black Moon Knight Scroll was about 650 contribution points, meaning 100 of them would be 65,000 contribution points.

That was the equivalent of sixty-five million in cash.

It sounded a bit outrageous, almost two-thirds the price of a single Leader-level Soul.

But considering the rarity of the Black Moon Knight Order and the sheer quantity of one hundred scrolls, the price was actually reasonable.

"Understood." Ding Han noted Shen Xing’s request and added, "By the way, we also found a copy of the [High Level Blacksmith’s Handbook] you mentioned earlier."

"However, the seller is asking for 32,000 contribution points. Is this price acceptable to you?"

Shen Xing’s brows furrowed slightly at the news, as this was over his budget.

’According to the quotes, all the materials and scrolls would add up to 84,000 contribution points.’

’Adding this handbook, the total would be 116,000 contribution points.’

’But the Leader-level Soul would only sell for 93,000 contribution points. That means I’d still be short 23,000.’

As if sensing Shen Xing’s thoughts, Ding Han said with a smile, "As our esteemed Platinum Member, you are eligible for an advance of 50,000 contribution points, interest-free for three years."

"Would you be interested?"

Shen Xing considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "No, that won’t be necessary. Please take back this [Dark Gemstone] and this [Boss Soul] as well."

As he spoke, he took out two more items.

On the left was a black crystal gemstone the size of a pigeon’s egg, and on the right was a Soul the size of a fist.

He had prepared these before leaving home as well.

As a Gold-quality item, the [Dark Gemstone] had a high market price.

Shen Xing had originally planned to socket it into the Skeleton Archer Nest, but he changed his mind after Black Arrow awakened as the Ice Bone Executioner.

He decided to socket Ice Attribute Gemstones for the Skeleton Archers instead.

After all, Black Arrow’s Talent, [Extreme Cold Yin Qi], could change friendly attacks to the Ice Attribute, and its own primary attribute had shifted from Dark to Ice.

Therefore, this [Dark Gemstone] had no immediate use, so he might as well sell it for resources.

Ding Han’s eyes flashed with surprise again as he looked at the two items.

In his many years in the business, it was rare to see even Extraordinary Level Lords take out so many valuable items for trade.

But then he remembered this man was number one on the current leaderboard, and it all made sense.

"According to market prices, we can offer you 34,000 contribution points for the Dark Gemstone and 7,000 contribution points for the Tier Two Boss Soul." Ding Han looked at Shen Xing. "What do you think?"

"No problem."

Shen Xing nodded and continued to ask, "What’s the fastest I can get this batch of materials?"

"The materials, the [High Level Blacksmith’s Handbook], and the first batch of thirty Black Moon Knight Scrolls will be delivered to your home within 48 hours."

Ding Han replied, "We will also finish procuring the remaining seventy Black Moon Knight Scrolls within three days. Is that speed acceptable to you?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. It’s a pleasure doing business with you."

Ding Han smiled and extended his hand, shaking Shen Xing’s politely.

Then, he picked up the two Souls and the Dark Gemstone from the table and carefully placed them in a box.

He then took a photo and uploaded it.

Less than a few seconds later, Shen Xing received a text message on his phone.

[Dear Mr. Shen Xing, contribution points credited to your Pioneer account: 18,000]

...

This time, he had sold three items for a total of 134,000 contribution points.

He spent a total of 116,000 on materials, scrolls, and the handbook. After all was said and done, he was left with only 18,600 contribution points in his account (including the points from selling the Stone Eye earlier).

’In other words, I just spent nearly 120 million in a single morning!’

The figure made him suck in a breath, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

’In the world of Extraordinary Beings, money comes fast, but it goes even faster.’

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

After all, this money had been exchanged for tangible resources that would be a massive help to his territory’s development.

Besides, his Platinum Member status meant there were no transaction fees, which indirectly saved him a lot of money.

Once the transaction was complete, Ding Han stood up with a smile. "Mr. Shen Xing, I’ll take my leave now."

"The items you’ve purchased will be procured as quickly as possible. Have a pleasant day."

With that, he left the reception room.

Shen Xing, however, remained seated for a while, slowly finishing the tea in his cup.

Then, he wheeled himself out to the main trading hall, planning to browse around a bit and see if he could dig up any treasures.

With the recent surge in players, maybe some lucky newbies had found some useful items.

After wandering for half an hour and browsing through practically every stall, he actually did find a few good things.

First were two pieces of [Black Spirit Wood], the main material for upgrading the Large Campfire, which cost him 4,000 contribution points.

Then, he bought two blueprints: [Level 2 Spike Wall] and [Level 2 Holy Light Lighthouse], for a total of 3,000 contribution points.

Now, he had 11,000 contribution points left in his account, which was still quite a wealthy sum.

Next, he went to the window to pick up the two Advancement Materials he had been matched with, saving the delivery person a trip.

Shen Xing packed everything into a black tote bag, then wheeled himself out of the Pioneer Association, completely satisfied.

Outside in the open-air parking lot, a gray drizzle was still falling.

Shen Xing looked around and softly chanted.

"Come forth, King of Chickens—Zha Ji!"

As the gray fog swirled, a magnificent bird of prey covered in Dark Gold feathers appeared in the empty lot.

Shen Xing had Zha Ji lie down again, then skillfully slid onto its back.

WHOOSH—

With a beat of its wings, the Horned Eagle carried him steadily into the air.

After choosing a direction, it transformed into a bolt of Dark Gold lightning and shot forward.

In less than three minutes, they were back over the villa district, landing smoothly on the front lawn.

Shen Xing sent Zha Ji back to the Land of Mist, then, carrying the large bag, eagerly returned home.

After closing the door, he went to the living room and emptied the six items from the bag.

They were two blueprints, two Advancement Materials, and two pieces of Black Spirit Wood.

’With my current Spiritual Power, I can teleport three items a day.’

Shen Xing pondered for a moment before quickly making a decision. ’In that case, I’ll send in the two Advancement Materials and one piece of Black Spirit Wood first.’

’The other two blueprints can wait until tomorrow.’

He once again connected his consciousness to the Fog Flower on his arm.

WHOOSH...

A thick, grayish-white fog surged out, covering the three items on the table.

In the span of a breath, they vanished.

Then, Shen Xing moved to the sofa, found a comfortable position to lie down, and put on the glasses again.

Mist Reincarnation, activate!

BUZZ...

The darkness receded, and the light of a fire burst forth.

Blue notification messages flashed quickly before his eyes.

[Ding! Your ’Beastman Species Nest’ has been upgraded to Elite★★]

[Ding! Your ’Inferior Demon Nest’ has been upgraded to Elite★★]

[Ding! Your ’Skeleton Archer Nest’ has been upgraded to Elite★]

...

’Excellent. All three of my main unit nests have been upgraded.’

Shen Xing opened his eyes and looked around.

He immediately saw that the ruggedly styled Beastman Barracks had expanded in size again, with a pair of war banners now flanking its main entrance.

What was once a tribal council hall now showed signs of developing into a war banner fortress.

The distant lava pool and Burial Ground, however, hadn’t changed as noticeably, aside from being slightly larger.

At the edge of the Burial Ground, a tombstone had appeared. In its center was a hexagonal recess, a place for socketing a Gemstone.

Shen Xing didn’t go over to inspect it right away. Instead, he wheeled himself over to the Campfire at the center of his territory.

[Consume materials... to upgrade territory building: Large Campfire Level 2 → Large Campfire Level 3?]

"Yes."

[Upgrade in progress. Estimated time: 18 hours 42 minutes...]

...

The roaring Large Campfire was once again enveloped in white light as it began a new transformation.

Next, he wheeled himself to the edge of the Burial Ground.

He opened his right hand, and a stone the size of a fist, wrapped in a pitch-black stone rind, appeared in his palm.

[Open ’Self-Selected Gemstone (Gold)’?]

[The selected Gemstone Attribute is: Ice]

Shen Xing clicked confirm again.

KRAK! KRA-KRAK!

A clear cracking sound rang out as fissures appeared on the stone rind’s surface. A biting cold aura surged out from within.

When the last piece of the rind fell away, a crystal-clear, hexagonal Gemstone that looked like it was carved from thousand-year-old glacial ice appeared in his hand.

He checked its Attributes.

[Ice Gemstone]

[Quality: Gold (Treasure)]

[Effect: When socketed into a Soldier Type Nest, increases the Ice Attribute Attack Power of all units of the same type by 20% and their freeze probability by 10%.]

(Note: This Gemstone contains a powerful, cold aura. Be careful not to get frostbite.)

...

’An extra freeze probability bonus. Nice.’

Shen Xing went over to the tombstone and pressed the Gemstone into the central recess.

As the Gemstone fit perfectly into the tombstone, a powerful cold aura burst forth, freezing a thin layer of ice across the entire Burial Ground.

The Skeleton Archers patrolling in the distance all felt a sudden chill.

It was as if a cold draft had drilled into the seams of their bones, making them all shiver in unison.

A layer of ice crystals even formed on the bones of many of the skeletons.

After finishing all this, Shen Xing rubbed his hands, which had turned red from the cold, and called out.

"Dahou, Great Demon, come quickly."