Chapter 634 586: Stocking the Treasure Vault

"We welcome the Sovereign's return!"

"We welcome the Sovereign's return!"

Below the throne, layered voices rose in succession, a thunderous welcome.

The powerhouses of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country either bowed their heads or knelt on one knee to greet the sudden arrival of their True King.

During an ordinary audience, such grand ceremony was unnecessary.

But on an important occasion like this, absolute reverence was required. It was the duty of his subordinates.

"There is no need for such formalities."

A placid yet majestic voice rang out.

"Clan Uncle, the Cosmic Country is doing well under your management."

Shi Ming's illusory long hair cascaded over his shoulders, tributaries of fate seeming to flow between the strands. The depths of his eyes glimmered with the color of mercury, radiating majesty and indifference. This had always been Ron's demeanor, and after seizing his fate, Shi Ming could imitate it flawlessly. Even the Star Queen and the Angler, who had followed Ron the longest, could not spot the slightest difference in any aspect.

Even if they occasionally noticed minor differences, they would only assume it was a normal change.

Fate was, by its very nature, capricious.

Unchanging eternity was the greatest lie of all. Moreover, it was perfectly reasonable for the sovereign of a nation to have shifting interests and moods.

"My lord trusts me, so I shall naturally do my utmost."

The Angler replied with a bow.

The thousands from the Nirvana and Holy Hall rose from their bowed positions like waves in a wheat field. The moment they looked up, they could all clearly feel that the Sovereign had grown even stronger! For the weak, the pressure he casually emanated was almost unbearable!

If they had been facing a lion during the last True King Hall meeting, now it was as if they were facing a true god.

They trembled, as if standing on the edge of a great abyss.

"If I may be so bold, Sovereign, did you successfully advance to the rank of 'New God' in the First Civilization Cosmic Country?"

An elderly man known as the "Lionheart King" asked respectfully, his voice tinged with anticipation and pleasant surprise.

'What does being a New God represent?'

'The strongest in the Star Sea! Possessing authority comparable to that of a god!'

'If the Sovereign has already ascended to such a realm, the power of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country will take a massive leap forward among all the cosmic countries! We, his subordinates, will also rise with him! In the future, we'll be able to relax in the shade of a great tree in the Star Sea!'

"That is not something you need to know right now."

Shi Ming neither confirmed nor denied it.

The Lionheart King lowered his head respectfully. As a senior member of the True King Hall, he already understood. 'For the Sovereign to say that, he must have already advanced to the New God rank.'

'He's just waiting for the right moment to announce it.'

...

...

...

"I have listened in on the entirety of this True King Hall meeting."

"Clan Uncle, your governance has put my mind at ease."

"Therefore, after this meeting, I will enter a long period of seclusion to contemplate the insights and gains from the First Civilization Cosmic Country. From now on, all matters concerning the territories of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country will be handed over to the Angler, with the Star Queen assisting."

Shi Ming's fingers tapped idly on the throne.

With his words, he relinquished power as if passing on a trivial toy.

"Yes."

The Angler felt the burden on his shoulders grow even heavier.

'Is my nephew really planning to never manage affairs again?'

...

After the wrap-up was finished, Shi Ming slipped into the void and, in an instant, appeared in the treasury of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country.

This was the Sovereign's private treasury.

Or rather, the entire Cosmic Country was the Sovereign's private treasury, and this place was merely a small microcosm of his royal authority. Whether it was the secret treasures excavated from the Cave of the Stars, the accumulated splendors of the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm, the rare oddities gathered from the Hundred Battles Star Realm, or the spoils of war personally won by the former Ron—they were all gathered here, a grand collection.

The even more precious ultimate treasures were mostly carried on his person.

But the items here were also quite valuable. Any single one, if brought to a mid-tier civilization like the Azure Star's, could ignite a war between races.

The treasury was a specially crafted space built using the core of a star. It was an ultimate treasure with a Spatial Attribute, fused with Ron's own fate attribute. It normally required no management. Any being who entered without the Sovereign's approval and the guidance of fate would become lost in its layered labyrinth, unable to escape before death, let alone take a single treasure.

Shi Ming walked slowly through the treasury as if he were on a tour.

Every two or three steps, one of the precious treasures would vanish, transferred from the treasury into Shi Ming's inventory.

'Country bumpkin.'

The Colorful Insect couldn't help but roast him in its mind.

'The treasures that can be placed in here aren't actually that precious. Most don't even meet the threshold of an ultimate treasure; they're merely some special curios or unique products at best. Shi Ming's current actions are a bit like an uncultured hick who's never seen the world walking into a city supermarket to stock up...'

Shi Ming indeed had no use for these items.

However, any single one of them could be put to its greatest use in the Endless Ocean. In any case, leaving them in the treasury would only let them gather dust. It was better for Shi Ming to take them and let them realize their value.

As he strolled, Shi Ming arrived at collection vault Aax1921.

The relics from the crusade against the Star Spirit Race were all displayed here. Even after thousands of years, they remained dazzling under meticulous preservation.

His gaze swept over the treasures sealed by time, while he strictly monitored the Colorful Insect internally. Using the Eye of the Divine, he carefully sensed whether these items were what he currently needed and whether they were tainted with the aura of an Aberration. At the same time, he monitored every move of the "Aberration Radar" inside him, trying to find additional information.

This was his true purpose for coming here.

Unfortunately, he found nothing extra as he walked from one end to the other.

The Colorful Insect also showed no suspicious signs.

'It seems the legacy of Sinful Heaven is not here.'

Shi Ming wasn't too disappointed and casually collected quite a few treasures.

He moved back and forth through the treasury and soon had a bountiful harvest. With these items, the civilizational development of the Endless Ocean would once again leap up to a new level. But sometimes, progressing too quickly wasn't a good thing. The specific development still needed to be carefully controlled.

...

...

...

The ancestral home of the Star Spirit Race was not too far from the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. Although the Heart of the Star Spirit had already been given to Xiaobai, as a friend of the Star Spirit Race, Shi Ming had several ways to return to the Radiant Dream Realm.

First, by relying on his connection through fate.

Second, by using the Lamp of Wishes.

Third, and the simplest method, was to use the Time Giant's innate skill, "Time Leap." This greatly compressed his travel time during his return to the Star Sea, making it arguably the strongest traversal skill!

WHOOSH~

The long river of time flowed, the yellow sands within it settled, and one by one, fantastical, seven-colored bubbles appeared before Shi Ming's eyes. It was the ancestral home of the Star Spirit Race.

Huh?

A sudden sense of unease put Shi Ming on high alert.

"Who dares trespass in my clan's forbidden land?"

Thorny roses and brambles spread madly, sprouting from every corner of this starry sky and surging toward Shi Ming!

And at that moment, in his Sea of Spirit, the Colorful Insect's irrepressible shock and rage made its body tremble uncontrollably!