Forty millenniums of cul.., p.185
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 185
Seeing through his hesitation, Mr. Lin brought out a second inventory of materials without saying anything.
Materials on the second inventory were much cheaper than those on the previous one. Most of their prices were at the level of millions. Some of the materials were even only a few hundred thousand a piece.
However, after a quick glance, Li Yao discovered that he barely knew any stuff on the inventory, and the few Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that he knew were much cheaper than the market price.
Li Yao looked at Mr. Lin in suspicion.
Mr. Lin explained, "They're all unknown materials and defective materials, which is why their price is lower than normal."
The cosmos was so enormous that there were many materials that the Cultivators of the Heaven's Origin Sector never saw, never knew, and failed to perceive their characteristics when they found one.
Some of the materials were retrieved from world fragments; some were brought to the Heaven's Origin Sector by falling stars; some were discovered in the deep underground of the Heaven's Origin Sector.
Since their backgrounds and attributes were obscure, it was difficult to refine them into magical equipment. Therefore, their prices were relatively low.
However, if someone was smart enough to see the value of an unknown material and its possible usage, he would be able to buy a real bargain.
As for the defective materials, they were like the forbidden scales that Li Yao brought, only hundreds of times more seriously damaged, bordering on the irreparable. Therefore, their prices were much lower than their normal counterparts. Sometimes it was only one tenth of the original price.
If a refiner had a secret technique to fix the materials, or simply chose to use them for auxiliary purposes, it would be a good bargain, too, to buy some of the defective materials back.
Li Yao's eyes were glaring in delight.
There were some secret techniques in the Hundred Smelting Clan to fix the defective materials. Although it was impossible to entirely renew the materials, the utility rate of them could be considerably improved.
Now that he was not rich enough to buy the first-class materials, he might as well buy some defective ones.
"How can I buy the unknown materials and the defective materials?"
Mr. Lin smiled.
"The trading procedure for unknown materials and defective materials is different from that for ordinary materials.
"Since the quality and performance of the ordinary materials are relatively stable, the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion guarantee that all of them are exactly fit to their descriptions on the inventory. Our customers can buy whatever they want by shopping through the inventory. If they are not satisfied at their purchase when it is delivered, whatever they've bought can be refunded or replaced at their will.
"But the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion cannot confirm the value of the unknown materials and defective materials. For some materials, we don't even know what they are. Therefore, the customers are allowed to examine the materials in person before placing an order.
"Such materials are indeed cheap. But they cannot be returned once they're purchased. So, let's get one thing straight. The Bountiful Treasures Pavilion does not endorse any of the materials. Chances are that one might spend a few million on what one thought to be precious, only to find out that it is a bizarre stone in the end. The Bountiful Treasures Pavilion will not take any responsibility in such cases."
Mr. Lin paused and said, "This is not a rule invented by the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion, but a common practice of all the material exchange centers in and beyond Serpent City."
Mr. Lin smiled and continued, "It is indeed risky to buy unknown materials and defective materials. But the yield can be amazing too, if you've picked the right stuff. Somebody became a magnate overnight, yet somebody was so addicted to the activity that they paid a few billion for loads of garbage. It is interesting that many Cultivators call buying unknown materials and defective materials 'treasure gambling', which is even more attractive to them than purchasing ordinary materials.
"It just so happens—"
Mr. Lin took out an emerald card made of green jade from his pocket and said, "If Mr. Fang wishes to buy unknown materials and defective materials, I can take you to the warehouse right now. However, a new batch of materials will be delivered tomorrow, which is said to contain several unknown materials from other worlds. Many Cultivators have expressed their interest. Therefore, the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion is going to hold a large trade fair for unknown materials and defective materials in two days' time. Since Mr. Fang apparently is an expert of the business, I assume you are interested too. This is a VIP invitation card for you. Please keep it. If you're not occupied in two days, feel free to drop by."
Li Yao was instantly attracted. Unknown materials from other worlds?
It was going to be an eye-opener!
There were other affairs that he needed to attend to in the Serpent City, which would cost him another two days anyway. Therefore, he accepted the card and replied without hesitation, "Sure. I'll be at the trade fair in two days."
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Mr. Lin, I'm looking for a powerful Cryptohacker. Do you have any idea whom I can turn to?"
Mr. Lin answered, "There are several skilled, experienced Cryptohackers within the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion. Please wait a moment, Mr. Fang."
He typed fast on the keyboard for a while and exclaimed in joy, "Master Qin is free at present. I've made an appointment. I'll show you the way, Mr. Fang."
…
Master Qin was an obese, bald, middle-aged man who probably weighed more than 150 kilograms.
His office was brimming with crystal processor components. Crystal wires were everywhere, like a thickly dotted spider net.
Dozens of mini crystal processors were flying among the crystal wires, humming like the busy bees in flowers.
"Impressive!"
Li Yao was also a crystal processor fan. He immediately recognized that this Master Qin had assembled a super crystal processor of insane computation ability by dismantling seven different kinds of mainframe crystal processors and modifying them.
The room was the shell of the crystal processor. They were standing inside it right now.
Of course, Li Yao was smart enough not to give him the Cosmos Ring directly.
He had parsed the double encryption in the Cosmos Ring and input it into a mini crystal processor.
As long as the Cryptohacker showed him how to resolve it, he would be able to take care of the rest of the stuff.
Li Yao handed over the mini crystal processor
Master Qin did not pay much attention to it at the beginning. He kept cramming dry fruits and cakes in front of him into his mouth, while a few crystal wires connected the mini crystal processor to the super crystal processer automatically.
"Shua!"
Four light beams appeared in front him. Rows of data poured down like a green storm.
Half a minute later, Master Qin stopped eating snacks. Greasy sweat was flowing down his forehead.
A minute later, Master Qin sat up straight. Eight light beams were blinking in front of him. His thick and short fingers were crushing the virtual keyboard.
Two minutes later, Master Qin's eyes were beaming in crimson. Oinking noises were coming from his throat, showing that he was taking it more seriously than ever. There were more than fifty crystal wires connected to the mini crystal processor, and twelve light beams were floating in front of Master Qin.
Five minutes later, Master Qin stopped all actions. His facial muscles were wrinkled together as he was thinking hard.
Ten minutes later, after a long sigh, Master Qin collapsed like a rice bag that had just been emptied.
"This double encryption is very weird and does not seem to come from one person. Rather, there seem to be a gap of hundreds of years between the two encryptions.
"Also, the two encryptions are both in odd styles. The first one is eccentric, the second one ruthless and aggressive. If I crack it by brute force, chances are that my crystal processor will be set off!"
Chapter 269: Invisible Bug |
Pondering for a moment, Master Qin shook his head and said, "The second encryption is obviously consistent with the style of ancient encryptions from the Star Ocean Imperium, of which I'm no expert. If I'm given another month, I might be able to create a new algorithm to bypass it. But the chances of success are not very promising. 30% tops, I estimate."
Li Yao frowned. He didn't expect the encryption in the Cosmos Ring to be so complicated.
But it was reasonable on second thought. If the encryption was simple, the snake demon would've cracked it already, and he wouldn't be the one taking the advantage now.
Li Yao said, "I could give you one month. But the 30% success rate is too low for me. Thank you for your effort, Master Qin."
While he was talking, he took back the mini crystal processor.
Master Qin sent the mini crystal processor into his chest by manipulating the crystal wires. He thought for a moment and said, "Ancient encryptions of the Star Ocean Imperium are a very special research field. Not many Cryptohackers in the Serpent City are familiar with it. Let me see… You can try and see if Yuan Qi, the 'Invisible Bug', could do something about it. He's a wizard of the field."
"Invisible Bug?"
Li Yao squinted. He started to wonder what this nickname stood for.
…
An hour later, Li Yao marched to the underground of Serpent City and stepped onto a giant lift.
Every major city of the federation had an underground ghost city. Serpent City was no exception.
Or rather, the underground world ten times larger than the one on the ground was the main body of Serpent City.
Li Yao recalled what Master Qin told him.
Yuan Qi, the Invisible Bug, didn't belong to any organization. He was an unaffiliated cultivator.
As a research-type Cultivator as well as a genius Cryptohacker, he had cracked countless encryptions and broken into the mainframe crystal processors of many major sects. He was like a small, shapeless bug that no barrier could stop.
He had been wanted by the federal government due to the illegal intrusions. Later, he somehow made a deal with the federal government, or maybe the federal government valued his talent too much. Whatever the reason was, his name disappeared from the wanted list, and he moved to Serpent City; he had caused no more trouble ever since then.
Or rather, he stopped causing trouble under the name 'Invisible Bug'.
Even if he caused trouble, no one could relate him to the name 'Invisible Bug' anymore.
He was exactly the kind of person Li Yao was looking for.
"BAM!"
The lift stopped at the minus 37th level underground Serpent City.
The moment Li Yao walked out, a familiar scent of rust and hot waves hit his face.
What came next was the sound of booming vehicles, hoarse shouting of the crowds, and screaming of the overloaded power rune arrays.
Even the air was burning.
In front of Li Yao was dozens of giant, dilapidated metal buildings which looked like bird nests made of steel.
Among the gaps of the bird nests were tangled race tracks that weaved high and low.
Almost a hundred shuttles were rushing on the race tracks, none of which were willing to slow down a little bit.
There were also many auditoriums inside the bird nests, in which many spectators were cheering in excitement. When a shuttle passed by them at a close distance, there would always be a round of crazy screams.
The dome of the underground city displayed a lot of light beams, each standing for a different world fragment.
The conditions of the world fragments were extremely bad. Some were raining hard; some had volcano eruptions; some were deprived of gravity and rugged stones were flying in the air.
Countless shuttles were rushing like lightning in the world fragments.
This level was the 'Super Shuttles Racing Arena' in the underground of the Serpent City.
Super shuttle was a special kind of shuttle.
Armed shuttles such as the Mystic Bird Battle Shuttle and the Crimson Flame Battle Shuttle, despite their remarkable price, focused more on combat ability. Therefore, they often carried a lot of attack magical equipment. Their shape designs had taken battle needs into consideration too. All in all, their speed was not the fastest.
The super shuttle was a kind of shuttle refined with speed as the priority.
All unnecessary components were removed to minimize the weight. Comfortability, attack ability, and defense ability were all put aside, just in order to improve the shuttle's top speed.
Shuttle racing was a popular sport in the Cultivation world.
When they boomed into supersonic speed, even the Cultivators could feel their heart beating fast and their blood swelling.
Therefore, many Cultivators loved shuttle racing very much. Yuan Qi, the Invisible Bug, was one of them. He was passionate about the sport, if not addicted.
Standing outside of one of shuttle racing arenas, Li Yao was in a trance.
Memories from nowhere flooded in and drowned him like rising tides.
The strange dream that had been haunting him since he was a little kid, in which Li Yao, an earthling, was the best racing automobile mechanic and the most skilled underground racing driver in his city, crept back.
Li Yao had buried the dream deep into his brain. He barely touched anything related to shuttle racing in his entire life.
Over the past a year and a half, after he'd absorbed Ou Yezi's memories, it was the Hundred Smelting Clan 40,000 years ago that often showed up in his dreams. The earthling Li Yao hadn't visited him for a long time.
He even thought that the dream was already gone.
But when he was standing outside the shuttle racing arena listening to the roaring, booming, cracking and shouting, he suddenly realized…
An intangible seal deep inside his head had been torn apart instantly, like a fierce animal that just broke out of the cage in which it had been locked for years. Irritating power flowed through his veins. His every finger and every toe started itching and jittering uncontrollably.
"Pfff…"
Li Yao exhaled a long breath.
Of all things in the world, this Invisible Bug Yuan Qi happened to like shuttle racing best!
Li Yao had planned to wait for Yuan Qi outside of the arena, but somebody seemed to have cast a spell to his legs which brought him into it.
Li Yao used a lift to reach a gap on the top of the bird nest and sat down in a random seat.
In the middle of the bird nest, a shuttle race was coming to an end.
The eight shuttles in the game had all dashed into supersonic speed. The earsplitting noises from them were transformed by rune arrays into blood-boiling roars, which brought an authentic feeling of momentum for the audiences.
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!"
The race tracks in the bird nest were all three-dimensional. They were embroiled together, and there were cliffs and high walls here and there. Sometimes the shuttles on them needed to move vertically or even do a 360 degree rotation.
In the last spurt, three shuttles, due to slow reactions, crashed into the guardrail.
Fortunately, there were defense rune arrays on the race tracks and rosy gelatin for protection of drivers inside the shuttles. The drivers were all uninjured after the accident, although their shuttles were nothing but piles of garbage now.
The rest of the five shuttles continued chasing one another. A black shuttle was in the lead, followed by an orange one, which was trying to surpass the black shuttle ahead of it. But the black shuttle was suppressing the orange one the whole time. At the last turn, the orange shuttle almost hit the wall due to over-acceleration. While it was readjusting its direction and speed, two other shuttles exceeded it, making it a fourth place in the end.
"Swoosh!"
The black shuttle was the first to pass the finish line. The race was won!
A moment later, the five shuttles all arrived in the maintenance area under the bird nest.
The hatch of the orange shuttle, which had a flying, two-winged bug in it, was opened. A young man, who had dark circles under his eyes and pale skin that were indicative of an all-year-around indoor life, jumped out of the shuttle and cursed while slapping its hatch.
"Yuan Qi. You lost yet another three million to me after this game!"
A tall young man crawled out of the black shuttle which was painted with a demon pattern and laughed.
Yuan Qi's face was flushed with shame, the veins on his neck bulging. He stomped on his feet and exclaimed, "Gao Rong, don't overestimate yourself! I was a little bit sluggish at the last turn, otherwise I would've surpassed you for sure! I'm going to modify my shuttle right now. Let's race again, I dare you!"
Gao Rong, the tall young man, smiled and replied casually, "Anytime. We can play however many games you want as long as you've still got the money to lose."
The shuttle racing arena offered super shuttles for rent to visitors. But most of its profits came from the sales and modification of super shuttles.
A super shuttle was even more expensive than armed shuttles such as the Mystic Bird Battle Shuttle or the Crimson Flame Battle Shuttle by itself. The cost of upgrading and modifying them was a bottomless hole.
Fans of the super shuttles were mostly rich Cultivators. It was not unusual for two competitors, when in a quarrel, to spend millions on upgrading their shuttles on the spot.
Yuan Qi was a regular customer of this super shuttle racing arena. The moment he declared war on his opponent, many staff members dragged his super shuttle to the modification workshop. An old, grey-haired, seemingly professional man held a crystal processor and asked Yuan Qi to select an upgrade plan.
Cost of the plans were, naturally, astronomical.
Li Yao stepped forward.
"Master Yuan, Master Qin of the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion has referred me to you. I have a double encryption that, according to him, you are the only one in the entire Serpent City capable of cracking."
