Chapter 452: Section 239: The First Round of Trading
“Bloodlines are limitless, all tribes succumb to death!”
This was the slogan proposed by the Ancestor of the Undead, You Can.
Its meaning was akin to the changing scenes in the famous paintings held by Cang Xu— the Undead as a race did not belong to the part of the mythology of the Creator God. The Blood River was endless; initially, the bloodlines intermingled or mutated on their own, forming more and more complex, entirely new bloodlines. But no matter the number of bloodlines and whatever new species arose, ultimately, they could all transform into the Undead. The Undead form was the final destination of all life!
With a slight pondering over this slogan, one could detect the pride of the Undead Mages and the terrifying ambition of the deep and ancient You Can, who had put forth this slogan.
No wonder the Undead Faction was besieged and hunted down by the whole world.
Although Cang Xu had heard this slogan before, with his perspective and experience in life, he was not so easily swayed by such simple agitation.
At this moment, his attention was more focused on the advanced inheritance in front of him.
This was a typical inheritance of a Soul Vein Undead Mage.
Inside were many spells, most of which were used to transform ghosts, making them more proficient in certain aspects.
Cang Xu quickly found the key points within— the Reduction Technique, the Reduction of Karma Technique.
The effect of the Reduction Technique was to lighten the soul burden of ghosts on the Undead Mage.
With this spell, an Undead Mage could manipulate multiple ghostly subordinates. It was a key step for an Undead Mage to become an army of one!
As for the Reduction of Karma Technique, its name revealed the style of the Eastern Monks.
The founding of this spell was indeed related to some theories of the monks.
Some Eastern Monks believed that each person created sins and generated karma; karma was a key factor in the torment after death. The more the karma, the greater the torment after dying.
Literally, the Reduction of Karma Technique meant reducing karma, lessening posthumous torment. But for Undead Mages, its actual significance was far more remarkable— it could help them reduce the erosion of negative energy!
Cang Xu was very satisfied with this inheritance.
He immediately nodded in thanks to the ship ghost and inquired what price he must pay to acquire this inheritance.
“Oh ho ho ho.” The ship ghost let out a robust laugh again, displaying great generosity.
He not only allowed Cang Xu to check the content of the inheritance in advance but also replied at this moment, “High-quality Undead Life, or money, valuable spells, intelligence, even one’s Magic Crystals can serve as chips for negotiation.”
He laid out very lenient terms for the trade.
Cang Xu had three Silver Level ghosts, a number he found difficult to maintain.
He originally planned to sell the third Silver ghost at this gathering, but the attendance went so smoothly, and he acquired the advanced inheritance.
With the Reduction Technique and Reduction of Karma Technique, he felt confident that he could control three, no, even more, Silver ghosts.
Therefore, Cang Xu decided not to sell.
He changed his plan on the spot, “Then I’ll pay with Gold Coins. Ship ghost, please name your price.”
The ship ghost pondered briefly and quoted a number.
Cang Xu was also surprised.
The price was very affordable, almost a giveaway.
He once again felt the ship ghost’s goodwill.
Cang Xu immediately paid the Gold Coins and also requested, “I also need a large number of Undead resources, a variety of Alchemy Materials, and, most importantly, Soul Crystals.”
This led to the Little Prince’s dissatisfaction: “That’s enough, newbie. It’s already accommodating you by letting you trade first.”
“Your first round is over; don’t push your luck!”
Cang Xu was briefly startled and hurriedly apologized.
Ku Feng then announced, “The second shall be the Little Prince.”
The Skull Mage child lifted his big head, “I want Soul Crystals, the more the better.”
He called out loudly, but his main gaze was fixed on the ship ghost.
Neither Ku Feng nor the Fin Spirit spoke up.
The ship ghost then nodded, “This time, I indeed have brought along quite a few Soul Crystals.”
The Little Prince immediately cheered.
He happily completed the trade, purchasing over sixty Soul Crystals with a batch of rather exquisite Skull Artifacts.
Soul Crystals held extraordinary meaning for Undead Mages.
Or to be more precise, Soul Crystals were of great benefit to any Undead Life.
They could enhance one’s Soul Essence, greatly improving the spirit.
The hearts of Undead Life were long dead, or they outright didn’t have one, let alone blood or the like.
Their core driving force of activity, apart from negative energy, was the power of the soul.
Soul Crystals were the most precious nourishment for Undead Life.
The third trader was the Fin Spirit, who made the same request as the Skull Mage— Soul Crystals.
The ship ghost concluded a trade with her.
The fourth was Ku Feng who inquired of the others: Did anyone have outstanding swordsmanship?
Combat Skills related to swords were part of the War Merchant’s database collection.
But Cang Xu remained silent.
He was not convenient to bring it up, as hoarding such Combat Skills did not align with the persona he had presented.
Ultimately, the ship ghost was still the one who successfully traded with Ku Feng.
The ship ghost handed over a Memory Crystal to Ku Feng.
Seeing this made Cang Xu’s heart tremble; it indicated that the ship ghost might very well have a device capable of memory modification.
Cang Xu stared at the Memory Crystal, feigning hesitation but in reality probing for intelligence, “Could this be…?”
Little Prince, brimming with pride, snatched the opportunity to answer, “Exactly, this is the renowned Memory Crystal.”
“Before You Can, the Ancestor of the Undead founded the Undead Magic faction, he was a Desecration Priest. He developed the device related to the Memory Crystal.”
Cang Xu nodded, “I have heard about this, but this is my first time seeing the actual item.”
It was another probing attempt.
Cang Xu was deliberately lying.
He wanted to test whether Captain and the others could really detect his lies and whether his Deception and Disguise Skill was effective.
What slightly reassured Cang Xu was that none of the others showed any abnormal reactions.
Captain explained further, “The Memory Crystal is not as energy-consuming as the rumors suggest. Overuse can lead to significant drawbacks. It can cause memory confusion, leading to distorted self-awareness. And once such confusion arises, it’s very difficult to adjust back.”
“Most of the time, I use the Memory Crystal to cultivate specific ghosts.”
“As you know, once we successfully summon souls, the memories of the ghosts tend to have gaps, unless the deceased had practiced Undead Spells during their lifetime and achieved some success.”
“Memory gaps greatly reduce the value of a ghost.”
“For instance, if a Swordsman’s ghost lacks the memory of wielding sword skills, then it’s hard to have any expectations for his combat strength.”
“The Memory Crystal, however, can later fill in the memories, restoring the ghost’s combat power, or even enhancing it.”
“But it can’t be overused. Abuse could make the ghosts go insane, become unmanageable, or even disintegrate directly.”
Ku Feng immediately made a promise on the spot, “I always remember your advice, Captain, and have never used the Memory Crystal directly. I just infuse Fighting Energy and use my Spirit to read the memories inside, treating it like a book.”
“The path of the sword allows for no shortcuts; every step requires physical effort.”
“Taking a convenient route will only lead you away from the legendary peak!”
Ku Feng treasured and carefully put away the Memory Crystal.
Captain was the last one in the first round of the trade.
“Oh ho ho ho, I have quite a few needs this time.”
“The first point is the same as always if there’s an Undead Inheritance from the Corpse Vein or Bone Vein, feel free to trade with me.”
“In addition, any secret intelligence about Mei Lan God is valuable to me.”
“And lastly, a valid way to contact the Legendary Mage War Merchant.”
Cang Xu kept his face calm, but his heart was violently agitated.
“What exactly is the deal with this Captain?”
“Why is he interested in Mei Lan God and the War Merchant?”
“The trade he proposed was a valid way to contact the War Merchant, which in turn suggests that he might have maintained contact with the War Merchant before?”
Survivors once discovered many identities of the War Merchant on Mysterious Monster Island. The War Merchant, through various identities, had continuously supplied a large volume of products to the arms market.
With the War Merchant dead and Mysterious Monster Island completely vanished, the void left in the market was enormous.
Someone would surely notice and seek to find out.
This was what the survivors had long speculated.
The Captain that Cang Xu saw before him appeared to be one of those searching for the War Merchant.
But if it were just this, it wouldn’t be enough to make Cang Xu so anxious and suspicious.
Captain was also looking for information about Mei Lan God.
The Divine Artifact of Mei Lan God was Mermaid’s Fairy Tale, currently on the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
“During the previous melee, the Naga Priest called the Deep Sea Monster Fish a Divine Envoy, and Mei Lan God’s Divine Artifact was once kept in the War Merchant’s Central Tower. Perhaps, the two were indeed cooperating in secret?”
“What does Captain want with them?”
“He is not an ordinary Undead Mage; he is an Orthodox Undead practitioner, his teacher being the Soul Summoning Captain, one of You Can’s twelve disciples.”
“Perhaps, the requests he put forth aren’t just his personal thoughts…”
“As a third party, he’s looking for both the War Merchant and Mei Lan God at the same time. What exactly does he know? What are his intentions?”
Cang Xu was extremely cautious.
“Could he have discovered the disappearance of Mysterious Monster Island?”
“Or has he seen something amiss in me?”
“No, stay calm. Captain is only Golden Level; the likelihood of him seeing through Anti-Intelligence Prophecy Skill and Deception and Disguise Skill is too small.”
Cang Xu tried to calm his excited emotions, while internally becoming more vigilant.
If Captain knew how closely connected Cang Xu was to his needs, the encounter surely wouldn’t remain as amiable.
Despite the intense inner turmoil, Cang Xu maintained a composed exterior.
He didn’t pretend to be puzzled but stayed silent.
Little Prince said despondently, “It’s rare for Captain to have needs, but I really can’t help. Alas, I’m so useless!”
The Fin Spirit shook its head, “I will not betray my tribe, nor my faith!”
Ku Feng shrugged, “You know, Captain, I’ve only been active around Twin Eyes Island these past years.”
Finally, Cang Xu responded, “Maybe I can use the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce’s channels to investigate the relevant information. But I cannot guarantee success, as you yourself said earlier, Captain. The Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce has now been severely damaged.”
Captain nodded slightly, expressing gratitude for Cang Xu’s response, then comforted the Little Prince and finally said to the Fin Spirit, “Don’t be too troubled, little fish. I understand you and respect your faith.”
The first round of trading was complete.
Captain, the strongest Undead Mage in the cave, turned out to be the only one who failed to make a deal.