Chapter 632: Section 419: Cang Xu: I am a pitiful person
Cang Xu had always been implementing a plan.
That was to fully demonstrate the value of the Flying Head Skill, and then trade it to the ship ghost in exchange for a higher-ranked Undead Inheritance.
Now, Cang Xu had succeeded.
The mere Death Skull had not sparked interest in the ship ghost, but once it was engraved with a magic model and had the ability to cast spells, the ship ghost took the initiative to ask Cang Xu for a price.
Cang Xu steadied his emotions and immediately bowed to the ship ghost, tactfully making his request.
However, the ship ghost didn’t hesitate and shook its head.
“Xu Jia, you lack the qualifications to obtain Middle-level Undead Inheritance.”
“It’s not that I personally don’t want to sell it to you, but it’s the rule of our founding master. This is a principle and a bottom line of the Undead Orthodoxy! Not just me, even the Twelve Saints must strictly abide by it.”
“I’m sorry, I cannot trade the Middle-level Undead Inheritance to you. It’s not for sale.”
“And if it is taught to you in the future, there’s only one possibility, and that is that you qualify for the Middle-level Undead Inheritance!”
What qualifications?
Cang Xu had made it clear when he was at Songfeng Island.
Firstly, Cang Xu’s own Undead talent had to be strong enough, with a minimum standard of being a Gold Level Bloodline. Secondly, Cang Xu had to prove his loyalty. He had to complete at least three tasks to initially gain recognition from the Undead Lineage. It’s like when a bandit joins a gang and has to hand over his notoriety as proof.
At that moment, the Little Prince also chimed in, “Xu Jia, I also want the inheritance of your Flying Head Skill.”
“But don’t sell it too expensive.”
“Since Dr. Corpse Fragment could teach you the Flying Head Skill, it proves that it’s just a Low-level Undead Inheritance.”
“You want to trade a Low-level Undead Inheritance for a Middle-level one, that’s definitely not possible. You truly are from Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, too good at doing business. We are all our own people, it’s not right to do business like this with us.”
Ku Feng also said emphatically, “In fact, we don’t have to buy specifically from you, right? Dr. Corpse Fragment has the inheritance at hand, it’s just more convenient to get it from you.”
The ship ghost remained silent, only looking impassively at Cang Xu.
Cang Xu felt a chill in his heart.
At this moment, he was being targeted by everyone else!
Simultaneously, the others were putting pressure on Cang Xu, trying to drive the price down.
Cang Xu suddenly realized: although he had been through life and death battles with these people, when it came to a critical moment, he was still excluded.
Even Ku Feng, an Undead Samurai, was speaking on behalf of others.
Cang Xu had successfully demonstrated the value of the Flying Head Skill, but when it came to negotiating the deal, he faced significant impediments!
If Zi Di were here, he definitely could have eloquently talked at length, hyping the value of the Flying Head Skill, and engaged in tough negotiations with the other party.
But Cang Xu was not Zi Di.
He lacked such excellent negotiation skills.
Years of working and living as a Noble Housekeeper had cultivated Cang Xu’s rich political literacy.
Cang Xu had already sensed something bad.
He quickly thought it over and said with a bitter face, “Thank you for enlightening me, you are all right, my asking price was indeed too excessive.”
He openly admitted his mistake.
Then he sighed deeply, “I’m really sorry, but I am really… too poor.”
“When I gradually discovered the value of this Flying Head Skill inheritance, my feelings were complex.”
“If it weren’t for investing almost my entire body and fortune, I would definitely be thrilled!”
“Now that I’m still in debt to you all, to speak from the heart, being with you, I feel a lot of pressure. I really want to pay back what I owe you.”
Cang Xu’s tone was desolate, and his expression sincere; his words rendered everyone else silent.
The Little Prince suddenly realized that they had just teamed up to pressurize Cang Xu.
Ku Feng remained silent, feeling a bit of guilt within. After all, he had witnessed Cang Xu’s previous misery. It must be said, Cang Xu was a pitiful man.
At this moment, Cang Xu stared at the ship ghost, “Lord ship ghost, since you want this inheritance, what can I possibly say?”
“I can only hand this inheritance to you, after all, my current body was also given by you!”
The ship ghost was taken aback for a moment, and then without any hesitation, directly refused Cang Xu’s proposal.
His reaction was entirely within Cang Xu’s expectation.
The ship ghost had always been part of the Undead Orthodoxy, acting with grace and scope, willing to support Undead Mages. Of course, this was under the condition that his own core interests were not violated.
If he accepted Cang Xu’s offering now, it would appear as though he was forcing Cang Xu to hand it over, which was quite disgraceful.
Especially since the Flying Head Skill wasn’t only Cang Xu’s; if the ship ghost wanted it, he could obtain it from others as well.
He only needed a bit of analysis to conclude: Corpse Doctor couldn’t possibly have given this inheritance to Cang Xu alone!
Cang Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He withdrew tactically and defused this minor crisis.
His plea had again moved the hearts of the Little Prince and others. They realized Cang Xu was a pitiful person, and possessing the Flying Head Skill was both his fortune and his misfortune.
The crowd’s covetousness for the Flying Head Skill greatly diminished.
After cleaning up the battlefield and distributing the spoils related to the lantern fish, everyone returned to their cabins.
But a heavy weight was added to Cang Xu’s heart.
His plan had succeeded, yet it had also failed.
The Flying Head Skill had aroused others’ desires, but the price wasn’t impressive, and Cang Xu couldn’t exchange it for a Middle-level Undead Inheritance.
“I didn’t expect the Ship Ghost to be so principled in this regard!”
“According to him, even the Twelve Saints cannot break this principle. This might not merely be You Can’s straightforward care or command but something they themselves have set and signed in a Magic Contract.”
“Alas, although I managed to defuse the crisis through means, the problem still exists and hasn’t been resolved completely.”
“As long as I control the Flying Head Skill and other Undead Mages do not, these people’s desire for it will never disappear.”
“They are merely suppressing their own desires temporarily due to decorum and face.”
On the other hand, Cang Xu had to admit that the Little Prince had a point when arguing about the price.
The precious knowledge of the Flying Head Skill wasn’t exclusive to Cang Xu.
Even if one couldn’t buy it from Cang Xu, the Ship Ghost could still contact Corpse Doctor and trade from him.
Based on the intelligence from the battle at Nether River, the fact that Corpse Doctor, a Holy Domain Level figure, immediately assisted showed that the atmosphere among the Undead Orthodoxy was quite harmonious.
Cang Xu totally understood this.
The point upheld by the Undead Orthodoxy was: to maintain humanity! Although Undead Magic is centered around negative energy, Undead Mages must not be eroded by it.
Therefore, when at Songfeng Island, the Ship Ghost took a liking to Cang Xu at their first meeting, largely as he found that Cang Xu did some Undead modifications to his body, but not completely Undead.
Cang Xu wasn’t recklessly pursuing power but was constantly striving to maintain the balance between life and death, preserving humanity.
It can be said that among Undead Mages, those from You Can down the legitimate lineage possess the richest humanity.
And in a world where all forces large and small are hunting Undead Mages, what would a legitimate Undead Mage who possesses humanity and isn’t corrupted by negative energy do?
Of course, they would unite tightly together to maximize their chances of survival.
Today you help me, tomorrow I help you.
Therefore, during the battle at Nether River, the Ship Ghost could call upon the aid of the Holy Domain Level Corpse Doctor, and afterwards, there was no need to pay any cost.
It must be said, although Cang Xu took many risks and encountered great danger while following the Ship Ghost, he also reaped many rewards.
The Flying Head Skill was just one of them, but the biggest reward was in the many precious pieces of information about Undead Mages that Cang Xu gathered during their daily interactions.
These pieces of information, under Cang Xu’s contemplation, allowed him to accurately assess the overall situation of the Undead Faction and his personal circumstances.
“Currently, I am on the Ghost Ship, having shown the value of the Flying Head Skill, but not at a high price.”
“If I had negotiating talents like Zi Di, perhaps I could fetch a higher price with ease.”
“No, in fact, even if I could do that, I still couldn’t buy the subsequent inheritance I desire from the Ship Ghost. Not to mention the various secret knowledge about the Memory Crystals.”
Thinking of the latter, Cang Xu had another headache.
He had previously indirectly inquired about the content of the Middle-level Undead Inheritance. The Ship Ghost hadn’t kept it entirely confidential.
It was like the Ship Ghost couldn’t reveal the specific content of a book to Cang Xu, but he could tell him what the table of contents was.
Cang Xu was almost certain: whether it is the Soul Vein, Corpse Vein, or Bone Vein, none of the Middle-level Undead Inheritances involved the content of Memory Crystals. He also guessed: it’s very likely that high-level Soul Vein’s Undead Inheritance contained knowledge related to Memory Crystals!
“My previous plan was somewhat too naive.”
“Securing this knowledge is quite difficult. After all, for a Mage, knowledge is the greatest wealth!”
However, Cang Xu didn’t regret choosing this path, even though now the only original part left on him was his skull.
“If it really comes down to it, I’ll just have to sell the Flying Head Skill at a ‘low’ price to others.”
“If I outright refuse, it might create a barrier between others and me, which wouldn’t be good for actions going forward.”
“Securing the Undead knowledge I want is likely to be a long-term major plan.”
Realizing the reality, Cang Xu calmed his heart, nearly shut himself in, and continued crafting Death Skulls, then imprinting them with Undead Magic Models.
He soon found that lantern fish heads were not quite suitable for making Death Skulls.
This must be related to the lantern fish possessing a Light Attribute.
Light Attribute isn’t a neutral attribute and is very compatible with positive energy. Just as Dark attribute is related to negative energy.