Chapter 49: Sharing
Closing the Alchemy Codex, Su Xiao’s mental fortitude had increased more than tenfold compared to before, thanks to his prolonged interpretation of the text. This was a side benefit of deciphering the Alchemy Codex.
As a cost, every time Su Xiao finished interpreting the Alchemy Codex, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, needing to sleep to recover. However, over time, his adaptability to this had grown stronger, as was the case now.
All the pages of the Alchemy Codex were made of metal, yet they felt like thick paper. The backs of the fifth and sixth pages recorded one of the secrets of the alchemists’ wealth: the "Silent Servant" and the "Tunneling Servant."
Su Xiao had seen this duo of simpletons in other alchemical fragments before. The alchemists’ evaluation of them was remarkably consistent: they were one of the most uplifting inventions of the Second Era.
The duo handled exploration and mining respectively, but did anyone think that was all they could do? Of course not. The "Silent Servant" was not only for exploration; upon discovering rare plants or supernatural resources, it also knew how to harvest and preserve them. While it couldn’t collect all resources, it could identify most valuable ones.
As long as these two simpletons were supplied with enough "Liquid Metal," they could gather resources outside for 30 to 180 days, returning each time with a bountiful harvest.
"Liquid Metal," simply put, was a type of active metal. Both the "Silent Servant" and the "Tunneling Servant" used it as their energy source and nourishment to gain mobility.
Compared to immediately starting to craft the duo of simpletons, Su Xiao had something more important to do.
Facing a powerful enemy, Su Xiao had never retreated half a step. But if it came to unknown risks, he would never charge head-on. That wasn’t courage; it was foolishness.
Su Xiao had already maximized his combat power as much as possible. Since his strength couldn’t climb further, he would use other means. He had prepared several strategies for the preliminary plan in Dead Silence City.
As the saying goes, one must know how to share. A place like Dead Silence City, hiding secret treasures, shouldn’t be monopolized alone—it would hurt the conscience.
As the saying goes, "Shared joy is double joy." Since entering Dead Silence City alone meant certain death for Su Xiao, what if other Eighth Rank contractors entered, thereby sharing the risk for him?
Su Xiao didn’t mind others entering Dead Silence City and reaping benefits. He wasn’t choosing to go there; he had no other option.
Having used the Black King Bracer for so long, if he didn’t settle this before advancing to Ninth Rank, he would only pay a heavier price later. Better a short pain than a long one. His purpose in going to Dead Silence City this time wasn’t to seek treasure, but to sever the karmic ties with the dead silence and complete his rank advancement assessment.
Since it wasn’t about treasure hunting, having others come to Dead Silence City would only benefit Su Xiao without any harm.
That said, why would other Eighth Rank contractors come? There was no need to worry about that. If a rumor spread that a Black Maple Tree seed had appeared in Dead Silence City, and with solid evidence, would those Eighth Rank contractors remain calm? It was a Black Maple Tree seed—who wouldn’t be tempted?
What was even more interesting was that Dead Silence City, though extremely dangerous, was an Eighth Rank world. Under the notarization of the Void Tree, neither the great powers of the Void nor the peak experts of the Transcendent Primordial World could do anything about it.
In other words, even if the news spread, at most, Eighth Rank contractors would head to Dead Silence City.
Su Xiao took a greatsword from his storage space. This sword was obtained in the Canglong Continent and had been eroded by dead silence, though the area had been isolated to prevent further erosion.
[Withered Sound Greatsword]
Origin: ???
Quality: World Rank
Category: Greatsword
Durability: 9/370 (About to be permanently damaged)
Attack Power: 6-10 points
Equipment Requirements: None
Equipment Effect: Can be inserted into a certain location on the top floor of the Supreme Sanctuary in Dead Silence City, Black Throne Continent.
Rating: None
Description: When the withered whispers break the dead silence, the true Dead Silence City will unfold before you. The ‘enthusiastic’ People of Death will ‘welcome’ all living beings.
Price: World Rank Chest x1.
Undoubtedly, this was the key to entering the true Dead Silence City, or rather, a ticket. But such a large ticket was wasteful to enjoy alone.
Bang!
Su Xiao’s fist, wrapped in a crystal layer, struck the Withered Sound Greatsword. This symbolic item, with only 9 durability left and weathered by time, could no longer withstand the blow and shattered.
Although Su Xiao couldn’t be sure if the shattered [Withered Sound Greatsword] would still be useful, he had a backup plan. He still had four pages of the Treeborn Pages. At worst, he could use those to enter Dead Silence City. At most, he would lose a World Rank Chest. You have to give to gain; if he couldn’t bear even this cost, how could he get more Eighth Rank contractors to Dead Silence City?
The nearly 1.3-meter-long greatsword shattered into over a hundred pieces. After picking up one piece, Su Xiao knew he had guessed correctly. How could a mere ticket to enter Dead Silence City be worth a World Rank Chest? Clearly, this was the weight of over a hundred tickets.
With the ticket in hand, he still needed a trigger. Su Xiao contacted Kaisa, telling him to start.
After sending the message, Su Xiao monitored the trading platform notarized by the Void Tree. Soon, a large number of Black Maple Leaves appeared, each sold individually, resulting in a long list of listings. More importantly, these Black Maple Leaves were priced low.
As for the origin of these Black Maple Leaves, Kaisa didn’t ask at all. This was why Su Xiao had been able to cooperate with Kaisa for so long.
Who knew where Kaisa got his selling quotas on the trading platform? With Su Xiao’s current authority, he only had five quotas. Kaisa, that scoundrel, had at least 90.
Over 90 selling quotas all listed for Black Maple Leaves immediately caught many people’s attention. This seller of Black Maple Leaves clearly needed money urgently. The price wasn’t particularly low, but buying them would definitely yield a profit.
The important thing wasn’t that someone was selling Black Maple Leaves, but the attributes of these leaves. Don’t forget, these were grown in Su Xiao’s exclusive room. Theoretically, like the potions he brewed, they were his personal property and output. Therefore, he could ‘slightly’ tamper with the attributes of these Black Maple Leaves.
[Black Maple Leaf]
Origin: ???·Dead Silence City
Quality: Highly Rare Material
Effect: Too many uses, need to open branch list to view.
Description: Extremely rare precious material.
Why was the origin of the Black Maple Tree ???·Dead Silence City? Even if this was Su Xiao’s personal output, he shouldn’t be able to alter its origin to this extent. In reality, he didn’t alter it; he just hid the first part of the origin.
After being picked, these Black Maple Leaves had been ‘enhanced’ with a trace of dead silence energy. Regardless of the result, Su Xiao’s subsequent processing was aimed at enhancement. Unfortunately, the dead silence energy failed to enhance the Black Maple Leaves, resulting in a failed enhancement.
Any item’s data, if subjected to secondary enhancement, could have a suffix origin attached. For example, the potions Su Xiao made had the origin Reincarnation Paradise·Holy Flame Alchemist.
Having Kaisa sell a large number of Black Maple Leaves was meant to spread a rumor: Dead Silence City had suddenly started producing Black Maple Leaves. Selling them so openly meant buyers couldn’t hide this information. Therefore, profiting from it quickly and selling the intelligence was the best choice.
Soon, the news that Dead Silence City produced Black Maple Leaves would spread.
Then, not long after, a large number of [Withered Sound Greatsword] fragments would be listed on the trading platform, as if someone was trying to make a big profit from this.
This whole process was riddled with flaws. If anyone investigated, they would find clues. But was that a bad thing? Of course not. Su Xiao deliberately made it flawed.
There were many roles in this matter. First, an adventurer who had explored Dead Silence City and obtained Black Maple Leaves (fictional). Second, a profiteer cooperating with the adventurer (fictional, based on Kaisa). Then, the many buyers who purchased the Black Maple Leaves.
With so many people directly or indirectly involved, if everything were perfectly seamless without any suspicious points, anyone with a bit of intelligence would immediately think it was a setup. Real random developments wouldn’t be so flawless.
Because this matter was full of flaws, with true and false information mixed together, it was actually reassuring. With so many participants, if there were no hidden circumstances or inconsistencies, that would be the most suspicious.
Moreover, the Black Maple Tree seed was clearly a gimmick. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that. Now that the tickets to enter Dead Silence City were released, the various paradises were never short of strong individuals who liked to go to dangerous areas. The principle of risk equaling reward applied universally across all paradises.
Therefore, what Su Xiao did was more like advertising, making more people aware of Dead Silence City as a super-high-risk area in this period. Whether to come or not was entirely voluntary and based on courage.
Based on Su Xiao’s understanding of Dead Silence City, finding the true Dead Silence City was no simple task. All worlds eroded by dead silence could be divided into two major parts.
First, there were areas where people still lived. These might have cities, civilizations, etc., but they were definitely filled with strangeness. The other part of the world was the true Dead Silence City, a super-high-risk area.
After throwing out a few cards, Su Xiao closed the auction platform. He wondered which Eighth Rank contractors would come to Dead Silence City this time.
Entering a room usually used for testing blade techniques, Su Xiao activated the Dead Silence Descent ability. Suddenly, the surroundings became desolate. Fluffy objects floated in the air, and a horrifying scene appeared.
Figures in tattered clothes stood in the darkness ahead, staring at Su Xiao with gray-white eyes, sending chills down one’s spine. They were the People of Death.
This was also why Su Xiao chose to go to Dead Silence City to settle things. Using Dead Silence Descent had already reached this level; the People of Death had their eyes on him.
Su Xiao locked eyes with the People of Death in the darkness ahead. After a few seconds, he tossed out a pitch-black tree seed, a drop from the previous kill of the Rot Tree Man Leader: Twisted Armor.
The People of Death reached for the black tree seed. Su Xiao took out Bubu Wang’s camera and snapped a picture with a click.
In the photo, due to the angle and timing, it looked like the People of Death were reaching out to levitate the black tree seed in midair. The scene was both eerie and mysterious.
Deactivating Dead Silence Descent, everything around disappeared, including the consumable tree seed with properties similar to an Origin Stone. Interestingly, the tree seed’s characteristics did have a bit of a Black Maple Tree seed feel.
Or rather, who had actually seen a Black Maple Tree seed? The answer was that only a few ancestral Law Destroyers had. Back then, when they opened the Abyss passage in the Void, their spoils included the Black Maple Tree seed.
Leaving the testing room, Su Xiao gave the photo to Beini, instructing her to sell it through channels. A rumor alone wasn’t enough to stir people’s hearts. With this photo, it would be more convincing.
As for other Eighth Rank contractors coming to Dead Silence City, Su Xiao’s attitude was: come as you please. Dead Silence City wasn’t just home to the People of Death; Tree Rot, Crow Doctor, and others were equally formidable.
Su Xiao suspected that the number of people who could find the true Dead Silence City might not exceed five fingers. Even so, it was safer than exploring Dead Silence City alone.
Just as Su Xiao was about to close the world communication platform, he noticed that several more tickets to enter Dead Silence City had appeared. Clearly, these people had also been to branch Dead Silence Cities.
The fragments of the Withered Sound Greatsword were sold off one by one. As tickets, they couldn’t be priced high. Each piece cost 100 Soul Coins. Su Xiao kept the remaining sword hilt for himself. Since he was also going to Dead Silence City, he naturally needed to keep a part.
Entering the alchemy laboratory, Su Xiao spent over 20,000 Soul Coins to exchange for a large amount of materials. He was about to start crafting the "Silent Servant" and the "Tunneling Servant."
The hardest part of crafting the duo of simpletons was the biological core. Additionally, Su Xiao’s proficiency in alchemy leaned more toward potions. In terms of alchemical biology, he was only average.
This "average" was relative to him personally, compared to the alchemists of the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization.
Three hours later, Su Xiao immersed a football-sized biological core in a solution within a glass column. This was the core of the "Tunneling Servant." Next to it, a smaller one was the core of the "Silent Servant."
"Bubu, Baha."
Hearing Su Xiao’s words, Bubu Wang adjusted the equipment, raising the mechanical armchair Su Xiao was sitting on. He began crafting the body parts of the duo of simpletons.
To be precise, the duo of simpletons weren’t entirely intelligent beings. They could understand relatively complex commands, but they had almost no thoughts of their own. They mostly followed instinctual preferences. The "Silent Servant’s" instinct was to search for things everywhere, while the "Tunneling Servant’s" was to dig and mine.
After a flurry of activity, two figures, one tall and one short, were immersed in the solution.
The "Silent Servant’s" size had been significantly altered by Su Xiao. It stood about 1.4 meters tall, humanoid in shape, with a total of four mechanical arms and six mechanical tentacles on its back.
When needed, these mechanical tentacles could split into dozens, enabling high-precision operations. The "Silent Servant’s" head looked somewhat old, like a face pieced together from multiple metal parts, with a microscope-like probe on its right eye.
In the adjacent glass column was its good brother, the "Tunneling Servant." The "Tunneling Servant" was a big fat guy, 4.2 meters tall and 3 meters wide, wearing work overalls. The upper half of its head was covered by a sealed metal helmet, revealing only a single red electronic eye. It held a large mining pick in one hand, with various tools like a mining shovel hanging from its waist.
This mining duo: the Silent Servant looked a bit shifty-eyed, while the Tunneling Servant was exactly as expected—a complete simpleton.
The mining team was now half-complete. The reason for this was that neither the "Silent Servant" nor the "Tunneling Servant" were combat units. This meant that if they were left to roam before finding mineral deposits, they might not last long before being killed by supernatural animals or other enemies.
The Devourers he had been crafting all along were meant to compensate for this. Once he collected more data on the Devourers, Su Xiao would attempt to craft perfect-body Devourers. With 3-4 perfect-body Devourers protecting the "Silent Servant" and "Tunneling Servant," he could form the ideal mining team.
At that point, Su Xiao would send the mining team into the World of Paintings, an undeveloped world rich in resources.
Thinking about it this way, the Soul Coins needed to purchase "Technique Soul: Blade" were gradually coming into sight. The subsequent two grandmaster abilities would no longer be out of reach.
Checking his remaining Soul Coins, he had 564 left. Su Xiao still had one thing to do. He had previously obtained [Inscription Base: Wrathful Image] and [Life Inscription]. The [Inscription Base: Wrathful Image] could hold four inscriptions. He planned to use it to replace his current [Inscription Base].
[Inscription Base]
Main Inscription Slot: Scorching Ember.
Secondary Inscription Slot: Darkness.
Secondary Inscription Slot: Blazing Sun.
Description: Standard inscription base, lacking the divine essence bestowed by a master craftsman.
The "Darkness Inscription" above had a significant origin. It was obtained by Su Xiao after killing the old knight and opening his chest. It was an Immortal Rank inscription with a rating of 1500++.
As for the "Blazing Sun Inscription," it was also Immortal Rank with a rating of 1500 points, equally formidable.
Interestingly, the main inscription, "Scorching Ember Inscription," only had a rating of 1007 points. Currently, the "Scorching Ember Inscription" was on the verge of exploding, with its durability cap continuously decreasing.
Su Xiao estimated that after 3-4 more battles, the "Scorching Ember Inscription" would explode.
The "Darkness Inscription," "Blazing Sun Inscription," and the newly obtained "Life Inscription" all had significant origins. Su Xiao planned to get another inscription with a rating of 1500 points, then use the "Darkness Inscription" as the main inscription, embedding all four into the [Inscription Base: Wrathful Image].
Inscriptions were plentiful on the auction platform, including high-quality ones. The reason was that inscription bases were too hard to buy.
Su Xiao took a deep breath and began prying the "Scorching Ember Inscription" off the [Inscription Base]. With a pop, the "Scorching Ember Inscription" exploded directly, causing the remaining two inscriptions on the [Inscription Base] to detach on their own.
Su Xiao examined the condition of the [Inscription Base]. Although it was a common item, breaking it would still be a loss. Soon, he noticed several cracks on the back of the inscription base, which was enough to make one’s heart shatter.
Su Xiao contacted Lide, asking if he could repair it. Lide laughed upon hearing this and left a message: "Bai Ye, I sincerely thank you for thinking so highly of me. I really can’t repair that thing. Go find a better blacksmith."
Lide didn’t say it couldn’t be repaired; he claimed his skill wasn’t up to par. This made Su Xiao wonder if the Demon Blacksmith could fix it. Coincidentally, he had arranged to meet the Demon Blacksmith in Dead Silence City this time.
When they met, he wondered if he would get hit with a hammer right away. Arranging a meeting in Dead Silence City was quite rare.
Putting these thoughts aside for now, Su Xiao gave Bubu Wang 5 Soul Coins for ice cream and errand money. Bubu happily trotted off to the Equipment Enhancement Hall, selling 35 refined Immortal Stones at 627 Soul Coins each.
This was the last of his funds. Unless necessary, Su Xiao wouldn’t sell Immortal Stones.
With over 20,000 Soul Coins in hand, Su Xiao continued browsing the inscription list on the auction platform. With hundreds of pages of stock, he didn’t believe he couldn’t find a suitable inscription.
After half an hour of browsing, Su Xiao found an inscription worth 18,600 Soul Coins. It was called the "Steel Inscription," with a rating of 1500 points.
An inscription’s attributes could only be judged by its name and rating. The former represented its characteristics, the latter its strength.
Darkness + Life + Blazing Sun + Steel—what would that be? A Steel Blazing Sun of Dark Life?
After searching the list for a while longer, Su Xiao still felt the Steel Inscription was the most suitable. He scrolled back and bought it.
[You have obtained the Steel Inscription.]
He had 3,909 Soul Coins left, which couldn’t be touched. The negative example of Brother Wusan had left a deep impression on Su Xiao.
The four inscriptions—Darkness, Life, Steel, and Blazing Sun—were all inserted into the [Inscription Base: Wrathful Image]. With a hum, the energies of the four characteristics intertwined and coiled, taking a long time to settle.
[Inscription Base: Wrathful Image]
Origin: Underworld·Ascetic Monastery.
Type: Four-Inscription Slot Base.
Main Inscription Slot: Darkness.
Secondary Inscription Slot: Life.
Secondary Inscription Slot: Steel.
Secondary Inscription Slot: Blazing Sun.
Inscription Effect 1: Darkness Ember (Core, Passive), when the base wearer’s health falls below 25%, you will trigger the power of Darkness Ember.
Tip: This effect lasts 30 seconds, with a cooldown of 48 hours.
Warning: To trigger this ability, your willpower must be above 120 points; otherwise, you will not be recognized by the Darkness Inscription.
Inscription Effect 2: Steel Blazing Sun (Passive), when under the sun’s rays, True Stamina +10 points, physical toughness increased by 10.5%.
Tip: Without the Blazing Sun’s enhancement, this bonus is reduced to True Stamina +5 points, physical toughness increased by 5.5%.
Description: A convenient pendant to carry, shaped like a majestic wrathful deity. In the ancient era of the Dimming Light World, ascetics…
Selling Price: 4,920 Soul Coins.
Su Xiao wore the [Inscription Base: Wrathful Image] as a pendant. He immediately felt a warm power enveloping him, slightly boosting the vitality of his internal organs. As for the Darkness Ember effect, he would test that later.
Leaving his exclusive room, Su Xiao headed straight for the Land of All Beings to begin his ascetic training.
34 hours later.
Su Xiao lay on the ‘ice field’ of the seventh layer of the Land of All Beings. Though called an ice field, the ‘ice’ here was actually composed of soul energy. The millstone-sized soul crystals beneath the ice tempted him to pry one out.
He had tried before and was fined 10 Soul Coins.
[Tip: Your stay time has expired. You are about to return to the Real World.]
[Teleportation begins.]
The scene before him blurred, and the next second, Su Xiao was sitting on the floor of the second floor of the accessory shop.
A peaceful real-world life began. Su Xiao completely relaxed. At Eighth Rank, even if battles were necessary, they would take place in mission worlds. People like Huishenshi, that old yinbi, wouldn’t actively fight here.
On the first floor of the shop, Su Xiao sat on the sofa, resting. Just then, the shop door was pushed open, and a female customer walked in. After browsing for a while, she picked up a women’s amber bracelet.
"..."
Su Xiao was momentarily confused about what this customer was doing. When she said she wanted to pay, Bubu Wang, who was secretly drinking cola behind the counter, almost spat it out. Since the accessory shop opened, besides Li Murui being forced to buy something, this was truly the first customer.
The female customer paid and left, looking somewhat satisfied from her expression.
On the sofas around the coffee table, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini looked at each other in silence. Baha tentatively said, "How about we order a big dinner tonight to celebrate?"
"Moo."
Amu agreed, and Bubu Wang did too. Young Miss Beini stretched lazily without expressing an opinion. Su Xiao picked up his phone and ordered a seafood feast. Young Miss Beini remained calm, but the tip of her tail swayed noticeably faster.
Three relaxing days in the Real World passed without notice. Recently, Beini and Bubu Wang had been at odds over whether to buy cat or dog shampoo. Being frugal, since both were for washing fur, Beini insisted on buying only one bottle.
Bubu suspected that this cat probably just didn’t like the smell of dog shampoo, hence the decision. Frugality was never Beini’s style.
The next day, Bubu Wang prepared a pile of catnip for a bath, only to get scratched by Beini. The reason was that Beini didn’t care about the catnip smell, but Bubu Wang had sat on her head, leaving her dazed.
The third day, the unlucky one was Fatty Ma. Who knew what possessed him to try and catch Beini to catch mice? He didn’t even touch a single hair of hers. That night, Beini brought strong laxatives and, with Bubu Wang, sneaked into Fatty Ma’s house. The next day, Fatty Ma spent the whole day running to the bathroom.
[Tip: You are about to return to Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Your Ninth Rank advancement trial is about to begin.]
[You have selected the trial world. This is an Origin-level difficulty world: the Source of Dead Silence.]