Chapter 8: Greedy Money Pouch (Fourth Rank)
Effect: Upon opening, you can obtain -40,000 to 4,000,000 Soul Coins.
Inventory Quantity: -- (No exchange limit).
Exchange Price: 1 Precipitated Glass.
Note: The exchange price of the Greedy Money Pouch (Fourth Rank) has changed from an incremental model to a cumulative model based on the number already exchanged.
……
Scrolling through the list, although he wanted to try what the [Primordial Source Fruit] was, the [Primordial Fragment] was more important now.
[You have paid 5,348 Precipitated Glass.]
[You have obtained Primordial Fragment ×2 pieces.]
There was something that had puzzled Su Xiao before: why the highest-priced item in the Abyss Store was an Original Sin Object. No matter how he thought about it, no one would save up Precipitated Glass for a long time just to exchange it for an Original Sin Object in the Abyss Store. That wasn't much different from paying to die.
However, after unlocking the [Original Sin Guardian (Passive Authority)], Su Xiao understood why this Original Sin Object was priced so high.
At his current stage, Su Xiao needed quite a few [Primordial Fragments]. Breaking through Blade Mastery, Close Combat, and Blood Spear Grandmaster to Lv.80 each required three [Primordial Fragments]. Advancing to Absolute Strength also required five, bringing the total demand to fourteen.
If he had to save up Precipitated Glass to exchange for all fourteen, without the discount from [Original Sin Guardian (Passive Authority)], each [Primordial Fragment] would cost 3,820 Precipitated Glass.
And this was only for the [Primordial Fragments] needed at the Absolute Strength stage. According to what Tuanzhang said, one of the things required to reach Supreme Strength was to sell everything you had for Precipitated Glass, then buy a large number of [Primordial Fragments] from the Abyss Store. If one day you found the [Primordial Fragments] in the Abyss Store out of stock, it was very likely that someone had recently become a Supreme.
As for exactly how many [Primordial Fragments] were needed, Tuanzhang's exact words were: "Technique types are poor to begin with. Wait until you reach that step to find out."
If you were going to exchange a large number of items in the Abyss Store, then exchanging for [Original Sin Object: Collector] wouldn't be a loss; instead, it would be a way to save on Precipitated Glass expenditure. Of course, those who tried to save Precipitated Glass this way seemed to have no good end, otherwise [Original Sin Object: Collector] wouldn't still be for sale in the Abyss Store.
Su Xiao didn't plan to exchange for [Original Sin Object: Collector] at this stage. Not only was his current supply of Precipitated Glass not abundant, but he also held an [Abyss Chest]. If he were to 'luckily' open another Original Sin Object, counting [Collector], he would be holding five Original Sin Objects simultaneously. Even the Devil Race, upon hearing this strange tale, would be so shocked they couldn't speak properly.
Putting aside the matter of Original Sin Objects for now, Su Xiao looked at the [Greedy Money Pouch (Fourth Rank)] in the Abyss Store. For some reason, he suddenly felt an invisible wave of malice coming his way.
[Greedy Money Pouch (Fourth Rank): Upon opening, you can obtain -40,000 to 4,000,000 Soul Coins.]
After this item had climbed four tiers, its exchange price had dropped significantly. The initial cost was 1 Precipitated Glass, and each subsequent exchange cost 1 + the number already exchanged, meaning 1+2, 1+3, etc. It wouldn't take much Precipitated Glass.
Su Xiao felt that this [Greedy Money Pouch (Fourth Rank)] shouldn't be opened. It was very likely that opening it once would result in losing 40,000 Soul Coins. Please don't misunderstand; it wasn't about gaining them, but rather paying the Abyss Store 40,000 Soul Coins.
With two [Primordial Fragments] in hand, Su Xiao needed a total of fourteen. He had now accumulated six. If he could successfully rescue the Dwarf King, the reward would be three pieces, bringing the total [Primordial Fragments] he held to nine. He wasn't too far from his goal.
Closing the Abyss Store, Su Xiao picked up the [Soul Gem] floating in front of him.
[Soul Gem]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: Origin Level · Unique · Melee Class Exclusive.
Note: Only upon the death of the current holder will this gem recondense in an unknown location.
Type: Gem (Highly Rare).
Usage Requirement: Possess a Melee Class Basic Ability above Lv.80, or a Technique Class Basic Ability above Lv.75.
Inlay Effect: Grants the weapon the "Soul Sever" characteristic, with intensity determined by the user's Soul Strength.
Warning: After the weapon receives this inlay, you will be forcibly teleported to the "Soul Master" within 10 to 20 natural days to sign a Soul Contract. Upon signing this contract, you will gain the right to use the [Soul Gem] at the cost of a portion of your soul. Furthermore, all your possessions after death will be automatically sacrificed to the Soul Temple and disposed of by the "Soul Master."
Inlay Requirement: This gem can only be inlaid into equipment of Origin Level or higher, and it will occupy all inlay slots.
Note: This characteristic has priority.
Rating: 3000+++++ points (Origin Level gem rating is 1500～3000 points).
Description: The choice of the soul.
Selling Price: Cannot be sold, transferred, or abandoned after acquisition.
……
Su Xiao already possessed the "Soul Sever" ability, so he naturally knew how useful it was. First, there was the Soul Sever effect from Blade Grandmaster, and then the "Soul Sever · Soul Core" among the four types of Soul Cores in Soul Severing Shadow. This gave him a dual Soul Sever effect.
Because of this, beings like Wraiths and Vengeful Spirits, upon encountering Su Xiao, felt as if they had met their natural enemy. It wasn't just that his attacks ignored their soul defenses; they actually dealt 200% to 230% damage.
Furthermore, the dual Soul Sever effect allowed Su Xiao's blade techniques to inflict high soul damage in every battle.
If the dual Soul Sever effect was already this powerful, then with a triple Soul Sever effect, the soul damage caused by his blade techniques during combat would increase by a significant margin.
Each type of Soul Sever characteristic had a different intensity. Based on Su Xiao's experience, if he were to quantify it, the Soul Sever intensity from Blade Mastery was around 3 to 4, as it was just one of several characteristics of a Blade Grandmaster. The Soul Sever intensity from "Soul Sever · Soul Core" was around 12 to 15.
As for the Soul Sever intensity of the [Soul Gem], its initial intensity was only around 1.5 to 2. If it received the boost from Su Xiao's 710 points of Soul Strength, it could reach a level of 5 to 7.
If he achieved this triple Soul Sever effect, Su Xiao's total Soul Sever intensity would reach 20 to 26. That would truly mean that among his peers, one slash would injure both the physical body and sever the soul.
The Soul Sever ability was rare and hard to come by. While not exclusively for Blade Grandmasters, it was close. This made the [Soul Gem] even more valuable. Even if it meant signing a contract with the "Soul Master," many people would be willing.
Regarding this, Su Xiao was somewhat curious. What was the contract ability of this so-called "Soul Master"? He had encountered people before who claimed to be unmatched in the Soul System, like the Soul Lord or the Soul Reaper.
More importantly, judging from the information on the [Soul Gem], the Soul Temple where the "Soul Master" resided seemed to be rich in resources, and this guy seemed like he could drop a good treasure chest.
Putting away the [Soul Gem], the aura of misfortune still lingered around Su Xiao. Seeing this, Hao Mei said:
"Bai Ye, your situation isn't looking good, but it doesn't seem like you're being rejected by the world yet? Hold on, let me calculate it for you."
As she spoke, Hao Mei took out a single-lensed red glasses, similar to a [Battle Power Detector]. After adjusting the values, she put them on and bragged, "This fortune-detecting equipment of mine is something you can't buy even with money. This Sword Hero is in a good mood today, so I'll test it for you."
Hao Mei activated the [Fortune Detector]. The next second, values appeared before her eyes: -15, -189, -5860, -76850...
But when Hao Mei saw the fortune had dropped to negative seventy thousand, the unique smug smile on her face froze instantly. She immediately raised her hand, ready to press the emergency stop button on the [Fortune Detector], but the value had already skyrocketed to -398,620 points.
Bang!
An explosion rang out. Outside the ancient castle, the sun was shining brightly. A heartbroken, piercing scream came from within the fifth floor of the castle.
Half an hour later, in the banquet hall of the castle, Molei and Yueshitu were enjoying their meal happily. Their companion Hao Mei, however, looked dejected, and her right eye was slightly red.
Su Xiao wasn't eating. There were no utensils placed on the table in front of him. He was holding an accessory.
[Azure Will +13 (Holy Spirit Rank · Accessory)]
Equipment Effect (Unique): Overall damage intensity of all Melee Class abilities increased by 5% to 31%.
Rating: 1000+ (Holy Spirit Rank equipment has a rating of 700～1000 points).
Selling Price: This item cannot be sold after being worn.
……
This item was quite good. The problem was that it was a Holy Spirit Rank piece of equipment. Holy Spirit, Immortal, and Origin Ranks were separated by a major tier from the Origin Rank that Su Xiao currently needed. This caused the item's bonus to Su Xiao to lean towards the lower end of its range.
The reason he took this out was that after his Luck Attribute reached 50 points, he had mastered an ability:
[Controller (Passive): Due to your immense karma and fortune, when your fortune is overdrawn, you can infuse the misfortune you bear into equipment/artifacts, thereby quickly relieving the fortune overdraft (This ability can only be activated after the fortune is overdrawn. Once your fortune returns to its normal level, this ability will enter a non-activatable state).]
That's right, Su Xiao was going to try something. He wanted to see what would happen if he infused his current misfortune into this piece of equipment.
Su Xiao attempted to activate the Controller ability. As expected, the ability entered an activatable state. Under his control, a hard-to-describe fluctuation gathered and was quickly infused into the [Azure Will +13 (Holy Spirit Rank · Accessory)]. After a few minutes, the equipment resealed itself, and its appearance and attributes underwent a drastic transformation at an astonishing speed.
Su Xiao carefully observed the changes in its attributes, but after a few seconds, he decisively took out a charcoal box and sealed it inside. Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei, who had been eating, all stopped.
"What was... that just now?"
Molei swallowed her saliva and spoke.
"..."
Su Xiao calmly put away the charcoal box and, uncharacteristically, changed the subject, saying, "I have a commission with a reward of 300 ounces of Space-Time Power. I wonder if you three are interested."
"Interested."
"Not interested."
"You have good taste."
The three spoke almost simultaneously. Then Molei and Hao Mei both looked at Yueshitu in the middle.
"That's 300 ounces of Space-Time Power!"
"Think about it. If you get 100 of it, how many summoning slots can you expand?"
Molei and Hao Mei wrapped their arms around Yueshitu's shoulders from both sides, while their other hands pinched Yueshitu's waist on both sides, causing Yueshitu to immediately give in.
If it were a commission paying Soul Coins, the three would hesitate. But since it was Space-Time Power, they would first listen to what the matter was before deciding.
"I'm planning to rescue someone from the Sea Race side recently."
Su Xiao spoke in a deep voice.
"Rescuing someone? That's not too bad. Who are you rescuing?"
Molei's tone relaxed noticeably as she continued enjoying her meal.
"The Dwarf King."
"The Dwarf King? Sounds familiar. Is he on the Sea Race side? Hao Mei, you're with the Sea Race now. Have you heard of him?"
"I've heard of him. He's a legendary blacksmith. The Sea Race guards him tightly. I can't even get close to the workshop district."
Hearing Hao Mei's words, Molei suddenly understood. "Oh~, this level of difficulty matches the reward of 300 ounces of Space-Time Power. But Bai Ye, you're not expecting us three to be the main force for the rescue, are you? That would be risky for both sides."
"You just need to use your respective specialties. To be precise, you'll be in danger, but you probably won't have to fight."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei all became more interested in the matter.
"Rescuing the Dwarf King is very difficult. After we infiltrate the Sea Race's main city, to divert attention and create an opportunity for the rescue, we need to use another matter to attract the Sea Race's attention."
Having said that, Su Xiao had Amu bring a map of the Sea Race's main city and spread it on the table.
"What should we do? Don't tell us we have to deliberately expose our Beast Race faction identity in the Sea Race's main city to attract their attention?"
"Of course not."
"That's great. But what should we do to attract the Sea Race's attention?"
Hao Mei smiled more relaxedly. Molei and Yueshitu beside her also showed relieved smiles.
"We're going to assassinate the Sea King."
As soon as Su Xiao said this, the smiles of the Apocalypse Sisters froze on their faces.
"?"
"??"
"???"
Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei looked at Su Xiao in confusion. At that moment, they all felt they had misheard. After hearing the words "We're going to assassinate the Sea King," the reward of 300 ounces of Space-Time Power suddenly didn't seem so appealing.
Sorry for the late update. My cervical spondylosis flared up, but since I just took a day off yesterday, I really didn't dare to ask for another one today. So I wrote for a while and rested for a while, stopping and starting from noon until now. My apologies.