Chapter 460 - Unregistered Merchants

Han Wu tossed the Abyssal Netherstones into the Fabricator, and it started working. The two watched it intently and waited for the results. Three minutes later, cube-like crystals dropped from the Fabricator.

Han Wu picked one up for a closer look. Regular dots marked its surface, and its interior looked clear and free of impurities. He could tell with the naked eye that its purity exceeded 90%. He was uncertain whether it was 100% pure without the specialized equipment for it, but he had actually purchased a tester before coming here to measure crystal purity. This was a good chance to use it.

He placed the crystal into the machine, and the device started evaluating it. After several tests, it produced a report filled with technical data.

Han Wu grabbed the report and read through it. He didn’t understand some of the technical jargon, but the final result pleased him. The Abyssal Netherstone was confirmed to be 100% pure.

The result thrilled him. He had checked the Abyssal Netherstones’ price before coming here. Those at 90% purity sold for 100,000 Divine Points per gram. At 91% purity, the price jumped to 150,000. The highest grade on the market reached only 99% purity and sold for 10 million Divine Points per gram.

Han Wu could already picture the bidding war the crystal with 100% purity would stir at an auction. However, the Abyssal Mine sat under a strange electromagnetic field that blocked the signals from other civilizations. Thus, he decided to store the crystals for now and find a buyer once he returned.

Meanwhile, Jing Jing was researching the little ship that Han Wu had obtained. Her time at Imperial College had given her a solid background in many fields, from the study of the undead to other subjects like science and mechanical engineering.

She extended her senses around the small ship and carefully checked each feature. The ship surprised her because it surpassed their divine realms in several areas.

The ship was only ten square kilometers in size and was in the shape of a sharpened rod. Even so, its equipment was top tier. Its energy source caught her attention first. She discovered an actual beating heart of a King life form. Each beat generated enough power to keep the ship moving through the Abyssal Mine. Unfortunately, the output from a King life form was limited, so the ship moved at a slow pace. Still, it could reach speeds far beyond anything their divine realms could achieve.

Moreover, the ship had two weapon systems. The first was the Energy Cannon at the stern. It drew power from Abyssal Netherstones to fire an attribute-less energy beam that could kill a Lord life form in a single hit. Unfortunately, something of this caliber was too weak to threaten Gods like them. Still, the Energy Cannon served a different purpose; it acted as an accelerator that gave the ship a burst of speed for a short time.

The second weapon was installed at the bow. It was called Dark Spike and resembled a 100-meter-long hidden needle. Once activated, the needle would shoot forward and pierce the target. The weapon delivered lethal penetrative force and could kill a High Lord in one strike. It ranked as the stronger of the two systems.

In addition, the ship had a support system called Feather Sails. They were mounted on the port and starboard sides. When the ship encountered strong wind, the Feather Sails would open and boost its speed for a short period.

Jing Jing inspected the ship and suddenly had the urge to modify her own divine realm, which covered 300,000 square kilometers; it was enormous compared to the small ship. If she wanted her divine realm to be as nimble as the small ship, she would need many powerful systems.

Compared with the systems on the little ship, Jing Jing’s divine realm only had two units that qualified as usable systems. They were the two Titan Osteomancers, each of them standing 10,000 meters tall. Their incredible destructive power made them an ideal weapon system. They could kill a King life form with one strike and still win easily against a Sage life form as long as the enemy didn’t counter them. Unfortunately, Jing Jing had nothing else in her divine realm that counted as a system.

By contrast, Han Wu had a lot more at his disposal. His divine realm contained four powerful systems.

The first was the Epistian Tower, which could launch a powerful fire ball across long distances. The second was Steely, an Earthsunder unit that could fuse its 100 greatswords into a 1,000-meter-long blade. Its strike could even tear through the surrounding space.

The third was Dark Locust, another Earthsunder unit that could detonate itself and unleash an explosion far more powerful than Steely’s attack. The fourth consisted of the Great Dragons living in his divine realm. They were the symbol of terror and dignity and could easily crush any units that tried to rob Han Wu.

Even so, their systems still felt a bit simple and primitive compared to the many ships moving through the mines.

As they were considering ways to modify their divine realms, a small ship approached them.

Han Wu assumed they faced another group of robbers and assembled his army to attack them. The ship carefully closed in but didn’t cross into their divine realms. Instead, it docked just outside the boundary, and its crew took out a trumpet-shaped treasure.

One of them shouted into it, “We are merchants stationed in the Abyssal Mine. We hope to trade with the two esteemed guests from the Divine Civilization. Are you willing to trade?”

Han Wu and Jing Jing exchanged a quick glance. They had no reason to doubt their identities. They had already reviewed the information about this area and had learned about the merchants that operated throughout the Abyssal Mine.

There were two types of merchants here. The first type were unregistered merchants. They didn’t have permits from the three major civilizations and usually operated in small fleets. Other ships often robbed them, so the ones who survived here tended to know a few tricks that helped them handle stronger opponents.

The second type were the official merchants. They had permits from one or more civilizations and received protection by them while operating here. They also tended to carry a wider range of goods.

Han Wu inspected the merchant who had called out to them. The merchant was controlling a small ship, and Han Wu could tell he belonged to the first group. Merchants like him rarely carried anything valuable.

Han Wu was ready to turn him away when Jing Jing spoke. “Let him in.”

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Han Wu looked at her with confusion. He wasn’t sure why she would allow an illegal merchant to step into their divine realms.

Jing Jing explained, “I’ve caught the scent of death and darkness on his ship.”