In the underground area of the Garrison, Yulis was shackled with multiple seal stones, looking dejected.
After Xing Jing Lei strode away, he had tried to escape by transforming into a poisonous mist serpent. However, the numerous seal stones bound him tightly from every part, leaving him with no choice but to sigh. He realized the Burning Flame Merchant Guild had deep foundations – in fact, these seal stones were acquired recently at an auction, where a major power used them to offset the cost of Ghost Crystals.
Given that the sealed mystic stones took direct effect and were almost unseen in the Fallen Star Cavern region, Fang You ordered all of them to be collected. He even used Ghost Crystals to purchase an additional batch, clearing out the entire inventory of that faction's goods.
And all of this, well, was used on the mythical Yulis.
It could be said that their effectiveness was rapidly demonstrated.
However, more than being fully sealed and severely wounded, with his strength reduced to a tenth, Yulis found it even more unbelievable, "The one who defeated me, was it truly a Six Awakening?"
Then why did they defeat him, a Myth, without saying a word and leave with disinterest?
He looked at Iloxi, hoping for an answer that the burly man was indeed a true Myth.
However,
"What's so amazing about a Six Awakening defeating a Myth! What era is this, who can't defeat a Myth by stepping over realms!"
This tone, as if stating common knowledge, plunged Yulis into a state of existential doubt once more. He couldn't help but ask himself if he had become out of touch with the times, if his centuries of cultivation had been wasted.
He was about to say something more when the Empress, with hair as vibrant as flames, slammed heavily on the table.
"Stop with the nonsense! Answer the questions obediently! If you don't want to be annihilated by humans!"
A small flame ignited at the fingertip of the mythical Empress. Though small, it seemed like millions of immense fireballs compressed into a solid form, containing terrifying energy that warped the surrounding space.
Seeing this, Yulis lowered his head in humiliation.
He began to describe his skills, including his abilities and techniques. As a noble Myth who had lived for centuries, the number of techniques he had mastered in his life was so vast that he couldn't finish describing them in three days and three nights.
But he was interrupted after only thirty seconds.
The red-haired Empress appeared impatient, "So troublesome." She then summoned two clerks, a man and a woman, both carrying small notebooks and quills. They looked frail and exuded a weakness akin to common insects.
To have such ants interrogate this old man? Outrageous!
Myths are not to be insulted!
"Ask."
These two asked questions that were sharp and precise. In a short time, Yulis found his abilities and techniques categorized and priced.
In the words of these Burning Flame Merchant Guild members, his value as Yulis determined his sentence.
Despite his disdain, he dared not hide anything from Iloxi, who looked quite impatient, and laid out his abilities.
After a while,
" Garrison Commander Iloxi, the abilities have been organized."
The demure-looking female clerk with glasses spoke and handed over the recorded information.
Yulis's primary ability was naturally poison, from which he derived poisonous clouds, poisonous liquids, and poisoned snake beasts. Furthermore, he was a summoner, capable of reviving corpses to fight for him and creating giant bone hands.
However, these abilities were only useful for bullying the weak, completely ineffective against peers, and useless for creating value.
What was more useful was Yulis's considerable skill in refining poisons and his mastery in making antidotes. He could be considered a master in this regard. But after browsing through it, Yulis only found poisons and antidotes to be of value.
Everything else was either trash or even worse.
"Why don't we just kill him? This fellow knows too little, and we'd have to assign quite a few people to guard him. It's a waste of manpower and resources."
Iloxi stroked her chin.
Her tone seemed genuine, and Yulis the Myth's forehead began to sweat.
But, he truly only knew these things! He had held nothing back! Wait, I learned so much, why is it worthless in your eyes?
Outrageous! Myths are not to be insulted!
The arrival of a blonde, silver-armored woman brought a glimmer of hope to Yulis.
She spoke, "After all, he is a Myth. Killing him would be too wasteful. Let's give him a period of observation to see his performance. If it's not satisfactory, we can kill him then."
Compared to the red-haired Empress, the blonde woman's tone was very calm. However, when the word 'kill' fell, Yulis's body suddenly erupted with goosebumps, a chill shot straight to his mind, and the sea of his divine sense churned violently.
This was a crisis warning.
This was the keen intuition of a Myth.
The blonde, silver-armored woman before him was also a Myth? This small Burning Flame Merchant Guild oasis, with the power of four Myths, and this one seemed even stronger!
Yulis was stunned.
The failure of this surprise attack, he attributed partly to the weakness of the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master and partly to his own insufficient preparations. But looking at it now, no matter how much preparation he made, it would have been like throwing an egg against a rock.
This Burning Flame Merchant Guild was simply toxic!
"But if your performance is good and you create enough value, you can also receive some additional benefits."
The blonde woman, who was also the Garrison Commander of the Burning Flame Merchant Guild, said so.
However, Yulis cared nothing for any benefits. As a dignified Myth, what benefits did he care about? What he cared about most was freedom, and he hoped the Burning Flame Merchant Guild would keep its promise.
After his abilities were recorded, Yulis received his first task.
Making potions.
Refining all the poisons and antidotes he knew. Currently, under the supervision of the red-haired Empress, he was walking up the spiraling stairs of the dungeon.
He heard the two frail clerks in front of him say that they were taking him to the warehouse to collect supplies and that he would be assigned a laboratory for his work.
Upon exiting the dungeon, sunlight bathed the land.
This was within the Garrison, the most heavily guarded place in the entire oasis. Countless experts came and went, with four Myths present, and the vast expanse of divine sense swept through at intervals.
Yulis wore a bitter expression.
Fortunately, the Burning Flame Merchant Guild had left him some dignity, allowing him to wear a loose black robe to cover the seal stones shackled around his neck, wrists, and ankles.
Thinking this, Yulis decided to work obediently for a period. At least for now, he saw no possibility of escape. But he believed that opportunities would arise.
With four Myth-level combatants present, this small oasis could not accommodate so many Myths. Even with the powerful Burning Flame Merchant Guild, they would gradually send these Myths to other places to secure more profits.
Furthermore, as time passed, the vigilance of the guards would gradually decline. That would be his chance, Yulis's chance to break free from his shackles and enter the vast ocean.
For now, he would endure!
He stood motionless like a statue, waiting for the two clerks to collect the instruments needed for potion making.
However, the commotion in front of another building not far away caught Yulis's attention. He raised his gaze and saw a sign that read 'Task Exchange & Item Redemption'.
"One three-star mission, rated excellent, received contribution points.... Oh, you want to exchange contribution points for Dragon Snake Potion? Please wait."
"One four-star mission, rated excellent, a total of contribution points for you all... Also, Captain Roland, this is the Giant Growth ability fruit you reserved a few days ago."
"Recruiting teammates for a six-star eradication mission? Okay, I'll pin it for you."
Another building was more than a hundred meters away, but for a Myth, this distance was negligible.
A wisp of breeze carried the sounds into Yulis's ears.
He was astonished.
He didn't know the value of contribution points, but he knew the value of the epic Dragon Snake Body Tempering Potion, and that Giant Growth ability fruit, which had fetched a sky-high price at auction.
Fake, right! After all, the people receiving the potion and fruit were a Three Awakening and a Five Awakening, respectively. How could beings of such insignificant Awakening levels possess such treasures?
Especially that Giant Growth ability fruit, even Yulis the Myth couldn't afford it. Only one had appeared at auction, and how could a mere Five Awakening possess it!
He didn't believe it at all, guessing it was a staged performance by the Burning Flame Merchant Guild.
Yulis scoffed at these things.
But since he had nothing else to do, he still cast his gaze sideways, observing what was happening in the distance. He saw the Three Awakening shake the potion and then gulp it down at the redemption window.
The Five Awakening also did the same. He picked up the treasure box containing the fruit, opened it directly, and seemed to grab it and eat it in a few bites without even looking.
As the intricately patterned fruit was bitten and swallowed, Yulis's heart skipped a beat.
"That ability fruit... is real!"
He was only eighty percent sure about the Dragon Snake Body Tempering Potion, but he was absolutely certain about the ability fruit. He had secretly observed such fruits many times. During the auction, he had also remotely focused his attention and saw the Giant Growth ability fruit being auctioned at that time.
This one was identical!
But to be eaten by a mere Five Awakening, what a waste!
Perhaps this Five Awakening was a direct descendant of some Myth, the red-haired Empress's or the blonde woman's? People with backing certainly lived comfortable lives.
Yulis felt a mix of jealousy and envy.
But what happened next made him even more shocked, amidst his envy and jealousy.
In a short moment, three Burning Flame Awakened individuals took the ability fruit, and the other two were merely minor Three Awakenings. He tried to convince himself that these two were just escorts for nobles, but the first thing they did upon taking out the fruit was to stuff it into their mouths and swallow it in a few bites.
Was this reasonable?
What had happened to this world?
Yulis cried out internally, watching the Burning Flame Merchant Guild personnel coming and going, and the Ghost Artifacts on them emitting faint glows. Something in his heart seemed to shatter, while something else slowly began to rise.
...
...
The troublesome aspect of Yulis, a Myth, was not in how much value he could create, but in his safekeeping.
Even though he was severely wounded and shackled with seal stones, theoretically, it would require a Half-Myth to guard him to ensure safety.
However, the only individuals with such strength in the entire Burning Flame Merchant Guild were Citina, Iloxi, and Xing Jing Lei. They all needed to cultivate, and spending their precious time guarding a Myth would be a true waste.
Moreover, Iloxi and Xing Jing Lei were unreliable to a degree.
The true reliance, the person appointed to guard Yulis, was Xiao Huan. Xiao Huan had many daily tasks and often had to兼顾 cultivation missions. But due to the special nature of the Illusion Spirit, multitasking was as easy as eating and drinking for Xiao Huan. She could firmly lock onto Yulis while performing her duties.
This was an unwavering, unfocused, unblinking gaze.
At the same time, Xiao Huan could descend upon any official member of the Xin Huo organization through illusionary traversal, bringing judgment. This meant that assigning two or three people to guard Yulis was equivalent to Xiao Huan guarding him at all times.
This did not require much manpower, which was also why Fang You decided to keep this captured Myth for the time being.
"However, we still need to let this captive exert his subjective initiative. After some time, when research on the notarization rituals progresses, we can let Yulis try... This can also be considered extracting more value from him."
These rituals, along with their data and ritual stone tablets, had previously been transported to Blue Star via Xiao Huan's cross-border courier service.
Before Fang You were several stone tablets, as large as doors, etched with dense, mysterious patterns. These stone tablets all pointed to a specific ritual – the Popularity Collection Ritual.
And the stone tablets were the foundation of the ritual, or rather, pre-prepared core ritual components. They were also the most time-consuming, Ghost Crystal-consuming, and material-consuming parts of setting up a ritual.
Fang You had already summoned Wang Chui, Yin Ling, Liu Shang, and others to study them together.
"As long as these six stone tablets are inserted into the ground at equal distances, and then several materials are fused with evil blood to create rituals for inscribing auxiliary patterns, this ritual can be completed."
"The covered area is approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. If you want a larger range for the ritual's effect, that's also not a problem. Just create more stone tablets and use multiples of the basic version of materials... because this ritual was designed from the beginning to be adjustable in size."
Master Wang Chui, after studying for a long time, reached this conclusion.
The speed was certainly due to the clear technical data laid out before them, with no significant bottlenecks. It also benefited from this ritual being merely epic-grade, requiring less advanced materials. Fang You scanned the list and found that they could gather everything at present.
He instructed the forging department to immediately begin working, creating stone tablet components, each equivalent in value to an epic Ghost Artifact.
The smallest-scale Popularity Collection Ritual would cost an equivalent of 7-8 epic Ghost Artifacts to set up, while what he intended to create was a ritual capable of covering the entire base city.
This was burning money, but it was worth burning.
Wang Chui led the workshop workers in a three-shift rush, while Liu Shang directed a team of Xin Huo personnel to install the stone tablets and inscribe the ritual. In just ten days, this super-powerful, enhanced version of the Popularity Collection Ritual was completed.
As the patterns connected and the circuits were completed, the entire ritual began to operate, and invisible power surged.
Ghost Crystals began to be consumed ceaselessly.
Above the Water Marsh Base City, a subtle change occurred.
The sky remained azure, the warm breeze continued to blow, and the streets were bustling with crowds. Everything seemed the same as before. However, in Fang You's vision, small white particles, the size of rice grains, appeared, slowly floating up, and being collected into an unseen container.
These light particles were somewhat similar to clusters of belief light, but much smaller.
He gazed, like a reverse-flowing snow, fluttering down, far surpassing the illustrative scenes attached to the ritual data.
This was normal.
After all, this was Water Marsh Base City, a mega-city with a population of three hundred million.
After a month of the ritual operating and consuming millions of Ghost Crystals, Fang You could no longer contain himself. He took the vast amount of popularity collected by the ritual, tore through space, and arrived at Oasis No. 1, 'Spark Oasis', a scene of prosperity.
He slowly injected this 'experience points' that the oasis urgently needed.
One day,
Two days,
Three days,
"Ding!"
"Notification: Spark Oasis Level Lv3 → Lv4. Oasis is undergoing transformation, new resource points are being born."