Ten more minutes passed.
Disguised as a beggar, Medusa successfully blended into the bustling Night Market on the outskirts of the Ninth Base.
Looking at the dazzling array of goods and the tempting aroma of food around her, Medusa felt her mouth watering.
She couldn't wait to find the most luxurious hotel, empty the treasures from her baggage, and indulge in the lavish lifestyle of humankind.
However, reality taught this newcomer to human society a lesson.
She swaggered into a hotel called [Snow Velvet Hotel].
He casually pulled a fist-sized pure gold ingot from his bag, slammed it on the counter, and demanded a presidential suite.
The well-informed hotel manager looked at her as if she were an idiot.
"Excuse me, ma'am."
The manager politely pushed the gold ingot back.
"To prevent sabotage and money laundering by unknown forces, our Ninth Base has long since completely banned bartering and the circulation of gold and silver."
"Here, the only legitimate official currency is [Star Crystal]."
The manager looked Medusa up and down, noting her tattered clothes and unfamiliar face, and added.
"You must be an outsider who just fled from the rear, right?"
"If you wish to make purchases or conduct business within the base, you must first bring your valuables to the base's [Armed Forces Department] for exchange."
"The process of obtaining a temporary permit requires a rigorous medical examination and verification of identity information."
"Medical examination? Identity verification?"
Medusa's heart skipped a beat when she heard those two words.
If I go for a medical checkup, won't the snake tail under my skirt be exposed?
At that point, forget about spending money; you'll probably just be mistaken for an invading monster and shot dead.
Medusa looked troubled and tried to take the gold ingot and leave.
That manager has been working in the Night Market for years; what kind of monsters and scoundrels hasn't he seen?
Judging from Medusa's guilty look, it's clear she's definitely an unregistered person living under the radar.
Adhering to the principle that harmony brings wealth, the manager lowered his voice and subtly reminded the manager:
"Actually, rules are rigid, but people are flexible."
"There are many unregistered individuals like you in this Night Market who find it inconvenient to register with the authorities."
"Everyone's engaging in speculative and profiteering transactions behind the scenes."
"The higher-ups are turning a blind eye to this, as long as you don't go too far and cause too much trouble."
"Finding a few private buyers willing to purchase your items with Star Crystal is quite easy."
Upon hearing these words, Medusa felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and her mind was immediately at ease.
Thus, she naturally blended into the gray area of this Night Market.
She found a secluded corner, squatted down, stuck a small wooden stick into the ground, and began her life as an unregistered street vendor.
Just as she was idly waiting for her destined person to come to her door.
The gears of fate have begun to turn.
She deliberately activated the Evil God's hearing, and happened to catch the conversation between two girls not far away.
"I promised to get the boss some penguin meat. I completely forgot."
"They must sell them here, why don't we just buy a few?"
Gugu Penguin?
Medusa's eyes lit up.
Although she didn't know what it was, since someone wanted to buy it, it was business.
So she took the initiative to go up and start a conversation, which led to the scene where she patted Mo Wan on the shoulder earlier.
"Hmph, two adorable little sisters..."
I think I just heard...
"You're looking for... the Gugu Penguin, right?"
Medusa lowered her voice and asked mysteriously.
Mo Wan was startled and turned around to look at the blond beggar in front of her warily.
"That's right, do you have it?"
Seeing that the other person was dressed in tattered clothes, she couldn't help but become more suspicious.
Medusa smiled confidently, "Of course I do."
"But... do you have [Star Crystal]?"
"Star Crystal? What are those?"
Mo Wan scratched her head, looking blankly at Lin Zhu beside her.
Lin Zhu helplessly covered her face.
So this lady went out shopping without even knowing what the local currency was.
"Star Crystal are the common currency in this Ninth Base and the surrounding area."
Didn't Captain Lin explain this to us when he came to us?
Lin Zhu sighed.
Mo Wan stuck out her tongue, trying to get away with it by being cute.
"Oh dear, I was too sleepy at the time, I couldn't concentrate on listening to that."
"Lin Zhu, you definitely brought it, right? This is urgent!"
Lin Zhu shook her head helplessly, took out a small cloth bag from her inner pocket, and poured the contents into her palm.
Several blue crystals appeared before the two of them, and on the surface of the crystals, the number nine was engraved using micro-carving techniques.
"Here, this is the Star Crystal."
"Only the engineering department of China's Ninth Base can produce this level of purity and anti-counterfeiting technology."
Lin Zhu explained.
Seeing the few sparkling crystals, Medusa's eyes lit up, and she excitedly moved closer.
"Yes, yes, that's the taste! How many do you have left?"
Lin Zhu awkwardly clenched her hands.
"I didn't bring much. This is just the sample money the base staff gave us in advance because they saw we were insiders. It's only two hundred pieces."
Two hundred?
Medusa frowned; this was far too little.
"But it's okay."
Lin Zhu quickly added, "I can go back and exchange some right away."
"Mo Wan's spatial ring contains quite a few good things; each of them can be exchanged for a huge amount of Star Crystal at the Armed Forces Department."
Upon hearing this, Mo Wan immediately patted her chest and assured them, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go change!"
"I can't go back on my promise to the boss about the penguin meat."
After speaking, Lin Zhu cautiously looked at Medusa and asked, "Madam, are you sure you really have Gugu Penguin?"
To demonstrate her power, Medusa smiled knowingly.
"Little girl, don't be fooled by my beggar-like appearance. This is just a disguise to cover my identity as an unregistered resident."
"Actually, I represent a supplier."
"Don't even mention a few Gugu Penguin; even if you want rare and precious Natural Treasures, as long as you have enough Star Crystal, I can get them for you."
To prove she wasn't exaggerating, Medusa casually reached into the tattered bundle and rummaged around for a while.
Then, she pulled out a piece of rotten wood that looked like it had been struck by lightning.
"What kind of junk is this?"
Looking at the rotten piece of wood with its terrible appearance, Lin Zhu began to wonder if she had encountered a crazy conman in the middle of the night.
However.
Mo Wan's eyes narrowed the moment she saw the piece of wood.
As a rare possessor of the [Hundred Forgings] Supernatural Ability.
Mo Wan has an extremely keen perception of all kinds of materials, to the point of being abnormal.
The moment the piece of wood appeared, she knew it was something special.
"This... this material..."
Mo Wan tried to appear nonchalant and casually asked, "How much do you plan to sell this piece of broken wood for?"
Medusa was stunned.
She then realized that she had no idea about this price system.
She recalled the conversation she had overheard between the man and woman during their transaction in the cave.
In order to study the origin of human life, that man gritted his teeth and offered two hundred Star Crystal.
"Since an overnight stay costs two hundred Star Crystal..."
Medusa quickly calculated in her mind, "So, this piece of broken wood I'm used as firewood should be worth a little more than that fleeting pleasure, right?"
"After all, those guys used it as material for the gate."
So Medusa tentatively extended five fingers.
This was the largest number she could express with body language.
"Five hundred! Yes, five hundred Star Crystal!"
Medusa secretly rejoiced, thinking herself a negotiation genius.
Because this so-called broken piece of wood was just something she found too in the way of the [Jianmu] gate at the headquarters of the Desolate God Society.
It was just an insignificant scrap piece that I broke off at random.
But she naively underestimated the true value of the item.
Seeing Mo Wan's reaction, Lin Zhu immediately realized that this was definitely an extraordinary treasure.
At the same time, as the team's financial manager, she knew the prices in the Ninth Base like the back of her hand.
Here, 15 Star Crystal can buy a rice bowl, which is basically the same as the prices in China before the cataclysm.
The Natural Treasures are priced at outrageously high astronomical figures.
For example, the starting bid for an ordinary A-Class Spirit Artifact would definitely not be less than 1 million Star Crystal.
Materials that are chosen by a blacksmith as discerning as Mo Wan are definitely worth no less than A-Class Spirit Artifact.
Therefore, they adhered to the wise saying that Merchant should ask for exorbitant prices but settle for less.
Lin Zhu gave the number she was prepared to be verbally abused by the other party.
"5000 Star Crystal. We'll take this piece of wood."
Upon hearing this number...
Medusa was completely stunned.
Seeing her stunned expression, Lin Zhu realized she had driven the price down too far, and the other party was angry because she knew her stuff.
She was about to change her answer to fifty thousand.
But, the next second...
"Pfft, hahaha."
Medusa suddenly grabbed Lin Zhu's hand, as if afraid that he would change his mind, her voice cracking with excitement.
"Yes! Of course I'm willing!"
"5000 Star Crystal! It's a deal. Anyone who changes it is a coward!"
Now it was Lin Zhu's turn to be dumbfounded.
"Huh? Oh... Ohhhh."
Lin Zhu was somewhat stunned by Medusa's frenzied reaction.
She even began to doubt her own judgment: Had Mo Wan misjudged her?
"Is this thing really the kind of junk that nobody would want even if you gave it to them for free on the street?"
But Mo Wan, who was standing next to Lin Zhu's lower back, making Lin Zhu almost cry out in pain.
"Agree quickly. Don't hesitate, our dad's hit the jackpot!"
Although Lin Zhu was full of doubts, she nodded out of trust.
"Okay, it's a deal."
"Wait here for a moment, we'll go to the Armed Forces Department now to exchange for Star Crystal."
"No problem."
Medusa nodded excitedly, "Perfect timing, I also need to go get the Gugu Penguin you wanted."
"We'll meet in half an hour under that big electronic clock in the center of the Night Market. Money in one hand, goods in the other."
Catching a few penguins is nothing to her, an Evil God. It's as easy as stretching in the polar regions.
The two parties reached an agreement amicably and then turned and left.
After walking a distance, Lin Zhu finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked eagerly.
"Mo Wan, what exactly did you figure out? What is that broken piece of wood anyway?"
Mo Wan lowered her voice excitedly, "I can't explain anything too complicated to you."
"I'll only tell you one thing... that piece of wood is no ordinary piece!"
"I've only ever seen something like this in one person in my entire life."
"Who?"
"Boss."
Lin Zhu's pupils constricted sharply. "Could it be... a Special Grade?"
Mo Wan nodded.
"That's right, it's top-grade material."
"That blonde woman is an idiot; she has no taste whatsoever."
"She probably picked that up somewhere."
"We must raise the money quickly, before anyone else gets there first."
Lin Zhu's heart raced as she listened, and she nodded repeatedly.
But she still noticed something amiss, and her brows furrowed.
"That woman... something's really off."
"How could anyone casually sell a treasure of this caliber as junk?"
With mixed feelings, the two quickened their pace and arrived at the [Armed Forces Department] of the Ninth Base of China.
The main hall of the Armed Forces Department was still bustling with people.
In the VIP room of the exchange hall sat a familiar face.
He was old and weathered, but his body was still strong and upright.
He sat there, dressed in a simple military overcoat, leaning on a large knife, with his eyes closed, resting.
It was Lin Bayi, the legendary figure of the China military in the Barbaric Realm and the captain of the Dragon Ascension Squad.
Hearing footsteps, Lin Bayi opened his eyes.
When he saw the two people who entered, a smile appeared on his serious face.
"It's Xiao Wan and Xiao Zhu."
Lin Bayi's voice boomed, "What? Coming to the Armed Forces Department in the middle of the night, are you planning to exchange for Star Crystal?"
"Yes, Captain Lin."
Mo Wan excitedly stepped forward, reached into her spatial ring, and dumped a pile of weapons onto the table.
"Splash..."
"Could you please take a look and see how many Star Crystal I can exchange for these little trinkets?"
The clerk in charge of verification next to them was initially somewhat indifferent.
But when he saw the quality of the weapons on the table, his expression changed drastically.
"My god... 5 B-grade Spirit Artifact, 4 A-Class Spirit Artifact, and... and one of them is even S-class?"
The cashier was so excited her hands were trembling.
This is a scarce strategic resource.
Weapons enhanced by the [Hundred Forgings] Supernatural Ability are of far superior quality to those of the same level.
Lin Bayi looked at the impressive wealth on the table, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He smiled and joked.
"Such a big purchase! Looks like you two little girls spotted some amazing treasure at the Night Market."
Mo Wan gave a smug thumbs-up and chuckled, "Of course."
"Captain Lin, let me tell you, we've had incredible luck today."
"I ran into a blonde idiot at the Night Market. She actually mistook a piece of top-grade wood for firewood and only offered it for 5,000 Star Crystal."
"We absolutely have to take action against this outrageous leak."
"Top-grade... wood?"
Upon hearing these two keywords, Lin Bayi's gentle smile vanished instantly.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhu took the opportunity to voice her doubts.
They described in detail the events surrounding their encounter with the blond beggar, as well as his unusual behavior.
After listening to Lin Zhu's report, Lin Bayi's expression turned serious.
Please wait here for a moment.
Lin Bayi calmly gave an order, then called over an intelligence soldier and whispered a few words of instruction.
Less than ten minutes later, the intelligence officer returned quickly and reported confidently to the commander, "Reporting to the captain, it's confirmed."
"Half an hour ago, the Snow Velvet Hotel at the Night Market did report a suspicious blond beggar to the security department."
"The man took out a large, pure gold ingot and tried to book a room. His behavior was strange, and it matched Miss Lin's description perfectly."
After listening to the report, a murderous intent gradually rose in Lin Bayi's weathered eyes.
But instead of immediately ordering the arrests, he looked at Mo Wan and Lin Zhu and revealed the truth.
"If that piece of wood is truly, as Xiaowan said, a rare, top-grade material."
"So in this Barbaric Realm, there's only one possibility..."
"That is the divine object [Jianmu], which fell from the [Destruction Five Days] of the Sky Curtain."
"And this thing..."
"There are no five major powers on Blue Star."
"Only one dangerous organization possesses it..."
"That is... the Desolate God Society!"