The little incident on Green Algae Star had been settled.
After Panxi was sent away, peace returned to the lavish hall.
The ship cruised at a steady speed through the vastness of space, awaiting further instructions from Hu Yanbo.
The immense wealth brought by the lake of Locke divine water swept away some of the chill in Hu Yanbo's heart like a warm current, greatly boosting his confidence in his "repayment" plan.
Even in the world of Swallowed Star, there was almost nothing that "money" could not solve.
If there was, either your cultivation level was too high, or you did not have enough money.
First, I'll enter the Initial Universe, study the Chaos Stele, and finish repaying what I owe! Then I'll improve myself further. Hu Yanbo considered his plan, then acted without further hesitation.
He sent a wisp of his consciousness into the Virtual Universe Network. Soon, a detailed list he had previously gathered of all major auctions scheduled within Human Territory over the next several hundred years was filtered and displayed before him.
He quickly focused his attention on the "intermediate auctions" category.
Unlike elementary auctions, which attracted large numbers of World Lords, auctions of this level were usually held only once every ten thousand years, on a scale far beyond the ordinary.
Almost everyone admitted was an Immortal God!
They were generally led by the Virtual Universe Company, sometimes in partnership with giants such as the Giant Axe Arena or the Universe Mercenary Alliance. They were held in carefully selected core star regions of a High-level Universe Country and operated by premier auction houses directly under those giants.
As for the "advanced auctions," which offered the highest standards and the richest resources?
They generally underwent a long period of advance promotion, with announcements spread through various channels to the strongest experts.
Hu Yanbo's former standing had placed him just at the threshold for invitations from advanced auction houses.
So far, however, Hu Yanbo had received no promotional notices about any upcoming advanced auctions.
Hu Yanbo quickly scanned the names of several intermediate auctions listed in the virtual display that were due to take place within the next hundred years:
Silverwing Auction (organizer: Virtual Universe Company · Silverwing Universe Country branch venue)
Gu Lun Auction (organizer: Giant Axe Arena affiliate · Gulun Universe Country branch venue)
Cosmos Auction (organizer: jointly initiated by the major giants · Cosmos Auction House)
He quickly skipped the irrelevant introductions and went straight to the "finale lot previews" published in advance for each auction.
Unlike advanced auctions, which always offered entry slots, intermediate auctions generally only offered slots for Marquis-level Immortals to enter the Initial Universe among their finale lots.
The finale lots that appeared before him were all enough to tempt an Immortal God:
Silverwing Auction, finale lot-Heavenly Venom Stone: originating from a dangerous Cosmic Secret Realm, even a fingernail-sized piece contains potent poison. An extraordinary item for crafting weapons or poisoning battle armor, a single drop can severely injure an ordinary Marquis. A favorite of certain powerful beings.
Gu Lun Auction, finale lot-Holy Spirit Tree leaf (one): contains a powerful aura of life origin. A remnant of a sacred healing treasure for King-level Immortals, it also has remarkable effects on severely injured Marquis Immortals. A rare, lifesaving treasure.
The more Hu Yanbo read, the tighter his brow furrowed.
Nothing.
He searched through the finale lot lists of nearly a dozen upcoming intermediate auctions, yet found no trace of a slot for a Marquis-level Immortal to study in the Initial Universe!
He did come across slots for Immortal Army Lords several times, but those were useless to him. Their level was too low.
How could this be? he wondered. Is my luck really that bad? Do all the possible intermediate auctions over the next several hundred years happen to have no slots available? Or are my information channels too slow, and advance knowledge of these slots requires higher access privileges?
Whatever the reason, the reality lay before him-obtaining a slot through an upcoming intermediate auction was not an option for now.
Wait for the next intermediate auction that might offer a slot?
That would mean at least a thousand years, perhaps ten thousand or even longer!
And what about the more reliable advanced auctions, whose timing was entirely beyond his control?
Those were even more elusive. There was no way to estimate the wait, and even ten thousand years would be an optimistic starting point!
"Phew..." Hu Yanbo drew a deep breath. "Looks like I'll have to find some hidden corner to hole up in and patiently wait for the next intermediate auction with a slot."
Although Demon Hand King was most likely convinced that he had already perished, who knew whether something unexpected might happen?
What if his enemy suddenly decided to track him down again on a whim?
What if one of Demon Hand King's servants happened to discover some trace of the Yunmo Star Ship?
Strength!
Without sufficient strength, even his right to wait in peace hung by a thread!
Although Demon Hand King's shadow was not before his eyes, it hung over every moment of his future like the sword of Damocles.
Just you wait, Demon Hand King! Hu Yanbo snarled inwardly at his stifling predicament.
He would kill Demon Hand King with his own hands.
Just as Hu Yanbo was preparing to retreat into his Divine Kingdom to recuperate in peace, his gaze drifted unconsciously across the Virtual Universe communication interface.
At the top of the long contact list, a name that had only recently been pinned there, flashing with a special marker, suddenly caught his eye-
Void True King!
Like a faint yet unmistakably clear flash of lightning, that name instantly cleaved through the fog in his mind!
That's right! How could I have forgotten him?! Hu Yanbo's antennae snapped straight!
Hadn't this Peak King soul master praised him and left his contact information just recently?!
Moreover, Void True King was reportedly a mid-to-upper-ranking member of the Universe Mercenary Alliance. Could he have access to slots for entering the Initial Universe?
Hu Yanbo barely hesitated!
He opened Void True King's communication interface and sent a message:
"Senior Void True King, this is Hu Yanbo. Please forgive my intrusion! Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to form the complete seventh level of the Void Tower! Filled with excitement, I hoped to exchange insights with you. I would be deeply grateful!"
The message was sent successfully.
Afterward, Hu Yanbo's consciousness did not remain idle. Through multiple layers of encrypted anonymous channels, he deftly contacted several reputable resource trading organizations with powerful backing and an extremely strict commitment to confidentiality, as well as the organizers of these intermediate auctions.
Even if Void True King had a slot, Hu Yanbo could not simply hold out his hands and expect to receive it!
He therefore began anonymously selling the newly acquired Locke divine water in small amounts across multiple batches!
He would convert that mountain of wealth-the Locke divine water-into highly liquid Hunyuan units ready for payment, in an orderly and secure manner.
In many legitimate, efficient transactions throughout the universe, particularly payments to giant institutions such as the Virtual Universe Company and the Universe Mercenary Alliance, or even auctions requiring identity verification, using Locke divine water directly was highly inconvenient.
Hunyuan units were the universal and most convenient unit of settlement within Human Territory!
Before you continue