Chapter 235: Your Wealth Exceeds Your Imagination!
Yuan Zhu was puzzled: “Can’t this space tunnel teleport continuously? Do we have to wait for people to return before it can be opened again?”
The captain put down the newspaper, locked his gaze on Yuan Zhu, sized him up, and only then slowly spoke: “This [Space Tunnel] is probably not like the ‘tunnel, road’ you understand. Think of the [Nightmare Bubble Layer] as an unknown chaos, time-disordered deep sea, and the ‘Space Tunnel’ is a pipeline delivering oxygen. Its purpose is to precisely locate ‘Bubble Worlds’, lock the time flow rate, and detect members sent inside.”
“[Space Tunnel] every time it’s used is throwing a batch of people into the deep sea, providing oxygen, performing coordinate positioning, and locking the [time speed difference]. This ensures personal safety, prevents getting lost in the wrong time, and can timely pull people back to [Happy Home]. When this [pipeline] is occupied, how do you enter a second time? Pull out the tube, abandon them, and let you in?”
Yuan Zhu nodded and asked again: “I heard that. Does the [Space Tunnel] have a headcount limit each time it’s opened?”
Captain: “As long as they are [Happy Home] members, they can enter. For team members not from [Happy Home], it depends on the [Space Tunnel]’s load limit and the outsiders’ own strength.”
Yuan Zhu was delighted and said: “Then bringing people out from [Bubble World]?”
The captain seemed to guess Yuan Zhu’s idea and directly replied: “The difficulty of bringing people out of [Bubble World] and returning to [Happy Home] is far lower than throwing strangers into [Bubble World]. However, the price of sending ‘outsiders’ to Du Ling’s present world is very high. You can consider getting them [Space of Gods. Contractor] status, which can slightly reduce the difficulty.”
Yuan Zhu: “Why is that?”
The captain countered: “Don’t you know about [Ascension Impulse]? In the present world, no matter who, once the pollution accumulation in the body exceeds a certain limit, phenomena like rejection, squeezing, detachment will occur, ultimately forcing ascension to [Spirit Realm Layer]. And in the [Spirit Realm Layer], if a ability user continues to get stronger and has the strength to impact the ‘Gods and Demons realm’, they will face [Second Ascension], entering the [Nightmare Bubble Layer].”
“So now the problem is, you want to bring natives of [Bubble World] back to Du Ling’s present world. This process goes against [Ascension, Second Ascension]. Surely there’s no need to pay a price?”
Yuan Zhu thought of last time when returning from the [Underground World], he used his [Tiger Demon Form] physical body to carry goods, stuffing the [Universe Within The Belly] full of ‘Ghost Companion. Shadow Magic Worm’.
As a result, after returning to Running, because the ‘shadow pollution total’ in his body seriously exceeded the limit, he had the illusion of his body involuntarily collapsing ‘toward the Shadow Layer below’.
If he hadn’t spat it out in time, he always felt like one leg was about to sink into the [Shadow Layer], then get stuck deep in the mud unable to extricate himself, and eventually the whole tiger would be swallowed, unable to return to the real world.
This collapse illusion was the [Ascension Impulse]. Additionally, at that time there was a strong premonition that this was a one-way ticket with no return.
Yuan Zhu asked again: “Then why can we [Happy Home] members freely go back and forth?”
The captain asked back: “Then why did [Happy Home] select you few instead of just anyone? You yourselves have certain traits that can weaken and exempt the cost of entering and exiting the real world. But more so, [Happy Home] and [Space of Gods] paid the fee for you.”
Yuan Zhu: “So, as we continue to get stronger, the cost of entering and exiting [Happy Home] will also get higher?”
The captain lightly clapped: “Correct! As your strength improves, the number of coins consumed to enter and exit [Happy Home] will increase. If your realm breaks through to [Gate], the consumption will be greatly reduced.”
“Why is that?”
Captain: “[Gate], as the name implies, is an alternative [Ascension Gate, Space Gate] form of [Space Tunnel]. Without birthing and condensing your own [Gate], [Ascension] is a one-way ticket to the unknown. You will be randomly exiled to the [Spirit Realm Layer] or somewhere else, hard to return.”
“If you can resist the [Ascension Impulse], or first enter the [Spirit Realm Layer] through other [Gates] to resolve the ‘Ascension crisis’, then continuously improve strength, finally return to the present world to condense the [Gate], lock the real-world coordinates, you can pay the price to travel between the two realms. With the [Gate], your spatiotemporal pressure-bearing capacity will greatly increase, and the fee for entering and exiting [Happy Home] will proportionally decrease.”
Having gained a lot of cultivation insider info, Yuan Zhu felt extremely satisfied, quickly recorded this knowledge, and got to the root: “Is this the secret of the [Gate Realm]? The [Shadow Dream Hole] I opened in the Bubble World is also a [Gate], right? So what am I now?”
Captain: “The ascension channel is just one manifestation of the [Gate]. It has more complex meanings. The [Shadow Dream Hole] you made in the Underground World is the prototype of a [Gate] for the [Bubble World]. I’ve carefully observed and studied your [Shadow Dream Hole]. Its formation has nothing to do with your personal ability. Its birth is 60% due to the ‘World Will’ itself; another 30% from the ‘Shadow Demon God authority’ behind you; the last less than 1% is your personal factor. In that less than 1%, how much was driven by your personal will versus some instinct, only you know.”
Snake Snake quietly said: “Boss, he’s talking about the birth of the [Shadow Dream Hole]. We at least take 40% absolute credit! It must be the [Tiger Demon]’s absolute will dominating! We ourselves are the ‘Shadow Demon God’ ah, it’s the Bubble World’s will kneeling and licking us, begging for joint venture to open the [Shadow Dream Hole]! Have confidence, be spirited! Good job! Be confident!”
Yuan Zhu suddenly realized: “Captain, you’ve been to my turf? Right, you’ve already turned the [Animal Husbandry Village] into the anchor spatiotemporal channel coordinate point for [Happy Home], right?”
“Indeed, I made some modifications to your ‘Shadow Space’, and helped handle nearby dangers, settled the [Cicada City] threat, successfully signed a friendly cooperation agreement with the City Lord. Next time you enter the [Underground World], you can directly contact [Cicada City] high-level, trade with them, make some reasonable demands, command soldiers, transfer supplies…”
Yuan Zhu was astonished. From the other’s words, the [Animal Husbandry Village]’s situation was completely different from the ‘low-key development route’ he set before returning—surprisingly high-profile?
“What did you do?”
Captain: “Naturally, seriously surveyed the [Underground World] environment, studied the local ‘pollution insect eggs’, observed the native power system, living environment, social culture… Finally felt your ‘territory’ development speed was too slow, unable to bear the needs of a [Happy Home] branch, so proactively communicated with [Cicada City] for friendly exchange. After breaking through the ‘Lower Urban Area’, successfully reached agreement with the City Lord, turning them into strategic partners of the [Mao Mao King brand], namely the breeding base for ‘new silk thread’.”
The captain said a bunch of formalities, but Yuan Zhu only heard one sentence: “You broke through [Cicada City]?!”
“A single newcomer like you can commit a major crime in [Cicada City] and retreat unscathed; as [Happy Home]’s Administrator, [Mao Mao King]’s Agent, can’t I handle a mere [Cicada City]? Just five fake [Gates].”
Yuan Zhu recalled, when he opened the [Shadow Dream Hole], the [Cicada City] scene seen through the ‘Dream Hole’ perspective. The five strongest true Innates in [Cicada City], each controlling a [Dream Hole]. Physical bodies stayed in Lower Urban Area, heavily protected; then use ‘Insect Armor’ to protect the ‘Primordial Spirit’, project through Dream Hole to explore the [Nightmare Layer]… This is [Primordial Spirit Out-of-Body + Nightmare Ascension].
He also knew that [Dream Hole] is approximately equal to the Bubble World’s [pseudo-gate]. So the five strongest Innates in [Cicada City] have strength below Du Ling’s true [Gate] level?
He didn’t know the captain’s level, but clearly an [old gate] or higher? Breaking five [fake gates] isn’t exaggerated. After all, the [Underground World] has not just one [Cicada City], but dozens of Insect Cities, plus Technician Alliance, Reverse Life Immortal Sect…
“Uh…”
His brain suddenly got a bit chaotic. The wretched development plan targeted at the [Shadow Domain] seemed ready to be overturned and redone.
“Uh, so next time I return to the [Underground World], I don’t need to hide, can openly develop the ‘territory’?”
The captain’s expression was also a bit strange: “You… seem to not need to develop territory, just directly receive the fruits.”
Yuan Zhu keenly sensed something wrong: “What do you mean?”
“To anchor and build this [Space Tunnel], I had no choice but to act and develop that territory for you, and make some modifications. Because our mutual [Supernatural Systems] are incompatible, I’m not familiar with minor pollutions like [Shadow], so I directly fully developed the potential of this [territory]. Next time you descend, directly inherit and sign for the results.”
Yuan Zhu was stunned listening. What does ‘territory’s potential fully developed’ mean?
Do you know the potential of [Tiger Demon Domain] is infinite? A proper Tiger Demon Domain can be developed to connect Yin-Yang Realms, occupy mountains as king in the Human World, establish [City God System], enfeoff demonic monsters; in the Underworld carve out a region, create a [small Underworld], enslave ghosts, stockpile yin soldiers…
Even if [Tiger Demon Domain] is polluted by [Shadow], the potential hasn’t disappeared, just will reappear in even more inconceivable ways. You tell me the potential is fully excavated?! I don’t believe it!
Facing Yuan Zhu’s expression full of doubt, the captain seriously recalled, then nodded to confirm: “Indeed fully developed, reached the [territory] load upper limit. The [Shadow Pollution] intensity upper limit isn’t high to begin with. You’ll understand when you see it then.”
The captain waved his hand, a knowers-know, non-knowers won’t get it even if told attitude. Go see it yourself then, you’ll understand everything. Too lazy to explain more to you.
Yuan Zhu could only shut up indignantly, deciding to go see what the captain developed his ‘territory potential’ into.
“Then how are the subordinates I left in the [territory], and the ‘bugs’ I cultivated?”
In the [Animal Husbandry Village], he not only successfully hatched [Pollution. Mao Shi Worm], [Moon Worship. Mao Shi Worm], but also developed [Shadow. Yuan Shi Worm], and various [Holy Light. Coleoptera/Hemiptera].
Didn’t know how their development was?
The captain reassured: “Don’t worry, I didn’t touch your leftovers, instead provided more resources, opened larger and safer Farming Facility. And those kids you left, I also in your name got a batch of resources from [Cicada City] to cultivate them.”
“Oh? What resources?”
“Advanced techniques and pills targeted at [Cicada System Dao Seed], top-grade pure True Qi. No longer need to spend essence energy to feed Spirit Insects, can put more energy into learning. A pair of siblings claiming to be your subordinates asked me for [Alchemy, Armor Forging]. I found the Underground World’s ‘cultivation system’ not only complete and comprehensive, but very characteristic, so spent quite some effort robbing more complete orthodox inheritance from the [Technician Alliance]. And copied the basic parts for them. If you want more, you can buy in [Mao Mao King]’s exchange area, 20% off for our own people.”
Yuan Zhu was dumbfounded: “You broke through the [Technician Alliance] too?”
The captain looked proud: “No. The [Technician Alliance] has long split into 9 technician tribes. Some tribes settled and built cities; some nomadic, moving in underground root network tunnels… I just found a few ‘tribal branches’, quietly stole the inheritance knowledge.”
Yuan Zhu complained: “Aren’t they all Immortal Methods passed down from [Kunlun Immortal Sect]? Very rare?”
“No no no, the [Technician Alliance] made by these ‘Insect Cultivators’ is very interesting. Seems derived from [Kunlun Immortal Method], but actually forges a new path into its own lineage, with [Bug] as root core, connected to [classical pill dao, artifact forging method]. Some extreme survival, exploitation of corpses ([Corpse Seed]), very valuable research. Can be transplanted to [Star Realm Layer] extreme environments for colonial development…”
Yuan Zhu was made itchy-hearted by his words, so he slipped to the exchange stone pillar side, reached out to touch, split attention. Put part of attention into the [Exchange List. Mao Mao King zone].
Soon, besides a series of [Blood Eggplant, Buddha Tomato], [luxury children’s wear series]… he found brand new [Insect Eggs Dao Seed (Cicada series), Reverse Life Spirit Plant, Martial Arts techniques, pills…].
Finally, in the directory named [Technician Alliance], he discovered [Armor Casting Royal Clan, Metal Bug Furnace, Decomposition Bug Tower, Tube Worm Family, Feathered Immortal Scripture, Armory Method…] and a bunch of familiar or unfamiliar terms, respectively representing the largest nine ‘Technician Families’, and corresponding technology systems.
Compared to his own barren [Shadow. Tiger Demon Technology], any single ‘technology family’ inheritance was richer than the [Boss Template].
Yuan Zhu couldn’t help asking: “That pair of siblings must have gotten much stronger now, right? If I bring them out of [Happy Home] back to reality, what price do I need to pay? Can I afford it?”
Captain: “You definitely can’t afford it, but your [territory]’s value far exceeds your imagination. Once you inherit the territory, walk it through as [Happy Home] Partners identity, can send the two into the real world.”
Yuan Zhu breathed a sigh of relief: “Phew——, that’s good!”
