novelraw Chapter 115: Harvest
Chapter 115: Harvest
Over an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
By now, a large number of experts had gathered near the stone doors.
These experts either stood in the open or hid in the shadows, their eyes fixed intently on the soon-to-open stone doors.
Most of them were Imperial Citizen Players, as players could easily communicate in reality.
The moment news of a Purple-grade ruin appearing spread, players hundreds of miles away instantly found out and rushed over as fast as they could.
Among the numerous Imperial Citizen Players, there were even a few streamers from the Virtual Network.
Streaming was a profession within the Virtual Network where individuals broadcasted specific content to attract Imperial Citizens, earning income through their donations.
The absolute top-tier star streamers across the thirty-six great universal human empires could rake in hundreds of millions of Azure Surge Coins in a single stream, and they possessed immense influence.
"Everyone, I finally made it before the ruin opened. This is a Purple-grade ruin, so rest assured, watch me go on a killing spree. What happened last time at the Tianwu ruin was a total accident."
A short figure, standing slightly over three feet tall, appeared nearby and spoke to the audience in his stream.This short figure was named Hei Guang. He was a rather famous streamer, maintaining a viewership of over a hundred thousand for every broadcast.
These hundred thousand viewers were all Imperial Citizens, starting at the Planetary Lifeform stage, and there was no shortage of Starry Sky Lifeforms among them.
The reason he could attract so many viewers was that Hei Guang was a Planetary Lifeform—a Level 9 limit Planetary Lifeform.
In truth, with Hei Guang's foundation, stepping into the Starry Sky Lifeform realm wouldn't be a problem at all. However, once he broke through, his stream's viewership would inevitably plummet.
At the Level 9 limit, he could utterly dominate other Planetary Lifeforms, providing excellent entertainment for his stream!
But as a Starry Sky Lifeform? He would lose every shred of uniqueness.
"Go, Hei Guang!"
"Kick this ruin's ass!"
"That's right, we believe in your strength! Invincible at Level 9, invincible at the Fourth-Rank!"
Looking at the barrage of comments flooding his stream, a smile surfaced on Hei Guang's face.
As a streamer, to make money, he naturally needed to broadcast highly intense conflicts. In the Void Shattering world, that meant slaughtering other players and powerful Native Residents.
Not long ago, for the sake of his stream's entertainment value, Hei Guang had even tried entering a Gold-grade ruin like the Tianwu ruin.
Consequently, shortly after entering, he was slapped to death by a nearby Top Three Ranks expert.
"A Purple-grade ruin. Fans, how many Mid-Tier Martial Arts Manuals do you think I'll harvest this time? There's a reward for whoever guesses right."
A tall woman with pointed ears smiled as she spoke to the audience in her stream.
"Four manuals!"
"I bet Sisi will die in the ruin, hahaha."
"Probably not. Sisi might be unreliable, but her strength is real. With a twelvefold combat multiplier, who could kill her besides a Top Three Ranks expert?"
"I'd say three. I've already seen several other streamers show up."
The numerous viewers discussed animatedly.
The streamer Sisi also chimed in occasionally, keeping the atmosphere lively.
Beside the stone doors.
Mad Saber Qin Mo wore a solemn expression as he whispered to Su Yuan,
"Wu, the opening of this Purple-grade ruin has attracted quite a few experts. The most threatening one should be that 'Hei Guang', a skilled streamer. He's a Level 9 Planetary Lifeform with a thirteenfold combat multiplier!"
It was important to note that Starry Sky Lifeforms only crossed the fifteenfold combat multiplier threshold by relying on their powerful mental Will to control their bodies.
A Planetary Lifeform achieving a thirteenfold combat multiplier? That was incredibly rare!
"And that Sisi is no slouch either, sporting a twelvefold combat multiplier."
Mad Saber Qin Mo rapidly summarized.
As a launch player of the Void Shattering world, he kept a very close eye on the intelligence regarding its many experts.
Besides Hei Guang and Sisi, there were also several Peak Fourth-Rank Experts, such as Yin Tiancheng and Luo Xue, who had been among the first to arrive.
Furthermore, there were a few Native Resident experts whose strength had also reached the peak of the Fourth-Rank.
Rumble—
Right at that moment.
The stone doors opened completely.
"Go!"
Yin Tiancheng's figure darted into the stone doorway like a phantom. Treasures and Martial Arts Manuals within a Purple-grade ruin were limited, so those who entered first often seized the initiative.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The other experts knew this as well and began charging rapidly toward the entrance.
"Get lost!"
The red-haired Luo Xue wore a murderous look. Seeing many Fifth and Sixth-Rank experts trying to follow them in, he flipped his right hand, sending dozens of hidden weapons flying out to strike down scores of experts.
Following that, the red-haired Luo Xue swiftly dashed through the stone doors.
With the opening of the stone doors, a chaotic melee broke out before many experts could even make it inside.
"Wu, let's go in too!"
Mad Saber Qin Mo similarly charged in, with Su Yuan following right behind him.
Whoosh!
A viciously fierce sledgehammer swung down toward Mad Saber Qin Mo.
Clang!
A sharp gleam of a saber flared up, parrying the descending hammer.
Mad Saber Qin Mo glanced nearby and spotted a bald brute.
This bald brute was also a Fourth-Rank Expert, dual-wielding a pair of heavy hammers.
Seeing Mad Saber Qin Mo effortlessly block his sneak attack, the bald brute immediately realized that his target was no weaker than him; his strength was also at the peak of the Fourth-Rank.
Coupled with Su Yuan standing right beside him—most likely an expert on the same level—fighting one against two? Only a fool would do that. Therefore, he instantly retreated.
The bald brute's rapid retreat was seen by many surrounding experts, allowing them to gauge Mad Saber Qin Mo's strength, and they intentionally gave him a wide berth.
It wasn't that they were afraid, but they hadn't even entered the ruin yet, nor had they seen any benefits, so true life-and-death struggles were unlikely to break out just yet.
At most, they were just lightly probing each other.
That bald brute was no exception.
Soon.
Mad Saber Qin Mo and Su Yuan successfully rushed through the stone doors.
Inside was a massive underground plaza, with rows of buildings constructed around its perimeter.
These buildings were exquisitely built and clearly hid treasures.
Hum—
Yin Tiancheng, the Peak Fourth-Rank Expert who had rushed in first, swiftly slipped into the nearest building.
Immediately after, other experts entered the fray.
Before long, the sounds of combat erupted from within the building.
Yin Tiancheng dashed back out.
"It's gold! At least five kilograms of gold!"
The expert who had followed him inside also stepped out, unhesitatingly shouting out Yin Tiancheng's harvest for all to hear.
Gold?
Five kilograms of gold?
As soon as these words were spoken, the many Imperial Citizen Players were electrified.
Five kilograms of gold was equivalent to five hundred kilograms of silver, which equaled a million Azure Surge Coins.
Meanwhile, dying in the game and re-entering only cost a hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins. Even factoring in the cost of buying weapons and other miscellaneous expenses, the total wouldn't exceed two hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins.
In an instant, quite a few Fourth-Rank Experts locked their gazes onto Yin Tiancheng.
As long as they could harvest five kilograms of gold this time, even dying in this ruin would be worth it.
"Damn it."
Yin Tiancheng's expression darkened. With his strength, dealing with three or four Fourth-Rank Experts wasn't a problem.
But any more than that?
Then he risked falling here. Especially with the current chaotic situation, if he was besieged, other Peak Fourth-Rank Experts would definitely kick him while he was down.
As for putting the gold into his inventory? And then depositing it in a Money House?
In the Void Shattering world, although a player's inventory could store items, it could only be done in an absolutely safe environment.
With the surroundings in chaos and killing intent boiling over, it was fundamentally impossible to store the gold in his inventory.
The same went for Martial Arts Manuals. If a player wanted to read a Martial Arts Manual, they had to be in an absolutely safe area, entirely untargeted by killing intent.
Furthermore, as long as one was near a ruin, regardless of whether the environment was safe or not, they could neither place treasures in their inventory nor read Martial Arts Manuals.
"Around the plaza, every building houses a treasure—whether it be gold, jewels, or a Martial Arts Manual," Yin Tiancheng immediately declared loudly.
The purpose of these words was to draw the attention of the many experts toward the buildings surrounding the plaza.
After all, the buildings weren't going anywhere. As long as one entered first, they could obtain the treasures inside, and as for himself? He was a Peak Fourth-Rank Expert.
Swoosh!
Experts immediately dashed toward the nearby buildings.
"Wu, let's split up for now!" Mad Saber Qin Mo decisively called out.
There was only one type of treasure per building, so both of them entering the same one was a waste.
It was better to separate and simultaneously occupy two buildings.
"Alright!"
Su Yuan nodded and whispered, "Go check out that building over there."
"That one?"
Mad Saber Qin Mo followed Su Yuan's gaze.
"Got it."
Mad Saber Qin Mo nodded and instantly rushed over.
Su Yuan, meanwhile, sprinted toward a building deeper within the plaza.
As for the building he had pointed out to Mad Saber Qin Mo, it contained a Mid-Tier Martial Arts Manual. It was useless to Su Yuan, but quite beneficial to Qin Mo.
Whoosh—
A figure suddenly burst out of one of the buildings. This was a Fifth-Rank expert who, upon obtaining a harvest from inside, bolted toward the exit without a moment's hesitation.
Given the strength of a Fifth-Rank expert, managing to occupy a building and secure its treasure was already a stroke of extreme luck. If he didn't leave right then, he likely wouldn't be able to keep his newfound wealth.
Crack.
However, before the Fifth-Rank expert could flee very far, his forehead was pierced by a hidden weapon.
The red-haired Luo Xue walked up and fished a wooden box out of the man's robes. Inside sat a luminous pearl the size of a fist.
"Not bad."
The red-haired Luo Xue gave a slight nod.
A luminous pearl of such size was priceless and could easily be traded for over five kilograms of gold.
As a Peak Fourth-Rank Expert, the red-haired man wasn't particularly fast. Therefore, he lay in ambush near the entrance, intercepting the Fifth and Sixth-Rank experts who had secured treasures and were trying to escape.
In reality, quite a few Fourth-Rank Experts shared the exact same idea as the red-haired Luo Xue.
Instead of struggling to fight and compete with other top experts, wasn't it easier to prey on the incredibly lucky Fifth and Sixth-Rank experts who had managed to loot a building?
Once those lower-ranked experts secured a prize, they would inevitably choose to play it safe and leave the ruin at the first opportunity.
And to leave the ruin, they had to pass through the only exit.
The various buildings were scattered around the plaza, requiring careful searching to be found.
"Such a massive chunk of purple jade..."
Su Yuan stepped out of an exceptionally concealed building.
From this building, he had harvested a palm-sized piece of purple jade.
Purple was the national color of the Dayong Dynasty, and jade was a symbol of status and rank.
As a result, purple jade was exceedingly precious in the Dayong Dynasty. The piece in Su Yuan's hands was of phenomenally high quality and could easily sell for over ten kilograms of gold.
This purple jade was one of the most valuable treasures within this Purple-grade ruin, second only to the Superior-grade Martial Arts Manual.
'There's also a Mid-Tier Martial Arts Manual that might be of some use to me.'
With a flicker of thought, Su Yuan immediately set off in a specific direction.
At Su Yuan's level, Mid-Tier Martial Arts Manuals were basically ineffective.
However, there were still a very small minority of special Mid-Tier Martial Arts Manuals that could push him forward just a bit.
And within this ruin, there just so happened to be one such manual.
Whoosh!
A moment later.
Su Yuan arrived in front of a building.
This building had subtle differences from the others; its total surface area was significantly larger.
Right now, the front doors were already wide open, and the muffled sounds of combat echoed from within.
"Hei Guang, stop right there!"
An angry voice roared out, just as the short Hei Guang sprinted out of the doors, clutching a purple box in his hands.
"Hahahaha, I won't! What are you gonna do, bite me?"
Hei Guang looked delighted, moving at an absolutely terrifying speed while still explaining things to his stream viewers:
"Everyone, if you ever run into a mad dog like this, here is how you deal with him..."
Crash!
Part of the building collapsed as the bald brute wielding dual hammers burst out, swinging his massive weapons down to smash Hei Guang.
Unfortunately, Hei Guang's speed and footwork were clearly superior to the brute's. The giant hammers completely failed to touch him.
Just then—
"Amitabha!" An ascetic monk appeared silently, raising his right hand to press his palm down toward Hei Guang.
"A Native Resident expert?" Hei Guang's expression shifted slightly as he tried to dodge.
But the ascetic monk's speed was too fast. Left with no other choice, Hei Guang had to forcefully meet the palm strike.
Bang! The force of the strike forcibly jolted the purple box out of Hei Guang's grasp.
The purple box flew high into the air.
"It's mine!"
Seeing this, the bald brute was instantly overjoyed.
"Amitabha!" The ascetic monk also closed in on the purple box's location. As a Native Resident expert, his demand for Martial Arts Manuals was equally high.
'I overplayed my hand.'
A chill ran down Hei Guang's spine. With his strength, he could have easily shaken off the bald brute.
However, for the sake of entertainment value on his stream, he had deliberately tangled with the brute for a while, which allowed the ascetic monk to catch up.
The ascetic monk was no weaker than him, and his intervention made Hei Guang realize the situation was spiraling out of control.
'Now is the time!'
Su Yuan, who had been hiding in the shadows, abruptly stepped out. Wielding his silver long gun, he swept it toward the three people in front of him.
Scorching Ultimate Yang power coalesced. The terrifying strike of the long gun tore through the air, instilling a severe sense of crisis in the hearts of Hei Guang and the others.
Dodge!
They absolutely had to dodge this strike.
Otherwise, even if they didn't die, they would be grievously wounded.
Whoosh!
Compared to the purple box, their lives were far more important.
Hei Guang and the ascetic monk instantly retreated at top speed.
The purple box plummeted and was caught by Su Yuan.
He then tucked it into his robes.
Su Yuan held the silver long gun, planting the butt of the shaft on the ground. He looked at the crowd and declared, "All of you are quite strong, but if you want to snatch this purple box from my hands, can you guarantee you won't suffer a single injury?"