158: Chapter 158 Su Mei's Secret, The Treasure Basin's Unexpected Changes

At the same time.

On the second floor, inside the luxury suite belonging to the "Big Sister," Su Mei.

She was lost in thought.

She was the first woman on this ship to follow Li Taiping, making her the true Mistress of the Harem.

She had her own pride and, more importantly, a sense of propriety.

Furthermore, she understood Li Taiping far too well.

The sudden, forceful kiss on the deck this afternoon had seemed like a domineering CEO declaring his sovereignty.

But Su Mei had captured a trace of heart-wrenching sadness from within those deep eyes of his.

There was also a kind of crazed obsession, as if he wanted to crush her into himself, terrified that she might disappear.

What exactly had happened inside the dungeon?

Su Mei leaned against the soft headboard, a glass of red wine in her hand.

The alluring red liquid swirled gently in the glass, reflecting her exquisitely beautiful face.

She knew his heart was in turmoil right now.

He needed time to calm down and an outlet to vent.

Therefore, she had very "generously" yielded Li Taiping to those new sisters who had just boarded the ship and were eager to find a backer.

On one hand, this would soothe the newcomers' fears and showcase her magnanimity as the Big Sister.

On the other hand, she was indeed curious to see how Li Taiping would handle it.

"Heh, men~"

Su Mei let out a light chuckle and took a small sip of the crimson liquid from the goblet before crossing her long legs.

The silky, wine-red leather nightgown slid down her thighs, revealing a dazzling expanse of snowy white skin.

But at this moment, her elegant brows were slightly furrowed as she stared at something in front of her with great confusion.

There, an extremely strange symbol was floating.

The symbol appeared as a deep, dark gold, woven from countless fine lines that were complex to the extreme.

It was not static.

It seemed like a living creature, slowly circulating and breathing in the air.

This thing had appeared in her mind without warning this afternoon when Li Taiping's dungeon run ended.

There had been no system notification.

No explanation either.

It had simply taken root in the depths of her consciousness so abruptly.

Without any omen.

She didn't know what it was or what use it had.

But her intuition told her that this thing seemed to have some inseparable connection to her.

She tried to touch it with her mental energy, only to find that her mental energy was like a clay ox entering the sea—instantly absorbed completely without stirring a single ripple.

"What on earth is this thing..."

Su Mei scratched her head with some frustration.

With a thought, she summoned her Talent, the [treasure basin].

It was a palm-sized, bronze-colored basin that looked unremarkable, its surface covered in various incomprehensible runes.

The moment the treasure basin appeared, the dark gold symbol floating in mid-air suddenly flashed with light.

Immediately after, Su Mei discovered something:

On the inner wall of the treasure basin, an identical rune brand, several sizes smaller, had actually appeared!

"It's related to my Talent?"

Su Mei's pupils contracted slightly.

She carefully studied the new brand on the treasure basin, then looked at the large symbol floating in the air.

She realized that a wonderful resonance seemed to exist between the two.

She could feel that the connection between herself and the treasure basin had become... even tighter.

It was as if this treasure basin was no longer just a Talent skill, but had truly become a part of her body, thoroughly fused with the source of her soul.

Previously, copying an item took one second; now, the efficiency was higher—in one second, it was no longer just one item being replicated, but two.

The space inside the treasure basin remained infinite and endless.

While it didn't affect the big picture much, it seemed that if there were a crisis requiring the emergency mass production of a certain item, it could be done even more rapidly.

It seemed this mysterious symbol that had suddenly popped up was not only not a bad thing, but rather a sign of... a Talent advancement?

But why did this change occur so suddenly?

Was it because the ship had been promoted to Rank 5?

Su Mei couldn't figure it out.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should tell Li Taiping about this.

But on second thought, she gave up on the idea.

Li Taiping's mood was already messy enough today; she shouldn't add to his troubles with this "small matter."

After all, she could feel that this thing was connected to her life force and posed no danger; instead, it was a massive benefit.

It wouldn't be too late to tell him this "surprise" in a couple of days once his mood had settled.

Having made up her mind, Su Mei put away the treasure basin and the mysterious symbol.

She stretched, her breathtaking curves appearing even more enticing under the silk pajamas.

"I wonder how the battle is going upstairs right now..."

She pursed her red lips, a flickering smile flashing in her eyes.

"...Tonight should be quite lively, right?"

She tossed and turned on the bed.

Fantasizing about various scenes that might be happening upstairs, she actually found herself unable to sleep.

...