17: trade

"I'm not sure."

Yan Gaoyuan shook his head, "For a Spiritual Energy User to begin preparations many years ago, he must have grand ambitions."

"But that has nothing to do with us."

"Qin Jin."

His tone became serious, "Compared to the vast Star Sea, the Mining Star is too small, like a drop in the ocean, insignificant. For people like us, having an opportunity to show our value is a good thing."

"If you want to escape from here, you need an opportunity."

"By participating in this matter, what you can do is seize every chance to improve yourself."

"Just keep moving forward, without asking about the past or future, until you yourself become a true powerhouse."

"That senior was able to give me a recommendation slot many years ago. Within the Five Major Survival Zones of this Mining Star, there are likely other candidates. You need to be prepared for competition."

At this point,

he changed the subject, speaking no further, "It's getting late. Go back and rest."

"Mhm."

Qin Jin responded, and after bidding farewell, turned and left.

In the study, only Yan Gaoyuan remained.

He stood by the window, his gaze deep.

It was late at night, and in New Sheep District, the lights had dimmed, with only scattered lights dotting the survival zone.

...

Qin Jin left the Yan family and returned to his own residence.

Entering the courtyard, he looked up at the sky.

The protective light screen of New Sheep District was constantly at work. Beyond the light screen, there was persistent, raging lightning.

When Qin Jin was young, the sky had always looked like this.

Now, it seemed this was precisely the unique characteristic of this Mining Star.

"Uncle Yan was right."

"A tiny speck of dust, if it wants to stir up a sandstorm, can only seize every opportunity to improve itself."

"Since I'm already in the midst of the storm, and there's no avoiding it, then I'll face it head-on."

Withdrawing his gaze, Qin Jin returned to his dwelling, shedding all burdens, and rested.

...

The next day, at noon.

Western residential area.

Inside a private room of a certain restaurant, Qin Jin sent the address to his chosen trading partner via the trading platform.

He leaned back in the chair, wearing a specially made mask that conformed to his skin, giving him a different face.

This was one of the items he had purchased on the platform some time ago.

At the same time,

golden threads rippled in his palm, and his will power surged, enveloping his body.

If anyone tried to spy or exert mental influence, Qin Jin was confident he could give them a big surprise.

Time passed, about fifteen minutes later.

The private room door was pushed open, and a figure stepped inside.

Qin Jin's gaze fell upon him.

The newcomer was short, male, wearing a full-body black cloak with the hood pulled over his head.

What especially caught Qin Jin's attention was the two-color embroidery on the chest of the black cloak.

It was a sun pattern, half gold and half white, with layers of ripples emanating around it.

Meeting Qin Jin's gaze,

he removed his hood, revealing a somewhat pale face, and a hoarse voice spoke.

"Where is the crystal core for the trade?"

Qin Jin picked up the box he was carrying from the side and placed it on the table.

The box opened, revealing the fire python crystal core.

The fire python crystal core was an irregular pentagon, about a foot in length and width. Inside the crystal core, there were flame-like patterns flowing, emitting light.

Seeing the crystal core, the cloaked man's eyes lit up. He raised his right arm, and a pale hand emerged from within the cloak. He lightly rubbed a ring on his index finger, and a scanning device about two palms long was produced.

Witnessing this, Qin Jin's gaze narrowed slightly.

Spatial storage equipment!

The Federation's exploration in the Star Sea had been ongoing for nearly ten thousand years. With technology and the extraordinary coexisting, spatial expansion and spatial storage were not mere fantasies.

It was rumored that the most advanced combat mechs utilized similar methods, allowing them to be carried by the pilot.

The cloaked man held the scanning device and looked at Qin Jin, "May I perform a scan?"

"Please do."

Qin Jin nodded, indicating permission.

The scanning device aimed at the crystal core. After about a few seconds, a voice broadcasted.

"Fire attribute energy crystal core."

"Rating: F-grade."

"Purity: 83%."

Upon hearing the purity, Qin Jin clearly noticed a slight change in the other party's expression.

"The purity is good."

The cloaked man's hoarse voice sounded, "For a platform trade, three hundred and fifty thousand Star Coins, how about it?"

Since he was selling the crystal core, Qin Jin had naturally searched for relevant information.

The other party's offer was above his psychological expectation.

"Alright."

Hearing Qin Jin agree, the other party did not hesitate. After a few operations on his communication wristband, Qin Jin's wristband vibrated slightly.

The transfer had arrived in his platform account.

Seeing this, Qin Jin raised an eyebrow, pushed the fire python crystal core forward, and said, "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

The cloaked man responded, extended his hand to touch the crystal core. With a slight tremor, the crystal core was absorbed into the spatial storage device.

He looked at Qin Jin and said hoarsely, "For the next period of time, I will be stationed on this planet."

"If you have any materials related to extraordinary creatures in the future, you can contact me directly for a trade. The price is guaranteed to be fair."

"My name is Bai Qiushi."

Leaving this last sentence, he turned around and pushed the door open to exit.

Qin Jin remained in the private room.

He walked to the window and looked out, seeing Bai Qiushi quickly depart after leaving the restaurant.

"Hmm..."

"This first transaction went much smoother than I expected."

Before conducting this transaction, Qin Jin had already prepared himself, even expecting to encounter a double-cross.

He had already thought about how to strike first.

Now, with a cold three hundred and fifty thousand Star Coins in his account, there was no need to consider anything else.

"This is a good trading partner."

"However, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Even if he performs well, I can't put all my eggs in one basket."

"I still need to find other suitable trading partners to broaden my channels."

A thought flashed, and Qin Jin opened his wristband's light screen, recalling the pattern on Bai Qiushi's cloak, drawing it on the light screen, and began to search.

Search results appeared instantly.

[Corona Sect Emblem]

Qin Jin's gaze narrowed slightly as he checked the detailed information.

After a long while,

Qin Jin stopped his inquiry.

He now knew the other party's origin.

This Bai Qiushi was a practitioner of the Esoteric Sect route, one of the four major evolution paths!

Within the vast Star Sea, myriad wonders were contained. In the Star Sea, there existed the ultimate Cosmic Gods!

Esoteric practitioners thus emerged.

They gained power by believing in gods.

While the other three evolution paths also relied on external objects, they were ultimately based on one's own body. However, the power of Esoteric practitioners all came from gods, making it a very unique evolution path.

According to the information he obtained, the other party came from the Corona Sect.

The god worshipped by the Corona Sect was named the Crown Lord—Solek Tiros.

Its true form was rumored to be a dying star that, by chance, underwent a mutation and ascended to become a Cosmic God.

It was a Cosmic God officially registered by the Federation, and the Corona Sect was also an officially recognized "orthodox sect" by the Federation.

"No wonder he was so straightforward. It turns out he's backed by a large organization, with vast resources."

"An officially recognized orthodox sect never lacks believers. They wouldn't normally come to a desolate place like the Mining Star."

"It seems Uncle Yan was right."

"The Mining Star appears calm as ever on the surface, but internally, undercurrents are already surging. These people might be here because of the same goal."

"Esoteric practitioners believing in gods is similar to the Great Wilderness's worship of Sacrificial Spirits, yet also different."

Lost in thought,

Qin Jin logged into the Twilight Star Trading Platform.

Having just completed a successful transaction, it was natural to spend a little.

As he browsed through the shopping options, a question arose in his mind.

"Can the sun evolved by the Three Legged Golden Crow be used to charge solar batteries?"