A World Worth Protecting

1

Looking at the gains before him, Wang Baole still felt that he had struck a small pot of gold. Even though he had already seen astonishing amounts of materials presented to him while refining Dharmic Artifacts and Dharmic Armaments as a Dharmic Armament cultivator, he was deeply astounded by the gains he had obtained this time.

His breathing quickened uncontrollably as he looked at the items before him, as well as the materials in the three storage bags, some of which were crucial for refining pills, and some of which were crucial for refining artifacts. He didn’t recognize most of them, but based on the concentration of Spirit Qi given off them, it wasn’t difficult to tell that they were all shockingly valuable.

<em>This is robbery… </em>An increasingly bright glow flashed across Wang Baole’s eyes. He felt that this was a road to wealth. Even though it was extremely risky, he could rest for the next ten years if he were to succeed.

<em>I estimate that only a small proportion of all this belongs to the Federation. Most of it was likely gathered by those three fellas from elsewhere… </em>Wang Baole suppressed his irregular breathing. A look of clarity appeared in his eyes as he swept glances at the items, then towards the three Artifact Spirits, then at his surroundings again. Thoughts began to fill his mind.

<em>If the news about me killing the three extraterrestrial Nascent Soul realm cultivators gets out, the credit would be sufficient to promote me, huh? The fact that I’ve gotten the Stellar Source back for the Federation is impressive too. However, there’s no way I can tell others about it… </em>Wang Baole was in a dilemma. He was sure that if he obtained credit for what he had done, then the issue with the Dark Artifact would definitely be exposed, which would bring him a series of trouble in the future.

Even though those troubles wouldn’t threaten his life, he would be caught in a bitter situation, leaving behind a bad record. Just like what had been outlined in the high officials’ autobiographies—one must believe in the kindness of others, but one must never bank on others’ kindness, and most definitely, one should never give others the chance to take advantage of them!

If not, not only would the person involved be the one who would have to pay the price, their friends and elders, who were originally kind but developed evil thoughts, would be implicated too!

After a period of silence, a look of determination appeared in Wang Baole’s eyes. He seemed to have already decided that he wouldn’t tell anyone about this incident. As for the Federation’s resources, he would utilize them first and then pay it back when he became capable of doing so in the future.

Wang Baole wasn’t a saint, but a mere small fry. Now that he had made his decision, he no longer troubled over it. Instead, he immediately looked at the three Artifact Spirits and spoke.

“Of these items, are there any that are necessary for restoring the Dark Artifact?”

The State Preceptor, as well as the young boy, looked at the items and were both tempted. However, Wang Baole had already made plans to restore the Dark Sampan previously, and as such, despite both of them being tempted, they could only reveal their desire in their eyes. The burly Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit sounded calm, seemingly also analyzing the items. Eventually, he greeted Wang Baole and spoke with a deep voice.

“Master, theoretically, all these items can be used to restore the Dark Sampan. This is especially so for the Stellar Source mountain, which would help in restoring the Dark Sampan significantly despite being of ordinary quality.

“The materials over there contain Spirit Qi and unique capabilities that would be extremely helpful to refining the artifacts of the boat. That is even so for those assorted armaments. After breaking them apart and distilling their essence, they could be used for restoration!

“Next, this centipede has an unusual bloodline, but it seems to have been refined in the wrong manner. If it were to be suppressed inside the Dark Sampan, the force of the Dark Artifact could be used to assimilate and evolve it, in order to unleash even more power. However, the disadvantage of this is that once it becomes assimilated by the Dark Artifact, it wouldn’t be able to be separated from it.

“As for the Sea Glutton, I suggest that you use the Dark Artifact to suppress it and wipe out the markings on it. When your cultivation level reaches that of the Nascent Soul realm, you can use the Sea Glutton to travel through the universe!”

Listening to those words, Wang Baole was happy, but he felt heartache at the same time. He was happy that the items were useful for restoration, but his heart was aching as he had to lose them even before he had the chance to enjoy them.

“How much could all these precious babies restore the Dark Sampan?” Wang Baole asked immediately after pondering and suppressing the ache in his heart.

“They should restore the Dark Sampan by about ten percent!” The Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit answered after making some calculations.

“Only ten percent?” The ache in Wang Baole’s heart grew. On the other hand, the Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit was now expressionless and silent. The young boy and State Preceptor beside him felt happy looking at Wang Baole’s facial expression. They even vaguely felt that it was great having an owner again. At the very least, they could eat whatever they want, and they simply need to send out orders for what they desired. Everything had become very simple.

Wang Baole struggled internally for a moment. He looked at his babies and caressed the materials. He was still unable to make a decision when the Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit spoke calmly.

“Master, once the Dark Sampan has been restored to about ten percent, it will release the force of a superior-grade Divine Armament. These assorted items are worthless. Even if only one percent of it was restored, a protective covering that those below Spirit Immortal realm wouldn’t be able to break apart would be formed. To you, someone who cannot bring the Dark Artifact away, that would be the best option!”

“I know… Assimilate what should be assimilated, suppress what should be suppressed, and… change what should be changed!” Wang Baole sighed but quickly raised his hands, setting aside the tri-colored flying sword, the ribbon, the three remaining scales, all the jade slips and pills, as well as several Dharmic treasures that he thought were useful.

“These cannot be refined. As for the rest, refine them!” Wang Baole spoke with an ache in his heart. He couldn’t bear to watch any further. He swiftly picked up the jade box, but when he tried to open it to no avail, he looked at the Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit.

“This is something valuable, is it?”

The Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit remained expressionless. He first waved his right hand, immediately keeping all the items that Wang Baole had given consent to refine, including the assimilation of the centipede and the suppression of the Sea Glutton. After that, it looked towards the jade box with a doubtful look in its eyes.

“This stone box… I can’t figure out what it is. It seems like an accessory box for a female.”

As the Dark Sampan Artifact Spirit spoke, the old Dark Robe Artifact Spirit State Preceptor gloated. He cleared his throat but remained silent.

Wang Baole lifted his head to look at the old man. After making a guess of his intentions, he snorted under his breath, thinking about how he had read the high officials’ autobiographies since he was a young boy. Now that he was at Primary Rank Three and the City Lord of a city, he was extremely familiar with instilling obedience in his subordinates. Now, without thinking much, he pointed at the young boy.

“Do you know?”

Realizing that Wang Baole didn’t direct the question to him, the old State Preceptor was surprised. The young boy beside him was now deep in thought and only spoke after a moment.

“I think that this is a stationery box…”

Listening to the young boy’s answer, the State Preceptor was even more delighted. Now, he raised his head, preparing himself for Wang Baole’s question. He had even made plans to make use of his answer to let Wang Baole know that of the three Artifact Spirits, he was the most valuable one.

“Yes, I think what both of you said makes sense. That should be the case.” Wang Baole nodded with a satisfied look. From the items he kept aside, he chose one and tossed it to the young boy.

“This is your reward!”

The young boy grabbed hold of the Dharmic treasure, and in his excitement, he swallowed it in a few mouthfuls. It could be felt clearly that his spirit body was significantly nourished.

“All right, all of you can disperse. I plan to start my refinement process, so I will leave. You must be obedient here, and take note not to provoke the Beast Tide. The city above it is mine!” With that, Wang Baole waved his hand and was about to take his leave. However, the old State Preceptor grew anxious seeing how the Dark Sampan and the young boy were both rewarded. Therefore, he didn’t play any more tricks and hurriedly spoke.

“Master, I know what this jade box is.”

“Hmm? It’s not a stationery box?” Wang Baole was gloating internally but put a surprised expression on his face. When he looked towards the old State Preceptor, he also swept his gaze at the young boy, which made him tense up. The young boy looked towards the State Preceptor as well, with unfriendliness in his eyes.

He wouldn’t have behaved this way if Wang Baole hadn’t rewarded him. However, now that he had eaten the reward, it made the young boy unhappy towards the State Preceptor.

The old State Preceptor sighed, realizing that his owner wasn’t easily tricked. With a few words, Wang Baole had sowed discord between him and the Lantern Oar Artifact Spirit that loved to act young. However, based on his owner’s personality, he understood that if he continued to withhold the information, his owner would find ways to punish him.

Therefore, the old State Preceptor sighed once again, bowing deeply towards Wang Baole before speaking hurriedly.

“Master, this stone box should be an envelope. Perhaps there is a letter inside it!

“When I was floating out there, I once saw an ancient record that contained some secrets about the Never-Ending Clan. One of them wrote that in ancient times, the Gods of the Never-Ending Clan once created a unique envelope from the Stellar Source. However, the maker is unknown…”