Swallowed Star: The Zerg Overlord

Chapter 110: The Dead Space Beast

"200 billion Black Dragon coins?" Hearing Qin Mu's words, Hong and Lei Shen gasped in shock.

Although they knew that Earth had begun trading with the universe, they hadn't expected such a large sum of money to be available in just a few days. They were aware of the orders but had assumed it would take a long time to receive payment.

"Are we really this rich now? Let's go! Let's go shopping!" Lei Shen exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. Over the past few days, he had seen so many incredible items in the Virtual Universe Company's stores but had been unable to afford them. Now that they had money, it was time to splurge!

"Let's visit the slave market first. Our current strength is insufficient, so we need to purchase some slaves to get through this period," Qin Mu suggested.

"Alright, let's check it out. Before coming to the universe, I never imagined that slavery could be so openly practiced here!" Lei Shen said.

Slavery, an outdated system, had long been abolished on Earth. Yet, in the universe, it was thriving. Since arriving in Qiu Long City, they had seen many slaves. Wealthy and influential individuals often purchased slaves, who had no rights and could be beaten or killed at their owners' whims. Countless planetary-level and star-level beings were enslaved, and those below planetary level weren't even considered citizens—they were essentially walking slaves. The darkness behind this system was chilling.

"Let's go take a look," Qin Mu said.

The four of them, accompanied by three Silverium Guards and two business-savvy individuals, left the hotel and headed for the slave market. The inclusion of the business experts was to ensure they got the best deals, as none of the four were skilled negotiators. While Earth now had some wealth, it was still wise to save where possible.

As they walked, they discussed what they planned to buy.

"Treasure Store?"

On the way, Qin Mu noticed a shop not far away. The Treasure Store was a place he remembered vividly from the original timeline. It was where Luo Feng had sold his Arc Blade and obtained his first significant sum of money. Qin Mu had even researched the store in the Virtual Universe, hoping to find some treasures.

"Should we check out the Treasure Store first?" Qin Mu suggested, pointing to the store in the distance.

"What's a Treasure Store?" Lei Shen asked, having spent the past two days in the Killing Field and knowing nothing about it.

"I'm not entirely sure either. I came across it while researching in the Virtual Universe. It's said to sell all kinds of strange and rare treasures. The only commonality is that everything there is considered a treasure," Qin Mu explained with a shrug.

"Treasures? Let's take a look," Hong said, intrigued. On Earth, his personal collection of treasures surpassed that of the five major nations. He was curious to see what cosmic treasures looked like.

The group entered the Treasure Store, which was vast, comparable to a large square on Earth. The store was divided into sections: combat suits, tamed beasts, spirit weapons, exotic fruits, robots, and more. Each section had numerous items, all accompanied by holographic projections and exorbitant price tags.

"There's so much here. Let's see if there's anything we want. You three are warriors, and your weapons aren't the best. This is a good opportunity to find something suitable," Qin Mu said, smiling as Hong, Lei Shen, and Jia Yi began browsing.

"Alright, let's split up and meet back here later," Hong suggested.

The Treasure Store was safe, so there was no need to worry about separating.

"Sure, let's regroup later," Qin Mu agreed.

After parting ways, Qin Mu began exploring the store.

"Cloud-Vine seeds for 100 million Black Dragon coins? Seedlings for 100 billion?"

As Qin Mu browsed, he came across something familiar and was shocked by the price. The Swarm could easily cultivate Cloud-Vines, and while he knew they were valuable, he hadn't realized just how expensive they were.

"I see now," Qin Mu muttered after reading the information about Cloud-Vines.

It turned out that Cloud-Vine seeds were difficult to cultivate into seedlings. However, once they became seedlings, reaching the universe level wasn't hard—especially if they consumed enough Mu Ya Crystals. Given the value of a universe-level being, it was no wonder the seedlings were so expensive.

"For the Swarm, cultivating seeds into seedlings is easy as long as there's enough energy. This is a huge profit margin," Qin Mu thought, his eyes gleaming.

"Unfortunately, these are too valuable. Without sufficient strength and backing, selling more than one or two would attract trouble."

"Mu Ya Crystals? 10,000 Black Dragon coins each? Not too expensive. I'll buy some later."

The 10,000 Mu Ya Crystals Qin Mu had obtained from Babata were running out quickly. After distributing them to Earth, Hong, Lei Shen, and others, and using some himself, the supply was nearly exhausted. What had seemed like a large quantity was now insufficient.

Moving to the fruit section, Qin Mu found a variety of exotic fruits, each far more valuable than spirits of nature.

"Dragon Scale Stone Flower—100 billion Black Dragon coins per flower. Consuming it causes dragon scales to grow on the skin, significantly boosting defense. A bit niche, but interesting."

"Earth Spirit Treasure Tree—once fully grown, it can absorb cosmic energy, improving the environment and subtly enhancing the physique of those living nearby. Seeds cost 10 million Black Dragon coins, while seedlings are 1 billion. This is a great find! I'll take it!"

"Azure Sea Spirit Fruit—consuming it strengthens the soul. Each fruit costs 30 billion Black Dragon coins."

After browsing dozens of exotic plants and fruits, Qin Mu's heart raced. These were all incredible items! He could purchase them, have the Swarm analyze them, and then resell them for massive profits!

Unfortunately, while 200 billion Black Dragon coins seemed like a lot, it was nowhere near enough to buy everything he wanted.

After noting down a few suitable plants, Qin Mu headed to the tamed beast section. Besides slaves, tamed beasts were the most likely way to enhance their strength. Qin Mu had previously considered posing as a beast tamer. If he could find suitable beasts, the Swarm could analyze and mass-produce them. Tamed beasts, like slaves, could be openly displayed in the universe.

"Space Beasts???"

As soon as Qin Mu entered the section, he was stunned. The store actually sold Space Beasts? Was this Treasure Store that impressive?

Upon closer inspection, however, Qin Mu realized these weren't top-tier Space Beasts like the Golden Horned Beast. Instead, they were of the most common bloodline—a fire-attribute Space Beast called the Blazing Beast. Born at the planetary level, it could grow to the star level and reach the universe level at its peak, with a body exceeding 10,000 meters in length.

While it couldn't compare to a Golden Horned Beast, it was still a powerful creature.

"A juvenile Blazing Beast costs 30 trillion Black Dragon coins?"

"Damn!"

That price, converted to universe coins, was around 1 billion—enough to buy a universe-level four slave! It was no wonder, given that it was a Space Beast, even if it was of a common bloodline.

Qin Mu truly liked the Blazing Beast. If he could buy one, the Swarm could hatch it and use it alongside the Golden Horned Beast to form a complete Zerg fleet. However, the price was a deal-breaker.

"Wait a minute! A live one costs 30 trillion, but a dead one is only 100 billion??"

"There are dead ones too?"

A store employee, noticing Qin Mu's interest in the Blazing Beast, approached. The employee was an elderly man, about 2.6 meters tall, with red and blue markings on his face.

"Sir, how may I assist you?" the employee asked.

"Why are there live and dead Blazing Beasts?" Qin Mu inquired.

The employee explained, "This was due to the circumstances of their capture. A universe-level Blazing Beast was discovered by adventurers with two juveniles. Only one juvenile was captured alive."

"The universe-level Blazing Beast has already been sold. Currently, we have two juvenile Blazing Beasts—one alive and one dead."

"Space Beasts are extremely proud. If they realize they can't win, they'll commit suicide, making them difficult to capture alive."

"Since live Space Beasts are rare, their prices are high. Dead ones, however, are much less valuable."

Hearing this, Qin Mu understood. Space Beasts had immense potential, even those of common bloodlines. They could be used for possession!

Live Space Beasts were naturally expensive, but dead ones were only useful as materials, making them much cheaper.

"I'll take the dead Space Beast. I want to buy it as a collectible!" Qin Mu declared without hesitation.

A dead one was perfect! A live one would have been far too expensive, but for the Swarm, a dead body was just as good as a live one.

"Excellent! Is there anything else you need?" the employee asked, beaming. Dead Space Beasts were hard to sell, as their value was mostly for collectors.

"I'll keep looking. I'll settle the bill once my friends arrive," Qin Mu said.

After securing the Blazing Beast, Qin Mu continued browsing the tamed beast section but found nothing else suitable. However, he was in high spirits after his unexpected find.

A short while later, Qin Mu received messages from Jia Yi, Hong, and Lei Shen. They had all found items they wanted. After regrouping, they realized their combined purchases would cost nearly 50 billion Black Dragon coins!

Qin Mu's purchases were the most expensive, including the dead Blazing Beast, seeds for the Earth Spirit Treasure Tree and other plants, and Mu Ya Crystals. He didn't need new weapons, as he already had the Crescent Moon Disk.

Hong and Lei Shen had each found a suitable third-tier warrior weapon, costing over 10 billion Black Dragon coins combined. Jia Yi had settled for a second-tier weapon.

In addition, they had selected a batch of resources to accelerate planetary and star-level cultivation, totaling over 20 billion Black Dragon coins. These resources weren't for any one individual but for Qin Mu, Hong, Lei Shen, Jia Yi, and other top talents on Earth.

"Let's check out. We're buying so much; we should get a discount. You handle the negotiation," Qin Mu said to the business expert accompanying them.

"Understood!"

***

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