The Glorious Evolution

Then, he went to the kitchen... which was similar to his home planet, if we changed the source of power from electricity and gas to a giant Essence Core situated on the building's roof.... It was called Lumisurge Core.

This core worked similarly to the Thermocryst Core... though it absorbed natural light and transferred the energy into all types of energies, depending on the Array network connected to it.

The refrigerator, the oven, the sink, the washing machine, and such utilities were all crafted out of brown wood and were inscribed with Arrays connecting them to the Lumisurge Core.

The refrigerator had its energy turned into chilling air. The oven into a constant flame... And the sink was given running water.

This system worked in the entire building, from floor heating to the shower, or simple illumination.

Levi had already seen this work on his initial visit to purchase the place... but he was here by spirit, which robbed him of the real feeling.

The feeling of living in an alien system that worked much smoothly than their advanced technology... No tubes. No wires. No engines. Nothing.

Everything was interconnected into an invisible network of Arrays connected to a single energy source.

Levi walked to the glass window, moving around his king-sized bedroom with gray sheets and a wooden board.

Then, he released his harmonic spine to the limit and watched the main hub's hectic lifestyle invade his peaceful world... showing him colors he didn't know existed.

Outside, the streets bustled with energy... vendors shouted their wares, offering spiced bread and glowing fruit.

A pair of performers twirled ember-lit ribbons, earning bursts of applause from onlookers. A hovering carriage drawn by horned dusk-steeds reved across the cobblestones beneath his window.

By the fountain, a sudden uproar disrupted the flow of the crowd, attracting Levi's attention.

An elf and a dwarf had fallen into a fierce fight... the elf's braid whipped through the air as he pushed forward. The dwarf struck back with a heavy punch that cracked against the wall.

Levi chuckled as he watched their friends pulling them apart before the city guards could arrive and turn their night into a living hell.

As Levi's auditory vision feasted on this kind of simple but lively lifestyle, he couldn't help but smile serenely.

"I guess I am moving up in life?"

Levi soon chuckled and threw himself on the bed, sinking into its soft fiber... Now, he had two-dimensional keys. One for the territory. And the other for the apartment.

Ash'Kral's little island could be accessed only once a month, but it was different for rental dimensional keys.

They were based on the Omnipotent Authority of the Building's Owner in his own territory... not this one, but the one outside of the cities.

In Levi's case... his apartment dimensional key could be used every three days.Which meant Elder Bras'kirn's Omnipotent Authority was O4!

This was one of the reasons Levi decided to rent this studio, even though it was expensive compared to other studios in the same area.

"Let's see what they have in the Infinity Shop."

After removing his shoes and getting comfortable, Levi opened the network tab and browsed for the Infinity Shop.

Once he found it, he pressed on its illuminating name, watching as a dimensional portal opened up before him... It had three words written on its rippling surface: Physical Shop Entrance.

Levi waved his hand, rejecting the offer... the portal collapsed, and Levi's spiritual network tab showed him the online Infinity Shop.

For now, Levi wanted to buy only the materials needed to awaken The Titan... since he devoured anything related to gemstones, earth, metal, and spirit.He preferred to buy online in bulk to save time.

Once he was in, Levi first registered his platform's name and his seed serial number connected to it.

Then, a customized Infinity Shop was opened based on his current rank in the Nocturnal Ring... with the prizes shown in the two games he had won.

The Infinity Shop acted as the main marketplace for Rifters for a reason... once they won a game, all the listed prizes would be discounted heavily for them.

The discount could reach up to 70%!

Each game had the number of prizes matching the number of Rifters.

In Levi's previous game, fifty Rifters joined, which meant fifty discounted treasures for him.

Also, the theme of the game affected the treasures' nature and quality.

Sandstorm Surge was a desert-themed game, which implied desert-based natural treasures, artifacts, and such.

The Wailing Bone Pit was a spirit and corrosion-based game due to being held in the Echoing Ossuray... a graveyard.

Levi decided to check the discounted prizes first, using the filter to leave behind only the ones needed for the wisp awakening.

This left him with twenty items listed as such:

//Sunshard Crystal – Golden crystal formed from the burning desert sands; radiates warmth and minor protective energy.Grade: C | Price: 800 NC... 400 NC discounted.

Veil of the Mirage – A thin, flexible sheet of glassy sand that appears only under scorching sun; it shows fleeting visions of forgotten travelers.Grade: B | Price: 1100 NC... 550 NC discounted.

Spirit Thorn of Sirocco – A curling spine from a ghost cactus; holds latent spiritual energy that can repel malevolent entities.Grade: A | Price: 4400 NC... 2200 NC discounted.

Oasis Tear – A crystallized droplet of water from a hidden desert spring; glows faintly when spirits are near, and can purify cursed souls.Grade: A | Price: 6500 NC... 3250 NC discounted.//

Various grades were available with decent prices... Levi knew that Infinity Shop had the cheapest possible prices in the universe.

If he were to purchase Oasis Tear... he could sell it for tens of thousands of Solar Aegis Coins back home.

Fortunately for the marketplace... only Rifters get to buy and sell in it within the limit of their rank.

In addition, the discount was applied only once on each treasure to avoid flooding the markets with cheap products and collapsing the economy.

Levi soon grinned as he applied the Pitculler's title privileges as well... immediately after, all the listed products had an extra 25% slashed!

The Pitculler's title gave him 0,5% discount for each Rifter in his game, which translated to 25% in this one.

"So cheap, I am practically getting them for free... I might not lose as much as I had expected to awaken the Titan."

Satisfied, Levi added the treasures he wanted to his cart and switched to the seller's side, wanting to get rid of the treasury's resources he had no use for.

He was met with a game-like tab with a linked dimensional cubic box next to it... Levi opened his wallet and emptied it of all the treasures he wanted to get rid of, organizing them next to him.

"I hope I won't get cheated."

Then, he put the first box in the dimensional cube and watched it spin slowly while its details and quality readings were written on the side, appearing as such:

Name: Moonshade Droplet

Origin: Mirage Lagoon.

Type: Water-based Artifact

Quality Assessment:

Composition: Semi-ethereal water, partially bound to spirit energy; retains physical form but flows like mist when released.

Spirit Resonance: Extremely high; reacts to the thoughts and emotions of the holder.

Purity: Perfectly self-contained; no impurities or external matter detected.

Damages / Defects:

None detected; micro-structure fully intact.

Extremely sensitive to heat... direct sunlight may destabilize its form temporarily.

Lifespan / Durability:

Physical Stability: Stable indefinitely when sealed in enchanted containers.

Spiritual Energy: Intensifies under moonlight, fades slightly under prolonged sunlight or exposure to mortal spaces.

Grade: B+

Shop Valuation:

Base Value: 17040 NC

Condition Adjustment: 0 (perfect condition)

Final Offer Price: 15300 NC//

"Hmmm, seems fair." Levi rubbed his chin at the final price offer to purchase his artifact.

He started with one of the best artifacts in his possession... an artifact capable of enhancing one's water control to an uncanny degree.

However, no one around him dealt with the Water Aspect. So, it needed to be sold.

15K was cheap for an artifact close to an A grade... but Levi wasn't too bothered. He knew that if he were to sell it in an auction house or the markets, he would be wasting too much of his time and effort to earn an extra two thousand.

At the moment, he wanted to earn quick bucks to purchase the treasures in his cart right now.

Thus, he started offloading the boxes one by one, watching them disappear and his bank account's balance increase.

Of course, he only sold the ones with somewhat of a fair price... if he were given too low a price, maybe due to the current state of the treasure in the market, he would save it for later.

After some time, most of the treasury's goods were sent back to the market, leaving Levi with close to a smooth sixty thousand Nocrix Credits.

Then, he used it to pay the total in his cart, which was close to fifty thousand NC.

-Do you want to receive your packages now?-

Since the Infinity Shop belonged to Nocturn's Administration, the delivery was instant. Levi pressed approve on the notification and watched as tens of portals opened up simultaneously and hurled secured boxes in his direction!

This time, Levi was prepared, summoning his staff to smack the boxes in midair, forcing them to land on top of the bedroom or the floor.

He wasn't too worried about the treasures getting ruined, as it was known knowledge that the packaging material was nearly unbreakable... it could handle whatever was thrown at it, nothing affecting its content.

"I guess this is everything," Levi murmured, his brow knitted in the direction of the closing portals.

Just as he let down his guard, a portal swiftly opened up and launched another package at his back.But Levi merely smirked and kicked it into the roof, making it spin a couple of times before falling into his arms.

"Nice try... maybe next time."

Tsk.

A soft, irritating click of a tongue was heard from the other side as the last portal closed. Levi's lips twitched at these rats' desire to beat people with their packages.

No one seemed to care about it as it had become an integral experience in the Boundless Expanse.

"They say if your face hasn't been smacked by a package... You aren't a true Boundless Citizen." Ash'Kral chuckled, awaiting such a cultural experience to happen to his partner.

"I ain't never getting caught lacking," Levi smirked, having no plans to give those rats the satisfaction.

"We will see..." Ash'Kral grinned.