Chapter 682: A Surge in the Market: Power Shifts and Rare Bargains

A hegemonic-level Witcher Civilization—now that’s a force far beyond anything the Beidou Sevenstar Hall of today’s Torch Human Civilization could ever dream of.

If you want to be a top-tier power within such a dominant civilization, just having enough eighth-tier fighters won’t cut it. You need at least one ninth-tier combatant—more likely several—stationed at your side.

After all, within the Sea of Stars’ top ten hegemonic civilizations—according to the rankings set by the Torch Humans—the Witcher Civilization isn’t even at the bottom. In fact, from what Song Chi knows, they rank easily among the top five.

From that alone, Song Chi reckoned that the Witcher Civilization must have not just one, but multiple Mythic-level powerhouses.

With that kind of foundation, their top forces had to be absolutely astounding.

‘Let’s hope that serpent-blood family among the Bloodline Sorcerers’ Alliance has some real depth…’

As this thought crossed his mind, Song Chi kept his gaze fixed on the Sovereign-rank True Spirit Witcher as he strolled through the Free Stall Area and various Market shops. As expected, after making a full circuit, the Witcher entered the Oddities Exchange.

The moment he stepped through the door, this weathered True Spirit Witcher’s face showed a flicker of amazement.

Even with thousands of years’ worth of composure, he was clearly stunned by the sheer number of oddities in the shop—not to mention, there were a surprising amount of golden and black-tier treasures.

Watching every shift in the Witcher’s expression, Song Chi couldn’t help the satisfied curve that lifted his lips. A flicker of pride flashed in his eyes.

The Oddities Exchange—this was, without question, the crown jewel of Song Chi’s accomplishments after centuries of work.

Not to mention, simply counting the golden and black treasures, there were fifteen on display.

Black-tier: Tomb of Light and Shadow, Star Spirit Earth, Eight-Armed Demon God Blood, Eight-Armed Serpent Eyes, Dragon Vein Core.

Gold-tier: Starlight Compass, Fireglass Armor, True Dragon Scale, Star Spirit Gem, Space Birthing Stone, Eight-Armed Serpent Sheddings, Silver Snake Skeleton, Wasteland God Crystal, Tianyue Bamboo, Geomagnetic Mirror.

Some of these fifteen were items Song Chi had collected himself; the rest had been brought in from the Demon Serpent Floating-Land operation and the family’s own treasure hunts—thanks mostly to Song Wujian, Song Shiyuan, and others. Anything that couldn’t be converted into battleship components ended up with him.

On top of that, there were already over a hundred silver-tier oddities in his possession that couldn’t be used for battleship upgrades.

But then, for a Sovereign who had lived through tens of thousands of years, that awe lasted just a heartbeat before he regained his cool. If Song Chi didn’t have near-omniscient awareness within the Omniverse Market, it’s unlikely any other being could’ve caught that flash of emotion.

Of course, part of this was because of the influence of Levann, the fifth-tier Witcher.

After all these centuries, Levann had long since explained everything about the market’s inner workings. So this Witcher came prepared, but to lay eyes on so many golden and black treasures at once was another story—and that’s what made him slip, however briefly.

In fact, it was probably Levann’s years of probing that finally emboldened a Sovereign to give this a try.

At the rank of Sea of Stars Dominator, who hadn’t clawed their way out of mountains of corpses?

The Shattered Sea of Stars was nothing short of a giant meat grinder—much more brutal than outsiders could ever imagine. In a place like that, these Sovereigns value their lives above all else, especially one from a hegemonic civilization.

If the safety of the Omniverse Market hadn’t been established beyond any doubt, there’s no way this True Spirit Witcher would venture in personally.

Song Chi understood this perfectly. That’s why, ever since his market leveled up to rank seven, he paid special attention to this first-ever seventh-tier visitor.

But even so, he didn’t reach out or attempt any direct contact.

The Market’s total safety and absolute fairness had been proven over and over through countless trades these past centuries. There was no need for him to act out of the ordinary—maintaining that consistent, impartial approach was the single best way to put this Witcher, and future seventh-tier guests, at ease.

As expected, when the True Spirit Witcher found that his arrival didn’t trigger any disruptions, he began carefully inspecting the oddities on display.

Silver-tier oddity: Aibor’s Starry Sky Experimental Notes.

At some point, he tapped on an ancient scroll-like oddity, then calmly asked,

“How can this oddity be traded?”

Song Chi thought for a moment, then manipulated the virtual display in the middle of the shop to reply.

“Same-tier oddities take priority. Special mineral resources, rare floating-land fruits, or unique spiritual plants are also accepted for trade.”

Scanning the reply, the Witcher pondered, then a gleam lit up his storage ring. In a flash, two silver-tier oddities appeared before him.

“Do either of these meet your requirements?”

The Witcher, a fellow Starsea human, spoke again. Seconds later, new words flickered on the display ahead.

“That Alchemical Mag-Energy Power Furnace will do!”

Through his link to the shop, Song Chi easily examined the properties of both silver-tier items. Ultimately, he chose the Alchemical Mag-Energy Power Furnace—the perfect candidate for a silver-tier battleship engine.

With the trade complete, a hush fell over the shop once more. Several minutes later, the Witcher’s gaze drifted to the fifteen most eye-catching golden and black-tier treasures.

What surprised Song Chi was that the Witcher’s attention lingered especially on the Starlight Compass.

Song Chi had picked that up on the Doomstar Battlefield ages ago, but it had never found a new owner until now. He was amazed to see it finally catch a True Spirit Witcher’s eye.

Moments later, the Witcher retrieved another item from his storage ring.

It was a blaze of golden fire—a golden fireseed artifact.

It was clear the Witcher had come prepared. He’d probably learned from Levann that Song Chi needed high-tier fireseed artifacts.

This particular fireseed was called Crimson Buddha Golden Flame. Apparently, it was connected to the Shizhu civilization—another Sea of Stars hegemon—but that wasn’t what concerned Song Chi right now.

Focusing his mind, he quickly learned the properties of the artifact.

“What a pity…”

In a moment, disappointment set in—Crimson Buddha Golden Flame was an ordinary fireseed, totally unsuitable for battleship upgrades.

Still, he ultimately agreed to the trade.

While it couldn’t be refined into an advanced fire source, the damaged Creation Eight Trigram Furnace did need high-level fireseeds—and any pills made within required consuming the essence of the fireseed artifact itself.

Thanks to that restriction, Song Chi knew he could never pass up any chance at high-tier fireseed treasures going forward.

…

While the True Spirit Witcher conducted his trades, news of his presence in the Market was already spreading far and wide.

Somewhere in an unknown Star Domain of the Shattered Sea of Stars, on the Gods’ Continent—

In the southern lands, Crescent Moon Tribe’s Divine Temple.

“Meilin, back so soon? Did something rare appear in the Omniverse Market?”

The instant Meilin, a fifth-tier Night Elf, appeared at the heart of the temple, a chorus of elders pressed her with anxious questions.

Compared to centuries past, the number of Night Elf elders in the temple had exploded—thanks, almost entirely, to the trove of high-level resources traded from the Omniverse Market.

With supplies that were once priceless on the continent, the Crescent Moon Tribe had grown several times stronger in recent years. Not only did their elder ranks swell, but even the common Night Elves beneath them flourished in number.

In turn, the tribe’s influence far surpassed what it once was—their territory now nearly ten times what it was a millennium prior.

It’s no wonder the Omniverse Market’s wealth brought them so much prosperity—the elven elders took it more seriously than ever.

“Elders, that’s not it. I left the market to report to the Matriarch!”

At her words, the air in the temple grew tense. Anything concerning the Crescent Moon Matriarch meant major news from the Omniverse Market.

Without delay, the elder on the left instantly activated a certain silver artifact in her hand. Just moments later, a faint ripple in space shimmered at the heart of the temple, and the Crescent Moon Matriarch materialized from thin air.

“You summoned me? Has the tribe run into something truly dire?”

A hint of displeasure clouded the Matriarch’s delicate features—clearly, she didn’t welcome the interruption.

These past centuries, gains from the market hadn’t just benefited the tribe. If you counted it up, the Matriarch herself was the single biggest winner—even going so far as to resent the limitations of her own special ascension ritual.

To become seventh-tier via a special ceremony meant her remaining lifespan was capped at just ten thousand years—a torture for someone at the level of a Sovereign.

Having her life cut short by a factor of ten stung deeply, especially now that the tribe’s fortunes were growing faster than ever.

She had always planned to personally lead the Crescent Moon Tribe to the peak of the Gods’ Continent. With only ten thousand years, how could that dream ever be enough?

For over a century, taking advantage of the Market’s generous monthly dividends, the Matriarch had begun devoting everything to extending her lifespan—and had already ordered never to be disturbed unless in a true crisis.

But before she could get angry, Meilin had already started recounting everything that had just happened in the Market.

When the Matriarch learned that another Sovereign had boldly entered the Market—and not just anyone, but one from the storied Witcher Civilization—she finally lost her composure.

After studying the Market for over a hundred years with no answers, she’d long been tempted to brave it herself to seek out the mysterious Market Master.

Now that another power had broken the stalemate, she could hardly hold herself back.

After much thought, the Matriarch finally retrieved the Market Projection Token from Meilin’s hand.

As a surge of formidable magic energy sprang to life within her, the token radiated dazzling golden light.

…

Back in the Omniverse Market, Song Chi—still blending into the Free Stall Area—felt his heart skip a beat.

‘Is today really my lucky day? Barely time for a first guest and now a second Sovereign’s arrived?’

‘Wait… That’s the Crescent Moon Matriarch herself!’

Excitement buzzed inside him, though nothing showed on his face.

‘Just as expected, the Matriarch got swept up after seeing the Witcher take the plunge…’

He watched with a small smile as the Matriarch, after exiting the inn, marched straight for the Oddities Exchange.

He’d had the Eight-Armed Demon God Blood sitting in the Oddities Exchange for ages, but it never managed to lure her in—until now, with the Witcher leading the way and her fear that he’d snatch the blood first, she finally rushed in.

Once inside, tall and poised in her form-fitting combat attire, the Matriarch paid no mind to the Witcher’s curious stare. After a quick sweep, her impeccable gaze locked instantly onto the Eight-Armed Demon God Blood.

Wasting no time, her storage necklace flared bright. In seconds, an exquisitely crafted jade vial appeared in her hand.

“Master of the Market, I offer two drops of eighth-tier Evil God Blood in exchange for the Eight-Armed Demon God Blood!”

She’d known the exchange price for months now from Meilin—so she came with full preparation.

But the words flashing across the central display made the Matriarch frown deeply.

“Two drops of ordinary eighth-tier Evil God Blood aren’t enough to trade for a single drop of tenth-tier Abyssal Demon God Blood!”

Song Chi was unmoved by the offer.

This was, after all, a Night Elf who reached seventh-tier by special means. Though her stash might be lacking, it was the eighth-tier deity, the Moon Goddess, who really wanted that Demon God Blood.

As for the immortal Moon Goddess, Song Chi knew she had plenty of valuable treasures up her sleeve.

For example, the black-tier Eternal Night Crown almost certainly ended up in her hands.

So, if she truly wanted the Eight-Armed Demon God Blood, she’d have to bring out more.

Song Chi wasn’t stupid.

The blood might be useless to him, but to mid-tier faith deities, it could drive them wild.

Song Chi figured, if Moon Goddess Elune got her hands on the Eight-Armed Demon God Blood, she might not jump straight to ninth-tier, but it’d still let her take a huge step forward at eighth-tier—and reap endless benefits.

Whether she’d later fall under the spell of the Abyssal Demon God or end up its puppet, well, that was none of his concern.

There was no such thing as after-sales service in the Omniverse Market.

As predicted, after some thought, the Matriarch’s necklace lit up again as she produced a brand-new treasure.

Clearly, Moon Goddess Elune had her counter-offer ready.