Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi's words left Agati stunned, a hint of disbelief flashing in his dark brown eyes.

She had assumed the other party would gladly accept a 30% cut of the profits, which was the greatest sincerity she could offer.

%.

This means that she has to give away nearly a third of her profits every year. Those shipping routes, those caravans, those businesses that she has worked hard to build for decades, all have to be given away.

She had even prepared for the worst: if the other party was not satisfied, if they wanted more, she would put herself in the bag as well.

Anyway, Agati wasn't exactly a chaste and virtuous woman when she was young; she did everything she could to climb the social ladder.

She was adept at drinking with kingdom officials, dealing with pirate captains, and feigning friendship with those who could bring her benefits.

It's just that he's become more famous and has a higher status over the years, so he's become a little more restrained.

After all, expecting a pirate to abide by morality and honor is pure nonsense.

On this vast ocean, whoever has the biggest fist rules, and whoever is the strongest is right.

She, a woman, has climbed to her current position not just because of luck.

But now, the other party says they don't need flight routes, territory, or anything that requires long-term management to realize profits, and they're not even interested in her as a person.

Agati subconsciously raised his head and glanced cautiously at Lin Yi.

"Really...you don't need it?"

Her voice was very soft, with a hint of probing that she herself was unaware of.

She wasn't sure if the other person was just being polite or genuinely didn't want it. Having spent so many years on this sea, she had seen too many people who said they didn't want anything but ended up taking everything away.

Lin Yi frowned.

He wondered if the other person couldn't understand human speech.

He has already made it very clear that he doesn't need all that nonsense.

Why is this woman still asking?

The moment Agati saw the change in Lin Yi's expression, a nerve in his head tightened instantly.

Her back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, and the dark robe clung to her skin, sticking uncomfortably.

She subconsciously lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Yi's face anymore, and all the messy thoughts in her mind were suppressed at this moment.

What was she thinking? She was actually wondering if the other person was just being polite? She was actually thinking about whether she could use the revenue sharing from those routes to get rid of them? She was actually thinking about whether she could pay a lower price?
They can even kill bone sheep and ancient gods, so what are her little schemes in their eyes?
Agati took a deep breath and cleared his mind of all the jumbled thoughts.

She now only understood one thing—these people were not people she could scheme against, nor were they people she could bargain with.

She had no choice but to obey whatever people said.

Agati's mind works incredibly fast; she's been navigating this sea for so many years thanks to her ability to assess situations and make judgments.

Within seconds, she had figured out the whole thing.

These people don't care about the power dynamics on this sea, who occupies whose territory, or whose shipping routes have expanded while whose business has shrunk.

They were just passing through, like a typhoon, arriving with devastation and leaving cleanly.

They don't want steady, long-term gains; they want immediate, tangible returns.

They won't stay in the Viking Sea for long, so things that require long-term investment to realize are meaningless to them.

The huge weight that had been hanging over Agati's heart finally lifted.

I initially thought I would have to pay a heavy price, but now it seems the other party has no intention of occupying this place long-term.

Since that's the case, why not bleed a lot of money and just send them away?

For her, the flight route is the most important thing.

As long as there are shipping routes, business, and merchant fleets shuttling between various sea areas, what can't you make money from?
Soulstones can be bought again, equipment can be reforged, and materials can be collected again.

But you only have one life, one place, and only one Turtle Island.

The most important thing now is to get rid of these plagues as soon as possible and as far away as possible.

Every extra day she kept them on the island, the more restless she became.

Agati stood up, his movements much more agile than before.

"plz follow me."

She turned and walked to the corner of the room, stopping in front of the wall with the oil painting hanging on it.

The painting depicts a seascape, with delicate brushstrokes and soft colors, and looks no different from the other oil paintings in this small building.

Agati raised his hand and pressed his finger on an inconspicuous spot in the lower right corner of the frame.

There was a small flower painted there, the color of its petals almost exactly the same as the surrounding background. If you didn't look for it deliberately, you wouldn't notice it at all.

She pressed it down hard.

Click.

A very faint mechanical sound came from deep within the wall.

The oil painting, along with the wooden panel behind it, sank inward by about two centimeters, then silently slid to one side, revealing a dark entrance behind it.

The entrance is very narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

The walls on both sides are rough stone slabs, with no trace of artificial carving on the surface, making them look like a seamless part of the rock walls on the island.

A damp, chilly aura emanated from within, carrying the scent of earth and some kind of plant.

Agati took an oil lamp from the wall, lit it, and the dim light illuminated the stone steps at the entrance.

The stone steps descended and disappeared into the darkness, with no end in sight.

"This is my treasure room. Most of the things I've accumulated over the years are in here."

She didn't turn around, but took the lead and walked down the stone steps.

Lin Yi followed behind her, with Su Xiao close behind.

Mond and Shangyue walked at the very back, while Bubuwang darted out from beside Lin Yi's feet and squeezed into the passage ahead of everyone else, sniffing around with its nose close to the ground.

The stone steps were long and winding downwards, each step firmly planted, with no loose parts.

Every few steps along the walls on both sides there is a recess containing an oil lamp that has long since burned out, its wick covered in dust.

After walking for about two minutes, the passage began to widen, and the overhead height increased. Agati stopped in front of an iron gate.

The door was completely black, about two meters high and one and a half meters wide, with no decorations on the surface and only a keyhole the size of a fist.

The gap between the edge of the door and the wall was so narrow that even a knife blade could not be inserted, indicating that the craftsmanship was extremely precise.

Agati pulled a bunch of keys from his waist and picked out the longest one to insert into the keyhole.

The key made a heavy mechanical sound as it turned, clicking seven or eight times before finally making a dull click.

She didn't push the door open, but instead stood to the side and looked back at Lin Yi.

“There are my pets behind the door. They are very sensitive to the signs of life and have been hungry for a long time. I usually use a special powder to mask their scent when I come in, but I didn’t have time to prepare one today.”

Lin Yi glanced at her.

Agati met his gaze, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"With your abilities, you shouldn't need to worry about these things."

She spoke sincerely; she wasn't worried that Lin Yi would be hurt by the Blood Orchid. She just wanted to see how this person, who could kill ancient gods, would deal with those things.

Lin Yi didn't answer, but simply reached out and pushed the door open.

The moment the door opened, a strong smell of blood rushed out.

The aroma was so thick it was almost solidified, mixed with the sweet, fishy scent of some kind of plant, and it hit you right in the face.

The light from the oil lamp flooded the room, illuminating the scene inside.

It was a huge underground space, at least hundreds of square meters in diameter, with a dome so high that the top could not be seen.

The ground was densely covered with blood-red flowers, stretching from the entrance to the deepest part of the ground, like a dark red carpet covering the entire floor.

The flowers were about the size of a fist, with thick petals, slightly curled edges, and a layer of fine down on the surface.

The stamens are deep purple, like tiny hearts beating rhythmically.

Each flower swayed gently, its petals opening and closing, its stamens contracting, as if it were breathing.

The entire sea of ​​flowers was moving.

The petals opened and closed, the stems stretched and contracted, and the blood-red flowers, like countless hungry mouths, opened and closed silently in the darkness.

Agati stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the blood orchids, and subconsciously took a half-step back.

She has been raising these animals for over a decade and knows their habits very well.

Blood Orchids are extremely sensitive to the presence of life; any living creature that gets close will trigger an attack.

Normally, when she comes in to get something, she first applies a special powder to her body to mask her scent, and then quickly walks through this sea of ​​flowers.

Even so, the blood orchids would still wriggle towards her, and some would even reach out and rub against the hem of her clothes, as if to confirm whether she was food.

But today is different.

The blood orchids did not rush towards the group of people at the door, nor did they wriggle towards the direction of any living creatures as usual.

They simply huddled in place, their petals closed, their stems drooping, making the entire sea of ​​flowers appear three times shorter.

They were afraid.

Agati could clearly sense that the blood orchids were retreating away from the doorway.

The plants near the entrance had shrunk their stems to their shortest length, their petals tightly closed, and the entire plant was curled up in a ball, as if it had been frightened out of its wits by something.

Xue Lan simply dared not approach Su Xiao, Meng De, and Shang Yue.

The flower stems stopped half a meter away from the three of them, the petals opening and closing slightly, as if testing the waters or hesitating.

They could sense that the three people were dangerous, but they weren't sure how dangerous they were.

But it's different for Lin Yi.

The moment the blood orchids sensed Lin Yi's presence, it was as if they had been whipped hard, and the entire sea of ​​flowers shrank backward.

Near the entrance, the blood orchids had shrunk into fist-sized balls, their petals tightly enclosing the stamens, and their stems completely burrowed into the soil, leaving only a small protrusion visible.

They are afraid.

It wasn't the vigilance one feels when encountering a natural enemy, nor the retreat one feels when facing danger; it was utter fear.

It's like a mouse seeing a cat, a rabbit seeing an eagle, or prey seeing a predator.

That kind of fear is ingrained in your bones and cannot be controlled.

Agati originally wanted to test these people to see just how capable they were.

She had even considered using the Blood Orchid as leverage if these people were too greedy, to let them know that she wasn't completely without options. But now, that little scheme of hers had completely vanished.

The Blood Orchid was something she had cultivated for over a decade; it was her last trump card and her final guarantee for survival on this vast sea.

Even the madman Bone Sheep wouldn't dare to provoke these flowers, but now they've shrunk into balls in fear at the mere presence of one person.

What leverage does she have to negotiate with others?

Agati took a deep breath, suppressing all the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

"This way." Her voice was a little hoarse, but her tone was more respectful than before.

She walked past Lin Yi sideways, her pace much faster than before.

She stopped looking at the blood orchids and stopped thinking about anything else. She focused solely on moving forward, wanting to get these people to the treasure room as quickly as possible, let them take their things, and send them away as soon as possible.

After passing through the sea of ​​flowers, there was another iron gate ahead.

This door is smaller than the outer one, but it is much heavier.

The door was covered with intricate patterns, which shimmered slightly in the light of the oil lamp, clearly imbued with some kind of power.

Agati picked another key from the keychain and inserted it into the lock.

This time, the sound of the door opening was even heavier, and the grinding of gears echoed in the empty underground space, buzzing for quite a while.

The door opened.

The space behind the door is smaller than the outside, about fifty square meters.

The four walls were inlaid with rows of wooden shelves, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, each shelf holding something. Some were wooden boxes, some were iron chests, and some were unidentified objects wrapped in silk cloth.

In the center of the room stood a large stone table, on which were scattered several items that had not yet been put away.

An oil lamp sat on the corner of the table, its dim yellow light casting shadows throughout the room.

Agati stood at the doorway, stepped aside to make room, and gestured for them to enter.

Lin Yi stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over the wooden frames.

Compared to the treasure room of that penniless bastard Bone Sheep, this place is like another world.

The Bone Sheep's side had mostly gold and silver treasures, with gold coins piled up like mountains and jewels filling chests. It looked magnificent, but for these people, there was basically nothing they could use.

Those treasures are priceless in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the hands of extraordinary individuals, they are just a pile of pretty metals and stones.

This place is different.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the nearest shelf.

There were several wooden boxes there, their lids half-open, revealing what was inside.

The first box contains fifty complete Soul Crystals.

The second box contained a roll of parchment, its edges worn and yellowed.

Lin Yi unfolded it and took a look. It was covered with densely packed runes and annotations, a diagram of a sacrificial array he had never seen before.

The core marker of the magic circle points to a certain deep-sea area, marked with the words "Land of Ancient Slumber".

The third box contained a palm-sized piece of bone, dark gold in color, with a smooth, mirror-like surface and faintly visible fine lines.

Lin Yi picked it up and took a look. It was a fragment of a divine rib, with a faint divine aura remaining on it.

The fourth shelf had a wider variety of items.

A dozen or so bottles of potion were neatly stacked in an iron box, each labeled with a name such as "Breath of the Deep Sea," "Wrath of the Tides," and "Eye of the Storm."

The other wooden box contained various ores and metal ingots.

Agati stood at the door, watching Lin Yi's gaze sweep over the shelves, his heart bleeding.

These items were collected over more than a decade, and each one required a great deal of effort to acquire.

Some were salvaged from sunken ships in the deep sea, some were bought from the kingdom's high-ranking officials for a large sum of money, and some were stolen from those unscrupulous pirates.

She originally intended to use these things to enhance her strength, hoping to one day break through her current bottleneck and become a true god.

She researched for many years and prepared extensively, even risking her life to explore those cursed ruins.

But now, all of these things are going to be handed over to others.

Lin Yi didn't stand on ceremony and put the soul stones and bone fragments into his storage space.

Agati stood behind watching, his fingers clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they turned white, but the smile on his face remained unchanged.

Su Xiao didn't stand on ceremony. He walked to the shelf where the alchemy materials were placed, quickly scanned the potion bottles and metal ingots, and collected everything he could use.

He was very careful in his selection, picking up each item to examine it and confirming its quality and intended use before deciding whether to buy it.

Those that were not of sufficient quality, or that were of little use to him, were discarded.

Agati felt even more distressed seeing Su Xiao's picky and choosy manner.

She would rather the other person take whatever they want than see them carefully selecting something like this.

This means that people know their stuff, and that she won't be able to keep any of her truly valuable possessions.

Mondl paid no attention to the materials. His gaze was immediately drawn to a few pieces of equipment in the corner.

His fighting style is just too crazy. In every battle, he always charges to the front and takes the damage with his body.

Others use techniques to dodge, he takes it head-on.

Others use defense to block, he uses his body to take the hit.

This playstyle is exhilarating, but it also consumes equipment at an alarming rate.

His weapons and armor were worn out after only a few uses, either cut or cracked.

With so many useful items suddenly appearing, Mondstadt naturally wouldn't mind.

Shangyue stood in front of another shelf, her movements far more graceful than Mond's.

She examines things slowly, picking up each item carefully to check its origin before deciding whether to take it or not.

She glanced at the mediocre equipment and put it down.

She wouldn't even touch ordinary materials.

She only chose the highest quality equipment and items.

A slender sword, with a long and thin blade, silver-white in color, and with fine, flowing patterns on its surface.

A talisman, carved from the bones of some deep-sea creature, faintly exudes a protective power.

Several bottles of extremely high-quality potions, with gold labels on them bearing names such as "Breath of Life" and "Healing of the Soul."

In addition to these, she also selected a few seemingly insignificant items.

A roll of yellowed parchment, neatly written, records the historical evolution of several kingdoms in the Viking Sea, including the establishment of the Kingdom of Firding and several small kingdoms around Siren Harbor, as well as the complex and evolving relationship between them and pirate forces.

A leather-bound notebook, with the words "Navigation Log" written on its title page, meticulously records the changes in shipping routes in this sea area over the decades, the rise and fall of pirate groups, and the diplomatic maneuvering between various kingdoms.

There is also a palm-sized stone slab with densely engraved symbols on its surface. According to Agati, it was salvaged from some deep-sea ruins, and the inscriptions on it remain undeciphered to this day.

For the Feathered Clan, cultural heritage is a very important aspect of their race.

Among the Winged Race, books are sometimes even more valuable than some high-quality materials and equipment.

Those documents that record history, culture, and social structure are priceless treasures in the eyes of the Feather Clan elders.

Although the world of Viking Sea is backward, its social system is very interesting.

Pirates, kingdoms, ancient gods, and mysterious relics—these elements intertwine to form a unique and complex ecosystem.

Shangyue plans to take these books and documents back with her; the elders in her clan who enjoy studying these things will surely be very interested.

Agati stood at the door, watching as the group swept away all the treasures he had painstakingly accumulated over a decade. It was impossible for him not to feel a pang of guilt.

She had originally intended to find the method to become an ancient god in those books and documents.

Now everything is gone.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her fingers were clenched so tightly in her sleeves that her knuckles turned white.

She felt as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out, leaving her feeling empty and in excruciating pain.

But she still had to keep a smile on her face.

They at least gave you face and allowed you a way to survive.

Otherwise, given Su Xiao's personality, he would have already come over and killed her with two slashes, and then looted the warehouse; the result would have been the same anyway.

At that time, she couldn't even save her own life, let alone these things.

Thinking of this, Agati's smile deepened.

She even stepped forward and pointed out to Lin Yi a few boxes in the corner that hadn't been searched yet.

"There are more over there. The items in those boxes are of good quality; they were salvaged from a shipwreck a few years ago. There are some deep-sea minerals, which are of very high quality and rarely seen on the market."

Lin Yi glanced at her, nodded, and went over to collect the boxes as well.

Su Xiao carefully put away the last alchemy material, glanced at the almost empty treasure room, and turned to walk towards the door.

Lin Yi paused for a moment as he walked past her.

"The territory of the Bone Sheep is yours."

Agati paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

This was compensation given to her, or rather, a treat given to her by others.

Take her things, but leave her the territory and business of the Bone Sheep.

The revenue generated annually from those properties and businesses is enough to offset her losses today.

As long as she cooperates honestly, these people won't touch her.

Agati lowered his head, and the smile on his lips finally had a hint of authenticity.

"Yes."

Lin Yi said nothing more and turned to walk out of the treasure room.

As we passed through that sea of ​​blood orchids, the flowers had shrunk even smaller.

Some plants even shrank completely into the soil, leaving only a small depression on the ground.

They didn't dare to move when Lin Yi passed by; their petals were tightly closed and their stems were completely contracted, as if they wished they could bury themselves into the earth's core.

Bone Sheep is dead, and Redbeard's side will soon receive the news.

The landscape of this vast sea is about to change, but as long as she clings to this powerful ally, no one can touch her. (End of Chapter)