Eternal Night

Chapter 721 Little Money Is So Sweet and the Direction of the Main Brain's Second Upgrade

The Dog Egg sailed on the boundless sea.

Since the ship was cursed, the Dog Egg has sailed smoothly without any further trouble. Not only has the weather been fine, but the islands and groups that were supposedly armed caravans but were actually privateers that had been encountered before have also all disappeared.

During his few truly leisurely days, Wu Pifu spent all his time reading, except for eating, sleeping, and practicing martial arts.

When he returned to the Land of Redemption a few days ago, he specially asked Gao Changgong to get him several hundred physical novels, all of which were literary works from before World War IV. Of course, he only selected science fiction and fantasy, which suited his taste the best. At this time, several hundred books were just enough to keep him entertained.

Then there's Amadeus, who basically spends all his time training, either physical strength or the ability to control metal. In terms of diligence, Amadeus, who has served in the military, far surpasses Wu Pifu.

As for Xu Shilan, she wasn't so diligent. Every day, besides sleeping until she naturally woke up, she would hum songs while cooking or making desserts. Although she would practice her extraordinary abilities in the morning and afternoon, it was clear that she had nothing to do with diligence. Instead, she seemed to be enjoying life.

Why not enjoy it?

During dinner, when Xu Shilan heard Wu Pifu and Amadeus's questions, she replied with surprise, "Although in your eyes I must have lived a life of luxury and ease since childhood, like a spoiled brat, do you really think that kind of life is comfortable?"

Seeing Wu Pifu and Amadeus's confusion, Xu Shilan patiently explained, "If it were a wealthy family of a much lower social standing than the Xu family, they could indeed live a very happy life. After all, ignorance is bliss. Those wealthy families at that level eat, drink, and have fun. Before the outbreak of the Fourth World War, they would have no idea that human civilization was already on the verge of collapse."

"But the Xu family is different. As one of the eleven families that have certain main brain permissions, my task from childhood to adulthood has been to assist my younger brother in controlling the Xu family. At the same time, together with other families and the Thirteen Singularity Company, I control the direction of human civilization's progress. There are so many things to learn every day. There is no such thing as a happy childhood. It is impossible for me to go out to eat, drink and have fun like a spoiled brat."

Wu Pifu and Amadei were somewhat skeptical, but Xu Shilan said with a wry smile, "Firstly, it's not safe. The eleven families are all fighting amongst themselves. Although they wouldn't go so far as to kill each other, they could certainly scare people. But the Thirteen Singularity Company had already completely fallen from grace by then, and they wouldn't care about such things. So, if they wanted to go out for a trip, the most likely outcome would be disappearance. Secondly, there's no time. I need to study for more than ten hours every day, and I also have to participate in some family affairs. My younger brother spent his childhood like that too. What do you think?"

Wu Pifu and Amadeus then showed pity.

Xu Shilan immediately smiled and said, "What are you thinking? Although I didn't have a childhood, it's not something that you need to pity. Not to mention anything else, just the most basic food and drink, that's definitely better than you can imagine, not to mention living conditions, social status, and so on. You know, there are so many people who have even become experimental subjects, living a life worse than death. What do I have to do with that deserves your pity?"

Amade nodded and said, "That's true. Compared to you, I and many others I know didn't even die with a complete corpse. We really have no right to pity you."

Xu Shilan smiled and remained silent. The three of them ate quietly. After a long while, Xu Shilan said softly, "To be honest, these past few days have been the happiest and most relaxing time of my life. Even after waking up from the hibernation pod and learning about the strange and terrifying world of dreams, I still felt a strange sense of relaxation... There was no responsibility, no obligation, no need to face anything, and no pain of losing all my loved ones. At that time, I only lived for myself... And it's still the same now. These past few days, I've been really happy."

Wu Pifu remained silent. After finishing his meal, he took out three bottles of fruit wine from his personal space, opened one, and drank it quietly.

Xu Shilan immediately glared at Wu Pifu and said, "Before we died, you talked a lot, but why are you talking less and less now? This is not good. I feel like you are becoming more and more naive."

Wu Pifu didn't know what Xu Shilan meant by "pure," but he didn't think he had changed. He was still a human being, and the main brain's certification of him as a pure-blooded human was definitely correct.

Seeing Wu Pifu's reaction, Xu Shilan actually stood up and walked up to him, reaching out to rub his face, forcing a weak smile. She laughed loudly as much as she could, saying, "Look, you still look quite handsome when you smile."

Helpless, Wu Pifu suddenly said, "We've arrived."

Xu Shilan was taken aback, not understanding for a moment what Wu Pifu was talking about: "What do you mean, 'arrived'?"

"We've arrived at the port of the island faction..."

Soon enough, the lookout tower of the Dog Egg saw the outline of the port ahead.

This is a crescent-shaped coral harbor. Calling it a small island is a stretch, as it's not actually on any nautical chart. However, there are moored ships and houses, and since it's island territory, it does qualify as a harbor.

As the Dog Egg sailed toward the port, people were running around on the lookout tower inside the port. Soon, ships also sailed in from the port, two level two ships and one level three ship, all small armed boats. Although the Dog Egg was a level five ship, it was a very obviously chubby transport ship. Logically speaking, a level three armed ship would be enough to destroy it.

Logically speaking...

Before Wu Pifu could speak, Xu Shilan released the rudder, ran to the bow, and shouted, "We are the Gou Dan! Ships ahead, clear the way for us!"

The sound wasn't loud, but if shouted, the other side could still hear it. When the words "Dog Egg" came out, the pirates on the three ships opposite widened their eyes.

This is something that cannot be faked or lied about. Once the ship's real name is revealed, everyone can clearly see the name displayed on its attributes. As for duplicate names or impersonation, these don't exist in this world. Any ship with the same name will have its attribute panel displaying "Second Generation," "Third Generation," or similar designation, making it immediately clear to everyone. And what's displayed before these islanders is the unmistakably the name "Dog Egg"—without a doubt, this is the real Dog Egg!
In an instant, all the crew members felt dizzy and some even prepared to jump ship to escape.

But everyone who dares to go to sea knows that in front of someone of the caliber of the captain of the Dog Egg, the so-called jumping ship, the so-called islands, the so-called superior numbers, etc. are all meaningless!
This is a celestial being who surpasses even the Admirals, Sea Kings, and Island Lords! This is the legendary figure who defeated the strongest member of the pirate camp, spared his life, and set the stage for a future battle with him!
The three pirate ships immediately obeyed and led the way, taking the Dog Egg into the harbor.

The people in the port were also confused. They naturally didn't hear the words "Dog Egg" on the ship, so they were still wondering about the ship's attributes. The reason they were confused was that they didn't see three pirate ships boarding the ship to check, nor did they attack or warn them. The ship simply returned to port.
Could this transport ship, which doesn't fly any flag of any faction or pirate, be one of our own?

And very quickly, everyone in the port and on the island knew who the newcomers were...

Captain Wu Pifu of the Dog Egg and his two crew members!
That newest celestial being whose fame has already resounded throughout the ocean!!
Wu Pifu and his two companions stood at the bow of the ship, watching the Dog Egg slowly enter the harbor. The harbor was crowded with people, including many pirates who looked like they had status and position. All the islanders stood there obediently, waiting to be greeted.

Wu Pifu stroked his chin and murmured, "At this moment, we should be carrying a dozen heads and shouting, 'We came for water and land...'"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Xu Shilan retorted inexplicably, "Don't say anything, I'll handle it."

With Wu Pifu in charge, no one on the island dared to cause trouble. Xu Shilan was also very adept at handling things. In just a few hours from night to late at night, she completely resolved the issues of their purpose, the sales channels for the spices they were selling, and the sources of various special shellfish they were acquiring. She even left preliminary plans for future cooperation with several well-connected pirates.

The rest was easy. The spices on the entire ship were sold off almost like a dumping ground, at a price 20% cheaper than those circulating in the pirate camp. At the same time, a large quantity of extraordinary shellfish of various attributes were also purchased, at a price 20% higher than those circulating in the pirate camp.

According to Xu Shilan's estimate, Wu Pifu and his two companions not only suffered no loss in their assets, but also made at least fifty times the profit. More importantly, their reputation was established, allowing them to sell more spices and easily purchase more extraordinary shell resources the next time they came to the pirate camp.

Wu Pifu naturally didn't care about anything that happened during this time, nor did he understand it. Xu Shilan was in complete control, and in just three days, the cargo hold of the Dog Egg was filled with cargo, and the entire ship sailed away from the pirate port heavily laden with cargo.

"That's why we maritime traders earn far more money than robbing. After robbing, you have to search for the loot yourself, and it's a one-off transaction. How can you earn as much as having others rush to give you money? The spice trade is more profitable than the gold trade!"

Xu Shilan excitedly calculated the accounts. She said, "If we sell all these extraordinary shells to the Order faction, the wealth we gain will be at least two thousand times the value of the gold you initially paid! And with your ability to change the tide, a round trip can be done in twenty days at most. Of course, this is in the early stages. One transport ship will be too few for the next trade. We need to increase the number of ships and personnel, so we must first have territory. And... there's another big deal!"

Wu Pifu and Amadei had absolutely no interest in the world's wealth; they simply listened politely, one reading a book and the other exercising. Xu Shilan chuckled coldly, took out the permanent compass to check the directions, and immediately said to Wu Pifu and Amadei, "Let's go, now we're returning to the Land of Redemption!"

Wu Pifu and Amadei were both a little confused, but it wasn't a big deal, so they both nodded and quickly used the mainframe's return judgment to leave the ocean dream world together with the ship.

Upon returning to the Land of Redemption, before Wu Pifu and Amadei could say anything, Xu Shilan immediately shouted, "Master computer, determine the cargo in the Dog Egg's hold! Second determination: should we purchase it with points?"

"Judging in progress...judging complete."

"A large number of extraordinary items have been discovered."

"Secondary judgment in progress... Judgment complete."

"This extraordinary item possesses inherent reality, can be brought into Gaia, and can be used in the Land of Redemption. It does not require reality filling. The mainframe determines the price: Sound Recording Coin is worth 5 points each, Impact Coin is worth 10 points each, Image Recording Coin is worth 8 points each, Temperature Coin is worth 12 points each, Light Coin is worth 16 points each, Energy Coin is worth 33 points each... The total value is 68,221,193 points..."

"If the next upgrade of the mainframe is in the field of acquiring and selling extraordinary items, the mainframe can acquire them all."

"What!?"

Wu Pifu and Amadeus were completely stunned.

Money in the Ocean Dream World means nothing to them, but points are different!
Over 68 million points!?
What the hell?! Just one trade run in a few days, and I've already racked up over 68 million points?!

Xu Shilan's eyes lit up with greed. She immediately grabbed Wu Pifu by the collar and said, "Quick, quick, the second upgrade of the mainframe will unlock the acquisition and sale of extraordinary items!!"

(End of this chapter)