While Lu Yin was busy wondering whether the Mavis Bank’s total finances could keep the Timestop domain running indefinitely, Manager Ahke finished calculations and passed him a white crystal card from the same bank, “There are 3.2 billion credits here, you can exchange it all for star crystals at the nearest Mavis branch, they should be more convenient for transactions and storage.”
“More convenient for transactions?” Lu Yin was surprised.
“Yes. Many transactions in the Innerverse are settled with star crystals and the like as currency; it is rather inconvenient to carry notes for 3.2 billion when you can just have 3,200 cubes of star crystals instead.”
Lu Yin nodded with secret excitement; this job was just far too suited to himself. He decided to return whenever he needed money… Wait, when did he ever not need money? He would return to Astral-10 to complete the mission and see if he could come back soon after.
Ahke’s doubts grew when he saw Lu Yin’s high spirits. They had guessed that this student had brought his own materials to complete this mission, which they were fine with, but the student was only paid back a third of the value. Why was he so happy? Was this mission that important in Astral-10? That couldn’t be, Iltoco wasn’t worth that much.
“Do you wish to continue your efforts, Student Lu? We’ll gladly pay the same rate,” he tried to probe.
Lu Yin shook his head, “No need, let’s go to the space station.”
Ahke nodded, “Please follow me.”
They passed by countless abandoned machines on the way back, but Lu Yin considered it all treasure that could be exchanged for money. He asked along the way, “Manager Ahke, can I come whenever I wish to recycle things?”
Ahke smiled, “Of course. Most pre-Limiteer cultivators have to pass an examination first, but students from Astral-10 are different. You’ve already proved yourself anyway; just inform me in advance if you want to come. Here’s my number.”
Lu Yin recorded it down and thanked him, but Ahke hesitated for a moment before trying to probe again, “Student Lu’s star energy control seems rather extensive for a Sentinel. You were even faster than a Limiteer.”
“My innate gift is useful for recycling,” Lu Yin explained.
“Innate gift?” Ahke was shocked, unsure if this person was pulling his leg. If there was an innate gift this useful, Iltoco definitely couldn’t miss out on such an opportunity. There were many strange innate gifts in the universe, including those suited to lockbreakers, “Student Lu, is your innate gift in the exotic category?”
Lu Yin glanced back at him, inciting a prompt apology, “Sorry, I’m being too nosy.”
He turned away, “Well, you’re right.”
Ahke grew envious, “So you have the potential to become a lockbreaker.”
Lockbreaker? Lu Yin suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to look it up, “Have you seen a lockbreaker before?”
Ahke smiled bitterly, “Don’t joke with me, how could someone like me ever come across a lockbreaker? Even some of our executives might not have met one before; those are characters at the peak of the universe.”
Lu Yin nodded and went quiet, looking down to fiddle with his gadget. An introduction of lockbreakers came up rather quickly, revealing what they were. This was a title for someone who could perfectly disintegrate star energy.
The universe had been through countless years of the cycle of creation and destruction, leaving behind innumerable items from ancient times. These items were enveloped in layers of all sorts of energy that formed a protective shell known as a sourcebox. Forcefully prying these things open could damage what was inside, and the abundance of mysterious phenomena in the universe ensured that some of the layers were dangerous to destroy. One had to peel away each layer of protective energy slowly to retrieve the contents. Any object that could absorb star energy to form these protective layers wasn’t simple; these were all dust-caked treasures that only a lockbreaker could reveal.
Sourceboxes could hold such things as powerful battle techniques, cultivation methods, and even ancient technology. Every revelation of such a thing increased the prestige of the profession, but the requirements to become a lockbreaker were far too harsh for mere mortals to attain. Lockbreakers thus had enormous clout wherever they went. Lu Yin was rather surprised; he hadn’t thought such an occupation could exist.
“We’re at the space station, Student Lu,” Ahke said suddenly, pulling him away from his screen.
Lu Yin stepped off the plane, “Thank you for the hospitality, Manager Ahke. I’ll take my leave.”
“We should be thanking you for your help. Have a pleasant journey.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lu Yin quickly stepped into his plane and set course for the nearest Mavis Bank. As his spaceship disappeared into the depths of space, he thought over his current reward. Over 3,000 cubes of star crystals… this was far more than the entire amount he had gained in the Great Yu Empire. It truly was worthy of a big company that could send missions to Astral-10, something even the Empire did not have the ability to do. Iltoco seemed like a subsidiary of some big company in the Innerverse, and were likely using that relationship to send these missions.
The nearest Mavis Bank was a day’s journey away, and Lu Yin spent the time reading up on lockbreakers. He only noticed a change when his plane docked at the space station, and in his elation, he didn’t even flinch at the high parking fees. The planet he had landed on was quite big, and its buildings were similar in style to the Zenyu Star. He headed directly for the Mavis Bank and transferred the credits into star crystals, a total of 3,270 cubes. With the 28 he had on hand prior, he was almost at 3,300 cubes which was a huge sum. He still had the two million credits he’d obtained in the Great Yu Empire, but that sum now seemed small compared to his mission rewards. It was only when he checked the price of the most basic spaceship and found it to be at 10 billion that he realized how stingy The Undying Yushan had been to only give him 300,000 credits. It was far too miserly.
But it did seem that earning money was easy, if only for himself. Ahke had said that even a Limiteer with a good grasp of star energy couldn’t earn so much in two months, and that sort of Limiteer was a rare breed. He guessed that it would have to be someone at the level of materialization or even infinite change, and there simply weren’t that many of those around. Earning money wasn’t all that easy; he just had a hack.
Lu Yin walked out of the Mavis Bank and looked at the branches full of credit notes, moved by how rich the Mavis Family was. He was about to leave when he recalled something and retrieved a black crystal card from his ring; this was what he’d gotten when he rolled Pilfer once. The words “Yao Gu” were front and center on it, so he’d thought he wouldn’t be able to make a withdrawal, but he was already here and there was no harm in trying. When he went back in, he actually succeeded.
Success without authentication? How? Lu Yin grew excited at his luck, and the balance in the card was just as delightful. 12,000 cubes of star crystals, four times his current wealth. Wait, why did this card use star crystals directly instead of credits? He quickly brushed that thought aside, deciding not to look the gift horse in the mouth. He took out all of the crystals but found that his cosmic ring now wasn’t big enough. In the end, he heroically spent 1,000 cubes on the spot to purchase a large cosmic ring. The pang of regret was washed away by the fact that this new ring had over 10,000 cubic meters of space.
Lu Yin left the bank with a mix of excitement and apprehension. He was carrying more than 15,000 star crystals, enough to invite anyone’s greed. Everyone looked like a bandit now, so he headed directly to the space station and left the planet to return to Astral-10.
……
Two days later. A giant meteor smashed right through a star and flew through a foreign sky, continuing to head into the distance. A pair of eyes that were impossible to describe opened up on the meteor, seeming to engulf everything like they were black holes. “There’s news. Send someone to search the Frostwave Weave in the Human Domain. Find the person that dared to rob me, he’ll learn the consequences of stealing Yao Gu’s belongings.”
“Yes, Master.”