Chapter 603: Chapter 211: Ten Thousand Laws Sky Conch, Ten Thousand Orders Land Conch!
"Ah, failed again..."
Waving his hand to wipe away all the light spots, Zhang Ming shook his head helplessly, then finally turned around.
He looked to be around forty, his facial features sharp and clean-cut. His short hair was held perfectly in place by hair gel, and a frameless pair of sensor glasses rested on his high nose bridge. Pale green streams of data were still flashing rapidly across the inner side of the lenses, reflecting in his pupils and making them appear even deeper.
"What is it?"
"Director Zhang, it’s a level-four Cooperation Decree from Happiness City." The staff member bowed slightly and reported in a low voice.
"Oh?"
Zhang Ming’s eyebrows lifted slightly. His right hand extended naturally, thumb and index finger gently opening and closing.
With this motion, a faint blue interactive light screen unfolded out of thin air, and rows of encrypted text and attached images emerged clearly.
The image showed a strangely shaped conch, its surface inscribed with dense, obscure runes, with a faint halo of mist lingering around its edges.
"An Immortal Object? And a layered amplification type, at that?"
Zhang Ming’s gaze locked firmly onto the conch runes in the light screen. A trace of genuine surprise flashed in his eyes, then he raised his hand in a gesture. "Got it, you can leave first."
As the door softly clicked shut, he pondered for a brief moment, then reached toward the empty air behind him with a beckoning motion.
The alloy floor split open with a crack, and a large executive desk inlaid with a touch panel, along with a heavy leather office chair, slowly rose up and stopped precisely beneath the light screen.
After he sat down, he straightened his collar in the reflection on the light screen, then lifted his hand to press a few stray hairs back into his neatly fixed hairstyle, only then tapping the touch panel with his fingertip.
Buzz.
Buzz...
A faint resonance hummed through the air as ripple-like signal waves spread along the edges of the virtual light screen.
A moment later, the ripples faded and the image stabilized, revealing a face framed by shoulder-length purple hair.
The woman wore a neatly tailored research uniform. Her demeanor was elegant with a hint of intellectual poise, and she too sat in an office chair.
"Director Yu, still not resting at this hour?" Zhang Ming spoke first, an impeccably measured smile on his face, his tone carrying a deliberate note of surprise.
"Director Zhang contacting me at midnight—surely not just to ask about my rest schedule?" Yu Erlan’s smile was equally proper, but on closer inspection, one could spot a hint of distance in her eyes, and even a barely noticeable trace of disgust.
The research institutes of the Six Major Keystone Shelter Cities and Firewood Shelter City often held video conferences among their internal researchers to exchange information and share resources, so the two of them were naturally no strangers to each other.
But when it came to the person she disliked most, Zhang Ming definitely made the list, and ranked near the top.
This was a pure-bred "technology merchant."
There was not a shred of the simplicity, professionalism, or perseverance a researcher should have on him; all he had was arrogance, ignorance, and... conceit.
"I do, in fact, have business."
As if completely oblivious to that faint rejection, Zhang Ming enlarged the holographic image of the conch of his own accord. "Happiness City just sent out a level-four Cooperation Decree. This thing looked a bit familiar to me at first glance. Judging from the rune patterns, it shouldn’t be a complete Immortal Object, just a fragment."
"But what’s interesting is these few segments. We’ve already decoded their rune meanings. They all indicate amplification, and there’s another segment related to material structure... this is a good piece of work."
Yet Yu Erlan didn’t respond. She kept smiling, waiting for him to continue.
Happiness City had always lagged in Source Introduction Technology, and their analysis of Immortal Object runes barely scratched the surface; they had never squeezed their already limited research capacity just to chase such specialized technologies.
She couldn’t really follow what Zhang Ming was saying now, but one thing was clear: this guy definitely wasn’t here to show off, nor to offer congratulations to Happiness City.
And sure enough, when he saw that Yu Erlan wasn’t biting, Zhang Ming gave a light cough and finally revealed his true intent: "There are still plenty of new runes on this fragment that we’ve never seen before. If you’re willing to trade the fragment, we can exchange it for a B+ level technology. How about it?"
"B+?"
Though Yu Erlan kept herself well composed, her expression still shifted slightly when she heard that level.
On paper, B+ sounded far inferior to Firewood Shelter City’s S-level technologies, separated by several tiers.
But Happiness City’s own core technology, "Happiness Alloy," was only valued at A-level—just two levels higher than B+.
Even the fully distributed civilian Firewood Communication technology of the Fire Alliance was only B-level, a full tier lower than B+. Only the military-grade Firewood Communication system was worth B+.
This offer did indeed exceed her expectations.
It also indirectly confirmed just how terrifyingly valuable this newly discovered Immortal Object fragment was.
"So, what do you think? I’d say my sincerity is pretty substantial, no?" Seeing her waver, Zhang Ming’s smile deepened.
"Happiness City’s focus has never been on Source Introduction Technology. Leaving this fragment in your hands is nothing but a waste of time."
Zhang Ming’s tone was dripping with condescension. "Besides, if we find the other parts in the future, the half you’re holding will be worth exactly nothing."
The familiar wave of disgust surged up inside her. Yu Erlan’s brows knit slightly, but she didn’t give ground. "Trade for an A-level technology, and we’ll deal."
"Heh, what a big appetite..."
Zhang Ming let out a derisive laugh and shook his head slightly. "Looks like you haven’t actually gotten your hands on that Immortal Object fragment yet."
"Hm?" Yu Erlan’s face changed subtly.
"Alright, no need to keep up the act."
Zhang Ming tapped a spot on the light screen, zooming in on a section of the conch runes. "This thing’s effect is area amplification. My guess is that it’s something those lunatics in Antarctica cobbled together back in the day for their environmental modification experiments. Didn’t expect it to drift into the vicinity of your Happiness City. Now that is a curiosity."
