Chapter 271: Chapter 264: Purification! Lamp of Wishes

Shi Ming gave a rough description of the stele.

"It’s about two meters tall. What sets it apart from an ordinary stele is that it’s carved with several hundred abstract symbols, and it’s extremely difficult to damage."

"Its appearance is completely different from the Eternal Steles on the Twelve Stars, but the characters... are actually quite similar in a way."

As Dr. Chongwen and Li Jiuyuan listened to Shi Ming’s description, they became more and more certain that this was a fragment of the great stele from Mount Everest.

Dr. Chongwen considered this for a moment before speaking.

"Although I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, based on your description, this stele should share the same origin as the Mount Everest Stele. It likely records some sort of mysterious revelations. Unfortunately, the text on it is incredibly difficult to decipher. To be honest with you, the single character that the Xirang Branch managed to translate half a month ago took a full twenty-seven days."

’One character in twenty-seven days?’

’That long?’

’I spent five days in the Mysterious Space and completely learned that language.’

’Could it really be my talent?’

"Of course, I’m not denying its value. The inspiration the stele provides for humanity is indescribable. It’s just that our current level of scientific research isn’t advanced enough to fully unlock its potential. As for your stele, young man, we’ll still need to study it to confirm whether it’s truly a fragment of the Mount Everest Stele."

"Understood. I’ll send you some information for your review, Doctor, once I return to the Da Yu."

"Excellent."

Shi Ming took the opportunity to ask, "Doctor, the large stele discovered on Mount Everest... is it on the Da Yu now?"

Dr. Chongwen shook his head.

"The location of the great stele isn’t much of a secret. It’s still standing on the top of Mount Everest. The Xirang Research Institute Headquarters is also built on Mount Everest, but it’s located on the mountainside, over a thousand meters lower in elevation. The great stele is difficult to move, so to facilitate our research, we paid an enormous price to project a holographic image of part of it onto the King-level Wandering Ship, Da Yu. We need to borrow the King Ship’s high-powered computing equipment to analyze the text."

"A holographic projection?"

"That’s right. The text on the stele is quite peculiar. Whether it’s transcribed or copied, it loses its original meaning and becomes worthless. Currently, holographic projection is the only method that prevents it from losing ’fidelity’."

’So that’s how it is.’

’No wonder the Xirang Research Institute Headquarters is on Mount Everest, yet they also set up a branch on the Da Yu specifically to study ancient texts and wondrous items.’

’The main body of the great stele is still on the Mount Everest Summit?’

’Does that mean if I want to see it, I just need to climb Mount Everest and bypass the Xirang Headquarters?’

He recalled the last time he used the Eye of the World to investigate Mount Everest. A pile of redacted black squares had appeared, and the Eye had reminded him that this anomaly was, in itself, a piece of intelligence. Without a doubt, the only remaining landmass on the ocean’s surface held a great secret—one that even the Eye of the World couldn’t properly display.

"Young man."

"Hm?"

"If the stele in your possession is indeed a fragment of the Mount Everest Stele, I was wondering if you would be willing to sell it to Xirang?"

"Sell it?"

"It’s not our intention to take something you treasure. Aside from the Xirang Research Institute, no other research institute has ever successfully interpreted the text on these steles. When it comes to studying these mysterious symbols, our speed may be slow, but we are at the forefront of all research institutes. If possible, after an appraisal, Xirang will make you a suitable offer. Of course, the final decision is up to you."

’Sell it?’

Shi Ming hadn’t really considered it.

But it was true; the Divine Revelation Stele’s value to him was purely informational.

There was little point in keeping the original stele.

For Xirang, this small stele wasn’t a necessity either. Their computing power was limited, and they had analyzed less than a tenth of the 33,000-character stele. The institute didn’t have the spare capacity to research other things right now. However, since a clue to a new stele had appeared, it was certainly a good idea to acquire it if they could. At the very least, it would expand their database, provide more samples, and possibly inspire new ideas through comparison.

Shi Ming considered his options.

"You’re too kind, Doctor."

"This stele truly isn’t of much use in my hands. If it can bring new inspiration to your research and realize its greater value, then I am willing to gift it to Xirang."

Gifting it seemed like a sacrifice of personal gain, but in reality, it was a strategic retreat meant to advance his position.

’A gift?’

Dr. Chongwen was a little surprised.

’How could that be acceptable!’

"We appreciate the kind gesture, young man, but Xirang has a fixed annual research budget. We won’t let you take a loss on this."

"In that case..."

’Alright, then.’

Shi Ming didn’t refuse again.

When he was a child and elders gave him money for the new year, he would only refuse once. If the elder insisted on giving it, he would happily accept.

Besides, he was quite short on money right now.

Specifically, he was short on contribution points.

Just last night, he’d browsed through the many items in the Da Yu’s Treasure Vault terminal and liked a lot of what he saw. However, he currently only had 11,000 contribution points, enough to exchange for only one or two desired items. He was feeling quite broke and conflicted.

If he could exchange the stele for contribution points, that would be great.

And perhaps he could use the handover as a legitimate opportunity to see the stele projection at the Xirang Branch.

As for Mount Everest, he was definitely going to climb it.

...

...

...

After returning to the Da Yu, he took several photos of the Divine Revelation Stele and close-ups of its characters, then sent them to Dr. Chongwen.

Afterward, he began the upgrade plan he had been preparing for a long time.

He planned to use the Purifying Marrow he had just obtained to upgrade the Lamp of Wishes and the "Corroded Full Moon Pearl" from the Scorpion King’s Pyramid. The Lamp of Wishes was especially important. The three wishes it offered were a true trump card. A well-placed wish during a crisis could turn disaster into safety, and a wish made in a dilemma could reveal a way out.

After all, hadn’t Prince Atte used the Lamp of Wishes to vanish right from under his nose?

Although he didn’t know what price the prince had paid, a purified Lamp of Wishes could grant wishes without demanding any cost!

Shi Ming took out the lamp, which looked like an ashtray.

[Corrupted Lamp of Wishes]

[Level 9]

[A Wishing Star that fell from the sky transformed into a wondrous power and merged with an oil lamp, forming the Lamp of Wishes, ranked 41st on the list of wondrous items. It can grant its owner three wishes. Unfortunately, in less than a hundred years, the mundane desires of mortals completely corrupted the pure Wish Power. It now fulfills wishes in a very twisted manner and demands payment under the pretext of equivalent exchange.]

[Upgrade Requirement: 300g of Purifying Marrow.]

’Infinite Brain!’

’Upgrade!’

Just three minutes later, Shi Ming received the notification that the upgrade was successful!

[Lamp of Wishes]

[Level: 10]

[The 41st-ranked wondrous item, the Lamp of Wishes, can grant you three wishes. It has now returned to its original state and requires no payment. Simply light the lamp, rub its body, and say, "Pure Star Spirit from the depths of the starry sky, my wish is: ..." to make your wish, and it will be swiftly fulfilled.]

[Note 1: It is worth noting that even after purification, if the wish made is exceedingly absurd, the result may still be twisted.]

[Note 2: High-frequency words are still very easily distorted, especially "immortality" and "more wishes." However, wishes for wealth, power, and companions can now be fulfilled quite perfectly.]

[Infinite Upgrade Requirement: 1x Pure Starlight.]

Level 10 was the maximum level for a wondrous item.

But the current Infinite Brain could allow items to break through their level cap and upgrade one more time. The required material, however, was incredibly demanding. He had never even heard of this "Pure Starlight."

A Level 10 Lamp of Wishes was more than enough for now.

He now had another trump card.

Next, he used another 300 grams of Purifying Marrow to successfully purify the Corroded Full Moon Pearl.

[Full Moon Pearl]

[Level 8]

[A Treasure Pearl plundered by the Scorpion King from the Full Moon Tribe and bestowed upon his most favored Consort, Aisuya. Its gentle light is like moonlight. Flowers bloom wherever it shines, and under the moon, the two would do their favorite things together.]

[Fertility: Under the pearl’s light, all living things grow vigorously. (Plant growth speed x10, Animal reproductive drive x3)]

[Infinite Upgrade Requirement: 2000x Pure Dome Crystal.]

Although he had some expectations, Shi Ming hadn’t thought the Full Moon Pearl’s effect would be like this.

’There are no useless treasures, only unsuitable situations.’

’Perhaps it could be useful in some future scenario? Forcing the growth of some plants, for example, or using its effect to subdue herds of sea beasts without a fight?’

’The future looks promising.’

As for the *Codex of All Nations*, it still had dozens of uses left. Based on the principle of using things to their fullest potential, Shi Ming had no plans to reset it now. Purifying Marrow was a renewable resource, but it was also extremely precious and widely applicable, so it couldn’t be wasted lightly.

...

The planned upgrades were complete.

Next up was picking out treasures.

’What a productive day!’

Lying on his bed, Shi Ming scrolled through the Da Yu’s Treasure Vault terminal again. There were 78 types of materials available for exchange. The most expensive item was a seed that cost 20,000 contribution points, while the cheapest was a single Pure Dome Crystal for just 1 point.

Contribution points could be exchanged for Pure Dome Crystals, but Pure Dome Crystals could not be exchanged for contribution points.

His eyes glazed over from all the options.

With A+ level clearance, he could enter Da Yu’s Treasure Vault and choose his items in person.

He prepared to use this opportunity, along with the bug-like combination of the Eye of the World and the Infinite Brain, to find the most valuable treasure!

’I’m going to make a killing!’