Pirate Kingship-Chapter 860 - 513: Are You Willing to Trade Your Soul for This Roll of Toilet Paper? (3)

Initially contested by two great tyrants was Faust; in recent years, it was the Great Pirate Flint; last year, Byron was the one they fought over. Now, it's every guest sitting before the "Faustian Contract."

And so far, the only one able to pass the test is Byron, the "man as free as the wind," and no one else!

So from the moment the guest sat before the Faustian Contract, Byron had no worries that they wouldn't buy anything.

Just as the Genie of the Bottle wavered, taking up a feathered pen, ready to sign his "true name," or the "devil's seal" in mysticism.

He suddenly saw a price tag following each piece of knowledge: "Equivalent knowledge or memory, kinship, love, friendship, choose one."

He hesitated for a moment.

As a Fourth Order Devil who worships the Abyssal Messenger, the Abyss Lord Great Red Dragon Abaddon, he understood more clearly than any other Transcendent that such things, though seemingly insignificant, are indeed vital components of the soul.

Although the opposite wasn't asking for his complete soul, the price was very favorable.

Yet, the absence of any part of the soul could have a major impact on the transcendent path, leaving him somewhat indecisive.

The pen in his hand froze in mid-air, and then was about to slowly lift from the contract book.

But at that moment, new content appeared on the parchment:

"Igniting the light of human civilization, driving the industrial revolution and material breakthrough [Whale Oil Steam Engine]!

The prototype has ascended to a Zero-Level Sacred Relic, with conventional steam engine power ranging from dozens to thousands of horsepower, mechanical efficiency over 20%, just like whale oil firearms, requiring only mortals to operate..."

Seeing just the name, the Genie of the Bottle could only deduce it's another whale oil technology invented by the people of the New Continent, but upon seeing the detailed parameters, he exclaimed in surprise.

Artisans and naturalists at the Dragon Court have long debated two different development paths:

"One is the Transcendent path, harnessing the rich source material within whale oil to drive alchemical machinery and various arrays.

The disadvantage is mortals can't utilize it, making large-scale promotion difficult."

"The other is purely mechanical, using whale oil to heat water, with a low threshold, operable by anyone with hands, suitable for extensive application (Chapter 407)."

But on the Eastern Continent, without a stable Ladder of Glory, all they've reached is the peak of forbidden knowledge.

All high-ups in major factions who make decisions are powerful Mythical Creatures whose great power resides within themselves, or even Pseudo-Gods.

No one considered the second path from a mortal's perspective from the beginning.

Great power has always belonged to the Transcendents, it's been this way since ancient times, so what's there to doubt?

Who would create a tool solely for mortal use to ultimately usurp their own power?

The current Whale Oil Power Furnace is mostly crafted with various Extraordinary Materials, not only is its usage heavily restricted, but its efficiency can't compare to a steam engine, at best only equivalent to a Miracle Object.

It hasn't triggered an enormous productive force upheaval, nor transformed into a Sacred Relic.

I say my peak technology reaches ten thousand tons, you say your other route reaches over eight thousand tons.

Even just the word "over" is enough to evoke endless imaginations, not to mention the revealed paper data already overshadows me.

In comparison, how can the Genie of the Bottle not break down on the spot?

Seeing the price: "equivalent knowledge or half divinity," he no longer felt his soul was precious.

If the sect leaders of the Eastern Continent came to trade, even if it were a soul of a Fourth Order Mythical Creature, they would willingly exchange it for the souls of Fifth Order Pseudo-Gods eight out of ten times.

But that wasn't all.

Below the Whale Oil Steam Engine emerged a new list of items:

"Sugarcane Papermaking Technique, sugarcane paper has diverse sources, is low-cost, long-lasting, transforming into a Zero-Level Sacred Relic..."

If he was horrified by the Whale Oil Steam Engine, now he was only left with terror.

Perhaps in the Dragon Court, sugarcane paper is merely a tool for literacy, incidentally boosting the number of Transcendents.

But in the eyes of the people on the Eastern Continent who believe "knowledge is power," it's revolutionary technology, even more precious than the Whale Oil Steam Engine.

The Genie of the Bottle knew sugarcane paper was popular in Hightins Country and had planned to secretly acquire the papermaking technology, unaware that Mr. Wednesday's Eighth Pawnshop had it.

What broke him further was, Byron placed a roll of white toilet paper on the table, tearing off a piece slowly to wipe the big gold ring on his hand.

Anyway, sugarcane paper is cheap, and using it doesn't hurt.

This item has already given birth to various types under the technological transformation of the Papermakers branch, rapidly seizing the upper-class market.

Thus, even seeing the price: "half beastliness," the Genie of the Bottle decisively made his decision: 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"It must be acquired!

Only in our hands on the Eastern Continent can the maximum influence of this papermaking technology be realized.

In the Mythological Era, the New Continent called the Dragon Court, the Southern Continent the Hundred Beasts Paradise, while on our Eastern Continent it's called the Corridor of Truth.

These knowledge capable of producing Zero-Level Sacred Relics have the potential to become new Gods in the Corridor of Truth, enabling me to gain unparalleled power.