ctnovel Chapter 132 Ability: Wealth Perception
Chapter 132 Ability: Wealth Perception
Chapter 132 Ability: Wealth Perception (1.5 updates, 5000 words)
The three IDs are:
The three characters, Sheng Hui, Dong Lai Feng, Sheng Hui, Wen Liang, and Fu Hua Ren Jian, all come from Region 13, Division 233. I wonder if they have formed a team.
"There are only three, so it's still manageable." Yu Wang felt somewhat relieved.
"Even if they have a way to find pearls quickly, I have the advantage of 'wealth perception.'"
As soon as he entered the instance, he felt faint fluctuations coming from all directions.
Even a Moon Pearl, which is only worth 1 point, is within the range of "wealth perception" as a treasure.
However, since it's only a basic ability, it can't achieve the precise targeting of a "powerful monster merchant".
However, having a general location makes searching for high-value abyssal pearls in the deep dark areas much more efficient than blindly searching in the dark!
This is why Yu Wang entered the instance unhurriedly, and even went to explore the city-level instances.
But then a question arose in my mind: According to the requirements of the "Left-Wing Saints" in the world channel, one needs to pray and make offerings every day for a full month in order to obtain the "Six-Winged Angel Guardian Statue". Only then can one officially embark on the path of faith and begin to receive divine grace.
Being able to prefix one's ID with "Holy Radiance" usually means that one has become a "shallow believer," or at least has gained initial recognition and minor divine favor.
From the time the "Left-Wing Saints" announced their message until now, it's been less than a week, far short of the most basic one-month observation period. How did these three people become qualified believers to bear the "Holy Radiance" prefix?
A guess popped into my head: Could it be that they've lowered their standards because the spread of faith hasn't been going well?
Yu Wang suppressed his many speculations.
Without further delay, the three selected a waterway route based on the map and their previous discussion.
At this moment, the sea level is slowly rising, and the large areas of coral exposed during the low tide are gradually being submerged, making more waterways available for medium-sized ships like the "Ghost Pirate" to navigate.
Along the way, you can see that many boats that were originally crowded on the outer edge of the coral maze and in deeper waters have been able to continue deeper into the area because the water level has risen and the space has become larger.
However, some vessels had to leave because they were unable to continue fishing operations.
When the "Ghost Pirate" arrived at the core area of the maze, it was already 8:00 AM.
Looking around, there were far fewer ships anchored on the sea than on the outer perimeter, about three or four thousand in total, scattered across the sea like stars, each maintaining a certain distance from the others with vigilance.
We're still in the pearl-accumulation phase; even if we try to steal them, we can only manage to get some diving equipment and basic materials at most.
In the end, you still have to go into the water yourself to search for pearls.
Since that's the case, it's better to conserve our energy and wait until halfway through the dungeon run before making our move.
Yu Wang knew that as time went on, especially after noon, the number of survivors who were initially observing or pooling their money to buy simple diving equipment would gradually increase, and the number of people entering the core area would rebound.
However, this does not diminish their advantage of being the first to enter the middle-level "fluorescent zone" for exploration.
"It's 8 o'clock now. According to the item's properties, the Rainbow Pearl will glow at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock every day, which means it emits a rainbow wave every three hours, as the game says. There's still an hour until 9 o'clock. Let's go into the water early."
Zhang Xinlan and Lao Wang nodded, and the three of them quickly made preparations. They checked the complete set of diving equipment connected to the portable hyperbaric oxygen cylinder, and tried to clear out any temporarily unused items from their space backpacks to make room for any pearls and other underwater resources they might find.
Each person held a dried evening primrose leaf under their tongue. This herb, a specialty of the fish-men, could slightly improve their underwater pressure resistance, which was better than nothing.
Next, the three of them, along with Duck B and 15 ordinary ducks and sea worms, descended into the sea.
Almost the entire family came.
The common duck's task is to collect resources such as blood coral and edible shellfish near the ship.
Sea helmet worms are the main force that carries them for rapid underwater movement.
It is worth mentioning that after entering this clear sea area, the sea helmet worm seemed to have been cleansed of the influence of the bountiful sea by the clean seawater. Although the small flower on its horn was still stubbornly blooming, the wood grain on its body had faded, and it had regained its former vitality, and was once again full of energy and eager to find a mate.
"Hopefully, it can maintain this vitality after leaving the instance and being cleansed by the cold air," Yu Wang thought to himself as he glanced at the energetic Sea Helmet Bug.
The sea area where the Fishman King's City is located is extraordinary.
Three people, a flock of ducks, and an insect entered the water one after another from the side of the "Ghost Pirate".
As soon as he dived into the surface illuminated area, Yu Wang caught a glimpse of a silver flash in his eyes. It was a peculiar fish with a round, ball-like tail and shimmering silver scales, leisurely swimming among the coral reefs.
Its swimming style is as clumsy as a pufferfish, and when it encounters danger, it can only curl up into a ball and rely on the spines on its tail to protect itself.
"Ball-tailed fish!"
Just one serving can permanently enhance the body's self-repairing ability!
The moment you see this fish, the corresponding effect is that delusions arise in your mind.
Many of the amplification effects of treasure fish are not directly displayed on the attribute panel; they can only be felt gradually through physical experience, making them easy to overlook or miss.
Yu Wang typed the information about the fish into the fleet's chat channel, and Zhang Xinlan and Lao Wang immediately perked up upon hearing it.
Although Old Wang was old, he was very agile after drinking. Together with Zhang Xinlan, they easily caught a ball-tailed fish with a fishing net.
"A great start!" Zhang Xinlan gave a thumbs-up underwater. She'd get sauerkraut fish for lunch today!
While team chat channels are convenient, they certainly aren't as easy as direct communication.
Therefore, the three of them used the "bubble helmet" prop.
After using the "Equipment Repair Card", the item's durability returned to 100%, enough for the three of them to use for a long time.
After reaping an unexpected bonus, they did not linger in the surface light zone but continued to descend.
The light gradually becomes dimmer and hazy as the depth increases.
The proportion of colorful live corals has begun to decrease, replaced by large areas of pale coral skeletons, which are stacked on top of each other to form large, sturdy labyrinth walls.
Humans can only pass through some gaps that are hardly paths, which is a nightmare for people with claustrophobia.
Fortunately, the environment was not completely dark.
The surfaces of many white coral skeletons are covered with tiny, luminous microorganisms that emit a faint blue, green, and purple light, like a starry night sky, barely illuminating the path ahead.
This is already the upper edge of the middle-level "fluorescent zone".
The three searched for coral crevices by the dim light while waiting for nine o'clock to arrive.
In order not to interfere with the search for the iridescent pearls using the light source, none of them turned on the light source they brought.
Time passed second by second.
As Old Wang searched, he exclaimed, "Luckily I had a diving watch, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to tell which way is north, south, east, or west, or even where the sea is—look, isn't there a bright light over there?"
Nine o'clock sharp!
Almost at the very instant the second hand struck, it's unclear how Pearl judged time, but as soon as the time was up, in the dim seawater surrounding the three of them, from different directions...
At different depths, dazzling seven-colored lights suddenly shone!
The light, like a rainbow blooming in the water, pierced through the dark sea and was clearly visible, breathtakingly beautiful!
"The iridescent pearl's fluctuations!" Zhang Xinlan exclaimed softly.
Even more surprisingly, the source of one of the rainbow lights was very close to their current location, seemingly just behind a dense cluster of coral skeletons not far to their side!
"Duck!" Yu Wang thought to himself.
The duck, which had been poised to pounce, immediately wiggled its webbed feet and charged toward the coral reef wall ahead.
Spotting the light source, it snatched the knight's lance from its hand and smashed it hard against the reef wall twice!
"Snap—Splash—"
The fragile coral skeleton shattered with a crack, revealing a fist-sized, perfectly round pearl radiating a soft, iridescent glow.
Duck B stretched out its wings, took out the pearl, and handed it to Yu Wang, who was swimming over.
[Obtained: 1 Rainbow Pearl]
Current points: 20, rank: 1
"20 points in." Yu Wang put away the pearl and glanced at the other rainbow halos in the surrounding seawater that were slowly fading.
The iridescent pearl's glow only lasts for about thirty minutes.
This is the best window of opportunity to locate them, and we must seize every second!
The three people and the duck split up. The sea helmet worm, because it was not intelligent enough and only knew how to reproduce, was sent to the side to keep watch.
After thirty minutes, they found two more rainbow pearls, bringing their score to 60.
However, at this moment, others also found the Rainbow Pearl one after another. The top of the list were all lucky ones. The number one, "Holy Radiance - East Wind", still maintained its leading advantage and had even reached 121 points.
Their 60 points only put them in a tie for 24th place with eight other teams.
Just as the thirty-minute time limit was about to expire, and the rainbow fluctuations had become so faint as to be almost imperceptible, Yu Wang's "Wealth Perception" talent suddenly activated, sending out an extremely faint tremor that pointed upwards to an area obscured by a giant fan-shaped coral.
"Over there!" Yu Wang immediately pointed in the direction.
Beyond the massive coral reef that resembled a screen, there was a recessed coral skeleton wall, and on the surface of the wall, a faint, almost extinguished, seven-colored light shone through the gaps in the coral skeleton.
"Found it!" Zhang Xinlan perked up and was about to step forward.
Almost at the same time, the water flow above and to the side stirred, and another four-person team also arrived here following the last trace of the glow! The other side had obviously also discovered the faint light in the cave, and their movements were only a fraction slower than Yu Wang and his group.
The two teams unexpectedly met by this recessed coral wall!
Yu Wang quickly assessed the strength of the opponents. The four opponents were wearing goggles and had sausage-sized oxygen capsules in their mouths. The leader was a tall, burly man who was holding a homemade fishbone gun.
The other three, each armed, followed behind the leader, instantly creating a tense atmosphere.
Duck B and Sea Helmet Insect received Yu Wang's telepathic message and are rushing to provide support from both sides.
Zhang Xinlan nodded thoughtfully, a hint of fighting spirit flashing in her eyes.
It's here! The classic treasure hunt and unexpected encounters from the novel!
She instinctively gripped the hilt of the rapier at her waist, feeling that her underwater swordsmanship, honed over half a month, was finally coming in handy: "Finally, I can test my skills in real combat against my own kind—"
However, what happened next was completely unexpected.
The burly man leading the group did not immediately launch an attack or make any threats.
He peered at Yu Wang and the other two through his diving goggles, then took out a sign from his spatial backpack and wrote on it: "Which division are you from?"
Yu Wang had no idea what the other party was up to, so he simply replied, "444."
Upon hearing this answer, the four people on the other side visibly relaxed, and their hostility also diminished considerably.
The burly man put away his bone gun and made an all-clear gesture towards the distance. Zhang Xinlan: ? ? ?
A woman wielding a spearfish gun swam out from behind a bone-white wall.
Clearly, they were actually a team of five.
However, one of the members had been hiding in the shadows all along.
The burly man continued writing, "Since we're both 444s, there's no need to fight. It's not worth fighting to the death for a single pearl; it would only waste time searching for other pearls."
"How about this, we'll decide who gets the pearls by playing rock-paper-scissors, best two out of three. The winner takes the pearls, and the loser leaves immediately, no further entanglement, okay?"
After reading the contents of the board, Zhang Xinlan was completely stunned, feeling that her mind couldn't keep up with this unexpected turn of events.
Underwater "rock-paper-scissors"? Isn't this a bit too childish?
Ignoring Zhang Xinlan's disheveled state in the water, Yu Wang readily agreed. Seeing this, Old Wang chuckled, took a step forward, and easily won two rounds in a row, securing the victory.
"Impressive!" The burly man was straightforward; he accepted his defeat without hesitation or anger, and led his team away.
Zhang Xinlan stared in the direction the other person had disappeared, still somewhat bewildered: "That's it? No need for a fight?"
Old Wang chuckled and picked up Pearl: "Girl, this is no child's play. We're all adults; we know when to fight and when to negotiate. Fighting here for 20 points is really foolish. They're saving their energy for something more crucial. Judging by their direction, they're probably heading to the Deep Dark Zone to find Abyss Pearls. Only pearls worth 100 points are worth fighting for."
The moment Lao Wang held the pearl in his hand, the team's score reached 80, and their ranking rose by five places.
But the first place still belongs to "Holy Radiance East Wind". And their score has reached 123.
Having harvested the first round of rainbow pearls, Yu Wang was more familiar with the "perception of wealth," so he suggested trying his luck in the deeper levels.
"It feels really bad to be overshadowed." Old Wang looked at the leaderboard, clicked his tongue, and instead of fear, his eyes were filled with even stronger fighting spirit.
He wasn't young, but he still retained the adventurous spirit of a young man. He rubbed his hands together, eager to try, and said, "So, 20..."
Accumulating points slowly, bit by bit, is too slow and frustrating. This old man has long wanted to explore the depths of that dark, gloomy area! A hundred pearls—that's what's truly exciting!
Clearly, Zhang Xinlan thought so too.
Since she saw blood, she has completely unleashed her true nature. Deep down, she doesn't like stability and has a strong competitive spirit.
Having made their decision, the three men didn't hesitate any longer. They pulled out a map and confirmed the optimal route to the deep, dark zone. After double-checking their equipment and remaining oxygen, they quickly descended.
The dried evening primrose under the tongue came in handy at this moment. A cool and gentle aroma spread down the throat, effectively relieving the chest tightness and discomfort caused by the water pressure. This allowed the body to adapt to the water pressure without frequent stops during rapid ascent and descent.
The further down you go, the thinner the light becomes, until it is completely swallowed by boundless darkness.
The temperature around them seemed to drop a bit, and when they crossed the dotted line on the map that marked the "middle/deep boundary" and entered the "dark zone" that was completely represented by black shadows, the surrounding environment changed.
In his field of vision, all that remained were the faint indicator lights on the diving equipment and the occasional deep-sea plankton or small fish that shimmered with a faint blue-green phosphorescence as they swam by. Perhaps the "Abyss Pearls" were more valuable, or perhaps the number of pearls nearby had decreased. The sense of guidance brought by Yu Wang's "wealth perception" talent became clearer than when he was in the middle layer.
The three turned on their respective light sources and continued their descent.
The beam of light shone on the coral skeletons, and whether it was an illusion or not, these pale, net-like and antler-shaped walls, which are common in fluorescent areas, appeared even more grotesque. When moving through narrow spaces, one inevitably had to stare at the walls illuminated by the beam of light for a long time, and at that moment, hallucinations would occur.
It felt as if a face would suddenly pop out of the wall and bite down hard on your face.
Yu Wang glanced at his mental and rational values.
Spirit: 80
Rationality: 87
After a week of rest, he was in good condition; the darkness had indeed had no effect on him.
"If you can't beat them with your talent, join them!" This skill combination, along with the extraordinary ability "Wealth Perception," is simply an excellent skill pairing in the Underdark!
In addition, Yu Wang always kept a close eye on his teammates' condition.
Suddenly he noticed that Zhang Xinlan beside him seemed a little off.
Her gaze was fixed on a particularly tall coral wall next to her, covered with honeycomb-like holes, as if she were deeply attracted by something, and she even stopped swimming.
Zhang Xinlan jolted awake, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes. Then, a semi-transparent system notification popped up in front of her:
[Warning: You have been affected by "Pale Whispers," causing a slight erosion of your sanity. Sanity -5. Continuing to linger will further decrease your sanity. It is recommended that you leave this area immediately or take protective measures.]
"A pale whisper?"
Unconsciously, Zhang Xinlan repeated the keywords in the prompt.
On the other side, although Lao Wang did not appear as visibly distracted as Zhang Xinlan, his expression was also unusually grave, with his brows furrowed.
Clearly, he had received a similar warning. He organized his thoughts and described his feelings: "It's like countless tiny sounds are drilling directly into my brain. I can't make out what they're saying, but they're incredibly unsettling, making me think about dark and awful things. My sanity is definitely dropping little by little, slowly but steadily."
The three of them stopped descending. Yu Wang himself had limited information about the deep, dark zone.
In his previous life, he mostly frequented the fluorescent zone and only heard some vague rumors:
Many people go insane here, inexplicably throwing away their oxygen equipment and eventually drowning; or they fall into some kind of hallucination, rushing headlong into deeper waters without a trace, never to be heard from again.
Furthermore, an entire team equipped with guide ropes disappeared in this area.
What exactly is "Pale Whispers"?