Chapter 570: Lifespan Shop
Chapter 570: Lifespan Shop
Miaomiao stared at his system menu, waiting for the changes and the updates. However, Dion did nothing. She didn't import the NPC System that Meowmeow had promised him.
Miaomiao frowned. He turned to the giant cathulhu.
"Meowmeow, what the hell is your NPC System Dao?"
The giant cat grinned, "Tsk, tsk, Munya! You have eyes, but you can't see Mount Tai, Munya!"
"What is it that I can't see?"
"Instead of sitting here all day, why don't you go out and explore the world, Munya!"
"Hmm?"
He opened his eyes and looked around.
Just as Meowmeow had said, Miaomiao could see things that no one could see. A large yellowish question mark hovered over his head.
Miaomiao extended his hand to touch it.
Ding
<Will you open the quest and vendor management menu?>
'Vendor? Quest management menu?'
Finally, Dion informed him of something new.
He touched the question mark symbol again to confirm the quest management activation.
…
NPC Name: Mao Miaomiao
Role: Antagonist
Lifespan: 1,170 Years
[Quest Achievements]
Quest Level: 0
Farmed Lifespan: 0 Year
Quest Completed: 0
Issued Quests: 0
Quests in Stock: 0
Vendor Level: 0
Profited Lifespan: 0 Year
Item Sold: 0
Item in Stock: 0
…
"Oh?"
Whoosh
Meowmeow also came out to the real world, but he came out as a transparent catopus spirit dao avatar. The cat sat on top of Miaomiao's head and transferred his Dao comprehension and knowledge to Miaomiao.
A minute later, Miaomiao took a deep breath and cleaned the blood off his nostrils. Learning a new Dao exhausted his brainpower and ruptured a few blood vessels.
From Meowmeow's memory, the NPC System Dao was derived from the Karma Law. A large amount of luck energy and Heavenly Fate Core gave birth to a 3rd-party program, which Mu-Nyang had designed to exploit the infamous online game, Pangu Online, during his early days.
In MMORPG games, NPCs usually issued quests to players. And when players completed it, they would get rewards after they handed out the quests items or reported the deeds.
However, Mu-Nyang used a loophole of the karma law. He issued quests with high rewards while the quests were mostly easy ones. As a result, Mu-Nyang automatically sowed good karma with the players.
Nothing seemed wrong with that at glance. However, in karma law, when someone sowed good karma to a certain amount, the former had the right to forcefully extract something from the other party to return the favor!
Mu-Nyang exploited the loophole and demanded the players to give him their lifespan for the extra rewards. Also, as a monster in a cultivation world, Mu-Nyang extracted 50 years of lifespan from each player that completed his quests!
The scheme worked so well that many players quit the game in fear while many died from the ingenious scheme.
When Mu-Nyang ascended to a Cathulhu Deity, he manipulated his Dao to create this automatic system. Mu-Nyang passed this Dao to his people, so players would truly die when they completed their quests.
Meowmeow, as a descendant of Mu-Nyang, also inherited this Dao, which came with the third party program!
But now, Meowmeow shared this secret with Miaomiao, and Dion integrated it with the system.
Miaomiao snickered. He glanced at his lifespan status, which Dion couldn't evaluate or comprehend in the past.
1,170 Years
It was not bad for a mortal. However, it was fewer than the prior estimation. Miaomiao had expected something between 5,000 years and 10,000 years.
"My life is so short. Only 1,170 years left? Ain't I a Seraphim or First-Gen War Droid? The others have lived a million years! Devil is over a billion years old!"
Meowmeow laughed, "Didn't you sacrifice most of your lifespan to help Yan Jiao and Xie Tian, Munya?"
"That's impossible. I measured the power, and it should be half of my total lifespan. The totem nascent soul stage should have given me several thousand years to live, but I only have a thousand left!"
"Then, I have no clue, Munya! Why don't you figure out what you did wrong in the past? For example, negative karma and curses can dwindle your lifespan, Munya! Oh, have I told you that people from Netherworld Realm can drain a mortal's lifespan through sėx, Munya?"
"…"
At this moment, Miaomiao realized that he screwed up royally. He could name several mistakes he had done so far that might have shortened his lifespan.
First, he had a bunch of sėx with Xu Chu and other succubi.
Third, nobody knew whether karma centipedes could drain lifespan or not.
Fourth, he cut ties with Devil, who was his original copy of himself.
Fifth, he had been living in the Dark Forbidden Zone.
Sixth, Minghe and the boatman might have done something to him for abusing karma power.
Seventh, what was the source of Miaomiao's luck power?
Eighth, he had abnormal dantian and the Chrono Element.
Ninth, his system had been so magical lately. Did Dion use some of his lifespans?
Miaomiao stopped thinking. His expression already turned ugly.
Cultivation, Heaven, and karma were profound and mysterious. He discovered new things every once in a while. But this time, it was brutal.
Miaomiao never heard of lifespan cultivators before! He had been overlooking Mu-Nyang's karma memory as it was too irrelevant to his life. Now, he regretted not reading it to learn about this Dao earlier.
Miaomiao swore that he would start reading other deity's karma memory whenever he had a chance!
But for now, Miaomiao needed time. The current lifespan was too short for a talentless cultivator like him.
"Let's farm some lifespan! I can't sleep soundly if I have less than a thousand years left!"
"Good choice, Munya! I'll teach you how to use this thing."
…
Day 50
A group of ten Eden Garden's initiates swooped down and landed in front of Miaomiao's stable. Five of them were 9th-stage cultivators while the other four were 10th-stage.
The four cultivators also used a unique cultivation method of Eden Garden Sect for non-local cultivators, aka the Simplified Totem Soul Method. The cultivation levels ranged from the 1st-stage to the 10th-stage, and the foundation of the practitioners was enough for them to take the path of Stellar Constellation Immortal.
The leader of the group was also a One-Star Stellar Constellation Immortal, and he was the candidate to be promoted as an outer disciple. He was a handsome man with smooth silky long hair. A strange diamond embedded in his forehead emitted the aura of a compound element.
However, they didn't come here to visit Miaomiao. Their destination was the karma centipedes in the garbage pit.
The leader strode in front of the group and approached the pit. Then, he saw a horrible and disgusting scene.
A million centipedes crawled on top of each other. At the center, their queen was chewing a massive bone of a monster beast.
The group leader narrowed his eyes. Then, he turned to his men.
"These centipedes are too strong for us. Let's contact the headquarters."
The others looked disappointed.
One of them protested, "Senior Tugu, we fought so hard for this mission paper. Are you going to give up without trying? They're just lowly monsters."
The leader "Tugu" snorted, "I estimate that each of them is as strong as a 3-star stellar constellation immortal! Wanna try jumping in there and test them yourself?"
"Umm, I was kidding."
"Hmm!"
Tugu looked at the stable next to the pit, "If I remember correctly, isn't this place another garbage dump of that black cat monster?"
"That stupid cat? I think she sold the stable to someone. The townsmen said that a young man renovated the stable, but he secluded himself in there for over a month now."
"He is probably cultivating. Well, although it's rude, let's gather information from the guy."
Tugu visited the stable. He knocked on the door.
Unfortunately, nobody answered. After five minutes of waiting, Tugu's followers were annoyed.
"Let's storm in there and extract information from him."
Tugu shook his head, "No. Don't act rashly against an outsider. Don't forget where we are! We're in the Dark Forbidden Zone! Every cultivator here is no pushover. He can't possibly come here without strength!"
The group nodded and stepped back. They patiently waited for Tugu's order.
Tugu knocked on the door again. He also declared his intention, "I'm Tugu, an initiate from Eden Garden Sect! We would like to ask you a few questions regarding the garbage dump nearby!"
CREAK
Someone inside the stable opened the door for him.
But when the group saw the person inside the stable, they were surprised by his handsomeness, skin color, and feather wings.
"A-A purple angel?"
The angel heard the remark. He frowned for a moment before his skin color became the same as everybody else. Yet, his black feather wings and dark sclera remained the same.
"What do you want to know?" The stable owner sounded sleepy.
"Ah, right," Tugu coughed and cupped his fist to salute the stable owner. "We would like to inquire about the centipedes. Do you know when they first appeared, sir?"
"Oh, that?" The stable owner faintly smiled, "They are my pets. I've brought them with me when I moved in here. What about them?"
"!!!"
The group was shocked. They widened their eyes and looked at each other.
This discovery was huge. They might earn something if they could report this matter to the sect!
Tugu's expression turned solemn, "Is this a joke?"
"I never mess around. Well, what about them? Did they scare you? I've been keeping watch on them and never allowed them to go anywhere but here. You can rest ȧssured."
"That… I see," Tugu nodded. He smiled and bowed to the stable owner again. "Then, I have a humble request. Could I purchase 10 of those centipedes from you? Our sect would like to study your pets, and we are willing to pay for them."
Tugu brought out a sack with 10 fourth-grade soul stones and presented them in front of the stable owner.
However, the black-winged angel had another idea.
"I don't need soul stones. I already have plenty, especially the 4th-grade ones."
"Ah, I see," Tugu bit his lower lips. As expected, this person was not a pushover. "Then, how about Adam Coins? We will pay 25 coins for 10 of them."
The mission reward was 50 coins. By paying the angel 25 coins, the group would profit 25 coins. It was a win-win trade!
Unfortunately, the angel shook his head, "No. I don't need coins at the moment. I need something else that you have."
"What we have? Then, could you tell us what you need? Maybe we can barter trade."
The angel giggled, "I want your lifespan."
"W-What?!"
Again, the group was taken aback. They looked at each other, wondering whether this angel was serious or not.
A second later, everybody smirked as they regained their bearing and senses. As strong as they were, they believed that they had several thousand years to live.
Tugu was confident in his lifespan as well. From their perspective, a decade was like a few minutes. Every cultivation session often lasted several years for cultivators at their level.
Curious, Tugu asked, "How do we trade? I don't think we can trade lifespan normally."
Ding
Suddenly, a semi-transparent panel appeared in front of Tugu.
…
[Mao Miaomiao's Shop]
Baby Immortal Centipede (1)
Price – 1 Year of Lifespan
Adult Immortal Centipede (1)
Price – 10 Years of Lifespan
…
Tugu dropped his jaw. He looked back and forth between the system screen and Miaomiao's face.
Miaomiao pointed at the system panel, "Press the [Purchase] buŧŧon and input the number of how many centipedes you want to buy. Then, you press the [Confirm] buŧŧon to pay the lifespan. Oh, by the way, you can check your remaining lifespan at the bottom of the screen."
Tugu checked the bottom of the screen right away.
118,812 Years
Tugu smiled in elation and astonishment. Indeed, an immortal like him should have this much lifespan.
Then, a strange thought came to him. Losing 10 years of lifespan shouldn't affect him at this stage. Moreover, he had nine subordinates. Everybody could pay one year each to complete the mission.
After that, they would earn five Adam Coins!
One Adam Coin could be exchanged into a rare manual or a skill manual from the sect's exchange center. A top-tier heaven-grade artifact also cost one to five coins!
This trade was worth it!
Tugu made his decision. He turned to his subordinates, "Everyone, buy one baby centipede each. You can also check our remaining lifespan while you're at it."
The group was interested. They walked up to the system screen to check their lifespan.
The weakest among the group had over 20,000 years to live. The gang laughed in a merry mood as they compared their remaining years.
"Okay. Let's buy one each."
Since they had nothing to lose, they decided to buy one to complete the mission together.
But when it was Tugu's turn, he suddenly had an inspiration. He looked at Miaomiao, "Sir, I have a question."
"Ask away."
"Are the centipedes tamed?"
"See them yourself."
Miaomiao pointed at Tugu's subordinates, who had already finished the purchase.
Tugu turned around and discovered a shocking sight. Everyone had a baby centipede coiling around their arm.
The initiates looked hesitant at first. But then, they got along fast.
"Senior Tugu, they look kinda cute, don't you think?"
"Our thoughts resonate. I can tell what they're thinking now. It's so magical."
"So this is how a beast tamer feels. I think I can get addicted to this."
"…"
Tugu's face turned solemn. He rechecked the centipede's strength.
After confirming that all of them were as strong as a one-star immortal, Tugu made a bold move.
He bought 10 ȧduŀt centipedes and one baby centipede!
The baby was for the mission. As for the rest, he would cultivate them and use them as his bodyguards!
As soon as Tugu completed the purchase, a group of centipedes crawled up from the pit and beelined toward him. The ten ȧduŀt ones were longer than 10 meters while the baby's length was only a meter long.
Being surrounded by these centipedes, Tugu was scared and proud at the same time. He wondered what his rivals would do when he used them in battles.
"Ha… Haha… HAHAHAHA!! THIS IS GREAT!"
Tugu bowed to Miaomiao again, "Thank you, sir!"
Miaomiao waved his hand, "Do me a favor. Go and spread words. I still have several million centipedes to sell.
"Of course! We shall report this to the sect!"
…
After the first group of customers left, Miaomiao burst into laughter.
His lifespan value had increased by 110 years!
"Nice Dao, Meowmeow. Why didn't you use this earlier?"
Meowmeow's spirit appeared behind Miaomiao, "Munya? My god forbids me. He told everyone not to use it when we're home. But since I had no chance to play outside of your dantian space, I couldn't use this Dao."
"I see.. Well, let's use this "Dao" from now on. We need A LOT of lifespans!"