I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

The unspoken rules left by the Eighth Epoch indeed have their benefits. After a Gambling competition, both parties gained some understanding of each other, harbored more caution, and reduced their greed, significantly lowering the likelihood of starting a war.

Translation experts quickly translated the content of the letters.

"We, the South Island Civilization, advocate peace and cherish life."

"We are a maritime civilization with a long history and developed technology. Our unique technology is life science, and our research on carbon-based lifeforms far exceeds that of ordinary civilizations. We provide medications for various rare diseases, even offering targeted treatments for genetic disorders. We sell this knowledge at our discretion."

"Additionally, the raw materials we offer are listed in the following table…"

In this table, the quantity of resources was not small, roughly amounting to 500 Spirit Essence, predominantly Water Attribute or deep-sea ore, along with other biological materials like deep-sea fish and coral—which was in line with human expectations.

Aside from these, there were also some technological creations, ranging from civilian products like electric lights and semiconductors, to military items such as helicopters and cars, all the way to advanced medical drugs...

Indeed, as the introduction indicated, this civilization was highly advanced in biology. Although people in this era were generally strong and healthy, medicine was still needed. Some Extraordinary Medicines could increase potential, extend average lifespan, and reduce the consumption of supplies. In the Supernatural era, some bacteria and viruses were especially virulent, making the existence of medicine useful.

Even medicines created with "pure physical technology" existed—that is, medicines that didn't require the consumption of any Extraordinary Materials could be produced to extend human life.

Lu Yuan looked over the table for a long time, somewhat tempted.

But some experts shook their heads.

"This won't do… Some of these items are priced 10% higher, and some even by 500%... There's nothing here that's actually affordable."

"This knowledge is definitely going to be expensive; it's a huge trap."

Alright, as Old Cat was managing the Inferior Extraordinary Materials, Lu Yuan wasn't sensitive to numbers. However, the logistics officers, having experienced past fiscal deficits, reacted like cats with their tails stepped on upon seeing any overpriced item—almost ready to jump in agitation.

However, isn't this exactly what negotiation and trade between parties entail? Whoever is more eager ends up bearing the premium.

The list sent by humans was actually also on the pricey side; it was impossible for it to not include any markup whatsoever. This tested the wisdom of both parties.

If it was materials, their value could be easily judged; but if it was knowledge unknown to oneself, the price could only really be bluffed.

...

Thus continued various trivial haggling for over a month.

Lu Yuan listened in for a while. The cunning and tricks made him feel dizzy, and eventually, he sighed and stopped interfering.

32 days later, the first batch of materials was finally traded. Humans used some Fire Attribute materials in exchange for some Water Attribute and Life Attribute materials. By human standards, they made a small profit of about 3%, which is 300 Spirit Essence of materials earning 9 Spirit Essence—a bit of petty profit, but still acceptable.

Following the completion of the "Ice-breaking Journey," knowledge trade was next in line.

During long-term negotiations, due to humans being more knowledgeable, they gradually gained an advantage in the talks.

"Great Commander, the deal has been made! The medical knowledge, originally estimated to be worth 800 Spirit Essence, has been pressed down to 500 Spirit Essence... Haha, perhaps they themselves are not clear on the actual worth of this biological knowledge."

"And our basic Engraving knowledge seems to be very urgent for them, so we sold it at a higher price."

"We plan to buy a Biochemical Reactor; this thing can refine and purify the Idealistic element, which is indeed top-notch stuff, but they're asking for a bit much, we must continue negotiating. We also want a Microscopic Observation Device."

Everyone was in high spirits, as if they had won a great victory.

The benefit of civilized exchange is just that—as long as war does not break out, it's always a win-win... But that being said, once war erupts, all of human civilization would be plundered, so up to now, everyone has been very cautious, not daring to be negligent at all.

The patrolling teams of Sky City kept a lookout every day, not even letting a mosquito slip by.

And the citizens were always on guard, ready to hide in Sanctuaries at the first sign of crisis.

Lu Yuan swallowed and reminded, "Don't buy anything too exquisite. If the Universal Factory can't produce the corresponding parts and it breaks after a short period, it will also be a hassle."

Now, with the improvement of industrial capacity, many things could be produced by humans themselves, and the capacity of the Universal Factory was slightly freed up.

Such Legendary items were indeed great things. Once a complete machine was purchased, it could freely replicate parts, making more machines—it wouldn't be an overstatement to call it a Divine Artifact of civilization development!

"We know, we've planned meticulously!"

"What about the High-level Relics information? Have you negotiated that?" Lu Yuan asked again, "We need to spend Civilization Points... These points can't multiply by just sitting there."

"That matter... is rather sensitive. The other party has not yet given in. But they ambiguously mentioned a few times, they seem to truly know the location of a High-level Civilization Relics… It might take a closer relationship before they are willing to disclose."

Civilizations are in competition with each other; it was understandable for the other party to have the idea of monopolizing the High-level Relics.

Moreover, with the ocean being so vast, humans had been secretly searching for many days without finding the deep sea relics.

Especially in the deep-sea area, where the pressure was too high, and the sun could not reach, humans' investigative capabilities were simply insufficient...

Lu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

But there aren't any good solutions right now, so all we can do is let out a sigh: "Okay, let's not rush."

...

So time passed, day by day, until finally on the 92nd day, the first batch of technology trade negotiations came to a slow conclusion.

Humans used basic Engraving knowledge, basic Artifact Forging Science, and more than a hundred Inferior Grade pieces of equipment to exchange for a "Biochemical Reactor", a "Microscopic Observation Instrument", and the corresponding biological theoretical knowledge!

Everyone in the captain's quarters was extremely excited, deeply reflecting on the arduous negotiation.

"With the drugs manufactured by the Biochemical Reactor, it will greatly reduce the consumption of Extraordinary Resources."

"It's more than enough to cross the threshold of Level Three for the entire population... Oh, we'll need to spend a couple of years to produce a few more machines."

"The next step is to aim for a universal 12 Godhood points... another incredibly challenging task."

"After reaching 12 Divine Attributes, what's the next mission?"

"Of course, it's 18 Divine Attributes, which means everyone reaching Soul Full State. Life span, strength, and talent will all increase significantly! That would truly be a world where everyone is as powerful as a Dragon."

Lu Yuan listened to these guys' discussions and couldn't help breaking out in sweat; these guys are way too optimistic, too imaginative!

18 Divine Attributes for the whole population would require 729 times the resources consumed for 12 Godhood points, perhaps even more, given that most people have very inferior cultivation aptitudes.

He just can't deal with that magnitude of consumption!

"You guys really don't know the cost of life's necessities... You need to transport 729 Green Mountains, and then think about this problem again..."

All in all, the negotiation experts were patting themselves on the back; with these two machines, the past three months of hard work weren't in vain – the haggling was so intense that it left their lips chapped!

However, trouble arose once again. These few instruments were extremely delicate; each weighed hundreds of tons, equivalent to the size of a small house, and contained as many as a million components inside!

Such precise machinery, just one instance of transportation, a slight movement could displace some delicate components internally, requiring recalibration.

And this recalibration could only be accomplished by experts from the South Island Civilization.

After all, the software system within the machines was from the South Island Civilization; human experts hadn't even used it before, how could they complete such complex work?

Therefore, it was necessary to have these Mermen come ashore to Sky City for the corresponding adjustments.

But allowing Alien Races to land on your own headquarters...

Well, there are too many Superpowers in the world, it's really impossible to guard against them all, and considering the unforeseen circumstances of the South Island Civilization, humans must bear the risk of allowing Alien Races to land.

"This is really..."

Lu Yuan missed the days when he knew nothing.

Back then, he could call the Lizardmen of Rize Civilization brothers, and even trick a bunch of Rat Artisans into joining his own civilization...

Now knowing too much, he's reluctant to let Alien Races land in the City...

However, after considering various factors, this risk can only be taken by Humans themselves.

The expert group meticulously devised a plan: to have the professors from South Island Civilization stay in a sealed small room, not letting them see the interior of Sky City.

After the adjustments, they would enter the sealed room again, and the entire room would be transported to the ship.

In this way, the risk of leaking information could be minimized.

"...That works."

So soon, the Humans built a cargo hold out of Black Iron Alloy; the space inside was quite ample, more than 20 square meters.

Some "Oureca Hicks", a material that could negate the gravity of metals, were also embedded in the cargo hold to significantly reduce its weight.

Inside the cargo hold were lights, a round table, chairs, and some decorations like potted plants.

During the transport of this cargo hold, Human Diplomats would entertain the expert Alien guests, offering them drinks, fruits, and the like. Proper etiquette was naturally important as the cost of these consumables wasn't much, at most just 0.05 Spirit Essence.

Once the Human side was ready, a dozen differently shaped Mermen leisurely entered the Black Iron Box. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire

The transport ship started, carrying the cargo hold toward Sky City...

...

(Tomorrow at 8 PM, there will be a red packet drawing event in the group chat, anyone who wants to participate can join the QQ group, since there are few active members, the chances of winning should be quite high!)

(Those who have voted with a Monthly Ticket can also take a draw!)