He was extremely wealthy. If he could obtain the money from the Mebius family, he could keep the time-stopping space open indefinitely.
"Mr. Lu, this is your payment," Manager Ark handed Lu Yin a white crystal card from the Mebius family. "It contains 3.2 billion cosmic credits. You can go to the nearest Mebius bank to exchange the credits for star crystals, which are easier for transactions and carrying."
"Transactions?" Lu Yin was puzzled.
Manager Ark explained, "Most transactions in the Inner Universe are settled in star crystals. The numbers for cosmic credits are too large, making them inconvenient at times. 3.2 billion cosmic credits can be exchanged for 3,200 cubic star crystals."
Lu Yin nodded, secretly thrilled. This job was perfect for him. He decided that he would return whenever he needed money. Actually, when would he ever not need money? He planned to submit his task at the academy and see if he could come back again.
Noticing Lu Yin's happy expression, Ark was puzzled. They speculated that this student must have brought his own materials to complete the task. Although the task was completed, he would have incurred a loss on those materials, as they only paid him 30% of the material's value. But why did this student seem so pleased? Was the academy's task that important? It shouldn't be; they didn't issue particularly critical tasks.
"Mr. Lu, would you like to continue disassembling or return to the academy? If you want to continue, we would welcome it, and the pay remains the same," Ark probed.
Lu Yin shook his head, "No need. Let's go to the space station."
Ark nodded, "Please, follow me."
On the way, watching the countless discarded machines speeding by on both sides, Lu Yin saw them all as treasures that could be turned into money.
"Manager Ark, if I want to come and disassemble materials, can I do so at any time?" Lu Yin asked.
Ark smiled, "Of course. Generally, unless one reaches the extreme level, they need to pass a test. But students of the Tenth Academy do not need to, especially since you have proven yourself. Just notify me in advance, and you can come anytime. Here is my personal number."
Lu Yin noted it down and thanked him.
Hesitating, Ark probed further, "Mr. Lu, you seem to have the cultivation level of an Explorer and your control over star energy is exceptionally refined. Your speed is faster than many extreme experts."
Lu Yin replied casually, "My talent is particularly suited for disassembling materials."
"Talent?" Ark was surprised. He wasn't sure if Lu Yin was lying or telling the truth. If he truly had such talent, the Iltuo Company couldn't miss out. There were many unusual talents in the universe, including those suited to being resolvers. "Mr. Lu, is your talent a unique one?"
Lu Yin looked at Manager Ark.
Manager Ark quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, I shouldn't have pried."
Lu Yin turned away, "Something like that."
Ark admired him, "It seems you have the potential to become a resolver."
Resolver? Lu Yin's interest was piqued. He had forgotten to look that up. "Manager Ark, have you met a resolver?"
Ark smiled wryly, "Please don't joke with me. People like me can't meet resolvers. Even our company's CEO might not meet them. They are the most prestigious people in the universe."
Lu Yin nodded without speaking. He looked at his personal terminal and tapped a few times, bringing up an introduction to resolvers.
Resolvers are highly respected individuals who can perfectly peel away star energy.
The universe, after countless years of development and several cataclysms, has left behind many things. Over time, these items become enveloped in layers of cosmic energy, forming protective shells that seal them away. Forcefully opening them risks destroying the contents, and some protective layers are hazardous due to the universe's various phenomena. Therefore, star energy must be carefully peeled away to retrieve the intact item inside.
Resolvers are experts at peeling away star energy. This is their work.
Anything that can form a protective layer is not simple, as it has absorbed cosmic star energy. Such items are like sealed treasures, requiring a resolver to unlock them.
However, becoming a resolver demands extraordinarily high standards, beyond the imagination of ordinary people, leading to their esteemed status.
It is rumored that many powerful battle techniques, cultivation methods, and even ancient technological artifacts in the universe were uncovered by resolvers. The more these rumors spread, the higher the status of resolvers.
Lu Yin was shocked. He hadn't expected such a group to exist in the universe—people who could perfectly peel away star energy.
"Mr. Lu, we've arrived at the space station," Ark announced.
Lu Yin stepped out of the vehicle and thanked Ark, "Thank you for the hospitality, Manager Ark. I'll be leaving now."
"We should be thanking you for your help, Mr. Lu. Please, have a safe journey."
"Thank you."
With that, Lu Yin quickly boarded his ship and set a course for the nearest Mebius bank.
Soon, the ship entered space and disappeared from Ark and his team's sight.
This task had earned Lu Yin more than 3,000 star energy crystals, more than he had earned in the entire Great Yu Empire. The Iltuo Company was a big player to be able to issue tasks at the Tenth Academy. Even the Great Yu Empire couldn't do that, suggesting Iltuo was a subsidiary of a large Inner Universe company.
The nearest Mebius bank was a day's journey away. Lu Yin spent his time on the ship researching resolvers. Before he knew it, the ship landed at the space station.
Parking a ship at a planet's space station incurs fees, but for Lu Yin, this was no longer a concern.
The planet was large, with architecture similar to the Great Yu Empire's Zhenyu Star, also in the Canglan Region.
Lu Yin went directly to the Mebius bank and exchanged all his cosmic credits for star energy crystals. He now had 3,270 cubic star crystals, and with the 28 cubic star crystals he had left, he had a total of 3,298 cubic star crystals—a significant fortune.
As for cosmic credits, he still had 2 million, which he had previously earned in the Great Yu Empire.
What seemed like a large amount before now felt paltry compared to his recent earnings. He checked the price of the most basic cosmic spaceship and found it started at least 10 billion. He realized just how stingy Undying Yushan was for only giving him 300,000 cosmic credits.
While making money seemed easy for him, it wasn't for others. Ark had mentioned that even extreme experts with excellent control over star energy could take two months to earn as much as he did. Such experts were rare, needing to pass tests, and their control over star energy was likely at the tangible level, possibly even the myriad changes level. There weren't many like that. Making money wasn't easy; he was just lucky.
Leaving the Mebius bank, marveling at the hanging branches adorned with cosmic credits, Lu Yin was about to leave when he remembered something. He took out a black crystal card from his Nankong ring. This card, labeled "Yao Gu," was obtained from rolling the die. He suspected it was authenticated and couldn't withdraw the money, but now that he was at the Mebius bank, it was worth a try.
Returning to the bank, he tentatively tried to withdraw funds from the card and succeeded.
His eyes lit up. It worked! It wasn't authenticated? How lucky!
He checked the balance, "12,000 cubic star energy crystals." He was ecstatic. That was four times his current wealth. Wait, this black card uses star energy crystals as units, not cosmic credits? Never mind, 12,000 cubic star energy crystals was amazing.
He withdrew all the crystals, but his Nankong ring wasn't large enough. So he bought an oversized Nankong ring, costing 1,000 cubic star energy crystals. It was worth it, as this ring could store over 10,000 cubic star energy crystals.
Feeling incredibly excited, Lu Yin left the Mebius bank.
He was a bit anxious, though, carrying such a fortune—15,000 cubic star energy crystals—enough to attract greed. Everyone looked like a thief to him.
Without lingering, he went straight to the space station, boarded his personal ship, and set a course for the Tenth Academy.
Two days later, he was close to the Tenth Academy. Meanwhile, in a distant, unfamiliar part of space, a massive meteor shattered a star and continued flying. On the meteor, a pair of eyes opened, indescribably deep, like black holes swallowing everything around them.
"We've got news. Send people to the human region, the Outer Universe Canglan Region, and find the one who dared steal from me. He must pay dearly for stealing from Yao Gu."
"Yes, Young Master."