Free Web NovelChapter 405: Chapter 397: The Nirvana’s Level
With a huge hole torn in its hull and filled with twisted tentacles, the *Nirvana* slowly sank through the seawater, finally getting stuck on the mountaintop where the Olympus Divine Hall once stood.
The Roman stone pillars, long eroded by the seawater, were easily crushed beneath it.
The Pantheon.
This was the dwelling place of the gods in Ancient Greek mythology. Repaired countless times, it recorded the legends of gods and the epics of heroes.
Zeus threw parties here, the Twelve Titans once received sacrifices, War God Ares seduced his sister-in-law here, and both Caesar and Octavian carved their stories onto its stone tablets.
Now,
a four-hundred-meter-diameter, cross-shaped "drifter ship" from the stars had sunk here.
Looking up from the deep seafloor toward the light above, Shi Ming arrived at this mountain peak for the third time. Characters flickered in his eyes as he probed the secrets of the *Nirvana*.
[A "Stellar-class" drifter ship built with Dark Star Race technology, but it was damaged by a powerful attack, leaving most of its functions paralyzed.]
[*Nirvana* (Damaged)]
[Level: Stellar]
[The *Nirvana* was built with Dark Star Race technology and uses a Dark Star Core as its power source. Thus, it was capable of traversing the Dark Cosmos and traveling through space even at the King level. After its owner, Rui Liang, advanced in rank, he paid a great price to upgrade the drifter ship to "Stellar-class," adding numerous new functions.]
[Star Trait: Dark Star Flicker]
[Star Trait: Cosmic Jump]
[Severely damaged by the immense Attack Power of the Ice Sword, its surface is shattered, and most of its internal functions have been affected. However, it can still be used after some patch-up work.]
[Upgrade (Repair) Requirements:]
[Hardened Nirvana-tier Biological Marrow x1000g, Dark Star Race Blood x2000ml, Cosmic Origin Stone or Pure Dome Crystal x5000]
...
"These repair materials are hellish."
’Now you can truly become one with your ship...’
Shi Ming retracted the tentacles of the Extremely Evil Sanctuary.
While grumbling inwardly, he threw out the materials. Under the influence of the Brain of Creation, the bone marrow and blood, along with the Pure Dome Crystals, transformed into stardust interwoven with light and shadow. This stardust merged into the four-hundred-meter *Nirvana*. The metal of the ship’s hull, like memory foam, began to slowly regenerate, spring back, and fill in the gaps, repairing itself automatically.
Drifter ships above King-level were Stellar-class.
This upgrade was, in reality, a repair. After it was finished, he could theoretically use the Infinite Brain to perform a limit break on the ship.
Shi Ming waited patiently.
[BEEP]
[Upgrade complete.]
[Warning!]
[The *Nirvana* has not detected its owner’s fluctuations or information... The *Nirvana* has detected that its owner has lost all life signs and is presumed to have perished... The *Nirvana* will activate indiscriminate attack mode in five seconds. Please be advised!]
Shi Ming’s eye twitched.
’It’s pretty smart!’
’So it throws a tantrum when its master isn’t around?’
However—
Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary!
In an instant, he transformed into a perfect replica of the Dark Star clansman, Rui Liang. The appearance of the Dark Star Race was roughly similar to that of humans—one head and four limbs—but their facial features were quite abstract and did not conform to human aesthetics at all.
Shi Ming channeled the power within his body.
Sensing its master’s aura, the *Nirvana* ceased its attack sequence, becoming as docile as a kitten.
’Perished?’
’Identification error.’
A scan from the Brain of Creation confirmed that the *Nirvana* could indeed undergo one "limit break." However, Shi Ming had never heard of the three required materials and had no leads on where to find them: Pseudo-God Remains, Morning Star Crystal, and Cosmic Stone.
He walked to the hatch, and the high-tech door slid open automatically. Inside, clusters of starlight lit up one by one. A maid’s voice, completely unintelligible to him, sounded out. It was as gentle as flowing water, but he had no idea what she was saying.
The holographic screens also displayed strange characters.
’It must be the native language of the Dark Star Race.’
"Eye of Destiny, can you translate this?"
The Eye of Destiny did not reply.
He had already used up his active uses for the day, and passive prompts depended on the Eye’s mood.
’Looks like if I want to pilot this ship, I’ll have to find time to learn the language of the Dark Star Race.’
The stronger a person’s Spiritual Power, the greater their capacity for learning. With Shi Ming’s current learning ability, he could master an entirely new language in less than half a day, provided he had the right materials.
He strolled through the ship’s interior.
The language barrier didn’t stop him from exploring. After all, he was currently a perfect replica of a Dark Star clansman—the master of this ship. There was no way the ship would attack him. In fact, it was exceptionally intelligent; starlight lit up wherever he went, creating an immersive and ceremonial experience.
’It’s a shame. The ship is impressive, but its aesthetics don’t appeal to me at all.’
’It’s a far cry from the *Grand Fortune* and the *Sun-Shooter*.’
’This should be the main control room.’
’This should be the lounge,’
’The power room. The core is a black meteorite.’
’The collection room.’
The door to the collection room dematerialized in an instant.
A dazzling, dizzying array of items was on display. There were various gems and ores, strange biological remains, living plants, liquids in test tubes, and even mounted metal limbs.
’Brain of Creation, activate.’
[Burialite Gemstone, Level 8. A brilliant Gem of Light, enough to make you the most dazzling presence on the field...]
[Desolate Star Oil, Level 7. The Star Core Oil from a Desolate Star that has lost all its energy...]
[Pure Starlight...]
[...]
The Brain of Creation’s primary function was upgrading, so the additional information it provided usually consisted of just a single, brief sentence.
Shi Ming spotted the Pure Starlight. He remembered this was the exact item needed to upgrade the Lamp of Wishes. Finding it here was an unexpected windfall.
At the very back of the collection shelves were several transparent pods.
The pods contained strange-looking creatures, none of them showing any signs of life. Judging by the residual energy in their bodies, they were S-rank at most. It seemed they were just more specimens collected by Rui Liang, as the Brain of Creation offered no information about them.
He judged that they weren’t particularly valuable;
their main worth lay in their novelty and rarity.
Rui Liang had kept his most precious treasures on his person, and they were now in Shi Ming’s inventory. He planned to study them all after returning to the *Grand Fortune*. Compared to those treasures, the collection displayed here seemed more like Rui Liang’s personal hobby, much like how some people enjoy collecting watches, minerals, or fine wine.
’I’ll need to catalogue all these collectibles in detail and add them to the inventory later.’
’You never know when they might be useful.’
The sheer number of items was dizzying.
The ship was also massive.
With his Spiritual Power, Shi Ming could have scanned the entire ship in an instant. For once, however, he wanted to savor the pleasure of exploring slowly. It felt like opening treasure chests one by one after clearing a game. Just claiming all the loot with a single click would provide a far less satisfying dopamine rush.
Sometimes, the exploration process also held a few frights.
No, not frights. Surprises, at most.
In an ordinary cabin, a limbless woman lay quietly in a hibernation pod. She had healthy, wheat-colored skin and an unmistakably human face. Her features possessed both a European romanticism and the wildness of Africa.
Shi Ming recognized her.
The Grand Commander of Black Gold, Beyoncé.
She still showed life signs but was in deep hibernation. It was fortunate that Shi Ming, worried that the "Falling Ice Sword" and his "Vile Tentacles" might damage his future ship, had held back his power. Otherwise, she likely would have been killed in the assault.
Shi Ming didn’t wake her.
’I’m in my Dark Star Race form right now.’
’I’ll just let Black Gold come and claim her later...’
