Chapter 367: Points Harvest
It was a miniscule increase to say the least, but William had only eaten one of the five Seal Fruits. Before he could pop the second one in his mouth, the System sent a message in the corner of his view.
-Consumed a Seal Fruit: +0.1% Comprehension of the Seal Element
A tenth of a percent? So, I have to consume a thousand of these Fruits to reach one hundred percent??
William did the math. If he didn't upgrade his Seal Element Farm again, it would take over sixteen years to fully comprehend the Seal Element. In retrospect, it would only take three and a quarter years if he upgraded the Farm to C-Rank.
POTENTIAL POINTS: 343,940
William sighed. The answer always seemed to lie with Potential Points, but he just didn't have enough!
The Fire Mine probably has a good number of Points waiting for me. I should visit them really quick. William thought as he opened a long-distance portal back to the Azures Continent.
In a series of short hops that would take a non-Space Mage months to travel, William reached the Fire Mine in less than ten minutes. At the entrance of the Fire Mine, Wen Xai could be seen casually writing down notes in his journal, but he bowed deeply the moment William appeared in the distance.
Your next journey awaits at empire
"How are things going so far, Wen Xai?" William asked with a smile as he approached.
"Very well Sir, we have extracted a large portion of Flamerium, but the Dragonstone is a bit too tough to efficiently mine for now." Wen Xai said as he handed William his notebook, listing the numbers.
William checked over the sheet and went to the warehouse, nodding in satisfaction as he swept all the ores into his Space Ring.
-Acquired Flamerium: +250 PP
-Acquired Flamerium (x18153): 4,538,250 PP
That's a lot more than I expected, this was a good idea! They're pretty efficient to have gathered so many in just a few months. William commented inwardly.
While his Companion Beasts and the Potential Farms earned him quite a few Potential Points passively, nothing could compare to the earnings from the Fire Mine in itself. He made a mental note to make use of the other Elemental Mines on the Continent in the future.
After a moment of deliberation, however, William realized he was being stupid. Why wait until later? Time wasted is money lost, let's do it now!
He teleported to the cave abode where he was storing the forty-four Tribulation Transcendence Cultivators from the Velos Continent, having almost forgotten about them during his trip to the Dragon Continent.
Cultivators at the peak of the World were usually well-known for having pristine clothing with no wrinkles or stains whatsoever. Even while fighting, the peak Cultivators would almost never allow dirt to touch their clothing.
When William saw the state of his captured opponents, however, there was no trace of dignity left in their expressions. Other than allowing them to breathe and blink, the Cultivators were unable to do anything for almost an entire month.
They couldn't eat, drink, or urinate whatsoever, forcing their bladders to remain full throughout the entire process. Even peak Cultivators had to poop every once in a while, but the Seal Element wouldn't let them, forcing a cycle of endless constipation.
The suppression of the Seal Element also forced them to remain awake during the entire period, cutting off their only chance at skipping through this nightmare. When William saw what state he had left them in, he was surprised to find he felt nothing, blaming the experience on his Humanity statistic.
"Do you want to get out of here?" William asked simply while cleaning the dirt from under his fingernails. He restored some of the Cultivators' ability to speak, waiting to hear their response.
"We're sorry!" one of the Cultivators cried out the instant his voice was restored. His eyes became watery as he asked, "Please can you let us go? I need to use the bathroom!"
"I could, but in exchange will you work for me in the mines for a year or two? I'll even pay you, though it might not be as much as you would normally earn." William asked.
"I'll do anything, Sir! Please!" the man didn't hesitate at all to accept William's offer.
"In that case, let's do it this way." William said as he called a portion of his Seal Mana to enter the bodies of each Cultivator and attach itself to their hearts.
As long as he was within a hundred kilometers of the Cultivator, William could control the Seal Mana to stop the Cultivators' hearts in an instant. Even if they didn't need their hearts to survive, William could track them through the Seal Mana as well, ensuring they would never escape as long as they didn't Ascend.
Next, William checked their Cultivation levels and had them waste three years' worth of Spirit Qi if they were close to Ascension. Even if they wanted to leave, they had nowhere to go, but William tried not to be too harsh with the punishment.
"You'll work for me in the mines for a period of one year. If you do well, I will let you go early, and if you perform poorly, I will extend your service by another year. Does this sound good to you?" William asked.
The group readily accepted his offer, grateful rather than upset that he burned some of their Cultivation. Any other opponent wouldn't hesitate to kill them or even cripple their Dantians, but William seemed to be different. They couldn't help but be thankful, and a year in the mines was nothing compared to their long lives.
"Great!" William snapped his fingers and unsealed the Cultivators' movements simultaneously, wrinkling his nose as a putrid scent immediately filled the air.
He used the slightly improved Territory of Sealing to halt all their movements in an instant, granting him time to extend the distance between himself and the puddles forming on the ground. "Follow me, I'll show you to your posts."
He opened a medium-distance portal to a nearby Oasis and dropped the Cultivators into it, granting them an hour to clean themselves up. Once they were ready, he took them to the Providence Zone, where Kamei the Black Turtle Hatchling was already waiting.
"Is there something you need, Master?" Kamei asked as he glanced at the forty-something Cultivators behind William.
"Ah, yes. Good timing. Can you call for the Region Leaders I caught before? I need them to supervise these guys." William asked quickly.
He honestly couldn't remember where he left the old men that used to be the higher-ups of Retribution, but thankfully his Companion Beasts were reliable. In a matter of minutes, William was sent the coordinates to their locations, where he opened a series of long-distance portals and brought them over.
Seeing the group of peak Cultivators from the Velos Continent, the Region Leaders couldn't conceal their shock. "Ah... Master William, where should we have them work?"
"Since they're at the peak, I think it might be suitable to have them here." William said as he projected a holographic map that displayed the different resource nodes of the Azures Continent. At one particular spot in the Providence Zone, William placed his finger and showed the group.
"T-That's... are you sure, Master?" the old men trembled in fear as old memories resurfaced.
"Absolutely. Send them to the Superior Death Mine."