Chapter 2365 Crystal
"Fang Heng, just tell us what you need us to do. Our boss said as long as it's not too outrageous, we're in one hundred percent, and we're very discreet..."
Lu Yanlong, full of enthusiasm since connecting with Fang Heng over the phone, couldn't wait to assure him with fervor.
They were open to almost any terms, even a 9:1 split, and Starfish Company was happy to accept it.
After over half a year, Starfish Company reviewed its semi-annual financials and discovered an astonishing 800% increase in revenue and profit compared to the previous period! More than 80% of this revenue was directly attributed to Fang Heng!
Starfish Company's partners unanimously decided to firmly keep Fang Heng, their newfound wealthy benefactor, within their grasp.
Fang Heng found himself in a mix of amusement and frustration. He could only express regret, explaining that he merely stumbled upon a mission and was seeking relevant clues.
"Alright, we'll investigate right away," Lu Yanlong said with some disappointment in his heart but maintaining a positive demeanor.
"Mr. Fang, we'll contact you immediately if we find anything."
"Okay," Fang Heng replied as he hung up the phone and tossed it aside.
Old Black and Black Castle seemed quiet for now, with all messages sent out seeming to vanish into thin air, indicating they were likely busy.
After a moment's thought, Fang Heng took out his notebook again and logged into the shady website provided by Old Black. With a hopeful mindset, he searched for clues about White Abyss.
Surprisingly, he found something!
Upon entering the keyword "White Abyss" into the search bar, a related post immediately popped up as a hint.
However, Fang Heng's heart sank when he saw the timestamp on the post.
It was from two years ago.
It seemed a bit outdated.
Fang Heng clicked on the post to read further and discovered it was a help request related to White Abyss.
The poster had encountered White Abyss during a mission and sought assistance within the website to find players who knew how to access the world of White Abyss or could provide useful information.
The post didn't contain specific descriptions of White Abyss beyond this context.
Fang Heng scrolled down to read through the replies. Among scattered inquiries, one particular response quickly caught his attention.
It was from a high-level VIP member of the forum who had heard a rumor in a secretive advanced world. According to the rumor, White Abyss was a highly unique place where almost anything could be exchanged for what you desired.
However, the prerequisite was that you must first obtain the White Abyss' approval and help the White Abyss do one thing.
Fang Heng pondered deeply.
Could it be that the tree spirit tribe had indeed struck some kind of deal with White Abyss?
Was the trade about assisting White Abyss in sealing 'Pride'?
And what did the tree spirit tribe gain from this trade?
Also, why did the White Abyss entrust the tree spirit tribe to seal away Pride?
If White Abyss could provide anything, it must be quite powerful. Wouldn't it be safer for them to seal the demonic seed themselves?
Moreover, how did 'Pride' end up in the hands of White Abyss in the first place?
Fang Heng continued to read, and the doubts in his heart increased.
The replies to the post were mostly a few irrelevant questions, and then there was nothing else.
Fang Heng tried to contact the owner of the post to ask about the situation. It was strange. The account showed "unable to access".
Was there a problem with this account?
Makes sense, it's been over two years. The mission's poster might have long since perished in the game, or perhaps his account was deactivated.
Fang Heng chuckled self-deprecatingly.
After some thought, he decided to leave a message below, mentioning that Fang Heng had also received a related mission and was very interested in discussing it further.
After completing this task, Fang Heng closed his notebook and lay back in bed, ready to get a good night's sleep.
After battling in the game for over half a month, relying mostly on game coffee to stay awake and occasionally squeezing in a few hours of rest, Fang Heng's body was extremely weary.
It was the "undead" effect that helped withstand many negative effects caused by fatigue. Otherwise, an ordinary player would have long since collapsed.
Now lying down in bed, as soon as he relaxed his mind, Fang Heng quickly fell into a deep sleep.
At some point later, noisy ringing woke Fang Heng up abruptly.
Still groggy, Fang Heng reached for his phone on the cabinet and sleepily muttered, "Hello."
On the other end, Mo Jiawei's voice came through, full of excitement.
"Mr. Fang, are you available? Come into the game right away. Sandy has made a major discovery!"
"Alright, I'll be there immediately!"
At the mention of a major discovery, Fang Heng instantly perked up. He got out of bed, set down his phone, and hurried back into the game.
...
Returning to the game world, Fang Heng headed to the tree house.
Inside the tree house, he found Sandy energetically explaining something to a group of soul tribe members around a round table.
"Have you discovered something?"
Fang Heng approached the group that was deep in discussion.
"Fang Heng, you've come at just the right time!"
Sandy, upon seeing Fang Heng, excitedly waved a stack of freshly translated manuscripts and said, "I've just translated a portion of the ancient books. They detail the transactions between White Abyss and the tree spirit tribe. It explicitly records that the tree spirit tribe obtained something called a high-concentration dimensional core from White Abyss."
"After obtaining the dimensional cores, the tree spirit tribe conducted extensive research and ultimately used the sacred tree to decompose and catalyze the cores, forming tiny crystals."
"This kind of crystal, Mr. Fang, you should be quite familiar with, it's the Nature's Heart Crystal you've been seeking."
Fang Heng's pupils contracted abruptly.
So, it was indeed related to the transaction with White Abyss!
It matched the information he had found on the website earlier!
So, the tree spirit tribe obtained the raw materials for Nature's Heart from the White Abyss in exchange for helping to seal the demonic seed of Pride.
Mo Jiawei nodded in agreement as he stood nearby, quietly adding, "I just contacted Starfish Company. Dimensional cores are top-tier items in the game, priceless and rare. Starfish Company has only heard of them by name."
"It's recorded in the ancient books that all the dimensional cores acquired through trade by the tree spirit tribe have now been used up, entirely converted into Nature's Heart Crystals."
Sandy continued to explain on the side, "According to the ancient books, White Abyss considered only those races who mastered dimensional strength to be recognized as creatures in the Wisdom Sequence of cosmic beings."
"White Abyss viewed the tree spirit tribe merely as having just awakened dimensional strength, akin to infants just learning to walk. They barely managed to wield dimensional energy, a perilous artifact for them. Moreover, their current abilities were insufficient to seal the demonic seed of Pride. Hence, White Abyss provided them with dimensional cores to help rapidly enhance their overall strength."