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

Lu Yuan also knew the wisdom of "not flaunting wealth" and muttered in a low voice, "Actually, before encountering the Shu Mi Dam Civilization, I was a bit carried away, thinking humans were pretty awesome. Reality really gave me a smack on the head."

"Actually, you can't say that; these are all stock assets."

Old Cat, discussing these matters, couldn't help but tremble its whiskers a bit.

In political management, it had truly experienced the joy of "being alive," becoming frenetic less and less often—especially after acquiring an Immortal Level fur coat, this fellow often changed colors, claiming to be incognito but in reality scouting for the "Holy King."

Not to mention, with this housekeeper, Lu Yuan felt quite at ease.

"Just like earning money, we earn every day, but we also spend... It's not possible to convert all the money earned into savings."

"According to the Ratmen, a civilization that can save 10 Spirit Essences a year counts as a First-level Civilization."

"There are many civilizations that, after a year of toil, calculate their worth only to find they'd have been better off not bothering at all. A civilization like ours, producing Anomalies, is doing quite well."

"That's true indeed," Lu Yuan sighed.

So what was actually losing money then?

Of course... it was nurturing talent.

The output of Magic Cube Energy per year was between 30 to 50 Spirit Essences, and over the years, the cultivated talents, when their souls were tallied, added up to less than 300. Wasn't that a huge loss?

Of course, if one were to measure the value of a person solely by their spirit, that would be too superficial.

All history is human history.

Because of humans, civilization can continue, history can flow, and Magic Cube Energy will be produced.

Lu Yuan exhaled a turbid breath from his chest: "Let's become a true Second-level Civilization after this grand transaction."

...

...

At this moment, within the Big Food Bucket Restaurant, the diplomatic teams were gathered in small groups discussing the trade proposal with the "Shu Mi Dam Civilization."

Ever since Lu Tiantian and others continuously sent information over via electromagnetic waves, the exchange with the "Shu Mi Dam Civilization," the "Civilization Level," and the "industrial strength needed for a Second-level Civilization" had become the hottest topic among the public.

Honestly, there was still a certain degree of "humanism" trend among the general populace.

When encountering an Alien Civilization, comparing strengths and weaknesses is everyone's simplest instinct.

"You don't realize until you compare, then you're startled—one look and you see that humans collectively just have that bit of disposable wealth!" A young PhD student exclaimed, glancing at the latest Green Grass Times while munching on his chicken and gluten stir-fry, "It's mostly thanks to the legacy of the Green Grass Civilization, oh, and Mr. Turtle!"

The newspaper had written some values of spirit for various items, and while Divine Skills and such were not marked due to their complexity, the value of most Extraordinary Items was specifically estimated.

"And the Shu Mi Dam Civilization, based on their currently revealed net worth, is over fifty thousand! Fifty times ours! It's staggering... and they likely have many treasures they haven't even revealed."

"Come on, are you discouraged at the sight of someone stronger? After all, they are remnants from a previous Epoch, isn't it pretty normal for them to have some worth?" Another PhD rebuked, "We're not too bad ourselves, right? What's wrong with being a First-level Civilization? Just fill in the industrial gap, and we become Second-level."

"What I mean is… a piece of Legendary Equipment, worth over 1000, is more valuable than all of us combined—is this method of judgment not a bit unreasonable?"

Just then, another scientist, who had spent a good amount of money on two yellow croakers, shook his head after enjoying his meal: "Unreasonable? I think it's very reasonable! Ideal Technology has its own evaluation system."

"And a great achievement is indeed worth more than ten thousand ordinary tasks!"

"Have you ever heard the saying: 'The efforts of our lifetime are to save some future genius the trouble of an afternoon tea.' Even Material Technology is the same."

Materialism and Idealism, indeed, are two different directions. Which is more important, a computer or a Pomegranate Fruit?

It's really not comparable.

However, in Green Grass City, Ideal Technology was the main focus.

Once the Spiritual Value System was officially established, many people's work meaning could be precisely quantified.

And a unit of Spirit Essence is a large unit.

You may think you've created a lot, but in reality... it seems that's not the case.@@novelbin@@

A piece of Turtle Shell from Mr. Turtle, valued at 10 Spirit Essences!

How many people can compare to the foolish Mr. Turtle?

And the status of the craftsmen, on the contrary, was elevated; they are producers of Spirit Essence, miraculously creating Spirit Essence out of nothing.

This huge psychological gap, for a while, made it difficult for these scientists to accept, and many felt somewhat psychologically unbalanced.

"You young people, what use is there in talk? The key lies in research results!" The dean of the Great Engineering Institute, Sha Mo, shook his head slowly, leisurely saying, "Set your heart right, adjust your position!"

"The trade goods this time are mostly created by craftsmen; this fact cannot be denied by you."

"When do we create knowledge achievements that can be traded with other Civilizations! I, Sha Mo, will be the first to admire him!"

"At that time, no matter how much you boast, it would be correct."

This speech left everyone silent.

Yes, to have what others do not and for others to be willing to purchase, that's what makes a remarkable achievement.

Otherwise, no matter how much you brag, it's just self-delusion!

Sha Mo, seeing them immersed in thought, smiled, found a table for himself, and enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

Giving the young folks a little nudge is naturally a good thing; children brought up by society tend to be a bit naive and overly confident.

But overconfidence is just arrogance.

Alien civilizations won't care about your dignity!

If it's not a good product, they certainly won't buy it.

Hence, inter-civilization exchange is truly a great way to broaden one's horizons.

Only with more exposure can one have a fair and objective evaluation of oneself.

...

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the trading team set out in a grand procession, led by Lu Yuan, carrying a large amount of supplies.

The Shu Mi Dam Civilization, too, was opening its first business in the Ninth Epoch and warmly welcomed humans.

Since negotiations had been ongoing for over a month, many details were already settled, and soon, humans purchased some desired goods.

This included cultivation techniques related to "Fields" - valued at 52 Spirit Essence.

A bit expensive, yet a necessary purchase.

Because "Fields" are not only related to higher Extraordinary Levels but might also be the natural embryonic form of Ability Fusion.

Lu Yuan had always wanted to fuse his abilities but had not yet found the entry point, so finding even a clue here was worthwhile.

Who knows when it would be if left to human abilities alone.

"According to the Shu Mi Dam Civilization's description, the creation of a Field is related to one's own controlled abilities... thus, everyone's Field is different," Lu Yuan mused.

"However, the general method is the same... an important approach is to treat the human body as a piece of equipment."

"In the craftsman's Inspiration state, to help organize abilities and generate a Field."

This was indeed a novel approach.

That is to say, with this method, a single Inspiration could give birth to a Field powerhouse.

However, the requirements for the craftsman are quite high; they must at least be able to forge Rare Level or even Superior Level equipment.

While Lu Yuan was deep in thought, Lu Tiantian continued, "We also bought those Extraordinary animals and plants."

"These goods are quite cheap, a real bargain. Because they don't have a stable base, they sell a bit cheaper. I suspect these things were just snatched up along the way."

The Shu Mi Dam Civilization was essentially giving away these Extraordinary animals and plants at a discount of thirty to fifty percent, and humans definitely picked up a great deal.

With a total value of 81 Spirit Essence.

And then, there's the empty Spirit Crystals, a unique asset of the Shu Mi Dam Civilization - had to buy them.

A total of 2000 pieces!

Most were of Inferior Grade, capable of storing 1-2 units of Spirit Essence.

100 were of Ordinary Level, and there were also a few "Rare Level" ones.

Not too expensive, all told 82 Spirit Essence was spent.

These Crystal Stones, totaling up to about 5000 Spirit Essence storage, meant humans wouldn't have to worry about this stuff for quite a while.

There were also some brewing techniques for Spiritual Wine, planting methods for Spirit Plants.

Some methods for making Extraordinary Medicine - somewhat similar to the legendary "Elixirs." Usually, an Extraordinary Fruit is worth 1, but after alchemy, its value becomes 2.

Spirit Essence can emerge out of "labor," entirely unknown techniques to mankind - had to buy them, right?

All these miscellaneous items really made the money flow like water.

Humans' little savings, things like turtle shells, leaves, branches, and animal pelts, were almost completely traded away!

The trade volume of nearly eight hundred Spirit Essence made the Ratmen's faces blossom with smiles, deeply feeling that their recent efforts hadn't been in vain.

Especially because selling knowledge amounted to pure profit!

Those pairs of small eyes, looking at humans, were just like looking at fat sheep, full of benevolence.

Of course, the deals to come wouldn't be so easy anymore, since all the necessary purchases were made, and both sides began to care about cost-effectiveness.

Shu Huangfeng warmly invited, "We don't have good living conditions over here, so I hope our human friends will forgive our humble surroundings."

"Come, come, let me treat everyone to a meal of our Shu Mi Dam Civilization's delicacies!"

The Shu Mi Dam Civilization, riding on their giant turtles, had no houses and lived under the open sky, truly not much in the way of good living conditions.

The group gathered on the back of the giant turtle, formed a circle, and drank some fruit wine.

The special brewing process did indeed have its knacks.

Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

After a sip, a warm surge flowed down the throat, into the stomach, soothing every cell in the body. This feeling was slightly familiar, like the "Vitality" state experienced when eating Pomegranate Fruits.

"Contains a small amount of Life Essence... not bad," Lu Yuan nodded.

This fruit wine was brewed from a certain Mutated Fruit.

Mutated Plants and Extraordinary Fruits differ only by name, but their yield is worlds apart.

Because Mutated Plants can be cultivated on a large scale, whereas the yield of Extraordinary Fruits is very limited each year.