Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

“Really? I wasn’t aware it could hide you from Heaven. I have never seen it work that way.”

“Not on its own, but it can when you use it as a material,” the man said. “Which is why it is a core ingredient in many of the artifacts that can protect you from Heavenly Tribulations and such issues.”

“Oh? Then if they are so important, shouldn’t the Silkworms be even more important? They should sell for more, right?”

“Well… you don’t really need any more than a tiny thread for that, so a single silkworm ends up being more than enough to create nearly a thousand such artifacts, so there isn’t as high a demand for the silk threads,” the man said. “Besides, whether that artifact works or not also depends on the artifact maker, and is much less dependent on the thread.”

Alex slowly nodded. He thought of going through Steelmind’s memories to see how he used the threads, but that would take some time.

“I guess I can sort of understand the price now,” Alex said. “Then, is it the same price for the Silkworms that are cocooned, as well as the moths?”

The man paused for a moment, seemingly finding it hard to come up with an answer to such a simple question. He gave an awkward laugh, causing Alex to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… no one would dare sell a cocooned Heavenly Silkworm, so I didn’t know what to say,” Rockcrust said.

Alex thought for a moment, quickly laughing as well. “My apologies. I should’ve thought it through myself. A cocooned Heavenly Silkworm would never be sold, because at that point, you’re selling the Heavenly Silk Thread itself, along with a one-in-20 chance of a Heavenly Silk Moth emerging from it.”

The man nodded. “And we don’t purchase Heavenly Silk Threads here at all, so we have no price for them.”

“What about a Heavenly Silk Moth then? On average, they birth around 100 Silkworms, of which a small portion have a chance to be Heavenly Silkworms, don’t they?”

Rockcrust nodded. “They birth on average between 3 to 8 Heavenly Silkworms, so we purchase 2 Silkmoths for an Immortal Treasure. 20 for a Divine Treasure.”

“I’ve found Heavenly Silkmoths to result in more than 5 Silkworms on average, so it feels like you’re lowering their worth a little, doesn’t it?” Alex asked.

“It is being lowered, as you suspect, but only because there is no guarantee. Not to mention the fact that one has to find food for the silkworms afterward, so we’re taking that into consideration as well.”

Alex smiled. “I understand. In that case… I’m willing to sell… 200 Silkworms.”

Both Rockcrust and Strongclaw, who had been quiet this whole time, burst out in a surprised shout.

“200?!”

Alex looked from one to the other. “Yes. 200,” he said. “Why? Can you not purchase them?”

“Are you sure you have 200?” the man asked.

“I have more, but I can’t sell them all, so I’m keeping a few for myself.”

Rockcrust found himself unable to say anything in response. His mouth fell open and closed multiple times before he slouched back in his seat. “If you’re going to sell 200, then we will buy them. That’s… 2 Divine treasures.”

Alex nodded. “That’s what you said.”

“Okay. Let’s do it then,” the man said, gesturing for Alex to bring out the worms.

“Actually, before I do that, could I take a look at what sort of treasures you have?” he asked. “I don’t think I would want to give up those silkworms if I don’t like the treasures I get in return.”

“Well… for 200 Silkworms, you get to pick and choose which two Divine treasures you want. If you wish, I can take you along to look at the treasures in our treasure hall and you can choose there.”

Alex finished his tea and stood up. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

They walked out of the room and made their way deeper into the Hall of Insects. They had to climb the stairs to the upper floors of the hall, where the treasures were kept. The lower rooms appeared to be entirely made for the insects.

Alex was restricted from entering any of them, so he didn’t see anything, but just based on the noise alone, he could tell there were many insects inside.

On the upper floors, Rockcrust mentioned that Alex was allowed to choose 20 Immortal treasures if he wished, but Alex didn’t even consider the proposition and went directly into the room where the Divine treasures were kept.

The floor was vacant aside from pillars and shelves full of treasures. Dozens of elders of the palace sat around the shelves, both to keep an eye on everything and to explain what the items were.

Alex categorically ignored a lot of them, mainly based on the fact that they were all weapons, and he lacked the need for any more weapons. He wanted artifacts that did a little more than attack someone, so he moved on.

A few artifacts caught his eye as he looked around, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted those. He had enough, and he was going to start making many himself, so he wasn’t even sure if it was worth getting any of these.

As Alex kept walking around, the other two followed behind him.

“Do none of these catch your eye?” Rockcrust asked after a few minutes.

Alex stopped before a shelf and slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I think my standard for artifacts is much higher than I thought it was. While all of these are incredible, I’m not sure I want them. At least, not for selling 200 Silkworms.”

“Well… that’s a problem,” the man said. “Sadly, these are all the artifacts that we have. We are a Hall of Insects after all, and not a Hall of Artifacts.”

Alex turned around with a strange look on his face.

“Since that’s the case, can I purchase some insects instead?”