Chapter 72

Rare treasures are indeed very appealing, but the cost of obtaining them is also considerable! Among the more than two hundred pirates who participated in this treasure hunt, forty-six were killed, and the number of lightly and heavily wounded exceeded a hundred. For a privateer fleet with a total of only about eight hundred people, such a high casualty rate is undoubtedly a significant blow.

Since the treasure was in hand, there was nothing worth lingering on this desolate island. After a brief tidying up, the two pirate ships set sail.

Luo Zhengdao, looking relaxed, hummed a tune as he used a pair of dividers to measure the distance to the surrounding islands on the sea chart. Suddenly, he spoke up:

"Where is the nearest supply port? We should take a good rest, and we also need to recruit more sailors. The losses from this treasure hunt were too great."

First Mate Brandon Fiery, a man of the world, smiled indifferently at Luo Zhengdao's request and replied:

"Well, my lord, the activity of the goblin fleet has decreased significantly recently. I heard that pirates in Male are becoming active again. We can go to Male Port to rest and recruit sailors after we dock."

Hearing this reasonable suggestion, Luo Zhengdao quickly located Male on the sea chart. After examining the nearby sea area, he nodded and said:

"Alright, you know the area better. Tell Zola that we will rest in Male for a few days!"

"Yes, my lord, I'll take my leave then."

"Alright!"

Brandon turned and left, and the sound of the door closing followed. In the quiet sea chart room, Luo Zhengdao was left alone. He took out all the magic cards he currently owned from his spatial bag and spread them out on the table, counting them like a miser counting gold coins.

"Unconsciously, I've accumulated over thirty cards. Time really flies!"

Savoring the unique sense of timelessness that comes with being a穿越者 (穿越者 means '穿越者', a term for someone who has traveled through time or dimensions), Luo Zhengdao didn't idle his hands. He sorted the magic cards he cherished and laid them out on the table.

One must be open-minded. Luo Zhengdao, who had been in the new world for quite some time and hadn't even managed to complete a basic deck of forty cards, couldn't compare to the veteran magic card masters who were far above the epic and legendary levels. Fortunately, because of this, each time the curse of the荒神 (荒神 means '荒神', a term for a powerful deity or entity) flared up, it only caused him some pain, and the fact that it didn't kill him was a stroke of luck. In the Eternal Library, the warning that the stronger one's power, the closer one is to death, made Luo Zhengdao shudder whenever he recalled it. The deep fear of a sword hanging over his head was not easy to bear.

His eyes caught a particular card, and Luo Zhengdao's heart stirred. He picked it out and fiddled with it. This two-star card was a magic card named "Manifestation of All Things," with a very specific use: to detect unknown targets. Using a bit of the super-magic technique from the magic card master's legacy, it could also analyze the true name and purpose of the target. Luo Zhengdao had never considered using it outside of battle before, but now he might as well give it a try. He had just used a magic card in yesterday's battle, and although the curse of the荒神 hadn't started yet, it was only a matter of time. Dead pigs aren't afraid of boiling water, and Luo Zhengdao didn't mind if the curse became more intense.

"Manifestation of All Things—Analyze!"

"Pop—"

After a faint explosion, Luo Zhengdao's finger lightly pressed down, and a cloud of silver powder rose from the item being identified, forming lines of text in front of him. Fortunately, the text was in his native language, so he didn't need to struggle to recognize it. In the new world, Luo Zhengdao only knew about five hundred words in the common language, and being a semi-literate穿越者 was truly painful!

"Strange Endless Basket, can provide enough food and water for a hundred people for three meals a day for a day and a night. Hmm, a good thing!"

This seemingly old basket had such powerful functions that Luo Zhengdao was almost laughing out loud. Then, he hopefully pointed his finger at another strange item and said:

"Manifestation of All Things—Analyze!"

"Pop—"

"Ghost's Convenience Bag, can store up to three thousand pounds or three hundred cubic feet of items, with a constant weight of zero."

Luo Zhengdao moved his finger from the gray, faded-looking bag and nodded in satisfaction. After taking a deep breath to calm down, he extended his finger again and said:

"Manifestation of All Things—Analyze!"

"Pop—"

"Holy Ritual Candle, this purple candle with mysterious runes will never burn out. If lit before a magic ritual, it will increase the success rate. Regardless of the outcome, the candle will automatically extinguish and will be ready for use again the next day."

In the new world, the significance of magic or arcane arts is like science in the old world, holding an absolute dominant position.

Unlike the arcane system that is prevalent in the new world today, the path of truth that magic card masters pursue is deeper and more profound. Although the pursuit of truth ultimately leads to the same destination, the question is who can get there faster, and this is a significant point.

Anything related to the profession of a magic card master is not an ordinary object. As the old saying goes, artifacts are not called artifacts because they are of noble birth, but because they are tools used by deities. Similarly, magic cards are a material manifestation directly linked to the laws of the universe. In other words, the identification function of the magic card in Luo Zhengdao's hand is equivalent to using a law-level force to scan an unknown object. Unless the mystery and rank of the unknown item exceed the power of the law, or it is not a creation of this world and cannot be identified by the laws of this world, there is no reason not to get an answer. It's that simple.

After completing the identification of the unknown magical artifacts, Luo Zhengdao, feeling satisfied, put away the magic card. His finger tapped lightly on the table, and he had a thoughtful look.

First, it must be acknowledged that the three magical artifacts obtained from the treasure hunt were of great benefit to Luo Zhengdao. The first two helped solve the supply problems of the long voyage of the warship. Whether it was the basket that could provide food for a hundred people daily or the convenience bag with a capacity three times larger than his ancestral spatial bag, these were not ordinary items that could be bought on the street. The last item, the "Ritual Candle," had a relatively narrow use, but in the new world, any item related to magic was never cheap!

In fact, in the old world, developing high technology was similar. Don't be fooled by the high-tech products like iPhones that can sell for tens of times their production cost, the basic research in the laboratory was a bottomless pit.

A typical example is the large pharmaceutical companies in the old world. To develop a new drug to treat a disease, it required a time cost measured in years. From the theoretical design of the drug to its production in the laboratory, from animal testing to clinical trials, and finally to the approval and market launch, the entire process could cost between 300 million to 500 million dollars on average.

If the pharmaceutical company's luck was bad and the new drug was deemed ineffective, like a beer company investing in the development of a hepatitis B vaccine that only matched the placebo effect, then the huge investment would be a total loss. Therefore, the price of a new drug when it first hits the market is often exorbitant. It not only needs to make a profit to recover its costs but also to make up for the large research and development expenses of the company's other failed projects.

Knowing that basic research is such a high-risk endeavor, many companies in the old world simply gave up on setting up their own R&D departments and focused on endless imitation. They were content with picking up scraps while working for others, preferring to be called unambitious rather than risk everything for new technology.

The magic research in the new world shares many similarities with scientific research in the old world. Those called mages or arcanists do not rely on randomly throwing fireballs or ice balls to succeed. As a qualified spellcaster, one must understand the structure of a spell and use mental power to construct it in the mind to ensure the correct activation of mana particles to release the spell. The entire process of casting an arcane spell is similar to using an old-fashioned musket. Although pulling the trigger is a simple action, the preparatory work is incredibly complex.

After using up their stored spells in battle, mages can only hurriedly re-memorize them. The spellbooks they carry are similar to cheat sheets used by students during exams, helping to reinforce memory.

Despite the players in the game often joking that only mages are Blizzard's favorite, in the new world, the actual situation makes one realize that mages are a rather tough group. Despite this, mages remain a core force among the professionals in the new world. There is a witty saying in the old world: "A scientist with martial arts is unstoppable." The arcanists in this world indeed have a bit of the tough and ruthless aura of a scholarly thug.

The treasure hunt was a great success, and as usual, a meeting was held to discuss how to monetize and distribute the spoils. After resting, Luo Zhengdao called the senior members together and straightforwardly said to the boatswain:

"Zola, I've appraised it. The three magical artifacts are worth between five thousand and eight thousand gold coins. Discuss with the quartermaster how to distribute the proceeds!"

Adhering to the principle of fair appraisal, Luo Zhengdao introduced his appraisal results to the boatswain. He then laid out each piece of loot on the table, explaining their uses and appraised values. The specific distribution would be a matter of negotiation.