Destiny Mission of game 'Star Ring'

"That's right, but do you have the means to stay here indefinitely? Star Ring City will slowly squeeze you dry without you even noticing."

The Fake Owner·Swallower directly retorted.

"True, the costs here are so high, no matter how wealthy you are, it's hard to keep spending like this. Let's not talk about that, where's the best place to buy a level 5 starship?"

Su Mo pulled his thoughts back and earnestly asked for the opinion of the Fake Owner·Swallower.

"Do you even need to ask? With your kind of budget, you should go to the miscellaneous shop and find that old man to buy it."

The Fake Owner·Swallower said without even thinking.

"Okay!"

This time, Su Mo did not argue. Although there was a suspicion of being ripped off last time he purchased the bio armor set, once he started using it, he realized its true value—worth every penny.

So Su Mo didn't hesitate at all and headed towards the miscellaneous shop.

A moment later, Su Mo arrived again at the entrance of the inconspicuous shop.

This time the shop was deserted, not a single soul in sight.

Su Mo strode in, seeing that the shop's layout was the same as ever, with not a single change. The old man with shriveled skin and disheveled gray hair remained bent over the counter.

From start to finish, he didn't look up to glance at Su Mo who had entered.

Su Mo pretended to casually browse around the shop; there were still so many good things here.

He almost drooled looking at the items, wondering just how rich this old man could be!

It was then that his gaze was drawn to a model of a Star Destroyer on display—a sleek, all-black vessel with a streamlined appearance and a bud-like bow, covered entirely with launch ports.

Su Mo's eyes grew more fervent as he carefully read the parameters set above.

Star Destroyer·Phantom Flower.

The full length of the ship is 170 kilometers, with an ink-black hull and a blossom-shaped bow.

Main Cannon: Meteor Cannon·Light of Excretion

Secondary Cannon: Dark Particle Beam Cannon

Interception Guard: 30,000 turrets

Missile Launch Ports: 1-100 million

Main Power: Heart of the Ark*1

Shield: Dark Energy Shield

...

100 million launch ports, Su Mo even wondered if he was seeing things. How much would a single volley cost at this rate?

Yet when Su Mo saw the price, he had no doubt there wasn't a mistake.

"5 trillion Star Coins."

This price is practically robbery!

"No point in looking, you can't afford it."

The Fake Owner·Swallower reminded him in a deep voice.

"Not necessarily. It's good to have dreams; maybe they'll give us a discount."

Su Mo responded nonchalantly to the Fake Owner·Swallower.

"Hmph, they'll knock you until you break bones, and you still couldn't afford it."

The Fake Owner·Swallower replied coldly.

"You never know until you try. Maybe they'll sell it for 100 billion. Just give it a shot."

"I advise you against it. This kind of joke isn't acceptable."

"You're wrong here; didn't you teach me to try everything? It's just a try. It won't cost me anything."

Su Mo replied with a cheerful grin.

"I told you to try, but not to try joking around. Who would sell something for 100 billion when it's worth 5 trillion? It's not like they're your dad, and even if he was your dad, there's no guarantee he'd sell it to you."

The Fake Owner·Swallower was nearly exasperated.

"It's fine, I'll just try."

Su Mo seemed determined as he strode over to the counter, clearing his throat loudly.

"Ahem!"

The old man slowly lifted his head, his eyes lifeless, staring at Su Mo.

For a moment, Su Mo felt goosebumps, but the discomfort quickly faded as he took a deep breath, deciding to go for it and directly asked.

"That Phantom Flower vessel looks pretty nice, I quite like it. Could you give me a discount, and let me have it for 100 billion Star Coins?"

The usually expressionless old man had a rare twitch on his deathly face upon hearing Su Mo's words.

His murky eyes looked at him as if he were an idiot, and then he opened his mouth to vent a sharp, cold voice: "Not for sale!"

Su Mo hurriedly replied with a smile, "Not for sale, that's fine. I was just asking."

However, within Su Mo's heart, there were waves of turmoil; he insisted on asking this foolish question despite the warnings from the Fake Owner·Swallower.

He simply wanted to test the old man's reaction.

If it had been anyone else, he thought they might have exploded in rage, maybe even swept him out in anger.

Yet the guy's reaction was so calm that it was surprising.

Clearly, this old man probably had an unusual relationship with the Fake Owner·Swallower, otherwise, why else would he be so indulgent with him?

Just then, the old man's pale face suddenly flushed red, and he coughed violently.

He coughed into a tissue, staining it black with blood.

Su Mo paused for a moment, then out of concern asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

The old man coughed a few times, pocketed the tissue, and replied indifferently.

Then the old man's gaze casually fell on Su Mo's neck, noticing the fading of the dark red Negative Energy Pollution Blood Stain, revealing a peculiar hint of attention.

Under normal circumstances, the Negative Energy Pollution Blood Stain is irreversible.

"Good to hear."

Su Mo acknowledged, thinking, if the old guy were to pass away, he wouldn't have a place to buy good stuff.

"What do you want to buy?"

The old man hoarsely asked, perhaps because of Su Mo's earlier concern earning a modicum of goodwill, or wanting to quickly dismiss Su Mo.

"Ahem, I'm looking to buy a level 5 starship. If you have a good recommendation, let me know."

Su Mo made his intentions clear without holding back.

"How much money do you have?"

The old man asked straightforwardly.

Su Mo's eyes lit up, feeling there might actually be a chance.

"100 billion Star Coins."

Upon hearing this, the old man swiftly pulled a paper-yellow buy-sell contract from a drawer at the counter and handed it to Su Mo.

"Sign, pay."

Su Mo took it, looked through the purchase contract and accompanying transaction data, and the more he looked, the more his mouth twitched.

The old man was selling him a level 5 Battleship·Shadow.

Superficially, there's no issue; it was indeed a level 5 starship. But the problem was the data clearly stated it was a second-hand starship, someone that had served over two hundred years, older than his grandfather.

Su Mo nearly spat out blood.

"Hey, hey, this is a used ship; don't you have a new one?"

"I have, for more money."

The old man answered promptly.

Su Mo's face darkened as he replied, "I only have 100 billion Star Coins. If I had more, would I come here to buy? And 100 billion is enough, you can buy a brand new level 5 ship outside."

"Do you want it or not? Otherwise, you can go buy from outside."

The old man replied devoid of emotion.

Su Mo was a bit frustrated, his lips twitching under the endless sense of déjà vu from when he bought the bio armor. Maybe the old man was making up for last time's loss?