"Star Thief? That’s quite the adolescent name..." Li Ming looked at the pop-up dialog box, which showed that the other party had accepted his bounty.
Despite the name, Li Ming was quite thrilled. Accepting a bounty posted in Black Hole Hall was not something that could be done casually.
If there was no justification, applying for hall arbitration would cost the other party dearly.
Once the dialog connection was established, the thief was quite direct, "Lord Shadow, about the generous reward mentioned in your bounty, could you be more specific?"
Li Ming’s eyes flickered. He glanced at the other party’s information and discovered that the guy was an Advanced Member, at least a Level B Life Form, who had completed over a hundred bounties or rescue missions without violating any hall regulations.
There were also more than a dozen thumbs-up symbols, which were evaluations from his mission partners.
After a mission, there was only one evaluation option, to give praise or not. Having more than a dozen indicated that his overall quality and reputation were very good.
The information on paper looked pretty good and seemed trustworthy. Li Ming pondered without asking what kind of information the other party held, and went straight to the point in his reply:
"If it’s just some crude information or rumors, with supporting evidence, I’ll offer a Level C weapon, customized to your preference."
"If there’s a detailed, specific coordinate or provenance information, I can offer a Level B weapon, also customizable."
"Whoa, throwing your weight around..." Robbin, looking at the information on the screen, clicked his tongue in wonder: "Just coordinates and background for a customizable Level B weapon."
"Seems item is indeed very valuable." He looked at the stone in his hand and replied quickly: "If there’s a physical object, could I get a Level A weapon?"
Li Ming frowned, quite surprised, "A physical object?"
After a moment of thought, he typed two words: "Possible."
"A Level A weapon, all because of it..." Robbin sat up straighter, his expression growing more serious.
He then took another careful look at the black stone in his palm. Other than feeling warm to the touch, he couldn’t discern any other special properties.
Then two more words popped up on the screen, "Not customizable."
Robbin didn’t mind that, mulling it over with some hesitation, he turned to Skull and asked, "Butler, if I let this go, I won’t regret it later, will I?"
"No," the butler replied succinctly.
Relieved by the response, Robbin didn’t say much more and directly sent over a photo.
"There really is such a thing..." Li Ming’s eyes shone as he looked at the photo on the screen. Although the shape was different, the color and material seemed very similar.
At least, no difference could be seen from the photo.
Then Black Hole Hall considerately popped up a reminder, "To avoid unnecessary losses, we recommend meeting in person for a barter trade."
"I am in the Chaotic Star Gap. Where are you?" asked the other party.
Such an item definitely needed to be verified in person to ensure it was genuine.
Neither sending the item over first nor receiving the payment beforehand was practical.
"I’m also in the Chaotic Star Gap," replied Li Ming.
"Then that saves time. Should I come to you or you to me?" Robbin was not too concerned.
"Come to me, I have some matters to attend to soon and might not be able to leave for a while," Li Ming sent the coordinates to the other party.
"Should be there in about ten days or so," Robbin estimated after looking at the star map, and replied, "Change the content of the bounty now; I’ll accept it again to let the hall act as the arbitrator."
Robbin was reassured by relying on Black Hole Hall, urging Li Ming to issue a higher-level arbitrated bounty.
Black Hole Hall will contact both parties when the bounty ends to ensure that the transaction is completed.
The process went smoothly, without ripples, much to Li Ming’s surprise. After confirming the item in hand was indeed quite valuable, the other party didn’t demand an excessive price nor further haggle.
"Value is only value in the hands of someone who can utilize it," Robbin said with emotion, holding the black stone in his hand.
Even if he knew there was a secret inside, it was useless in his possession. To him, it was just an ordinary stone.
After accepting the rewritten bounty, Robbin took a look at Skull beside him, feeling a slight impulse and then sent another message:
"If I have more related information and news, will there be additional rewards?"
"It depends on the specific information and whether I already know it, but it should not disappoint you," Li Ming reflected, realizing Black Hole Hall indeed harbored capable individuals - even those Level S Life Forms didn’t know what the item was.
But this Advanced Member seemed to know quite a bit about it.
After turning off the screen, Li Ming looked forward to the arrival of the Star Thief, likely to help him solve many mysteries.
With this anticipation, a few more days passed, and the longed-for alloy materials finally arrived.
The wind roared as a fleet of heavy transport spaceships hovered in the sky, nearly a hundred of them, with numerous escort warships casting a shadow over the sun.
The surface of the warships bore the emblem of the Giant Shield Company, and the anti-gravity rings on their undersides emitted a glowing blue light as they slowly descended onto the vast plain.
A group of people disembarked from the largest warship and approached Li Ming, a metal box at his feet with Ulrich and others standing behind, their eyes frequently falling on the box.
"Hello, you must be Lord Shadow," the lean leader said respectfully: "I am Molo, the transportation manager from Star Mining; and this is the escort commissioner from Giant Shield Company."