I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early-Chapter 740 - 540 Greedy Demon God Lord, Save Me!

Chapter 740 -540 Greedy Demon God Lord, Save Me!

Suddenly, a mystical aura emanated from the surface of the rock, as if it had endured countless years of wind, frost, rain, and snow, witnessing the passage and transformation of time.

“Hmm?” Several strong men frantically digging through the ice turned their faces and looked over.

But the aura vanished in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the rock returned to being ordinary.

“Was it just my imagination?” City Lord Ta Gang kicked the round lump forcefully, almost breaking his own toes in the process.

“Everyone hurry up and dig! The wind is picking up!”

The sky finally darkened, but starting to dig another ice shelter wasn’t possible within the limited time.

Everyone squeezed into the ice shelter, accompanied by the strange round lump. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

The roaring blizzard intensified, the raging cold wind tearing through the air like an untamed wild horse, carrying debris and wreaking havoc above. Even the slightest breeze penetrating through cracks felt like a whip striking one’s face.

With nothing else to do, the group drank alcohol and ate meat while studying the iron lump.

“It’s smelly and tough.”

“It’s occupying such a good spot, and now there’s no way to throw it out.”

“Enough chit-chat! Huddle together for warmth and save your physical strength!”

Still, the thought of relics being so close kept everyone wide awake.

“The Hongxiang Clan and the Giant Troll Clan have gone to war, all because of a low-level civilization relic.” Great Scholar Constantine started chatting, “That relic sits at the intersection of a large geothermal energy source, and both races intend to relocate entire cities there, naturally leading to conflict.”

“Sigh…” Everyone sighed in unison.

The demand for thermal energy is always an eternal topic in the “Northern Territory.”

“Who will win?”

“Probably the Hongxiang Clan… Their warfare ability is slightly stronger.”

The Great Scholar pulled out a golden book that displayed lines of text: “The Ice Merman Civilization located in East Lake has developed a new fossil resource called Combustible Crystal Stone.”

“This resource contains immense chemical energy—more than thirty times that of coal—and is set to become the leading mineral in the future. We should keep an eye on whether there are any Combustible Crystal Stone veins nearby.”

City Lord Ta Gang drank a mouthful of hot soup, then started soaking his feet in a wooden bucket. The 42-degree hot water made him feel completely relaxed: “I heard that Combustible Crystal Stone is incredibly difficult to mine.”

“That’s right. It’s typically buried beneath the deepest layers of underwater lakes; only top-level experts have a chance of extracting it. Plus, the water pressure is immense, posing a risk of drowning.”

The thought of top-level experts reduced to miners was truly unimaginable for ordinary people.

But in the Northern Territory, it was entirely normal!

Due to poor technology and underdeveloped robotics, automated mining was out of reach.

Adding to that, traditional coal reserves were dwindling, yet civilization could not thrive without energy.

“Actually, there’s an even better source of energy!” The Great Scholar suddenly remembered something and spoke with exaggeration, “In high-level relics, there’s a technological artifact known as ‘Eternal Energy,’ capable of releasing infinite light and heat with just a single hydrogen atom.”

“Do you know what hydrogen atoms are? The hydrogen inside water molecules?”

The group of rough and uneducated men barely grasped the basics of physics and chemistry, listening in utter confusion.

They were simply filled with yearning for “Eternal Energy,” saying, “If only the nearby relic housed this device.”

“Stop dreaming. That Eternal Energy device looks like a mountain—it’s impossible for a few of you to carry it away.” A mysterious voice suddenly spoke near their ears.

“That’s true…” The Great Scholar nodded, “Eternal Energy isn’t just a boiler. Only a powerful technological civilization can wield such a device.”

“Can’t we do this in Wulan City? We have plenty of craftsmen!”

“Impossible, not even close! It requires maintenance, you know? Just like a steam engine needs maintenance—or even horseshoes require upkeep!” The Great Scholar spread his hands helplessly, “I’ve said it countless times: we need to transition toward a technological civilization instead of spending all our time honing physiques. People need to read and write, at least complete basic education!”

“Without a technological civilization, even if the treasure were right in front of us, we’d only end up selling the equipment at a loss to others. That’s a massive disadvantage.”

Everyone felt a twinge of shame.

They really lacked culture.

But a civilization’s transformation… Wasn’t something that could be achieved easily.

You’d need to convince parents to shift their mindset for their children.

Other cities would need to cooperate and avoid instigating open conflicts during fragile periods.

Conditions like these make the possibility seem utterly remote.

“Why not focus on dry hot rock power generation?” The mysterious voice proposed again, “Dry hot rock stores higher levels of heat than coal. If converted to electricity, large-scale industrial production could begin.”

“Electric technology? Ha, what a joke.” The Great Scholar said with exasperation, “The freezing cold outside would cause the electrical wires to frost over. Once the wires freeze, the weight could snap the poles!”

“Moreover, where would we even get enough copper for wires? Do you know how far the nearest large copper mine is—several hundred Feili away?”

“While electrical technology sounds good, do you have any idea how much investment it would require? City Lord, are you willing to put up the funds?”

The City Lord, soaking his feet, touched his nose awkwardly. He’d much prefer to buy steam engines—they were immediately usable.

Electrical technology still felt far too unattainable.

The voice continued relentlessly: “Not willing to invest, not cultivating talent, just hoping to luck into something ready-made. Even if you picked up trash, you’d end up selling it off. This is ‘buy over build’ thinking.”

“No wonder Maige City’s development has surpassed ours now.”