Another World: When a Necromancer Possesses the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls

"As per camp regulations, your vehicle and belongings are subject to routine inspection."

"Understood." Li Xingyao nodded cooperatively, deftly opening the motorcycle's storage basket and the trailer's cover. Instantly, a mixture of smells—blood, leather, and herbs—filled the air. Inside, various star beast materials, neatly categorized and bundled, were revealed.

Even the soldiers who had been stationed at the outpost for years were slightly surprised by the wide variety of materials they had collected, and they glanced at Li Xingyao again. It was hard to imagine that such a harvest could be obtained by a young student.

He then waved his hand, signaling the auxiliary robot next to him to come forward and perform a more detailed scan and registration.

The inspection was completed quickly, and no contraband was found. The inner gate opened slowly with a heavy rumble. After thanking them, Li Xingyao drove his motorcycle into the outpost.

Li Xingyao did not linger in the noisy trading area of ​​the outpost. It was a cacophony of voices, with various buyers, mercenaries, and adventurers scattered along both sides of the street. The air was filled with the sounds of bargaining, as well as the stench of star beasts and the smell of cheap tobacco.

Several sharp-eyed buyers spotted the materials on his trailer and immediately surrounded him enthusiastically, introducing themselves all at once.

Li Xingyao simply waved politely to indicate that he had no intention of selling at the moment, his gaze passing through the crowd and heading straight for the underground train hub located in the center of the outpost. He didn't want to rest at the camp right now; he just wanted to get back to the city as soon as possible.

In the spacious and bright cargo consignment hall of the hub, he submitted his return trip application and detailed cargo consignment note through his personal terminal. Soon, staff members in blue uniforms arrived with a handling robot to take over the cargo.

Li Xingyao watched as the skeleton warriors meticulously sorted and bundled their spoils, each item being scanned, labeled, and packed into shockproof containers. His last lingering worry vanished; the Federation's train system's logistics network was renowned for its efficiency and security.

These materials will return to Tianjing City along with the train he was traveling on, and will be delivered to his storage point via a dedicated logistics channel.

After completing all the formalities, Li Xingyao walked towards the crowded waiting hall.

With nearly an hour to go before the train arrived, he found a relatively quiet seat near a corner. He brought up the virtual screen on his personal terminal and entered the online trading platform.

On the screen, information scrolled rapidly. He skillfully filtered through the buyers' information, quickly matching each company's real-time offers for his spoils.

As expected, the crystallized carapace and claws of the Crystal Armored Earth Dragon were the most sought-after commodities, with prices 5%-8% higher than he had anticipated. Several large materials companies, such as "Longteng Group Materials Department", "Titan Heavy Industries Rare Minerals", and well-known equipment manufacturers such as "Tiangongfang" and "Pojun Armed", competed fiercely for bids.

Prices for other materials remained relatively stable with little fluctuation, but the Shadow Leopard skin and the withered vine snake venom glands commanded a good premium due to their high demand.

There was no hesitation, and no room for bargaining.

Li Xingyao directly selected the highest price across all categories and tapped the virtual screen to confirm. Almost instantly, his watch emitted a subtle but continuous vibration, and incoming payment information flooded his virtual screen like a waterfall.

[Account Deposit Notification: Source: Longteng Group Materials Procurement Department (Contract No.: LT-CL-20250915-8873). Amount: +785,600 Federal Credits. Remarks: Payment for Star Beast materials (including premium for Crystal Armor Earth Dragon core materials).]

[Account Deposit Notification: Source: Tiangongfang Biomaterials Center (Contract No.: TG-BM-20250915-4421). Amount: +320,000 Federal Credits. Remarks: Payment for snake venom glands and snake gallbladders.]

[Account Deposit Notification: Source: United Chamber of Commerce Leather Purchasing Station (Blackstone Outpost Branch) (Contract No.: UC-HS-20250915-6652). Amount: +280,000 Federal Credits. Remarks: Payment for Shadow Leopard and Shadowclaw Wolf skins.]

[Account Deposit Notification: Source: Federal Resource Recycling Company (Tianjing Branch) (Contract No.: FRRC-TJ-20250915-9987). Amount: +400,000 Federal Credits. Remarks: Payment for Level 2 Star Beast materials such as Digging Boar Tusks and Ironclad Weasel Scales.]

Total: +1,785,600 Federal Credits!

Nearly 1.79 million credits! Adding to his original savings of tens of thousands, his total assets instantly exceeded 1.85 million!

The enormous number brought a momentary dizziness, as if a surge of heat rushed to the top of my head.

After more than a week of hunting in the wild, enduring wind and rain, all his efforts yielded the most direct and shocking reward at this moment. This huge sum of money, enough to support an ordinary family for more than ten years, was just the harvest of one hunt. But soon, this excitement was suppressed.

Star cores! The material he needs most right now!

Without the slightest hesitation, he acted as if the account balance was merely a fleeting illusion. He immediately switched to the trading platform's purchase interface, filtering by product category: Energy Items -> Star Cores -> Low-Level Star Cores.

Each item costs 200,000 credits. His gaze was calm and composed as his fingers moved quickly and steadily across the virtual screen.

One… two… three…

The account balance plummeted like a floodgate had been opened, the numbers fluctuating wildly.

Seven... eight... nine!

Nine credits in total! The 1.8 million credits only stayed in Li Xingyao's account for a few short minutes before disappearing again!

【购买成功！商品：低级通用型星核 x 9。提取码：SNC-2500-TJ-0915-001至009。根据用户选择，请前往指定联邦职业者服务中心接收。预计配送时间：即时（需现场提取）。】

Seeing his account balance revert to a pitiful 50,000 credit points, Li Xingyao's lips twitched slightly. A strong sense of heartache and a feeling as if he had been robbed intertwined, eventually turning into a barely audible sigh.

"Making money is like catching ghosts, spending money is like water flowing away... Our ancestors were right."

He muttered a self-deprecating remark under his breath, but his eyes remained resolute, leaving no room for regret. Level up! All of this was to become a "High-Level Professional" faster!

Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker in the waiting hall, a gentle female voice informing passengers that boarding for train K-745 to Tianjing City was beginning. Li Xingyao let out a breath, as if trying to suppress the fatigue of the past few days and the shock of the credit points change. He stood up, joined the bustling crowd, passed through the security checkpoint, and boarded the underground train heading "home."

The train was a blur of light and shadow in the carriage. It sped through the deep underground tunnel, with only a slight hum and the sound of the tracks rubbing together.

Li Xingyao sat comfortably in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. At the same time, he diverted a wisp of his mind to connect with the Myriad Soul Banner, where his soul power reached 1454 points. Although he had consumed a considerable amount of energy during the hunt to evolve the undead, especially after repairing the damage from the ten crocodile-skinned zombies, this number was still unexpected, proving that his gains in the battle were also quite good.

At dawn, as the subway smoothly entered Tianjing City, beneath the massive dome of the Northwest Transportation Hub, Li Xingyao stepped off, carrying a light bag. The familiar air, carrying the unique scent of the city, filled his nostrils—a mixture of various familiar aromas.

After more than a week of fighting in the wild, Li Xingyao missed this feeling very much. The familiar scenes, the familiar smells, and the noisy sounds were all the familiar environment he had been in for more than ten years.

Instead of returning to his public rental apartment in the public community, Li Xingyao took a vehicle directly from the hub station to the "Federal Professionals Service Center," the closest to his home. This was an official federal government agency where purchased star cores could be picked up offline.

The service center building was magnificent, and the lobby was bustling with people. Li Xingyao went to a row of self-service terminals, swiped his wristwatch to verify his identity, and entered the nine retrieval codes.

"Identity confirmed: Li Xingyao. Item retrieved: Low-level Star Core x 9. Passed."

The cold alloy hatch slid open with a slight thud, revealing nine palm-sized storage boxes. Li Xingyao took them out one by one, opening the lids to inspect them. In the center of each box, a star core lay quietly. The contents of these nine boxes were worth 1.8 million credits.

After checking that everything was in order, Li Xingyao placed them in the inner compartment of his tactical backpack, zipped it up, and put it on. The heavy backpack pressed against his back, but it gave him a sense of security.

Li Xingyao did not linger at the service center. He immediately turned around and left, taking another vehicle back home.

Back in his familiar apartment, Li Xingyao immediately rushed into the bathroom, letting the comfortably warm water wash away his fatigue and travel-worn clothes, as well as the faint smell of blood and the dust of the outdoors. The water flowed over his taut muscles, taking away the accumulated soreness.

After changing into clean and comfortable home clothes, he placed his stained leather armor and mud-covered "Wind Chaser-III" tactical boots into the smart logistics cleaning box by the door, selected the deep cleaning and maintenance option, and scheduled delivery for the next morning.

Then, his takeout arrived. A steaming hot, high-quality meal, made with generous portions. He sat down at the table and slowly, attentively enjoyed it. Compared to the tasteless compressed rations and nutritional supplements, this premium takeout was a world of difference.

As Li Xingyao savored the taste and texture of the food, his mood brightened considerably, realizing that the food he had eaten a few days ago was truly awful and difficult to swallow.

After the meal, he didn't waste any time. His earlier relaxation was simply to get himself into peak condition. He went straight into the dedicated training room, ready to use his star core to enhance his star energy!

Sitting cross-legged on the soft cushion in the center of the training room, Li Xingyao closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. As his mind entered a meditative state, his consciousness quickly calmed down, and he adjusted his mental state.