The wine was stored in a metal box. This kind of packaging would prevent the wine from evaporating easily, so the seal was not manually screwed.
Ding Meng flipped his wrist, and the dark gold claw blade appeared at his fingertips. With a light flick of the blade, the lid popped open with a pop.
Sileman took the wine box and took a sip. Only then did he let out a long sigh of satisfaction. "Comfortable."
In truth, Ding Meng also liked to drink, but he had lived a life of exile for a long time. Wine was a very expensive luxury for him, and in this place, it was the best of the best. Since he was not circulating his Origin Energy, the moment the wine entered his mouth, it was as if a fire had ignited in his stomach. The long-lost passion and passion were aroused.
"To be honest, I don't really like to drink." Sileman took the wine box.
Ding Meng glanced at him. "But you drink quite a lot."
Sileman took a sip and then handed the wine box back to Ding Meng. "Do you think I'm drinking wine?"
Ding Meng laughed. "Aren't you?"
Sileman's gaze fell on the empty space in the middle of the basement. Ah Qiao and the others were dancing with a group of children. Sileman's tone was very emotional. "I'm not drinking wine. I'm drinking nostalgia."
Ding Meng said, "Oh?"
Sileman's gaze became even brighter. "The year Xiao Yu became an Origin Energy Cultivator, the pirates came again and stole a lot of supplies. Ah Qiao and the others were also taken away. Xiao Shanzi was only one year old at that time. There was no one to take care of him …"
Xiao Shanzi was the child who had delivered the wine to Ding Meng. He was Ah Qiao and Xiao Yu's child.
Ding Meng said, "What happened after that?"
Silman's voice suddenly became excited. "Of course we had to save them, but at that time, Xiao Yu and the others weren't strong enough, and they were also timid. So before we set off, we gathered together like today to drink and boost our courage. Then, we went to kill the thieves together. We rushed into the enemy's spaceship and fought for more than five hours in their command center. We snatched back the supplies and saved everyone. That night, we killed more than a hundred enemies and beheaded sixty-seven of them.
Ding Meng could not help but clap his hands and say, "Good, good kill!
How satisfying! "
Sileman smiled. "So, every time I drink, I can't help but think of that night."
His smile was a little lonely. Ding Meng understood that what he missed was not that night, but the brothers who had passed away.
Silman stared at Ding Meng's fingers. "This knife of yours is very special."
Ding Meng's indiscriminate bombardment on the Falcon spacecraft had left a deep impression on him, but the most memorable scene was when the claw blade left the ancient sword and flew towards Lan Bing's face in a strange arc.
"It is very special!" Ding Meng lowered his head to look at the knife between his fingers, but his gaze seemed to be somewhere very far away.
Silman also seemed to be recalling the fierce battle on the spacecraft that day. "That Lan Bing was at least a mid-tier warrior. She wasn't weak. Normal weapons couldn't hurt her, but your knife could."
Ding Meng said, "She was injured on the Dead Silent Star. Otherwise, this knife wouldn't have been able to hurt her on the spacecraft."
Silman stared at the claw blade and said quietly, "If this knife can hurt an Origin Energy Warrior, then it wouldn't be strange for it to be able to cut through normal alloy armor. If I'm not wrong, the material of this knife is very likely Dark Gold Obsidian."
Ding Meng glanced at him with some surprise. "Your eyesight is quite good."
Silman chuckled. "I once accepted a mission and went to the Zeratul Star System by accident. There aren't many mineral resources there, so Dark Gold Obsidian is usually added to weapons."
Ding Meng stared at him. "You've been to the Devouring Realm?"
Silman laughed. "I'm afraid that only Battle-Holy-Level bounty hunters can go there. Do you think a Warrior like me can come back after going there?"
Ding Meng was curious. "Are there any Battle-Holy-Level Origin Energy Users in your group?"
Silman said, "There were some in the past, but there weren't any after that."
Ding Meng asked, "Why?"
Sileman sighed. "Either they seek refuge with the Federation, or they go to the Empire. At that level, who would stay outside as a bounty hunter?"
"That's true!"
Ding Meng expressed his agreement. He didn't know the specific strength of an Origin Energy Warrior, but he knew that Origin Energy Warriors could only become Origin Energy Warriors after they became Origin Energy Warriors. There was a gap of at least three levels between them. Regardless of whether it was the Federation or the Empire, Origin Energy Warriors were targets that various organizations fought over. After joining, they would probably give you whatever you wanted.
Silman said, "But according to the Deputy Commander, our Green Arrow's current Deputy Commander is also a Origin Energy Warrior. The Federal Empire has tried to rope them in many times, but they still haven't left."
Ding Meng was even more curious. "Why?"
Silman shrugged. "I'm not sure why … …"
He paused for a moment, then laughed in an envious tone. "But Brother Ding, you're so young, yet you're so strong. Are you interested in joining our Green Arrow?"
His invitation was actually quite reasonable. For Ding Meng to be able to pilot the "Black Lava" battle armor and display such prowess on the spaceship meant that he should be at least a high-level Origin Energy User based on his proficiency. As for the giant sword slashing out with the ancient sword and the claw blade technique from the ancient sword, he thought that it was most likely not a technique but another martial technique. That martial technique was probably not something that an Origin Energy User could cultivate. Thus, Sileman determined that Ding Meng should at least be an Origin Energy Warrior.
A 20-year-old Origin Energy Warrior, what kind of concept was that?
An ordinary Origin Energy Warrior would need about ten years to complete a journey, but Ding Meng had used less than half that time to complete it. Even the geniuses of the Federal Empire couldn't be compared to him.
But what was strange was that someone like Ding Meng was actually an interstellar refugee. It was for this reason that he had sent out the invitation. Of course, the main reason was that he found Ding Meng pleasing to the eye.
The impression that Ding Meng gave him was that he was young, low-key, trustworthy, enthusiastic, and most importantly talented. There weren't many young people with these qualities nowadays.
Ding Meng glanced at him. "I'm not interested in joining."
Silman had expected this answer. With his talent, he would obtain the citizenship of the Federal Empire sooner or later. Why would he give up on the benefits and come to outer space to suffer?
However, he still didn't give up and continued, "Brother Ding, you won't be able to return to the Norse Empire for a while. Why don't you stay for the time being? It doesn't matter if you don't join. If we receive a mission, you can go out with us. Isn't it good to have a bounty?"
Ding Meng suddenly fell into deep thought. He remembered Lan Bing's "framing" argument. The Empire's military might not list him as a wanted criminal, but they definitely suspected him. No matter how he defended himself, at the very least, he was the one who chopped off Long Ming's head. He definitely couldn't escape the responsibility of Lei Bao and the others' deaths. Once he returned to the International Space Station on Planet TT12, the military would inevitably launch an investigation on him.
The investigation was secondary. If the K-virus was exposed, there would be a lot of trouble. In fact, staying was not a bad choice.
"What's the benefit of staying here?" Ding Meng asked.
"Brother, you're straightforward!" Sleeman laughed. "At least Lan Bing and the others won't dare to trouble you here."
He paused, feeling that his words were a little weak, so he changed his words. "Brother, you're also an origin force warrior. We Green Arrow have our own cultivation system and resources, which will definitely be of great help to you."
"Oh?" Ding Meng immediately became interested.
At this moment, Little Rascal finally spoke up, "Ding Meng, this is a good idea. You've already completed the first stage of your basic cultivation technique, so the previous cultivation method is no longer suitable for you. I think it's necessary for you to understand their cultivation method."
Xiao Ai did not object this time. "ACT5570, you're a defective product of the K-virus' transformation. You're far from perfect. You should continue to evolve yourself."
Ding Meng's eyelids drooped. He was not very happy to hear the words "defective product". "Xiao Ai, I heard from Little Rascal that when the system transformed me, it only completed 10.8208%?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Ai replied. "At the time, the system ran out of energy. I had to issue an ultimate command to forcefully transform you to that level. Otherwise, you would have been eliminated."
Ding Meng thought for a moment, then asked, "I've been cultivating for a while now. What level have I reached?"
Xiao Ai said, "According to my evaluation, your current progress is 11.0102%."
Holy shit, this can't be!
Ding Meng felt like he was about to spit out blood. This brother of his had been promoted from a normal person to an origin force warrior. His strength had increased by at least ten times, but now he hadn't even reached 0.2%.
"Isn't your evaluation a little too harsh?" Ding Meng was a little skeptical.
Little Rascal, for once, didn't speak up for him. "Ding Meng, this isn't being harsh. Have you forgotten the full name of the K-virus?
Dr. Harxinte's goal is to create a Greatest King. A Greatest King! Think about it, how strict are the requirements?
You're still very weak right now. Although soldiers are much stronger than Origin Ability users, compared to those experts, you're still in the weak category. "
Ding Meng silently nodded. Little Rascal's words made a lot of sense. Using the standards of Origin Energy Index:
500 points (Beginner Origin Ability user), 1200 points (Intermediate Origin Ability user), 3000 points (Advanced Origin Ability user);
8000 points (Beginner Warrior), 20000 points (Intermediate Warrior), 50000 points (Advanced Warrior);
These were just the standards for Origin Ability users and soldiers. Above soldiers, there were still ranks: Battle Elder, Battle Master, Battle Monarch, Battle General, Battle Sage … The difference between each rank was in the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, and possibly even tens of millions.
Moreover, this was only a simple Origin Energy Index. It didn't include martial techniques, secret manuals, treasures, weapons, equipment, and other miscellaneous combat values. Thus, Xiao Ai's evaluation naturally had its own logic.
"Okay, then this matter is settled," Ding Meng turned his head and said to Sileman.
"That's great." Sileman was overjoyed.