Fang Ming was not afraid of being exposed.
Because, as long as he didn't want others to find him, they wouldn't be able to.
...
Two weeks later.
At the auction, this top-grade pearl was sold for a high price of 1.3 million Blue Star coins, purchased by a local tycoon.
In the antique market, the treasures like ancient calligraphy and paintings auctioned at auctions, though sometimes priced exorbitantly, making ordinary people exclaim that they couldn't afford them.
But for general tycoons, bidding on treasures worth millions was not a catastrophic event.
There were dozens of instances annually where ancient calligraphy and paintings were auctioned for tens of millions.
Treasures worth tens of millions were merely items these tycoons bought to maintain appearances.
Treasures worth millions, like pearls, were only moderately significant among so many auction items.
Initially, even the local tycoon who bought the top-grade pearl treated it as a mere pearl accessory.
It was only later, when one day the local tycoon was swimming by the sea and discovered he could breathe freely underwater, that he reported it to the authorities, submitting this treasure to the state.
In the beginning, no one believed such a mythical story. The grassroots officials almost treated the tycoon as mentally ill.
It was the 21st century, and they were still talking about a water-repelling pearl? Capable of repelling water and allowing free breathing underwater?
Were there any loopholes in the nine-year compulsory education? Nine-year dropouts?
What kind of lunatic would report to the police with a pearl?
Some grassroots officials either thought the tycoon had poor intelligence, or they would check the calendar to see if it was April Fool's Day – though even on April Fool's Day, filing a false report had consequences; there was no room for jokes on holidays.
If it were an ordinary person, they would have been sent home at this point, with the grassroots officials dismissing it as a joke.
But this tycoon was a well-known figure locally and had connections with some local officials.
The leaders naturally didn't think the tycoon had intelligence issues, nor did they believe he would joke about such a thing – they had been at his house just last week; it was impossible for him to have suddenly gone mad in a week.
Although the so-called water-repelling pearl indeed sounded like a fairy tale, they still had to give him a chance to prove it.
The proof was not difficult, as it was a coastal city.
So, after much persuasion, and arranged by the leaders, some grassroots officials personally took the pearl and went into the sea to test it themselves.
Before the test, almost all grassroots officials scoffed at this so-called water-repelling pearl from the Dragon Palace, thinking it was impossible for such unscientific things to exist.
But after each of them personally tried it, they found that while holding this water-repelling pearl, they could indeed stay in the sea for twenty minutes, thirty minutes, without needing to come up for air or use an oxygen tank. Their faces were filled with shock, fear, and horror, their worldviews shaken as if shattered!
It was utterly unbelievable!
How could such a thing exist?
How could such a treasure exist?
The water-repelling pearl, which repelled water upon contact, was not a fabricated myth but a reality!
How was this possible?
"I've lived for over thirty years, and everything I've learned and seen is based on science. Now you're telling me this world isn't materialistic?"
"There's a Dragon Palace, and treasures from the Dragon Palace? Inner elixirs? Dragon pearls?"
Grassroots officials were also human. Apart from their positions, they were no different from ordinary people.
After personally witnessing the miraculous nature of the water-repelling pearl, one grassroots official's worldview had already begun to waver, to be shaken.
He started to suspect that perhaps the world was only materialistic on the surface, while the supernatural reigned in secret, and that the government might have some special ability agencies, like the Dragon Group, but he was not privy to such information due to his low rank.
He couldn't access it.
Whether it was the leaders or the grassroots officials present, anyone who had personally tested it in the water had their worldviews shaken; their scientific worldviews began to destabilize.
A small pearl, a natural pearl, was now capable of shaking their decades-old worldviews.
The shock this incident caused them was immense, far beyond what other events could compare to. Other incidents might be forgotten, but this one, everyone present would remember for a lifetime.
In places unseen by these grassroots officials, layers of emotional energy were continuously transmitted into the void, then converged into the Tianyuan Jade in Fang Ming's hand.
Compared to collecting other types of emotions, the emotional energy gained from changing others' worldviews was stronger.
This was something that could make people remember for a lifetime.
The worldview of the first half of their lives was completely shaken, yielding a vast amount of emotional energy.
Fang Ming, hidden within the Illusionary Department, was separated from the real world by a layer of illusionary distance. No technology in Blue Star could see through an illusionary invisibility. Even instruments and surveillance would be deceived by the illusion.
This was the application of illusionary arts.
Fang Ming looked at the 1,600 points of emotional value displayed on the Tianyuan Jade and nodded, slightly satisfied.
If the miraculous ability of the water-repelling pearl, its supernatural power, could only last for thirty days before dissipating,
then with these 1,600 points of emotional value, Fang Ming could extend the thirty-day time limit to over two years.
With this much time, he believed he could shatter many people's three views.
"The emotional energy is replenished in time,"
Fang Ming thought.
It had been over two weeks since the water-repelling pearl was created.
Without the timely replenishment of emotional energy, it would disappear soon, and then the supernatural ability that shocked others would also dissipate.
Now, it could last for a long time.
...
The fact that the water-repelling pearl was proven to exist and possess extraordinary abilities naturally drew the attention of grassroots officials, who then reported it up the chain.
From the city to the province, and then to the capital.
It was reported layer by layer.
The biggest challenge during this transmission was that the first reaction of the upper-level leaders upon hearing about a water-repelling pearl was, "Is it April Fool's Day today?"
They were completely disbelieving.
They even directly reprimanded their subordinates, asking if they had eaten something wrong today to fabricate such an absurd story.
This also slowed down the transmission speed.
But just as true gold fears no fire.
Although this matter was extremely bizarre, there was crucial evidence: the water-repelling pearl, which allowed permanent breathing underwater, was real.
Furthermore, it wasn't just one person reporting it, but many people.