Chapter 216: Upgrade

Although Phillips is a rather shameless business organization and auction house, they still know how to get some things right.

At the very least, when it comes to agreed-upon matters, they don't play tricks. After Jiang Hai presented the gold coins, they carefully inspected each one. Once they confirmed the coins were all in good condition, they called the headquarters and sent an escort car to take the money away. When the money was loaded, Jiang Hai had already received his payment. With the price of $415 per gold coin, the total for the 43,817 coins was $18,184,055. Looking at the money deposited into his account, Jiang Hai nodded slightly.

He had dealt privately with Phillips this time, and both parties had to trust each other. There was no other option.

The taxes in the United States were high—far too high. Not only were there taxes when selling, but also when buying. Even if something belonged to you, you still had to pay taxes.

If Jiang Hai had gone through the official auction process, he would have ended up with only about $12 million from the $18 million, which was still a significant amount, but a third of it would evaporate. Plus, the auction house would take a substantial cut. This is why Jiang Hai opted for a private transaction. The two contracts were straightforward, which made things easier.

He also chose not to sign the $430 per coin agreement. He had no favorable impression of Phillips, and more importantly, he wasn't an ordinary person anymore. He could now handle pressure underwater, and with the protection of Dasha, he was no longer an easy target in the water. It was only a matter of time before he became a force to be reckoned with.

If he pulled something out of the water, he didn't want to be forced to show it to Phillips first—that would be too dangerous. What's more, if Phillips rejected it and spread the news, it would be hard for Jiang Hai to sell anything in the future, and he could easily become a target of the country or individuals from whom the item originally came. That was simply not worth the risk.

The gold coins, worth only $15 each, amounted to a few hundred thousand dollars. After a few months, even if the money were left on the ground, Jiang Hai wouldn't think twice about picking it up—it was still money. However, he wasn't interested now. He had other plans.

"Don't you feel bad throwing away a few hundred thousand dollars?" Moses Adams, who had accompanied Jiang Hai during the transaction, asked cautiously. Though he didn't know Jiang Hai well, he couldn't help but feel the loss. Jiang Hai smiled and replied, "That's your lawyer's fee for this deal. You did a good job. A few hundred thousand isn't much—trust me, I can make it back anytime. Do you believe that?"

As Jiang Hai spoke, he casually moved his fingers. Not long after, Moses Adams's phone buzzed. Looking at the million dollars that had just appeared in his bank account, Moses's hands trembled slightly.

He had only come to help negotiate the price and review the contract, yet Jiang Hai was generous enough to reward him with a million-dollar bonus.

"Thank you, boss," Moses said, trying to maintain his composure.

"Don't mention it. Well, I won't send you off. Take some steak with you!" Jiang Hai smiled, patted Moses on the arm, and handed him another five pounds of steak. Moses left, grinning.

Watching his car drive away, Jiang Hai thought about Paul's words.

"Looks like I need to buy a few cars. Since I've decided to stay here, I'll need to interact with the locals more. It's not good to keep giving off an impolite vibe. After I upgrade, I'll buy a car," Jiang Hai muttered to himself, clapping his hands before heading back into the house, ready for his first upgrade.

Jiang Hai had previously upgraded when he acquired the dragon ball. Though he had no memory of the event, he remembered falling unconscious after it happened. Fortunately, he had been alone at home at the time, so no one noticed. But now things were different. He had a big family living with him, so he had to be cautious. He informed Darlene and Marianne in advance that he would be in seclusion for a few days. If he didn't leave his room during that time, they should stay out.

Edward and Robbins thought Jiang Hai was practicing some form of immortality, but even though Jiang Hai wasn't seeking immortality, it felt similar. He even called Cindy Clive to let her know the manor might not be peaceful for a few days and asked her to stay away during that time.

Though Cindy was concerned, they weren't that close, so aside from exchanging some texts at night, she didn't visit. Jiang Hai's request seemed reasonable.

As the night fell and the time approached, Jiang Hai prepared for his upgrade. He removed his clothes, lay on the bed, and tried to sleep, although it had been a long time since he'd gone to bed so early.

But the excitement was too much. He couldn't calm down. As a child, he would stay up all night in anticipation of something as simple as a spring outing. Now, with an upgrade looming, sleep was impossible.

Jiang Hai barely slept, waking up several times to check the position of his scales. Finally, when the first rays of the sun entered the room, the last of his scales rose, signaling the moment of his transformation.

As the final scale grew, Jiang Hai's eyes lit up. The snake on his body seemed to come to life, and it whipped through the air toward his consciousness. Before he could process it, his vision blurred, and he collapsed back onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

Outwardly, everything appeared normal. Jiang Hai was breathing steadily, nothing seemed wrong. However, inside his consciousness, an incredible transformation was taking place.

He found himself in a cataclysmic scene—dark clouds gathered above, and the sea surged violently. Tsunamis, winds, and lightning intertwined in a storm of chaos. Then, a deep voice echoed, "Before chaos, the world was unseen."

As the space trembled under immense force, the dark clouds parted, the sea calmed, and a golden dragon swooped down from the sky, landing in the water. Jiang Hai's consciousness merged with the dragon's, entering its sea of awareness.

He saw the dragon pause on the water, its body giving way to an astonishing creature—a being with the head of a camel, eyes of a rabbit, a neck like a prairie, the belly of a clam, fish-like scales, eagle-like claws, tiger-like paws, and cow-like ears. The only difference between this creature and a dragon was the two sharp, drill-like horns on its head, straight and short.

Jiang Hai instinctively felt connected to this creature.

"Jiao!" A voice rang in his ears, and the dragon-like creature leaped into the sky.

The word "Jiao" reverberated in Jiang Hai's mind. From this moment forward, he was no longer a mere snake. He had transformed into a Jiao, a creature just one step away from becoming a true dragon.

As this realization dawned on him, Jiang Hai's eyes snapped open.

The room was still the same, the sun still shining outside. But Jiang Hai could feel it—this was no ordinary day. He glanced at his phone and smiled, "I knew it!"

Looking at the time, Jiang Hai realized that his transformation had taken three days. He looked down at his body and noticed his abdominal muscles were now more defined. What used to be visible only when exerting force now appeared clearly. His muscles were strong but not excessively bulky—just the right amount of power.

He also noticed the black impurities that had been expelled from his body. Beneath the black sludge, a dragon-like tattoo now coiled around his body where the snake tattoo used to be. Once the dragon's scales were complete, it would truly become a dragon.

Though Jiang Hai wasn't sure if he would ever become a full dragon, one thing was certain—he was now far stronger than he had ever been. His physical limits had doubled, and underwater, he was as fast as an ordinary marine mammal.

But the best part? He no longer had to bleed.

(To be continued…)