https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-166-The-Wandering-Token-and-the-Spirit-Mechanism-Synthesis-Platform/12833707/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-168-The-Rules-of-the-Floating-Land-and-the-Rejection-of-the-Origin/12833709/
Chapter 167: Departure
Chapter 167: Departure
Song Mingsong and Bai Xiuqin’s courtyard was situated at the heart of the Qingyue Estate. However, despite having recently gathered the entire family, the courtyard was now empty.
Beneath the courtyard, in a secret underground chamber, the entire tenth lineage family was gathered. This chamber, located dozens of meters underground, had been excavated by a peak third-rank soldier puppet under Grandpa’s command. The surrounding walls were lined with rare Seal Spirit Stones, known for their excellent soundproofing properties, making it the perfect place for discussing important matters.
In the crowd, Song Chi glanced to the side, where a stone door led to another sealed chamber. This chamber, however, was not used for discussions but housed the entrance to the "Dragon Blood Secret Realm."
According to Grandpa and Uncle, over the past few months, three of the ten remaining Dragon Blood Trees in the secret realm had finally produced Dragon Blood Fruits that had reached the thousand-year mark. These fifteen thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Fruits, each capable of extending life by ten years, had been harvested and their selling information posted on the family forum in the Quantum Communication Bracelet.
As for why they didn’t directly turn them over to the family, Grandpa’s reasoning was simple. The family would only offer two gold merit points per fruit, but if they could find a family member in need on the forum, the price could reach three to four gold merit points, or even a purple component if they were lucky.
...
"Alright, it’s settled. Xiuqin, Old Two, Little Chi, and Little You, the five of us will go. We’ll depart in five days!"
After a thorough discussion, Song Mingsong made the final decision. He, along with Grandma Bai Xiuqin, Uncle Song Hai, and Song Chi and Song You, would board the family transport warship in five days to head to the Soul Spirit Floating Land.
Hearing this, Uncle Song Shan nodded in agreement.
"Alright, since Dad isn’t here, it’s not advisable for Mom to start her promotion task. We might as well go to the Soul Spirit Floating Land together. This is an opportunity we can’t miss for soul resources!"
Song Hai nodded in agreement but sighed soon after.
"Too bad you can’t come, Big Brother. With two third-rank Flameheart Captains, it would be safer and we’d have a better chance of gaining more!"
Everyone understood. Song Shan needed to suppress the Origin Eruption Eye, and with only nine months left of the year-long benefit period, he couldn’t afford to stop now. The annual output of a third-rank Origin Eruption Eye was significant and couldn’t be abandoned halfway.
...
With the final list of participants for the Soul Spirit Floating Land expedition set, everyone soon left. Once only his parents, Grandpa, and Uncle remained, Song Chi quietly asked:
"Grandpa, do you need third-rank Floating Land Essence?"
Before anyone could react, he quickly explained his reasoning. He claimed that the Spirit Synthesis Platform in the Ruins Market allowed every creature entering the market to synthesize once. However, the exchange rate he proposed was 16:1, meaning 1600 strands of second-rank Floating Land Essence for 100 strands of third-rank Floating Land Essence.
While this rate wasn’t as good as the 20:1 offered by the Merit Hall, it would still net him 600 strands, and it wouldn’t draw attention. Third-rank Floating Land Essence was rare, and occasionally exchanging 100 strands was fine, but doing it monthly would raise suspicions. This way, Grandpa and the others would benefit too, making it a win-win situation.
Without hesitation, Song Mingsong handed over 1600 strands of second-rank Floating Land Essence. Song Chi then retrieved 100 strands of third-rank Floating Land Essence from his Flameheart Ancestral Aperture and handed them to Grandpa.
Since he had already provided fourth-rank Floating Land Essence before, handing over 100 strands of third-rank now didn’t seem out of place. The Ruins Market was a monthly affair, and pretending to go there just to synthesize would have raised suspicions.
Back in his courtyard, Song Chi entered the Ruins Market and synthesized 100 strands of third-rank Floating Land Essence from 1000 strands of the 1600 second-rank strands he had received. This way, he netted 600 strands, making it a very profitable transaction.
...
Time passed quickly, and the five days flew by in a blink. In the sky above Qingyue Island, five Flameheart Warships hovered high. Below, Song Shan, Zhao Hongxue, and others watched as the warships ascended rapidly, passing through the clouds and beginning their hyperjump charging.
In the private communication channel of the two rear warships, Song Chi and Song You were in conversation.
"Fourth Brother, when did your warship ascend to second-rank?"
The Ascension of the Azure Sky had happened recently, and only a few family elders knew about it. Song You, who had been focusing on cultivation, was completely unaware.
"Not that long ago, just a couple of days!"
His casual tone only made Song You more speechless. A couple of days? Do you even know when you awakened? It’s only been a little over a year since your awakening!
internally griping, Song You thought about his own warship. It had awakened just a few days after Song Chi’s, yet it was still far from reaching second-rank. Even with the help of Song Shan and Zhao Hongxue, it would take at least two more years to have a chance at becoming a frigate.
Two years was a short time in the age of starships, but in the early stages of a Flameheart Warship, it was enough to create a significant gap.
Seeing Song You’s mood darken, Song Chi knew what his younger brother was thinking and quickly tried to reassure him.
...
At the foot of the Longspine Divine Mountain, the family assembly square had transformed from the empty space it was when they had returned. Now, it was piled high with various supplies, including food, water, medicine, warship reinforcement resources, standard energy batteries, and the Stabilizing Sea II Exoskeleton Power Armor.
The vast white jade square, stretching over a hundred thousand meters in length and width, had transformed into a massive storage area for supplies. Standard starships continuously took off and landed, ferrying more resources to ensure the Soul Floating Land expedition never lacked essential supplies.
As the standardized starships buzzed about, Uncle Song Hai’s projection appeared among the five Flame Fleet ships, offering an explanation.
"Those are the unawakened commoners of our family. They handle logistics and transportation, earning starting resources for their descendants."
Song Chi felt a deep sense of empathy. In his previous life, he had been a regular person, well aware of the frustration and pain of living in a grand era of star seas without being able to participate in it.
As they conversed, the five Flame Fleet ships descended one by one, landing in a designated docking area at the edge of the square. As the Azure Sky landed, a family member responsible for managing the docking area reminded Song Chi to quickly load the necessary supplies onto his ship. This was not a personal request; all Flame Fleet captains landing there would receive the same message.
The reason was clear: to reduce the workload of the family’s logistics teams, all family members heading to the Soul Floating Land were required to carry some supplies with them. The Soul Floating Land had been discovered in a distant star domain, far from the Flame Human civilization’s territory, accessible only through spatial beacons.
Since spatial beacons were rare, the number of Flame Fleet ships capable of making the journey was limited. To maximize the use of each inch of space on these specialized ships, participants were required to carry some of the supplies that needed to be transported promptly.
With the Azure Sky’s tractor beams working efficiently, Song Chi soon loaded enough supplies. He then joined his grandparents and others, waiting for the designated departure time of the specialized transport ships.
As time passed, before the transport ships showed any signs of movement, a group of family members familiar to his grandparents arrived. There were over twenty of them, and Song Chi had paid attention when they landed, noting that more than ten were Second-Rank Flame Fleet captains, two were Third-Rank captains, and only four were First-Rank captains, making them a formidable group.
When his grandfather greeted the leader of this group, Song Chi moved to stand behind his grandmother and quietly inquired about their identities. According to his grandmother, Bai Xiuzhen, these people were from the Seventh Direct Line, which had been established over two hundred years ago and currently had four Third-Rank Flame Fleet captains.
While this might not place them at the top among the Song family’s various lines, they were still stronger than the Tenth Line.
"Seventh Direct Line, huh..."
As he pondered, his grandfather led the group over.
"Xiao Chi, Xiao You, come meet your Great-Uncle!"
The leader of the Seventh Direct Line was named Song Yuan, nearly twenty years older than Song Ming Song. He served as the deputy head of the Seventh Direct Line and was one of the most powerful Third-Rank Flame Fleet captains.
"Great-Uncle!"
After the greetings, they received word that the transport ship was about to depart. Nearly thirty people boarded one of the transport ships. As they entered, their Aether energy was suddenly restricted by the "Flame Fleet Passenger Certificate," preventing them from using their abilities temporarily.
The Flame Fleet captains were well aware of this and were not surprised. The transport ship was a Second-Rank Flame Fleet ship. Without the "Flame Fleet Passenger Certificate," boarding the ship would cost hundreds of strands of Second-Rank Floating Land Essence, and additional costs would be incurred for subsequent use, which was too expensive.
It wasn’t that the Song family couldn’t afford the Second-Rank Floating Land Essence, but it was unnecessary. After all, several transport ships made the journey between the two star domains daily, and such expenses would add up over time.
Using the Flame Fleet Passenger Certificate, although it would restrict their Aether energy for 24 hours, a temporary outer space combat platform had already been assembled in the Soul Floating Land star domain. All family members on the front lines would be safe and secure on this platform for the 24 hours, ensuring no danger.
As for the duration of their stay, since they were traveling via transport ship, their personal ships had no return time restrictions, allowing them to stay indefinitely. If they wanted to return, they could simply repeat the process, boarding a transport ship from the Soul Floating Land star domain.
As he thought, the side hatch of the transport ship slowly closed, and the engines roared to life, lifting the ship quickly into the sky. Above, the transport ship began to vibrate, and the interstellar projection was activated.
Through the ship’s windows, Song Chi saw two other Flame Fleet ships near the transport ship, their hulls tightly bound by tractor beams, also activating for the interstellar projection. These two ships would likely serve as transport ships on a future trip.
Once the transport ship arrived at the Soul Floating Land star domain, it would quickly set a spatial beacon. After 24 hours, it would return and, after a month of downtime for the ship’s projection function to recover, it would become a transport ship for the next batch of travelers.
Only in this way could a perfect shuttle cycle be maintained between the two star domains.
(End of Chapter)
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