Chapter 180: [Neutron Star Core Armor] in Hand - Skybound Great Enhancement

Chapter 180: [Neutron Star Core Armor] in Hand - Skybound Great Enhancement

This was far from the end. The appearance of this Tier 1 alien was like a stone breaking the calm surface of a lake, soon causing ripples that spread across the entire lake.

"I have an Orange Quality [Short-Range Teleportation Stone]. When activated, it can teleport the user one light-year away."

"A damaged [Earth Attribute Law Crystal] can temporarily grant the user a Fourth-Tier Semi-Mythical realm law empowerment, giving them Fourth-Tier power."

...

The continuous bidding surprised two people the most.

Aside from the involved party, Elon, it was Song Chi, the owner of the marketplace.

Although he had anticipated that the aliens who had left would bring back many valuable items, the consecutive appearance of several Orange Quality rarities still left him with mixed feelings.

The competition wasn't the main concern; what troubled him was the realization that his current wealth was still too meager.

Why did all these Orange Quality rarities suddenly appear now? Why had they never shown up before?

The reason was simple: his "Rarity Exchange Shop" had too few rarities, none of which were enticing enough for these aliens, or the rarities weren't of high enough quality to attract the interest of the high-tier beings behind them.

After all, his rarity exchange shop currently only had one Orange Quality rarity, the [Red Origin Celestial Fire], which could only be exchanged for a fire seed rarity of the same quality.

"It seems I need to try and acquire more high-quality rarities. Maybe I should approach my family?"

Sighing, Song Chi considered the Song family, an ancient lineage that had thrived for nearly three thousand years.

In the broader context of the Flame Human civilization, the Song family might not be much, but in the Morning Star Principality, they were a formidable force.

With such a long lineage, the family must have accumulated a significant number of high-quality rarities that couldn't be converted into ship components, right?

But he quickly shook his head.

Aside from the risk of drawing attention, the Song family might not have many such rarities in stock.

For other ordinary factions, trading with alien civilizations outside the Flame Human civilization might be difficult, but for a power like the Song family, with a Fifth-Tier Flame Ship Captain as their guardian, it was relatively simple.

This meant that the thousands of years' worth of high-quality rarities the Song family had accumulated were likely already traded away.

...

Time passed quickly in the marketplace, but the bidding for the Red Epic rarity continued without end.

Elon wasn't foolish. After multiple rounds of bidding, his initial anxiety had shifted to a more patient, waiting-for-the-right-price attitude.

He had entered the marketplace shortly after it opened, with plenty of time left, so he wasn't in a hurry to decide.

He even had other thoughts, not just focusing on survival but also using this Red Quality rarity to lay a better foundation for his future extraordinary path.

Song Chi didn't rush to make a move.

If he was going to use the [Marketplace Walker Token], he needed to act as the marketplace controller.

Thus, making a decisive bid in the final moments would better fit the mysterious and unpredictable nature of the marketplace.

...

Time flowed, and several more hours passed.

As time progressed, the number of alien beings in the marketplace reached a new high.

At the entrance vortex portal, a spatial fluctuation was detected, and this repeated fluctuation caught the attention of Song Chi, the marketplace owner.

If his perception was correct, the portal that was now fluctuating was the same one through which the person who brought out the [Neutron Star Core] rarity had entered.

"Are they getting impatient?"

It wasn't hard to guess that the enemies of the human who brought out the [Neutron Star Core] had finally grown impatient and entered the marketplace through the spatial portal.

With this realization, Song Chi's thoughts shifted back to the stall still in the bidding process.

Sure enough, the human who had been enjoying the continuous bidding from the aliens reacted immediately upon noticing the figures entering the marketplace.

Though his expression was hidden by his mechanical armor, Song Chi, as the marketplace owner, could see the change.

"Just as I thought..."

Seeing the intense fear and panic on his face, Song Chi knew the answer.

With this interruption, the bidding that had lasted for hours began to change.

Elon, who had been leisurely waiting for the right price, no longer wanted to delay. His mind raced, and his eyes darted among the highest bidders.

After about five minutes, Song Chi sensed the right moment and focused his mind.

With his mental command, all the beings in the marketplace instinctively looked up at the sky.

The previously calm marketplace sky was now swirling with stormy clouds, and an endless amount of marketplace law power was rapidly converging. Finally, a thousand-meter-long illusory golden dragon of law coalesced above the heads of all the beings.

Roar!

The golden dragon of law let out a long, ancient roar, like a thunderclap, resonating clearly in the minds of all the alien beings present.

On one side of the free stall area, Zhou Ping, dressed in a robe, his eyes flashed.

"The mysterious marketplace owner is finally making a move..."

Above the sky, the golden dragon of law opened its mouth, and a silver token with a shimmering silver glow floated out from the intense golden light.

At the same time, the five large characters [Marketplace Walker Token], written in law power, floated above the sky.

The moment Zhou Ping saw the "Marketplace Walker Token" and the silver token, his calm demeanor was shattered, and his pupils dilated.

"It's not a [Marketplace Guest Token], but a completely new type of token."

"I wonder what abilities this [Marketplace Walker Token] will have?"

"Indeed, this mysterious marketplace owner has even more and better items. It's just that the rarities brought by the beings who entered the marketplace before weren't enough to make Him reveal them!"

...

In a matter of seconds, Zhou Ping had many thoughts and decided that after this marketplace transaction, he would suggest to the higher-ups in his sect that they must bring out more and more precious treasures.

Not only he, but also the goblin Luke, the centaur, and the other alien races who had previously obtained the Market Guest Pass felt the same way.

Song Chi wasn’t entirely clear about what these people were thinking, though he had some guesses beforehand. However, he didn’t have the time to dwell on it at the moment.

After the five large characters of Market Travel Pass solidified, his thoughts shifted once more, and detailed information about the Market Travel Pass appeared below.

"Wow, unlimited access to the Market. Does this mean that anyone who obtains the Market Travel Pass can enter the Multiverse Market whenever they want?"

"While that’s important, what I value even more is the ability to fight beyond my rank, thanks to the added laws of nature."

"It’s different from the damaged Earth Attribute Law Crystal I had before. That broken crystal could grant me temporary fourth-rank power, but only once. However, the Market Travel Pass’s law enhancement can be used once a month, making it an incredible skill for survival, treasure hunting, and exploration."

"Is the being behind the Market willing to exchange the Market Travel Pass for a red-quality Neutron Star Core?"

...

As the detailed information of the Market Travel Pass was revealed, the aliens in the Market erupted into a frenzy of discussion.

In a corner, Zhou Ping, who had already been eagerly anticipating, now had eyes filled with fiery determination.

The attributes of the Market Travel Pass were even more perfect than he had imagined. Not only did it provide a temporary sanctuary, but the law enhancement ability was something he found incredibly appealing.

With the support of his sect, he had already reached the peak of the Qi Cultivation stage. It wouldn’t be long before he entered the Foundation Establishment stage. If he could obtain the Market Travel Pass, he would be able to fight at the Golden Core stage, a feat that would be considered almost miraculous.

The thought of it seemed to cast a spell on his mind, deeply ingrained and impossible to shake off.

His thoughts gradually shifted to finding the perfect reason to convince his sect to gather the resources needed to exchange for the Market Travel Pass.

...

Just as all the alien races were in a state of excitement, the Law Golden Dragon in the sky made another move.

The law energy flowed, and the golden dragon spat out a thread of golden light, which descended straight down and transformed into a segment of law text before the eyes of the human in mechanical armor.

If you are willing, this pass will be exchanged for the Neutron Star Core, with a usage period of three years.

After Arlon read the law text, the words dissipated into the wind as if they had never existed.

In a corner of the free stall area, Song Chi, disguised as a blue-blooded noble, watched calmly, waiting for the other party’s final decision.

He was no longer as anxious and tense as before. Instead, he felt quite calm, confident in the conditions he had offered.

Three years—why three years? Before giving this usage period, he had certainly considered it thoroughly.

For all the fragmented star sea beings in the Great Star Sea Era, three years might seem negligible. However, for the monthly Market transactions, it meant a total of 36 transactions.

For the Market Travel Pass, it meant 36 opportunities for law enhancement.

With this foundation, as long as Arlon wasn’t too foolish, he could rise to prominence and become a formidable figure in the region within these three years.

Therefore, Song Chi believed that if Arlon was rational, he wouldn’t consider any other trading conditions apart from the Market Travel Pass.

After a moment of silence, Arlon’s flickering gaze suddenly focused. He raised his head and respectfully addressed the Market’s sky:

"Three years is too short, great Lord of the Market. Could you extend it to five years?"

The Market, which had been noisy, fell silent. All the alien races looked up, curious about the response from the being behind the Market.

However, as time passed, disappointment spread across their faces. The Law Golden Dragon continued to circle in the sky but gave no further response.

Arlon was the most disappointed. He thought that even an additional year or half a year would be better, but the mysterious Lord of the Market clearly had a firm character.

Once a price was set, it would not be changed.

In the corner, Song Chi’s expression remained calm. He knew that for the alien races, his lack of response was the best answer, reaffirming the Market’s transcendent attitude.

However, on the inside, Song Chi was a bit anxious. He was genuinely afraid that Arlon might be stubborn and, seeing no increase in the offer, turn to other alien races to make a deal.

If that happened, he would be quite frustrated.

The Neutron Star Core Armor was an extremely rare piece of ship armor. Missing this opportunity, he might not find another red-quality ship armor for a long time.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. After some hesitation, Arlon agreed to exchange for the Market Travel Pass.

The moment he agreed, Song Chi noticed that the other humans who had entered the Market later all ran toward the Market gate at the same time.

Arlon, standing in the crowd, saw this as well. He quickly threw the Neutron Star Core into the sky.

The law energy in the sky enveloped the pitch-black sphere, and at the same moment, a faint spatial fluctuation appeared before Arlon. The silver Market Travel Pass materialized in front of him.

Grasping the Market Travel Pass, Arlon wasted no time. He rushed out of the crowd and quickly pursued the star pirates who were eager to leave.

Although he now had the Market Travel Pass and could temporarily gain third-rank power, he was well aware that the starship he had left outside had likely been destroyed by the star pirates. Without his starship, relying solely on third-rank power, he wasn’t certain he could defeat the group of star pirates.

Therefore, taking the initiative was crucial for his success. If those star pirates managed to leave first and report back, his already difficult situation would worsen. He wouldn’t let that happen.

Watching the two groups rush through the void gate one after another, the various alien spectators within the marketplace exchanged thoughtful glances. They all knew that beyond that spatial portal, a life-or-death battle was about to unfold.

Of course, they didn't care about the outcome of the battle. What they cared about was the future ownership of the [Marketplace Passage Token].

For Song Chi, it didn't matter which side emerged victorious. His objective had already been achieved. Now that he had the [Neutron Star Core Armor] components, who held the Marketplace Passage Token was of little consequence to him.

Nearly two hours later, Song Chi, who was leisurely browsing the free vending area, raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the third floor of the inn.

"Does this mean the result is in?"

Curiosity piqued, he channeled the laws of the universe around him.

"It's actually him?"

Song Chi was somewhat surprised. The victor turned out to be the one who had initially presented the [Neutron Star Core Armor].

When this person descended from the inn, Song Chi, after some consideration, approached him in his current Blueblood identity. His purpose, of course, was to acquire the high-performance armor.

However, after a brief conversation, the trade plan was quickly abandoned. According to the human, named Alon, the space armor was the latest model in the star domain he came from, and it was extremely expensive. While Alon didn't know the exact price, his description made it clear to Song Chi that the manufacturing cost of this armor far exceeded that of an exoskeleton power armor.

Given this, the profit margin was significantly reduced. Even if it could still be profitable with some effort, Song Chi had no interest in it. The number of exotic species entering the marketplace of all realms was not small, and there were plenty of more profitable items. Unless it was an exceptionally lucrative item, Song Chi wasn't bothered to pursue it, nor did he have the time.

Although the armor deal fell through, he unexpectedly discovered another potential opportunity. It was the storage capsule used to contain the [Neutron Star Core] oddity. This storage capsule operated on a principle similar to the Silver Gnome Empire's spatial folding box, but there were differences. Unlike the spatial folding box, which could hold dozens or even hundreds of cubic meters, the storage capsule had an internal space of only one cubic meter. Even the higher-tier storage capsules only had an internal space of three to five cubic meters.

Despite its smaller capacity, this storage capsule was very common in Alon's star domain and was extremely cheap.

Thus, a business opportunity presented itself. Although it couldn't hold large devices, minerals, or resources, it was highly attractive to mid-to-low-level Flameheart ship captains.

With this in mind, Song Chi began a detailed discussion with Alon about the storage capsule.

"As long as we have enough time, I can collect a large number of these storage capsules. We can negotiate the price, but how will we handle the subsequent transactions?..."

Before Alon could finish, Song Chi revealed the [Marketplace Guest Token] he used to conceal his identity. Seeing the token, Alon relaxed, and the two began further discussions.

However, the conversation didn't last long. It wasn't because of Song Chi but because Alon stated that he currently couldn't purchase a large number of storage capsules. They would need to change their identities before they could officially start the transaction.

Time passed, and as the marketplace transaction came to an end, Song Chi found Zhou Ping and, in his Blueblood identity, purchased a large batch of low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones. These were needed for the immortal realm's spirit soil, and he hadn't forgotten about it.

...

With the end of the transaction, the marketplace of all realms returned to its usual tranquility. Inside the marketplace, at the Spirit Synthesis Platform, Song Chi carefully counted all the gains from the transaction while retrieving 100,000 strands of zero-grade Floating Land Essence from the Flameheart Ancestral Aperture.

- One piece of red ship armor

- 100 strands of third-grade Floating Land Essence

- 1,200 strands of second-grade Floating Land Essence

- 50 titanium crystals

- 8,600 strands of first-grade Floating Land Essence

- 100,000 low-grade spirit stones

- 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones

- Over 400,000 strands of zero-grade Floating Land Essence (200,000 of which would go to the family)



- Various other resources

The zero-grade Floating Land Essence was originally 200,000 strands more, but he used it to purchase spirit stones from Zhou Ping. These spirit stones would be used in the Dragon Blood Secret Realm, a communal resource for the family, so the 200,000 strands were deducted from the original 400,000.

Song Chi wasn't particularly concerned about the zero-grade and first-grade Floating Land Essence. His focus was on the third-grade and second-grade Floating Land Essence. Although no fourth-grade Floating Land Essence appeared this time, the marketplace's upgrade to second-tier allowed second-tier aliens to enter, significantly increasing the number of customers at the Floating Land Essence exchange shop. This was evident from the 1,200 strands of second-grade Floating Land Essence he acquired.

In previous transactions, including the rental fees for the three leased shops, he usually obtained only about 500 to 600 strands of second-grade Floating Land Essence. This time, he got 1,200 strands.

Additionally, 100 strands of third-grade Floating Land Essence were offered by a second-tier alien, who exchanged them for 1,400 strands of second-grade Floating Land Essence. A small unexpected bonus.

After tallying his gains, Song Chi placed 100,000 strands of zero-grade Floating Land Essence on the synthesis platform. After three consecutive syntheses, it transformed into 100 strands of third-grade Floating Land Essence.

Clutching the newly synthesized 100 strands of third-grade Floating Land Essence, Song Chi returned to the Celestial Vessel in the outside world.

After 24 hours, the duration of the [Silent Sonic Field] component had ended, and the four Raging Tiger Mining Vehicles had stopped their work. Song Chi reactivated the component and resumed the mining operations. He then swiftly took out the [Neutron Star Core Armor] and replaced the [Obsidian Ship Armor] component without hesitation.

Though his movements were quick, Song Chi felt a twinge of pain. The [Obsidian Ship Armor] had been reinforced to level 30, and this replacement would render all the resources spent on reinforcement wasted.

However, there was no other choice. He couldn't afford to leave a piece of red armor unused.

"Seems like there are special components that can actively retain the enhancement level of uninstalled parts or refund the enhancement resources. If I ever get the chance, I really need to get one of those; otherwise, it’s too much of a loss!"

Muttering to himself, Song Chi began to enhance the Sky Sovereign.

However, the first component he enhanced wasn’t the newly installed Neutron Star Core Armor, but the Pure Yang Sword Light Cannon.

After two consecutive enhancements, this orange main cannon reached the current hull’s enhancement limit at Level 39.

Its attack damage increased from 1,798,200 at Level 37 to 2,150,400.

However, after enhancing this main cannon, Song Chi was left with only 320 titanium crystals and 122 strands of third-stage Floating Land Essence.

Next came the main event.

Without much thought, he directly enhanced the Neutron Star Core Armor to Level 30.

As expected, facing a red epic component, the resources he had recently acquired rapidly depleted.

In no time, the 320 titanium crystals he had left were reduced to 145, and the nearly 3,000 strands of second-stage Floating Land Essence were reduced by 1,060, more than a third.

However, this was directly proportional to the enhancement of the Neutron Star Core Armor’s attributes.

Neutron Star Core Armor Level 30

Quality: Red

Traits:

1. Neutron Star Fission

2. Neutron Star Core Pulse

3. Additional Armor Protection Value: +140%

Consumption: 500/s (Aether Points)



Protection: 756,000

No Recharge or Buffer Required

Upgrade Requirements: 20 strands of third-stage Floating Land Essence, 70,000 Aether Points, 50 tons of cobalt, 43 titanium crystals

{Neutron Star Fission: Consumes 30,000 Aether Points to temporarily transform the warship into a micro neutron star, resisting external attacks for 80 seconds. Cooldown: 36 hours.}

{Neutron Star Core Pulse: The armor layer converted from the Neutron Star Core contains endless pulse energy. When the warship takes damage, this pulse energy will continuously repair the armor and energy shields. Repairs 3% of the armor layer every 15 seconds and 3% of the energy shield value every 30 seconds.}

Not only did the protection value reach 756,000, but the duration of Neutron Star Fission increased from 10 seconds to 80 seconds, and the cooldown time was reduced from three days to one and a half days.

The most crucial aspect, however, was the "Neutron Star Core Pulse" trait, which repaired 3% of the armor layer every 15 seconds. This meant that as long as the Sky Sovereign’s armor wasn’t completely destroyed, it could fully recover within less than nine minutes.

As for the energy shields, they recovered 3% of the shield value every 30 seconds. With the current Dark Matter Energy Shield Generator, this equated to a recovery of 4,120 points per second. As long as external damage didn’t exceed this value, the Dark Matter Energy Shield Generator would never overload.

And this was still at Level 30. If this component’s level continued to rise in the future, the recovery value would increase even further.

After going through these details in his mind, Song Chi, feeling satisfied, prepared to continue enhancing other Level 2 components on the Sky Sovereign.

He still had over 1,700 strands of second-stage Floating Land Essence, enough to enhance several more components to Level 3.

However, before he could start, he paused, recalling something.

His gaze turned to the Sky Sovereign’s engine component.

The Shadow Anti-Matter Hyperstate Engine, which he had obtained from his grandfather, had been operating on the Sky Sovereign for nearly a year. Originally, it was sufficient to maintain the Aether supply balance on the Sky Sovereign. However, with the installation and enhancement of the red Neutron Star Core Armor to Level 30, this balance was disrupted.

The Shadow Anti-Matter Hyperstate Engine, also at Level 30, currently supplied 1,500 Aether Points per second, while it consumed 180 Aether Points per second.

Adding the Dark Matter Energy Shield Generator’s 350 Aether Points per second and the Neutron Star Core Armor’s 500 Aether Points per second, the total consumption of these three components alone was 1,030 Aether Points per second.

Besides these, the Sky Sovereign had numerous other components.

Thus, the Shadow Anti-Matter Hyperstate Engine’s supply was insufficient.

Reluctantly, Song Chi had to first enhance this purple engine. After five consecutive enhancements, it reached Level 35.

He wanted to continue enhancing it, but he was short on third-stage Floating Land Essence, with only 7 strands left, while he still had 55 titanium crystals.

Shadow Anti-Matter Hyperstate Engine Level 35

Quality: Purple

Traits:

1. Additional Aether Supply Efficiency: +85%

Consumption: 205/s

Supply: 2,081/s

Overload Buffer: 20 minutes

Energy Pool: 65,000 points (can store 65,000 points of energy)



Convertible to: {Shadow-Class Reactor}

Upgrade Requirements: 35 strands of third-stage Floating Land Essence, 35,000 Aether Points, 30 third-stage Life Nuclei, 21 titanium crystals.

With the enhancement to Level 35, its supply reached 2,081 Aether Points per second, just enough to cover the needs.

However, the energy pool only increased from 60,000 to 65,000. While this was sufficient for the other components, it was still not enough to support the continued enhancement of the two red components. This was a significant headache for Song Chi.

Moreover, he had to pause the enhancement of the other Level 2 components, fearing that any mishap could lead to an insufficient engine supply again.

"Sigh, thinking about it, I really need to replace the engine..."

Honestly, Song Chi was feeling quite frustrated. With the All-Realms Market in his hands, he earned resources a hundred times faster than other Flameheart Captains, yet he still felt resource-starved each time.

At this moment, he finally understood why so many Flameheart Captains would get stuck at a certain level for decades or even centuries.

Flameheart Warships indeed had formidable individual combat power, but this came at the cost of vast amounts of resources.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end