Age Of The Endless Star Ocean Chapter 206: Grandfather-Grandson Secret Discussion - The Hidden Secrets of the Family Lineage - Novel Cool

Chapter 206: Grandfather-Grandson Secret Discussion - The Hidden Secrets of the Family Lineage

Chapter 206: Grandfather-Grandson Secret Discussion - The Hidden Secrets of the Family Lineage

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, two hours had elapsed since the slaying of the Fourth-Rank Golden Giant Beast.

However, even after such a long time, the Bai and Song families continued to argue over the distribution of the titanium crystal vein.

"Absolutely not! A sixty-forty split is not enough. You already took the flesh of the Golden Giant Beast, which can yield a drop of Fourth-Rank Origin Blood. Moreover, this is Origin Blood from a Star Beast, which is more potent than that of ordinary Fourth-Rank creatures. It should be an eighty-twenty split, no less!"

A Second-Rank female Fireheart Captain from the Bai family spoke sharply.

However, Aunt Zhao Hongxue was not intimidated. She retorted coldly, "Ha, the Golden Giant Beast was slain by us, the Song family. What does it have to do with you? To be blunt, if it weren't for us, you would have lost your lives here. And you still have the nerve to bring this up?"

"Regardless, we've been planning this for decades, and the Copper Mountain Floating Land was discovered by our Bai family!"

Despite the ongoing arguments, the final decision was left to the Third-Rank Fireheart Captains of both families.

"Fine, let it be a sixty-five to thirty-five split. Sixty-five percent for the Bai family, and thirty-five percent for the Song family."

"Agreed!"

"Let it be so!"

Song Mingsong was still somewhat dissatisfied, but he thought about the fact that the Bai family had lost a veteran Third-Rank Fireheart Captain and that they would need to rely on the Bai family's transport warship to return. If things got too tense, it would be troublesome. Plus, Song Shan was also urging him to agree, so he finally consented.

Once both parties agreed, the mining of the small titanium crystal vein officially began. This vein was located at the edge of the Copper Mountain Floating Land, deep underground by several thousand meters, making the extraction process quite challenging.

It was only because the Bai family had a high-quality ground-penetrating detection component that they were able to discover and mine this vein. Otherwise, they might not have even found it.

As both families deployed two floating land mining vehicles each, the extraction process began.

Five days later, the four mining vehicles completed the extraction of the small vein, and the amount of titanium crystals mined was quite satisfactory.

The Bai family had initially estimated that they would obtain over 50,000 units, but the actual amount mined was 57,500 units, slightly exceeding expectations.

According to the agreed distribution, the Bai family received 37,375 units, while the Song family received 20,125 units.

After this allocation, both families ceased further actions.

As for the Copper Mountain Floating Land, a Grade 3 resource-rich floating land, it was far from just this small titanium crystal vein. It also contained numerous other metal veins, including the large copper mother vein that the Golden Giant Beast had chosen.

It was clear that this floating land had significant potential, but it no longer had anything to do with the Song family. The Copper Mountain Floating Land was discovered by the Bai family, and according to the default rules of the Fireheart human civilization, it was considered their property. Unless the discoverer was unable to develop it and chose to sell or transfer it, it remained their asset.

Furthermore, if the Song family were to contest control of the Copper Mountain Floating Land with the Bai family, it would not be a trivial matter. It could even lead to the involvement of the families' respective backers.

While the Bai family was much weaker than the Song family, it did not mean they would be easily manipulated. As a family from the capital star domain of a principality, the Bai family was an affiliate of the royal family. If things escalated, the royal family might get involved.

Therefore, no matter how they looked at it, it was not wise to contest the Copper Mountain Floating Land.

Time passed, and soon it had been half a month since they arrived at the Copper Mountain Floating Land. On this day, the Bai family's first transport warship finally arrived.

Without hesitation, the Song family chose to return, while the Bai family, including Bai Chongwen and over ten Second-Rank Fireheart Captains, decided to remain on the Copper Mountain Floating Land.

No one in the Song family was surprised. The Golden Giant Beast had been slain, meaning the Copper Mountain Floating Land was now safe. The Bai family would naturally focus on fully developing the resources of this Grade 3 floating land. They had suffered significant losses, so they would try to make up for it through other resources.

...

In the outer space of the Golden Moon Floating Land, two Bai family escort warships guarded a vast, empty region, awaiting the return of their kin from the Copper Mountain Floating Land.

After an unknown number of hours, a sudden intense spatial fluctuation rippled through the empty star space. It was the transport escort warship that had been dispatched the previous day, successfully returning.

As the surrounding space stabilized, the warship's hatch suddenly opened, and ten Fireheart Captains burst out.

The first to emerge were the nine Song family members. They had not used their Fireheart warship boarding credentials to seal themselves, choosing instead to pay the Second-Rank Floating Land Essence.

Apart from preventing the Bai family from pulling any tricks, another reason was that this mission had yielded significant results. In total, they had obtained hundreds to thousands of strands of second-tier Floating Land Essence, which was still a manageable expense.

Finally, Bai Xiurong emerged from the warship and approached her grandfather and uncle, whispering softly, "Our intelligence was off this time, and I apologize. As for the old man, don't take it to heart. He's just that kind of person, and with his lifespan running short, he's understandably anxious. We can't let this affect the relationship between our two families."

Song MingSong and Song Shan merely nodded lightly, their true thoughts known only to themselves.

After a brief exchange, the two parties went their separate ways. One headed south toward the capital of the Golden Dragon Star Domain, while the other headed north toward the Stabilizing Sea Star Domain.

In the private communication channel of the Song family's fleet, the Wrathful Lion and the Azure Sky, Song MingSong asked solemnly, "Xiao Chi, what was that technique you used to melt half the head of the golden-armored behemoth?"

Previously, he had told the Bai family that it was a one-time killing move to dispel their doubts and suspicions. In truth, he didn't know what terrifying method his grandson had used.

If it were any other time, Song MingSong wouldn't have pressed the matter if Song Chi didn't speak up first. But now, things were different, and he had his own plans.

"Xiao Chi, I know you're often reluctant to reveal your warship's true combat capabilities. But this time is different. The competition for the seventh sequence in our family is about to begin."

Seeing Song Chi about to speak, Song MingSong didn't give him the chance, continuing, "The family sequence is far more significant than you think. In each generation, the family sequence members hold a status equal to the heads of the various branches, and they receive full support from the family."

"Grandfather knows you've had your own encounters and might not lack high-quality components. But I want you to understand that becoming a sequence member offers much more than that."

Hearing this, Song Chi's words faltered, and his eyes showed a mix of curiosity and hidden anticipation.

Song MingSong smiled and continued, "To start, once you become a sequence member, the family will provide a certain amount of titanium crystals annually. You know how important titanium crystals are, given the high-quality components on your warship, right?"

"Of course, that's just one of the many resource subsidies the family provides to sequence members. Others include high-tier Floating Land Essence, Law Stones, and soul-related resources."

Song Chi's interest was piqued, but Song MingSong wasn't done yet.

"Moreover, there's something even more important. How should I put it..."

Song MingSong paused, organizing his thoughts.

"Take the golden-armored behemoth we faced earlier. The reason the mission almost failed was because of its ability to burn its own life force to significantly boost its power, which you know about, right?"

Song Chi nodded, having heard about it in the group chat.

"That ability, which burns life force, is known as a Secret Technique in our Ember Human Civilization. Secret Techniques are extremely rare and can only be created and passed down by those who have delved far into the path of Law."

"Those who can master such Secret Techniques are undoubtedly far more powerful than their peers. Compared to the traits bestowed by star sea curios, Secret Techniques not only have astonishing power but can also grow stronger as your understanding of Law improves. Most crucially, they have no cooldown period. As long as you can bear the cost, you can use them continuously to greatly enhance your combat power."

Seizing the moment when his grandfather paused, Song Chi asked, "So, Grandfather, are you saying that our Song family has its own Secret Techniques, and only those who become family sequence members can learn and cultivate them?"

Song MingSong coughed and explained, "Not exactly. Cultivating Secret Techniques is extremely difficult and can only be done after mastering the power of Law. So, once you reach the fourth tier, the family's Secret Techniques will be open to you."

"But, can cultivating Secret Techniques after reaching the fourth tier compare to entering the family's secret grounds early as a sequence member and mastering them ahead of time?"

"Once you master a Secret Technique early, when you eventually reach the fourth tier, your control over it will see an unprecedented improvement, and your understanding of the corresponding Law will also be enhanced. This will greatly benefit your path beyond the fourth tier."

Seeing the excitement in his grandson's eyes, Song MingSong added fuel to the fire.

"And it's said that our family's secret chamber has a certain effect on enhancing mental power, which can further accelerate the breakthrough of a Flamekeeper's mental strength."

After hearing this, Song Chi's heart was already burning with excitement.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he nodded gently and said, "Grandfather, the ability used by the Canopy recently is called 'Neutron Star Fission.' It is..."

He explained the characteristics of Neutron Star Fission to his grandfather, expecting him to ask more about the specifics of the [Neutron Star Core Armor]. However, to his surprise, Song MingSong just burst into laughter and didn't follow up with more questions.

"Good, good, I understand. The rest can be handled by Grandfather. Your main task now, Chi, is to accumulate as much Golden Merit as possible and exchange it for an Orange Ascension Fire Source to upgrade your Flame Seed to Purple."

"Wanting to compete for a family rank, a Blue Flame Seed is still too low."

Song Chi nodded, fully aware of this.

Hearing about the Purple Flame Seed, he suddenly remembered the attribute chart of the Roaring Lion's ascension task that his grandfather had posted in the family group chat.

Since Grandfather had already initiated the ascension task for the fourth stage, it naturally meant that the Roaring Lion's Flame Body, which was Grandfather's Flame Seed, was already Purple.

After all, a Blue Flame Seed couldn't initiate the ascension task for the fourth stage.

"Grandfather, have you collected the three special resources needed for the Roaring Lion's ascension?"

Upon hearing this, Song MingSong shook his head.

"Two months ago, I just barely gathered enough Golden Merit to exchange for an Orange Ascension Fire Source. For that, I even traded away the ten strands of fourth-stage Floating Land Essence I obtained from the third-stage Core Eruption last year. Now, I'm practically broke. Otherwise, I wouldn't have just reinforced the [Halberd Ram] to the fourth stage, which almost led to this disaster."

Song Chi wasn't surprised, as he had already suspected as much.

It was the [Halberd Ram] that made him realize something.

He had been puzzled by how easily the Roaring Lion had broken through the Golden Giant's skull and ended its life, even though it had already been half-melted by the Neutron Star Fission. Despite this, the Golden Giant had been reinforced by its Law Power, making it impossible for it to be so easily torn apart.

Now, hearing that the [Halberd Ram] had been reinforced to the fourth stage, everything made sense.

As for why Grandfather chose to reinforce the [Halberd Ram] instead of the [Apocalypse Annihilation Cannon] or the ship's armor, he understood.

As a rare close-range weapon on a Flamekeeper ship, the [Halberd Ram] naturally had a strong armor-piercing attribute, which was particularly effective against the Golden Giant, known for its formidable defenses.

Plus, given Grandfather's fiery temper, it was unlikely he would reinforce the ship's armor to make the Roaring Lion a turtle shell.

As for the [Apocalypse Annihilation Cannon], although it was an Orange main cannon, it lacked the armor-piercing attribute in its regular shots. This was a significant weakness against the Golden Giant, known for its defenses.

After all, the "Apocalypse Annihilation Pulse" feature, which could only be used once per battle, couldn't guarantee a fatal blow to a fourth-stage life form.

After a moment of thought, Song Chi's forehead glowed, and a radiant sphere floated out.

It was none other than 40 strands of fourth-stage Floating Land Essence.

He had obtained these 40 strands from the goblin Luke over a year ago. Originally, he planned to keep them until his Flame Seed ascended to Purple, to reinforce the [Neutron Star Core Armor] and other components.

However, with Grandfather already initiating the ascension task, the next year was crucial. It would take him at least another year or two to accumulate 140 Golden Merit points, so it made more sense to give the resources to Grandfather first.

With these 40 strands of fourth-stage Floating Land Essence, along with the large amount of titanium crystals he had acquired, Grandfather could likely reinforce several key components of the Roaring Lion to the fourth stage.

This way, the Roaring Lion would be able to hunt more alien creatures in the next year, maximizing its chances of a successful ascension.

Seeing the 40 strands of fourth-stage Floating Land Essence that Song Chi had produced, Song MingSong didn't ask any questions and didn't refuse, immediately drawing them over.

The Roaring Lion was in dire need of fourth-stage Floating Land Essence, so he wouldn't hesitate. If the Roaring Lion succeeded in its ascension, he would return double the resources to his grandson. If it failed, he would use the family's public resources, but he would never let his grandson suffer unfairly.

(End of Chapter)

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