Chapter 69: Ancestral Blood
Chapter 69: Ancestral Blood
Song Chi was hesitant because he remembered the incident with the Trolos Mechanical House a few days ago. When he left the shop, nearly a dozen figures had been tailing him. He couldn’t believe it had nothing to do with the Trolos Mechanical House.
While it was understandable for the shop to want to know his identity and whereabouts, given the rarity of Void Crystals, Song Chi remained cautious. The auctioneer on the stage was the head of the Trolos family, and instinctively, Song Chi kept a sharp eye out.
After much deliberation, Song Chi decided to use the Void Crystals. After all, they were the only valuable items he had at the moment. Without rushing to bid, he stood up and quickly left the Tianhe Auction House, drawing curious glances from the crowd.
Dozens of seconds later, a figure in a cloak and robe returned to Song Chi’s seat, picked up the bidding device, and placed a bid.
"800 Zero-Rank Void Crystals."
The puppet’s fingers, controlled by Song Chi’s brainwave remote system, tapped the bidding device. Song Chi successfully submitted his bid.
Indeed, the current Song Chi wasn’t present in person but was remotely controlling a Fire Chrysanthemum Warrior. To prevent the second-rank Flame Fleet Captain "John Trolos" from suddenly attacking, he had made this decision, unsure if the Trolos family desperately needed the Void Crystals.
However, what Song Chi didn’t notice—or perhaps John Trolos was too cunning—was that the moment he placed his bid, a subtle change appeared in the auctioneer’s otherwise calm expression. This subtle change was perfectly concealed, and as his gaze flickered, he casually glanced at seat number 235 where Song Chi sat.
Song Chi remained completely oblivious. Despite his vigilance, the gap in their life stages was too vast. John Trolos’s subtle gaze was undetectable even with Song Chi’s level 7 Guiding Technique.
Even though he was diligently visualizing the Mythical Mechanoid Blueprint, it had only been two months.
After a short wait, the bidding device buzzed with a response from the consignor.
Song Chi felt a surge of joy. Whether or not the other party agreed, the fact that they responded indicated that they valued the Void Crystals he had.
"800 Zero-Rank Void Crystals are not enough. You need to offer a higher rank."
After reading the message, Song Chi pondered for a moment before sending another bid.
"Then 500 Zero-Rank Void Crystals + 100 First-Rank Void Crystals."
This time, the response was quick.
"600 Zero-Rank + 100 First-Rank. That’s the price. If you disagree, there’s no point in further discussion."
Song Chi did some mental calculations. At market value, 600 Zero-Rank + 100 First-Rank Void Crystals were equivalent to 1,600 strands of First-Rank Floating Land Essence, or 16,000 strands of Zero-Rank Floating Land Essence.
Of course, the actual value was slightly higher, but not by much. This price was roughly equal to a blue-quality component, so Song Chi agreed to the deal.
Once the terms were set, John Trolos on the auction stage quickly announced the result. The blue-quality "Abnormal Status Purifier" was officially sold to Song Chi.
Finally, Song Chi breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as the auction ended and he returned to the Multiverse Market to load the "Abnormal Status Purifier," he could use its blue-quality power to cleanse the mark left by the First-Rank Void Demon.
However, before that, there was one more thing he needed to do.
He had to replace the engine, even with a white-quality engine part. The colorless-quality Ethereal Energy Engine had too many limitations, severely hindering the subsequent enhancements of the Skyline.
Unfortunately, no other engine parts appeared until the final item was brought to the auction stage, leaving Song Chi with no options.
Before he could feel too disappointed, his attention was fully captured by the final item on the auction block.
Not just him, but all the hundreds of Flame Fleet Captains in the auction house were equally engrossed. At that moment, everyone understood why ten second-rank Flame Fleet Captains had been drawn to this auction.
On the auction stage, although John Tross had yet to reveal the details of the final item, the dazzling purple light emanating from the wooden box already announced its identity to the gathered crowd.
This final item turned out to be a purple-quality ship component.
It was clear that a component capable of attracting so many Second-Rank Ember Fleet Captains must have exceptional attributes. It certainly wasn't one of those subpar purple components found in the White Tower Local Network Marketplace.
Under the curious gazes of the Ember Fleet Captains, John Tross didn't waste any time and immediately displayed the attribute panel of the purple component.
Oddity: Ancestor's Blood
Quality: Purple
Evolvable: 1. {Red Cross Medical Bay}, 2. {Bloodlight Shield}, 3. {Crimson Vampire Gene Modification Chamber (Remnant)}
Note: A drop of Ancestor-level vampire blood from tens of thousands of years ago, which has evolved over the ages into a versatile purple oddity.
To the surprise of all the captains, what appeared before them was a drop of crimson blood shimmering with a purple glow, still in its oddity form and not yet converted into a ship component.
After reviewing the attributes of this oddity, the Ember Fleet Captains were enlightened. The "Ancestor's Blood" could evolve into three different ship components.
While the choice of evolution path was irreversible once set, unless the enhancement level was reset to zero, the versatility of this oddity was undeniable. Song Chi even speculated that the ten Second-Rank Ember Fleet Captains present could all find a use for this drop of "Ancestor's Blood."
"John, your auction house must have tested this already. List the attributes of the three components it can evolve into."
At this, the room fell silent, and a deep male voice echoed from one of the private boxes above.
John Tross nodded lightly.
Red Cross Medical Bay (Lv0)
Quality: Purple
Trait: Healing effectiveness increased by 30%
Consumption: 7/s
Effect: Treatment of bleeding internal and external injuries increased by 260%
Upgrade Requirements: 7 strands of Floating Land Essence (Rank 0), 700 Shadow Energy Points, 1 drop of Biological Essence (Rank 0)
...
Bloodlight Shield (Lv0)
Quality: Purple
Trait: After damage, the shield regenerates 10 points per second
Consumption: 7/s (Shadow Energy Points)
Protection: 17
Shield Value: 170/170
Recharge: 30s; Overload Buffer: 1 hour
Upgrade Requirements: 7 strands of Floating Land Essence (Rank 0), 700 Shadow Energy Points, 1 ton of Blood Source Crystals
...
Crimson Vampire Gene Modification Chamber (Remnant) (Lv0)
Quality: Purple
Trait: Gene modification success rate increased by 1%
Consumption: 7/s (Shadow Energy Points)
Effect: Performs a Crimson Vampire gene modification on a biological subject, with a success rate of 1%
Modification Time: 1 hour; Buffer: 720 hours
Upgrade Requirements: 7 strands of Floating Land Essence (Rank 0), 700 Shadow Energy Points, 1 drop of Crimson Vampire Essence (Rank 0)
After reviewing the three attribute panels, the majority of the captains immediately ruled out the third component.
The "Remnant" status of the Crimson Vampire Gene Modification Chamber made its success rate alarmingly low. While upgrades could improve this rate, the key issue was that, in addition to Floating Land Essence and Shadow Energy Points, it required a special "Crimson Vampire Essence."
The Ember Human Civilization kept a significant number of vampires in captivity. As a long-lived species, these beings could grant their initial victims extended lifespans, making them a frequent point of contact for many Ember Fleet Captains nearing the end of their natural lives.
However, the difficulty of extending one's life through initial embrace was high. The higher the rank of the captain, the lower the chance of a successful embrace, and even if successful, the risk of the vampire taking control was alarmingly high.
(End of Chapter)
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