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Chapter 79: Energy Crystals (New Year's Eve Bonus Update)
Chapter 79: Energy Crystals (New Year's Eve Bonus Update)
Both of them were momentarily stunned. The faintly luminescent crystal before them brought to mind a single phrase.
"Energy Crystal!"
What exactly is an Energy Crystal?
As the name suggests, it is a crystal formed by the highly purified condensation of energy.
The formation of this special resource requires extremely stringent conditions. Generally, only in places where unattributed energy is concentrated to the extreme, after thousands or even tens of thousands of years of gestation, can such a crystal appear.
Even the insectoids, known for their ability to devour everything and store energy within their bodies, have a very low chance of forming an Energy Crystal, though their probability is slightly higher compared to other star sea races.
Moreover, the formation of an Energy Crystal is not related to the rank of the organism; it is purely a matter of probability.
Sometimes, even a high-ranking insect queen who has lived for a hundred or a thousand years might not have an Energy Crystal within her, while a low-ranking insect that has only been born a few months ago might be lucky enough to have one.
Of course, Energy Crystals do have ranks, and these are directly linked to the rank of the organism that formed them.
If a high-ranking organism forms an Energy Crystal, it will naturally be a high-grade Energy Crystal. Conversely, if a low-ranking organism forms one, it will be a low-grade Energy Crystal.
After the initial excitement, the two quickly dug out the fist-sized crystal glowing with a soft light.
After a brief examination, they concluded that the Energy Crystal found within the insect queen was a valuable mid-grade Energy Crystal.
Why is it so valuable? The reason is simple: Energy Crystals, apart from being extremely rare due to their low formation probability, have another astonishing function. They can significantly increase the success rate of upgrading a Flame Spark Starship.
In the courses taught at the academy, it was often mentioned that for Flame Spark Starships of Rank 1 and above, the initial success rate of an upgrade task is only 1%.
To increase this success rate, there are two main methods: one is to hunt alien species in different star domains, and the other is to invest specific rare reinforcement resources.
While the latter has a limit of a maximum 10% success rate increase, it is more favored by the majority of Flame Spark captains.
The "hunting aliens" method, although it sounds simple, is fraught with danger. Only by hunting high-ranking aliens can the success rate be significantly increased. Hunting same-rank or lower-rank aliens would require millions of kills to increase the success rate by just 1%, making it a perilous and often unattainable goal for most.
On the other hand, the "investing specific rare reinforcement resources" method, although the required resources are hard to find and vary for each starship, can be roughly narrowed down to a small range. With proper preparation, most of the necessary resources can be collected within a year.
Most importantly, this method is much safer. While the success rate cap might not be as high—reaching only 11% (1% initial + 10%)—even if the upgrade fails, the only cost is the loss of the starship. The captain themselves will not be significantly affected, merely losing the chance to continue guiding the starship to a higher rank. This is far better than the likely death of a Flame Spark captain who chooses to hunt aliens in the star seas.
The reason for this detailed explanation is that Energy Crystals are one of the special resources required for starship upgrades.
For Flame Spark captains who have initiated or are about to initiate their upgrade tasks, Energy Crystals are a must-have. Therefore, in the entire Flame Spark human civilization, the value of Energy Crystals is comparable to that of strategic resources like titanium crystals, especially mid-grade Energy Crystals, which are relatively rare.
Compared to ordinary low-grade Energy Crystals, mid-grade Energy Crystals are effective for higher-rank starship upgrades.
For example, a Rank 1 Flame Spark Starship upgrading to Rank 2 only needs a low-grade Energy Crystal, while a Rank 2 starship upgrading to Rank 3 might require a mid-grade Energy Crystal. For ranks above Rank 3, a mid-grade Energy Crystal is essential.
"A mid-grade Energy Crystal is worth at least a blue-quality artifact, perhaps even a purple one."
Holding the mid-grade Energy Crystal, Song Chi said softly.
Beside him, Shen Qing's eyes gleamed with excitement, but he soon shook his head, thinking of something.
Song Chi had already taken the molecular repulsion energy shield. The intermediate energy crystal should naturally be his first choice, which meant that the crystal would likely have nothing to do with Shen Qing. After all, Song Chi's mother was currently striving to advance to the second stage, and Song Chi wouldn't let go of the intermediate energy crystal.
As expected, Song Chi pondered for a moment and then took two items from the Skydome and handed them to Shen Qing: the Core of Pollution and the Spark Cannon.
If Song Chi wanted the intermediate energy crystal, then, given that Shen Qing should get the larger share, he had to give up two of the four rare treasures they had previously divided. Otherwise, it would be the other way around. After all, the value of the intermediate energy crystal was only slightly less than that of the molecular repulsion energy shield.
Shen Qing didn't refuse; he was well aware of the calculations involved.
After thoroughly checking the second layer of the space, they made sure there were no other items left behind, aside from the dead carapace beetles and spitter bugs. Satisfied, the two of them piloted the airship toward the isolation barrier between the first and second layers.
The first layer of the relic space was still shrouded in thick, toxic fog, with over ten thousand carapace beetles scattered throughout. Song Chi and Shen Qing had no interest in clearing them out. They left the relic space directly. These carapace beetles, unlike the queen, were genuine zero-stage insects. Even if they killed all ten thousand, they would only gain a single strand of zero-stage floating land essence, making the effort far outweigh the reward.
If they had a large-scale main cannon on their ship capable of clearing out the beetles in a few shots, they might have considered it, but they didn't.
...
The familiar scene of swirling yellow sand and the terrifying tornado storms in the distance greeted them as two energy airships zipped across the completely desertified floating land.
Once they reached a suitable position, the two energy airships revved their engines to full power, roaring into the sky and quickly escaping the floating land's interior to reach the external starry expanse.
Compared to the constant dangers inside the floating land, the external starry expanse was dark and quiet, much like the majority of the star domains in the shattered star sea.
The two airships, one leading the other, soon broke free from the gravitational field of the yellow sand floating land.
What the leading Qingfeng didn't realize was that Song Chi had seized the opportunity to plant a special, traceless spatial beacon while the Skydome was in motion. It was the same spatial anchor point he had removed from his bedroom.
With this spatial anchor point, he could choose to return to this star domain during future interstellar explorations and continue exploring the uncharted areas of the Bulo civilization ruins.
Of course, he wouldn't act rashly until everything was fully prepared. The second layer of the ruins contained a slumbering former third-stage insect queen, and who knew what even more terrifying things lay in the third layer.
"Xiao Chi, it's best not to reveal the details of this relic exploration to others unless necessary. Items like the purple rare treasure and the intermediate energy crystal can easily arouse greed."
Song Chi glanced at Shen Qing's projection on the communication screen and nodded calmly, agreeing to keep it confidential.
He understood Shen Qing's thoughts. Besides the obvious reasons, there was another reason to keep it secret: to prevent the news from reaching Shen Wenjie's ears. If Shen Wenjie, his uncle, found out that his nephew had explored the relics without telling him, even if he was magnanimous, he might still have other thoughts.
As they chatted, the time for their return arrived. After the familiar sensation of weightlessness and dizziness, the Skydome and Qingfeng disappeared from the starry sky above the yellow sand floating land and reappeared in the Embers Human Civilization Domain, many light-years away.
Above the White Tower floating land, a mining fleet returning from the ringed planet belt was speeding back.
Since the battle involving the Embers fleet at the mining site over a month ago, the Tianyu Mining Company had tightened its management of the mining area. They conducted various scans and investigations around the clock, leaving no stone unturned to ensure nothing was missed.
This fleet was the first to be allowed to return in the past half-month. The miners, eager to see their families, were in no mood to waste any time.
Suddenly, a strong spatial fluctuation swept through the airspace a few thousand meters ahead.
The mining ships immediately halted, and a veteran miner shouted in alarm over the local communication channel.
"Space fluctuations, it must be a Psionic Shuttle or a higher-tier Ember Fleet ship returning. Everyone can relax; it's not an alien species..."
The explanation quickly calmed the unrest in the mining fleet. Though the miners were just ordinary citizens, they were well-versed in the significance of the Ember Fleet. They had heard countless stories of battles like the "Morning Star Founding War," the "Golden Lion Defense," and the "Second Morning Star Expansion," all of which were closely tied to the Ember Fleet.
The commanders of the Ember Fleet were the protectors of the entire Ember Human civilization, standing on the front lines of the cosmic battlefield, shielding the civilization from chaos and ensuring peace and stability.
All of this was passed down through generations, and the trust in the Ember Fleet and its captains was deeply ingrained in every ordinary citizen of the Ember Human civilization.
Under the excited and reverent gazes of the miners, two Psionic Shuttles, each over twenty meters long and encased in fierce armor, slowly emerged. The miners could faintly sense the blood-red aura and the grim atmosphere emanating from the Canopy and the Green Edge. These were the remnants of countless battles against insectoid aliens. Even from a distance of thousands of meters, the subtle pressure was almost suffocating.
Fortunately, the Canopy and the Green Edge did not linger long, turning and descending before quickly disappearing from the civilian radars of the mining ships.
In one of the mining ships at the rear of the fleet, a young boy, no more than fifteen or sixteen, with a slightly youthful appearance, turned to the man in the pilot's seat and asked, "Brother, are those the ultimate power of our Ember Human civilization—the Ember Fleet ships? Their magnetic fields are so strong, and the aura of battle is so heavy."
"Wow, they're so impressive!!"
Seeing the boy's shining eyes, the man's envy faded, and he replied, "Yes, those are the ultimate power of our Ember Human civilization. They are said to be able to suppress an entire floating land with a single ship and dominate the star sea. I couldn't awaken the Ember Seed due to my low Guiding Technique level, which is my greatest regret."
"So, little brother, you must work hard and practice the Guiding Technique. Become our family's first Ember Fleet captain, bring glory to our family, and spread the fire of our Ember Human civilization to the vast starry skies."
The young boy's eyes were resolute as he stared in the direction the Canopy and the Green Edge had gone. His reply was firm.
"Okay!!"
...
Above Jiangyuan City, after parting ways with Shen Qing, Song Chi headed straight for his home in the Dongjiang neighborhood, eager to give the intermediate energy crystal to his mother.
Although using an intermediate energy crystal for a Tier 1 Ember Ship to advance to Tier 2 might seem a bit excessive, Song Chi couldn't afford to be picky. Ensuring his mother's successful advancement was the most important thing. As for waste, with the Marketplace of All Realms at his disposal, he wouldn't hesitate over such a small expense.
Calculating the time, his mother had been on her advancement quest for over ten months, and she was only two months away from the ship's formal advancement. He needed to ensure that the Dragonfly had at least a 50% success rate.
No, 50% wasn't enough. It should be at least 70%.
With this in mind, the Canopy arrived at the Dongjiang neighborhood, and Song Chi leaped off the shuttle, storing the Canopy in his Ember Ancestral Nucleus.
However, when he got home, he found no one there. His parents were both absent, which left him puzzled.
He clearly remembered that his parents' deployment periods were still in the buffer phase.
"Did they just go out?"
Before he could think further, he noticed a note on the nearby table.
"Son, your grandmother's birthday is coming up, and your father and I have gone to Baita City. Come over early!!"
Song Chi understood immediately but quickly furrowed his brow.
"The birthday isn't for a few more days, but they're making such a big deal out of it. It looks like they're planning a grand celebration."
With this understanding, Song Chi didn't linger at home alone and quickly headed to Baita City.
As the capital of Baita Floating Land, Baita City was centrally located among the four other major cities—Jiangyuan, Jiangyuan, and the others—like a star surrounded by moons. Additionally, Baita City had the largest population among the five cities and was home to the only Tier 4 Ember Fleet captain on the entire Baita Floating Land.
(End of Chapter)
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