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Chapter 91: Morning Star Research Institute · Illusion Butterfly Drones
Chapter 91: Morning Star Research Institute · Illusion Butterfly Drones
The Chaotic Star Domain is named so for more than just the rampant pirates. This region is home to dozens of civilizations and hundreds of races, with several medium-sized civilizations behind the scenes, all working to limit the expansion of the Ember Human civilization as much as possible.
As a result, the chaos and bloodshed in this region are far beyond imagination.
Even a small multi-functional shop would feel like a fish out of water in such a chaotic domain. The entire Morning Star Principality is constantly on edge, deploying the Golden Shark Military Department to maintain strict defense, year after year.
Even so, the Golden Shark fleet cannot guarantee absolute safety in this chaotic domain. How much less so for a single Ember Warship under a shop's command?
...
Banishing these thoughts, Song Chi refocused his attention. No matter the truth, it didn't concern him much. What mattered now was obtaining a high-quality main or secondary ship cannon component as quickly as possible to explore the third level of the Blo civilization ruins.
The second level already yielded a purple-grade artifact; the third level would only be more valuable. He had to get it as soon as possible.
Returning to the counter with empty hands, Song Chi controlled his combat robot and asked the half-closed-eyed woman behind the counter through the communication screen, "Boss, do you have any other ship components? I need a high-quality, multi-target ship weapon, either a main or secondary cannon. If not, an external launcher component would also work."
The woman glanced at him indifferently and said impatiently, "They're all there. If we have them, we have them. If not, then we don't. Don't disturb my beauty sleep."
Song Chi's lips twitched at the thought of retorting, "Do you do business like this?"
But considering the potential wealth and power of this woman, he chose to remain silent.
"No wonder this place is empty..."
Muttering to himself, Song Chi then asked, "How often do you restock the shop?"
The woman's identity was clearly not ordinary. Although he couldn't sense any blood energy from her, his intuition told him she was far from an untrained civilian. Given her lack of detectable energy, the only explanation was that her cultivation level was beyond his current LV8.
"At least a third-tier cultivation level, and not just a beginner, probably LV33 or higher..."
This realization made Song Chi uneasy. Even though he was over a kilometer away, he felt no sense of security. A third-tier Ember Captain would have powerful trump cards. If she were to use a spatial lockdown, even at a kilometer's distance, it would be difficult to escape with the Skies.
"Every six months. But the next restock is coming up soon. Come back in two months, and there might be a multi-target main cannon you want."
The woman, unaware of Song Chi's thoughts, replied without much consideration.
Song Chi nodded inwardly. If the shop restocked in a little over a month, it would fit their schedule. According to his father and grandfather's plans, they could stay in the White Tower Floating Land for another two months, which would be just in time.
With this confirmed, Song Chi shifted his focus to another question.
"Boss, besides the Hornet model, do you have any other types of drones? I need one with excellent stealth, long endurance, and minimal noise."
As he spoke, the brainwave attached to the combat robot focused intently on the woman, eagerly awaiting her response.
The Hornet drone, while widely used in interstellar exploration and performing well in endurance and protection, was large and not particularly stealthy. Additionally, it was quite noisy during operation.
Song Chi needed a new drone for future use, particularly when he would be stationed near the Blood Blade Pirate Group's base. The [Brainwave Remote Control System] would be essential.
After upgrading the components to Level 20, the remote control range had reached a terrifying one light-year. With such powerful capabilities, Song Chi naturally intended to make the most of it.
Using brainwaves for control meant he didn't have to worry about being exposed. Moreover, he could perform real-time surveillance on the Blood Blade Pirates' base for over ten hours every four hours, ensuring he was aware of most of their activities. It was incredibly convenient.
Of course, the prerequisite was that the remotely controlled drone wouldn't be discovered by the Blood Blade Pirates. Therefore, Song Chi's top priority was to choose a drone with strong stealth capabilities. He couldn't go with the Hornet-class drones.
"Drone?"
The woman seemed to take an interest. Her half-closed eyes opened, and she stared at the cloak covering the battle robot for a moment before saying, "I do have a top-of-the-line drone, but it's not cheap!"
She then leaned to the side and rummaged under the counter. A few seconds later, a palm-sized, butterfly-shaped drone appeared before Song Chi.
As Song Chi took the drone to examine it, the woman began her introduction: "This is the latest 'Phantom Butterfly' drone from the Principality Research Institute. It's equipped with the latest Dawn III energy battery, offering strong endurance and minimal noise. The body is coated with stealth material, and its compact size ensures excellent stealth performance."
After a thorough examination, Song Chi requested a trial run. The woman didn't refuse, and they walked out to the street to test the latest "Phantom Butterfly" drone.
Ten minutes later, Song Chi landed the drone, satisfied. The woman hadn't exaggerated; the Phantom Butterfly drone's performance was indeed outstanding, almost perfectly meeting his requirements.
"What's the price? If it's reasonable, I'll take it!"
He didn't commit outright. Given the woman's wealth, if she said it wasn't cheap, the price of the Phantom Butterfly drone was likely to be quite alarming.
If it was too expensive, Song Chi wouldn't buy it, no matter how satisfied he was with it.
"500 strands of First-Class Floating Land Essence!"
Song Chi's jaw dropped at the price.
500 strands of First-Class Floating Land Essence, equivalent to over 5,000 strands of Zero-Class Floating Land Essence. That price could buy two white rarities. For a consumable drone, it was far too expensive.
A Hornet-class drone cost only a few dozen strands of Zero-Class Floating Land Essence, and even a First-Class battle robot only required a hundred strands. This was a hundred times more expensive, making it completely unacceptable to Song Chi.
Seeing Song Chi immediately hand the drone back, as if afraid of damaging it, the woman's eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. She then said, "If you find it too expensive, I have a compromise. If you agree, a 90% discount isn't out of the question."
Hearing this, Song Chi, who was a kilometer away, felt more alert than happy.
He didn't believe in such good fortune. Offering him a 90% discount must have some ulterior motive.
Does she want to steal my kidney?
He didn't rush to leave. With the All-Heaven Market at his disposal, he could always retreat into it for safety. Even if the woman was likely a Level 30 Guide Technique user, he was over a kilometer away, giving him enough time to react.
"What's the deal?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. Her gaze swept over the battle robot's cloak again before she suddenly asked, "A military-grade second-hand battle robot, you're using a special remote control method, right?"
Before Song Chi could respond, she continued, "Can you tell me the approximate control range?"
It was clear that the woman had already figured out the identity of the battle robot under the cloak.
Song Chi showed a brief moment of surprise but wasn't overly shocked. After all, she was likely a Third-Class Flame Captain, and it wasn't surprising that she could identify the battle robot at close range.
What puzzled Song Chi was her motive. If she had already known he wasn't his true self, why bring it up now? Was it related to the 90% discount?
His doubts were quickly answered.
"I have a mission coming up that will require remote control capabilities. If you're willing, I'll give you the Phantom Butterfly drone at a 90% discount before the mission starts!"
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and her refined features made it hard to refuse her instinctively.
However, Song Chi wasn't one to be swayed easily. With the experience of two lifetimes, he quickly retracted the brainwave beacon attached to the combat robot, ignoring the subtle changes in the woman's demeanor in the black velvet dress. Under her watchful gaze, he swiftly turned and returned to the Curios Specialization Zone.
A few minutes later, the combat robot, now cloaked in a long robe, emerged from the Dawn Star Multipurpose Shop. In its backpack, it carried ten additional curios: three blue and seven white, costing a total of 30,000 strands of zero-grade Floating Land Essence.
Song Chi planned to use these curios to test his idea of a Curios Exchange Shop. As for the woman's invitation to join her, he rejected it without hesitation.
It was a risky move. A third-tier Guidance Technique meant that she likely commanded a cruiser-class Ember Fleet warship. Collaborating with such a powerful entity was akin to plotting with a tiger.
Despite her mesmerizing beauty and alluring demeanor, Song Chi knew better than to judge by appearances. As the ancient saying went, "You can know a person's face, but not their heart." Looks were the most deceptive of all. No matter how sweetly she invited him now, once they were under the watchful eye of her cruiser, he would be at her mercy, and his fate would be determined by her whims.
At the fortress's spacecraft docking area, the combat robot quickly boarded the Skyship Azure. Inside, Song Chi felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, eager to leave the star fort as soon as possible, knowing that a third-tier Ember Fleet captain might be secretly observing him.
Fortunately, he had been cautious. Before leaving the Skyship Azure, he had waited for the Purple River Leapdrive components to complete their buffer cycle. Now, with the combat robot back on board, the Skyship Azure could immediately activate its engines and depart.
However, upon the combat robot's return, Song Chi didn't immediately launch the Skyship Azure. Instead, he turned his attention to the [Anomaly State Purifier] component.
If the woman from the Dawn Star Multipurpose Shop had malicious intentions, she would likely have left a tracking signal on the combat robot without his knowledge. The Anomaly State Purifier was highly sensitive to such signals and markers, making it a crucial tool for Song Chi's peace of mind.
The Anomaly State Purifier was only a second-tier blue-quality component, so it might not be able to cleanse a third-tier Ember Fleet captain's tracking marker. However, it would certainly provide a warning, which was all Song Chi needed.
If the combat robot was indeed marked, he would immediately jettison it and flee.
After several dozen seconds, Song Chi let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been overly cautious. The combat robot bore no trace of a tracking signal, and the Anomaly State Purifier's purification aura showed no reaction.
Still, better safe than sorry, he decided. He piloted the Skyship Azure into the sky, and in an instant, it vanished from the vicinity of the Guangyuan Floating Land.
Not long after the Skyship Azure's departure, a tall figure emerged from a corner of the fortress's docking area. If Song Chi had been there, he would have recognized her as the owner of the Dawn Star Multipurpose Shop.
The woman gazed in the direction the Skyship Azure had taken, her luscious red lips parting slightly.
"Being able to bypass the purple-quality [Hyperwave Shield] on my warship, the remote control component on his ship must be of high quality. And that dark energy shield isn't ordinary; it's at least purple-quality. Looks like we have an interesting newcomer in this border star domain."
...
In the vast, open starfield surrounding the White Tower Floating Land, a dark energy-shielded, pale-gold armored energy ship, the Skyship Azure, floated quietly. It had returned from the Guangyuan Floating Land over twenty days ago, and today was the day its interstellar deployment function completed its buffer cycle.
As the interstellar deployment function activated, a familiar sensation of weightlessness washed over the ship. Soon, after a violent spatial fluctuation, the Skyship Azure vanished from the open starfield.
(End of Chapter)
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