Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Torch Seed Recovery Period

Although the Seed of Torch within the body’s Ancestral Torch does not extinguish following the sinking of a Torch Warship, it will fall into a weakened state that requires decades of buffer time for a complete recovery.

Only after the recovery can one’s body merge with another Scout Class Shuttle and start anew from zero.

My mom, Chen Lixia, is now a hundred years old. Although she has undergone one transformation in her life level and reached the First Rank, possessing a lifespan of 200 years, if we subtract the decades needed for the Seed of Torch to recover, the chances of her cultivating a new Torch Warship and having a second chance to strike at the Second Rank are virtually impossible.

Without the enhancement of the Ghost Energy Cultivation Platform of lv19 in the Dragonfly, it’s impossible for my mom’s Guidance Technique to breakthrough to lv20 in less than a hundred years.

Song Chi is only at lv5 of the Guidance Technique, and it would take him more than half a year to reach lv6, even with a 580% boost from the Cultivation Room. Without that boost, it would take at least three years to start—and that’s just for lv5 to lv6, let alone after lv15.

Not to mention, there is a solid bottleneck between lv19 and lv20. Without the help of a Ghost Energy Cultivation Platform, it’s common to be stuck on that single level for hundreds of years.

Thinking of this, Song Chi’s mind couldn’t stay calm as his previously good mood from the fruitful exploration of the Alien Star Domain was shattered.

Seeing him like this, Chen Lixia stroked Song Chi’s cheek and said with a smile,

“Alright, I know my son cares about me the most. Your dad will find a way. He has been running around busily; he is probably working out a solution.”

At the mention of this, a gleam appeared in Song Chi’s eyes. He was very clear about what his dad was investigating. Judging by how busy his dad had been for more than ten days, the news about “Titanium Crystal” was probably not just an unfounded rumor.

Given the preciousness of Titanium Crystal, if they could really get their hands on it, perhaps they could trade for something that would further increase the success rate of evolving the airship into a Warship.

With this thought, his mood lifted significantly.

With his dad and Uncle Shen, both Second Rank Torch Ship Captains, working together, the odds of obtaining that Titanium Crystal should be quite high.

However, Song Chi was still worried. Given the strategic value of Titanium Crystal, if the news was contained within Jiangyuan City it would be fine, but once it spread, just relying on two Second Rank Torch Ship Captains might not be enough.

With this concern in mind, he clenched his fists tightly, his desire to increase his own power growing ever more urgent.

As for the Dinghai Song family he had heard about from his dad not long ago, how reliable and powerful they truly were remained unclear. To place his hopes on these elusive words was something Song Chi could by no means do.

Rather than depend on others, he preferred to trust in himself.

Glancing around, he let his mother go ahead home while he circled the city center several times and made some minor alterations to his appearance. Once he was sure nobody was paying attention to him, he quickly headed toward Jiangyuan’s black market.

The Electrum in his possession needed to be disposed of quickly. As for the smaller loose items, they would naturally be sold layer as part of his regular spoils of exploration, which should fetch at least an extra 15% of money.

And those one hundred and ten tons of Phantom Crystal? Sorry, but as a rare resource with many uses for himself, hoarding it for his own use is naturally the better choice in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Renting a large resource transport vehicle, he sold off a thousand tons of raw Electrum ore in one trip. After finishing in the black market, Song Chi didn’t linger; he had to use the money from the Electrum to purchase more goods.

Buying directly from the black market would mean paying significantly more than from regular channels.

The Ultra Long-Distance Space Gate Random Deployment Platform in the Ruins Market would be ready the day after tomorrow. That would be his chance to initiate a second round of trading in the Ruins Market. With nineteen Spatial Gates, more members of the Alien Race would enter the market. If he didn’t seize this opportunity to stock up and later sell at a high price to make a huge profit, he would feel like he was letting himself down.

After all, it was a chance that came only once every thirty days. The three thousand plus strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin he earned last time were gone in a flash, all invested in the Cang Qiong. This time, he must earn even more.

…

East Jiangyuan Torch Mechanical Store, Eagle Machinery Shop.

As a regular customer of the store, the young lady at the counter and Song Chi had become quite acquainted. The moment Song Chi entered, she greeted him with a smile.

“Welcome, do you have a good haul from your exploration this time?”

Song Chi smiled and summoned the Cang Qiong to hand over all the assorted minerals to the Eagle Machinery Shop.

Perhaps due to having one previous experience, the Eagle Machinery Shop still offered 80% of the market price for the goods. Of course, Song Chi had to spend this money in the Eagle Machinery Shop, or else the transaction would be void.

Not in a hurry to pick out goods, Song Chi fished in his clothes and took out the Crystal of Life from the Gold Devouring Vine.

“A Crystal of Life nurtured by a First Rank peak Gold Devouring Vine, do you accept it?”

The reason he took out the Crystal of Life here was because the Eagle Machinery Shop had also been selling Genetic Potions all along.

And the primary material needed for the production and blending of Genetic Potions was “Heavenly Star Grass.” For that reason, the output of Heavenly Star Grass also determined the production quantity of Genetic Potions for all forces involved in the business, each year.

Consequently, a Crystal of Life that could shorten the growth cycle of plant-based life forms was always a top-ranking item on the list of goods that potion manufacturers sought to acquire.

The clerk’s eyes brightened as she quickly nodded.

“Of course, we accept. A Crystal of Life of First Rank peak energy level has a market price of 30 strands of First Rank Floating Land Origin; our purchase price here is 32 strands. What do you think?”

Song Chi was quite satisfied with this price.

However, before he could nod his agreement, the girl in front of him spoke up again:

“Is this also obtained from your exploration in the Alien Star Domain this time?”

Song Chi just smiled and remained silent, giving no response.

Seeing that he didn’t wish to say more, the clever and articulate clerk smoothly changed the subject.

“I don’t know if you have the remnant body of that Gold Devouring Vine? If you do, plus this Crystal of Life, our Eagle Machinery Shop is willing to offer 35 strands of First Rank Floating Land Origin together for purchase.”

Song Chi let out a quiet “huh” internally, a bit puzzled. He’d never heard of a Gold Devouring Vine that lost its vitality still holding value. If it were a space plant, its remaining body might have significant research value, but for a Floating Land plant like this, shouldn’t it be common after losing the Crystal of Life?

“How so? Does the vine body of the Gold Devouring Vine have other uses?”

Song Chi casually asked a question, and unsurprisingly, the other party just smiled and shook her head, without giving an answer.

He didn’t mind either. Why would someone reveal a secret to him?

“Sorry, this Crystal of Life was a chance find for me; I don’t have the remnants of the Gold Devouring Vine.”

Indeed, he didn’t have it. He hadn’t brought back the remnant vine body of the Gold Devouring Vine. Something that had no value in his subconsciousness, he naturally wouldn’t bother to collect it in the Ruins Market.