032 The Second Exploration of Alien Star Territory
Following up, he opened the trading mall in the local area network with great anticipation.
Indeed, it could be described as a regional group chat for the entire Huanbaita Floating Continent. The numerous participants in the group chat created a dazzling array of products in the trading mall.
Minerals, genetic medicines, military-grade exoskeletons, first- and second-level floating land origins, and even rare objects from the star sea were plentiful.
After scanning through, Song Chi felt a bit overwhelmed. There were so many products displayed in the mall, many of which sparked his envy.
Unfortunately, he didn't have much funds at the moment, so all he could do was look on.
Among the star sea rare objects available, most were of white quality. There were only a few blue rare objects, but their attributes were rather underwhelming, such as:
\[Strange Object: Green Ivory Tree\]
\[Quality: Blue\]
\[Evolvable: {Green Yin Internal Circulation System}\]
\[Remarks: A blue-grade wonder enhancing air circulation, ensuring fresh interstellar living every day.\]
While the Xinhuo flying ship had its own internal circulation function, the circulation effect of this green ivory tree might be superior. But what was its real significance?
It didn't enhance combat power or defensive attributes, making it a significant resource investment just for fresher air aboard the fireship.
...
After half an hour, Song Chi's initial excitement waned, and the curiosity in his eyes gradually faded.
During the process, he pondered the anonymity feature of his account, wondering if he could use it to conceal his frequent transactions in the future.
However, upon reflection, he felt it might be inappropriate. The special permissions of his account stemmed from an auxiliary activator of the Jiangyuan Xinhuo Branch. It was likely that the confidentiality level was not overly stringent, akin to what an ordinary activator of the Xinhuo Branch could manage.
To err on the side of caution, he eventually abandoned the idea.
After disconnecting from the Xinhuo network, Song Chi returned to the Heaven's Market and resumed practicing the nether energy guidance technique while visualizing the projection of the mythical mecha in his mind. Days passed in this routine.
For more than ten days, Song Chao was rarely home, busy outside all day, much to the complaints of his mother, Chen Lixia. Aware of his father's involvement with titanium crystals, Song Chi refrained from probing further. He understood the constraints; as a newly awakened Fire Seed, he couldn't afford to get involved, nor would the Song family allow it.
On this day, accompanied by his mother Chen Lixia, Song Chi hurried to the outskirts once more.
The Sky had completed a month of buffering, marking the time for his second exploration of alien space. While he could delay or even forego future explorations, Song Chi wouldn't consider such options.
With the orange-tier component "Dark Matter Energy Shield Generator" on hand, he was eager to test its effectiveness.
This component ensured safety against encounters with black holes, star sea storms, void cracks, and similar hazards, barring extreme misfortune.
Recalling their encounter with the White Wings previously, even withstanding ten minutes of sustained attack wouldn't breach the Sky's shield value.
The dark matter energy shield generated surpassed the earlier psionic shield not only in shield value but also in defensive capabilities. Attacks that had previously inflicted significant damage on the White Wings' shields were now greatly mitigated.
The disparity was more substantial than initially imagined.
...
In the outskirts of Jiangyuan, at the alien star field launch platform, the launchers were no longer solely students from various universities but also included many Xinhuo Captains among Jiangyuan's citizens.
With a population exceeding 20 million, even if only a few dozen ordinary citizens awakened Fire Seeds annually, the accumulation of Fire Seeds over decades and centuries was remarkable.
For these lower-tier Nether Energy Shuttle-class Fire Ships, over 90% would remain in the nether energy shuttle stage for their lifespans.
The lowest-tier ships relied on ultra-long-range alien star field launchers for exploration beyond the stars.
Only after strengthening the Xinhuo hull to lv10 or higher and advancing to the first level (psionic airship) could they explore alien star fields independently without launcher assistance.
Consequently, there was an overwhelming crowd today, with more ships awaiting launch than during previous school launches.
Shortly after Song Chi arrived, Sun Hao also appeared, casting a glance at him. Song Chi raised an eyebrow in response.
Sun Hao clearly hadn't slackened this month; his Guidance Technique level had surged from lv3 to lv4. Coupled with his already formidable physique, he exuded an intimidating aura.
"Brother Chi, you actually broke through," Sun Hao remarked with surprise, pausing briefly. Just as Song Chi wondered about his next words, Sun Hao, known for his spontaneous outbursts, delivered an unexpected line:
"Alas, talents like you are born under a lucky star, while I'm just left to admire from afar!"
Song Chi twitched involuntarily, momentarily lost for words. This guy always managed to say something completely out of sync with his burly appearance.
What made it worse was that Sun Hao had borrowed this line from the historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," adding to Song Chi's embarrassment.
Pushing away Sun Hao's bear-like grip on his shoulder, Song Chi quickly distanced himself from the awkward situation, almost cringing at the encounter.
Unaware of the discomfort he caused, Sun Hao moved closer again, his thick arm encircling Song Chi's shoulders once more.
Song Chi's expression visibly darkened, though thankfully, the hundreds gathered ahead had completed their preparations, and the Xinhuo Bureau operators on the raised platform were already calling them forward.
One hundred figures ascended the platform, taking their positions and summoning psionic energy shuttles simultaneously. With all one hundred shuttles ready, the Xinhuo Bureau operators activated the ultra-long-range star sea launch platform.
Once again, a towering pillar of light pierced the sky, and a hundred nether energy shuttles swiftly vanished into the distance.
The familiar sensation of weightlessness swept through Song Chi's body as he turned faster than last month.
The Guidance Technique's advancement to level 5 had slightly improved his physical resilience, enhancing his ability to withstand adverse conditions.
Swiftly turning, Song Chi activated The Sky's energy shield just as before.
With the jet-black dark matter energy shield generated by the "Dark Matter Energy Shield Generator" component, he felt completely at ease.
The security provided by the orange-quality energy shield was truly exceptional.