Chapter 519: A Gamble with Bloodlines and Shadows

First up was Luke the goblin. After nearly three centuries of lurking in the Market and relying on all sorts of life-extending treasures, he’d finally managed his fourth life ascension, officially stepping into Sea of Stars Tier Four. Thanks to his custom-engineered Goblin War God Mech, his battle power was nothing to sneeze at among those of the same rank.

But Song Chi just shook his head. He wasn’t optimistic about Luke’s future. With all the profits pouring in from the Market every month, plus the convenience of the Divine Realm Player Trading Space, Luke still had to rely on life-extending items just to crawl to his fourth ascension—that said enough about his poor talent.

Besides, goblins naturally live short lives, only about a third as long as other beings at the same level. Even at Tier Four, their total lifespan was just six hundred years. With Luke already at three hundred, the odds of him ever taking on a fifth ascension were next to none.

More surprising to Song Chi than Luke was the half-rat.

He remembered the guy had first entered the Market just over a hundred years back as a Tier Three. Not long after, he broke into Tier Four, and now, during this visit, he emanated the pressure of a Tier Five. That kind of speed was nothing short of outrageous.

That wasn’t even the main thing. What really grabbed Song Chi’s attention was the fact that, instead of setting up his usual origin stone stall, this half-rat charged straight for the Oddities Exchange.

Decades ago, the half-rat had shown a strong interest in the Exchange’s one and only Supreme Black Oddity—the Origin Materia Stone—so Song Chi kept a close watch on him now.

“Could it be…”

He wasn’t disappointed. Bursting into the shop, the Tier Five half-rat immediately asked about everything to do with the Origin Materia Stone.

Brilliant lights shimmered along the half-rat’s body, and a moment later, he drew something from his own pocket dimension.

Just one item, but it made Song Chi’s eyes flicker with excitement.

The half-rat had pulled out an object radiating an eternal, shadowy glow.

Focusing his mind, Song Chi channeled the Market’s Law Power. Before the half-rat could even speak, he quietly summoned up all the details on this new Supreme Black Oddity.

“Oddity: Void Sea Emperor’s Tomb”

“Quality: Black”

“Convertibility: {Void Sea Projection Emperor’s Tomb}”

“Note: A Void Ancient Emperor was buried deep in the Void Sea within the Divine Realm. After endless eons of space-force erosion, the Emperor’s tomb was transformed into a Supreme Black Oddity.”

Just seeing the details made Song Chi’s heart pound.

This was a black oddity that could be turned into a battleship component—a massive advantage for the Torch Captains.

Right then, the half-rat’s voice rang out in the shop’s center.

“Master of the Omniverse Market, may I exchange this Tier-equivalent Starsea Oddity for the Origin Materia Stone?”

Song Chi didn’t rush an answer. A quick glance let him access the component attributes of this Void Sea Projection Emperor’s Tomb.

Void Sea Projection Emperor’s Tomb, lv0.

Quality: Black.

Trait: Void Sea Projection Emperor Stone.

Trait 2: If the ship’s tier does not exceed the component’s enhancement tier, its projection’s combat power matches the real battleship.

Trait 3: +1200 space resistance.

Trait 4: Projection duration is always doubled.

Trait 5: Real-Virtual Conversion.

Trait 6: Quadruple Projection.

Consumption: 50 units of Shadow Energy per second.

Effect: When equipped, the battleship gets a 50% boost to all stats while fighting in the Void Sea.

No charging or delay required.

Upgrade cost: 50 wisps of zero-tier Floating-land Origin, 5,000 Shadow Energy.

{Void Sea Projection Emperor Stone: Spend 50,000 Shadow Energy plus one low-grade Space Energy Crystal to create one stone. Powered by Void Sea energy, holding a stone lets you summon your equipped battleship’s projection across the Sea of Stars, ignoring distance. Duration: 30 (that’s 15×2) minutes. Up to two stones can be forged at once. (Note: Each stone shatters after use.)}

{Real-Virtual Conversion: Burn 200,000 Shadow Energy to temporarily let a projection become solid, so you can rescue summoners, transport outside objects, and more. Cooldown: 72 hours.}

{Quadruple Projection: Spend 300,000 Shadow Energy to summon four full-powered projections of your main battleship for collaborative combat as one unit against enemy forces. Duration: 20 minutes. Cooldown: 10 years.}

“So it’s a projection part…”

Having studied the component’s stats, Song Chi reined in his excitement.

Compared to other rocket components, projection parts were less about raw firepower. That helped him calm down.

Still, when weighed against an otherwise useless Origin Materia Stone, the value of this Void Sea Projection Emperor’s Tomb was leagues ahead.

Crucially, the component’s final trait—Quadruple Projection—was a tangible boost to firepower. At any time, Song Chi could call forth four projections, each with the Heavenly Ruin’s full strength, to fight alongside him.

With the Heavenly Ruin’s present combat capabilities, activating this would let Song Chi defeat anyone below Sovereign rank.

He also liked the Real-Virtual Conversion trait. If things go south, he could make his projection real, grab whoever summoned him, and withdraw safely.

Bottom line, even if he couldn’t win a fight, he could always escape.

It’d even let him use puppet warriors to send a Projection Emperor Stone into uncharted and dangerous corners of the sea of stars.

If danger lurked, he could simply retreat. If he found an incredible opportunity, he might haul it back using that conversion trick. Most importantly, none of this would put his own life at risk—making it the perfect way to explore perilous star domains and lost civilizations.

With these benefits in mind, Song Chi nodded and agreed to the trade.

As for jacking up the price, that wasn’t really an option.

Once you get to Gold Saint Domain-level oddities, every piece is almost impossibly rare. Unless it was a set piece like the Eternal Night Gemstone, or had a weird restriction, it was always one-for-one trades. No one’s an idiot at this level.

Let alone for Supreme Black Oddities!

The deal went through—Song Chi got the Void Sea Projection Emperor’s Tomb, and the Origin Materia Stone went to the Tier Five half-rat.

After the half-rat left, Song Chi finally tore his eyes from the component, sweeping his gaze back around the shop.

More accurately, his eyes rested on the Eternal Night Gemstone. Decades had passed, but the Crescent Moon Matriarch still hadn’t made a move, much to his surprise.

What Song Chi didn’t realize was that it wasn’t the Matriarch’s fault at all. The Crescent Moon Tribe worships the Moon Goddess, who got badly wounded fighting Spider Matriarch Rose. She was still in closed-door recovery within the Divine Realm, cut off from the outside world, leaving the Crescent Moon Matriarch with her hands tied.

…

After that trade, there weren’t any more surprises at this Market session. Twenty-four hours slipped by in no time.

Still, the Market itself threw one last pleasant surprise. Thanks to that trade, all requirements for upgrading to lv58 had been met, and Song Chi upgraded it instantly.

With this, the Omniverse Market was now just a step short of peak Tier Five.

The only real headache now was the transaction amount required for lv59. Based on previous patterns, pushing toward the next major tier meant the target sum would be anything but small.

“Hope it’s not too outrageous. If I can make it within a hundred years, my family and I will stay absolutely safe here on the Red Star Continent. And I’ll finally get my hands on that seventh-tier Timeworld Tree!”

Muttering to himself, Song Chi entered the Divine Realm Player Trading Space again—and was greeted by another happy surprise.

Divine Realm Leader: High-price purchase of neutron star wreckage is ongoing.

{Task Reward: For each set of neutron star wreckage turned in, you may select one orange oddity from the Oddities Exchange.}

Quest Submitted (Ailong): Three days ago, a full set of neutron star wreckage was successfully delivered.

The most prominent announcement on the Player Trading Space’s central task screen was this one.

Song Chi’s spirits soared.

He’d posted that task not long ago himself. Compared to the barely useful neutron star wreckage, an orange oddity was far more valuable. He’d set the price extra high on purpose.

With the Heavenly Ruin’s current setup, its Silver Legendary hull armor was starting to lag behind. Plus, he’d be spending the next hundred years or longer operating within the Red Star Continent, an eighth-level Floating-land—danger could be lurking around any corner.

That’s why upgrading the Neutron‑Star Core Armor to Gold Saint Domain quality was even more urgent.

Just as he was about to withdraw Ailong’s full set of neutron star wreckage, another familiar figure appeared in the trading space.

Luke the goblin.

And wouldn’t you know, Luke was holding a set of neutron star wreckage as well.

It radiated intense starlight energy—almost certainly spoils from Viscount Thor’s recent explorations in the Sea of Stars.

Step by step, Luke approached. After submitting his set, he made his way to the Oddities Exchange in the Divine Realm Player Trading Space.

What surprised Song Chi was Luke’s eventual choice. After much internal struggle, he locked his gaze on a very unusual orange oddity.

“Oddity: Vampire Marquis Bloodline Stone.”

“Quality: Orange.”

“Convertibility: None.”

“Note: Formed from the essence blood left behind by a Tier Five Vampire Marquis upon death, this is an especially rare Oddity of the Sea of Stars.”

Seeing Luke’s pick, Song Chi could immediately guess his thinking.

He remembered the Bloodline Stone well. Despite being impossible to turn into a battleship part, it offered a unique ability.

It could alter one’s lineage, granting other starsea creatures a chance to acquire trace amounts of vampire blood. Vampires are one of the few famous long-lived races in the Shattered Sea of Stars—gaining even part of their lineage meant a clear boost in lifespan.

“So he knows he’s run out of potential, and now he wants to take a risk with the Vampire Marquis Bloodline Stone. It’s not a bad plan, but…”

Song Chi shook his head again, less than hopeful.

Though the Bloodline Stone technically could do that, the chance of a successful transformation was depressingly small.

And even with success, serious side effects might follow.

If the odds weren’t so bleak, would Song Chi ever have put it in the shop?

He already had nearly two hundred Tier Four clan elders, many of them approaching their limits. If this thing was so reliable, wouldn’t he have handed it to them directly?

Still, if it did work, it absolutely could extend a lifespan.

For short-lived species like goblins, even a partial vampire lineage couldn’t give them true immortality—yet at the very least, they’d reach normal lifespans for their rank.

So for Luke, if the transformation went through, his current Tier Four self could possibly live up to two thousand years, giving him time to attempt a fifth ascension.

…

Song Chi set the thought aside and stopped worrying.

Deep down, he hoped Luke would succeed. The goblin had been a loyal Market customer for ages, and Song Chi was genuinely interested in that War God V Mech from Viscount Thor’s house.

The War God V held true Tier Five fighting strength and, most impressive of all, was fitted with Silver V Magic Energy Cannons. If the Heavenly Ruin could eventually field three thousand units, and with the activation of Full Auto Sub-AI Machinery down the line, their threat level could skyrocket—even Tier Seven Sovereigns would have to step carefully.

However, the Silver Goblin Empire might have the full production tech for these mechs, but it simply lacked the resources to mass-produce them.

What Song Chi wanted most was the detailed blueprint for the mechs—or even for something better. With access, his own research institute could likely push through any technical challenges fast.

But top-tier mech blueprints were top-secret within the Viscount’s House. If he wanted them, he’d have to wait and see whether Luke succeeded.

If he did—and was willing to risk those unpredictable side effects—his status within the Viscount’s House would skyrocket. Then, perhaps, he might hand over the War God V Mech blueprint.

…

After leaving the Divine Realm Player Trading Space, Song Chi merged two sets of neutron star wreckage into the Neutron‑Star Core Armor, bringing its evolution to 5 out of 10.

Then he installed the Void Sea Projection Emperor’s Tomb, upgrading it all the way to Tier Seven.

Once past lv70, not only did the full attribute bonus in the Void Sea climb from 50% to 120%, but Quadruple Projection’s duration also grew from 20 to 50 minutes, and its cooldown shrank from ten years to three.

With that, plus the Pusa Zen Seal and Timepiece Chess, their combined effects cut the real cooldown to just over four months—making this one of the Heavenly Ruin’s most reliable trump cards.

Having handled all that, Song Chi returned to Dragon Abyss City.

Before long, he learned the Starry Sky Dragon Shark had made a complete recovery, and the mighty Song Family Hidden Vein machine began running full steam once again.

Inside Dragon Abyss Hall, more than thirty Hidden Vein clan elders gathered. The next major operation was about to begin.

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