Chapter 654: The Reunion at Silverplate: Old Friends, New Deals

Silverplate Floating-land, Public Zone, Silverplate City.

Top floor of the Hearthfire Hotel, Silverplate.

“It’s been centuries since we last met. I never expected you’d make it to Dreadnought Captain, and your aura is nearly at the sixth-tier peak. Congratulations!”

Inside a private suite, the woman’s face glowed with a warm smile. Her tone was far from distant—more like old friends reuniting after a long time apart.

Across from her, Song Chi, now in his true form, gave a slight nod, not making much of her praise.

“Nothing worth congratulating. To someone like you—an actual Star-Annihilator-class Captain—even the Sixth-Tier Guiding Technique falls a bit flat.”

The moment their true bodies met, Song Chi had already sensed the woman’s power.

She hid her aura well, but with his Dual Pupils activated, there was nothing she could hide from him.

But what really caught his attention was the seventh-tier dark energy coursing through her—a force far from ordinary. This wasn’t like the recently promoted captains such as the Clan Elder, Song Wujian, who’d just broken into seventh-tier status. Song Chi suspected she might even be an extreme Star-Annihilator-class Captain.

After a bit of banter, the woman’s smile faded, her tone turning solemn.

“Let’s count this as our real first meeting. Allow me to introduce myself for real—Vice President of the Qingqiu Trading Association. Just call me Yun Niang.”

Sitting across from her, Song Chi’s face remained calm, his faint smile never slipping.

‘Qingqiu Trading Association…’

‘AI, pull up all information on the Qingqiu Trading Association.’

As he thought the command, a message came back quickly from the mini Heavenly Ruin within his brow.

[Command received. Querying database…]

[Search complete. Data on Qingqiu Trading Association as follows…]

[A mysterious association founded more than 200,000 years ago in the Divine Xia Empire, with trading fleets and shops spread throughout the Torch Human Galaxy Cluster…]

‘Is that all?’

Seeing just the basics, Song Chi didn’t dwell on it and, after thinking for a moment, spoke up:

“Song Chi of the Song Family of Longji, honored to meet you, Vice President Yun.”

Though her words were casual, Song Chi felt it wasn’t appropriate to address her by her real name when they’d only met twice.

Besides, it might not even be her real name.

“I knew it. With your talent, it’d be impossible for someone like you to stay unknown, no matter how you tried to hide. Turns out you’re one of the two superstar prodigies of the Song Family of Longji everyone’s talking about…”

Between their mutual flattery, nearly half an hour passed without either of them noticing.

Most of it was polite conversation, but there was no denying their relationship had grown closer. Chances were, from today onward, this bond would only grow with time.

……

Elsewhere in the same manor as before, deep underground inside a massive Battleship Summoning Chamber.

Thanks to Song Chi’s effort, the new batch of Abyssal Origin Crystals Yun Niang provided was successfully processed by the Destiny Compass, one by one, to separate the exotic energies.

Inside the ship’s control room, Song Chi’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.

He studied the chaotic energy exuding a fierce aura in his hand, the shadow of Dual Pupils flickering in his eyes.

This was none other than the exotic energy he’d extracted from the latest batch of Abyssal Origin Crystals.

This was completely different from the previous fire-element energy from last time. There was no way this chaotic force came from a Flame Demon.

That made things worth pondering.

As everyone knew, the Bottomless Abyss had many levels, each effectively a separate Floating-land in the Sea of Stars.

Each level’s Abyssal demons were strictly segregated. It was almost impossible to have different dominant demon races sharing the same layer.

With this in mind, two possibilities quickly came to Song Chi’s mind.

Either the Qingqiu Trading Association had outposts and cities spread across multiple layers of the Abyss, or their base was in a layer locked in fierce warfare, hence the mixed energies. Either way, their tremendous reach spoke volumes about what Qingqiu was capable of.

……

Shaking his head, Song Chi left the ship, not getting hung up on it.

After all, it made sense. The Qingqiu Trading Association was steeped in mystery. Few knew their true strength, but any group that’d survived over 200,000 years had deep roots, without a doubt.

“Thank you. This batch of Abyssal Origin Crystals is incredibly important to me…”

When she accepted the purified Abyssal Origin Crystals from Song Chi, Yun Niang couldn’t hide her delight.

Song Chi answered with a gentle laugh and a nod, quietly accepting her thanks.

Their relationship wasn’t to the point of helping for free, without expecting anything in return.

After storing the Abyssal Origin Crystals away, the woman took the initiative to bring up compensation.

Song Chi didn’t hesitate at all and directly named what he wanted.

“Time Fragments? Those are pretty rare. I don’t have many on hand.”

“It doesn’t have to be much. Three pieces will do. Of course, if you can manage more, even better!”

Seeing how urgent Song Chi was about getting Time Fragments, she didn’t argue—she simply nodded.

“I’ll pull as many as I can from nearby branches. It should take two or three months.”

“No rush. Thank you, Vice President Yun!”

With that, Song Chi made to leave, but Yun Niang called out with something unexpected.

“Besides the Time Fragments, there’s another little surprise in store for you soon, Captain Song. You can look forward to it!”

Song Chi: ???

He didn’t have long to ponder. Soon after, he sensed something odd from the Heavenly Ruin he’d just summoned back.

For some reason, the always-reliable Abyssal Devil inside started getting restless.

‘You mean there’s something on her that really draws you in?’

As Song Chi received the Abyssal Devil’s telepathic whisper in his mind, his eyes glinted with understanding.

If the Qingqiu Trading Association’s Vice President was a veteran Star-Annihilator-class Captain, it wasn’t strange for her to be carrying rare resources from the Abyss—something that could attract even the Abyssal Devil.

As for plotting against her?

That thought barely surfaced before he brushed it aside. Kidding—aside from her background, her sheer strength as a possible extreme Star-Annihilator-class Captain meant she wasn’t someone you could mess with.

‘Still…’

Turning things over in his mind, Song Chi decided to speak up before parting ways with Yun Niang.

“Wait…”

“Yes? Is there something else, Captain Song?”

Yun Niang paused, curvy figure turning as she looked at him in confusion.

“Here’s the thing—I’ve got an Abyssal Devil under my command, at the peak of sixth-tier…”

Without wasting time, Song Chi quickly explained, getting right to his point: Would she have a way to help his Abyssal Devil push into the Dominator rank?

Abyssal Devils were naturally dominant in the Bottomless Abyss, with frightening bloodlines and a talent for manipulating the mind.

Pushing it to seventh-tier dominance would make it even more useful in the future.

A single Abyssal Devil was a match for an entire army.

“Naturally, I wouldn’t ask for nothing. As payment, I can offer a sixth-tier Timeworld Fruit!”

Instead of answering, Yun Niang posed another question.

“Abyssal Devil—those are dominator-species, experts at manipulating minds. You’re not worried about it rebelling if it advances to seventh-tier?”

“No worries, Vice President Yun. I know what I’m doing. If I dare let it advance, I’ve got ways to keep it under control!”

Song Chi’s reply was quick and full of confidence.

After all, the Celestial Authority Ring could theoretically enslave even eighth-tier Dominators. No matter how crafty the Abyssal Devil, with just seventh-tier strength, there was no way it could break free of the ring’s control.

Yun Niang agreed, taking the sixth-tier Abyssal Devil with her before leaving.

Song Chi never learned her true reason for helping. Maybe the sixth-tier Timeworld Fruit tempted her. She couldn’t use it herself, but its value was obvious—perfect for cultivating trusted subordinates or gifting to her descendants.

Then again, maybe she just had her own reasons, but Song Chi didn’t really care.

Whether she had hidden motives or not, he only knew that once he finished upgrading to Star-Annihilator-class, he’d have nothing to fear from anyone.

Over the following three months, Song Chi took his time exploring Silverplate Floating-land. While he didn’t find another neutron star wreckage, he did unexpectedly score a great new secondary cannon.

A golden-quality Soul-Sunder Sonic Cannon.

Soul-Sunder Sonic Cannon, lvl 0

Quality: Gold

Special Trait: Power boosted by 140%

Special Trait 2: True Armor-Piercing

Special Trait 3: Cannon range boosted by 140%

Special Trait 4: Cannon fire rate boosted by 20%

Special Trait 5: Soul-Sunder Sonic Wave

……

This cannon was unique—not firing physical shells or typical energy beams, but strange musical notes.

The notes themselves weren’t overwhelming, but each one carried a soul-corroding property. They could confuse, erode, and even tear apart an enemy’s spirit, making it one of the most useful types of secondary guns.

Though its power was limited, Torch Battleships never relied on secondary guns for brute force. The best ones were those with unique negative effects to hinder enemies.

After purchasing the Soul-Sunder Sonic Cannon, Song Chi upgraded it directly to level 70, bolstering his strength for his upcoming expedition to Demon Serpent Continent.

Three months later, at the manor outside Silverplate City.

Song Chi successfully obtained nearly thirty Time Fragments from Yun Niang. While not a massive amount, gathering that many in just three months was impressive—and showed just how much influence the Qingqiu Trading Association wielded.

“Thank you…”

Even though it was just his due reward, Song Chi still offered his thanks.

Time Fragments were always hard to get, so it deserved a bit of gratitude when someone delivered this many at once.

“No rush, Captain Song—there’s one more thing…”

In the manor’s reception room, Yun Niang clapped softly. A moment later, the door swung open and a blur darted inside.

Song Chi’s dark energy surged as his muscles tensed all over.

It was obvious—if there was danger, he’d spring into action in an instant.

“What is that…?”

As the figure in the doorway came into view, Song Chi’s gaze sharpened.

Not an enemy—it was a familiar spirit bird.

“Vermilion Divine Bird!”

He pronounced the name clearly, declaring the newcomer’s identity.

The bird that dashed in was indeed a Vermilion Divine Bird.

Relaxing, Song Chi let out a small smile—this was clearly the surprise Yun Niang had promised three months ago.

With a flick of his hand, another blur shot out from his brow as he summoned Chongyu.

Caught off guard, Chongyu hesitated at first but was quickly drawn to its companion. The two birds clung together, flying right out of the reception room, soaring from Yun Niang’s manor into the sky above Silverplate Floating-land.

Their ringing cries echoed overhead.

Neither Song Chi nor Yun Niang stopped them. Chongyu was already a peak sixth-tier, and the female Vermilion Divine Bird from the Qingqiu Trading Association was also sixth-tier. The odds of problems were slim.

Song Chi glanced at the woman across from him and spoke softly:

“So, you noticed I had Dual Pupils even the first time we met?”

Yun Niang nodded—there was nothing to hide.

The topic soon shifted to the pair of Vermilion Divine Birds.

“Let’s just let them be. If they really do produce offspring, we’ll each raise half—sound good?”

“Agreed!”

Song Chi didn’t hesitate—this deal was a win-win.

Then he ventured another question:

“Vice President Yun, where did you get your Vermilion Divine Bird? In fact, do you know of any others out there?”

Yun Niang’s eyes sparkled, as if catching on to something.

“So you’re saying—your Song Family has more Vermilion Divine Birds?”

Once Song Chi confirmed, Yun Niang quickly explained.

Her own Divine Bird came from one of the Qingqiu Trading Association’s advanced secret realms—where there were still more of its kind.

The two reached an agreement. Going forward, Yun Niang would help make introductions, and Song Chi would bring over Chongguang and Chongying, who served under the Clan Elder and his eldest brother. They’d all try letting the birds coexist and see if they could raise more offspring.

If it worked, both sides stood to gain tremendously.

After all, the Vermilion Blood Pact was astonishingly powerful. If there were more Vermilion Divine Birds, both families would benefit endlessly.

……

Dragon-Spine Continent, Song Family Ancestral Hall.

After making arrangements with Yun Niang, Song Chi used the Market to return to Dragon-Spine and met with the family personally.

Once everyone heard about the Qingqiu Trading Association and the Vermilion Divine Birds, all core members agreed immediately.

Song Shiyuan, however, raised one concern in the middle of the meeting.

The three Vermilion Divine Birds should be split—each family entrusted with one.

That was the safest bet.

If all three were raised in Silverplate, it’d work as long as the Qingqiu Trading Association kept their word. But if they changed their minds, couldn’t they just make off with Chongyu, Chongguang, and Chongying and deny everything?

Have Chongyu and the others signed the Vermilion Blood Pact?

Does it matter? If the birds became breeding stock, the Qingqiu Trading Association could keep raising new Vermilion Divine Birds and wouldn’t need to share half with the Song Family.

It was a real concern—even if the odds were low. With the Association’s 200,000-year-old reputation and roots, it was unlikely, but not impossible.