Chapter Six: Detailed Attributes of the Flying Shuttle (Please Continue Reading)

His gaze remained fixed on the basic components section. The current Etheric Shuttle was essentially a blank slate; the other categories offered little of interest.

Take, for instance, the special components section. When a Flameborn Vessel is first fused, it starts with only two special component slots. Only through subsequent upgrades to the Etheric Shuttle does the number of slots increase.

Of course, the quantity of added slots varies depending on the quality of the Flameborn Seed. The higher the seed’s quality, the more slots are naturally available.

This is another crucial reason why the Flameborn Human civilization places such great importance on the quality of the Flameborn Seeds. It not only determines the upgrade ceiling of the Flameborn Vessel but also dictates the combat strength differences among vessels of the same level.

Imagine two Flameborn Vessels both at level 10: one equipped with a white Flameborn Seed might have as many as ten special component slots, while one with a colorless seed could have only six. That’s nearly twice the disparity, making any comparison of their combat prowess futile.

As his eyes concentrated, the detailed attributes of each module quickly came into view.

Etheric Main Cannon Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 10 per shot (Etheric Points)
Power: 11
Charge Time: 5 seconds; Cooldown: 10 seconds
Upgrade Requirements: 1 Strand of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 100 Etheric Points

Etheric Secondary Cannon Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 1 per shot (Etheric Points)
Power: 1.1
No charge or cooldown required
Upgrade Requirements: 100 Etheric Points

Hull Armor Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 1 per second (Etheric Points)
Defense: 11
Upgrade Requirements: 1 Strand of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 100 Etheric Points, 1 ton of Refined Iron

Etheric Engine Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 1 per second (Etheric Points)
Power Supply: 10 per second (Etheric Points)
Overload Cooldown: 30 minutes
Etheric Pool: 1000 points (capacity to store 1000 Etheric Points)
Upgrade Requirements: 1 Strand of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 100 Etheric Points, 5 Zero-Grade Life Cores

Etheric Shield Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 3 per second (Etheric Points)
Defense: 11
Shield Value: 110/110
Charge Time: 30 seconds; Overload Cooldown: 1 hour
Upgrade Requirements: 1 Strand of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 100 Etheric Points, 5 Zero-Grade Life Cores

Patrol Radar Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 1 per second (Etheric Points)
Detection Range: 1 light-second
Accuracy: 10
Upgrade Requirements: 1 Strand of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 100 Etheric Points

Etheric Cultivation Platform Lv.0
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 2 per second (Etheric Points)
Cultivation Bonus: 2x (200%) [Effective only for zero-grade lifeforms]
Upgrade Requirements: 5 Strands of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 10 Zero-Grade Life Cores

After reviewing the data of all components, Song Chi did not linger further. These were just basic statistics, mostly covered before in his studies. The only item that truly caught his attention was the Etheric Cultivation Platform at the end.

As one of the core components of the Flameborn Vessel, this platform embodied the fundamental reason every Flameborn citizen was so determined to have a vessel uniquely their own.

What was the ultimate purpose of risking one’s life to explore the vast and boundless alien star seas?

Was it merely to casually enjoy the exotic scenery? Of course not... The driving force behind the Flameborn people's spirit of exploration was always the countless rare and strange resources found in the alien star realms.

So, the question arose: what was the ultimate goal of plundering and gathering these resources?

Was it simply to reinforce the Flameborn Vessel? Not exactly—or rather, not entirely. Strengthening the vessel was inevitable, but that was only the surface. At its core, every Flameborn vessel captain pursued the transcendence of their own life’s realm.

Put plainly, it was the quest for longevity, a desire to live longer.

It was well known that cultivating Etheric Guidance Techniques to higher levels could trigger transformations in one’s life realm, with each transformation extending the cultivator’s lifespan to some degree.

However, the higher the level of the guidance technique, the more terrifying the difficulty of cultivation. Even triggering the first life realm transformation was as difficult as scaling a mountain; subsequent transformations were even more elusive.

Yet, this challenge could be perfectly solved by the Etheric Cultivation Platform bound to each Flameborn Vessel.

This platform significantly accelerates the cultivation of Etheric Guidance Techniques, allowing Flameborn vessel captains to advance their techniques at double, triple, or even higher speeds, thus repeatedly triggering transformations in their life realm.

Moreover, the higher the upgrade level of the Flameborn Vessel, the stronger the effect of its bound Etheric Cultivation Platform.

Therefore, ultimately, what Flameborn captains cared about was not the vessel’s reinforcement itself but the Etheric Cultivation Platform mounted upon it.

Gazing at the Etheric Cultivation Platform on the Etheric Shuttle, Song Chi suddenly recalled the all-attribute cultivation chamber in the market, which apparently offered a 400% cultivation bonus to Etheric energy—twice that of the platform before him.

Previously, his attention had been drawn almost entirely to the “Ultra-Long-Range Spatial Gate Random Deployment Device,” so he hadn’t paid much heed. But now, reflecting back, the excitement he had suppressed surged again like a tide.

Because he clearly understood what this meant.

It meant that his future cultivation speed of Etheric Guidance Techniques would far surpass that of other Flameborn vessel captains at the same level.

It meant he would have a much higher chance of elevating his life realm and gaining greater longevity.

It also meant that even if his vessel’s Flameborn Seed quality did not improve later, it would not hinder his personal cultivation one bit.

Of course, despite this, Song Chi would not give up his Flameborn Vessel unless absolutely necessary. After all, subsequent upgrades in the market and the acquisition of goods required substantial resources; monthly market trades alone were far from enough.

Moreover, the market itself lacked powerful firepower support, unlike a Flameborn Vessel that, once upgraded sufficiently, could easily suppress an entire floating landmass in the star sea.

With these thoughts, Song Chi quickly sketched out a preliminary plan for his future development.

He would take the market as the foundation and the Flameborn Vessel as a supplement—one would better and more quickly assist in life realm transformations, and the other would provide the future firepower support. Both would advance hand in hand, without neglecting either.

Having clarified this primary and secondary relationship, Song Chi then shifted his focus to strengthening the Etheric Shuttle.

Tomorrow was the first exploration of the alien star domain. Although it was a welfare mission, the necessary reinforcements were still essential. Better to be cautious and safe, as the saying goes.

A faint light flickered at his brow as he retrieved the radiant essence of the “Flame Sun Warrior Tree” special component from his Flameborn Ancestral Core.

He then installed it into one of the Etheric Shuttle’s two special component slots. Its attributes soon appeared.

Flame Sun Warrior Tree Lv.0
Quality: White
Consumption: 50 per unit (Etheric Points)
Effect: Flame Sun Warriors (summons ten level 0 Flame Sun Warriors; these warriors do not die and can persist indefinitely. If any die, they can only be resummoned 24 hours later.)
Upgrade Requirements: 5 Strands of Zero-Grade Floating Land Essence, 500 Etheric Points