Song Chi withdrew his gaze from the attribute panel of the Fire Peony Soldier Figurine Tree component before starting to tally up his current funds.
Aside from the 1,000 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin provided by his parents, there were 2.4 million Credit Points in his account.
According to the official exchange rate from the Chenxing Principality, every 10,000 Credit Points could be exchanged for a single strand of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin.
That meant, after making the calculations, he currently had 1,240 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin at his disposal.
Out of these 1,240 strands, at least 500 had to be set aside for purchasing medical supplies, basic nanobot repair kits, the Rage Tiger Type I Floating Land Mining Cart, and a Mining Cart Specialized Prospecting Instrument. This left him with roughly 700 strands to use for upgrading the Spectral Shuttle.
The first component to upgrade was a no-brainer—Song Chi decisively chose the Spectral Shield. Once activated, it could form a layer of energy protection on the shuttle's surface, serving as the primary defense mechanism of any Torch Warship.
*For someone like Song Chi, who had access to Zhu Tian Ruins Market, as long as his cultivation progressed steadily, he could continue enhancing his Life Hierarchy without obstacles. Therefore, exploration of the Alien Star Domain prioritized survival above all.*
However, upgrading this component required not only Floating Land Origin and Spectral Energy Points but also an item known as the Life Core.
Song Chi was, of course, familiar with this item.
Throughout the vast expanse of the Shattered Starry Sea, most Starry Sea alien lifeforms, upon their deaths, would leave behind a unique crystal within their bodies. These crystals, containing the essence of energy absorbed throughout the lifeform's existence, are what we call Life Cores.
Interestingly, Life Cores also functioned as a universal resource. Many Starry Sea civilizations incorporated them into their standardized currency systems.
The Torch Human Civilization was no exception. In larger commercial enterprises or family-owned industries, Life Cores—and other resources like Fine Iron and Floating Land Origin—were freely usable and interchangeable for enhancements on Torch Warships.
On the first floor of his home, Song Chi greeted his parents briefly and then headed out, eventually making his way to the Dongjiang Torch Mall near Dongjiang Community.
This was just one of many Torch Malls scattered across Jiangyuan City. Though the mall had limited businesses operating within, it was more than sufficient for someone like Song Chi, a newly-awakened Torch Ship Captain.
After spending about ten minutes comparing prices among three stores, Song Chi finally acquired the required Life Cores. Still, he didn't rush home. Instead, he headed directly to the dedicated Torch Warship enhancement zone within the mall, summoned his Spectral Shuttle, and began its first upgrade.
[Would you like to confirm spending {1 strand Zero Rank Floating Land Origin + 100 Spectral Energy Points + 5 Life Cores} to upgrade the Spectral Shield component from lv0 to lv1?]
"Confirm!"
[Would you like to confirm spending {3 strands Zero Rank Floating Land Origin + 200 Spectral Energy Points + 6 Life Cores} to upgrade the Spectral Shield component from lv1 to lv2?]
...
After four consecutive upgrades, Song Chi elevated the Spectral Shield to lv4. It wasn't that he didn't intend to upgrade further; rather, the Spectral Energy Pool attached to the Spectral Engine had fully exhausted its 1,000 stored Spectral Energy Points and needed time to refill.
Fortunately, the refill rate wasn't slow. With only the Spectral Engine activated, it could restore 9 points per second. Within two minutes, it would be topped off again.
Two minutes later, Song Chi resumed the upgrades.
In the end, he successfully elevated the Spectral Shield to lv7, spending a total of 59 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin, 56 Zero Rank Life Cores, and 2,800 Spectral Energy Points.
Out of the 59 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin, 49 strands were directly consumed for upgrades, while the remaining 10 strands were used to purchase 100 Zero Rank Life Cores.
The lv7 Spectral Shield showed a noticeable improvement in attributes:
Spectral Shield lv7
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 10/s (Spectral Energy Points)
Defense: 18
Shield Value: 180/180
Recharge: 23s; Overload Buffer: 46 minutes
Upgrade Requirement: 15 strands Floating Land Origin (Zero Rank), 800 Spectral Energy Points, 12 Life Cores (Zero Rank).
*Even after upgrading the Spectral Shield, Song Chi still felt uneasy. As a transmigrator, the instinct to prioritize survival above all else was deeply ingrained in his psyche.*
Thus, without hesitation, he proceeded to upgrade the Warship Armor.
Although its defensive capability could not rival the Spectral Shield, Warship Armor was still a critical line of defense for Torch Warships, and Song Chi wouldn't overlook it.
Several minutes later, he also upgraded the Warship Armor to lv7.
However, upgrading this component required the consumption of Fine Iron, a specialized mineral resource. To reach lv7, he expended a total of 28 tons of Fine Iron, which was priced at 1 strand of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin per ton.
To sum it up, the enhancement of Warship Armor cost him 77 strands of Floating Land Origin.
Warship Armor lv7
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 3/s (Spectral Energy Points)
Defense: 18
Upgrade Requirement: 15 strands Floating Land Origin (Zero Rank), 800 Spectral Energy Points, 8 tons Fine Iron.
...
With both the Spectral Shield and Warship Armor boosted to lv7, their energy consumption also significantly increased upon activation, surpassing the typical supply capacity of the Spectral Engine. If Song Chi wished to keep the Spectral Shield active during missions in the Unknown Star Domain, upgrading the engine was imperative.
[Would you like to confirm spending {1 strand Zero Rank Floating Land Origin + 100 Spectral Energy Points + 5 Life Cores} to upgrade the Spectral Engine component from lv0 to lv1?]
"Confirm!"
After four consecutive upgrades, Song Chi found himself down to only 9 Zero Rank Life Cores, insufficient for the fifth upgrade. He had to spend another 20 strands of Floating Land Origin to purchase 200 more Life Cores.
Ultimately, he upgraded the Spectral Engine to lv7, consuming the same amount of resources as the Spectral Shield upgrades. As for the remaining 188 Zero Rank Life Cores, he stored them in the shuttle for future use. Upon examining the engine's attributes, it, too, showed significant improvement:
Spectral Engine lv7
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 4/s (Spectral Energy Points)
Energy Supply: 24/s (Spectral Energy Points)
Overload Buffer: 23 minutes
Spectral Energy Pool: 1,700 points (can store up to 1,700 Spectral Energy Points)
Upgrade Requirement: 15 strands Floating Land Origin (Zero Rank), 800 Spectral Energy Points, 12 Life Cores (Zero Rank).
After the Spectral Engine, next in line was the Spectral Main Cannon. Although welfare missions often implied safety, Starry Sea alien species were omnipresent, so ensuring some level of firepower for the Spectral Shuttle was a necessary precaution.
The enhancement of the Spectral Main Cannon did not require Life Cores. Song Chi upgraded it to lv5, consuming 25 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin and 1,500 Spectral Energy Points.
The upgraded attributes were as follows:
Spectral Main Cannon lv5
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 20/shot (Spectral Energy Points)
Might: 16
Recharge: 4s; Buffer: 8s
Upgrade Requirement: 11 strands Floating Land Origin (Zero Rank), 600 Spectral Energy Points.
The enhancements significantly increased the cannon's might, while reducing its recharge and buffer times. Overall, the improvement was quite satisfactory.