219: Sky Dome Foundation

The crushing victory in the Tianyan Battle Realm, its aftershocks were far from settled.

The ripples it created spread rapidly.

Not only did they shake the entire Red Moon Land, but they also spread along the Alliance's network, reaching every corner of the Molten Heart.

Infinite City.

Abyssal Thunder Dragon Riders.

And those two 'True Name' liberators, who were too young to be mortals.

These names became the topic of countless people's conversations after meals.

The Central Army Group's illustrious reputation was covered in thick dust in this battle.

The Southern Border, on the other hand, stood taller than ever before due to Su Jin's sudden emergence.

Three days later.

Southern Border War Zone main base, airport.

Heavy transport ships from the Central Army Group.

Were silently queuing, slowly landing in the designated unloading area.

Huge hatches opened, and massive amounts of supply crates were moved out by robotic arms, piling up into small mountains on the empty tarmac.

Xiang Tian stood with his hands on his hips, in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the airport control tower.

His broad face was smiling like a blooming red peony, with satisfaction showing through every wrinkle.

He looked at the Central Army Group's insignia on those transport ships, which were an eyesore, and his voice was loud, as if he wanted everyone in the base to hear him.

"Hurry up, all of you! Don't dawdle like women!"

"This is a prize Marshal Wei personally lost to us. If anything gets damaged, can you afford to compensate for it?"

The Central Army Group's logistics officer responsible for the handover.

His face was already ashen, but he couldn't refute a single word, and could only urge his subordinates to speed up the unloading with his head down.

......

Southern Border Command, Lin Yuan's office.

The atmosphere was in stark contrast to the bustling airport; it was very quiet here.

Lin Yuan pushed a newly compiled list of supplies in front of Su Jin.

"Six trillion Alliance Coins,"

His voice held an irrepressible smile.

"That old fellow General Wei Feng really bled a lot this time. The Central Army Group didn't have that much liquid capital, so most of it was converted into supplies."

"Inside, there are top-tier strategic resources, from high-purity energy crystal mines to various rare materials, everything you could imagine."

He looked at Su Jin and asked.

"How do you plan to handle this list?"

Su Jin smiled and pushed the list back across the table.

"Marshal Lin, aren't you asking the obvious?"

"I'm not asking the obvious."

Lin Yuan's attitude was very serious, and he pushed the list back in front of Su Jin.

"This military exercise, the prestige was earned by your Infinite City, the credit is yours, and the wager should naturally belong to you."

"We in the Southern Border cannot take advantage of this."

He paused, then added again.

"Not only that, the Southern Border Military Department will also allocate an additional batch of resources to you, as a reward for you bringing glory to the Southern Border this time."

Su Jin, however, did not look at the list, but just shook his head.

"Marshal Lin, you can't say that."

"It's true that my Infinite City gained the limelight in the Tianyan Battle Realm."

"But outside the Tianyan Battle Realm, it was my comrades in the Southern Border who shielded me from the pressure of the Central Army Group."

"If it weren't for you, if it weren't for the Southern Border Military Department holding the line, how could my Infinite City have been so composed?"

He picked up the teacup on the table, blew away the rising steam, his gaze clear.

"This wager is the result of the Southern Border's game with the Central Army Group."

"My Infinite City merely happened to be there and contributed a bit of effort."

"If I were to take all the benefits, my, Su Jin's, face isn't that thick."

Lin Yuan looked at Su Jin, and after a long time, he slowly spoke: "Then, according to your wishes…"

"Three trillion."

Su Jin held up three fingers, crisp and decisive.

"I'll take three trillion worth of supplies; the rest goes to the Southern Border Military Department.

"As for the five years of standard equipment, it's not very useful for my Infinite City."

"Half?" Lin Yuan's brows furrowed slightly, "That's too little."

"It's not little."

Su Jin's attitude was very clear.

"As you also know, my Infinite City's scale isn't that large yet."

"Three trillion worth of supplies is enough for me to digest for a long time."

"As for the rest, the soldiers of the Southern Border have been fighting in bloody battles for years; it's time for them to change their armor and improve their meals."

The two looked at each other for a moment.

From Su Jin's eyes, Lin Yuan saw clarity and determination.

He knew that this was the limit the young man could accept.

"Very well."

Lin Yuan finally nodded, accepting the plan.

He pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked to the vault on one side of the office.

After a complex verification process, he retrieved a silver metal box protected by multiple force fields from within.

He placed the metal box on the table, his expression much more solemn.

"Since that's the case, then this, let it be the Southern Border's supply to you."

Su Jin's gaze fell on the metal box.

Something that could make Lin Yuan, the commander of the Southern Border, treat it with such solemnity, was certainly no ordinary item.

Lin Yuan reached out and opened the clasp of the metal box.

"Buzz—"

Amidst the soft hum of the dissipating force field, the lid of the box slowly opened.

A fist-sized, deep sky-blue rhomboid crystal quietly floated in the center of the box.

On the crystal's surface, countless intricate runes, like star tracks, slowly flowed, as if breathing.

A vast, ancient aura, as if carrying a world, rushed forth, making the air in the entire room viscous.

Su Jin's breathing involuntarily hitched.

【sky dome keystone (Legendary)】

【Type: Wonder Item】

【Description: The essential core required for territory promotion to Level 10, a miraculous creation imbued with spatial and gravitational laws. Fusing with this item allows the territory to break free from the earth's shackles and Ascend into a 'Floating Territory'.】

"sky dome keystone."

Lin Yuan's voice carried some emotion.

"From Level 1 to Level 9, no matter how a territory upgrades, it is essentially still a 'city' rooted in the earth."

"But from Level 9 to Level 10, it's a chasm, a qualitative leap."

"To cross this chasm, it requires not only a massive amount of resources."

"But also a core wonder item to carry the territory's laws and complete the transformation from 'earth' to 'sky'."

"The 'sky dome keystone' is precisely such a core wonder item."

He looked at Su Jin, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"A Level 10 territory is also called a floating territory, a sky realm."

"It will no longer be bound by the earth, capable of transforming into a true sky city, soaring through the heavens."

"Even… in the boundless Sea of Realms, it can act like a 'ship' with its own propulsion, capable of free navigation."

"Unlike now, where it can only passively drift with the current or rely on fixed world beacons for teleportation."

"I stumbled upon this item in the ruins of a fallen world back then; in the entire Molten Heart, there is probably only this one."

"Originally, I intended to bring it out when General Wei or someone else first touched the threshold of Level 10."

"Unfortunately, promotion to Level 10 also has extremely high requirements for the Lord themselves; they are still some distance away from that step."

Lin Yuan's words paused, and he looked at Su Jin with burning eyes.

"Now it seems, using it on you, on Infinite City, is where it can truly realize its value."

Su Jin looked at the 'sky dome keystone'.

He, of course, knew the significance of this item.

This thing, in the Alliance's merit exchange list, has consistently been at the very top.

Following it was a long string of zeros, and it was always in the "Stock: 0" state.

This was a truly priceless treasure, a strategic-level miraculous creation.

"Marshal Lin, this is too precious," Su Jin said in a deep voice.

"Precious, to match your achievements, to match the future of Infinite City."

Lin Yuan's attitude brooked no argument.

"Take it. Don't forget, you are still a member of my Southern Border military order."

"The stronger your Infinite City becomes, the straighter our Southern Border's back can stand."

"Besides…"

A smile like that of an old fox appeared on Lin Yuan's face.

"When you truly Ascend Infinite City to Level 10."

"If my Southern Border encounters any trouble in the future and needs urgent deployment, your floating city that can move around wouldn't be so rude as to not lend a hand, right?"

Su Jin couldn't help but laugh at this.

He knew that Lin Yuan was using another way to make him accept this grand gift with a clear conscience.

He no longer refused, extending his hand solemnly and taking the 'sky dome keystone' into his grasp.

The crystal was cool to the touch, yet it seemed to have a life of its own, gently pulsing in his palm.

Su Jin's heart was ablaze.

Three trillion Alliance Coins worth of supplies, plus this 'sky dome keystone'…

He could almost certainly begin the promotion as soon as he returned to Infinite City.

And not from Level 7 to Level 8.

But… in one go, straight to Level 10!

A floating territory capable of free movement, soaring through the Sea of Realms.

By then, Infinite City's strength would undergo an earth-shattering transformation.