135: Chapter 135, Second Clue: Eternal Starfield

In the tactical conference room on the third floor of the Chaos Valley main hall, the star projection Formation on the ceiling was slowly operating, projecting a 3D star map of the thirty thousand light-years surrounding the Big Dipper Star Field above the long table.

Lin Ye stood before the star map, his gaze falling upon a specially marked, distant star region—the Eternal Star Domain.

It was an irregular sector on the edge of the Milky Way's spiral arm, renowned for its advanced technological civilization and prosperous interstellar trade. Departing from the Big Dipper Star Field, even using a cross-Star Domain teleportation Formation, it would take a full three days.

Four days had passed since that morning when Su Qingyue had treated his injuries.

During those four days, Shi Potian's Hegemon Blood depletion state had been completely resolved, and his Rank had unexpectedly risen by one, reaching Level 56. Su Qingyue had consolidated the results of her Vast Cold Descent Awakening and could now preliminarily control the duration and consumption of this ultimate talent. Lin Ye himself had pushed the charging progress of the two star tokens to 100% and repeatedly studied the coordinate guidance regarding the third star token within the star map phantom.

All signs pointed toward the Eternal Star Domain.

But as for the specific location and form in which it would appear within the Eternal Star Domain, the star map phantom maintained that vague pointer—'Eternal Star Domain · Unknown Auction'.

"Lin Ye."

Qin Ruoxue's voice came through the communication Talisman, sounding three times more urgent than usual:

"The Heavenly Secret Pavilion's undercover agents in the Eternal Star Domain have sent back encrypted intelligence. Two quarters of an hour ago, the Star Ring Auction House officially released the complete catalog of items for the 'Millennium Celebration'."

Lin Ye's brow twitched. "The third star token?"

"The words 'star token' do not appear directly on the catalog." Qin Ruoxue's voice carried irrepressible excitement. "But among the seven final mystery items, the description for one is—'An ancient keepsake originating from the Ancient Star Road, containing partially activated star road coordinates; the holder may use this to open the door to a lost Legacy'."

She paused. "The analysts over in the Eternal Star Domain speculate with a 99% probability that it is the item we are looking for."

"Starting price?"

"One million Low-Grade Spirit Stones, or an equivalent value in Eternal Star Domain general technology resource vouchers."

Qin Ruoxue immediately added, "That's just the starting price. According to historical data from the Star Ring Auction House, the actual closing price for finale-level items is typically 3 to 5 times the starting price. If this item triggers a bidding war among multiple factions..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

Three to five times.

That would be three million to five million Spirit Stones.

Lin Ye fell silent for a moment.

He didn't respond immediately, but instead turned to look at Zhao Wuji on the other side of the tactical table.

The Heavenly Court's financial manager was currently facing dozens of floating financial light screens, his fingers moving rapidly through the air. Various income and expenditure reports, inventory lists, and liquidity forecasts refreshed before him like a waterfall. His expression was much more solemn than usual.

"Boss." Zhao Wuji looked up, his voice dry. "The total liquid capital we can currently deploy from our accounts is 1.47 million Spirit Stones."

He projected several key data points onto the main screen:

[Heavenly Court Faction Financial Summary · Current]

[I. Liquid Assets]

[1. Spirit Stone Reserves: 1,473,200 (of which 800,000 are strategic reserves and cannot be easily used)]

[2. Equivalent Hard Currency: 830 grains of Star Sand (valued at ~500,000), rare mineral inventory (valued at ~350,000), finished Medicinal Pill/Talisman inventory (valued at ~220,000)]

[3. Rapidly Liquidatable Assets: Pre-sale quota for Chaos Valley's Spiritual Qi output for the next three months (Zhao Wuji's assessment: a maximum of 600,000 can be withdrawn in advance)]

[II. Fixed Liabilities]

[1. Eternal Star Domain Mecha Workshop equipment final payment: 300,000 Spirit Stones (due within seven days)]

[2. Vermilion Bird Hall Flame Feather Arrow replenishment order: 180,000 Spirit Stones (50% deposit required within three days)]

[3. Monthly faction operational costs within Yan State: ~250,000 Spirit Stones (includes personnel salaries, facility maintenance, Formation energy consumption, etc.)]

[III. Maximum Available Funds (Extreme Scenario)]

[Extreme Estimate: ~2.5 million Spirit Stones]

[Cost: Requires exhausting all strategic reserves, pre-selling future output, and assuming extremely high liquidity risk]

[Risk: In the event of an emergency (e.g., large-scale war, territory under attack, core equipment destruction), the Heavenly Court will fall into financial exhaustion]

"1.47 million available," Zhao Wuji's voice was low. "Plus the liquidation of all hard currency, plus the maximum amount of future output pre-sales I can negotiate..."

He took a deep breath. "At the limit, we can scrape together about 2.5 million. But this means that for the next three months, the Heavenly Court will have zero financial buffer. Any accident will drive us into a dead end."

2.5 million.

If it was 2.5 times the starting price, it would be enough.

If it was 3 times, it would barely be enough.

If it was 4 times, it wouldn't be enough.

If it was 5 times—

Nowhere near enough.

Furthermore, that was only if the bidding succeeded.

Zhao Wuji didn't say it out loud, but everyone knew: even if they gathered three million Spirit Stones, betting it all on a single auction was a massive gamble in itself.

Moreover, the Heavenly Court certainly wouldn't be the only one competing for the third star token.

"Does the Heavenly Secret Pavilion have preliminary intelligence on the bidding rivals in the Eternal Star Domain?" Lin Ye asked.

Qin Ruoxue immediately pulled up another set of data:

"The Star Ring Auction House's Millennium Celebration is a once-in-thirty-years event for the Eternal Star Domain, expected to attract the top fifty factions in the entire Star Domain. Additionally, factions from the Big Dipper Star Field, Ziwei Star Field, and even the distant God Spirit Star Field have received invitations."

"There are at least six factions confirmed to attend who are likely interested in the 'Ancient Star Road keepsake'."

She projected the emblems and profiles of the six factions alongside the star map:

[1. Divine Temple · Eternal Star Domain Branch]

· Background: A branch office established in the Eternal Star Domain by the server's number one faction, the 'Divine Temple'.

· Characteristics: Extremely wealthy; has a deep interest in any items related to 'Legacies' or 'Ruins'.

· Threat Level: ★★★★★

[2. Eternal Kingdom · Main Sect]

· Background: The number one local faction in the Eternal Star Domain, a representative of technological civilization.

· Characteristics: Has long-term research plans for the 'Ancient Star Road' and has publicly expressed interest in finding a way to enter multiple times.

· Threat Level: ★★★★★

[3. Star Ring Financial Group]

· Background: The largest commercial organization in the Eternal Star Domain and the host of the auction.

· Characteristics: Both a seller and a potential buyer; it cannot be ruled out that they might bid on strategic items for themselves.

· Threat Level: ★★★★

[4. Vampire Council · Eternal Star Domain Branch]

· Background: The Blood Prince secretly arrived in the Eternal Star Domain three days ago, most likely for this purpose.

· Characteristics: Has a blood feud with the Heavenly Court and will drive up prices at any cost during bidding.

· Threat Level: ★★★★★

[5. Free Explorers Association]

· Background: An Alliance of solo players in the Eternal Star Domain, mostly consisting of high-level life-profession players.

· Characteristics: Moderate financial power, but possesses professional research on star road intelligence; may participate for research purposes.

· Threat Level: ★★★

[Codename: 'Black Box']

· Background: The Heavenly Secret Pavilion cannot verify its true identity, only that its representative holds a 'Star Ring Auction House Black Gold VIP Card'.

· Characteristics: Extremely mysterious, with immeasurable financial resources.

· Threat Level: Unknown (Extremely High)

Six opponents.

At least three of them—the Divine Temple, the Eternal Kingdom, and the Vampire Council—were behemoths with financial power far exceeding that of the Heavenly Court.

The Star Ring Financial Group was the host of the auction; they didn't need to bid, but they could exert influence at the level of the rules.

The Free Explorers Association had average financial power but high professionalism; it wasn't impossible that they would bid for the value of the intelligence.

The mysterious faction codenamed 'Black Box'... was the most uncontrollable.

"2.5 million." Zhao Wuji repeated the number, his voice bitter. "The quarterly budget of any random branch of the Divine Temple is more than that. Not to mention the main sect of the Eternal Kingdom. The Blood Prince... the Primordial Royal Court behind him has operated in the Eternal Star Domain for many years; the funds they can mobilize are at least five times ours."

"In a head-on bidding war, we have no chance of winning."

The conference room fell into a brief silence.

The light and shadows of the star map flowed across everyone's faces, reflecting their solemn expressions.

Shi Potian sat in a chair in the corner; although his injuries had healed, his face was still somewhat pale. When he heard the words 'Blood Prince', his fists subconsciously clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

"Then we steal it." His voice was low, carrying suppressed murderous intent. "The Eternal Star Domain isn't the Primordial Royal Court's territory. They have the money, but we have the combat power. After the auction ends, he'll have to leave the venue with the star token eventually."

"The risk is too high." Chen Hao shook his head. "The Eternal Star Domain is the sphere of influence of a technological civilization, and the punishment for armed robbery is extremely severe. According to the Star Domain Convention, any act of initiating an attack within a safe zone (including a fifty-kilometer radius around the auction house) will result in being shot on sight by the Star Domain Guard Fleet, and the faction the attacker belongs to will be permanently blacklisted."

"What does a blacklist mean? It means never being able to conduct any transactions in the Eternal Star Domain, being unable to use any public facilities, and having all quest lines related to the Eternal Star Domain permanently closed." He paused. "The mecha technology cooperation we just established with Dr. Ailin and her team would also be cut off because of it."

This was a very real cost.

If the Heavenly Court wanted long-term development in the Eternal Star Domain—mecha technology upgrades, procurement of rare technological Materials, and supply transit for the future Ancient Star Road—they couldn't completely tear up the rules of this Star Domain.

"You can't steal it inside the auction, and after the auction, guards escort you to the boundary of the safe zone." Qin Ruoxue added, explaining the security procedures of the Star Ring Auction House. "Theoretically, you can make a move after leaving the safe zone, but successful bidders usually hire the Star Domain Guard Fleet for an escort. We would have to intercept a guard fleet equipped with Saint-Grade warships in open space..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was already clear.

Stealing it was similarly a hopeless prospect.

Bidding lacked sufficient funds.

Combining bidding with stealing carried extremely high risks and severe consequences.

They were caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Boss." Zhao Wuji looked at Lin Ye, his voice carrying a difficulty never heard before. "Should we... consider giving up on this one? We have two star tokens already; maybe there's another way to enter the Ancient Star Road? Or we could wait until our financial power is stronger, and then..."

He didn't finish.

Because he himself knew how hollow those words were.

The third star token was unique. If they missed it this time, it might fall into the Divine Temple's treasury, it might be taken by the Eternal Kingdom for reverse engineering, or it might be brought back to the Purple Mountain by the Blood Prince to be sacrificed to the so-called 'Star God'.

The next time it appeared? Perhaps there would never be another time.

Moreover, the resonance of the two star tokens already clearly pointed to the Eternal Star Domain. This wasn't a coincidence; it was the guidance of destiny—the third token was right here, just three days away.

"Let me think."

Lin Ye's voice was very calm.

He didn't look at anyone, his gaze fixed on that flickering point of light in the center of the star map. Eternal Star Domain, Star Ring Auction House, the third star token.

He thought back to the memory fragments from before his Rebirth.

In his past life, the third star token had indeed appeared in the Eternal Star Domain, but not in the fifth month after the game's launch, but in the eighth month. That was a different auction, much smaller in scale than this one, and it was eventually won by a solo player named 'Star Sea Ranger' for 1.2 million Spirit Stones.

That player later used the token to make a deal with the Divine Temple, exchanging it for their protection and a batch of high-level equipment. The token eventually fell into the Divine Temple's hands, and they used it as a core bargaining chip to dominate the order of the Ancient Star Road in its early opening stages.

But in this life, everything had been moved forward.

The appearance of the third star token was three months early.

The competitors were also more numerous and stronger.

However, he wasn't that ordinary player from his past life who could only look up to the Divine Temple and the Eternal Kingdom.

In this life, he had the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, two star tokens in hand, companions like Su Qingyue, Shi Potian, Chen Hao, Zhao Wuji, and Qin Ruoxue whom he could trust with his life, and the Heavenly Court faction built from scratch.

He also had... some information that only he knew.

"The auction rules," Lin Ye suddenly spoke, "do they have rigid requirements for the asset types of the bidders?"

Zhao Wuji was stunned for a moment and quickly pulled up the public rules of the Star Ring Auction House:

"There are no rigid requirements. The starting price is listed as '1 million Spirit Stones or equivalent technology resource vouchers', meaning both forms of payment are accepted. technology resource vouchers are another hard currency circulating within the Eternal Star Domain, backed by the Star Domain authorities and primarily aimed at technological civilization players."

"Spirit Stones are the universal currency of cultivation civilizations and can also be used in the Eternal Star Domain, but the exchange rate fluctuates. Currently on the black market, 100 Spirit Stones are roughly equal to 95 technology vouchers. Official exchange offices offer 100 Spirit Stones for 100 vouchers, but there's a monthly limit."

Lin Ye nodded. "Can technology resource vouchers be exchanged for technological equipment or technical patents?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "Yes! And the valuation of technology resource vouchers is more flexible than Spirit Stones. The Star Ring Financial Group has its own technical assessment team. If a piece of technological equipment or a technical patent is deemed to have 'strategic value' by them, the voucher amount they give is often far higher than the market price."

He immediately understood Lin Ye's line of thinking:

"You want to use things from the Eternal Star Domain itself to bid against them?"

"Not using our things," Lin Ye said. "Using their own things."

He looked toward the other side of the tactical table, at the figure in the silver-white uniform who had been quietly listening without speaking since the meeting began.

Dr. Ailin Watson.

A Materials science expert from the Seventh Research Fleet of the Eternal Star Domain, she was currently sitting at the end of the conference table, her gaze behind her rimless glasses calm and focused.

"Dr. Ailin," Lin Ye said, "if the full set of design blueprints for the star brilliance type i were taken to the Star Ring Financial Group's technical assessment team for valuation, how many technology resource vouchers could they be exchanged for?"

The air in the conference room suddenly froze.

Chen Hao snapped his head toward Lin Ye, his eyes full of disbelief. Zhao Wuji's fingers hovered over the light screen, paralyzed.

The design blueprints for the star brilliance type i!

That was a core technical asset the Heavenly Court had exchanged for using a series of major costs, including 30% of Chaos Valley's Spiritual Qi output, exploration rights to ancient ruins, and combat testing grounds! It was the Foundation upon which the Mecha Workshop stood, the first cornerstone of the Heavenly Court's technology tree!

To sell it?

Dr. Ailin pushed up her glasses; her expression didn't fluctuate much, as if Lin Ye had merely asked a common technical question.

"The star brilliance type i is a mature model of a Four Extremities-Rank general-purpose mecha." She answered calmly. "Its design blueprints are classified as 'restricted civilian technology' in the Eternal Star Domain and can be traded publicly, but require a special permit. If it's the full set of drawings—including 3D models, material lists, processing techniques, energy System designs, and control System source code—under the Star Ring Financial Group's valuation System, they could be exchanged for approximately..."

She did a quick calculation. "Eight hundred thousand to one million technology resource vouchers."

"However," she changed the subject, her gaze behind the lenses meeting Lin Ye's directly, "the ownership of these design blueprints, according to the agreement we signed, belongs entirely to the Heavenly Court. Whether to sell them is your strategic decision and has nothing to do with me. I am only responsible for providing technical assessment references."

Eight hundred thousand to one million vouchers.

Equivalent to eight hundred thousand to one million Spirit Stones.

This sum, combined with the Heavenly Court's existing liquid capital, could bring the total budget to between 3.2 million and 3.5 million.

It was enough to cover the risk interval of 3 to 3.5 times the starting price.

But the cost was—

The star brilliance type i design blueprints.

The source of the Heavenly Court's mecha industry.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Boss!" Chen Hao couldn't help but speak up, "The star brilliance type i is the Foundation of our foothold in the Eternal Star Domain! If we sell the blueprints, how will we maintain and upgrade our mecha in the future? How will we train new engineers? If the Eternal Star Domain puts a chokehold on our technology..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was already clear.

This wasn't killing the goose that laid the golden eggs; this was tearing down the house to sell the Foundation.

"We don't need to own it forever," Lin Ye said, "What we need is to obtain the third star token and open the Ancient Star Road."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable power:

"We already have a complete digital backup of the star brilliance type i blueprints. Dr. Ailin's technical guidance period at the Heavenly Court still has over five months left, which is enough for us to train the workshop's core technical staff."

"Even if we sell the blueprints to the Star Ring Financial Group, we only lose the 'exclusive ownership,' not the 'usage rights'."

He looked at Chen Hao: "Moreover, the improved chaos unit no. 1 and the second-generation mecha we are currently developing have core technologies that already surpass the original design of the star brilliance type i. In the future, the Heavenly Court mecha System will forge its own path and won't need to rely on thirty-year-old blueprints from the Eternal Star Domain forever."

These words made Chen Hao fall silent.

He, of course, knew that what Lin Ye said made sense.

The star brilliance type i was indeed a mature model, but it was also truly "thirty-year-old blueprints"—Dr. Ailin had privately commented that this mecha model had been out of production in the Eternal Star Domain for ten years and was only still in use as a teaching case.

Using it to exchange for an admission ticket to the Ancient Star Road, from a purely strategic value perspective, was not necessarily a losing deal.

It was just... hard to let go.

That was where the Heavenly Court's technological dream began.

"There is one more problem." Zhao Wuji spoke with difficulty, his voice deeper than usual, "The Star Ring Financial Group's technical evaluation takes time. Our blueprints are not standard commodities; the valuation process might take two to three days. And the auction starts in three days."

"So we need to take another path," Lin Ye said.

He looked at Qin Ruoxue: "Does the Heavenly Secret Pavilion have any connections in the Eternal Star Domain who can reach the upper echelons of the Star Ring Financial Group?"

Qin Ruoxue pondered for a few seconds: "There is an indirect line. The vice president of the Free Explorers Association is an old acquaintance of the chief appraiser of the Star Ring Financial Group. We can go through him to have the chief appraiser conduct a pre-evaluation of the blueprints before the auction starts, under the name of 'intentional mortgage'."

"The valuation from the pre-evaluation can be used as 'asset proof' to apply for an equivalent 'bidding credit limit' from the Star Ring Financial Group," she quickly sorted out the logic. "This way, we don't need to pay cash on the spot; instead, we use the blueprints as collateral to obtain a bidding qualification with a maximum limit."

"If the bidding is successful, we will then complete the formal technology transfer procedures within the agreed time (usually 24-48 hours) and pay the bidding amount with the proceeds from the transfer."

"If the bidding fails, the blueprints are still ours, and we only need to pay a small pre-evaluation fee."

This was a unique financing model for technological civilization auctions, equivalent to using intellectual property as collateral to obtain credit.

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up:

"This is feasible! This way, we don't have to sell the blueprints in advance, and we can still obtain enough bidding funds!"

He immediately began to calculate rapidly: "Calculating based on Dr. Ailin's lower valuation limit of 800,000 credits, plus our existing 1.47 million Spirit Stones, and then leveraging some short-term loans... the total budget can reach around 2.8 million. If the blueprint valuation can be negotiated to 900,000 or even 1 million..."

"I can strive for 900,000," Dr. Ailin interjected calmly. "I personally participated in the optimization of the process documentation part of the star brilliance type i, which is more complete than the original version. The chief appraiser will recognize this."

2.8 million - 2.9 million.

This number, although still unable to compete head-on with the massive financial resources of the Temple and the Eternal Kingdom, at least gave them the qualification to sit at the table and compete.

"As for the Blood Prince," Qin Ruoxue added, "The Primordial Royal Court's industries in the Eternal Star Domain are mainly in mining and energy trade; their cash flow is abundant, but their assets mostly circulate within a closed System controlled by the Archaic Race, making it difficult to convert them into technology resource credits on a large scale."

"According to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's estimation, the limit of funds the Blood Prince can mobilize this time is between 3.5 million and 4 million credits. This is already the limit for the Eternal Star Domain branch of the Primordial Royal Court."

3.5 million - 4 million.

600,000 to 1.1 million higher than the Heavenly Court's limit.

There was still a gap, but it was not an unbridgeable chasm.

"What about the Temple and the Eternal Kingdom?" Lin Ye asked.

Qin Ruoxue was silent for a moment: "It's impossible to estimate accurately. Although the branch of the Temple in the Eternal Star Domain is only a branch organization, they can mobilize funds from the main Temple at any time. Not to mention the main sect of the Eternal Kingdom—they are the wealthiest force in the Eternal Star Domain, bar none."

"However," she changed the subject, "the interest of the Temple and the Eternal Kingdom in the 'Ancient Star Road token' may not be strong enough to ignore the cost. The main strategic focus of the main Temple is in the God Spirit Star Field, and the Eternal Kingdom's own research team is currently tackling subspace navigation technology, so the demand for the 'traditional Ancient Star Road' is decreasing."

"They are participating in the auction more out of strategic reserves to prevent competitors from getting it. If the price exceeds their psychological expectations, they are very likely to give up."

This was key information.

The only real mortal enemy was the Blood Prince.

And the Blood Prince's limit was 3.5-4 million.

2.8 million, a gap of 700,000 - 1.2 million.

Where did this difference need to be made up?

Lin Ye's gaze fell once again on the special mark on the edge of the star map that he had studied repeatedly for four days.

That was not a coordinate in the Eternal Star Domain.

That was—a dangerous area between the Eternal Star Domain and the Big Dipper Star Field known as the "Meteorite Belt".

According to the star map phantom formed by the resonance of the two star tokens, the precise location of the third star token was not the main star of the Eternal Star Domain, but... deep within the Meteorite Belt.

And in the item description released by the "Star Ring Auction House", that sentence "an ancient token originating from the Ancient Star Road, containing unactivated star road coordinates"...

Unactivated.

These four words triggered a certain association in him.

"Qin Ruoxue," Lin Ye suddenly asked, "What are the usual sources for the auction items at the Star Ring Auction House?"

Qin Ruoxue was stunned and quickly pulled up the data:

"There are three main categories: first, trophies obtained by players or NPCs in relic explorations, entrusted to the auction house for auction; second, rare items obtained by exploration teams and mining teams under the financial groups; third..."

She paused: "Third, the identity of the 'consignor' is kept confidential, the origin of the item is a mystery, but its value has been confirmed by the auction house's professional appraisal."

"The third category of auction items is often placed in the finale position."

Lin Ye nodded: "Is it possible that the consignor of the third star token is not a certain force, but a lone player?"

Qin Ruoxue pondered for a moment: "It's possible. Keeping the consignor's identity confidential is a core principle of the Star Ring Financial Group; unless it involves serious violations, it will never be disclosed."

"Then," Lin Ye's thinking advanced rapidly, "a lone player discovered this token somewhere in the Meteorite Belt, knew it was valuable, but couldn't use it, so they entrusted it to the auction house for sale."

"The starting price they set is 1 million—this number is not unreasonable for an 'ancient token' with unknown uses, but it is definitely not low."

"They didn't explore the depths of the Meteorite Belt themselves, which means either their strength was insufficient, or that relic had some kind of limitation that couldn't be broken through for the time being."

"For example... requires specific Bloodline authentication? Specific token resonance? Or, requires two or more star tokens to be present at the same time to activate the complete coordinates?"

Su Qingyue raised her head, her icy blue eyes flashing with a strange look:

"You mean, the 'not fully activated' state of the third star token is not because the token itself is incomplete, but because..."

"Because it needs to resonate with the two in our hands," Lin Ye took over the conversation. "The consignor doesn't know this condition, or knows it but can't satisfy it. To them, this token is just a rare item that can be exchanged for money."

"To us, it is a key."

"Therefore, competing with all competitors in terms of financial resources at the auction is the stupidest way."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the conference room:

"We need to meet this consignor before the auction starts."

"Get the first-hand information about the relics in the Meteorite Belt from them—precise coordinates, peripheral environment, monster distribution, the sealing mechanism of the relic entrance."

"The value of this intelligence is no less than the star token itself."

"Then," his voice was calm, "based on the intelligence, decide whether to bid, or... go directly into the relic to take it."

This line of thinking left everyone stunned.

Not bidding.

And not snatching it in the safety zone of the Eternal Star Domain.

Instead—go directly to the Meteorite Belt and search for the "main body" of the third star token inside the relic.

If the token in the consignor's hand is only a "sub-key" taken from the periphery of the relic, while the real "master key" is still deep in the relic...

Then, the Heavenly Court, which possesses two star tokens and can resonate to activate the complete coordinates, is the only one qualified to open the relic and take the master key.

And the one in the consignor's hand is just a guide stone.

"This takes time," Zhao Wuji said with difficulty. "A one-way flight from the Meteorite Belt to the main star of the Eternal Star Domain takes one day. We only have three days left."

"So, we must act separately," Lin Ye said. "Some people go to the main star of the Eternal Star Domain to attend the auction publicly, attract the attention of all competitors, and at the same time strive to contact the consignor."

"The other part of the people, carrying the two star tokens, go directly to the Meteorite Belt to find the relic entrance."

He looked at Shi Potian and Chen Hao: "The exploration of the Meteorite Belt requires the strongest combat team. Potian's injuries have just healed, so he shouldn't engage in high-intensity combat; Chen Hao's mecha has an advantage in complex space environments. The two of you will accompany me to the Meteorite Belt."

"Qingyue, you go to the main star of the Eternal Star Domain with Zhao Wuji and Qin Ruoxue. You possess the Vast Cold Spirit Body, which makes you more persuasive representing the Heavenly Court on formal occasions; Zhao Wuji is responsible for business negotiations; Qin Ruoxue is responsible for intelligence docking."

"Dr. Ailin, please accompany Qingyue and the others to the main star as a technical consultant. When necessary, your assessment opinion on the star brilliance type i blueprints will be the key to winning credit."

Su Qingyue looked at Lin Ye and didn't answer immediately.

A trace of extremely faint worry, which only Lin Ye could perceive, flashed in her icy blue eyes.

The Meteorite Belt is one of the most dangerous areas in the Eternal Star Domain.

Spatial turbulence, meteorite storms, space predators lurking in the darkness... And there is no friendly force that can provide support.

But he kept the most dangerous task for himself.

"I will complete the task on the main star," Su Qingyue finally said softly. "You... be careful."

Lin Ye nodded.

"Zhao Wuji," he turned to the finance manager, "From now on, mobilize all the liquid funds that can be mobilized and convert them all into technology resource credits commonly used in the Eternal Star Domain. Three days later, when you and Qingyue arrive at the main star, there must be at least 1.5 million credits of immediate payment capability in the account."

"This money is not for bidding, it's for—"

He paused: "It's for fishing."

"Fishing?" Zhao Wuji was bewildered.

"The consignor entrusted the star token to the auction house with the goal of exchanging it for money," Lin Ye said. "If we can reach an off-market deal with him directly before the auction starts and buy the token at a price no lower than the starting price, the auction house has no right to interfere."

"This is a loophole in the rules of the Star Ring Financial Group, which allows the consignor to withdraw the auction before the auction starts, on the condition of paying a penalty equivalent to 20% of the starting price and bearing the auction house's appraisal and publicity costs."

"The penalty is 200,000, and the appraisal cost is about 50,000—a total of 250,000."

"If we can negotiate directly with the consignor and close the deal off-market at a price of 1.2 million to 1.5 million, he will net 950,000 to 1.25 million, which is much higher than the penalty for withdrawal, and he won't have to bear the risk of the auction failing."

"This is a win-win deal."

Zhao Wuji's eyes grew brighter and brighter: "And to achieve this, the key is to find this consignor before the auction starts, ahead of all competitors!"

"Yes," Lin Ye said. "So Qingyue, the first task after you arrive at the main star is not to go to the auction venue to scout, not to talk to the financial group about credit limits—"

"It is to use Qin Ruoxue's intelligence network to find the person who discovered the star token in the Meteorite Belt."

He looked at the star map, his voice low and firm:

"Three days."

"We are looking for the relic entrance in the Meteorite Belt, and you are looking for the consignor on the main star."

"Whoever gets the exact clue first will decide the outcome of this game."

In the conference room, everyone stood up.

No questioning, no hesitation, no extra discussion.

Zhao Wuji had already begun to mobilize the chamber of commerce's subordinate financial channels, preparing to convert technology resource credits on a large scale.

Qin Ruoxue activated the exclusive communication channel of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion in the Eternal Star Domain, and a series of encrypted instructions were quickly sent out.

Chen Hao rushed to the Mecha Workshop and began to perform specialized space combat modifications for the chaos unit no. 1.

Shi Potian wiped his battle saber that had been chipped in the Purple Mountain breakout battle in silence—his injuries had just healed, but Battle Intent was already burning in his eyes.

Dr. Ailin took out her portable data pad and began to organize the technical summary of the star brilliance type i blueprints, preparing for the upcoming pre-evaluation.

Su Qingyue stood in front of Lin Ye.

She said nothing, but gently placed the icy blue jade pendant, refined with Vast Cold Spiritual Power, into Lin Ye's palm.

The last time he sneaked into Purple Mountain alone, she had given him the same one.

"The spatial turbulence in the Meteorite Belt interferes with teleportation-type Spells," she said softly. "The Vast Cold shield stored in this jade pendant can maintain absolute defense for three seconds in a void-tearing environment."

"Three seconds is enough for you to activate the emergency teleportation device."

Lin Ye gripped the jade pendant tightly.

It was cold to the touch, yet it seemed to carry a certain warm weight.

"I will return," he said.

Su Qingyue looked at him, her icy blue eyes as calm as water, reflecting the myriad points of light on the star map.

"I know."

Three days.

Seventy-two hours.

Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes.

Two battlefields, one campaign.

The Millennium Celebration of the Star Ring Auction House will open on time at noon in three days.

And before that—

Whoever finds the consignor first holds the true key to the third star token.

Whoever enters the Meteorite Belt relic first can take a step ahead of everyone on the starting line of the Ancient Star Road.

Nightfall descended on the Chaos Valley.

In the tactical conference room on the third floor of the main hall, the star map was still running quietly.

The light points flickered, silently counting down the time.