Ant Lord in the Star Realm

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid silently questioned in their hearts, not speaking.

Captain Upright Lotus: "Our primary objective this mission is the Overlord Realm remnants, so let’s unceremoniously accept it as reclaiming the cost of this adventure. Other gains are divided into six parts, equally shared. Each of the five Spiders gets one share, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid combined get one share."

Captain Upright Lotus said: "Ink Orchid’s task is relatively simple and safe. Just guard the Starship and don’t let roaming Primordial Energy Bodies invade."

"Dragon Cypress Ant King’s work is most important. When we have good items, you get the first pick. Like a higher-level ’Technological Star Core’, right?"

"Yes—"

Dragon Cypress agreed.

With this promise, Dragon Cypress was at ease.

Kansui said: "A Technological Star Core is still very valuable. There are many smart Insect Clan Warriors and some scientists within human civilization who would certainly be interested in a ’Technological Star Core’, willing to bid for it and take it back for research."

Ink Orchid asked: "Roughly how much Primordial Crystal can it sell for?"

Giant Taro pondered and said: "The specific value of such unconventional goods is hard to say. If we come across a particularly interested and wealthy insect or human, selling for 100 million Primordial Crystals isn’t impossible. However, such insects and humans are hard to find. If you’re in a hurry to cash in, sending it to a Major Commerce Chamber might get you an estimate of only ten to twenty million."

Giant Taro: "Let’s estimate 30 million Primordial Crystals each. When the time comes, based on the harvest, everyone can split it and sell through their own skills. Of course, if anyone has a good sales channel, they can inform others and ask for a finder’s fee as well."

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid nodded their tentacles in agreement.

The Haimeng Ship’s scan statistics showed there were a total of 1,003 Twisted Primordial Energy Beings within the ruins, meaning up to 1,003 Technological Star Cores could be harvested.

According to Giant Taro’s estimate, breaking even is more than enough, and one could earn greatly.

Dragon Cypress asked again: "Is the value of an Overlord Realm warrior’s remnant high?"

Kansui confirmed: "Very high!"

Giant Taro said: "Once made into ’Soul Consoling Beads’ and affixed to the carapace, one can experience the power of the Overlord Realm up close at any time or place. It’s useful for the Star Realm level, but mainly for the Constant Star Realm Peak and Habitat Realm users."

Captain Upright Lotus said: "Before we came, we thought it was just the fragments of the so-called ’Solitary Wolf’ Overlord Realm remnants scattered at the edge of the universe. We analyzed two possibilities: One is ordinary fragments without Law Traces, valued at millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. We’re likely to incur losses on this trip. But if they have Law Traces, the value could soar to 30 billion, leading to a windfall."

Captain Upright Lotus raised a claw to point at the forehead and said: "Similar to our Insect Clan Warriors, the piece of carapace on the forehead bearing the Star Core is of the highest value, a natural treasure. Moreover, this piece of carapace is the hardest, making it most likely to survive under destructive forces."

"In fringe areas of the universe, the probability of an Origin Point at the First Level or above is nearly zero. The ability to stir a massive ’Will Torrent’ leads us to speculate the fragments carry Law Traces."

"So, I, Chickpea, and Purple Cicada, we emptied our savings, took loans everywhere, pooled enough funds for this risky journey. It’s a high-stakes gamble, and this windfall should be ours."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Ink Orchid: "..."

Dragon Cypress: "Captain Upright Lotus has grand aspirations!"

Purple Cicada laughed heartily: "This is the charm of cosmic exploration, either you lose everything or you come back loaded."

Chickpea praised: "Captain Upright Lotus not only has ambition but also possesses judgment and decision-making abilities that ordinary insects lack. This is the second time it’s led us to make a fortune..."

On closer inspection, one would find Captain Upright Lotus and the group of three are indeed remarkable.

They are employed by the Luoli Chamber of Commerce, responsible for escorting valuable goods across star systems. However, the Haimeng Starship is their private property. When there are no Chamber of Commerce tasks, they transform into an adventure team, piloting the starship to explore relatively safe areas.

They’ve searched for relics of other civilizations in dark deep space; looked for Origin Points in the White Crystal Star System’s starburst area; and risked death to gather chaotic materials in the Chaos Star Sea...

In cosmic exploration, the greatest risk is burning Primordial Crystals by the billions to travel across space, only to return empty-handed.

Most of the time, it’s a complete financial loss.

Flying a route can result in tens or hundreds of billions of losses, and repeated losses turn one into overwhelming debt—living like this is as good as being dead.

Captain Upright Lotus, Chickpea, and Purple Cicada are considered lucky, having struck it rich once in the Chaos Star Sea. This is their second time making a fortune.

If everything goes well this time, it could cover the losses from previous outings and even yield a big profit.

"Alright. Alright."

"Let’s talk about business."

After some chitchat, Captain Upright Lotus prompted: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, use the Zhen Beast to simulate and let’s formulate a detailed action plan."

...

...

Rest and recover well.

Ink Orchid stays to defend the Starship.

Captain Upright Lotus leads the way, embarking again.

Drawing close once more to the tearing surface of the hemispherical relics.

The five old Spiders take turns launching Soul System Spirit Class ability attacks, clearing the ordinary Primordial Energy Bodies that crowd around.

Dragon Cypress manipulates the Zhen Beast, switches to death form, swiftly expands, transforming into a 3,000-meter-long Cloud Mist Kirin Beast spanning across.

Adjusting position.

Captain Upright Lotus stands suspended on the Kirin Beast’s head.

Dragon Cypress lies in hiding at the Kirin Beast’s rear tail, wrapping itself in a mist, with hind legs trailing a Spider Silk Rope.

Chickpea hovers above Dragon Cypress’s head,

Kansui and Purple Cicada stand on either side of Dragon Cypress.

Giant Taro is positioned a hundred meters behind Dragon Cypress, holding the Spider Silk Rope.

Ready for action.

Dragon Cypress activates the Super Brain and Soul-Setting Ability, sweeps through, swiftly memorizing the distribution and strength of Twisted Primordial Energy Beings within the ruins as sensed in range.