Larvitar anxiously nudged Lin Xia's arm with its head, letting out worried "Larv, Larvi" cries. Its crimson eyes were filled with concern.
"I-I'm fine… little guy…"
Lin Xia's voice was extremely hoarse as he raised a trembling hand to comfortingly stroke Larvitar's hardened, icy armor.
The feeling of having his spiritual power completely drained was more exhausting than fighting continuously for three days and nights.
Yet despite the overwhelming fatigue of his body, the ecstatic joy surging from the depths of his soul suppressed everything else!
"Worth it! Absolutely worth it!"
Nearly fanatical light flickered in Lin Xia's eyes.
The rewards brought by this enormous consumption of spiritual power far exceeded his expectations!
The mysteries of that "Stellar Link Matrix" were enough to produce a qualitative leap in his mecha!
The problems of energy transmission efficiency and system integration that had plagued him for so long had finally revealed a glimmer of hope for resolution!
After catching his breath slightly, Lin Xia's gaze instinctively turned toward the core gemstone at the center of the Star Crown, blazing with unprecedented intensity.
While analyzing the formations earlier, he had already clearly sensed that the vast, ocean-like, incomparably pure stellar power within the entire crown originated from this seemingly inconspicuous gemstone that carried the weight of an entire galaxy!
It was the heart of the entire crown, the ultimate energy core that allowed the enormous soul tool matrix to operate!
Lin Xia extended a finger and lightly touched the core gemstone with the reverence of a pilgrim.
Buzz—!
An indescribably pure stellar energy instantly surged into his body through his fingertip!
This energy was vast, majestic, yet carried an ancient and gentle sense of inclusiveness.
It lacked the violent, all-incinerating heat of the Sun Essence, and also lacked the indestructible sharpness of refined metal essence. Instead, it felt more like the breathing of the universe, the pulse of the stars, containing endless vitality and the possibility of creation.
What made Lin Xia's soul tremble even more was that this energy unexpectedly produced a mysterious resonance with the ancient dragon might emitted by the divine-grade dragon bones stored within his soul tool space!
It was as though stellar power and ancient dragon power were both some kind of fundamental force composing the world, connected on a deeper level!
"Wu!"
Larvitar suddenly raised its head as well. Its crimson eyes locked firmly onto the gemstone while it let out a low growl of desire. The dark golden dragon-pattern mark on its chest shone brighter than ever before, transmitting an intense, almost instinctive greed!
Its desire for this gemstone even surpassed its craving for the Sun Essence!
"Hiss…"
Lin Xia sucked in a sharp breath and immediately withdrew his finger as though burned, yet the longing in his eyes blazed like a prairie fire that could no longer be extinguished!
The quality of this gemstone absolutely surpassed the Sun Essence he had obtained from Norton Volcano after narrowly escaping death!
Not only was the amount of energy it contained immeasurably vast, but its purity, stability, and potential resonance compatibility made it the ultimate energy core tailor-made for the soul tool technology and super mecha he envisioned!
If this gemstone were used as the mecha's core power source, combined with the "Stellar Link Matrix" he had just comprehended, Lin Xia had absolute confidence that his mecha would no longer remain a conceptual blueprint. It would truly possess terrifying combat power capable of shaking heaven and earth, perhaps even challenging peak experts!
It would no longer be merely a support tool, but the true extension of his power, the strongest foundation for realizing his ambition of defying the world's rules that he found intolerable!
However, this burning desire was instantly doused by the cold waters of reality.
This gemstone was the heart of the Starflare Crown, the indispensable core of the Star Luo Imperial Family's national treasure!
Dai Tianxing had entrusted the crown to him for repairs because of immense trust, but he would never permit Lin Xia to dig out the core gemstone!
If he dared to do so, what awaited him would not only be Dai Tianxing, the unfathomably powerful Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, but also the fury of the entire empire!
With his current strength, it would be like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot, he would instantly be crushed into dust.
Even the Blacksmith Association could not protect him, and might even be implicated because of him.
"What should I do?"
Lin Xia's brows furrowed tightly as his fingers unconsciously tapped against his knee. He sank into fierce internal conflict.
Give up?
Absolutely impossible!
The temptation of this gemstone was simply too great, great enough for him to risk everything.
Take it by force?
That would be suicide.
Deceive them?
Dai Tianxing was definitely not someone easy to fool.
Larvitar seemed to sense its master's anxiety. It gently tugged at Lin Xia's clothes with its little claws, and then it directly pulled out a fist-sized Sun Essence from its own small storage space. The crystal radiated scorching light and immense energy as it was offered to Lin Xia, its crimson eyes clearly conveying the meaning of "Take this, don't worry."
Lin Xia looked at the Sun Essence Larvitar handed him, then at the stellar gemstone embedded in the Star Crown, and could only smile bitterly while shaking his head.
Though the Sun Essence was precious, compared to the stellar gemstone before him, it fell short in terms of energy quality, quantity, potential compatibility, and plasticity. It could not replace it.
"No, little guy. This one isn't good enough."
Lin Xia pushed the Sun Essence back toward Larvitar, but the determination in his eyes only grew stronger.
"We need it! We have to obtain it!"
He forced himself to calm down as his mind began racing at full speed.
Dai Tianxing had only requested that he repair the crown's exterior and restore one damaged Soul Tool array circuit. He had not imposed any time limit.
That was the greatest room for maneuver.
"Repair the exterior restore the Soul Tool array circuit…"
Lin Xia's gaze moved repeatedly between the faint crack on the crown and the clearly dimmed energy node within the internal array. A bold and dangerous plan gradually took shape in his mind, and his eyes sharpened.
"Switching the civet cat for the crown prince…"
He muttered softly, the corner of his lips curling into a cold and resolute smile.
"That's right. Stall for time! As long as the restoration work is still 'in progress,' the crown remains in my possession!"
"During that time, I have to find a top-tier gemstone capable of passing for the real thing, something that can temporarily replace the core gemstone and maintain the crown's basic functions!"
"And then at the very last moment of the restoration, using my deep understanding of the crown's internal structure as cover while repairing the array, I'll secretly swap out the true core gemstone without anyone noticing!"
The risks of this plan were enormous.
First, finding a top-grade replacement gemstone capable of fooling others even temporarily would be extraordinarily difficult. The stellar gemstone's properties were simply too unique.
Second, the replacement process would have to be completed in an extremely short amount of time, without leaving behind the slightest trace of abnormal energy fluctuations. Otherwise, it would be discovered immediately.
Finally, Dai Tianxing or other powerful experts of the imperial family, might inspect the restoration progress or the crown itself at any moment. He could not afford to reveal even the slightest flaw.
But this was the only viable path left.
"There's no way back now."
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