Lin Xia followed closely behind. Beside him, Larvitar curiously poked its little head around, its scarlet eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
The passage was not long. At its end stood an even grander giant gate, forged entirely from an unknown dark silver metal. Carved upon its surface was a totem of the Star Crown entwined with the Netherworld Hellcat, radiating an ancient and powerful Soul Power pressure.
Dai Tianxing used the secret key once more while simultaneously channeling his vast Soul Power into the Star Crown totem on the gate.
The massive doors slowly opened inward, and an indescribable brilliance, accompanied by energy so dense it was almost tangible, instantly poured forth!
Even though Lin Xia had prepared himself mentally, the sight before him still deeply shocked him!
What entered his eyes was not rows of shelves as he had imagined, but a gigantic hall that seemed completely detached from normal reality itself!
The dome ceiling stretched high above, embedded with countless self-illuminating starstones whose gentle radiance cascaded down like a true night sky. The entire space was divided into several enormous sections, separated by flowing curtains of energy light.
The area nearest the entrance displayed of Soul Bones!
Arm Bones, Leg Bones, Skull Bones, and even Torso Bones floated within specially crafted Soul Power barriers like exquisite works of art, each radiating different elemental glows.
There were ordinary thousand-year Soul Bones emitting faint white light, dazzling ten-thousand-year Soul Bones with vast auras, and even several pieces deeper inside that were restrained by special force fields, exuding heart-palpitating pressure—suspected hundred-thousand-year-level Soul Bones!
The air was filled with countless powerful Soul Power fluctuations intertwining together, forming an overwhelming pressure that stirred one's blood.
On another side stood rows of transparent crystal display cabinets reaching all the way to the ceiling, containing all kinds of rare treasures:
There was a fist-sized "Molten Flame Crystal," within which flames seemed to flow endlessly.
A completely emerald-green "Jade Marrow," radiating dense life energy.
Heavy metallic tablets engraved with ancient soul tool technologies.
There were even several unidentified soul tool remnants emitting powerful spatial fluctuations, their structures far more exquisite than anything Lin Xia had ever seen!
Further away, one section was shrouded in hazy starlight, impossible to see clearly, though faint fluctuations of star power could be sensed from within. It appeared to contain supreme treasures related to the Star Crown Martial Soul or the power of the stars.
And the area Lin Xia cared about the most the mineral materials section was like a miniature museum of precious ores!
All kinds of minerals of different shapes, colors, and attributes were neatly categorized and displayed.
There was fist-sized "Stardust Sand," flowing with liquid-metal luster.
Deep blue "Heaven River Crystals" containing spatial fluctuations.
"Gengjin Essences" radiating sharp golden brilliance.
"Moonlight Stones" that seemed to seal moonlight within themselves.
There were even several baby-fist-sized pieces of "Star Marrow," each containing nebula-like swirls of starlight within!
Although all of them were far smaller than the core gemstone embedded in the Star Glory Crown, every single one was an unimaginably precious top-grade treasure rarely seen in the world!
Lin Xia's heartbeat uncontrollably accelerated.
He forcibly restrained the urge to immediately rush toward the mineral section. His gaze rapidly swept across the ores glowing with alluring radiance while his mind worked at high speed, comparing their forms and auras with the information from the Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rare Continental Minerals and the characteristics of the Star Glory Crown's core gemstone.
'Stardust Sand's energy is too scattered… Heaven River Crystal's attribute is too rigid, and the quantity is insufficient, Moonlight Stone is too yin-oriented, Star Marrow! Star Marrow's aura is the closest! But the size is too small, and both the total energy and purity are far from enough As expected, even here there's no material capable of perfectly replacing that gemstone.'
Lin Xia quickly reached his conclusion internally, but rather than disappointing him, it only strengthened his determination to search for Illusory Star Glazed Crystal.
At the same time, a bold plan gradually formed in his mind.
Since Dai Tianxing had said, "As long as it's useful, you may use whatever you need," then these top-grade ores were the perfect materials for forging his future super mecha!
If he did not take the opportunity to "borrow" some now, it would truly be a waste of this once-in-a-lifetime chance!
Dai Tianxing stood with his hands behind his back, taking in every trace of shock, scrutiny, and finally that faintly concealed "burning desire" in Lin Xia's eyes.
He did not expose it, merely saying calmly:
"Xiaoxia, this is the Empire's Secret Treasury. Whatever materials you need for your experiments, feel free to search for them. If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask the treasury overseer stationed here."
He pointed toward an old man who had been standing silently in a shadowed corner like a statue the entire time, his aura unfathomably deep.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Xia fixed his gaze firmly upon the dazzling mineral section.
"I require several special ores with high affinity toward star power, spatial attributes, or exceptional energy conductivity for testing and comparison. May I begin with that section first?"
"Do as you please."
Dai Tianxing nodded and gestured for the treasury overseer to cooperate.
Lin Xia immediately strode toward the mineral section. Larvitar also let out an excited "Larvitar!" and pointed its little claw toward several ores with intense energy reactions, as if acting as an advisor for its master.
Lin Xia pretended expertly as he picked up a piece of Star Marrow, closed his eyes in concentration, and carefully infused a trace of Soul Power through his fingertips to examine it. At times he frowned, at times he shook his head, muttering under his breath.
"The energy fluctuation frequency differs… the spatial resonance is not stable enough… insufficient interference resistance…"
He picked up and set down one precious ore after another. Though his movements appeared casual, his Soul Power remained highly focused, memorizing the characteristics of every ore while secretly calculating which materials would be most valuable for his mecha's core, armor, and energy transmission systems.
After carefully "testing" more than a dozen top-tier ores and "regretfully" stating that none fully satisfied the requirements needed to repair the Star Glory Crown's core replacement, Lin Xia suddenly changed the subject.
Pointing toward several top-grade materials including the piece of Star Marrow, as well as several other rare metals crucial to mecha forging, he spoke to the treasury overseer with a serious expression befitting "experimental requirements."
"Senior, although these materials cannot directly repair the core, some of their properties are extremely important for verifying the stability of my 'Star Link Matrix' and simulating the limits of energy load capacity. I will need to use portions of them for destructive testing. As for these others, they will help simulate possible energy dissipation pathways during the repair process…"
The treasury overseer remained expressionless, merely turning his gaze toward Dai Tianxing.
Dai Tianxing glanced over the priceless treasures Lin Xia had pointed out. His brows did not even twitch before he waved his hand directly.
"If they are needed for the repair, then take them! Supply Brother Lin Xia with sufficient quantities according to his requirements!"
"Yes!"
The treasury overseer bowed and immediately took out a specially-made storage soul tool, carefully collecting and sealing every material Lin Xia had named in sufficient quantities.
Lin Xia secretly rejoiced inwardly.
These treasures alone were enough to raise the material quality of several critical mecha subsystems by multiple Levels!
Once the materials were secured, Lin Xia immediately cupped his hands toward Dai Tianxing.
"Your Majesty, these materials will be greatly beneficial to the experiments. However, the special material required for the core truly does not exist within the treasury. I must immediately begin preparations to travel out and search for it, striving to locate it as soon as possible so the grand task of repairing the crown will not be delayed!"
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