Compared to Song Ting’s lively and quirky nature, Song Shishi seemed much more tranquil. However, when with Song Ting, the two always had endless topics to chat about.
Jiangyuan understood this as well. After all, the Song Family wasn’t only predominantly male in the previous generation; the same was true for their generation.
Not to mention his dad and his three brothers, of the nine children in their generation, apart from Song Ting and Song Shishi, the rest were all boys. So, it was no wonder that the two girls were closer to each other.
Song Chi turned his gaze towards the forward exploration image, speaking softly to Song Ting by his side,
“Looking at your aura, are you about to break through to Guidance Technique lv2?”
Hearing Song Chi mention this, Song Ting couldn’t help but lift her fair neck, akin to a proud swan.
“Of course, did you not see who your sister is? I showed signs of it a month ago, and I’ll definitely break through within half a year.”
Jiangyuan didn’t dampen her spirits. Her breakthrough was clearly related to the ten Intermediate Body Tempering Potions he had provided some time ago, but this girl certainly hadn’t slacked off. Those words of caution he had given her last time hadn’t been taken lightly.
An hour later, the exploration image abruptly ended; it had finished playing, and the previously quiet projection room began to buzz with whispers.
“Fourth brother, you’re here!”
Suddenly, a voice called out, drawing the gaze of nearly half of the projection room towards the corner where Song Chi was.
Soon after, Song You dashed over and began bombarding him with questions.
Song Chi looked at him with a smile. This youngest child from his eldest uncle’s family had always been closer to him. Even after Jiangyuan’s family moved to Jiangyuan City, he would travel a long distance to visit every few months, and their relationship had always been strong.
“Little You, I heard you awoke a Blue Quality Seed of Torch. It seems our family has produced another little genius after grandpa.”
“Fourth brother, don’t make fun of me. The Seed of Torch just represents the potential limit of a warship. To reach grandpa’s level, there’s countless dangers waiting ahead.”
Song You scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, but the gleam of joy in his eyes betrayed how pleased he was with Song Chi’s praise.
As they were talking, several more people approached.
Seeing this, Song Chi immediately stood up and spoke first.
“Big brother, second brother, third brother, seventh brother, ninth brother.”
The newcomers were none other than his paternal cousins from his eldest uncle’s and second uncle’s families.
The tall and sturdy man leading them was named Song Qi, the eldest son of eldest uncle Song Shan, and the eldest of the younger generation in the Song Family. At forty-three years old, he had a Colorless Seed of Torch which he had awakened thirteen years ago. Currently at the Peak of First Rank, he still seemed to have some way to go before challenging Second Rank.
Next to Song Qi was Song Lin, the second son of the eldest uncle. At thirty-eight, he was second in age among the younger generation of the family, had also awakened a Colorless Seed of Torch, and his innate gift and luck were not very good.
Even with his parents’ resources leaning towards him, he had barely stepped into First Rank, and without any major opportunity, he was most likely without a chance to challenge Second Rank.
The tall, thin man on the left was Song Wen, thirty-five years old, ranking third among the younger generation and the eldest son of the second uncle, Song Hai. He had a Colorless Seed of Torch, but it was said that he had improved its Quality to White before the year began, and his flagship had been at First Rank for nearly four years.
Behind Song Wen was his younger brother, Song Bo, twenty-five years old and ranked seventh, yet to awaken his Seed.
The last, a somewhat youthful-faced young man, was the son of the fourth uncle, Song Yang, and also Song Shishi’s older brother, Song Ming. At only sixteen, he was two years younger than Song Ting.
The leader, Song Qi, nodded and then said,
“Fourth brother, this is your first Alien Star Domain exploration, right? How did it go?”
Song Chi smiled and remained silent, not answering directly. How could he possibly say that he had obtained one Blue and one White Strange Object on this exploration journey, as well as a Titanium Crystal comparable to a Purple Relic? That would be too extravagant.
He wanted to develop silently on his own through the Zhu Tian Ruins Market and didn’t want to attract too much attention, yet didn’t wish to weave an array of lies. So, smiling without answering was the best choice for the moment.
However, to the others in the projection room, this gesture took on a completely different meaning—to them, it implied meager gains that he was too embarrassed to speak of.
Of course, no one ridiculed him. The direct descendants of the Song Family had been taught by example to maintain good relationships with one another, so they wouldn’t scoff at each other.
Other attendees in the projection room, who could accompany their elders, represented their own distinction or were heirs to their respective families. With such backgrounds, they naturally wouldn’t foolishly express their emotions publicly.
This was the Song Family mansion, after all, where the Song Family patriarch held the title of Third Rank Torch Captain, known as the “Lion’s Rage.” Publicly mocking a direct descendant of the Song Family here? They’d have to be kicked in the head to commit such a foolish act.
Moreover, coming back from Starry Sea explorations with little to show was the norm. Among those present, who could claim that every Star Domain exploration yielded a rich harvest?
Song Qi, Song Lin, and Song Wen chatted with Song Chi for quite some time. They all had a good impression of him, not only because of his precocity from childhood, treating his siblings incredibly well but also because of that private task Song Chao had taken them on recently.
After that task, each of them had received nearly thirty Titanium Crystals. Though they didn’t need them in the short term, they decided to collectively present them to their grandfather; Song Mingsong was naturally overjoyed, and he gave each of them a suitable Blue Component afterward, significantly upgrading their flagships.