Global Era of Star trekking Chapter 1844 - 896: Undercurrents (Part 3)

The City of Transcendence's official statement stayed ambiguous, simply noting it as a measure to "prepare for potential chaos from the Divine Land’s transcendent forces siege," yet in secret, the local Star Realm powers buzzed with wild guesses and heated arguments, all unverified.

Suddenly, a wave of pressing urgency washed over Song Chi, like a fierce tempest gathering on the horizon.

Deep down, his gut screamed that this spelled real danger.

The City of Transcendence occupies a towering stature; the powers pulling its strings remain utterly mysterious. Facing such an extended, enormous buildup of war supplies, the underlying reasons had to be profound, while the "troubles" or "enemies" they confronted probably stretched far beyond anyone's wildest thoughts.

Could this signal a colossal conflict engulfing several chaotic star domains? Or steps toward bracing for a nightmarish disaster across the All Heavens Star Sea? Or maybe... mounting an offensive strike from beyond?

Regardless of the truth, should it explode into being, the fallout wouldn't stay boxed within the City of Transcendence alone—it could ravage the vast reaches of the entire All Heavens Star Sea.

The Torch Human Civilization nestled in the Shattered Starry Sea might find itself caught in the crossfire.

After mulling it over, Song Chi reached a firm resolve.

He dispatched the Ancient Demon back to the Ruins Market. Taking full advantage of its easy access, he secured the war supplies required to swap for the Evil Spirit Divine Tree Heart. Right after the exchange wrapped up, the Ancient Demon triggered the Spatial Anchor Point without delay and made its way to the Zhu Tian Ruins Market.

Gripping the chilly, razor-sharp tree heart that pulsed with potent soul energy, Song Chi betrayed no trace of happiness.

The City of Transcendence's strange, thousand-year spree of gathering war goods hung over his mind like a suffocating shroud.

This crushing weight of dread pushed him to hold off on advancing the Golden Apple Mother Tree right away, prompting him instead to leave the Ruins Market and call a hasty confidential summit with vital Song family members including Song Yan, Song Wujiang, and Song Shiyuan.

Next, through the supreme Torch Network, he linked up with Jiang Yuan, Ying Yi, and fellow battle-hardened Torch Human Emperors, laying out his observations and alarms concerning the City of Transcendence.

At the outset, Jiang Yuan, Ying Yi, and the group expressed doubt. The City of Transcendence was a total stranger to them, situated worlds away from the Torch Civilization.

Yet as Song Chi dropped key phrases like "millennium-long", "comprehensive acquisition", "top priority", and "suspected major catastrophe", combined with the City of Transcendence's intimidating prestige that could stand toe-to-toe with the Chaos Divine Land, their faces hardened with gravity.

Wiser to accept its reality than to brush it off as fiction.

From their exalted ranks, any whisper of looming threats demanded full attention.

Before long, a covert assembly restricted to the Torch Human Civilization's uppermost leaders took shape. Bolstered by Song Chi's in-depth reports and the backing of Jiang Yuan and his peers, they forged agreement: the civilization would slip into a "silent preparation for war" phase.

The full scope of the Torch Civilization quietly shifted its resource flows:

Output from the primary war-oriented Floating Lands and development labs ramped up in hushed tones;

Government entities and leading Gates and groups started deliberately, in fragmented and modest portions, hoarding assorted critical supplies, with special focus on Energy Crystal Stones, uncommon alloys, and components for fixing warships;

During growth campaigns, emphasis on resource-laden River Systems climbed higher;

For overseas exchanges, they boosted inflows of ready-made warships, elite vessel fittings, and assets for elevating low-to-mid tier Torch warships, even as they dialed back outflows of opulent goods and superfluous tech innovations to a degree.

Every bit of this unfolded in utter quiet, steering clear of sparking fear in nearby civilizations or the homefront population.

As ruler of the Zhu Tian Ruins Market, overseeing an immense reserve piled up across twenty millennia, alongside the spoils from the prior push into the Third Torch River System Cluster (Lanikea River System Cluster), Song Chi's moves proved bolder and swifter.

He tapped into the Zhu Tian Ruins Market's trading perks to unleash sweeping strategies:

Silently unloading the enormous caches of basic materials, lavish wares, pressing-free tech, and schematic designs kept within the market.

The gained wealth and assets transformed rapidly into bulk purchases—myriad war essentials surged covertly along Zhu Tian Ruins Market pathways and gathered in scattered secret depot sites on Floating Lands governed by the Heavenly Ruins Song Family.

Song Chi harbored no clarity on this looming "storm", unsure if it would strike, its arrival time, or the shape it might take.

Still, he grasped it profoundly: only through swift readiness and stacking ample "materials" could he claim extra protection and prospects for himself, his clan, and the broader civilization amid whatever turmoil might crash down.