Monopoly

It dropped from one hundred percent to fifty percent with the second captain.

With the third captain, the Source Point acquisition rate fell to twenty-five percent.

And so on.

The Source Point acquisition rate actually reflected the purity of the shipborne Kindling.

Every time it fused with a new captain, the shipborne Kindling's purity was naturally contaminated.

In practical terms, if a first-generation ship could earn 1 Source Point by destroying a warship belonging to an Otherworldly Civilization, a Second Generation Ship could only earn 0.5 Source Points for destroying an identical warship, and a third-generation ship only 0.25 Source Points."

After calming down a little, Yuan Shu continued.

Wang Dong gave a bitter smile.

When the War Axe was in Yuan Shu's hands, it was still a Second Generation Ship, with a Source Point acquisition rate of fifty percent.

By the time it passed into Wang Dong's hands, it had become a third-generation ship, with a Source Point acquisition rate of twenty-five percent.

In his previous life, Wang Dong had suffered plenty because of this.

At least it wasn't a fourth-generation ship.

If a third-generation ship still had some potential for growth and was worth developing, a fourth-generation ship was basically just used as a tool.

"Also, acquiring Source Points isn't that simple.

"First, the conditions for a Kindling Warship to enter Otherworldly Space are harsh.

"It has to be in a Cosmic Void Belt. Only in a region of space with such simple astronomical conditions can the shipborne Kindling possibly pick up spatial signals from Otherworldly Space.

"The process of capturing an Otherworldly Space signal is completely random.

"These mysterious signals appear briefly, then vanish just as quickly. They appear in different places each time, with no discernible pattern.

"Sometimes you might not encounter one for two or three years; other times, you might encounter two or three in a single month.

"According to long-term big data analysis, each Kindling Warship captures an average of about 1.8 Otherworldly Space signals per year."

Wang Dong smiled faintly.

Once the warship's Auxiliary System was officially activated, its first available function was 'Spatial Signal Capture.'

By consuming just one unit of Low-grade Energy Crystal, the system could assist the shipborne Kindling in capturing an Otherworldly Space signal.

Most importantly, this capture didn't require choosing a particular astronomical environment!

In other words, Wang Dong didn't need to suffer like other Kindling Warships, making a special trip to some empty Cosmic Void Belt and drifting around there like an idiot for years, waiting for Lady Luck to show up.

Instead, he could open an Otherworldly Space battlefield anytime, anywhere.

That had considerable strategic significance.

Yuan Shu's mouth twitched again. "I like that confidence of yours. Every young person believes they're the protagonist of fate."

He took Wang Dong's confidence in his "cheat" as the special "mysterious confidence" unique to young people.

Wang Dong spread his hands helplessly. "Actually, everyone is the protagonist of their own fate."

"Maybe."

Yuan Shu sighed softly.

"Second, even after you capture an Otherworldly Space signal, the ensuing harvest won't be plain sailing.

"After entering Otherworldly Space, a Kindling Warship will appear at a random location within the territory of some Otherworldly Civilization.

"The strength of the Otherworldly Civilization encountered each time varies according to the Kindling Warship's combat level.

"To acquire Source Points, Kindling Warships have to destroy things.

"Of course, there's no possibility of peaceful coexistence with these Otherworldly Civilizations.

"Battles between different civilizations and species are the most brutal kind.

"Every year, countless Kindling Warships are lost in battle against Otherworldly Civilizations. Their wreckage and remains can't even be recovered."

Wang Dong couldn't help letting out a long sigh as well.

Kindling Warships fought their Otherworldly Space battles in someone else's territory. They were almost always outnumbered, facing several enemies at once.

These were real battles. If you died, you were dead—it wasn't a game dungeon where you could respawn.

In fact, the number of Kindling Warships belonging to this human civilization that were lost in Otherworldly Space was even greater than the number lost while expanding into their own universe.

"There's one last thing you need to pay special attention to."

The moment of reflection lasted only briefly.

Yuan Shu soon remembered something and spoke with a hint of urgency.

"Initially, strengthening the Shipborne Modules on a Kindling Warship only requires Source Points and some common minerals or resources.

"But the more they're strengthened, the rarer the minerals and resources they require become.

"After the privileged class first rose to power, they began deliberately controlling the market for those rare minerals and resources.

"By now, the privileged class has basically monopolized their supply.

"You weren't born into the privileged class, so you can't easily obtain those rare minerals and resources. This is a difficult problem you'll need to figure out how to solve."

Wang Dong nodded solemnly.

The privileged class had secured its monopoly over high-end military power by controlling the Kindling Warships for three generations and forbidding rare minerals and resources from reaching those outside its ranks.

That, in turn, had allowed them to consolidate their rule.

In this interstellar era, moving up the social ladder was far more difficult than it had been in the old days on Earth.