Chapter 5: White Tiger, My Luck
Twilight Veil Principality, Indigo Crane River System, Shadow Mist Floating Land
Yunhai City, Willow Haven Orphanage
The reason was simple. It was afternoon, less than 20 hours until tomorrow's gathering. Activating the Eidolon Mirror now might clash with the alien star field exploration.
As the shard owner, James Hemsworth held absolute control—safe from anything below first-order—but only while present. Leaving could unravel everything.
Plus, he had preparations to make. Tomorrow's first alien sea dive demanded readiness. And this shard beneath his feet? He had ideas to test.
With the Mirror in hand, James paced the hall, swapping items—a canteen cup, a bag, a stool. Ten minutes later, he confirmed: anything he could lift entered the shard; anything heavier stayed out.
He moved to an open patch amid the rooms. At 10x10 meters, it was tight, but a 7-meter psionic shuttle could fit. He'd test summoning it here.
Channeling nether energy to his brow, he felt a stir. Joy sparked—he'd opened the Xinhuo Ancestral Aperture. A light flashed, and his shuttle materialized.
"You can summon it in the shard!"
Excitement surged. Beyond a crisis refuge, this opened possibilities for his plans.
What plagued Xinhuo airship captains most? Not alien threats—those were rare disasters—but storage. Shuttles had fixed space, forcing ruthless choices on what to carry or keep.
Large gear like the Furious Tiger mining vehicle, Hornet-class drones, or Land Combat robots? Too bulky. Bring them, and you'd ditch them for resources—or limp back with little gain. Lose them, and low-value hauls could mean a net loss. Space expansion parts fetched fortunes for this reason, even white ones rivaling blue or purple.
Earlier, James had agonized over his shuttle's tiny hold, plotting every inch for tomorrow. Now? Less worry needed.
This shard, with summonable fireships, was a vast backup vault. Carry limits applied—big items stayed out—but the shuttle bypassed that. Stow gear in it, tuck it into his Ancestral Aperture, then summon it here. Same for hauls—use the shuttle as a mule, ferrying riches to the shard.
One catch: he had to access the shard from the alien star field. If not, it was moot.
A chime broke his reverie.
[Please name the shard soon!]
He blinked, recalling the unnamed shuttle too. Both needed titles.
After ten seconds, a name surfaced.
"My Luck."
It fit—a shard bending fortune his way.
[My Luck, named successfully.]
Next, the shuttle. Names eluded him.
"Starlight!"
[Sorry, name taken.]
"Void Runner!"
[Sorry…]
"Comet."
[Sorry…]
The Xinhuo fleet's vast registry thwarted him.
"Phoenix!"
[Sorry…]
"White Tiger."
[White Tiger is free. Confirm?]
"Wait—really?"
He confirmed swiftly, then eyed the shuttle's stats—cut short earlier by Ethan Powell's nudge.
---
[Name: White Tiger]
[Model: Xinhuo - Nether Energy Shuttle]
[Level: lv0]
[Basic Components:
colorless fire ship lv0,
psionic main gun lv0,
psionic secondary gun lv0,
hull armor lv0,
psionic engine lv0,
psionic shield lv0,
patrol radar lv0,
psionic training room lv0 (8/8)**
[Special Parts:
Fire Sun Terracotta Tree (white, lv0) (1/2)**
[Nether Energy Pool: 100/1000**
[Materials: 1000 strands of zero-order floating land origin**
---
The Terracotta Tree gleamed in the list—a gift from Oliver Grant. James grinned. With My Luck, his start was set.