However, upon further thought, he felt that it was indeed as it should be. If the entrance to a secret realm truly resided within a Torch Warship, then how could such a warship explore the Alien Star Domain? The intense spatial fluctuations produced by the entrance to the secret realm left no room for discussion.

If one were to explore the Alien Star Domain while carrying this thing, even the Child of Destiny would likely be doomed.

Could it be that the Covenant had long since ceased to explore the Alien Star Domain?

Or could it be that John Tros did not actually control the secret realm, and they were merely overthinking it?

As he pondered, Song Mingsong abruptly stopped in his tracks. Seeing this, Song Chi and the others following him also stopped.

His gaze passed directly over the Second Rank Torch Ship Captains in front like Song Hai and Song Chao, looking towards the back at Song Qi, Song Lin, Song Wen, Song Chi, and Song You, the five of them. As for those even further behind, like Song Bo, Song Shishi, and Song Ting, they were ignored as well.

The five of them were somewhat puzzled, unsure of what their grandfather intended.

But the words that followed from Song Mingsong soon enlightened them.

"You five lads, does anyone have an interest in this Covenant?"

The meaning of his words was clear—he was asking if they were willing to give up their own warships to merge with the Covenant instead.

As a Second Rank peak Torch Warship, the Covenant was equipped with components that included two of purple quality and more than a dozen of blue. Its combat power was naturally not to be underestimated, and it would likely rank high among Second Rank Torch Warships.

However, the attitude of the five was highly unanimous. Without much consideration, they all rejected the offer in chorus.

Hearing their response, Song Mingsong laughed out loud, extremely pleased.

"Good, worthy of being my grandsons, such high aspirations!"

Of course, his words were actually directed at Song Qi, Song Lin, and Song Wen. As for Song Chi and Song You, being the two with the highest innate talent among his grandsons, it seemed only natural to him that they would refuse. If either of them dared to consider inheriting the Covenant, Song Mingsong might explode on the spot.

As for the reason, it was quite simple.

The big families and conglomerates of Torch Human Civilization clearly had a large number of mothballed Torch Warships, but why then did they go to such lengths to train younger members of their family? Was it because they had more resources than they knew what to do with?

Of course not. Although a Torch Warship could change captains three times, it would only possess the potential for continuous enhancement in the hands of the first captain, the original one. Once the captain was replaced, whether the second or third, the warship itself (the Torch vessel) would lose the attribute for further enhancement.

Moreover, the quality of the Seed of Torch of the inheritors could not be lower than that of the original captain, the requirement was nothing if not stringent.

Naturally, just because Song Chi and the others had refused did not mean the Covenant had lost its value. After all, it was still a Second Rank peak Torch Warship. Just based on its level 29 Spectral Energy Cultivation Platform, the warship's value was also beyond imagination.

When they returned to the family in the future, it could entirely act as communal property for their branch, to be rented out. Those who rent the warship would have to pay certain Merit Points each month or year as rental fees.

Don't think these would be difficult to rent out. On the contrary, the high-rank Torch Warships available for rent were often in high demand.

The Dinghai Song Family, with a near three-thousand-year inheritance and nearly ten million blood relatives, had many who had lost their warships due to unforeseen circumstances. How many gave up their own warships to rent higher-rank warships in hopes of increasing the speed of their Guidance Technique training because they saw no hope for promotion?

Furthermore, since each warship could only be rented out twice, this increased the shortage of available Torch Warships for rent, even though this restriction meant that the minimum leasing term for Second Rank or higher Torch Warships was over twenty years, which still did not solve the underlying issue.

Knowing this situation well, the Song Family had brought a significant number of Torch Warships for rental on their return journey. Aside from the Covenant, there were three Escort Ships of the same rank, seized from the Blood Blade Star Thieves and currently stored within the Mountain belonging to Song Shan.

As for the First Rank Spectral Airships, there were even more. The number which had been seized from the Blood Blade Star Thieves and the previously encountered Tros Family was over thirty, and these were separately placed within the flagship of Song Hai, Song Chao, and others.

After receiving satisfying answers, Song Mingsong moved forward again, and the group quickly arrived at the component loading area of the Covenant.

The group first scanned the nearly thirty components, then their gazes mostly settled on the three that shimmered with a purple hue.

One was an Energy Shield, another a Shipborne Engine, and the last was...

When they saw the third component, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all instantly understood the earlier implication in Song Mingsong's words.

John Tros had not lied; he did indeed control a secret realm. It was just that he could move the entrance to the secret realm at will.

The secret realm entrance in the underground chamber of the Tros family had indeed existed, but it was destroyed by Song Mingsong and Song Shan, who had arrived early. As for why they destroyed it and why they were not worried that they might never be able to enter that secret realm again, the reason laid right before them on this special purple component.

Secret Realm Binder level 20

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read