by <unknown>
The players could not hold back their curiosity any longer. After hearing this, everyone scattered to the lobby. Players were useful intel gatherers, so there was no need for him to do that by himself. Also, players could earn some quests from other passengers and earn some Enas, and he could use some method to exchange goods with players. In the end, the players were essentially making money for Han Xiao.
Han Xiao smiled. I guess it will be the first time that the passengers have met such passionate people.
Chapter 320. Development Plan and Scavengers |
After getting rid of the others, Han Xiao walked into the room alone and let out a deep breath. He finally had the chance to be alone with the first step of entering the galaxy completed.
There were many opportunities in the universe and many plans for what to do next, so he needed to decide on one path to take.
Firstly, he was located in the Garton Galaxy of the Colton Star Cluster, and with his strength, this area was dangerous but just right for him to grow. As a LV 70 Mechanic, Grade C Super, he was considered at the middle level of the Supers in Colton Star Cluster.
The universe was divided into many Star Fields, and the Colton Star Cluster belonged to the ‘Shattered Star Ring’ Star Field. The Shattered Star Ring was located at the edge of the visible universe and considered rural. Its name came from its structure. This Star Field was like a broken, shattered ring of stars, every Star Cluster being part of this ‘ring’.
At the heart of the Shattered Star Ring was a dangerous place with an enormous cluster of wormholes, where the universe’s waste was being thrown out from numerous Star Fields, floating in the area and forming a waste dump. Because of this, scavenger groups were very active in the Shattered Star Ring.
There were quite a number of uncommon occupations in the galaxy, such as the Galaxy Pirates, Scavengers, mercenaries, Colony Explorers, and so on. The Shattered Star Ring did not have a single ruling authority, only scattered Star Clusters and galactic civilizations, so there were many areas with a worrying level of law and order.
The Shattered Star Ring was rightfully ruled by Westsandling, but this civilization only had their emissary reside at the local offices and hardly managed the area. Westsandling was the official name of the universal civilization ‘Federation of Light’.
The bigger the area, the more dangerous it was. Han Xiao remembered many opportunities, but according to the current situation, the best decision was to stay in the Colton Star Cluster and grow first. It was still Version 1.0, and he was not very familiar with the storyline in the galaxy since the players at this stage had yet to enter it in his previous life. However, some large missions were most likely still the same.
The first step is to get an information source. Juberly Hub is chaotic, and there are many agencies from different organizations here. I can try to attach to an organization and get some initial intelligence, Han Xiao thought. As long as he could get his hands on some information, he would be able to know which were the large storyline missions suitable for him.
The most important target was to become stronger. He was not restricted by the version and was always ahead of the players, so he had to maintain this lead in this world filled with danger. It was like riding a boat against the current—if he did not go forward, he would be going backward.
For now, Han Xiao’s main class was stuck at the class advancement mission. He had to first find a subclass, level up to LV 80, get enough attribute points, and increase his INT to more than 400. He did not want to take this lightly. More and more experience would be required to level up, so he wanted to find a valuable, rare subclass.
From what he had earned during the Pro League, the amount of experience that he had in his interface was about 2,700,000,000, which would last him for quite some time without having to worry about experience expenses. The amount of resources and equipment that he had accumulated had the value of thousands of Enas, and the specific value depended on the buyer’s demand and the fluctuating value of machinery, which could not be determined before the deal.
The other class advancement requirement was to have five Mechanic class advancement knowledges. In the universe, there were comparatively more ways to get Super knowledge. Although the very high-level knowledge was controlled, class advancement knowledge were not difficult to get. Some financial groups and organizations were even selling class advancement knowledge, which meant that he could get them as long as he paid the money.
As long as he had enough money, he could even buy all the class advancement knowledges.
And in terms of earning money, not that Han Xiao was bragging, he was really not bad at it.
Players are equivalent to labor; I can get Enas through them indirectly, and they can also provide assistance to me. If I make them mercenaries, I can get paid while they do the missions… However, in order to make a large amount of profit, the best is to sell rare items, such as mining for some precious minerals, or get rewarded from some old wanted missions.
The existence of players was his advantage, and they could be of great help if he did things the right way, which was why he had chosen to bring the players along.
Growing and leveling up was the core target, but Han Xiao also had another target, which was to try to solve the Mutation Disaster in Planet Aquamarine of Version 2.0 in advance.
In Version 2.0, many planets in the Shattered Star Ring encountered the Mutation Disaster, and the origin of all that was the evil organization of Colton Star Cluster, DarkStar. The novice planets in other star fields would have different storylines.
DarkStar was a rebellion from the Godoran Civilization, and Han Xiao was very familiar with its history.
The origin of the DarkStar mostly came from the discrimination from Godora’s pure blood beliefs. Many of the DarkStar members were hybrid Godorans, discriminated against because of their bloodline, which led to their extreme mindset, wanting to overthrow the Godora government. They believed that Godora’s regulations were corrupted and that they were the ‘New Godora’ of the new era.
Every civilization had their own mindsets and traditions, and there was not any absolute evidence that inclusion was the more advanced choice. All civilizations had their unique qualities. To respect the traditions and habits of the other civilization, compromising with each other during contact yet not fully accepting them, was the norm of communication between species in the universe.
Of course, at the initial stage of universe exploration, cases of uncompromising conflict between civilizations occurring—due to their irreconcilable difference in beliefs, habits, and characteristics—were not the rarest. Such as the human race and species that fed on humans, there was almost zero possibility of these species communicating with each other, but these extreme civilizations only suffered in the progress, and as the super civilizations implanted their laws and regulations, even these species had to accept the existence of each other.
Godora originated from magic. Before they came into contact with the galaxy, all Godorans were pureblood—only after they mated with other intelligent species did hybrid Godorans appear. So, the pureblood belief had started to spread, emphasizing on the importance of their traditions. Those with authority were all pure blood; therefore, the pure blood and hybrids started to witness new class differences. As Godora grew, more and more hybrids were born, and the bloodline talent of Godorans was gradually diluted. Thus, they took more importance in the pureblood belief. The extreme ones of the pureblood believers did not even consider the hybrids as the same race.
The conflict became ever more intense, and finally, DarkStar was born, acting against Godora in almost every aspect with an extreme and evil style of doing things.
In order to solve the Mutation Disaster, I have to start with the Godoran Civilization…
The mutation virus had very strong latency. In his previous life, it had only been taken seriously after the disaster completely exploded, so all he could do for now was only prepare for the future.
These tw
o targets were the key points for the current stage. He contemplated the details of the plan, turned on the communicator, browsed the interstellar channel, and focused on the information regarding the current situation and environment of the Colton Star Cluster.
At this time, an announcement was made from the broadcast. “Everyone, please return to your rooms. The ship is about to speed up and enter the Light Jump Tunnel. Turbulence might be experienced. If you suffer from dizziness, please do not panic—it’s a normal reaction.”
Rapid footsteps could be heard outside the doors. All of the passengers returned to their rooms, including Kerlodd and the players. Black safety belts came out of the wall. Safety measures like protective cabins were too much to expect with such low-grade travel agencies.
After buckling up the safety belt, the room doors locked automatically. A loud roar came from within the spaceship, and the metal walls and floors were trembling.
Right after, a force came from above and pressed everyone strongly into their seats. This was the reaction force even after being weakened many times by the various devices.
Short Horn Star shot out a blazing flame and sped up rapidly.
Streams of light suddenly appeared in the darkness outside the windows, like entering a tunnel of light.
Hum…
As the pressing force reached its peak, Short Horn Star flashed and turned into a stream of light.
The engine operated at its full capacity. After entering the tunnel, the reaction force rapidly weakened because of the internal stabilization devices.
“Next stop, Garton Galaxy Star Zone 5. Travel time: three days. Please enjoy your trip.”
…
In those three days, Han Xiao kept a low profile on the ship whereas the players were rather warm-hearted. They started conversations with the other passengers and asked to help them passionately. It was the first time that these passengers had seen such warm humans, and they realized the players had very limited knowledge after having conversations and assumed them to be natives.
Kerlodd was having a dark blue drink at the bar when a hybrid human with sharp ears and bony face walked up beside him, tossed an Enas coin, signifying that this cup was on him, and said with a smile, “You boarded from Planet Aquamarine, right? That low-class planet is just a low-class civilization, and the people you brought onto the ship are all natives, aren’t they?”
“What does that have to do with you?” Kerlodd looked at him sideways.
“Hehe, are you interested in a deal? My name is Cesoly. I do this…” This person was wearing gloves. He discreetly lifted up the gap and showed the tattoo on the back of his hand—a bird wrapped in chains. That was a label for a slavery trade organization, one of the many scavenger businesses.
Kerlodd waved impatiently and said, “F*ck off. I don’t want to waste my time with you.”
Public spaceships were rather chaotic with quite many hidden gray organizations looking for suckers. Therefore, people who had the choice all disdained traveling with galactic travel agencies. Kerlodd disliked being in contact with scavengers very much; it spoiled his mood so much that he even lost his interest in his favorite Dark Blue Star Bubbles.
“Don’t be so quick to reject. I can see all of the natives that you’ve brought along are Supers, so their prices will be quite good. Consider it, okay?”
At this time, Han Xiao’s cold voice appeared from behind the two. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
Cesoly turned his head around and saw Han Xiao standing behind expressionless. He smiled without caring, ignored Han Xiao, and gave Kerlodd a slight bow before leaving.
Chapter 321. The Green Knight, Boneless Bird |
Cesoly blended into the crowd and started chatting with others again. It seemed like he did not care much about the failed deal this time.
“Slave trader…” Han Xiao frowned as he looked at Cesoly’s back.
“I might be short of money, but I have my integrity.” Kerlodd snorted, finished his drink, and said after a pause, “There are hundreds and thousands of scavenger organizations in the Shattered Star Ring, recognizable by their tattoos. Some scavengers also do other shady business, like robbery, kidnapping, and extortion. That Cesoly is the middle man for the slave trade, in charge of looking for targets. He belongs to the ‘Boneless Bird’ scavenger group, a tough criminal group wanted by many galactic civilizations in Godora.
“The slave trade specializes in capturing rare species and Supers, selling them to customers with demands for viewing or beast fighting.”
Supers were very common in the universe but far less common than normal people. In the eyes of the people in the galaxy, Supers were considered trained warriors or talented geniuses.
Supers had higher positions, and some normal people started to have thoughts about controlling Supers. Thus, gladiator shows appeared. It was like watching a higher-grade boxing competition. The audience enjoyed watching the Supers fight each other to death both visually and mentally. Some official arenas hired Supers with high salaries, and some underground arenas bought Supers slaves; therefore, the Supers were always quite popular in the slave market.
“You guys have been targeted, so it’s best to be careful, but scavengers won’t do things that will cost them a loss. You should be safe in the spaceship since I rejected him, and he won’t continue to try,” Kerlodd said.
“I feel that his target isn’t us ‘natives’.” Han Xiao thought about.
The spaceship suddenly shook and got out of the light jumping state. The window at the side of the hall showed the Short Horn Star closing in on a dark-gray planet. Its surface was covered with mountains, and there was not any hint of green. It was just a desolate rock, with dark and black streams formed from the dead rivers.
This was Star Zone 5, filled with dangerous places, and this planet was one such place. Its danger level in the Godora Star Map was ‘Medium-High’, which meant there was more than a forty percent chance that an investigator would die there. Planet Aquamarine’s danger evaluation in their database was only ‘Low’.
The spaceship entered the atmosphere, hovered high up in the sky, and let out its airdrop cabins to collect the new passengers on the ground. The public spaceships would fetch passengers on their way of the journey, and there was someone on this planet that had called for the Short Horn Star travel agency.
The passenger that had just boarded at the VIP entrance was covered in a ragged white cape. The body shape under the cape was tall and large, and a big bag was hanging across his body. His footsteps were very heavy, accompanied by the clunk of metal clashing.
Coming in front of the scanning gate, this person unbuttoned their cape and showed their real face—he was shockingly half man, half machine. A very large area on his body had gone through mechanical modifications. Pipes and wires were hidden between the gaps of the armor, indication lights flashed, and only his right arm was human of his four limbs. There was no modification above his neck. He looked cold and handsome, especially his sharp eyes, which gave off an unwelcoming aura.
The eyes of this person were light green, beautiful like emeralds. His skin was very pale, and his half-machine body was full of scars from battle.
After the scan was complete, a sound came out of the broadcast. “Welcome aboard Short Horn Star. You have reserved the business cabin. Your passenger identification number is… Please enjoy your journey.”
The business cabin hall was at another place. There were not as many passengers there as the economy cabin, so its environment was better and quieter.
This person had no intention of stopping. He walked past the hall and went straight back to his room, with the passengers in the hall looking at him with shock.
“Is that ‘The Green Knight’?”
“That’s him alright, one of the very few warriors of the Sunil Family, high-class mercenary of the Mercenary Alliance, a very strong guy.”
“How unexpected to see him here. Didn’t they say the Sunil Family m
igrated?”
The people chatted among themselves and subconsciously lowered their voices. It was like they feared that person and did not want him to hear.
…
Of course, Han Xiao did not know who had boarded the ship. The broadcast announced that the next stop was another star zone. There would still be a few more stops before they arrived at the Juberly Hub, but he was patient and not in a hurry.
He made use of the time to gather information from the passengers and the galactic channel on the communicator. The communicator also worked as a television. With advanced technology came psychological enjoyments—many channels were dedicated to playing all sorts of entertainment shows. Han Xiao found quite a lot of good stuff in one of Kerlodd’s files called ‘Investigator Work Documents’…
After looking at it for a while, Han Xiao turned it off in silence, his eyes burning.
“Godorans really know how to play.”
Kerlodd drank alcohol every day, and his allowance was finished very soon. He asked for more money from Han Xiao but came back to no result. Thus, he then slept in his room every day, totally lacking the attitude of one who had been kidnapped. In fact, Han Xiao was amused at how calm this Godoran was.
Life in the spaceship was simple and quiet; he just wanted to arrive at the destination peacefully.
However, change came without any warning.
In some area on the way of Short Horn Star’s route ahead, a few scavenger spaceships hovered in the universe quietly. Their designs were unique with signs of being modified unprofessionally. This was the unique style of scavengers. The ‘Boneless Bird’ logo was painted on the side of the spaceships.
In the main ship’s internal deck, scavengers from different species were having a party. The Boneless Bird Leader was sitting on the high chair, holding a barrel and chugging it down while laughing out loud.
The leader of Boneless Bird was called Serpent Braid. He was almost four meters tall and had the blood of Stone Giant. His muscles were bulging, his skin was stone, his face was covered with a beard, and a braid of hair on his head hanged down to his waist, thus his nickname.
