Inside Kerna City, a space city with internal streets paved with steel and pipelines, Flores Wanda, the former sect leader, sat steadily at the entrance of a small street-side pub, observing the bustling crowd before him.
Everyone was here: Wookiee mercenary pilots who walked upright like gorillas, Legre Giant weapon experts whose massive bodies seemed to carry an armory, small but exceptionally fierce Dorsen mercenaries, and big-headed Pekar pig-faced gunmen wearing helium masks—all of them looking menacing and aggressive.
As they walked through the sky-less passages, the entire space was filled with a fierce and violent aura of overflowing hormones, making one feel as if they could get pregnant just by staying there too long.
However, these thugs, who felt like they could dismember anyone's entire family with just a glare, tried their best to maintain restraint.
Thus, in this chaotic and disordered nebula, a concept called order emerged.
Sect Leader Wanda found it immensely interesting and decided to continue observing.
The human heart is truly worth pondering!
The longer I spend with these darlings who call themselves the universe spirit, the more I feel that while humans are finite, the human heart is limitless!
He witnessed the myriad forms of life and suddenly felt as if he had grasped some truth of this world.
When he was a cult leader, he was constantly busy.
Tedious religious duties and boring public relations work consumed almost all his time, even his own cultivation stagnated, let alone thinking about the dialectical philosophical relationship between the human heart, soul, and universe.
To put it ludicrously, this period of escape was the most leisurely time he had experienced in ten years.
If such a time continued for another three or four years, I would be ready to challenge the realm of the Saint, Wanda thought.
He took a large gulp of ice cola, watching a pirate acting as a buyer and a smuggler acting as a seller at a nearby stall, engaging in a full and frank discussion about the price of a phase-cutting axe, now about to enter the physical bidding stage.
Just as the former sect leader was wondering when the two of them would start fighting, a Minlanian carrying a large bag appeared in front of him, blocking his view.
It was Ai Ru, the “Lawyer.”
“What are you spacing out about again?” Ai Ru looked at him.
“...I’m contemplating the relationship between human nature and the universe,” Wanda said.
“I feel that once I comprehend this, the Six Rings Saint will by no means be my limit.
You know, Ai Ru, how incredibly short the lives of us carbon-based beings who created the Present civilization truly are!
Because of this brevity, there are so many grievances.
And the monster formed by the accumulation of these grievances is what we call various organizations.
How can such twisted existences last long?
Oh, Ai Ru, the more I act as a sect leader, the more I understand that while the human heart has no limits, organizations twisted by the human heart definitely have limits.”
“What exactly do you want to say?”
“Fellow Daoist Ai Ru, I will never be a sect leader again.
Even if the seniors and bigwigs in the organization ask me to be, I won’t.
I won’t, even if it kills me.”
“...No, what you just said was clearly a treasonous outburst preparing to betray the organization!
If I didn’t already know what you’re like, I’d blow your head off right now.”
“Be peaceful, Fellow Daoist, be peaceful.
Don’t always resort to violence.
Organizations are different from one another, after all.
Knowing the limit and understanding the limit are different.
This does not imply betrayal.
It’s like how humans always want to fly but lack wings; truth is on the left, yet one always ends up on the barren right.
Do you understand?”
The Lawyer remained silent for a long while, barely managing to resist pulling out his gun and blowing the other party’s head off.
Or rather, if he weren’t currently in Kerna City, this “holy land” for outlaws, he might have already fired.
Although the administrators of this largest space city in the Far Shore Nebula were mysterious, bigwigs with even a little influence had guessed what was going on and had been restraining their subordinates.
Thus, even the most unruly outlaws were very restrained in this space city.
“It’s not afraid to make you laugh, that young man named Yu Lian destroyed everything I spent nearly thirty years creating, but because of that, I had this opportunity to contemplate the world.
I must thank him.” Wanda’s expression at this moment was exceptionally peaceful, and the focus of his eyes was somewhat ethereal, as if he could enter a state of meditation at any moment.
Ai Ru scoffed upon hearing this: “So, I shouldn’t have risked saving you back then.
Letting you continue to have fun with that Earth genius boy would have been a better repayment of his kindness!”
“No, that’s quite enough.
I now have a life goal, and if I cannot comprehend the relationship between human nature and the universe, I still need to preserve this useful body.” He said earnestly, still calm and collected, now even beginning to appear somewhat solemn and dignified.
The “Lawyer” sighed helplessly.
During this time, he had witnessed the other party gradually fall into this state, and a sense of mournful sympathy for a dying comrade arose within him, so he said gently: “I just asked, and our ship has been repaired.
However, energy packs are currently out of stock for hyper-light jumps, so we’ll have to wait until the day after tomorrow.”
“So, Fellow Daoist Ai Ru, this isn’t me trying to find fault with you.
But you should have prepared enough energy packs from the very beginning!” Wanda said leisurely: “Although I gained the opportunity to observe the human world because of this, won’t this delay many things?
If we had been well-prepared, we might already be in the Empire by now.”
...This ship was equipped with a stellar solar sail to be able to move, and it was fitted with the Alliance’s latest Lightning WZ14 engine for the shortest possible jump time.
Additionally, it has a shadow screen system only produced in the organization’s laboratory.
With so many things, did you think the burden on the hull would be small?
How many energy packs can it carry after installing so much?
Moreover, we are a small ship, after all, and after thirty or forty consecutive jumps, doesn't the hull need maintenance and upkeep?”
“...So, this is sacrificing cruising capability for functionality?
I see.” Wanda continued to nod calmly.
“The entire Luna Star System is almost in chaos.
The Earthlings have set up an inescapable net in planetary orbit, and if it weren’t for those advanced numbers, do you think I could really have brought you out?” The Minlanian said helplessly: “My original plan was to resupply and repair here, and the organization also agreed.”
“Don’t be anxious, Fellow Daoist Ai Ru, look, there are only two of us here, and there can be endless disputes, let alone the concept of an organization.”
The “Lawyer” silently activated a calming incantation in his mind, finally managing to stabilize his surging emotions: “In any case, we might have to stay in Kerna for another three or four days.”
“I understand.” Wanda nodded and stopped speaking.
If he weren’t still looking around, the Minlanian would have suspected the fellow was about to ascend.
Perhaps feeling the silence was truly awkward, the Minlanian then said: “...I also heard two rumors just now.”
“Oh.” Wanda nodded in a very formulaic manner.
If he didn’t feel that remaining silent would be impolite, he probably would have omitted even that sound.
“One rumor says that Kerna City has been haunted recently.
People have been disappearing continuously for the past few days.
Yesterday, even the well-known Legre Giant pirate, Long Jia, vanished.
His subordinates only found his wallet in the alley behind the small pub he frequented.
Now, his subordinates have caused a commotion at the Emp... the administration, but of course, no one is doing anything.”
“The wallet was left behind, but the person is gone?” Wanda found the blind spot and immediately became a little interested: “Long Jia?
I’ve heard his name... He’s quite famous among the smuggling gangs in the Far Shore Nebula, and he seems to be a spiritual energy user.”
“Right! He’s a gladiator.”
“However, this really has nothing to do with us,” Wanda added.
...Indeed, once the ship is repaired, we’ll proceed as planned.
Even if this place is torn down by the Earthlings, it won’t be our concern anymore,” the Minlanian said.
Wanda felt that the other party had a hidden meaning in his words and finally showed a bewildered expression for the first time.
“The second rumor: a group of people from the Red Skull Pirate Group just arrived at the port.
They said their main force encountered an Earthling fleet in a certain star sector, and they were completely wiped out, with only a few of them remaining.
Also, it’s said that Morda has dispatched all his capable subordinates to intercept them.”
“Oh, universe spirit above, I hope their souls are blessed, and I hope Mr. Morda returns safely.
I’ve met him twice; he’s actually a warm-hearted person.”
“...Shouldn’t you wish him victory instead?”
“If they truly fight, victory is impossible.
Mr. Morda is a warm-hearted good person, but not a brilliant strategist.
Such meaningless conflict is bound to yield no good results.
We need to seek a win-win outcome.” Wanda said with a humble expression, as if he were a living saint.
...I do hope that Lumina can win.
It would be troublesome if the Earthlings really came here,” the Minlanian sneered.
Wanda thought his colleague was telling a joke, and although he didn’t get it, he still gave face with a dry chuckle, not expecting the other party’s face to grow even colder.
“You said before that the Commonwealth’s genius child took most of the data from you.
That should include the star map of the Far Shore Nebula, right?”
“How could that be?
I only know a relatively obscure smuggling route, and with good luck, I can barely reach the Angmans Duchy.
This is my first time in Kerna City too.” Wanda shook his head.
The Minlanian nodded.
Indeed, many pirates had visited Kerna City, but only a very few knew complete navigation information—they were all the pillar Navigators of the major gangs.
As for a complete star map, Ai Ru certainly hadn't recorded it in his database or information terminal; it was all stored in his mind.
That Earth genius child had no reason to know such secret data.
Therefore, the Earthlings should only be retaliating against pirate and smuggling groups; it should be impossible for them to find this place.
“However, speaking of the Earthlings, do you know this?
Nokelsanvisabalt,” Wanda suddenly said.
“Huh?” The Minlanian was stunned.
“Nokelsanvisabalt!
I heard this from Captain Yu Lian.
It’s said to be a spiritual incantation rune of the Ceram Giant, and it might point to some ancient ruins.
I’ve looked into it a bit these past few days and only know that runes like Nokel and Balt seem to point to concepts like luck and culture.”
...You’ve actually started researching it!
You’re not really preparing to cooperate with him, are you?
He just wiped out the foundation you spent nearly thirty years building, you know.
“Why not?” Wanda clasped his hands together, saying earnestly: “He is such a heaven-sent genius, even the universe spirit’s enlightened ones throughout history were no more than that.
Fighting against such people, even if you survive to the end, you won’t be able to smile.
So, why not find a win-win opportunity?
Be peaceful, Fellow Daoist Ai Ru, peaceful.”
Before, I just found you annoying, but now, for the first time, I feel tired! Ai Ru thought.
But he also had to admit that this guy was more suited to be a charlatan—no, a “civilizer”—than ever before.
If he had adopted this demeanor earlier, who would dare say the Wanling Sect was a cult?
“Anyway, I see you’re quite free these past two days.
How about we go catch a ghost?”
“Be peaceful.
Even ghosts are life forms recognized by the universe spirit, Fellow Daoist.
You must learn to go with the flow!”
At this moment, the truth behind Kerna City’s haunting, an unknown creature (mostly) appearing as a fourteen or fifteen-year-old “human girl,” began its hunt for the day.
It was already night, and pirates had finished their daily purchases; it was their time for debauchery.
She decided to try her luck, traveling through communication pipes only accessible to rats, to the entertainment district behind the port, in search of a precious ingredient.
Legre Giant weapon experts from the Legre Star System were a gift from heaven.
The well-exercised tenderloin of a spiritual energy user was the ultimate ingredient.
Nourished by extraordinary power, the tenderloin was fully activated, making the meat tender and juicy, and combined with active and vibrant cells, it was enough to nourish her weathered body and mind.
Such a rare ingredient, paired with a simple and direct method of consumption, made this food even more precious.
However, such a dreamlike ingredient was certainly not something that could be consumed regularly.
She searched for several hours, ultimately giving up.
Fortunately, this place was a gift from the universe spirit, with undeveloped foraging grounds everywhere.
Soon, the “little girl” dragged a breathless Dorsen mercenary and silently slipped into a narrow storage compartment.
She extended an arm, her five fingers and palm forming a huge proboscis, directly dissolving and devouring the blood and flesh of the short Dorsen man.
This Dorsen mercenary was not a spiritual energy user, so the nutrients and biological information obtained were far inferior to that of the previous Legre Giant spiritual energy user, but it was better than nothing.
In fact, Dorsen mercenaries were short, with carapaces on their backs and membranous wings, resembling large upright beetles, and they weren’t particularly intelligent.
However, they were brave and belligerent, and naturally possessed a flea-like burst of power, making them quite popular in the All-Galaxy mercenary market.
The “little girl’s” prey was a squadron leader of a Dorsen mercenary group, whose physique appeared more powerful, and whose carapace was a menacing crimson, clearly indicating a ruthless killer.
Moreover, according to what he boasted to his subordinates, he was also a sensitive person.
Such prey, even if not the dreamlike ingredient of a spiritual energy user, could still be considered a gift from the universe spirit.
Indeed, ultimate delicacies are only bestowed upon diligent predators.
Thus, as every cell of the Dorsen mercenary’s body was devoured by the alien species surrounding the little girl, explosive biological information was injected into her biological database.
“It can be used on all Zergling limb joints... Hmm, if adjusted like this, their explosive power can naturally increase by three to four percentage points.
Not just Zerglings, all ground units can use it.” She murmured, stroking her belly.
“Just a little longer, just a little longer, and once we find a safe place, we’ll have a safe home.”
She felt like crying again.
After all, these three days in this space city had been the most comfortable period she had experienced since awakening.
No pursuit from that mysterious organization, no constant warfare, no chance encounters with powerful spiritual energy users trying to kill her, and no inexplicable aerial bombardments.
Happy times always make one weak and emotionally rich.
But she had to pull herself together.
She had eaten almost everything edible here.
Unless she were to act against the two spiritual energy users who brought her here, and the high-ranking Imperial military officer carrying the fortress core...
The “little girl” had just been unlucky recently, but she wasn’t foolish at all.
She knew that this was not a place to stay long; as soon as an opportunity arose, she should leave quickly.