X01 had suddenly appeared by Lu Rong’s side after Lu Rong accidentally arrived in this universe.
It introduced itself as a system designed to help its host adapt to the universe, capable of assisting Lu Rong in achieving whatever he desired. The only condition was that Lu Rong had to provide it with a sufficient supply of Star Cores for energy.
Lu Rong remained non-committal about this. For one thing, because X01’s charging status had been stuck at nearly ten percent for close to ten years without ever fully completing, the promise sounded like pie in the sky. For another, when it came to things he wanted to do, he had always preferred doing them himself. But regardless, X01 was undeniably practical as an assistant, leaving no room for complaint, so Lu Rong kept it in his service.
X01: “It seems to fall short of our expected value. There is a lot missing.”
Lu Rong: “Yes.”
Lu Rong looked at Lucas beside him and abruptly asked, “Is this all the Star Cores the Alliance looted from the Empire?”
Lucas was in the middle of drinking water. Hearing this, he choked and coughed several times. “You, Sir…”
Remaining indifferent to Lucas’s shock, Lu Rong unhurriedly exposed him: “I am well aware that Greydell is cooperating with the Alliance.”
A single drop of cold sweat trickled down Lucas’s forehead.
In name, Greydell Star had always maintained neutrality. This neutrality gave visitors to Greydell peace of mind, as they did not need to worry about political issues sparking warfare in the casinos, nor did criminals need to fear extradition. However, if Greydell were to walk hand-in-hand with the Alliance, that neutrality would be shattered.
“The entire interstellar world is in chaos right now, and Star Core mining operations have yet to recover. I have just come from the Interstellar Planning Bureau; I know very well who currently holds the existing Star Cores.” Lu Rong turned a blind eye to Lucas’s cold sweat.
Lucas also knew that Lu Rong had every reason to be confident. He had heard that Lu Rong took advantage of the chaos to take over the Planet Planning Bureau. Before long, eighty percent of the Star Cores across the star systems might pass through Lu Rong’s hands, which was why Lucas dared not talk back.
Lu Rong continued, “This batch of Star Cores can only be the Empire inventory, but the royal family concealed it so well that no one knows the exact location. Since the Alliance managed to dig them out, there should not be only this little bit.”
A Class-F star could yield roughly two hundred to five hundred Monc doses of Star Cores, while larger planets could yield around eight hundred Monc doses. Class-E or Class-D stars could yield even more, though generally, no one would go to Class-E and Class-D stars to mine. For one thing, doing so would destroy developing planets and planetary civilizations; for another, the interiors of such planets in their prime likely harbored Flame Spiders—a creature extremely difficult to handle, whose natural enemy was said to be the Winged Serpent.
Regardless, given the Empire former reserves, there was no way the Alliance could only produce eight hundred and ten Monc doses to exchange for cash.
Looking thoroughly awkward and realizing he could not keep up the act, Lucas simply came clean and forced a smile. “The Alliance certainly would not bring everything out; they have their own uses for them.”
Lu Rong looked at Lucas. His expression was calm, yet it sent a wave of inexplicable terror through Lucas.
Lu Rong stated, “The Alliance is desperately short on money. I hear that upon learning of my arrival, they already prepared to hike the price up to ten times the market rate. But even so, this is far too little. Is this paltry amount enough for them to spend?”
Lu Rong had long set his sights on this batch of Star Cores held by the Alliance. When he previously heard that the Alliance had inherited the leftover Star Cores of the Culkkan Empire, he intentionally shorted several companies that provided financial sources for the Alliance and cut off several of their material transport lines. This threw the Alliance capital turnover into crisis, forcing them to sell off their inventory of Star Cores everywhere just to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Lu Rong bought up these Star Cores from all directions, profiting immensely in the process.
Lately, the Alliance seemed to have noticed his maneuvers and started playing tricks with Star Core pricing, trying to make things difficult for him. Fortunately, he was not short on cash; he had brought sufficient capital away from Greydell, and that capital had long since snowballed and multiplied severalfold in his hands.
“No such thing,” Lucas said, his complexion turning the color of pork liver as he stammered, “You can rest assured that Greydell absolutely does not support malicious price-gouging! We firmly safeguard the interests of our Golden Falcon members!”
Lu Rong did not refute him. He rested a hand on Lucas’s shoulder in a gesture resembling comfort. “I know you have not had it easy either.”
He lowered his gaze and smiled, his green eyes both gentle and freezing, like a frozen lake. Yet at his fingertips, out of Lucas’s sight, a tiny green butterfly silently fluttered its wings and landed on the back of Lucas’s neck. Green shimmering scales scattered and fell upon him.
This was Lu Rong’s mental avatar—a green morpho butterfly whose specific species was unknown. Its abilities were hypnosis, bewilderment, and pacification, and its name was Falling Leaves.
Lucas’s expression stalled for a moment before turning genial again. A strange sensation took hold of him: he felt that he ought to provide his old friend Lu Rong with a bit more information. Unable to help himself, he spoke up, “Actually, there is a reason why there is so little.”
“Why is that?” Lu Rong asked, looking at him with a smiling expression, following his lead.
Lucas’s expression twitched unnaturally for a fraction of a second. He said, “Because after overthrowing the Empire, the Alliance failed to track down the whereabouts of all the Star Cores. Even after interrogation, they only recovered a portion of them.”
A year ago, the Alliance leader Gulmo had launched a coup during the engagement ceremony between himself and Imperial Marshal Phinier, thereby replacing the Empire—a regime that had ruled the interstellar world for hundreds of years.
It was said that at the time, Marshal Phinier fled with Queen Catherine and Crown Prince Shaxi, while Emperor Shaln bled out on the spot, and not a single survivor of the remaining royal family was left alive.
Viewed in that light, it was somewhat excusable that the Alliance could not find the Star Cores stored by the royal family, since not a single person who could speak had been left alive.
Lu Rong pondered slightly, picking up on the strange part of Lucas’s words. “Interrogation? Interrogating whom?”
Lucas paused, seemingly resisting the control of Falling Leaves. But few could escape the mental hypnosis of the morpho butterfly avatar; his expression distorted, and his voice stuttered. “Interrogating Marshal Phinier, of course.”
Hearing this name flash by, Lu Rong’s thoughts paused for a split second. It had been too long since anyone had mentioned that name in front of him, and he almost thought he had misheard.
The quiet X01, however, reacted as though someone had suddenly pressed its power button, its response intensely agitated: “How is that possible? Didn’t you help him out and send him away from the Seventh Star Domain?”
Lu Rong did not respond to X01’s roaring within his mind. He fell silent for a moment before continuing to question Lucas. “Marshal Phinier did not break through the encirclement and leave with his fleet?”
Lucas shook his head. “How could the Alliance let everyone escape? That was just the official story outside. I heard that the Marshal stayed behind to buy time, desperately covering Queen Catherine and Crown Prince Shaxi so the two of them could get away.”
“After he was captured, Gulmo handed him over to his lover—the one with the code name Wanderer. They interrogated him for nearly half a year and only dug up very little information because he refused to say anything. In the end, they had to use memory-capture technology to grab fragments from his memories and find some of the Star Core storage locations.”
“However,” Lucas sighed, stopping midsentence.
Lu Rong regained his focus. “However what?”
“You know, there was a political marriage between Gulmo and Phinier, so Wanderer probably acted out of jealousy and laid hands on him with extreme cruelty.” Lucas shook his head, his expression desolate.
These words felt like a handful of river mud, making it hard for Lu Rong to swallow. The matter he had been so sure of suddenly spun out of his control.
He still remembered the scene from a year ago when he led his fleet to arrive at the Seventh Star Domain.
Phinier was caught in a pincer attack, surrounded by the Alliance, but he controlled the flagship and commanded all directions. The imperial army obeyed without exception, swarming like a swarm of insects toward the Alliance weak spots, even gaining a slight upper hand in the clash against the Alliance. However, the Alliance possessed overwhelming firepower, and in the face of absolute force, strategy was inferior. The tide could turn in an instant.
Lu Rong had silently watched from the sidelines.
Phinier had saved him during his moment of near-death peril. In those seven days they spent together, a lot had happened between them, culminating even in an unorthodox, complete mark.
Seven days later, he and Phinier returned to being strangers passing in the night, meeting without recognition. To Lu Rong, Phinier was like a snowstorm experienced in a distant land—he had watched it, lived through it, and walked through it; once the snow melted, nothing remained.
He would occasionally wonder what Phinier was up to, from time to time having X01 intercept news reports about Phinier to brief him. Upon learning the news that Phinier was going to marry Gulmo and that Gulmo was preparing to launch a coup, he had inexplicably rushed over here.
Perhaps he should lend Phinier a hand, treating it as repayment for the rescue in the snowy night.
The thoughts flashed by in an instant. Lu Rong led the vanguard force in a stealth strike—the very first sortie of the clandestine army of the City of Broken Stars, operating as soundless and ghost-like as wraiths. Lu Rong swiftly crushed the Alliance offensive, eliminating the pursuers trailing Phinier fleet and buying him a thread of survival.
During that time, Phinier flagship had sent him a single communication request. Lu Rong did not accept it, simply replying with a two-word text: “Take care,” before hovering in place, blocking the path between the Alliance and Phinier to clear the way for him.
Upon receiving the message, the other side sent no further communication requests, instead turning about to set sail toward the depths of the universe. Lu Rong watched Phinier leave the Seventh Star Domain, assuming he had ensured Phinier safety.
He had thought that would be their final confrontation, and that there should not be any more accidents.
X01 could not help but speak up: How could it turn out like this?
Ruminating over Lucas words, Lu Rong lifted his gaze to look at him, calm and detached, as though asking a casual question: “Have you seen Phinier?”
Otherwise, why else would he be so familiar with Phinier condition?
Lucas glanced at him, hesitating. “Did you not look at the auction catalog? You can take a careful look at Lot Number 10.”
Lu Rong indeed had not looked closely at the auction catalog. Hearing that Greydell had Star Cores, he had only instructed X01 to pull up the data on Star Cores, memorizing that they were Lot Number 07. As for the rest of the lots, he was entirely clueless. As for Lot Number 03, the Myriad Phenomena Astrolabe, his vice-captain Nieyin had insisted it would be useful and demanded he bring it back.
Before he could even ponder whether he ought to check out the information for Lot Number 10, Lucas had already fished out the electronic auction catalog from his terminal and deferentially handed it over to him.
Lu Rong opened the auction catalog.
Presumably wishing to expose too much information, the live display for Lot Number 10 was terribly blurred: within the darkness of a metal cage, a dark and indistinct human figure hung suspended like a sacrificial offering. One could only faintly make out a pair of upright wings sprouting from behind this black silhouette, while a winding serpentine tail hung down from its lower body—a pristine white that trailed to the ground and coiled in heaps, resembling a sword thrust into the heart of the earth.
This was a semi-bestialized Winged Serpent.
At first glance, Lu Rong recognized that the Winged Serpent in the photo was Phinier, because he had once seen that snow-white tail.
A Winged Serpent could only fail to maintain its complete human form when it was in a state of extreme vulnerability. Clearly, the Winged Serpent in the photo was already exceptionally weak.
When the Empire fell, the only news that leaked out was that Phinier was an Omega; the fact that he was a Winged Serpent should not have been known by anyone. Lu Rong glanced at Lucas, pretending not to recognize him. “This is a Winged Serpent?”
Lucas smiled. “It seems you did not know? Phinier is actually a member of the royal family. The Empire always kept this news hidden, and he always used a disguised appearance externally. What you are seeing right now is his true form.”
Lu Rong said nothing. Not only did he know, but he also knew that Phinier was the elder brother of Crown Prince Shaxi; the two of them were a pair of twins.
“He looks far too quiet.” Lu Rong stared at the live feed for a long time. Phinier, hanging inside the cage, lacked any vitality, resembling a decorative ornament. “If I remember correctly, Winged Serpents have extremely strong regenerative capabilities; no matter what kind of injuries they sustain, they can recover.”
Lucas shook his head, sounding somewhat regretful. “Then have you ever heard of how virulent beastmen are treated in the black market?”
Many types of beastmen possessed extraordinary beauty while lacking self-preservation capabilities. Their beauty invited disaster; they would be hunted down and turned into commodities.
During the Culkkan Empire, this industry had been strictly prohibited and classified as a capital felony, yet it persisted despite repeated bans. The specific transaction pathways were outside Lu Rong blind spots of knowledge, but X01 was extremely efficient—within seconds, it retrieved the results.
X01: “For particularly uncooperative beastmen, the black market has a specialized studio that processes them into immortal flowers based on their species and abilities. An immortal flower does not mean death; rather, it maintains a fresh state silently, soundlessly, and unperceivingly, becoming an extremely secure collectible. Under good maintenance, this state generally lasts for one to two hundred years.”
The searched results did not detail the specific process, but upon hearing it, Lu Rong instinctively felt a sense of discomfort, his brow tightening slightly.
Failing to notice Lu Rong discomfort, Lucas continued, “It is said that the Wanderer has a certain medical background, so he is exceptionally skilled at this method of processing. The beastmen who pass through his hands are exceptionally secure.”
Seeing Lu Rong repeatedly look through the auction catalog in his hand and ask questions several times over, Lucas rolled his eyes and probed tentatively, “Would you like to take a look? You will understand once you see it. This lot is also available for viewing; although it is not a popular item, quite a few people have expressed interest.”
“Of course, we do not open visits to ordinary attendees. Only VIPs like yourself are…” Lucas smiled with a hint of suggestion.