Translator: AnubisTL
The Kasha Civilization Federation is composed of nearly ten thousand Tier 1 Civilizations, over two hundred Tier 2 Civilizations, and the Tier 3 Kasha Civilization itself.
It spans a region approximately ten thousand light-years across.
This vast territory, rich in mining stars, is almost entirely controlled by the Kasha Civilization. Even a small mining star contains resources valued at least in the trillions of units. Given the Kasha Civilization's long history, the accumulated resources amount to a terrifyingly immense number.
Yes, it's true that the Kasha Civilization has its share of parasites.
But parasites require a full granary to thrive. Without abundant resources, it's difficult for parasites to exist at all.
Although the situation unfolded with surprising suddenness—so quickly that even the Kasha Civilization itself hadn't fully reacted—the leadership swiftly made their decision:
Fight.
They couldn't possibly sit by and watch the Western Military District be completely annihilated. Such a catastrophe would pose an existential threat to the Kasha Civilization. Since recall was impossible, combat was the only option.
In a war between top-tier civilizations, there are no small-scale probes or feints.
Once engaged, it becomes a decisive battle—a struggle that continues until one civilization is utterly destroyed.
When the leadership of the Kasha Civilization issued the command, the colossal machine that had slumbered for ages slowly began to stir, and the entire civilization entered a state of maximum war readiness.
Resources were inventoried and consolidated.
The military began mass recruitment, forcibly conscripting all forces from Second-Tier Civilizations and the standing armies of First-Tier Civilizations.
Civilian volunteers also began enlisting.
Production lines worked around the clock, churning out essential strategic materials like water flowing through a sluice.
Against this backdrop, Chen Mang set out.
In the vast cosmos, the Stellaris sailed through the darkness, a backdrop of endless stars twinkling against a pitch-black curtain.
Behind it followed over thirty High-Level Trains, all belonging to the Philia Pirate Group. A group worthy of the name naturally comprised more than a single train, with the highest-tier train being PuruPuru's personal vehicle.
The Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon boasted a Tier 100 rating.
Its Energy Defense Shield was even more formidable, rated at Tier 40.
Such armaments were virtually no match for the Stellaris, but by cosmic standards, they marked the Philia Pirate Group as a formidable pirate faction. On the Federation's bounty list, the group ranked twenty-third.
This demonstrated their formidable strength.
"Bounty amount: 97.8 billion units of iron ore."
"That's a bit low," Chen Mang remarked, seated in his chair and glancing at the bounty leaderboard on his wristwatch. He turned to PuruPuru beside him. "What did you do to make the Kasha Civilization put such a high bounty on your head?"
"It's not like that," PuruPuru shook his head and explained. "This leaderboard wasn't issued by the Kasha Civilization. It's a private list established by a powerful Second-Tier Civilization. The bounty isn't funded by a single person either."
"For example, if you want to put a bounty on someone, you just need to take some iron ore to the organization, hand it over, and the bounty goes live."
"The organization takes a 10% commission."
"So if you put in 10 million, the actual bounty amount is only 9 million."
"When someone completes a bounty mission, they can present the evidence to the organization and claim the reward. The organization will then transfer the accumulated bounty funds from their reserves to you."
"And you can even put up a collective bounty."
"So, the pirates with the higher bounties on the leaderboard are usually those who've been targeted by multiple groups simultaneously."
"Right," Chen Mang said thoughtfully. "That means you have quite a few enemies. 97.8 billion units of iron ore—surely that had to come from several different factions."
"Ah, that..."
PuruPuru cleared his throat, a hint of pride in his voice. "In our line of work, reputation is everything."
"Plundering and killing is risky and low-profit. We rely on our reputation to make the big clans in the area pay us protection fees. And this reputation has three key components."
"First, credibility."
"A credible pirate earns trust. People believe that after paying the protection fee, you won't renege or arbitrarily raise the price."
"Second, ruthlessness."
"You need rumors of your brutal methods to inspire fear."
"Third, prestige."
"I put a 50 billion bounty on my own head, and with the 47.9 billion units of iron ore accumulated over the years, I've secured the 23rd spot on the bounty leaderboard. That's prestige. Holding this position alone proves my strength."
"People in our line of work..."
"We have plenty of cash flow. Fifty billion is definitely manageable."
Chen Mang gave PuruPuru a slightly peculiar look. "You seem quite proud of your pirate past."
"You have to love what you do, right?"
"Besides, I was pretty good at it. Not bad at all."
"Then why not go for more? Why not aim for the Top Rank and boost your prestige even further?"
"That's not possible."
PuruPuru shook his head. "A certain amount of prestige is fine, but if it gets too inflated and doesn't match your actual strength, it invites trouble—like bounty hunters or that organization coming after you."
"That organization often targets high-ranked pirates on the bounty list. They issue the bounties and hunt the targets themselves, making a profit from both ends."
"Rank 23 is perfect."
"It gives me enough prestige without drawing too much attention from certain eyes in the shadows."
Chen Mang nodded silently. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he told PuruPuru to contact him directly if anything came up in the future. Watching PuruPuru's retreating figure, Chen Mang felt a touch of wistfulness.
This was the first time he'd ever seen someone let go of something so quickly.
After all, this was the boss of a major organization, a figure whose power was significant even within the Kasha Civilization Federation.
Yet he'd simply let go, without hesitation.
He was completely abandoning his life as a pirate.
Instead, he was going to join Doba to build a new home for the goblins. If Chen Mang were in his position, he would never have been able to let go so easily. Even if he wanted to rebuild his home, he would have needed to ensure he retained a say in how it was run.
He didn't want to end up an outsider in his own home after it was built.
Just as he had been when he first saw Doba.
The goblin civilization was proud, a little clever, but lacked grand ambitions. They only wanted a small home of their own, where they could play games at the village entrance each day. The path of conquest and dominance simply wasn't suited to the goblins.
Goblins had no ambition.
Without ambition, there was nothing to sustain you on your journey.
"..."
Finally, he looked forward to their destination: Black Tortoise Star. Located on the very edge of the Western Region, it would likely be the first to fall if war broke out—a place of extreme danger.
The current Kasha Civilization likely had more pressing concerns than worrying about losing a single planet.
It would be safer to take Black Tortoise Star away first.
As for the top-tier clothing from the Mechanical Civilization "Blazing Sun," it remained stored on the train for now. He'd sell it later when the opportunity arose, or perhaps keep it as a souvenir.
After all, it was only worth a few billion units of iron ore.
Having received such lavish gifts from Black Tortoise Star, his standards had risen considerably.
All the spoiled second-generation heirs from the Western Military District had been slaughtered.
No one wanted to buy those clothes anymore.
However, there was still demand in other zones. The problem was the cost of traveling thousands of light-years to reach them. Wormholes existed, but they weren't free for the Free Army to use.
Second-hand dealers were unwilling to take the risk, given the uncertain profit margin after factoring in the round-trip expenses.
He wasn't willing to go either.
The Kasha Civilization Federation strictly regulated and investigated inter-zone trains, requiring thorough checks on every train. His train couldn't withstand such scrutiny.
But...
Before leaving Hibiscus Star, he placed four Tier 200 refrigerators on four inter-zone cargo trains, scheduled to arrive in ten days. This would allow him to freely travel to those four zones in the future.
Even if the train couldn't go, people could.
This opened up many possibilities.
For example, selling clothes, acting as a middleman, or instant communication.
The Federation's primary wartime communication method still relied on wormholes, which had issues with signal instability and limited coverage. But even with its speed, it was sufficient for his purposes. He'd set up refrigerators—these devices would prove far more reliable.
Even in the worst-case scenario, where the Stellaris found itself in an inescapable situation on the battlefield and all its trump cards proved useless, at least the train's key members could escape through the refrigerators, preserving a spark of hope to reignite later.
Just then—
A voice echoed in the locomotive cabin.
"Lord Mang, PuruPuru's AI has finished syncing the data. I've extracted several crucial pieces of information. Shall I present them now?"
"Go ahead."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette.
PuruPuru's cooperation was infuriatingly clumsy. When Chen Mang suggested he provide some important information, PuruPuru had simply offered to copy the AI's entire database for Xiao Ai to review, letting Chen Mang pick out the crucial bits himself.
He would never allow anyone to copy Xiao Ai's database in his lifetime.
That would reveal a massive amount of information.
The AI could be considered the person on the train who knows the train best, even more so than the Train Captain. After all, the Train Captain couldn't possibly monitor the status of every accessory in real time.
"First piece of information."
"PuruPuru once found a Habitable Star within the Mechanical Civilization Ruins. Of course, it had already left its orbit and become a deserted planet, no longer suitable for habitation."
"A planet like this, if sold to the Kasha Civilization, could fetch a price of at least thirty trillion units of iron ore!"
"The Kasha Civilization has always publicly declared that any relics of the Mechanical Civilization can be exchanged for resources. If someone can find a planet of the Mechanical Civilization, they will acquire it at a minimum price of thirty trillion units of iron ore."
"After their defeat, the Mechanical Civilization left almost no planets intact. A complete planet like this could yield a wealth of information about the Mechanical Civilization, making it invaluable for research."
"For the Kasha Civilization, such a planet would be considered a priceless treasure."
"But—"
"PuruPuru chose to withhold this information and implanted a tracking device within the planet to facilitate future retrieval."
"Firstly, he didn't trust the Kasha Civilization, believing they wouldn't actually provide the promised resources."
"Eliminating witnesses is always the simplest solution."
"He wasn't keen on gambling on buying a horse's bone for a thousand gold."
"Secondly, if there's ever an opportunity to rebuild the Goblin Civilization in the future, this planet could serve as a suitable habitat."
"Good point."
Chen Mang nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This information is crucial. After we secure Black Tortoise Star, we'll investigate further to see what else we can uncover."
"Second piece of information."
"Once, a high-ranking leader from the Kasha Civilization hired intermediaries to assassinate a competitor's family. PuruPuru accidentally overheard the leader's name and preserved all the evidence, thinking it might be useful someday."
Chen Mang frowned, pondering. "Which high-ranking leader?"
"The Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military District of the Kasha Civilization. His rank is slightly higher than the Commanders of the other four zones, making him part of the innermost leadership circle."
"However... Lord Mang, you might be more interested in the victim of this incident."
"Who?"
"The current Commander-in-Chief of the Western Military District, Li Wei."
"Oh?"
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, tapping his knuckles lightly against the armrest. This news genuinely piqued his interest. "It seems Commander Li was completely unaware of this."
"He must have been. Otherwise, he wouldn't have launched an attack on the Zerg Civilization. He would have raised his banner and turned against them directly."
He fell silent, offering no further comment.
He could understand why the core leaders of the Kasha Civilization would entrust a pirate group with such a task through intermediaries. After all, sensitive operations often required third-party agents unrelated to the core leadership. Pirates were the perfect choice for such missions.
But... the fact that PuruPuru could trace the operation back to its originators meant the intermediaries involved were utterly incompetent.
Absolute trash.
Before long, the Stellaris had reached the vicinity of Black Tortoise Star.
The area was bustling with activity, as numerous Merchant Guild Trains traveled back and forth. As a habitable planet within the galaxy and a popular tourist destination, it was inevitable that it would attract attention, even without a Kasha Civilization garrison.
The Kasha Civilization's garrison had already been led by Li Wei to launch an attack on the Zerg Civilization's domain.
Of course, ground forces were still stationed there.
"Now that I'm taking this, I really have to make my escape."
Chen Mang glanced around at the bustling scene, sighed softly, and rose to approach the refrigerator. He couldn't possibly leave the Black Tortoise Star behind. The war was about to begin, and this place would become extremely dangerous. He just hoped the Kasha Civilization wouldn't notice the commotion here.
Worry more about Commander Li instead.
They're almost at the Zerg's doorstep.
A few breaths later, Chen Mang materialized inside the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. The Pavilion Master, who had already received the message, was waiting there with the leaders of the other seven factions.
"Gentlemen," he said, scanning the assembled leaders. "Xiao Ai has already briefed you on the details. The final battle between the Zerg Civilization and the Kasha Civilization is imminent, and this area will become a war zone. It's extremely dangerous for you to remain here."
"Prepare to cancel the Civilization Imprints."
"I'm taking the Black Tortoise Star into the Stellaris."
"Understood!"
The Pavilion Master nodded solemnly. So the first return on our investment has arrived. Without Chen Mang, they would have been stranded here, hoping the Zerg Civilization would simply ignore them.
"What about the passengers from other races in Central Continent City? Should we drive them out?"
"There's no time to drive them out."
"Move quickly. Just pack everything up and take it all. We'll sort it out later after we've secured it."
"Understood."
The next moment—
Within the Kasha Civilization Federation, on the galaxy maps—the special items found on all trains—the Black Tortoise Star, which had previously been marked with the Black Tortoise Civilization's imprint, suddenly lost its Civilization Imprint and vanished from the galaxy maps, becoming just another ordinary star in the universe.
However—
No one noticed this.
The galaxy maps displayed a range of 100,000 light-years, within which there were countless civilization homeworlds. No one would constantly monitor the ownership of a single Tier 1 Civilization.
Then—
A powerful gravitational force emerged from the black hole slowly forming above the Black Tortoise Star. Nearby trains, as if startled by a ghost, pushed their engines to maximum power and fled at breakneck speed.
Is this a fucking black hole?
Black holes require specific conditions to form. How could one suddenly appear out of nowhere?
This is completely unreasonable!
Yet—
The black hole had indeed appeared, and the entire Black Tortoise Star, completely unable to resist its gravitational pull, was gradually being devoured by it. This scene was witnessed by many until the Black Tortoise Star was completely consumed, after which the black hole swiftly vanished.
It came quickly and disappeared just as fast.
Without a trace.
There were no particularly strong energy fluctuations either. The only difference from before was that the Black Tortoise Star was gone.
By now, many had realized that this couldn't possibly be a black hole. At such a close distance, the gravitational pull alone would have torn the train apart, let alone the destructive force.
Meanwhile, the Stellaris train, having retreated to a safe distance, had already returned to Hibiscus Star and embarked on its next unknown journey.
With this, the Stellaris train now housed three planets within its confines: the First-Class Mining Planet, Aquablue Star, and the newly acquired Black Tortoise Star!
"It's a bit of a shame," Chen Mang mused, sitting in his seat and watching the Black Tortoise Star slowly rotate within the newly created Tier 200 Space Gate on the train's screen. A Tier 200 Space Gate could only accommodate a single planet.
He had envisioned placing all three planets together, creating something akin to a galaxy. That way, they could frequently interact and exchange resources—a vision that would have given his growing civilization a more cohesive identity.
Perhaps in the future, he thought. Once he upgraded the Space Gate accessory to Tier 500, it might be able to hold more planets. His upgrade path was limitless; one day, he might even be able to contain the entire universe within his train.
Not bad.
From Lord of the Train to Lord of the Civilization, and now on the path to becoming Lord of the Universe.
The Stellaris train soon arrived at Hibiscus Star, preparing to pass through the planet's wormhole to reach the Mechanical Civilization Ruins Zone.
The power distribution in this entire region was roughly as follows:
The far west was dominated by the Zerg Civilization.
The far east was home to the Kasha Civilization Federation.
In between lay scattered Tier 1 Civilizations and numerous uncategorized civilizations. To the far north lay the Mechanical Civilization Ruins Zone, a staggering tens of thousands of light-years from Hibiscus Star—a wormhole trip that came at a hefty price.
"Sixty billion units of iron ore," Chen Mang murmured, silently gesturing for Xiao Ai to carry the bag of iron ore to the window and place it into the extended mechanical arm. The price was truly exorbitant—Sixty billion units, equivalent to the market value of two Jimei Tourism Companies.
This price covered both the outbound and return journeys.
No additional fees were required for the return trip.
Of course, whether one could return alive was an entirely different matter.
This was truly a journey beyond the means of ordinary people.
Yet,
"..."
Chen Mang tilted his head, gazing at the dozens of trains stretching out before him, each with over a thousand carriages. He sighed deeply. These people were ruthless. The fee was charged per train, with each train's round trip costing Sixty billion units.
As a result—many trains would combine into a single "super train," pooling their resources to afford the journey. Upon return, they would simply reassemble.
This practice even gave birth to a new profession: the "Mule"—the leader responsible for coordinating the combined effort.
After all, if the leader of a group abandoned the project and there was no proof of payment, the remaining members would have to pay a substantial penalty to return. He chose not to join such a venture; the process was too complicated.
The trains were packed with people.
Some adventurers, who hadn't secured a spot on a train, paid a fee to the Mule to join. These were essentially suicide missions—venturing into space without even a train, pure gambles with their lives.
Moreover, once these groups passed through the wormhole, they were bound by a time limit, typically returning together after a year.
No freedom.
He chose to travel alone, at the cost of an additional 6 billion units of iron ore.
In this world, freedom often came at an exorbitant price, requiring significant sacrifices.
After completing the payment,
he advanced through space for about a minute before spotting the slowly rotating wormhole ahead. The distorted starlight within the wormhole's interior shimmered like a young girl's diary, captivating and irresistible, drawing one to explore its mysteries.
Upon entering the wormhole,
its interior resembled all the other wormholes he had experienced before.
This wormhole was exceptionally short.
In mere seconds, he emerged at the other end, practically arriving instantly.
One of the most counterintuitive aspects of wormholes is that the time spent traversing them isn't determined by the distance covered. Instead, it depends on various factors, resulting in a semi-random duration.
As the Stellaris emerged from the wormhole, it saw a convoy of trains guided by a shuttle toward the nearest planet. The Stellaris also had its own shuttle—a locomotive leading the way and remotely transmitting information about the situation ahead.
The Stellaris train moved slowly, and the shuttle ahead, seemingly understanding the need for caution, maintained a patient pace. After all, traveling too fast could risk the train falling apart.
Indeed, the Stellaris was temporarily serving as a "mule," pulling a long string of carriages behind it. However, these were all trains belonging to the Philia Pirate Group. After all, they still needed PuruPuru's train to pinpoint the planet of the Mechanical Civilization.
Before long, guided by the shuttle, the train headed toward the nearest planet. This planet orbited a star and served as the region's only waystation, where all explorers replenished their supplies before continuing their journeys.
"Is this the site of the Mechanical Civilization?"
Inside the train, Chen Mang sat in his seat, gazing at the distant scene, his eyes filled with awe. He had imagined it might resemble the Terracotta Army—static and silent—but this place was far different. Here, amidst the stillness, there was also movement.
In the distance,
countless pieces of space debris floated in the void—remnants of trains and other wreckage that had lingered for eons. According to the shuttle's information, this region spanning tens of thousands of light-years was littered with such space junk.
Beyond that,
a small black hole was visible to the naked eye—a product of the fierce bombardment during the great war. Many such black holes still haunted this battlefield, some having dissipated over time, others persisting.
Occasionally, a pillar of light streaked across the void.
It wasn't a comet.
It was a light energy attack.
Indeed.
Though the Mechanical Civilization had fallen centuries ago, its traces still lingered. During the final war between races, countless light energy main cannons had been fired. Those that missed their targets continued to traverse the cosmos, destined to one day collide with a planet and exhaust their energy.
Tens of thousands of light-years might not sound like much.
But if you fired an Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon from one end of that distance to the other, assuming it didn't hit anything along the way, it would take tens of thousands of years to reach its destination.
And since the Mechanical Civilization was destroyed less than a millennium ago, countless attacks from their arsenal still litter the battlefield ruins.
If you're unlucky enough to get hit...
Well, you can only blame your luck.
Just don't gamble with your life again in your next life.
Beyond these dangers, there are countless other perils. Every step here is fraught with danger, yet the rewards are equally bountiful. Any relic of the Mechanical Civilization you can find and bring out is worth a fortune.
Fortune Star, Settlement City 1.
This place started as a simple gathering spot for the first few adventurers. But as more people arrived, it grew into a bustling city, attracting train conductors seeking adventure and second-hand merchants eager to profit from their finds.
The round-trip fare is 60 billion.
Many who come never leave, staying to make their fortune and retire before returning home. Most treasures brought back from expeditions are sold directly to the city's second-hand merchants.
With so many people...
There's a need for services.
A large number of people arrived, mostly from restaurants, convenience stores, and other shops. These were passengers who had hitched a ride on the "Mule" train to replenish supplies and other necessities, traveling back on the same train.
And so it went.
Though the environment was harsh, a planet gradually took shape.
This was humanity.
Sometimes you had to admit that the human race possessed a certain talent for exploring the universe. No matter how difficult the environment, they always managed to build a city.
The shuttlecraft deposited them on the planet and departed.
The train began to disassemble.
Dozens of trains separated back into their original components. The "train" lacked the ability to merge multiple carriages, so they had to resort to a primitive method of securing them with steel cables and other materials. This makeshift binding was naturally unstable and couldn't withstand high speeds.
"Detected," Xiao Ai's voice chimed in the locomotive cabin. "PuruPuru says the planet is currently 867,000 kilometers away from us."
"At Stellaris's maximum speed, it would take approximately 14.2 hours to reach it."
"Not too far."
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. When the Stellaris train operated at full speed, it could reach a velocity of over 60,000 km/h. He had once upgraded the green-grade "Nitrous Tailpipe" accessory to Tier 200.
This single accessory alone provided the train with a maximum speed of 51,000 km/h.
Moreover, its overpowered effect allowed the train to absorb core energy drifting in the cosmos, drastically reducing energy consumption during operation. It was estimated to reduce energy consumption by 99.9%.
This meant the train could traverse the cosmos with virtually no energy expenditure.
It was practically a perpetual motion machine.
This speed was already impressive.
But...
He could make it even faster!
He still had another acceleration accessory, a higher-grade yellow-grade "Super Energy Tailjet."
After consuming another 1.3 billion units of iron ore, he upgraded it from Tier 100 to Tier 200 in one go!
This accessory was truly remarkable.
It added a maximum speed of 102,000 km/h.
And it introduced a new overpowered effect—
[Super Energy Tailjet Tier 200 Overpowered Effect:] Can absorb core energy drifting in the universe, drastically reducing the train's energy consumption during operation. Estimated to reduce energy consumption by 99.9%.
"The Overpowered Effect is a bit underwhelming."
It's somewhat redundant with the Helium Tailjet's Overpowered Effect.
With the combined effects of both Overpowered Effects, the Stellaris train's iron ore consumption while traveling through space approaches zero, though it's still not quite zero.
Under the influence of this accessory's effect, the Stellaris train's maximum speed has reached 163,000 km/h, an incredibly exaggerated speed.
"Xiao Ai," Chen Mang said with a satisfied smile, "convert the speed of light into kilometers per hour for me. I want to see how much faster I need to go. It feels like I might actually be able to test near-light speeds within my lifetime."
"Alright. The speed of light converts to 1.08 billion km/h, approximately 6,621 times the Stellaris train's maximum sustained speed. The Stellaris train has taken nearly three years to develop from scratch to its current state."
"If the Stellaris train can maintain steady progress each year..."
"In approximately 18,000 years, we'll be able to reach the speed of light."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, his expression impassive. The concept of the speed of light always felt abstract, but converting the units made the reality strikingly clear.
It seemed that traversing the cosmos still required wormholes. Relying solely on propulsion was simply inadequate.
Moreover, even if one truly achieved the speed of light, interstellar travel would still demand vast amounts of time—just enough to barely keep pace with the expansion of the universe, which itself expands at nearly the speed of light.
Thus, the speed of light serves as the fundamental balance that governs the entire universe.
Theoretically, if you could exceed the speed of light, you could surpass the expansion of the universe. That would grant you the opportunity to break free from the cosmos and witness the unswallowed realms beyond its expansion.
But that's purely theoretical.
The Stellaris didn't linger long at Fortune Star. After pinpointing the coordinates, it continued its journey into the star sea with the Philia Pirate Group in tow.
After a leisurely journey of about one to two hours, they arrived in a desolate region. The surrounding trains had thinned out, and the area was relatively quiet, free from the usual debris flying about.
Chen Mang had just released the Black Tortoise Star, stopping all the trains of the Philia Pirate Group on the planet, before retracting the star back into the train.
From Chen Mang's perspective, the entire process was unremarkable.
But for the residents of the Black Tortoise Star, it was as if the sky had collapsed. The sun disappeared, plunging them into Polar Night, only to suddenly reappear as if the Divine were displaying their might.
After completing this, Chen Mang pushed the control stick to its limit. The Stellaris train shot towards its destination at breakneck speed, reaching its target in just over five hours.
Ahead lay a star drifting freely through the cosmos.
The target acquisition radar detected no signs of life.
The interior bore no traces of a Civilization Imprint.
It simply drifted, adrift.
The Kasha Civilization hadn't established just this single wormhole in the battlefield ruins. They had created many such wormholes across various zones for explorers to discover.
And planets like this never appeared on the galaxy map.
If fortune smiled, they might be discovered within days.
If luck failed, they might remain hidden for years.
The universe was vast.
Vast enough to make hide-and-seek a cosmic sport.
The surface is uninhabitable, severely damaged, with temperatures around -256°C. Humans cannot survive there, and exploration is extremely difficult.
The atmosphere has been completely shattered by cosmic radiation.
Only weak geothermal heat remains within the planet.
Chen Mang glanced at the evaluation Xiao Ai had displayed on the control panel screen. Uninhabitable? he thought dismissively. As long as it wasn't some bizarre gaseous planet or other such nonsense, he didn't recognize the concept of "uninhabitable." Even if it couldn't be transformed into a suitable habitat for humans, converting it into an environment suitable for exploration would be a simple task.
Soon—
A black hole materialized above the planet once more.
Like swallowing a whole dumpling, it devoured the dead star in a single gulp.
These wandering planets in the cosmos were like stray cats, without a fixed home, spending most of their existence in darkness. They were occasionally illuminated by nearby supernovae, neutron stars, or the background light of galaxies, but for the most part, they remained in absolute darkness.
Extreme loneliness.
But now—
This planet had a home.
Having become the fourth planet within the Stellaris train, Chen Mang named it "Unnamed Planet." He not only intended to explore the planet's ruins but also to attempt to transform it.
Into a habitable planet.
To supply Aquablue Star with future immigrants.
This planet was originally a habitable planet, its foundation still quite solid. However, without the protection of an atmosphere, all of its core energy had already dissipated into the cosmos.
Something even the Cosmic Behemoths deemed unworthy of devouring.
Absolute loneliness.
Unvisited and unregarded.
Transforming it into a habitable planet would take time. This wasn't something that could be achieved merely by providing a star. But to make it explorable would take little time. Pushing the limits, he could dispatch a robotic army for comprehensive exploration within a day.
Within the cosmos.
"..."
Chen Mang gazed out the window at Xiao Lu, excitedly leaping through the star sea, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Though Xiao Lu hadn't yet officially reached adulthood, he already displayed the nascent form of a Cosmic Behemoth.
Moving through the star sea as effortlessly as a fish through water.
He eagerly anticipated Xiao Lu's performance after the Train Armor reached Level 180 and Xiao Lu officially came of age. In battle form, Xiao Lu's body width could reach 0.1 light-years, making the Stellaris seem like a speck of dust before him.
He wondered what that scene would look like.
The universe was truly vast, giving rise to all manner of civilizations and diverse existences. He loved this place called the universe.
Even more, he loved exploring these unknown entities.
The key was:
He needed to be in a safe environment to explore.
It was like how many people enjoy sitting in armored vehicles, touring the African savanna to observe leopards swift as lightning and crocodiles basking in the sun on the riverbanks.
But few would relish the idea of riding a shared bicycle across the African savanna to admire a leopard's graceful hunting prowess up close.
The next step was to wait.
Wait for the next day to explore the Unnamed Planet and uncover traces left behind by the Mechanical Civilization.
The next day.
The planet's temperature had stabilized. Under Xiao Ai's control, a large number of robots descended to the planet's surface, which was now riddled with craters, leaving few traces of human habitation.
But—
"Wait!"
"Lock onto this viewpoint!"
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, his gaze sweeping across the dozens of robot perspectives displayed on the screen. Suddenly, he froze, pointing at one particular feed.
As the screen zoomed in on the selected viewpoint, a mechanical factory came into view. Even with the atmosphere dissipated, the steel and concrete structure stood unmistakably clear, its form still discernible.
Scattered around it were numerous meteorite craters—wounds inflicted during its years adrift in space. Yet this factory had miraculously avoided direct impacts. Though the extreme cold had caused the building's structural integrity to fracture, its overall shape remained remarkably intact.
"That factory..."
"It looks so familiar."
This was the very factory he had encountered in the most challenging fortuitous encounter map on Aquablue Star—the one where he had obtained the reward left behind by Princess Tuotuo of the Mechanical Civilization. This factory had been the final stage, with over thirty missions he still remembered vividly.
Although the details differed, the factory preserved within the Secret Realm appeared more intact, yet overall, it was fundamentally identical to the one in the fortuitous encounter map. This factory was clearly the prototype for the one depicted in the map.
"Truly... peculiar," Chen Mang murmured, his expression somewhat dazed. The experience felt surreal.
The fortuitous encounter map had always carried a half-illusory quality, after all, one knew those things were artificially constructed. But here, it was true reality. It was akin to encountering a building from a game suddenly manifesting in the real world, inducing a strange sense of disorientation.
"Let's go inside and take a look," he said softly after a moment, lighting a cigarette and leaning back against the chair. "Let's see if this factory is the same as the one we encountered in the fortuitous encounter map."
By this point, he had abandoned any hope of discovering technological ruins. This was clearly a inhabited planet, unlikely to harbor any advanced technology.
But just then—
"Train Conductor, another robot has discovered a very strange city."
"It appears to be a city."
"The city is enveloped by a massive cube-shaped thick cloud, and the surrounding ground is charred black, like a sugar cube dropped into coffee."
"The thick cloud is slowly flowing."
"The target acquisition radar cannot penetrate its interior, and there are suspected signs of life activity within."
(End of the Chapter)
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