Eight days later.
The Devil began decelerating as it exited the Dark Universe. When it slowed to a complete stop, the massive starship gave a small ripple of vibration.
"Jiang Li, we're back in the Original Universe!"
Babata sounded very satisfied with the Devil he had built. "Simulation on. Load exterior view. Restore at one hundred percent."
As Babata issued a series of commands, the huge display immediately projected the scenery outside the ship.
It was the same vast starry sky, but the planet Jiang Li saw was not the beautiful blue of Blue Star. Hei Kun Star was shrouded in a dim gray hue, and six moons orbited around it—like it had six small satellites in the sky.
"Hei Kun Star isn't like Blue Star. Most of this planet is land."
Babata explained as he rummaged through the storage space. Then he tossed a handful of coins to Jiang Li. "Since you aren't the master's personal disciple, you can't inherit his legacy…"
"These Qianwu Coins are your current assets!"
"872?"
Jiang Li raised his hand and stored the coins in his spatial ring. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Truly wealthy, huh?
That damned sense of poverty was attacking him again.
"What's with that look? This isn't cheap currency!"
Babata saw Jiang Li's expression and snapped, "Most Planet-level warriors might not even earn 1000 Qianwu Coins in an entire year!"
Jiang Li nodded slightly.
As a cosmic-level nation, the Qianwu Kingdom's currency naturally carried far more value. It was like premium recharge gems in a game. Meanwhile, the Heilongshan Empire's Black Dragon Coins were like game gold, and the lower-tier Blue Silver Coins were basically copper coins.
Beep!
At that moment, the Devil received Hei Kun Star's traction signal. Following the signal, it began heading toward the planet's designated docking zone.
"When arriving at a planet, starships are forbidden from flying freely. They must follow the planet's traction guidance to the docking area."
Babata said proudly, "Of course, an immortal being like my master could completely ignore such signals!"
Hearing this, Jiang Li only gave a slight shake of his head.
Whether on Blue Star or in the universe, strength was the only law that mattered.
The lord of Hei Kun Star was a Realm Lord–level powerhouse. An Undying could ignore his rules, but what about a Universe Venerable?
The Devil pierced through Hei Kun Star's atmosphere as docking information was transmitted over.
"Heading to Zone Z."
Babata steered the ship toward the most expensive region. "The great Babata personally built the Devil. Naturally, it deserves the highest treatment!"
To this, Jiang Li could only shake his head helplessly.
The Devil slowly descended.
Boom!
The cabin door opened. Jiang Li flew out, and the weight pressing onto his body hit him instantly.
"Hei Kun Star is far larger than Blue Star. Its gravity is around seven times stronger."
Babata floated beside him, explaining.
"Honorable cosmic traveler, welcome!"
The moment Jiang Li stepped out of the ship, a female staff member in a black uniform—over three meters tall—approached and gave him a slight bow.
Her features were beautiful and mostly human-like, but her ears were pointed, and two flexible antennae moved on her forehead.
"Jiang Li, she belongs to one branch of the Demi-human Race: the Elf People."
Babata continued his tireless commentary. "Apprentice Level Nine."
Jiang Li nodded gently, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Apprentice Level Nine was equivalent to a high-level War God—practically a peak powerhouse on Blue Star.
But here on Hei Kun Star… she was only a docking attendant?
"Welcome to Hei Kun Star…"
The Elf woman kept her pleasant smile and spoke fluent Universal Common. "According to the net weight of your ship, docking in Zone Z costs ten Qianwu Coins or ten thousand Black Dragon Coins per year. This is your docking pass."
With that—
Her pale green hands offered him a translucent crystal card.
Seeing the big "Z" engraved on it, Jiang Li suddenly felt an urge to punch Babata.
Thankfully Hei Kun Star didn't charge by the hour like Blue Star. Otherwise, by the time he finished his errands, his ship would probably have been towed away.
After paying the docking fee, Jiang Li took to the air and headed straight for Hei Kun Star's main city—Hei Kun City.
"Fifty thousand years have passed, and Hei Kun City still hasn't changed much!"
Flying high above, Babata looked down at the densely packed buildings and sighed in nostalgia. "Hei Kun Star might not be prosperous, but it is definitely one of the Heilongshan Empire's few money-making holy lands."
"Jiang Li, look at those blood-colored castle-like buildings. Those are Mercenary Castles."
"The green ones are the lowest tier, yellow is mid-tier, red is high-tier. Above that are white and black, though Hei Kun City doesn't have those."
Jiang Li blinked as he listened.
For a broke cosmic traveler like him, the fastest way to make money was naturally to take mercenary missions.
Of course—
Even the lowest-tier mercenary missions required a legal identity first.
Nearly ten minutes of flying later—
Jiang Li landed outside Hei Kun City. The colossal city gate towered a hundred meters tall, with the words "Hei Kun" carved above it. Even as mere characters, they emanated an invisible pressure.
"Received your number. You may enter."
Many visitors of various races were waiting outside. Only those who obtained a corresponding entry number could enter the city.
It functioned similarly to an ID card—simply a temporary identity for Hei Kun City.
"The human race has many branches. Demi-humans are considered lower in status." After entering Hei Kun City, Jiang Li felt a bit like a country boy entering a metropolis for the first time, while Babata kept lecturing nonstop.
Crowds surged along the streets, similar to the busy base cities on Blue Star.
Only the architecture and the races differed.
Some were indistinguishable from humans but towering over ten meters tall. Others were tiny—barely the size of a teacup.
Skin colors came in every imaginable shade.
Some Demi-humans looked like hybrids of humans and beasts—human torso with a serpentine tail, or a human body with wings sprouting from the back, and so on.
"Actually, many Demi-human races are descendants of humans and other species."
Babata shrugged. "Their genetic sequences aren't complete, so most of their talent is poor."
"But some mutated Demi-humans have sudden gene jumps—talents even stronger than humans."
"Mm."
Jiang Li nodded. From what he sensed since entering the city, most Demi-humans here were Planet-level. Very few were Star-level.
"Jiang Li, I've checked."
After querying through Jiang Li's temporary ID, Babata said, "The Heilongshan Empire's administrative office on Hei Kun Star is located on the third floor of a green Mercenary Castle. According to the map, there's one a little over a hundred kilometers ahead."
"Okay."
Jiang Li stepped onto the air and shot forward.
After all, he was still a "black household"—a person with no registered identity. In the universe, a proper household registration was absolutely essential.
After traveling a hundred kilometers, Jiang Li landed before a massive green castle. A Demi-human guard over three meters tall stood at the entrance.
"Please enter, sir."
The Demi-human straightened his posture and saluted with his sword across his chest when he saw Jiang Li approaching.
"It's only because this is a green-tier Mercenary Castle. Standard cosmic security should use Flowing-Silver Guards."
Babata said with some disdain, "These green castles mostly deal with transporting cheap goods, developing barren planets, and other low-tier missions. You won't see even a single Star-level expert on the first floor."
Listening to Babata's complaints, Jiang Li soon reached the third floor.
As the transparent crystal door slid open, a charming girl with cat ears floated toward him—she looked exactly like the catgirls the humans on Blue Star used to fantasize about. She greeted him with a sweet smile.
"Sir, how can I assist you today?"
"I want to apply for Heilongshan Empire citizenship."
Jiang Li nodded slightly.