Outside the grand hall, Cedric departed with the guard captain known as Old Blue and boarded a small spacecraft.
Old Blue was thin, and his skin appeared to have a greenish-gray hue.
Perhaps because they were both slave guards, his manner toward Cedric was fairly amicable.
"Your people have all been assigned to Mining Station 12," Old Blue said as he prepared the ship for departure. "I'll take you there to assess the situation and help you organize your tribesmen."
As he spoke, the spacecraft powered up. "Normally, Young Master Julian's personal guards have few duties. From now on, you may stay at Mining Station 12 or return to your quarters to cultivate, as long as you can report immediately when the Young Master Julian summons you."
"Understood," Cedric replied, nodding.
Privately, he felt a surge of relief. Not being required to stay under Julian's constant supervision would make many things far easier for him to handle.
On the way to Crackling Sky Zone, Cedric had been worried about where he would end up, afraid he might be thrown straight onto a dangerous battlefield as disposable cannon fodder in some power struggle.
But judging from the situation now, he didn't need to worry about his safety for the time being.
As they talked, their spaceship rose into the sky.
The moment it left, the view outside the window changed completely. Purple lightning filled the sky, exploding nonstop, while fierce winds far stronger than level twelve storms hurled rocks and sand against the ship's hull.
"This is what Crackling Sky Zone is like. You'll get used to it."
Old Blue said with a smile. He then handed Cedric a silver ring.
"This is a small storage ring. You can open it by leaving your spiritual mark on it. By the rules, personal guards receive one Tier-3 Alloy Battle Suit, one Tier-3 Weapon, and some cultivation materials. They're all inside. As for the personal guards' cultivation technique, you can check it when you have time later through this bracelet. This is your Universal Bracelet. It is not just jewelry; it is a converged auxiliary processing unit and interface system. It's a nanotech construct that houses an integrated optical computer system that runs on neural impulses. You can check it when you get back."
"Neural?"
Cedric showed confusion on his face.
"Neural meaning... Ummm, how to say it. You can say that this bracelet interfaces directly with the subject's nervous system, effectively using his own mind as the operating environment. That's why there's no visible screen or keyboard. You can operate it entirely with thought."
"Oh... I understand," Cedric muttered in a low voice, but inside, he was shocked. He didn't expect to obtain such a futuristic device right after his transmigration.
Cedric accepted the ring and the Universal Bracelet with clear excitement.
He hadn't expected Julian to be so generous to his subordinates, providing not only cultivation techniques but also Battle Armor, Weapons, and Cultivation Resources.
Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, Cedric looked at Old Blue with hopeful eyes and asked, "Old Blue, is the cultivation technique granted by Young Master meant only for me, or may I pass it on to my tribesmen?"
"No," Old Blue replied bluntly. "The cultivation technique given to the personal guards was obtained at the cost of vast resources. It allows cultivation all the way to the peak of the Earthen Soul Realm and even includes specialized combat techniques. It must never be spread casually."
"Alright… I understand," Cedric said, sounding a little disappointed.
He had been hoping to use the System's ability to upgrade the cultivation technique into something more advanced, but now that clearly wasn't possible.
As for teaching it in secret, that wasn't even worth considering.
All of his people were controlled by the Slave Rune. Deep in their minds, they were absolutely loyal to Julian.
Even he would be exposed and discarded without hesitation if he ever went against Julian's interests.
"It looks like staying here forever isn't a good plan. If I do, my growth will be limited at every step."
Cedric felt uneasy. "No, after I settle in, I need to quickly increase my strength using the System's return ability, then find a chance to escape as soon as possible."
"You don't need to look so down," Old Blue said, noticing Cedric's silence and mistaking it for worry about his people. He smiled and tried to reassure him.
"Relax. The personal guards' special cultivation technique can't be shared, but I have plenty of advanced cultivation methods. I'll send you a few sets later."
"Huh?"
Cedric snapped back to attention and quickly put on a thankful expression.
"In that case, thank you very much, Old Blue."
---
The spaceship was extremely fast, crossing several thousand kilometers in just a moment.
Soon, it landed at the bottom of a deep, hidden canyon. The canyon was hundreds of miles deep but only a little over a thousand meters wide.
Because of the natural terrain, this area was mostly protected from lightning and strong winds.
Along the rock walls on both sides of the canyon, there were many black cave openings of different sizes, leading deep into the rock.
"This is Mining Station 12, a newly opened Skybolt Crystal Mine," Old Blue said. "For now, only your tribesmen are working here."
"Young Master Julian's requirement is simple. This mine must produce at least a hundred million Skybolt Crystals every year."
"Also, you should know that Skybolt Crystal Veins contain extremely powerful lightning energy. If warriors below Seven Stars are exposed to it for too long, their bodies won't be able to handle it. Even though your tribesmen have higher resistance to lightning energy, they still need to be careful not to exceed their limits."
"It's best to send them in groups to mine the Skybolt Crystals. After working for a while, they should come out and rest. That way, no one gets hurt, and Young Master's work won't be delayed."
"Everything else you need to know has been sent to your Universal Bracelet. You can contact me anytime if something comes up."
Old Blue took Cedric on a quick tour of several mining tunnels, gave a few more instructions, and then left in his spaceship.
Only after that did Cedric finally feel a little relieved.
"Phew… the first obstacle is finally over. Luckily, I wasn't thrown straight into some deadly situation!"
As he watched Old Blue's spaceship disappear above the canyon, a sharp light slowly appeared in his eyes.
"Next, I can look for a chance to test the System's return ability."