Translator: AnubisTL
The cost to manufacture a Tier 20 Viper Drone Fighter was 5 million units of titanium crystal ore. After halving the manufacturing cost, it dropped to 2.5 million units.
For him, Tier 20 was already insufficient. He needed Tier 30.
The Tier 30 shuttlecraft cost 20 million units of titanium crystal ore, which was reduced to 10 million units after halving the manufacturing cost.
Although the shuttlecraft had completely diverged from its fighter jet origins, its official name remained the Viper Drone Fighter, just like the Moldy Bread Slice Production Line, which never changed its name regardless of its tier.
The train currently held 1.02 billion units of titanium crystal ore.
Without hesitation, he consumed 1 billion units of titanium crystal ore to manufacture 100 Tier 30 shuttlecraft. Each shuttlecraft was equipped with a Tier 4 Energy Stone. Of these stones, 81 were salvaged from the previous fighter jets, while 19 were newly crafted.
The entire process cost less than 10 million units of iron ore.
In truth, Tier 4 Energy Stones wouldn't be enough to reach Tier 25 or even Tier 30 attack power. After all, each Tier 4 Energy Stone only required 500,000 units of iron ore, and even with two overpowered effects that halved ammunition consumption, it would be hard to sustain.
But...
The energy stones in these fighter jets hadn't been depleted. He couldn't just leave them unused. He'd use them for now and replace them when they ran out. Save where he could, spend where he must.
The Stellaris had now landed on the edge of the Pink Zone's Tropical Jungle coast.
This was a vast landmass.
It might be the largest area he'd ever seen. His target acquisition radar had a range of 100,000 meters, yet he couldn't detect its boundaries.
"Zzzt...zzzt..."
The top hatch of Carriage 10 opened, and shuttlecrafts lifted off, circling the train overhead to provide escort.
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, gazing at the red dots on his target acquisition radar. He had to clear this zone of monsters; otherwise, it would be impossible to mine its resources.
His armor wasn't high enough Tier.
But—
He had plenty of copper ore.
A staggering 2.11 billion units. Enough to fight a prolonged battle. Once he slaughtered all the monsters in this zone, it would become his own personal paradise.
He still had 720 million units of iron ore.
That's more than enough.
Chen Mang glanced at a Red-Tier Accessory he had long neglected, or rather, hadn't used in ages: the Groundburst Missile.
The accessory had always been Tier 6, never upgraded.
The main reason was its exorbitant cost. He simply couldn't afford it. Crafting a Tier 6 missile required a staggering 300,000 units of copper ore.
"300,000?"
Chen Mang blinked in surprise, then chuckled, lighting a cigarette and leaning back in his chair. His gaze drifted absently to the numbers on the control panel screen. A Tier 6 missile cost only 300,000 units of copper ore?
That's so little!
Yet in his memory, this item had been incredibly expensive, only considered for use in critical moments, never casually.
Compared to his 2.11 billion units of copper ore, the number was indeed insignificant.
Humans...
Once they become wealthy, they often fall into a daze when they see something they once desperately craved but could never obtain in their impoverished state.
The iron ore needed to upgrade the Red-Tier Groundburst Missile, and the copper ore required to craft it.
After consuming 17.2 million units of iron ore, he upgraded it all the way to Tier 30 in one go, unlocking two overpowered effects.
Groundburst Missile Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Increased explosion radius and damage.
Groundburst Missile Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: Halved crafting cost.
The Tier 5 Overpowered Effect is similar to the Tier 10 effect, also increasing damage, but without expanding the explosion radius.
The price of a Tier 30 Groundburst Missile is 1 billion units of copper ore. After the crafting cost is halved, it drops to 500 million units.
However, he didn't need such a high-level missile.
In the Pink Zone's "Tropical Jungle," the highest-level monsters were Tier 24. A Tier 25 Groundburst Missile would be more than sufficient. With the missile's power, a single explosion would likely wipe out everything in the area. Any survivors could be finished off with a few shots from the Doomsday Cannon.
The crafting cost for a Tier 25 Groundburst Missile was only 800 million units of copper ore, which halved to 400 million units.
The train's reserves were enough to craft five such missiles.
But one would be enough.
He immediately spent 400 million units of copper ore in Carriage 14 to craft a Tier 25 Groundburst Missile. Then, he whispered, "Xiao Ai, send the shuttlecraft to scout the zone and determine if we can lure all the monsters together. Then, give them a missile as a treat."
"Understood."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the locomotive cabin.
Then—
The 100 shuttlecraft hovering above the locomotive shot off in different directions, their engines erupting in violet-blue flames. A series of ear-splitting sonic booms ripped through the air, and each shuttlecraft was surrounded by several purple halos, resembling acceleration devices.
This allowed the shuttlecraft to move even faster than the Stellaris train, far surpassing its speed.
"What's the shuttlecraft's top speed now?"
"Much faster than the Stellaris, Train Conductor."
"In the cosmos, it's common knowledge—and inevitable—that shuttlecrafts outpace motherships. After all, motherships must handle more functions, while shuttlecraft only need to prioritize speed."
"Good."
Chen Mang nodded silently, his gaze fixed on the several green dots moving rapidly across the target acquisition radar. Upgrading lower-grade accessories often led to qualitative leaps, but upgrading higher-grade accessories resulted in extreme qualitative changes.
This accessory was also the first Red-Tier Accessory in the train to reach Tier 100.
He suddenly wondered if all Red-Tier Accessories would become equally overpowered upon reaching Tier 100.
The shuttlecraft quickly returned in formation, hovering above the train once more. The information gathered was transmitted to Xiao Ai's database.
"The area is roughly equivalent to seven Red Zones, the size of the Twilight Coast. There are many monsters, but they are all high-Tier creatures. Low-Tier monsters are almost nonexistent. The total number is far fewer than during the Zombie Volcano eruption."
"Lure them all here."
"Understood."
Soon after—
A large number of shuttlecrafts shot out again. Within moments, they reached the edge of the zone. From their bellies, Gatling guns slowly extended, targeting individual monsters with precision fire.
The bullets were only Tier 1.
They couldn't inflict any damage.
But they could enrage the monsters and draw their aggro. Maintaining a steady pace, the shuttlecraft continued to attack other monsters. One hundred scattered shuttlecraft began their monster-luring operation.
The once-quiet Tropical Jungle zone erupted into chaos, filled with the crackling of gunfire and the roars of monsters.
"..."
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang piloted the Stellaris through the air, selecting the designated detonation zone. He was careful to avoid destroying the zone's vegetation, as he planned to transplant all the trees into the Stellaris' interior.
It would be a shame to blow them up.
Finally, he gazed at a stretch of desert. It was an excellent location, but if the monster horde proved too large, a single Tier 25 Missile might not be enough. He'd need two.
Now, he had to wait.
Wait for his shuttlecraft to lure the monsters in.
He was the only train in the Pink Zone's "Tropical Jungle." He was likely the fastest train upgrader on this planet—no contest. He had no competition in this zone, and his goal was to reach the Seven-Colored Zone as quickly as possible.
Once he had fully upgraded all the train's accessories, he would head to the nearest mining star in the cosmos and begin his interstellar journey.
The other trains on Aquablue Star were no longer his competition. They had lost the ability to compete with him, and he would hold absolute dominance.
Several hours later.
"Killing high-level monsters in the Pink Zone should drop the Doomsday Death Certificate, right?"
Listening to the cacophony of monster roars echoing from the distant forest and feeling the ground tremble beneath him, Chen Mang murmured absently. Reaching Tier 22 required a specific condition: holding a memorial service for a deceased train crew member using the Doomsday Death Certificate.
He had already sent people to Neon City to acquire this item, but there was no news yet.
He figured the special item must drop from high-Tier monsters in the Pink Zone. Otherwise, he'd be stuck here forever, unable to upgrade his train.
Even if the drop rate was tiny.
Surely, with so many monsters, some would drop something?
All the high-Tier monsters in the entire Pink Zone were gathered here. Imagine the loot!
"Here they come!"
Chen Mang's expression tightened slightly. Amidst a deafening sonic boom, several shuttlecraft darted through the air, desperately trying to lure the monsters toward the distant desert. The Stellaris was still a considerable distance from the desert.
After all, his armor was only Tier 22.
If he got too close, his train wouldn't survive his Tier 25 Groundburst Missile.
The monsters' speeds varied, and his initial plan to clear the entire zone with a single missile had been overly optimistic. Now, about half the monsters had gathered in the desert.
Unable to catch the shuttlecraft, they had even turned on each other in a frenzy of attacks.
The scene was utter chaos.
The desert was packed with a dense mass of monsters, their roars echoing endlessly.
In the next moment—
Buzz...buzz...buzz...
In Carriage 14 of the Stellaris, suspended in the air, a red-tipped Groundburst Missile stood upright. It was slowly pushed forward, followed by a massive eruption of flames and white smoke.
The missile arced through the air, crashing heavily onto the distant desert.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted, instantly engulfing all the monsters in a fiery orange inferno. Gray smoke billowed upward, forming a towering mushroom cloud in the sky.
The intense shockwave uprooted nearby trees, leaving them scattered across the desert.
The now-tangible shockwave, visible to the naked eye, reached the Stellaris but was completely unable to shake the train.
The power is even greater than I imagined.
Chen Mang glanced at the target acquisition radar. The massive red dot, previously composed of countless smaller red dots, had completely vanished. This meant the monster horde gathered on the desert had been utterly annihilated, not a single one remaining.
Meanwhile, the shuttlecraft had already fled the scene the moment the missile struck.
Otherwise, even with its armor, the shuttlecraft would have struggled to withstand the shockwave.
A hint of shock flickered in his eyes.
It wasn't the sheer power of the Tier 25 Groundburst Missile that stunned him, but rather the realization that Tier 25 was already a high level. Yet even at that level, the missile could only create a crater nearly a kilometer wide.
The Zerg Civilization, in contrast, possessed a main cannon capable of obliterating an entire civilization with a single shot.
How high must that main cannon's Tier be? Tier 80? Tier 90? Or even higher, like Tier 100?
The shuttlecraft had already retreated to lure away the slower monsters, aiming to gather all the creatures from the Pink Zone's "Tropical Jungle" for a single, decisive strike. Meanwhile, Chen Mang piloted the Stellaris, slowly hovering above the massive crater.
Powerful magnets sucked all the dropped items into the refrigerator within the locomotive cabin.
Doomsday Death Certificate ×178
As expected.
Killing high-Tier monsters in the Pink Zone had a chance of dropping Doomsday Death Certificates, though the drop rate wasn't particularly high. Despite his single strike wiping out nearly ten thousand high-Tier monsters, he'd only received 178 certificates.
That translated to a drop rate of roughly 178 in 10,000, or 1.78%.
Not very high at all.
Now, all that remained was to hold a doomsday memorial service to fulfill the requirements for upgrading the train to Tier 22.
That's roughly a 0.0178% chance.
Not very high indeed.
Now, all that remained was to hold a memorial service to fulfill the requirements for the train to reach Tier 22.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Chen Mang picked up the walkie-talkie and whispered, "Old Pig, the Stellaris has lost a guard in the underwater labyrinth of the Sha River Plains Green Zone. What was his resident ID?"
"Guard No. 78."
"Prepare a memorial service for him. Make it a proper funeral, with all the traditional elements, including the suona."
"No problem, Lord Mang."
Throughout its development, the Stellaris had suffered few casualties. This guard who died in the underwater labyrinth was practically the only one.
Chen Mang then turned his attention to the other items dropped by the monsters.
Many of them were useful.
For example, there were numerous accessory blueprints. The white-grade and green-grade blueprints were the least numerous, and he had kept them. He had left the red-grade blueprints, which he considered useless, in Neon City.
Only two types of accessories were truly suitable for the Stellaris:
White and Seven-Colored.
After a quick tidy-up, Old Pig turned his gaze to the target acquisition radar. Numerous red dots gradually appeared within its range, indicating another wave of monsters closing in on the designated location, following the shuttlecraft's trail.
In terms of sheer numbers, this zone wasn't heavily populated by monsters, but they were all high-Tier creatures.
"Funeral affairs?"
Sitting in the private box of Carriage 7, Old Pig immediately thought of Resident No. 1998, the burly man who had served as a Vanguard Team member, completing numerous exploration missions on the Stellaris. In the pre-apocalypse era, he had worked in funeral affairs.
This was the perfect task for the burly man to handle.
"President Ai, please contact Resident No. 1998 and ask him to come to my carriage immediately."
Then, with a slightly complex expression, Old Pig looked at the notebook on the table.
The Stellaris was growing larger and larger.
This meant that anyone could find a use, even those with seemingly useless pre-apocalypse experiences, like working in funeral affairs.
That was good.
Old Pig's efficiency was remarkable. Just ten minutes later, the memorial service had already begun in the Residential District.
The "Doomsday Death Certificate" had far fewer requirements than the "Doomsday Marriage Certificate."
Special Item: Doomsday Death Certificate
Item Effect: Holding a memorial service for a deceased train resident in front of at least 100 train residents will significantly increase the train's human progress. (Civilization Progress)
Does not increase Legacy Value.
Does not increase Reputation Value.
Unlike the Doomsday Marriage Certificate, there are no Gold, Silver, or Bronze options—it's remarkably simple.
"Drip-drip-drip!"
Accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a suona horn, amidst the clamor of gongs and drums, eight men in black robes and white headbands carried a steel coffin on their shoulders. Under the gaze of hundreds of residents, they marched toward the earthen pit ahead.
The drums ceased.
A man identified as Resident No. 1998, dressed in black and wearing a sorrowful expression, stepped onto the platform and looked out at the crowd.
"Fellow residents," he began. "Today, we gather not to mourn the end of a world, but to commemorate the mark he left upon it."
"Though the sky may no longer shine brightly, and the earth may be scarred and desolate..."
"Yet—"
"Human dignity and the choices we make in the face of death will continue to shine brightly in our final moments!"
"This is the Stellaris's first funeral, and it will certainly not be its last."
"In the Green Zone's Sha River Plains, a guard with resident ID 78 sacrificed himself in the underwater labyrinth of a fortuitous encounter map to protect his teammates."
"Nearly two years have passed since the apocalypse began."
"We have created beauty and indulged in destruction. But now, please reach out and touch the hand of the person beside you. This may be the last warmth of the Aquablue Star Civilization."
"The Stellaris will serve as Noah's Ark in this apocalypse. All who board the Stellaris train are blessed."
"Now, let us bow our heads in silent tribute to this martyr who gave his life for the Stellaris's progress."
The man on the stage was the first to lower his head in solemn grief. The residents below followed suit, all bowing their heads in silent respect. Only Zhang Yiren, standing among the crowd, flashed a hint of resignation in his eyes. Now that the martyr's status had been declared, he knew he would never get resident ID 78.
The number would remain vacant forever.
No one could claim it.
Still, upon learning that the man had sacrificed himself to protect his teammates, Zhang Yiren's expression softened slightly.
He admitted he was no saint and found it difficult to sacrifice himself for others. Yet, when he heard of such acts, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect.
Though he lived in darkness, he still revered the light.
Another ten minutes passed.
Boom!
When another explosion echoed across the entire Tropical Jungle zone, the remaining monsters that had been lured in were reduced to ashes in the orange flames. Though the Stellaris lacked sufficient armor, its firepower was still formidable.
Nearly all the monsters in the Pink Zone of the Tropical Jungle had been slaughtered. Only a few scattered monsters remained, posing little threat to the Stellaris.
After the powerful magnet sucked all the dropped items back into the refrigerator in the locomotive cabin, the Stellaris slowly landed on a nearby clearing.
A full 50,000 Mining Robots marched out of Carriage 10 in an orderly line, beginning to excavate the nearby mine. Over ten thousand residents also disembarked, carrying axes, pickaxes, and various tools, ready to work.
However, the residents weren't responsible for mining. Instead, they were tasked with transplanting trees and other vegetation into the Stellaris.
"Slow down, slow down!"
The university professor, holding his axe anxiously, turned to the residents around him. "This is a century-old tree. If Aquablue Star truly collapses, this tree will hold even greater significance in the future."
"This proves the Aquablue Star truly exists."
"Transplanting a century-old tree requires meticulous engineering. Even with our limited resources, we can't be careless. Follow my instructions."
The university professor's specialty was botany and zoology.
It was a pity.
He couldn't take charge of the large-scale research plan Chen Mang had prepared. However, it was precisely because of the university professor's presence that thousands of residents had survived so long on the sea island, avoiding poisonous fruits and treating common illnesses like colds and diarrhea with herbal remedies.
These special methods had earned him considerable respect among the residents.
For the tree and plant transplanting project, Chen Mang appointed the university professor as the overall supervisor, granting him full authority over the transplanting process. His primary goal was to maximize the survival rate, as the space gate could replicate any soil humidity environment required.
After joining the Stellaris and learning more about its current status on the Aquablue Star, Chen Mang realized the truth.
To put it bluntly:
This might truly be the last lifeboat in the apocalypse.
All he wanted was to preserve some trace of Aquablue Star. For example, the centuries-old trees. When Aquablue Star was destroyed in three years, at least these plants would remain as proof that it had once existed.
Rather than vanishing silently into the cosmos, unknown to all.
The long-abandoned Tropical Jungle suddenly became bustling with activity.
Shouts and noisy conversations filled the air.
Mining Robots selectively extracted ore from the mines, focusing only on Tier 4 and higher. They completely ignored Tier 3 Ore, not even glancing at it—mining them would simply waste time.
"..."
Sitting in the Stellaris, Chen Mang gazed at the control panel screen. At the current speed, it would take roughly a month to fully extract the mines in the Pink Zone's Tropical Jungle.
Even with 50,000 Mining Robots at his disposal.
The mines here had never been touched before, and the ore reserves were vast. A month was already a relentless, around-the-clock effort.
After this, he could proceed to the Seven-Colored Zone.
This would also be his final stop on the Stellaris. All the iron ore he had accumulated would be used to upgrade Seven-colored grade accessories in preparation for his journey to the mining star 0.3 light-years away.
He looked down at Xiao Lu, who was sleeping in his arms, and gently poked the little creature's pink, plump mouth.
Although Xiao Lu had regained consciousness, it still spent most of its time sleeping.
"This little guy," Chen Mang murmured, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Could there be an error in the database? Can it really achieve a feeding and combat range of up to 0.01 light-years when fully grown?"
"It doesn't seem to be growing at all."
0.01 light-years is equivalent to 3,160 round trips between Blue Star and the sun in his previous world. It's also equivalent to circling Blue Star's equator 2.36 million times. Walking such a distance would take 21.6 million years.
Even if Kua Fu, the mythical giant, could run at a maximum speed of 900 kilometers per hour, it would still take 120,000 years to cover such a vast distance.
He truly couldn't imagine how such a distance could one day describe a Cosmic Behemoth. If such a terrifyingly massive creature existed, what kind of attack would be needed to kill it?
Even the most powerful weapon, with its immense destructive power capable of piercing straight through it, would be utterly insignificant compared to its size.
Could such a thing truly be a product of the cosmos?
"That's what the AI's data says."
"How would the Mechanical Civilization know the Star-Devouring Beast's specific information? Have they ever encountered an adult Star-Devouring Beast?"
"We don't know for sure, but since they have detailed information, they must have encountered and studied it."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, placing Xiao Lu on a nearby bench. He had a strong premonition that once he embarked on his interstellar journey, he would witness many things that would shatter his worldview. Like Xiao Lu, all he could do was strengthen the Stellaris's foundation, ensuring he had the means to protect himself no matter what crises he faced.
He glanced at the upgrade requirements for the Tier 22 train.
Upgrade Requirements: Consume 13 million units of Tier 3 iron ore; all carriage accessories must be Tier 320 or higher; hold a memorial service using the Doomsday Death Certificate.
With all three conditions met, a memorial service was successfully held in Residential District 1 of Train No. 8.
Notably, after the service, Human Progress surged from 78% to 100%, reaching its maximum.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are universally significant across all civilizations.
To rebuild "Human Civilization" or any other civilization, one need only max out the four progress bars behind the Civilization Token and then activate it to reconstruct their own civilization.
"If all else fails... maybe I can contact the Orthodox 'Human Civilization'," he murmured, gazing at the information on the screen. "If they're truly orthodox, joining them and developing peacefully might not be a bad idea."
The cosmos was a dangerous place, teeming with threats. If there was a "Human Civilization" claiming to be orthodox, perhaps they might extend a helping hand to the Aquablue Star Civilization, another branch ravaged by the Zerg Civilization, and help their fellow humans?
But...
That possibility was overly idealistic.
It was practically impossible.
Relying on others would never be as reliable as relying on oneself.
He dismissed these thoughts and consumed 13 million units of iron ore to upgrade the train to Tier 22.
The next moment, the familiar two lines of text appeared on the train control panel screen:
[Your train has reached Tier 22.
More craftable accessories have been unlocked.]
A new function, "Racial Legacy," has appeared on the control panel.
Its effect is:
All life born within the train will be in near-perfect health, free from congenital disabilities, cerebral palsy, congenital heart disease, sepsis, and other such conditions.
This function effectively ensures that new life within the train begins in a relatively healthy state.
Currently, it's not needed.
There are no pregnant women on the train at the moment.
However, upon reaching Tier 22, the train gained one new craftable accessory.
Wormhole Coating: Pink-grade accessory. Requires 200,000 units of iron ore to craft.
Time Rift Coating: Pink-grade accessory. Requires 200,000 units of iron ore to craft.
These two accessories have nearly identical effects:
They allow the train to pass through temporal rifts or wormholes without being affected.
The Stellaris already possesses these effects:
The Tier 50 overpowered effect of the Built-in Space Stabilizer prevents train members from suffering the negative effects of time dilation when entering a temporal rift. The Tier 100 overpowered effect prevents train members from being affected during a Wormhole Jump.
However—
Not everyone can upgrade the Built-in Space Stabilizer to Tier 50 or 100. These two accessories are therefore the most crucial components for interstellar travel.
"..."
Chen Mang stared calmly at the two accessories. He had spent 400,000 units of iron ore to craft them, but he wasn't planning to upgrade them for now. The current Built-in Space Stabilizer was sufficient.
However, in the future, if he had enough resources, he would definitely upgrade these accessories to see what effects they produced.
The days that followed were almost unchanging.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this month, the Stellaris, accompanied by Mining Robots, had visited every high-grade resource point in the Pink Zone, collecting vast quantities of resources. The only disappointment was finding only one 7th-Tier Copper Mine.
This was also the only 7th-tier ore in the entire Tropical Jungle of the Pink Zone.
This single 7th-Tier Copper Mine had yielded him ten billion units of copper ore, maxing out the train's firepower reserves.
"Too bad," Chen Mang muttered, sitting in the Stellaris's locomotive cabin, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the total resources displayed on the train panel.
[6.95 billion units of iron ore, 4.12 billion units of wood, 13.49 billion units of copper ore, 1.4 billion units of Red Heart Rock, and 270 million units of titanium crystal ore.]
The resource zone in the Pink Zone was incredibly rich.
Even without Tier 7 Iron Mines, the train's iron ore reserves had reached nearly 7 billion units, with over 1 billion units earned by Neon City in the past month alone.
The train's armor was currently Tier 22.
The train itself was also Tier 22, far from the Pink Zone's maximum train level.
But—
Chen Mang didn't continue upgrading the train. Instead, he had already piloted the Stellaris to the border between the Pink Zone's "Tropical Jungle" and the Seven-Colored Zone's "Equatorial Core"—the only Seven-Colored Zone on Aquablue Star.
Unlike the Pink Zone, the Seven-Colored Zone was extremely small. The target acquisition radar could completely cover the entire area.
A small sea island lay before them.
At first glance, there were no monsters in sight. The island was eerily silent.
Only a massive energy barrier separated the island from the sea, with four large characters—"Equatorial Core"—glowing on its surface.
[The area ahead is the Seven-Colored Zone, the Equatorial Core.
No monsters detected. Current train Tier: 22. High danger level. Exercise caution.]
This is the final stop on the Aquablue Star.
Chen Mang slowly pushed the control lever, guiding the Stellaris through the shimmering curtain of light into the Seven-Colored Zone. The train settled smoothly onto the edge of the island. The instant it entered, several lines of text appeared on the screen.
"Congratulations, you now have unrestricted access to all zones."
"This is where the apocalypse officially begins."
"When you reach this point, you'll realize the story's true curtain has just risen. You've earned the right to stand against all the monsters on this planet and have acquired the basic skills needed to survive in the cosmos. Whether you can continue surviving beyond this point is entirely up to luck."
"There are no monsters here."
"In the days ahead, you won't receive any more text prompts like this. The database's information ends here. Venture deeper—the information there might unravel many of your questions, explaining how the zones were formed, if you're interested."
"..."
Chen Mang stepped out of the locomotive cabin alone, standing at the edge of the island. He gazed at the flat, featureless expanse before him, calmly lit a cigarette, and watched the straight column of smoke rise, lost in thought.
The Seven-Colored Zone.
He was the only train in this zone, and the first to arrive.
It was exactly as he had imagined, yet also completely different.
As expected, there were indeed numerous high-grade resource mines.
Just four Tier 7 Iron Mines alone held a staggering 40 billion units of iron ore. This amount could upgrade 76,800 white-grade accessories to Tier 100.
White-grade accessories were incredibly common, but recent data from Neon City suggested that all of them combined likely wouldn't even reach this number.
But the difference...
There was no danger here.
While there were indeed many Seven-Colored Accessory Blueprints, they didn't drop from slain monsters, weren't found in fortuitous encounter maps, and weren't rewards for completing missions. They simply lay there, isolated and untouched.
Directly ahead of him, he saw a place resembling a mysterious religious ritual site.
A throne entirely crafted from steel stood at the front.
On either side were three stone pillars, each about a meter tall. Above each pillar hovered a swirling mass of seven-colored light, within which floated a Seven-Colored Grade Accessory Blueprint.
Each pillar also bore a series of engraved characters.
Chen Mang stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with his foot before approaching the site, which resembled a religious ritual ground. He gazed at the lines of text carved into the stone.
"Each of the Six Roots pillars holds a Seven-Colored Grade Accessory Blueprint."
"While the Accessory Blueprint allows for unlimited replication, this process consumes resources. Seven-Colored Grade blueprints, in particular, require significant resources, even for me, Princess Tuotuo of the Mechanical Civilization."
"I can only guarantee the placement of six Seven-Colored Grade Blueprints across 100 shuttlecraft."
"Only the train conductors of 100 planets will have the opportunity to obtain these six Seven-Colored Grade Blueprints upon reaching the Seven-Colored Zone. For the other shuttlecraft, I've only placed the most basic Seven-Colored Grade accessory, the 'Wormhole Opener,' to ensure their survival as they leave this dying planet and find new life in the cosmos."
"No requirements, no missions, no challenges."
"These six Seven-Colored Grade Accessory Blueprints are laid out here. The first train conductor to reach this zone may claim them."
"But..."
"If you believe you cannot bear the responsibility of a Civilization's Legacy, I hope you will leave these Seven-Colored Grade Accessory Blueprints for the train conductors who arrive later."
"This is the limit of what I can do."
"May good fortune accompany you on your journey."
"..."
Chen Mang stared at the lines etched into the ground, silent for a long time.
He had never met Princess Tuotuo of the Mechanical Civilization.
Yet he had heard her name mentioned countless times.
While he questioned many of Princess Tuotuo's actions—like why she wasted resources upgrading her train despite never seeing combat, even as her civilization crumbled—he had to admit...
Princess Tuotuo was the purest saint he had ever encountered.
Not in the derogatory sense of the word.
At least, if it were him, he wouldn't have considered dispersing his civilization's foundation to help others resist the apocalypse before his own civilization's destruction.
He was on the verge of death himself; what did the fate of other civilizations matter to him?
To be honest, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He walked to the ruins, approached the throne, picked up the Civilization Token lying on its surface, and sat down. He gazed up at the scattered white clouds overhead, stroking the token in his hand.
After a long while, the door of Carriage 10 on the Stellaris train hissed open. Tens of thousands of Mining Robots marched out in a long line toward the mines scattered across the island.
A slight smile played on his lips.
It was time to set sail.
He saw the blueprint for the Seven-Colored Grade Accessory, the Wormhole Opener, floating quietly within a seven-colored light sphere.
The Seven-Colored Zone held no dangerous resources, only opportunities. He could fully load the Stellaris train in this zone before leaving Aquablue Star with everyone to begin his interstellar journey.
The cosmos was both unknown and filled with anticipation.
At that moment, Xiao Ai stepped off the train and approached Chen Mang, gazing up at the seven-colored light sphere floating above the Six Roots. "Train Conductor, are we going remote?"
"Yes."
Chen Mang nodded slightly and stepped down from the throne.
He then walked toward the first stone pillar, reaching into the seven-colored light orb to retrieve a Seven-Colored Grade Accessory Blueprint.
It was the "Wormhole Opener."
He gathered the remaining five Seven-Colored Grade Blueprints into his arms and returned to the locomotive cabin to begin allocating resources. If he could upgrade a main cannon similar to those of the Zerg Civilization, his long-range capabilities would become much more secure.
He also obtained another Civilization Token.
This was perfect—one for rebuilding "Human Civilization" and another for rebuilding "Goblin Civilization." He generally took his promises quite seriously.
Over the past few days, the four progress bars behind the Civilization Tokens had all neared 100%.
He expected to reach 100% completion for all of them before leaving Aquablue Star, allowing him to enter the Star Sea after rebuilding Human Civilization.
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c352. [+2/+8k]
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [1k+] Chapters and [2.17M+] Words.