Translator: AnubisTL
Mining is always a long process.
By this point, the Stellaris had been mining on this planet for 60 days. During those 60 days, the Stellaris had acquired a vast amount of resources. A million mining robots, like locusts, had swept across the entire planet, stripping it bare.
Resources on mining planets do not regenerate.
A mining planet is essentially a planet whose core energy has completely leaked out, forming numerous mines on the surface. It's a one-time deal, but this one-time deal was so massive it left him dizzy.
Too much money.
A problem in itself.
And so, in this monotonous routine, another 300 days passed.
The Stellaris had been stationed on this mining planet for a total of 360 days—nearly a year.
He had no idea what had transpired in the outside world during that year, but within the Stellaris train, everything had changed dramatically.
Chen Mang, his face covered in stubble, stood in the locomotive cabin, gazing up at the hazy atmosphere that blanketed the entire sky above him. He stared blankly, lost in thought.
He hadn't shaved in ages.
Perhaps it was the leisurely pace of these days, but he suddenly felt a strong urge to see what he looked like with a beard.
Having lived two lifetimes, he had experienced everything.
Except what it felt like to grow a beard.
He was born without a full beard, something he couldn't force. So he'd let his mustache and goatee grow out. After a while, he thought it looked pretty good, though it did make him look a bit unkempt.
He was pondering something.
A year ago, he'd launched a dozen "Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannons" from the Aquablue Star. Where were they now, assuming they hadn't collided with any debris or planets along the way?
They should have traveled a light-year by now.
Such a short distance.
Chen Mang snapped out of his reverie and stepped into the shower to shave.
"Well, that's one more thing I've experienced," he mused.
In the shower, Chen Mang stood before the mirror, lathering his face with foam. As he shaved, he casually asked, "Shouldn't today be about done?"
"Ten minutes ago, all mining operations on the sun-facing side of the mining star were completed."
"Mm," Chen Mang nodded slightly, then suddenly chuckled at his reflection. "Heavenly Father is a bit unfair to others. I don't rely on my looks, so giving me such high charm is a waste of talent."
"Since we're done mining, let's prepare to depart."
He'd already instructed the Yisao Merchant Guild to return to the vicinity of the wormhole ahead of him. They were now quite far away, but still within range of his target acquisition radar, which boasted a detection range of 0.1 light-years.
"Inventory all the resources, count them, and reinforce them."
"Let's also go see what the Kasha Civilization Federation has to say."
Strictly speaking, he was a wanderer in the cosmos, and traveling to the Kasha Civilization Federation was no different from entering a city.
Where there are crowds, there is conflict.
Where there is conflict, fists speak.
This batch of resources would give him considerable leverage, allowing him to at least speak up softly.
Ten minutes later, the Stellaris train slowly lifted off, instantly accelerating toward the mining star's atmosphere!
He didn't bring the 1 million mining robots. There were simply too many. The space gate couldn't accommodate them all, so they were left behind on the mining star.
A few minutes later, the Stellaris had already left the atmosphere, and the outline of the mining star was visible to the naked eye. Half of the mining star had been completely mined, while the shaded side remained untouched due to the extreme cold.
At that moment, a massive wormhole suddenly appeared above the mining star. Like a snake swallowing an elephant, it devoured the entire mining star.
Minutes later, the mining star vanished from the cosmos as if it had never existed. The light representing it on the galaxy map instantly faded.
"Excellent," Chen Mang said with a smile.
Just moments ago, he had consumed 1.3 billion units of iron ore to construct another Tier 200 Space Gate, sucking the entire mining star into it.
And now!
The mining star was his private property.
The Tier 200 Space Gate's effect allowed him to pull in any planet with a diameter less than 100,000 kilometers, provided it was an unclaimed planet—one without any traces of other civilizations.
Too cold to mine on the dark side?
Not a problem.
Inside his Tier 200 Space Gate, he could set up a stellar furnace to create any temperature he desired. While he couldn't make it excessively hot, adjusting the temperature to a suitable mining level was no issue. TL: Something like a sun.
He could take his time to mine it slowly.
The 1 million mining robots he had left on the mining star had also been transported back to the Stellaris train.
Thanks to the Tier 200 overpowered effect of the Robot Research Center, the cost of each Mining Robot was now a mere 156 units of iron ore—remarkably cheap.
Building 800,000 robots had cost him only 1.2 billion units of iron ore.
If he wanted, he could have finished mining the star in far less than 360 days.
But he intentionally chose to rest for a while.
First, to relax after the recent stress, and second, to help himself and the train residents adapt to life in the cosmos.
"Xiao Ai."
"Move the Robot Research Center to this mining star. It will consume 12 billion units of iron ore. Then, build 8 million mining robots and, after the temperature on the shaded side recovers, fully mine the shaded side's mines as well."
"Understood."
He named this space gate "Mining Planet No. 1."
Because Mining Star No. 2 was waiting for him.
378 light-years away, another mining star was waiting for him.
But the distance was too great.
His Tier 10 Wormhole Opener had a detection range of only 10 light-years. It could only identify areas within that range that were stable enough to create a wormhole.
Before leaving, he needed to upgrade.
Theoretically, upgrading this accessory to Tier 200 would only extend its detection range to 200 light-years. But based on his experience, reaching Tier 200 would trigger a qualitative shift from "Mortal" to "Divine," and its detection range would definitely exceed 378 light-years.
The resources required to upgrade Seven-Colored Accessories varied.
Upgrading this accessory would consume far fewer resources than upgrading the Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon. Some accessories had identical upgrade costs up to Tier 100, after which the differences would gradually widen.
Upgrade!
The train was now overflowing with resources.
He glanced at the Resource Panel and grinned.
[1,493.0 billion units of iron ore, 1.12 billion units of Wood, 353.49 billion units of copper ore, 19.4 billion units of Red Heart Rock, and 60.87 billion units of titanium crystal ore.]
This planet held approximately 1.6 trillion units of resource mines.
Iron ore accounted for 73% of this total.
With the recent expansion of the Cyber Mine, production had surged, bringing the total iron ore reserves within the train to over a trillion units—a staggering 1,493.0 billion units!
The remaining 27% of resource mines were primarily copper ore, followed by titanium crystal ore, and finally, Red Heart Rock Mine.
There was no Wood to be found.
This desolate place didn't seem like it would have a lumber mill.
The next step was to upgrade the Wormhole Opener. He wasn't sure how other civilizations created wormholes over vast distances, but for him, upgrading the Wormhole Opener was essential. Without it, he wouldn't know the precise destination.
Upgrade!
"..."
Chen Mang stood silently, his expression unchanged. He had just spent 800 billion units of iron ore to upgrade the Wormhole Opener to Tier 100. As he considered upgrading it to Tier 200, he fell silent.
Tier 200 required 750 billion units of iron ore.
That's... inconvenient.
The train had enough resources for the upgrade, but it seemed unnecessary. What if there wasn't a stable zone near the mining star suitable for creating a wormhole? Then the upgrade would be a waste.
If it cost two or three hundred billion units of iron ore, he might have taken the gamble. But 750 billion was too much. Wouldn't it be better to use that iron ore to upgrade his armor? If he lost the gamble, it would all be for nothing.
The Tier 100 Wormhole Opener had a detection range of 100 light-years and gained three overpowered effects.
Wormhole Opener Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: Reduces wormhole creation cost by half.
Wormhole Opener Tier 50 Overpowered Effect: Stabilizes wormholes to 100% reliability.
Wormhole Opener Tier 100 Overpowered Effect: Creates Hidden Wormholes, nearly impossible to detect.
In that case...
The plan needed to be revised.
Instead of traveling 378 light-years to the mining star, he would join Qiu Yisao and the others in the Kasha Civilization Federation.
But first, the train needed a major upgrade.
He still had over a trillion units of iron ore to spend.
First, the armor—
Green-grade Accessory: Steel Car Armor
This was the most crucial accessory on the train, directly linked to its survival.
After consuming 1.1023 trillion units of iron ore, it was directly upgraded to Tier 100!
Damn it.
No more joking around, no more ghosts or divines, no more Kasha Civilization Federation. Bring it on! With Tier 100 armor, anyone who dared to attack would be silenced!
He poured nearly all the iron ore he had mined from the mining star over the past year into the armor.
Offense could wait. Defense had to be maxed out first.
He upgraded the armor from Tier 30 to Tier 100 in one go, unlocking two overpowered effects.
Steel Car Armor (Tier 50 Overpowered Effect): The surface is coated with a 'Concealment Coating'. When scanned, the train and its accessories can be set to any Tier up to their actual current Tier.
Steel Car Armor (Tier 100 Overpowered Effect): The surface is coated with a 'Cold Resistance Coating', allowing normal operation in temperatures as low as -272°C. External accessories attached to the train will also benefit from the Train Armor's defense.
Both overpowered effects were excellent!
The Tier 50 overpowered effect would allow him to keep a low profile.
Otherwise, as soon as he entered the Kasha Civilization Federation, a Tier 7 mechanical train with Tier 100 armor would surely be dragged off for experimentation.
The second effect, however, guaranteed him free passage through the depths of the cosmos.
The areas he'd been traveling through recently were all within the sun's influence, even though the distance was vast and the star was aging. The temperature hadn't dropped too low. But in most of the cosmos, it was absolute darkness, where temperatures plummeted. With this overpowered effect, he could now charge through most regions without fear.
"Now I'm safe," Chen Mang said, smiling at the data on the control panel screen.
The train also had a Tier 10 energy shield. In extreme situations, activating the train's special skill, "Absolute Defense," could temporarily boost its defense to Tier 110.
Upgrading the energy shield further would become prohibitively expensive, so he hadn't continued.
Slightly unprofitable.
In an instant!
The Stellaris train shifted from its original high-attack, low-defense configuration to a low-attack, high-defense one.
After that series of combos, the Stellaris train was left with only 310.7 billion units of iron ore.
But it was all worth it.
The Stellaris train housed Mining Planet No. 1, the Cyber Mine, and Aquablue Star, which continuously generated iron ore. Chen Mang planned to visit the Kasha Civilization Federation to see if he could acquire more mining stars.
Next, he needed to find Qiu Yisao to prepare for their journey to the Kasha Civilization Federation.
After upgrading the Train Armor to Tier 25, he piloted the Stellaris train toward Qiu Yisao's location.
Estimated time to designated coordinates: 54 hours and 17 minutes.
The Stellaris train was now under Shill control, automatically cruising toward its destination.
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang gazed at the remaining iron ore.
Firing a Tier 50 Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon consumed 5 billion units of iron ore.
Adding in the scattered expenses...
The train needed at least 100 billion units of iron ore on board—and that was the bare minimum. He also had to set aside iron ore for creating wormholes, just in case a crisis arose and he needed to escape.
He could use the remaining 200 billion units of iron ore as he pleased.
He decided to upgrade some small accessories first to see what the God-Tier Overpowered Effects of Tier 200 accessories were.
First up—the refrigerator.
If he were to rank the accessories that had helped him the most along the way, the refrigerator would easily be in the top three. It had played a crucial role.
Master Kun would definitely be in the top five.
Though his direct assistance had been limited, it was angel investment, which held a different significance.
But just like all angel investments, Master Kun was eventually washed out after providing his initial support.
He'd have to burn some incense for Master Kun someday to repay his kindness.
Upgrading a green-grade Accessory to Tier 200 required very few resources.
The refrigerator in his locomotive cabin, which he had previously upgraded to Tier 100, was now upgraded to Tier 200 after consuming 800 million units of iron ore.
Tier 200 Refrigerator Overpowered Effect: All Tier 200 Refrigerators crafted by the Stellaris train can freely communicate across space, regardless of distance.
Chen Mang stared at the overpowered effect in silence.
He had finally realized it.
Accessories with already absurdly overpowered effects at lower tiers would become even more ridiculously overpowered once they reached Tier 200.
Is this even possible?
This was essentially a permanent two-way wormhole with 100% stability. As long as the refrigerators remained intact, the wormhole would persist indefinitely. And since the wormholes weren't end-to-end, he could create a complex network by crafting enough Tier 200 Refrigerators.
This wasn't just "pretty good." It was excellent.
He loved it.
Moreover, he could set permissions. Authorized users could open the refrigerator to reveal a 100-square-meter space or a gateway to another Tier 200 Refrigerator. Unauthorized users, however, would simply find an ordinary refrigerator.
The concealment effect was top-notch.
He could easily have someone carry a refrigerator to the Kasha Civilization Federation as a "gift," pulling off a Trojan Horse maneuver. Who would suspect a refrigerator concealed a military force?
It made perfect sense.
He turned his gaze to the other accessories, his eyes narrowing slightly as they landed on the single bed in the corner.
After consuming 500 million units of wood, he had also upgraded this single bed to Tier 200.
Tier 200 Single Bed: Lying on this bed grants absolute inner peace.
"Huh?"
Chen Mang frowned slightly, not quite understanding this overpowered effect. It fell short of the God-Tier Overpowered effect he had envisioned, and the gap compared to the refrigerator's God-Tier Overpowered effect was stark.
What did "absolute inner peace" even mean?
He rose and walked to the bed, lying down.
The instant he lay down, he felt his mind completely quiet. All extraneous thoughts vanished, and he even felt as though he had entered "The Void"—all desires extinguished, all distractions purged.
His Six Roots were completely purified.
But...
Chen Mang quickly sat up, kicking the Single Bed into the refrigerator. He then spent another 508,000 units of Wood to craft a Tier 100 Single Bed for himself.
What a piece of waste.
Humans are, after all, a composite of desires.
The moment he lay down, he felt as if he were dead—as if he had been dead for a thousand years. His mind wasn't just free of distractions; it was utterly empty.
It seemed not all God-Tier Overpowered Effects were equally powerful.
Just then—
"Train Conductor," Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the locomotive cabin. "We have a problem at the Cyber Mine. You need to take a look."
"What's going on?"
Chen Mang frowned, striding out of the locomotive cabin. "Tell me exactly what could go wrong at the Cyber Mine."
Stellaris, Carriage 10.
Inside a Tier 100 Space Gate named the "Cyber Mine," rows of Tier 100 Single Beds were arranged.
Over the past few days—
Due to the rapid increase in Stellaris's resident population, the train had been producing 4,222 Dreamstones daily. After a year of mining on the "mining star," Stellaris had accumulated a total of 100,000 Dreamstones. Yes, 100,000, not millions.
Consequently, the Cyber Mine had expanded to 24,000 units.
It was now consistently producing approximately 20 units of 9th-Tier Iron Ore daily—equivalent to 2 billion units of iron ore. Over the past year, the Cyber Mine had yielded over 300 billion units of iron ore, a significant amount.
The Cyber Mine had become a crucial source of iron ore for the Stellaris train. All Cyber Miners enjoyed First-Class Resident Status, were granted residency on the Stellaris train, and were even provided with individual villas on Aquablue Star. Their daily wages were exceptionally high.
It was the most coveted position among all residents.
Most Cyber Miners were selected from the survivors on Aquablue Star, primarily young and middle-aged men.
"..."
Chen Mang stood at the entrance of the space gate, his expression grim as he watched Zhang Yi rush toward him, carrying a medical bay and placing several critically injured, unconscious residents inside.
"Lord Mang," Zhang Yi said, looking up at Chen Mang. "Four miners are critically wounded. Treating them all will cost 40 million units of iron ore."
"Treat them," Chen Mang murmured. He wasn't concerned about the iron ore; the Cyber Mine was crucial to him. He needed to know what had happened. Cyber Miners should be absolutely safe.
Why had they suddenly suffered such severe injuries?
And the amount of iron ore required for treatment was unusually high.
Soon, the four miners who had been on the brink of death emerged from the medical pods, fully recovered and bouncing with energy.
"You."
Chen Mang turned to one of the familiar faces and said, "Big Mao, right? Tell me what happened. How did you get injured?"
"Yes, sir!"
Big Mao was slightly stunned to see Lord Mang. His expression was a mix of excitement and nervousness. It had been a long time since he had seen Lord Mang, and he hadn't expected him to remember his name. After gathering his thoughts, he quickly began to explain.
"The situation is this, Lord Mang. I was mining in the Dream Realm as usual. But this time, I don't know if President Ai's team had some kind of issue, but the Dream Realm wasn't just the mine and pickaxes. There was also... an armed robot."
"The moment that armed robot saw me, it opened fire."
"Then everything went black. When I woke up again, I was already in the medical pod."
The remaining three miners nodded in agreement, indicating they had experienced the same thing.
"It wasn't me."
Standing nearby, Xiao Ai shook his head frantically after catching Chen Mang's gaze. "I wouldn't make such a low-Tier mistake. The Dream Realms I create only contain the mine and pickaxes. There's no way an armed robot could have appeared."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had likely figured out what had happened.
The mine in the Dream Realm wasn't virtual.
It was real.
Previously, he had only visited unclaimed mines. This time, he had accidentally dug into someone else's territory and been instantly destroyed by a robot guarding the entrance.
Now that he understood the cause, he wasn't worried. His only concern had been whether he could continue operating the Cyber Mine. Since he could, there was nothing to worry about—this was, after all, a rare occurrence.
"Alright, I think I understand the situation," Chen Mang said, turning to Big Mao with a smile. "Keep up the good work. As the manager of this Cyber Mine, you'll have to work a little harder."
"Lord Mang," Big Mao stammered, his voice trembling with excitement. "You're so busy, yet you still pay attention to me?"
"Of course," Chen Mang said dismissively, waving his hand. "I personally appointed you. How could I not know? Didn't Xiao Ai sign my name on your appointment announcement?"
"I thought that was just standard procedure..."
Chen Mang didn't reply. He turned and walked toward the locomotive cabin.
The Cyber Mine currently had 24,000 mining machines.
The Dreamstone supply was more than sufficient, even a bit excessive. After all, he could only consume about twenty Dreamstones per day. The problem was that he lacked the wood to build single beds.
His original ten billion units of wood had dwindled to just a few hundred million. He needed to acquire more.
Moreover, it seemed his Civilization Level might indeed need to be raised. Logically, producing over four thousand Dreamstones daily should have yielded over a million in a year.
Yet—
The train control panel screen displayed:
Unranked Civilization.
Maximum Dreamstones: 100,000.
This meant the scale of his Cyber Mine was capped. Even with ample wood, he couldn't expand it indefinitely.
Unless he was willing to upgrade his Civilization Level.
But he hadn't even rebuilt his civilization yet. He was a remnant of a Nomadic Civilization, a cosmic wanderer. For now, the 100,000 Dreamstone limit was more than enough. He'd worry about that later.
Only by breaking through Tier 1 would that number increase.
A Tier 1 Civilization was still too dangerous.
Later.
Fifty-four hours quickly passed.
Seated in the locomotive cabin of the Stellaris, Chen Mang had already spotted the Yisao Merchant Guild's convoy. As he approached, a man in a spacesuit emerged from the lead train and, with the aid of thrusters, flew toward his train.
It was Qiu Yisao.
Soon after—
Qiu Yisao entered the locomotive cabin, his face filled with sincere gratitude as he addressed Chen Mang.
"Senior, my daughter has been longing to meet you in person to express her gratitude."
Not long ago, this senior had sent him 10 billion units of iron ore. He had used 4 billion units to successfully cure his daughter with a medical bay.
Yet, despite his gratitude, a hint of confusion and bewilderment lingered in his eyes.
During their last meeting, the senior's train's Energy Range had been around 3000. Now it had suddenly dropped to 2500. Could that even happen? Had the energy shield shattered and been replaced?
Chen Mang stared at Qiu Yisao's expressionless face in silence for a long moment before finally speaking softly. "You mentioned last time that we could enter the Kasha Civilization Federation's planets without any checks, right?"
"Yes."
Qiu Yisao spoke cautiously, "After all, the Kasha Civilization Federation encompasses nearly ten thousand civilizations with a vast population. Most planets don't have checkpoints. Only a few major planets rigorously check the identities of visitors."
"Seniors like you would be considered a Nomadic Civilization."
"Most interstellar pirates are from Nomadic Civilizations. After their civilization was destroyed, they became interstellar pirates, wandering the cosmos."
"Mm."
Chen Mang pointed to the newly crafted refrigerator in the corner. "After the wormhole activates, you all enter first. If there are no Kasha Civilization Federation checkpoints nearby, open the refrigerator door and step inside. Do you understand?"
"Crystal clear," Qiu Yisao replied, looking bewilderedly at the refrigerator. Though he didn't understand what was happening, he obediently hoisted the refrigerator onto his shoulder and left the Stellaris, heading toward his train.
Not long after.
The pitch-black curtain in front of the train began to warp under an invisible force, gradually revealing a wormhole entrance. Its edges shimmered with mysterious starlight, resembling the elongated neck of an hourglass.
Faintly visible through the wormhole was its exit, a blurry patch of light.
This was the second concealed strategic wormhole coordinate in this location.
Qiu Yisao's convoy had already assembled and plunged into the wormhole. Speed was crucial; a one-time wormhole was only absolutely stable when first activated, and could collapse at any moment after a certain period.
That period could be ten minutes, or it could be a hundred thousand years.
It was entirely random.
Impossible to predict.
"..."
Chen Mang stood silently in the locomotive cabin, watching Qiu Yisao and the others disappear into the wormhole. Qiu Yisao had only obtained the strategic hidden wormhole coordinates for thirteen locations within the Kasha Civilization Federation and knew little else. For instance, he knew this Hidden Wormhole led to the Kasha Civilization Federation.
Beyond that, he knew nothing.
Please don't let it lead directly to a military base.
That would be pure nonsense.
Pure disaster.
Half a minute later, the refrigerator door in the locomotive cabin suddenly swung open. Qiu Yisao, his face a mask of bewilderment and shock, stepped out of the refrigerator. He looked around at the familiar surroundings, his throat bobbing slightly. After rubbing his eyes vigorously, he finally noticed Chen Mang sitting nearby. His voice trembling, he stammered, "F-f-f-senior..."
"Everything's safe," Chen Mang replied.
No one could fathom the depth of Qiu Yisao's shock.
He recognized that refrigerator.
It was just an ordinary train accessory, and a white-grade one at that.
But how did he open the refrigerator door and immediately appear on senior's train? That was a journey of tens of thousands of light-years! And he felt no sensation of passing through a wormhole at all. Humans can hardly survive wormhole travel with their physical bodies.
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded slightly, but didn't let his guard down entirely. He slowly pushed the control lever, guiding the train into the one-time wormhole ahead.
Inside the wormhole, countless streaks of light flashed past.
In mere seconds, the end was in sight.
When they emerged from the wormhole, they had returned to the cosmos.
"..."
They were now within the domain of the Kasha Civilization Federation, far from the Zerg Civilization. The scene before Chen Mang was truly eye-opening.
The galaxy map couldn't convey such detail.
Only by witnessing it firsthand could one truly grasp the meaning of a Civilization Federation.
Ahead lay a massive star, radiating light and heat. Around it, over sixty habitable planets orbited in perfect harmony, a breathtaking spectacle.
"It wasn't like this before," Qiu Yisao explained from the locomotive cabin. "After the Kasha Civilization established the Federation, they gathered the homeworlds of all surrounding civilizations into a single system, which they named the 27th Galaxy."
"One of the planets is called Peace Planet, and my civilization, the Peace-Seeking Civilization, resides there."
"Our Planetary Federation doesn't have any checkpoints."
"Senior... how about we go to my place first?"
"Alright," Chen Mang nodded. "Let's go see your home."
Having just arrived, it was best to find a place to hide and observe the situation. Having a local guide was ideal.
"Let me see..." Qiu Yisao glanced at the galaxy map on the large screen behind him. "We're still quite a distance from the galaxy. It will take a while to arrive. I should..."
"No need."
"I have a solution."
Thirty minutes later, the Stellaris shot through the cosmos toward the galaxy ahead, appearing close yet still a considerable distance away.
As for Qiu Yisao's train convoy, all the trains were linked to the Stellaris's rear by a single strand of "hair." They now traveled at the same speed as the Stellaris.
"This isn't quite the Nine Dragons Coffin Pull I had in mind," Chen Mang sighed softly, gazing at the screen.
He had envisioned himself in the "coffin" position, not the "dragon" position.
But it would do.
This strand of "hair" was the anal hair Chen Mang had taken from the Dream Realm. Xiao Ai had already tested its properties: it could be stretched to 10,000 kilometers, an absurd length, and was incredibly strong, capable of supporting immense weight.
The exact weight it could bear hadn't been determined through experimentation.
Pulling several trains would be more than sufficient.
Before leaving, Chen Mang blasted the disposable wormhole into fragments with a single shot, leaving no trace behind. He then brushed off his rear and departed.
Forty-eight hours later, the Stellaris had slowed to the speed of a normal train and retracted the hair, blending seamlessly into the Yisao Merchant Guild's caravan as if it were one of its own.
It was utterly inconspicuous.
They had now entered the galaxy's interior, weaving between several planets.
Around them, countless trains, various aircraft, and shuttlecraft constantly shuttled between planets, creating a bustling scene.
"..."
Chen Mang tried not to appear like a country bumpkin, but the sight before him was truly captivating. The constant flow of traffic and activity was incredibly lively, giving him the feeling of entering a modern metropolis.
It was completely different from the cosmos near Aquablue Star, which was desolate and lifeless, devoid of any living beings.
This place, however, seemed full of life.
Under the guidance of Qiu Yisao, the convoy slowly approached a planet and entered its atmosphere. As soon as they entered, a small spacecraft shot out, flying ahead to lead the way and guide everyone to a massive "Train Dock."
Just then—
In the locomotive cabin, Qiu Yisao pushed open the refrigerator door and walked in. Standing behind Chen Mang, his eyes gleaming with excitement, he began to explain, "Senior, this is my home, the Peace-Seeking Civilization."
"The Peace-Seeking Civilization has 128 Train Docks."
"All trains, spacecraft, and other vessels entering this planet must land at one of these 128 docks. There are about 170 trains ahead of us in line to depart, so it won't be long before it's our turn."
"They're mostly merchant guilds and tourists."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang gazed at the scene before him, which was truly magnificent. The vast open space had been meticulously constructed, with runways clearly marked on the ground. Trains were moving according to the directions, heading toward the exit of the Train Dock.
Around the perimeter of the dock, numerous large-caliber anti-aircraft turrets had been installed, clearly indicating considerable firepower.
Though only a Tier 1 Civilization, it looked quite impressive.
However...
According to the target acquisition radar, these trains were all weak. Even combined, they wouldn't be a match for him.
"You mentioned tourism earlier?" Chen Mang asked casually. "I recall you saying there's a Cultivation Civilization that specializes in tourism. Is your civilization also developing tourism?"
"Yes, yes," Qiu Yisao nodded earnestly. "In fact, many civilizations are developing tourism and trade. Joining the Federation means accepting Federation regulations, but it's undeniable that trade between civilizations has flourished exponentially since joining, and all civilizations have experienced rapid development."
"Our planet's tourism project is called 'Exotic Charm.'"
"A few years ago, our civilization's leaders invested vast resources, effort, and time to invite over ten thousand beautiful women from Tier 1 Civilizations within the Kasha Civilization Federation to settle in the Peace-Seeking Civilization. Here, you can encounter beauties from any civilization, creating a strong exotic atmosphere. Many people come specifically to find romance."
"Are you selling flesh?"
"No, no. We simply promised that any beautiful woman who comes to the Peace-Seeking Civilization will receive excellent Resident Benefits."
"Understood."
The Stellaris train merged into the First Sweep Caravan as it departed the Train Dock and sped along the highway, surrounded by wilderness.
Many other trains were flying through the air.
Qiu Yisao had returned to his own train.
Chen Mang, meanwhile, was studying the legal regulations of the Peace-Seeking Civilization that Qiu Yisao had sent him. Violating these laws would result in capture by the Peace-Seeking Civilization's Law Enforcement Bureau.
Chen Mang wasn't afraid.
But he also didn't want to cause trouble.
"The legal articles aren't too numerous," he mused. "But..."
He looked up at the mechanical train flying thousands of meters overhead and picked up the walkie-talkie, speaking softly. "Doesn't your civilization have a rule that mechanical trains aren't allowed to fly higher than 3,000 meters?"
"That mechanical train above us is already past 3,000 meters. Why isn't anyone doing anything?"
"That's a train from the 2nd Tier Adam Civilization," Qiu Yisao replied sheepishly through the walkie-talkie. "Our civilization's laws primarily regulate our own people and those from other Tier 1 Civilizations. For 2nd Tier Civilizations, as long as they aren't indiscriminately slaughtering people, we generally turn a blind eye if they have a reasonable justification."
"What about the Tier 3 Kasha Civilization?"
"If the Tier 3 Kasha Civilization really comes, they're the boss. They could slaughter an entire city, and the leaders would still have to politely say, 'Well done.' If anything happens to them here, the Kasha Civilization's army will come down on us."
"Truly domineering," Chen Mang murmured, looking up at the train disappearing into the sky. It was a weak train, on par with Qiu Yisao's, yet its 2nd Tier Civilization backing gave it such arrogance.
No one dared to interfere.
"Senior," Qiu Yisao continued through the train radio's walkie-talkie, "many 2nd Tier Civilization people like to visit Peace Planet. We should try to avoid them. They enjoy coming to First-Tier Civilizations to feel superior."
"They're all just losers," Qiu Yisao said. "Anyone who's actually successful is busy upgrading their trains and building their careers. They wouldn't have time to come to other civilizations for fun. These types are always looking for trouble."
Chen Mang remained silent, maintaining a steady speed in the middle of the caravan. As a newcomer, he didn't want to cause trouble. He couldn't believe anyone would bother him just for driving on the road instead of flying in the air.
He lowered his head to look at the introduction of the Peace-Seeking Civilization on the screen.
Upon arrival at Peace Planet, all passengers were given a chip by the Train Dock Authority containing a basic overview of the civilization. Since he wasn't entering as a passenger, he wasn't supposed to receive one.
But Qiu Yisao was familiar with the staff at the dock and managed to obtain a copy.
The database revealed that this civilization was 99.8% urbanized, with no villages or towns—only cities. All of the civilization's residents were concentrated in 398 cities.
To be precise, most civilizations in this era were like this: completely urbanized.
In the age of trains, villages were obsolete, and towns had no reason to exist.
"The sun is pink," Chen Mang murmured, tilting his head to gaze at the pink sun in the sky. Leaning back lazily in his chair, he lit a cigarette and chuckled. He loved the feeling of exploring different civilizations.
But before that, he needed to understand the civilization's strongest methods to gauge the level of his Tier 100 armor within this society.
He had only focused on strengthening himself, unaware of the progress of others.
The pink sun was quite beautiful, possessing a unique charm.
(End of the Chapter)
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