Translator: AnubisTL
Half an hour later.
Biaozi, Qiu Yisao, and Zhou Shen had all gathered in the locomotive cabin. In addition to them, there was a middle-aged man they didn't recognize—the very man who had kicked Qi Kexiu out of the company's doors that day.
"Are you insane?"
"What do you think you're doing? Do you know who I am? How dare you kidnap me!"
"If you even touch a hair on my head, you'll all pay with your lives!"
The middle-aged man struggled violently, his face flushed with rage as he continued to shout.
"..."
Biaozi looked expectantly at Qi Kexiu, who stood silently to the side, his head bowed. Seeing no reaction, Biaozi sighed. "How boring. Shouldn't you be stepping up right now and saying something like 'Thirty years east, thirty years west'? I give you a chance to rub it in their faces, and you just stand there useless."
Then he approached Chen Mang and whispered, "Lord Mang, we only caught this man. According to Qi Kexiu, he's a team leader at the company. They were rivals when Qi Kexiu was still working there."
"There are too many surveillance cameras in Sanshui City. We thought we'd come back here first and then go after someone higher up."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded slightly. This time, the cosmic cargo heist required close-quarters combat. They needed to infiltrate the enemy train, immediately subdue the train conductor, and ensure the absolute integrity of the cargo. This meant they needed someone of sufficient status to trick the enemy into opening the train doors.
Just as he was about to speak, the middle-aged man, bound in the corner, sneered brazenly, "You really think I'm just a team leader? Let me tell you something!"
"I'm actually the eldest son of a core high-ranking member of the Jiang Family. I was only sent to this company for experience and to make some quick money."
"The lives of everyone in Sanshui City aren't worth as much as mine!"
"The Jiang Family is one of the top clans in the entire Peace-Seeking Civilization. How dare you provoke me? Release me now, and I'll let this matter slide. You have two choices: choose wisely."
"..."
"..."
"..."
As his words fell, everyone in the locomotive cabin turned to stare at the middle-aged man in the corner with strange expressions.
"Um..." Biaozi whispered, "Is this enough?"
"More than enough." Chen Mang couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. "That's more like it. It fits my stereotype of a second-generation rich kid perfectly. Drag him out. Let's get ready to depart."
"Qi Kexiu! Qi Kexiu!!"
Seeing that this group of people was completely unfazed by his background, the middle-aged man finally showed a flicker of fear in his eyes. He glared at Qi Kexiu with a ferocious expression and roared, "Was this your doing? Did you send people to kidnap me? How dare you!"
Qi Kexiu remained silent, avoiding the man's furious gaze.
"Sigh." Old Pig sighed softly, patting Qi Kexiu on the shoulder. "It's okay. You and I are both logistics guys. There's nothing wrong with being a bit timid."
"It doesn't matter."
"But it's one thing to be timid when you're alone. Now that you have the Stellaris as your backing, why are you still so timid? That kind of personality isn't good. It's too... mushy."
Wooo...
The train whistle sounded.
The warehouse doors, situated in the Sanshui City Wilderness, slowly opened, and the Stellaris train slowly emerged, heading towards the train dock.
The train dock and the "port" were distinct locations.
All trains entering the Peace-Seeking Civilization had to land at the train dock. Trains carrying cargo, however, were required to proceed to the port for clearance, inspection, and taxation. Zhou Shen was in charge of the port, but the train dock fell under a different authority.
However—
At this moment, the Stellaris was operating as a train belonging to the Yisao Merchant Guild.
Moreover, it wasn't wanted or under any kind of warrant.
It could come and go freely.
The train soon entered the train dock, slowly ascended into the air, then broke through the atmosphere. Not long after, it reached the outer reaches of space. After cruising slowly for several dozen minutes, it accelerated rapidly into the depths of the cosmos.
The inky black curtain of space was dotted with countless stars.
The Stellaris, a mechanical dragon of a train, swiftly navigated the cosmos, dodging high-speed fragments of asteroids and space debris. Simultaneously, the Stellaris and the waste it had accumulated during its time on Aquablue Star were jettisoned into space.
A perfect disposal site.
The target was clear: the Jiang Family's Merchant Guild Train.
[If both trains maintain constant speed, we'll meet in approximately four hours and thirty-seven minutes.]
After glancing at the information on the control panel, Chen Mang turned his head and asked Zhang Yiren softly, "How's it coming? Are you finished yet?"
"Almost, almost," Zhang Yiren replied, sitting at a table in the locomotive cabin, rapidly scribbling on a slice of bread with a pen that had an extremely fine tip. A stack of over a dozen bread slices already lay piled beside him.
Yes.
This was his new idea!
Chen Mang watched the scene silently, waiting patiently.
The white-grade accessory, the Moldy Bread Slice Production Line, had a God-Tier Overpowered Effect at Tier 200:
After consuming a Moldy Bread Slice with information recorded on it, the recorded information will be permanently etched into the consumer's memory.
It seemed similar to a memory bank.
Except it was cheaper.
But in reality...
The difference was vast!
For example, the memory implantation via Moldy Bread Slices required no mental power, unlike the surgical procedure in memory banks, which required the patient's cooperation.
The Bread Slice Production Line didn't care about such things.
Ignoring mental power, forcibly implanted!
This meant that in theory, he could rewrite anyone's memories, implanting whatever he desired into each person's mind.
But...
The process was actually quite troublesome. Since he didn't know what memories each person already had, he could only implant memories that didn't contradict logic or their existing habits. This task was perfectly suited for Zhang Yiren.
Truth be told, the train really needed someone like him—a skilled writer whose services were constantly in demand.
Finally—
Zhang Yiren wiped the sweat from his brow and set down his pen. "It's done. I didn't dare write too many logical, narrative memories. I mostly wrote fragmented memories. Fortunately, most childhood memories are already hazy. Adding more detail to those early years is unlikely to be noticed."
"Bring him up."
Soon, the unconscious middle-aged man was brought in. Biaozi stepped forward and tried to shove a ball of bread into his mouth, but it was difficult to force anything down someone's throat while they were unconscious.
"I'll do it."
At that moment, Qi Kexiu, wearing medical gloves, stepped forward. He unbuttoned the middle-aged man's shirt, who lay on the operating table, then pulled out a surgical scalpel from his pocket and breathed on the blade.
Only then did he plunge the blade into the man's abdomen, slowly drawing it across.
Fat globules mixed with blood plasma flowed out.
But Qi Kexiu, his expression grim, ignored it completely. He pulled out the man's stomach, sliced it open with a single stroke, and stuffed the dozen slices of bread into the cavity, twisting them into a ball first.
He then retrieved a small vial from his pocket and dripped a few drops of liquid inside.
The food began to decompose rapidly.
"A little digestive aid," Qi Kexiu murmured as he stitched up the wound. "President Ai showed me around the train. It's packed with black technology, like the 'Simple Medical Kit,' which is incredibly effective for external injuries. With this level of surgery, recovery will be swift."
...
Biaozi stood frozen, staring at the scene before him. After a long moment, he muttered, "I thought you were afraid of fighting and seeing blood."
"No."
Qi Kexiu shook his head and whispered, "It's not that I'm afraid. I just prefer efficiency. He's already a dead man. Yelling at him or slapping him a few times would be pointless."
"That's the big picture," Biaozi said with a sigh, giving Qi Kexiu a thumbs-up. "Though it doesn't sound very smart."
Twenty minutes later.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, the middle-aged man stirred awake, sitting up on the operating table and looking around. Zhang Yiren, standing behind Chen Mang, quickly introduced, "This is Lord Mang."
The man's expression changed instantly. He scrambled off the table and dropped to one knee, kneeling on the floor. "Father, you've finally come for me!"
"All these years..."
"All these years, why didn't you ever look at me?"
"And why did you have to tie me up?"
The man looked up at Chen Mang, about to speak, but a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes. "Is it because it's been so long? Why do you seem so unfamiliar, like I've never seen you before?"
The next moment—
President Ai, standing nearby, pressed a button, and the man fell unconscious again.
"This might not work," Zhang Yiren said sheepishly. "Memories are composed of various factors: words, images, sounds, even scents and the emotions at the time. 'Bread' can only implant textual memories, which makes the implanted memories like castles in the air—they won't hold up under scrutiny."
"It's different from the memories implanted by memory banks, which are absolute, authentic memories of what actually happened, complete with scents, emotions, and images."
"I've tried my best to manipulate his vague childhood memories."
"But it seems this will only last a short time—maybe a few hours. After that, he'll notice something's off and realize what's happened."
"That's fine," Chen Mang said, smiling as he sat in his chair. "Let him sleep for now. We'll wake him up just before we meet."
"Alright, everyone, leave," he said. "Old Pig, take Qiu Yisao and Zhou Shen to tour the train. They're family now."
"Understood."
The scenery of the cosmos was truly captivating.
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair in front of the control panel, gazing into the depths of space, a black curtain stretching before him. Beside him, the progress bar on the screen slowly dwindled.
"Estimated time until official meeting: one minute."
"Should we wake him?"
Chen Mang grabbed the train radio walkie-talkie and forcibly transmitted the message to the approaching train: "Stop! Jiang Family representatives approaching."
Soon, he could see the train emerging from the darkness ahead. Its speed was gradually slowing.
"Jiang Family representatives?"
The train conductor of the Jiang Family Merchant Guild train, seated in his chair, eyed the private message on the train radio with suspicion. The cargo he was transporting this time was extremely valuable, and his boss had specifically instructed him to ensure nothing went wrong on this trip.
He wasn't foolish enough to simply believe the claim that the approaching train was from the Jiang Family.
But...
The train was approaching without activating any energy shields.
This left him with no choice but to believe it.
In the vastness of space, a train approaching without activating its energy shields is an act of immense goodwill—there's no other explanation.
Pirates always travel in groups, and this train clearly didn't fit that description.
Just then, another voice crackled through the train radio:
"My name is Jiang Sheng. I am a team leader at Feiyang Technology Co., Ltd. in Sanshui City and the eldest son of the Second-in-Command of the Jiang Family. I have important orders to deliver in person. Open the door immediately. Do not delay."
"Two Three Two Five Six!" the train conductor rasped, his vigilance unwavering.
"Two Three Two Five Seven, Two Eight Two Nine Three One."
Jiang Sheng's slightly weary voice echoed.
The next moment!
From the approaching train, a man in a spacesuit, propelled by thrusters, slowly drifted toward their train.
The code was correct!
Seeing this, the train conductor no longer harbored any doubts. He immediately turned to his assistant. "Lower the energy shield, open the doors, and welcome Young Master Jiang aboard."
He had met Jiang Sheng before. Rumors had long circulated that Jiang Sheng might be the illegitimate son of the Jiang Family, given the prominence of the family name. He never expected him to be the eldest son of the Jiang Family's Second-in-Command, especially since he had come alone.
Jiang Sheng's voice was familiar to him. Even if the man harbored ill intentions, what could one person possibly accomplish?
He had no choice but to believe him.
The only thing that puzzled him was why the man was carrying a refrigerator on his shoulder.
Could the refrigerator contain the message he was delivering?
As the middle-aged man boarded the Jiang Family Merchant Guild train, he glanced around. His previously clouded eyes instantly cleared, and he threw the refrigerator to the ground. His voice, now filled with rage and fury, was sharp and urgent.
"Activate the energy shield! Fire! Fire!"
"They're pirates! They kidnapped me to hijack the cargo and implanted some nonsense memories in my head!"
"I tricked them into letting me board the train alone and struck first before they could react!"
"Hurry!"
The middle-aged man turned to the still-dazed train conductor, his frustration boiling over. He strode forward, ready to shout at him, when—
Tutututu!
The sharp crackle of gunfire erupted through the carriage.
Pain and burning sensation instantly flooded his nerves.
He vaguely saw countless bullets tearing through his body, piercing through him and striking the train conductor before him. In his final moment, as he collapsed into a pool of blood, one thought flashed through his mind:
Back in school, the teacher had told him that even a single breath from him could trigger a particle crisis deep in the cosmos.
He remembered scoffing at the time, dismissing it as a ridiculous, unrelated claim.
But now—
As he realized he was on the brink of death, he believed it.
He regretted driving Zhou Shen out of the company that day.
If that hadn't happened...
Perhaps he won't die after all?
His vitality was rapidly draining away. He had never felt so acutely the life force ebbing from him. Yet, at this moment, his mind was strangely calm. There was no pleading, no fear—it was as if he were watching himself from a third-person perspective.
He reviewed his life.
It seemed...
He hadn't properly said goodbye to his wife. This morning, he hadn't finished the bowl of egg noodles she had made, and he hadn't yet made up for making her angry. He had planned to do it after work.
He never imagined that would be the last egg noodles he would eat, the last time he would see her.
The man's eyelids slowly drooped. In his final moment, he saw a pair of iron boots standing in the pool of blood beside him.
It's over.
"It's over," Biaozi said, his iron boots crunching in the blood. He held the Giant Wave Gatling, scanned the train car, and, after firing another burst into the corpses on the ground, murmured, "President Ai, the train conductor is confirmed dead."
"Clear the train."
"Yes, sir!"
With the train conductor dead, the train would instantly become ownerless. Otherwise, just the Built-in Security System alone would be enough to give them a headache.
They had to move fast.
They had entered the train, killed the train conductor, and secured the locomotive before the conductor could even react.
Biaozi glanced back at his First Squad Members and waved. A large number of Armed Black Hole Robots emerged from the refrigerator and advanced toward the rear carriages, systematically calling out names and eliminating each person.
This operation was classified.
To prevent information leaks, no survivors were to be left.
"Tutututu!!!"
The sound of gunfire echoed continuously from the rear carriages. Occasionally, an Armed Black Hole Robot would be hit, collapsing to the ground in a shower of sparks. This kind of exploration work was best left to robots.
Two hours later.
"Boom!"
After several seconds of preparation, the Stellaris's Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon fired a beam of energy at the Jiang Family Merchant Guild train nearby. As the fiery explosion silently bloomed in the depths of space, the operation entered its final phase.
The entire operation proceeded without a single hitch.
Everything went exactly as planned.
"Truly beautiful," Chen Mang murmured, gazing at the towering flames ahead from his seat on the train.
Like a silent film, the scene was deafening in its silence.
This world was far crueler than his previous one.
During the apocalypse, there were only two kinds of people: train conductors and slaves.
Now, in the age of cosmic civilization, the same two categories remained: hunters and prey.
In this cosmic civilization, there was no option for peace. You either hunted others or were hunted yourself. Any semblance of peaceful coexistence was built on the mutual recognition that neither side could easily swallow the other. Such peace was as fragile as a moon reflected in water.
A single pebble could shatter it.
And Chen Mang refused to be the one bullied.
"Lord Mang," Old Pig said, glancing at the tablet. "The mission was a complete success. No one was injured, and the cargo is 100% intact. Qi Kexiu has already inspected it. He said these high-precision instruments are relatively basic but comprehensive enough to be used for developing higher-Tier accessory blueprints."
"As for higher-Tier accessory blueprints, those instruments are strictly controlled by the Kasha Civilization and are difficult to obtain."
"Excellent," Chen Mang said, nodding with a light smile. He was very pleased.
"In addition, we acquired a resource cache: nearly 1.7 billion units of copper ore, nearly 3 billion units of iron ore, and smaller quantities of other resources."
Not a massive haul, but understandable. This was a Merchant Guild Train, and they only needed enough resources for basic navigation and defense.
No information was transmitted.
No one knew what had happened here.
Without anyone noticing—neither Divine nor Ghost—the Jiang Family would never have known who had hijacked their cargo.
But...
Just then—
"Beep beep beep!!!"
The target acquisition radar began blaring incessantly, and a cluster of glaring red dots suddenly appeared on the screen.
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang frowned slightly, glancing at the radar screen. He saw a massive formation of trains—over nine hundred in total—lined up in a single file, advancing toward him from the direction of the Peace-Seeking Civilization.
At their current speed, if he remained stationary, they were projected to meet in twenty-one hours.
"They reacted so quickly?"
He narrowed his eyes, studying the hundreds of red dots on the screen. Unlike the other trains, these bore the distinct markings of the Peace-Seeking Civilization. In other words, they were official trains belonging to the military!
Each was a high-tiered train, mostly around Tier 30. Their main cannons ranged from Tier 50 to Tier 70, while their defense ratings were uniformly Tier 30.
For him...
This was just a bunch of kids, no match for him at all. But in this area, this force was already extremely formidable—a force prepared for war.
"Bring Zhou Shen here."
"Let him see this."
Soon, Zhou Shen strode in. He glanced at the hundreds of red dots on the screen, his eyes widening in surprise. Then, a flicker of terror flashed in his eyes, and he blurted out instinctively, "We're doomed!"
"Not quite doomed," Chen Mang scoffed. "If they were trying to ambush me, they'd never catch me in a million years."
"It's not us who are doomed," Zhou Shen said, his voice trembling slightly. "It's the Peace-Seeking Civilization that's finished."
"Everyone underestimated the newly appointed leader. In recent days, the Peace-Seeking Civilization's leadership has undergone drastic changes. A young man, previously unremarkable, has risen to the position of leader. To be honest, most people don't even know how he got there."
"But—"
"The Peace-Seeking Civilization only has 1,600 mechanical trains in active service. Of these, 1,086 were jointly built by the civilization and various clans, making them private weapons that rarely heed the civilization's orders."
"And now!"
"They've mobilized over 900 trains, yet not a single piece of information has leaked. This means the new Civilization Leader secretly controls a large number of trains, and their true target is the Jiang Family Merchant Guild Train."
"I initially thought the leader's aim was to give the Jiang Family a show of force—a new official's first three fires."
"But now it seems..."
"They're actually here to completely destroy the Jiang Family Merchant Guild Train, ensuring the guild can't produce the necessary instruments during the inspection in a few days. This will serve as a pretext for immediate war."
"On the day of the inspection, key members of the Jiang Family will be present."
"From the very beginning, this leader wasn't here for a show of force. They came with the sole intention of starting a war with the Jiang Family. Once such a conflict erupts, it will spiral completely out of control, engulfing the entire Peace-Seeking Civilization in flames of war and plunging it into absolute wartime control. Countless lives will be lost."
Chen Mang gazed thoughtfully at the hundreds of trains on the screen. "If that's the case, our goals align perfectly."
Their radar was clearly not up to par.
To ensure they could intercept the Jiang Family Merchant Guild's train, they had chosen to cast a wide net across this entire zone. This was likely just the first line of defense. Even if they failed to intercept the train here, the planet's defense firepower would open fire as it approached Peace Planet.
Good.
"In that case, that guy should be thanking me," Chen Mang said, turning his head to Qiu Yisao and Zhou Shen. "Do you two want to bring your families aboard the train? If so, we should return as soon as possible. Once wartime controls are in place, entering and exiting will become much more difficult."
"Is that... possible?" Qiu Yisao asked hesitantly.
"Of course."
Meanwhile—
"..."
In Sanshui City, on the top floor of an office building, seven or eight people sat around a long table. Everyone remained silent for an unknown length of time. Finally, an elderly man, supported by others, slowly took the head seat. He pulled two shattered Life Tokens from his chest and placed them on the table.
His eyes were clouded, and his body radiated the aura of death.
After a moment, the old man spoke slowly.
"My Life Token and Chairman Zhang's shattered at the same time. Our cargo won't arrive."
"This operation was top secret. No one but me knew Chairman Zhang's route."
"That means—"
"The ones who attacked them weren't pirates or anyone else. It was the Peace-Seeking Civilization's military themselves. Only a thorough, carpet-style search along the route could have found them. This means that the newly appointed young fellow has no intention of leaving us any way out."
"Xiao Xinzi."
"Yes, Father," replied a middle-aged man seated at the side of the long table, rising respectfully.
"Plant some wreckage inside the 'Research and Experimentation Base' and set it on fire."
"Understood."
"Everyone else, disperse. Upon returning, mobilize all available resources and prepare for the worst. This war may be unavoidable."
Every civilization faces similar conflicts.
Resources must be highly concentrated to build sufficiently powerful trains and armies, allowing the civilization to grow stronger.
Every Civilization Leader wants to concentrate resources in their own hands.
But...
This violates human nature. The people below want to eat their fill too, and they want to build their own trains.
This irreconcilable contradiction will only intensify over time, ultimately erupting into a final battle to determine the ultimate victor.
Though the suddenness caught them off guard—they hadn't expected the young Leader to be so ruthless, leaving no room for retreat from the start—they didn't panic.
After all, such events had occurred in countless civilizations throughout history. There was ample precedent to study. Now, it was a matter of relying on their foundation and finding justifications.
Life Tokens.
A unique product of the Cultivation Civilization.
Quite useful.
The most common goods traded between civilizations were specialty products, which could often be sold at a high profit elsewhere. However, this required paying various costs, including tariffs, wormhole usage fees, and energy consumption for interstellar travel.
One day later.
Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin of the Stellaris, gazing at the Sanshui City newspaper in his hand. The headline read:
"Feiyang Technology Company's Research and Experimentation Base on the outskirts of Sanshui City burst into flames early yesterday morning. By the time firefighters arrived, the factory had been reduced to ashes, with estimated losses of nearly 100 billion units of iron ore and equipment."
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
According to company officials, the fire may have been started by a carelessly discarded cigarette butt.
We remind all citizens:
Don't let cigarette butts hit the ground, or your parents may not stay safe. TL: how's that a reminder???
"That's good," Chen Mang said with a chuckle, taking a sip of the cool tea beside him. This news reminded him of something familiar. Though civilizations had changed, the way people settled their debts remained timeless.
Fire truly was a remarkable thing.
In most cases, it could erase all debts.
In extreme cases, if debts couldn't be erased, it could erase those who came to collect them.
Then, a sudden thought struck him, causing a slight headache. Qi Kexiu had told him they were short-staffed and needed to expand the research team to at least 100 people.
He'd asked about the crew from Feiyang Technology Co., Ltd. in Sanshui City. If they were any good, he'd just go back and rob them again.
The answer was no.
A bunch of cheap knockoffs.
Finding a decent crew would be a real headache.
But—
He'd deal with that later. Building a research team took time. He was more interested in seeing if the Peace-Seeking Civilization and the other civilization in this area would start a war. Both sides had plenty of resources.
If they did end up fighting...
He might even be able to sell them some weapons.
For now, though, the Stellaris train was already hurtling through space, heading toward the Cultivation Civilization's Black Tortoise Star. Both planets orbited the same star in this region, so they were close enough that the train could travel directly without needing a wormhole.
At its current speed, the journey was expected to take seven hours.
He wasn't pushing it too hard.
This area was crowded, and going too fast would draw unnecessary attention. Besides, he wasn't in any rush.
This galaxy was known as the 27th Galaxy.
This is the "Kasha Civilization," an artificial construct that has gathered all the Civilization Planets in this zone.
To travel to other galaxies, one must use the wormholes built by the Kasha Civilization and pay a fee.
In this world, everything has its pros and cons.
All First-Tier Civilizations secretly grumbled about the Kasha Civilization's forced annexation, forcing them to defend against the Zerg Civilization's massive armies while restricting their development. However, from another perspective, the complete opening of inter-civilization trade had accelerated the growth of all civilizations.
While they couldn't break their upper limits, their overall strength had increased significantly.
This was precisely what the Kasha Civilization had intended. They didn't need these First-Tier Civilizations to hold off powerful enemies. The Kasha Civilization's strategy was to maintain a small population but possess a large number of high-end combat units.
What the Kasha Civilization needed was for these First-Tier Civilizations to hold back the overwhelming tide of Zerg Monsters, preventing the battlefront from stretching too thin and leaving the Kasha Civilization vulnerable.
"It's quite lively," Chen Mang said, sitting in the locomotive cabin and gazing out the window. Trains whizzed past every few moments.
Some trains bore the markings of passenger trains from various civilizations.
Some trains were marked as sightseeing trains operated by the xx Tourism Company. Others belonged to merchant guilds or were privately owned. The Stellaris train was unremarkable among them; some trains had even more carriages, including one with 108.
"Zhou Shen," Chen Mang said, glancing curiously at the massive train labeled "Jimei Tourism Company Luxury Sightseeing Train." "Jimei Tourism Company must be quite powerful to afford a train with so many carriages. Building something like that must have cost a fortune, right?"
"Not too much," Zhou Shen explained. "As long as they don't upgrade the energy shield, building the carriages themselves doesn't cost much. This train only travels between these planets, staying relatively close to the star. It won't venture into the cold, starless void, nor into asteroid clusters, cosmic dust clouds, or any combat zones. So, construction isn't that expensive."
"Each carriage is divided into private suites, without space gates. Every passenger can enjoy the view through the windows. This galaxy has a total of sixty-seven habitable planets, and this train has selected twenty-seven civilizations to create a long-distance journey."
"The entire trip takes ninety days."
"Each tourist gets a luxurious master suite. Each suite costs 30 million units of iron ore. There are eight suites per carriage."
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, calculating.
"Excluding the locomotive, there are 108 carriages. Assuming eight carriages are used for supplies, that leaves 100 carriages, which can accommodate 800 suites. Each suite costs 30 million."
"So, each trip could generate 24 billion?"
"Besides the train's cost, are there any other expenses? What about customer acquisition costs?"
Zhou Shen explained, "Yes, those armed trains beside us are escorts. Then there's customer acquisition cost. In any industry, that's the highest expense, especially for high-net-worth clients. They're usually acquired through long-term cultivation, relationship maintenance, and referrals."
"The higher the net worth, the more likely a client is to accept a friend's recommendation."
"Partly because they trust their friends."
"Partly because it gives them common ground for conversation within their circle."
"The exact costs are unknown to outsiders, but the profit margin should be substantial. Each trip likely earns around 10 billion, though many suites are given away to maintain relationships with influential figures and groups."
"..."
Chen Mang stared silently out the window at the train slowly falling behind, saying nothing.
He suddenly realized something.
Back on Aquablue Star, mining had been almost his only source of iron ore.
After leaving Aquablue Star, his sudden wealth had also come from a mining star.
It was still mining.
But now, in the Kasha Civilization Federation, it was rare to find any mines. All the mines on planets were controlled by the government, and private mining was prohibited. There wasn't even a single mining star in the surrounding galaxy.
Yet...
There were far more other ways to earn money than mining stars now. People from all walks of life were making fortunes.
Without the looming threat of an apocalypse, these people were truly extravagant.
They would spend 30 million units of iron ore on a single vacation instead of upgrading their trains.
He had once thought Princess Tuotuo of the Mechanical Civilization was wasting resources by consuming so much iron ore without fighting on the front lines. But seeing these people, he realized they were the true wasters.
If he could get involved in all these money-making industries, he could make a fortune even faster than before.
In a society with such stark wealth disparity, the rich find it easier to make money.
Chen Mang possessed a unique product and considerable strength, and he could operate from behind the scenes, avoiding the attention of the Kasha Civilization's resources while secretly accumulating resources to upgrade his train.
Until the day the window paper was pierced.
"Jimei Tourism Company..."
Chen Mang murmured the name several times, silently etching it into his memory. He had no intention of starting from scratch in a new industry; that would be too troublesome and time-consuming. He preferred a more direct approach:
To build a profit-driven group centered around the Stellaris.
Everyone would work to earn resources for him.
His future plan gradually became clear. The first stop: the Black Tortoise Star, a Cultivation Civilization, to scout the scene, fully open his market there, and establish his reputation!
He didn't know the highest-level train in the Kasha Civilization or the Zerg Civilization.
But he calculated:
Level 500 Armor would make him completely secure.
He wouldn't emerge until his armor reached Tier 500 and all its accessories were also upgraded to Tier 500. This period of seclusion wasn't surrender; it was a time to gather strength.
Several hours later, the Stellaris train entered the atmosphere of the Black Tortoise Star and landed at a train terminal.
While waiting to enter the venue, Chen Mang glanced out the window at the towering skyscrapers and dazzling neon lights of the city. He couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this supposed to be a Cultivation Civilization? Why does it look like a Cyber City?"
"Uh..." Zhou Shen explained in a low voice, "It wasn't like this before. But after civilization trade became too close, many things subtly changed. The Cultivation Civilization you see now might be quite different from the one you're used to reading about in novels, Lord Mang."
Just then, he noticed an exceptionally long train slowly descending toward the train terminal. It was the luxurious train of the Jimei Tourism Company, lining up to disembark.
"That's good," Chen Mang remarked.
Several dozen minutes later, the Stellaris had already left the train terminal and was speeding toward the nearest city in the sky. Along the way, they occasionally spotted cultivators soaring through the air on their swords, a truly elegant sight.
Zhou Shen continued his explanation.
"Lord Mang, the Black Tortoise Star isn't unified. The strongest factions are the Five Great Sects and the Three Great Clans. This city was jointly built and strictly controlled by these Eight Great Factions. All cultivators entering the city have their cultivation locked and their powers suppressed to ensure absolute passenger safety. However, once you leave the city, it's best to stay inside the train and avoid exposing yourself outside."
"While malicious incidents are rare, they do still happen. Generally, most tourists spend most of their time in this city before taking sightseeing vehicles to other parts of the Black Tortoise Star to visit the inner workings of various Cultivation Sects."
"That's quite good."
Chen Mang sat in his chair, watching the scene before him with interest. He enjoyed this collision of different civilizations, which always resulted in a chaotic fusion of elements.
He wasn't worried about his safety. He simply wanted to keep a low profile and develop his strength discreetly. If it came to a fight, these nearly ten thousand First-Tier Civilizations wouldn't pose a threat to him.
"But..." he pointed to the female cultivator in red robes flying back and forth overhead. "Why is she constantly flying around like that?"
"Uh..." Zhou Shen hesitated for a long moment, unsure how to explain.
"Let me explain," Zhang Qiudao, standing nearby, stepped forward. "The Eight Great Factions on the Black Tortoise Star jointly established a Cultural Tourism Bureau. This bureau aims to showcase Immortal Cultivation elements to tourists as much as possible within the city. The cultivators flying around are part of a performance designed to immerse visitors more deeply in the city's atmosphere."
"The Cultural Tourism Bureau?"
"Yes, yes."
"After all, those willing to undertake such long-distance travel tend to be quite generous spenders, making them a major source of income for the Eight Great Factions in recent years."
(End of the Chapter)
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