Translator: AnubisTL
"The Kasha Civilization?"
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully as he stood on the street, surveying his surroundings. He was now on a planet within the Rugged Civilization's territory—not a bustling commercial hub at the heart of the galaxy, nor a popular tourist destination teeming with visitors.
Nor was it a military stronghold or an industrial powerhouse.
It was simply an ordinary residential planet, unremarkable in every way.
Its sole purpose was to house a portion of the Rugged Civilization's population, but such planets often offered the clearest glimpse into the daily lives of a civilization's common people.
The Kasha Civilization.
He remembered them well. They were among the most formidable civilizations he had encountered shortly after leaving Aquablue Star. Back then, the Kasha Civilization seemed godlike, an almost completely insurmountable force.
He knew their birth rate was exceptionally low, but even the Kasha Civilization had never found an explanation. He never imagined the Green Mountain Civilization was behind it all.
"They've really overreached themselves."
"How did they manage this?"
"A sexually transmitted virus."
"Sexually transmitted? If that's the only mode of transmission, it couldn't have spread so widely. To reduce a race's birth rate, at least 90% of the population would need to be infected. AIDS is also sexually transmitted, but I've never heard of any race where 90% of the people have AIDS."
Chen Mang shook his head. "As far as I know, the Kasha Civilization only had some corruption and bribery. There wasn't any widespread promiscuity. There must be other ways the virus spreads."
Xiao Ai nodded and continued, "You're right. It's not entirely sexual. The sexually transmitted virus created by the Green Mountain Civilization doesn't require physical contact to spread. If you have a sexual fantasy about someone, the virus will be transmitted to them with 100% certainty."
"For example—"
"You're walking down the street and see a beautiful woman. Suddenly, inappropriate thoughts pop into your head. Even if you don't act on them—you don't approach her, you don't say anything, you don't do anything—the moment you have that thought, the virus has already been transmitted to her."
"As for celebrities, they were practically the first victims."
"The Niya Star System should still contain evidence of the Green Mountain Civilization's actions against the Rugged Civilization, including the experiments on the Kasha Civilization. Traces remain."
"The Green Mountain Civilization feared that the rapid development of human civilization would attract the Rugged Civilization's attention, exposing their crimes."
"Although the Rugged Civilization is currently a Headless Divine Dragon..."
"...if they discovered what the Green Mountain Civilization had done, their collective rage would easily lead to the Green Mountain Civilization's destruction."
"No wonder..."
"No wonder the Green Mountain Civilization was willing to take such a massive risk to destroy the Niya Star System."
"That's what I don't quite understand," Xiao Ai said, puzzled. "Logically, the Green Mountain Civilization should have covered their tracks thoroughly. They left virtually no traces within their own civilization. Surely they would have cleaned up any evidence in the Niya Star System as well. Was it really necessary to take such a huge risk just to come here?"
"Yes." Chen Mang nodded slightly. "Every adulterer deletes all evidence of their affair, but when their partner checks their social media accounts or devices, they still panic, wondering if they've truly erased everything."
"The Green Mountain Civilization panicked."
"So they chose to two-dimensionalize Laozi's Niya Star System, making it foolproof."
"The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Fucking bastards."
Although there was no concrete evidence of the Green Mountain Civilization's conspiracy, it had been largely deduced.
If...
If he had leaked this information to the Rugged Civilization before going to war with the Green Mountain Civilization, he probably wouldn't have even needed to lift a finger. Of course, he would never do that; handing over all his resources to someone else? No way.
"..."
Chen Mang walked through one of the cities on Qiu Mountain Star. People occasionally cast strange glances at him, their eyes devoid of hostility, merely curious.
The race within the Rugged Civilization wasn't the Human Clan, but the Sagittarius Clan.
Before choosing to become Chosen Ones, their appearance was identical to ordinary humans.
When they became Berserkers, their bodies would turn red, thicken, and grow taller within a few months, transforming them into hulking figures.
When they became Divine Archers, their bodies would become slender and elongated, their ears would sharpen, and a third eye would grow on their foreheads.
Upon reaching the age of eighteen, every member of the Sagittarius Clan would either become a Berserker or a Chosen One, based on their innate abilities. Until then, they were ordinary members of the Human Clan.
This was an ordinary residential planet, not a tourist destination.
The people of this planet only knew that their civilization was a 7th Tier Civilization. They lacked detailed information about the size of their civilizational territory, the number of galaxies and civilizations within it, their surrounding neighbors, or the broader cosmos.
Their knowledge of the universe was limited.
They had little contact with other civilizations.
To these people, the newcomers appeared to be a group of children who hadn't yet reached adulthood, though they seemed strangely old for their age.
A group of unusually mature-looking children walking down the street naturally drew attention.
"Can these even inflict damage?" Chen Mang murmured, hefting a massive axe in Zhihao Weapon Shop. This civilization possessed limited Train Civilization technology, such as wormholes.
However, their Train Civilization technology was primarily used for daily life and transportation, not for combat.
This civilization's sole source of combat power lay in its Chosen Ones.
But he doubted whether axes and bows could truly possess any significant power. They might be fine for ground combat, but would such weapons be sufficient in the vacuum of space stations?
To advance to a 7th Tier Civilization, a necessary condition was possessing an attack strength within the 300,000 energy range—equivalent to 3,000 Tier Seven-Colored Grade Accessories. Could this axe really unleash a 3,000 Tier Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon?
"What are you saying?" the shop boss retorted, his expression darkening with displeasure. "None of the weapons here are mass-produced. Each one is personally crafted by master smiths, and their power is beyond question."
"This axe is called the Heaven-Opening Axe, green-grade, Tier 30."
"You're still a child. You can't wield this weapon. Bring your father here—he'll understand its true strength!"
Chen Mang remained unfazed by the boss's fiery words, simply nodding slightly. It seemed this civilization disdained industrialized mass production, placing greater faith in the hand-forged creations of master artisans.
The Rugged Civilization spanned 39 galaxies.
How many masters would it take to satisfy this market?
"What's that?"
Chen Mang looked up at a massive tiger head trophy mounted on the wall. The head was no ordinary size, spanning seven or eight meters wide and nearly filling the entire wall.
"Ah, that..."
The boss cleared his throat loudly, planted his hands on his hips, and puffed out his chest proudly. "To be honest, I'm a Tier 8 Berserker. That's a Cosmic Behemoth I personally slew in the cosmos with my battleaxe during my younger days!"
"Impressive, right?"
"Not a bad size, eh?"
"Not bad at all," Chen Mang nodded, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. He actually killed a Cosmic Behemoth with his own strength?
That's quite formidable.
"But why is this Cosmic Behemoth so small? The ones I've seen are measured in light-years."
"..."
The boss glared at Chen Mang, his voice raspy. "You here to cause trouble, kid? Aside from a few special cases—like the Cosmic Behemoths that have been converted into Cosmic Landmines—no Cosmic Behemoth is measured in light-years!"
"Even the largest ones are only a million kilometers long."
"And you've seen them?"
"Kid."
"This world needs to be measured with your own feet and seen with your own eyes. Just reading some random articles or watching videos doesn't mean you've seen the world. Only when you've experienced it firsthand can you truly say you've 'seen' it."
Chen Mang's attention had already been drawn to the bow hanging at the highest point on the wall. His eyes narrowed slightly, and for some reason, he suddenly felt an itch to try it.
"That bow—take it down and let me see it."
"You?"
The boss sized Chen Mang up and down before using a hook to retrieve the bow. He handed it over. "Here, take a look. Every kid who comes to my shop to pick out their adult weapon wants to see this bow."
"But looking is all you can do. Don't get your hopes up too high. It's been ages since anyone became a Divine Archer."
"Just stick to being a Berserker."
"This bow is blue-grade, Tier 50."
"Before you become a Divine Archer and gain the 'Bow Draw Assist' skill, there's no way you can draw this bow. You know about 'Steering Wheel Assist,' right?"
"Without Steering Wheel Assist, you can't even turn the steering wheel. It's the same with this bow. Without class changing to become a Chosen One, trying to draw this bow with just your physical strength..."
"That's a pipe dream."
"If you can draw this bow..."
In the next moment—
The boss's voice trailed off abruptly.
Chen Mang took the bow, pinched the string between two fingers, and slowly applied force. The string drew taut, and simultaneously, he felt an invisible connection to a nearby planet. A seven-colored energy arrow materialized on the string, radiating terrifying energy fluctuations.
"Th-this..."
The boss stared in disbelief, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he gazed at the imminent explosion of the energy arrow. Only then did he realize, "Don't shoot it in the shop! It'll blow us all up!"
Chen Mang stepped outside, aiming the arrow skyward.
With a deafening sonic boom, the seven-colored arrow shot into the heavens, detonating high above and causing significant spatial distortions. The strike's power was considerable.
"Interesting..."
He gazed at the bow in his hand, feeling a lingering sense of satisfaction. The arrow's power rivaled that of a Tier 40 Hellfire Cannon—a force utterly useless against the Stellaris train in its current state. But...
He had to admit:
This thing was truly immersive. The sensation of connecting with a planet, then watching the arrow gradually materialize...
So satisfying!
In essence, it was simply borrowing the planet's core energy. Whether in the form of Train Civilization or cultivation civilization, both fundamentally utilized this energy through different means.
But...
It felt so damn good to use!
This was a treasure—something he could slowly savor later.
"How much? I'll buy it."
When he turned to the shop boss, he found the man frozen in place, his lips pale, bloodshot eyes fixed intently on him.
"Boy... do you realize what it means that you can draw this bow?"
"Does it mean I can class change into a Divine Archer in the future?" Chen Mang asked with a casual smirk, raising an eyebrow. He had no intention of becoming a Divine Archer; this racial talent was entirely thanks to "bread."
"No!" the shop boss exclaimed urgently. "It's more than that! Becoming a Divine Archer is your destiny. You'll be the first person on Qiu Mountain Star to achieve this in centuries. But most importantly..."
"That arrow you just fired wasn't a physical arrow!"
"This is a skill only Advanced Divine Archers can acquire: the Star Arrow!"
"By extracting energy from a planet, you can launch a Sagittarius arrow with immense power. You achieved this instinctively on your very first attempt with a bow, without any training."
"Such talent..."
"Such potential..."
"If you don't fall, you might even pass the Holy Arrow trials and become the leader of the Sagittarius Clan!"
"The Rugged Civilization hasn't seen a Holy Arrow Lord in ages."
The shop boss's voice grew increasingly agitated. By the end, his legs trembled, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes reddening as he choked out, "The Rugged Civilization is finally about to welcome its Dragon Head!"
Just then, Xiao Ai whispered from nearby, "Train Conductor."
"We've detected massive spatial fluctuations around Qiu Mountain Star. Twenty-eight wormholes opened simultaneously moments ago, and new ones are still forming endlessly. Many individuals are rapidly converging on Qiu Mountain Star."
"Their motives remain unknown."
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL. 💠COMPLETED💠
🎁All [3] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [1.1k+] Chapters and [2.46M+] Words.