"Senior, can we depart for the sect now?" Lyra asked.
"We can't afford any delay. The Everlasting Pill Sect would have already begun arranging their disciples to enter the relic. If they gather the materials before us, it would be catastrophic."
There was hope in Lyra's voice now. Not only because she was finally returning to her sect, but because Adrian was coming with her. Even without knowing his exact strength, the presence of someone like him shifted the balance dramatically. She felt like her sect's chances of survival had risen to an entirely different level compared to before.
Adrian nodded. "I understand. Let's depart immediately."
...
Adrian, his group, and Lyra moved together through the vast expanse of the UNI-Hub. Adrian informed everyone of his decision, and there was no objection. In truth, this had never been a decision made by him alone. The list of potential sects had been compiled by his people from the beginning. He had simply taken responsibility for choosing one.
Their destination was now the docking ring, where their starship awaited.
Lysandra moved to Adrian's other side, her expression contemplative. "You're certain about this? A lesser minor sect embroiled in conflict is hardly the stable foundation I expected you to choose."
Adrian didn't slow his pace. "Stability without trust is hollow. I'd rather build something real from struggle than inherit something rotten from comfort."
Lysandra studied him for a moment, then inclined her head slightly. "I suppose that's consistent with everything you've done so far."
Draven chuckled from behind them. "Consistent? He dragged an entire galaxy into the universe because a nine-year-old wanted to see what was beyond the barrier. Consistency isn't the word I'd use."
Draven knew Adrian had other intentions, but he still teased Adrian.
Adrian ignored it. His mind had already shifted forward, calculating what needed to happen once they reached the Crimson Vital Sect. There would be introductions, negotiations with the sect leader, and inevitably, confrontation with the Everlasting Pill Sect.
He needed to be prepared for that confrontation.
As they passed through a wide plaza lined with various centers, Adrian slowed.
"I need to make a stop," he said.
Selena raised an eyebrow, "What for?"
"Mana pills."
He didn't elaborate further as others instantly understood his goals. He peeled away from the group, heading toward a nearby alchemy center.
...
The alchemy center's entrance shimmered with a faint golden barrier, parting as Adrian approached. Inside, the air carried a sharp, herbal scent layered with something sweeter. Shelves lined the walls, each displaying vials, bottles, and jade containers of varying sizes. Many different pills glowed faintly within their protective casings.
An attendant materialized beside him almost instantly, a slender figure with crimson skin and four arms. Two of the hands clasped together in greeting whilst the other pair gestured toward the displays.
"Welcome, honored customer. How may the Eternal Bloom Alchemy Center serve you today?"
Adrian's gaze swept the shelves, "I need Mana pills containing ten thousand Mana Units each. I need five of them."
"Of course. Please follow me."
The attendant led him deeper into the center, past rows of pills, until they reached a secure section that had different types of Mana pills. The attendant retrieved a jade box from behind a reinforced counter, opening it to reveal five translucent pills that pulsed with condensed energy.
"Each pill contains precisely ten thousand Mana Units," the attendant explained. "Refined from thousand-year moonlight orchids and compressed through seventeen cycles. The absorption rate is ninety-eight percent, with minimal impurity residue."
Adrian examined one of the pills briefly, his Source Eyes catching the intricate mana pathways woven into its structure.
"I'll take them."
"The total comes to one hundred thousand UNI-Coins."
He had only purchased Mana pills that would sum up to fifty thousand mana units, but the price was double what it was.
Adrian was not surprised by the price, he had already learned the standard pricing structure. Mana pills always cost double the Mana Units they provided. A pill containing one hundred thousand Mana Units, equivalent to one hundred thousand high-tier mana crystals, would cost two hundred thousand UNI-Coins.
The alchemy centers justified this price by citing the rarity of mana-dense plants required for such pills, the inefficiencies during refinement, and the time and effort invested in their creation. From a commercial standpoint, the price was reasonable.
Adrian transferred the payment through his UNI-OS. The attendant bowed deeply, all four hands pressing together.
"Thank you for your patronage. May your cultivation flourish."
Adrian stored the jade box in his spatial ring and left.
...
Adrian needed a reliable way to instantly recover if his mana was depleted.
The five pills represented exactly that. Each one could restore him to peak condition in seconds. In a prolonged battle or emergency, having that kind of insurance could mean the difference between survival and annihilation.
And he didn't purchase this for increasing his total mana reserves. For that, Adrian had a different method in mind, one he intended to experiment with soon.
The Boundless Mana Body Art said one can absorb high-grade mana crystals or pills to expand the Mana Sea's capacity. But there was another way, which was cultivating divine concepts. He had an idea and planned to test it as they travelled.
With the purchase complete, Adrian rejoined the group.
Together, they soon arrived at one of the UNI-Hub's teleportation sections. The UNI-Hub was vast beyond reason, and even a single docking section spanned an immense area. When they had first arrived, a portal had transported them directly to the UNI-Market, and similar teleportation sections were distributed throughout the hub to allow rapid travel.
Inside this section, countless machines filled the space.
Thousands of beings moved, activating portals that flared open and swallowed them whole before collapsing back into nothing.
Adrian approached the nearest available machine, placing his palm against its surface. The interface responded as he injected a thread of pure mana into it.
› Welcome
› Input travel location
He set the destination to his own starship.
› Selected Location: Dock Ring-Section 47
› Cost: 10 UNI-Coins — Activate? Yes / No
Adrian selected yes. Teleportation was not free. While the UNI-Hub provided complimentary transport upon arrival, once inside, every service carried a cost.
› Activating the portal
A portal manifested directly in front of them. Adrian wasted no time and led everyone forward, stepping into it.
They materialized instantly within the docking section where their ship was anchored. One by one, everyone boarded.
Aerin ran ahead, her small feet pattering against the metal boarding ramp. "I want to check on my room!"
"Don't run off," Aurelia called after her, though the warning came too late.
Sentinel sighed, "She never listens."
The starship was familiar to Adrian's group, as they had spent months traveling within it. Lyra, however, showed no particular reaction. To her, it appeared to be an ordinary vessel. She had seen far more advanced ships in the universe.
Once aboard, Lyra connected her UNI-OS with the ship and used the Void Navigation System to set the destination to the Crimson Vital Sect's capital star system.
She stood at the navigation console, her fingers moving across the interface. A three-dimensional map projected above the terminal, displaying their current location within Andromeda and the route to her sect.
"The journey will take approximately nine days," Lyra said, glancing back at Adrian. "The space lanes are heavily trafficked near the sect's region, so we'll need to reduce speed once we approach."
Adrian nodded.
Lysandra stepped closer to the console, studying the projected map. "Is the Everlasting Pill Sect's territory nearby?"
"Yes," Lyra confirmed. "That's part of why the conflict escalated so quickly. They've always viewed us as competition, but manageable competition. Our sect leader's ascension changed that."
Meanwhile, Adrian entered the formation room.
At the center sat the ship's core formation. The ship's core formation was constructed entirely using origin ink and powered by pure mana crystals. Aware of the risks if this was discovered, Adrian had previously hidden the mana crystals and deliberately tampered with the formation. To any observer, it would appear broken and nonfunctional. Without thoroughly scrubbing the origin ink and researching it from scratch, its true purpose could not be discerned.
He had taken this precaution because he could not be certain what might happen if the ship were left unattended.
Adrian knelt beside the formation's central node, his fingers tracing the deliberately scrambled sections. The alterations were subtle, just enough to render the array inert without obvious signs of sabotage. Anyone inspecting it would assume the formation simply needed repair.
Now that they were departing, Adrian restored the formation to its original working state. He remained cautious, knowing he could not allow Lyra or anyone else other than his people to examine it closely.
His hands moved, reconnecting severed pathways and realigning the disrupted symbols. The origin ink responded to his touch, the white-grey substance flowing like liquid before solidifying into place.
Within minutes, the formation blazed to life. Mana surged through the restored channels, feeding into the ship's systems.
This issue would be fully resolved if he purchased a standard starship, but he had no intention of wasting his money unnecessarily. For now, this solution would suffice.
Standard vessels cost millions of UNI-Coins, resources better spent on cultivation materials, divine concepts, body arts, or just as their emergency funds. And Adrian didn't have too much money with him, so he only purchased the mana pills for now and planned to buy other things when he had more money.
For now, their current ship functioned perfectly well. It simply required discretion.
Adrian rose and exited the formation room, sealing the door behind him.
The ship powered up and departed the UNI-Hub, slipping smoothly into the endlessly branching space lanes.
Through the viewport, the colossal ring structure shrank behind them, its stabilized stars dimming as distance grew. Other vessels filled the void, cargo haulers, sleek personal craft, massive sect transports bearing emblems.
Their destination was the Crimson Vital Sect's capital star system.