Star Odyssey

Yuan Shi thought about Lu Yin’s question before responding, “Not long from now, though it depends on the rate at which the energy wanes. At the current rate, it could still take several years, but the energy level continues to drop faster and faster. Thus, we may very well be reconnected within a year.” 

“When does the contest for the Cosmic Five begin?” Lu Yin asked urgently.

Yuan Shi shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered as he stared off into the distance. If the contest for the Cosmic Five occurred before the Outerverse reconnected to the Innerverse, then he would be too late.

Furthermore, it would not be easy to deal with Nightking Zhenwu. This was something that would not be settled by just a duel between two youths, as far too much was on the line. Even the simplest resolution depended on more than if Lu Yin even had the ability to defeat Nightking Zhenwu; would the Daynight clan allow Lu Yin to casually do as he wished? Would those who supported Nightking Zhenwu allow him to be defeated? And this was not even taking into account the powers that would join Nightking Zhenwu’s side just because he was about to become one of the Cosmic Five. 

Their conflict might end up dragging in almost half of the Innerverse as well as some powers from the Cosmic Sea and the Neoverse. Lu Yin needed more time to plot against Nightking Zhenwu, but did he have enough time to do so?

If Lu Yin had sufficient time, then he would naturally be able to deal with Nightking Zhenwu. Otherwise, Lu Yin could only lay some minor scheme that stopped Nightking Zhenwu from dealing with Lu Yin, such as by relying on Yuan Shi to rebuild his reputation.

Lu Yin believed that Nightking Zhenwu would do as he had said, and at this time, it was quite possible that half of the Innerverse believed Lu Yin to be a traitor to the Human Domain.

Yuan Shi took out an item that he then passed over to Lu Yin. Lu Yin looked over, and his mind was stunned as his body twitched. He only returned to his senses after Yuan Shi pulled the youth out of his shock. 

The old man had returned the piece of Progenitor Wushang’s hide back to Lu Yin, which the youth had originally lent to Yuan Shi so that the old expert could fight against Ancestor Tong and Ancestor Sightless. Yuan Shi was returning the borrowed item. 

Progenitor Wushang’s hide was the first Progenitor item that Lu Yin had ever obtained. The hide was quite large, and it was also extremely useful. 

“Without Progenitor Wushang’s hide, it is impossible to say what the outcome of the battle in the astral cemetery would have been. It’s a pity that the arrow was damaged.” Yuan Shi sighed.

Lu Yin replied, “At least it was useful. Thanks to Senior Yuan Shi, the Outerverse was able to survive.”

Yuan Shi stated, “A Progenitor’s item is something that is capable of changing the situation of an entire battlefield. You are fated with Progenitors, so cherish this item.” The old man paused for a moment before continuing on, saying, “You gained many achievements during the battle in the astral cemetery, and the Hall of Honor will not be stingy with the reward for your personal contributions to the defense of the Outerverse.”

Lu Yin was moved; was he about to receive another walnut or beaded bracelet again? Those two incredibly useful power vessels were both already gone.

Yuan Shi seemed to have guessed Lu Yin’s train of thought, and he shook his head with a bitter smile. “I originally wanted to compensate you for the power vessels that you used up, but I was severely injured during the battle in the astral cemetery, and I still have not recovered. It’s not easy to make such power vessels, so you will have to wait a while longer. I heard that you need resources, so I’ve already instructed Da Gu to allocate some for your cultivation, and I will also increase your Honor Points to twenty in total. 

“You used the correct methods to assist in that battle, and the Hall of Honor has formally given you the position of the Outerverse Allied Forces’ Commander. I hope that you’ll cherish it well.”

Lu Yin was grateful. Although he felt that it was a pity that he could not get any more life-preserving items, he felt that once Yuan Shi recovered, the old man would stay true to his word. Besides, the other rewards were still quite decent.  Other than the position of the Outerverse’s Allied Forces’ Commander, Lu Yin’s Honor Points being increased to twenty was a very good thing in and of itself. If he remembered correctly, even if he betrayed the entire Human Domain, he still would not be killed. Instead, at worst, he would be imprisoned like Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao. 

As for the allocation of resources, the way that Yuan Shi had used the word “allocation” was rather interesting, and Lu Yin looked forward to seeing what he would receive. 

Yuan Shi himself had been severely injured, so Lu Yin did not chat with the old man for much longer. Right after leaving, he ran into Elder Daggs. 

Elder Daggs looked at Lu Yin with an appreciative look. “Exactly how did you get back? The Allied Forces have been patrolling the Astral River this entire time, but there wasn’t any indication that something tore through it.” 

Lu Yin was quite satisfied. “Before the battle, I received a star chart that mapped out a route between the Outerverse to the Innerverse that traveled through the Technocracy.”

Elder Daggs was surprised. “There’s actually such a path?” 

Lu Yin nodded. “I got it from Endless Borders.” 

“Ah, no wonder,” Elder Daggs said.

Lu Yin explained a bit further. “It’s a pity that the route has changed, and it’s almost impossible for anyone whose power level is under 400,000 to pass through. In fact, it becomes more challenging the further along the route you travel.”

“Then how did you pass through?” Elder Daggs did not believe Lu Yin’s words, and he felt that Lu Yin was exaggerating. 

Lu Yin proudly replied, “I’ve already killed two Imprinters.”

Elder Daggs was stunned, but then he remembered that during the battle in the astral cemetery, this youth had indeed killed two Imprinters with one attack, instantly changing the balance of the battlefield. When Elder Daggs recalled this event, he looked at Lu Yin with an even stranger expression. Throughout all of history, no Cruiser had ever performed such exaggerated achievements, and this kid was simply a monster. 

Lu Yin enjoyed seeing this look on Elder Daggs’ face, and it seemed that Lu Yin’s status had already surpassed this elder.

“Hehe, Elder Daggs, how’s the defensive border in Southside Weave? Should I go on patrol?” Lu Yin asked, as he felt that he had such a responsibility.

Elder Daggs was taken aback, and he suddenly recalled that this kid was actually the Outerverse Allied Forces’ Commander. Although Lu Yin had been given special privileges during wartime, the border would essentially always be in such a situation. This kid’s privileges were simply disgusting. 

“If you want,” Elder Daggs replied noncommittally.

Lu Yin smiled. “I won’t for the moment. Right, Yuan Shi mentioned that some resources would be allocated to me as a reward. I wonder how much there is?”

Elder Daggs’s lips stretched tight. “How much do you want?”

Lu Yin’s eyes turned radiant.

Elder Daggs felt his heart turn cold, as he knew that this person loved money more than his own life. He was the type of person who would conduct business even on a battlefield. Whenever possible, Elder Daggs preferred to do business with this youth, as that allowed the elder to see what he was paying for. This kid had selflessly provided numerous pills, and his contributions for the last battle had been beyond excessive, which had led to Lu Yin receiving Yuan Shi’s deep appreciation. Thus, Elder Daggs had no way to reject this youth, but he also did not want to give away too much. All he could do was allow this youth to request what he wanted as a reward and then pray that the requests would not be too exaggerated.

Lu Yin suddenly looked excited. “Could Elder take Junior to take a look at the Hall of Honor’s treasury?”

Elder Daggs felt a chill run down his spine. “Don’t you just want some resources? You can just tell me what you would like. Why is there a need to take a look at the treasury?”

Lu Yin blinked.  “Those are Yuan Shi’s instructions.”

Elder Daggs swallowed nervously. “Actually, after these recent battles, the Hall of Honor isn’t as well-off anymore.” 

“I never said that I wanted money, though, of course, the money that belongs to me needs to be paid back. I remember that, back then, Elder mentioned that, after the battle, not only would great quantities of star essence be given to me, but large amounts of military contributions would be given as well,” Lu Yin said with a smile.

Elder Daggs pursed his lips. “Your service is more than enough, and your current status has even surpassed mine.” 

Lu Yin clapped his hands together. “Even better! As the Allied Forces’ Commander, do I not qualify to visit my own treasury?” 

My own treasury? These words made Elder Daggs’s hair stand on end, but he was completely helpless at this moment. “Please.”

Lu Yin truly wanted to follow Elder Daggs to take a tour of the Outerverse Hall of Honor’s treasury, but no matter what Elder Daggs said out loud, he did not want to take Lu Yin anywhere near that place. In the end, the two of them arrived at Southside Weave’s battlefield treasury.

It was not that Lu Yin had never visited one of the Hall of Honor’s treasuries before, but rather that this was his first time visiting a main one and not a simple branch treasury.

The main treasury for the border defense was not too far from where Yuan Shi stayed, as the Hall of Honor was worried about their stores being pillaged. When they had been preparing for the Sixth Mainland’s invasion , the Fifth Mainland had not been completely united, and forces such as the Neohuman Alliance were very likely to take advantage of such a situation to wreak havoc. Thus, the Hall of Honor had specifically placed the treasury close to Yuan Shi. With him protecting it, nobody would dare to attack it. 

Elder Daggs stood in outer space as the two of them looked down at a very ordinary-looking planet. 

Lu Yin was puzzled. “The warehouse is on that planet?”

Elder Daggs’s lips twitched. “That planet is the warehouse.”

Lu Yin was completely lost. “What do you mean?”

Elder Daggs repeated, “That planet is the warehouse.”

Lu Yin was stumped, but after he came to his senses, he was stunned. “Are you saying that the planet, the entire planet, is the warehouse?”

Elder Daggs nodded. 

Lu Yin was left in a daze, and he stared at the planet, completely dumbfounded. Was he serious? Although the planet was not that big, only about as large as Earth’s moon, which was much smaller than Earth itself, that was still too ridiculous. How many resources could an entire planet hold?

“The cultivators normally stationed at the border warfront number in the billions, and that doesn’t even include the mandatory conscription that was sent out to the whole Outerverse. This is the border’s main warehouse, and there are also branch warehouses. Still, we don’t have enough resources. Back during the defense of the astral cemetery, many powers had to pay for their troops’ expenses out of their own pockets, and they did not even gain any resources from the border,” Elder Daggs explained. 

Lu Yin marveled, “Only the Hall of Honor could have an entire planet as a warehouse. Right, Elder, how much star essence is here?” 

Elder Daggs muttered to himself, obviously not wanting to say anything, but after he glanced over at Lu Yin and saw the youth’s determined expression, the elder helplessly revealed, “It’s not very polite to speak of a concrete amount, and it’s also a little muddled. However, there should be several hundreds of millions on this planet.”

Lu Yin’s mouth actually fell open, and he suddenly felt that he was in poverty and was truly too poor. In the past, he had actually been excited by the meager amount of wealth that he had carried on himself, believing that he had escaped from poverty. However, at this moment, he understood the true meaning of wealth. 

The Hall of Honor was wealthy, as they easily had several hundreds of millions of star essence. What a joke! 

Lu Yin suddenly remembered the endless amounts of star essence that he had seen beneath the transportation continent’s mountain ranges. There had easily been several billions of star essence. 

Only by comparing would one even understand the difference, and Lu Yin was suddenly a bit embarrassed by the meager amount that he carried in his cosmic ring. It was no wonder why, when Elder Daggs had bought items from Lu Yin, there had never been any haggling; there was simply no need for it. 

Elder Daggs coughed, and his eyes flickered. “Let’s head on down.”

“Seventh Bro, this guy isn’t telling you the truth! Look at how bad his acting is and how his beady little eyes are darting all over the place. There’s definitely got to be more than several hundred million star essence!” the Ghost Monkey shouted.

Lu Yin looked over at the elder.

Elder Daggs had a rather guilty look as he stepped forward and disappeared.

Lu Yin’s lips pursed; if it was not just a few hundred million, then could it be a few billion star essence?

A single mountain range could hold around 100 million star essence, and just this planet alone could have multiple mountain ranges. However, not everything on this planet would be star essence, and the majority of the resources on this planet should be cultivation resources, food, ores, and other similar items, not to mention star crystals. After all, the Outerverse typically used star crystals rather than star essence as its primary currency. 

Even cultivators in the Cruiser realm might not qualify to cultivate with star essence, and most of them probably still used star crystals. This suddenly made things more reasonable. If even just 100 million star essence were exchanged for star crystals, then the amount would be staggering. One star essence was worth 100,000 star crystals, which meant that such an exchange would require 100,000 mountain ranges of star crystals. To use an entire planet as a warehouse suddenly did not seem too exaggerated when one thought on this scale. 

Lu Yin stepped out and entered the planet’s atmosphere.

The environment on the planet was pretty good, and it seemed to be untouched and absent of any large creatures. It was as if this planet had only just started to give rise to primordial organisms.

Just a glance was enough to see the piles of resources, unique spacecraft, and star crystals laying around in unending mountain ranges. The star essence were the seas.

Lu Yin quickly caught up to Elder Daggs. “Elder, please give me an introduction.”