Star Odyssey

Lu Yin’s lips curled up when he saw Gu Er. “Hey, inspector! Come here.” 

When the inspector heard Lu Yin’s voice, he turned towards him angrily. “Shut up and get lost already.” 

Lu Yin grinned. “If you don’t come, then get the person next to you to come over.”

The inspector became furious and ran over to his monitor in just a few steps to stare at Lu Yin. He spoke quietly in a threatening manner. “Kid, don’t cause a commotion! That’s the Young Master, the son of an official. If you offend him, then you can forget about getting into the Innerverse for the rest of your life!” 

Lu Yin shrugged. “Sorry, you’re too late. I already offended him a long time ago. Go and ask him if you don’t believe me.” 

The inspector was astonished and turned around to look back at Gu Er. 

At the same time, Gu Er looked over at the same time and noticed Lu Yin. When he finally realized who he was looking at, a brilliantly stupendous expression appeared on his face. 

The inspector ran back over to Gu Er with a new smile plastered on his face. “Young Master, that kid says that he offended you in the past. Would you like me to seal his qualifications to enter the Innerverse?” 

The tea that Gu Er was just sipping was spat back out when he heard the inspector’s question. He walked to Lu Yin and smiled rather reluctantly. “Se- Senior Lu, what are you doing here?” 

Lu Yin casually replied, “Nothing much. I wish to enter the Innerverse, but that person says that I can’t.” 

Gu Er turned back around to glare at the inspector. “Can’t enter? Senior Lu can’t enter the Innerverse? According to you? What gives you the guts to stop Senior Lu from entering the Innerverse?” 

The inspector was stumped and immediately apologized. He knew that he had offended someone, and from how the situation was looking, this person’s status couldn’t be minor. 

Lu Yin chuckled inwardly as he watched Gu Er. This fellow could be considered to be smart, and he knew that he could not offend someone like Lu Yin. Even though Gu Er was the son of Elder Gu De, he was still a student of Astral Combat Academy. He was scared that, if he offended Lu Yin, Lu Yin would then smother him within Astral Combat Academy, just like how he had dealt with the Daynight clan before. 

Lu Yin’s guess was on point, as Gu Er was indeed afraid of Lu Yin. 

Other matters could be ignored, but Lu Yin had recently killed members of the Daynight clan since it had offended him, and he had acted in a very open manner. Once he offended Lu Yin, Gu Er would find it hard to make any progress in Astral Combat Academy, and he did not believe for one moment that his father’s position was more influential than the Daynight clan. Also, this person was rumored to have recently become a true Ten Arbiters’ candidate, and that was a status that frightened Gu Er so thoroughly that he didn’t even dare to speak a single malicious word behind Lu Yin’s back. 

The Ten Arbiters Council supervised the younger generation, and even someone like Gu Er, who was the son of someone with great power, did not dare to casually infringe upon such a matter. 

“It’s fine, don’t blame him. I do have to ask, though… Gu Er, why do you keep calling me ‘senior?’ If I recall correctly, you should have entered Astral Combat Academy before me.” 

Gu Er hurriedly smiled as he responded, “Senior Lu is the champion of the Tournament of the Strongest, and the most powerful person in the academy. Anyone who encounters Senior is beneath him, which is as it should be.” 

At this point, those waiting in line to enter the Innerverse were all stunned. It was very normal for an inspector to scold and humiliate them however they wished, and no one had ever seen someone who could scare an inspector, let alone Gu Er. Someone with this level of status should not have waited in this line and should have entered the ark a long time ago. 

“Gu Er, I heard that others rely on luck to enter the Innerverse. Is that true?” Lu Yin asked. 

Gu Er’s face changed; was Lu Yin indicating that he was about to intervene in this matter of the Astral River Ark? This person was overestimating himself! After all, he was still just a student. But then, Gu Er suddenly thought of Lu Yin’s other positions, such as a member of the Council of Astral Academy and an acting Councilor of the Outerverse Youth Council. If Lu Yin made a fuss and levied the influence of those two positions, not even Gu Er’s father would be able to ignore him. 

Lu Yin knew what Gu Er was thinking when he noticed that Gu Er did not immediately reply. “Relax, I’m not being that difficult. It’s none of my business how you manage things, but since things are based on luck, could you give me some face and allow all those in the same line as me to enter the Innerverse?” 

Gu Er relaxed. “Of course, whatever Senior wants.” 

Lu Yin nodded with a smile and replied with a casual, “Thanks.” He then continued along the track to enter the Astral River Ark. 

Lu Yin just wanted to taste how much authority he could wield through a mere suggestion. It was a wonderful feeling, and he found it to be quite to his liking. If he could one day control an enormous vessel such as this one day, then all the better. 

The Astral River Ark was exceptionally important to both the Innerverse and the Outerverse, so, generally speaking, no one was allowed to move about as they wished once they were onboard. In fact, people were not even allowed to exit their spacecraft. Lu Yin was an exception, as his status meant that nowhere was restricted to him, especially since he had two Honor Points. One privilege that his points allowed him was to freely roam about the ark. 

However, he did not leave his vehicle since he was afraid of running into Elder Gu De. Lu Yin did not want the envoy to see the hatred in his eyes. 

It was still too soon for him to meet Elder Gu De. That encounter had to wait until he had at least gained the power to take his revenge. 

However, he felt strange about one point—why hadn’t his family’s Big Sis and the rest acted against Elder Gu De? Were they afraid of the Innerverse? 

As for the other party, as soon as Lu Yin left, Gu Er contacted Elder Gu De and reported Lu Yin’s presence on the ark. 

“You did well, it’s best not to provoke Lu Yin. Some newly-obtained information suggests that he might be linked to various Outerverse pirates, and he also has two Honor Points. Even my authority might not be able to deal with him,” Elder Gu De said. 

Gu Er was unsatisfied. “Father, doesn’t that mean that he can rampage across the universe to his heart’s content?” 

“With his Honor Points, he could. He also holds more than one title, which is why I want you to train diligently and graduate before heading to the border warfront. You must make your own contributions to the Human Domain and earn your own Honor Points.” 

Gu Er rolled his eyes, as only fools would willingly go to the border warfront. Even Xue Liuyun, a student leader from Astral Combat Academy, had died there. Not even ten lives would be enough for Gu Er to survive in such a place. “Father, the war at the border has already stopped.” 

“Not for long. The three Domains haven’t stopped their war in countless years, and even if the border war has truly stopped, there are still missions to explore the Astral Wilderness. Work hard. There’ll always be opportunities to earn Honor Points.” And with that, Elder Gu De disconnected. 

Gu Er pursed his lips, as he did not want to do any such missions. Not many in the entire Outerverse had been awarded Honor Points, and Gu Er felt that Astral Combat Academy’s domineering hegemony over the masses was more comfortable. But when he thought of Astral Combat Academy, he was reminded of Lu Yin. Since he wanted to remain in that comfortable place, he could not afford to offend Lu Yin. Damn it, I should have flattered him more. 

Hold on, it’s not too late to do that! Gu Er’s eyes gleamed, and he waved the inspector over. “Go and check if there’s anything that Senior Lu needs. If he makes any requests, then be sure to satisfy them as far as possible. His every need must be attended to, and he must have a pleasurable and enjoyable time here.” 

“Yes, Young Master.” The inspector immediately acknowledged his orders and left his post. Since everyone in this line would be allowed entrance, there wasn’t anything for him to do here anyways. 

The person who had explained things to Lu Yin when the inspector first started making things difficult now closely followed Lu Yin onto the ark, marvelling at his own good karma. 

The way the people running the ark determined how long they remained on either side of the Astral River was similar to how they determined who was allowed to board the ark. In other words, the timing was random, and travelers often had to rely on luck. The ark might stay on one side of the Astral River for a single day or ten, and this was also how Elder Gu De had deliberately stalled for time back then. 

Lu Yin did not know how long the ark would remain in the Outerverse this time, and he considered contacting Gu Er. Right at this moment, the inspector from before contacted him. “Lord Lu, your journey’s been tough, so please let me know if you require anything at all.” 

Since Lu Yin had received an offer for whatever he wished, he opened the hatch of his spacecraft to see that he had been arranged to stay in a private area that was reserved for VIPs. This area even featured a lounge and a kitchen, and everything was private to help him remain anonymous. 

“When will the ark leave?” Lu Yin asked.

The inspector courteously replied, “I’ll have to check on this matter. Is Lord Lu in a hurry?” 

Lu Yin nodded. 

The inspector activated his gadget and contacted someone. Not a moment passed before he deferentially said, “If Lord Lu Lu wishes, we can leave immediately.” 

Lu Yin was astonished. Elder Gu De was treating him too well, which shouldn’t be the case. Even though Lu Yin held many titles and had Honor Points, his status had not yet reached the point where he could cause problems for the Astral River Envoy himself. Even when Lu Yin’s position under the Ten Arbiters Council was taken into consideration, he should at most be able to cause Elder Gu De to hesitate, but he should not be able to cause him any trouble. After all, the Astral River Ark represented the Innerverse, so it was not something that the Ten Arbiters Council could easily meddle with. 

But despite all that, Elder Gu De was actually giving Lu Yin so much face right now, which was very strange. 

However, Lu Yin did not know how much shock he had caused when he had dealt with the Daynight clan within Astral Combat Academy. The Daynight clan had too resounding of a reputation, but Lu Yin had actually managed to face off against them and remain safe and sound afterwards. Many guesses were being exchanged in the shadows about Lu Yin’s identity, and those guesses were precisely what Elder Gu De was afraid of. The recent developments at San Dios had also caused Elder Gu De to believe that some great power was backing Lu Yin. 

Regardless, Elder Gu De was the one who decided whether or not the ark moved, so he might as well show Lu Yin some face. Such a favor could only benefit him if they met in the future, and his son was also still a student at Astral Combat Academy. 

The inspector continued speaking respectfully. “Lord Lu, do you have any other instructions? Young Master has said that it will be some time before the ark arrives at the Innerverse bank of the Astral River, so any instructions from Lord Lu during this time will be carried out to the best of our abilities.” 

Lu Yin shook his head. “There’s nothing else, so you can go and take a break.” 

“Very well,” the inspector acknowledged.

But before he had walked more than a few steps away, Lu Yin spoke up. “I’ve heard that some people fish while on this ark. Bring me a fishing rod.” 

The inspector seemed distracted as he replied, “Lord Lu, the Astral River is fraught with too many hidden dangers. Typically, only space-exploring powerhouses fish on the ark. And even they often suffer from accidents, so I beg Lord Lu not to take such an unnecessary risk.” 

“It’s fine, so go on,” Lu Yin casually responded. He then walked over to a nearby transparent metal window and looked at the flowing Astral River outside of the ark. He had a curious gaze, as the sight reminded him of the Cosmic Sea, where Ye Xingchen had made a name for himself. Lu Yin was confident that would be able to survive in the Astral River since the Cosmic Sea was much more dangerous than the Astral River. 

The inspector did not dare to retort, so he hurriedly left. 

After about an hour, a special set of fishing gear was delivered to Lu Yin. 

“Lord Lu, the ark is about to depart, so please make your preparations,” the inspector said before respectfully withdrawing. 

Lu Yin picked up the fishing gear, which looked quite different from the common form of the gear. After all, he was about to go fishing in the Astral River, so it made sense that the gear looked more like defensive equipment rather than normal fishing gear, though, the set also included a fishing rod. 

He picked up the fishing rod and tested his strength. The rod barely moved, its sturdiness astonishing him. He paused before trying again with more force, and he even used a bit of his Overlaying Stacks to force the fishing rod to bend slowly, but no more than a tiny bit. 

When Lu Yin increased his force to Twenty Stacks, the fishing rod finally bent into an arc. 

He exhaled heavily. No wonder this fishing rod was meant to be used in the Astral River, as the amount of force he had exerted was something that the average Explorer could not withstand. This was no simple fishing rod! Even its toughness surpassed that of an average Explorer, so it was definitely a valuable piece of equipment.