Chapter 1202: Choosing a Planet

"Aaaaand there's another one," Kyle transmitted to the others.

"Another team?" Sebastian asked.

"Yep," Kyle answered.

They had been traveling for just a couple of minutes, and Kyle's Formation Arrays had already picked up another team. Since his Formation Arrays could sense the other team, they couldn't be too powerful.

"What do we do?" Abyssal Depths asked.

"If we keep going, we will be moving past them without entering their vicinity, most likely," Kyle answered. "I can't be sure how far their Sensing Formation Arrays can reach, but probably not that far."

"Ankylosaurus," Sebastian transmitted.

"Ankylosaurus," Kyle confirmed.

Abyssal Depths sighed. "Fine."

Ankylosaurus wouldn't actively enter a predator's territory to provoke a fight. It would simply keep going.

The team kept going forward without changing their direction, and after some time, Kyle's Formation Arrays lost sight of the other team. As expected, the other team's Sensing Formation Array hadn't picked them up.

Eventually, the team reached a Separating Line. If they crossed it, they would enter a new Planet. They decided against staying on their current Planet since it crawled with spawn campers.

"The Separating Line looks old, which means all the valuables have already been taken," Abyssal Depths explained. "There's no reason to investigate it too much."

When Planets collided, they formed Separating Lines, and these Separating Lines could unearth valuable treasures. Sadly, this one had been formed a while ago. The other teams had most likely already looked at it.

The team moved around the Separating Line and entered the vicinity of the neighboring Planet. Yet, as soon as they passed the Separating Line, their Communicators activated.

"Briar Brick Team has claimed this Planet for excavation. You are free to choose a route and travel through it," their Communicators said.

'I didn't even sense the Formation Array,' Kyle thought with some surprise. Naturally, in order to create this message, a Formation Array was needed.

Claiming a Planet for excavation meant that a team had put Formation Arrays near all of the connecting points of the Planet. In order to claim a Planet, a team needed to publicize their name.

It was important to note that claiming a Planet wasn't legally protected. Any team could just go to the Planet and attack the owner. However, by warning other teams, the claiming team wouldn't lose any Karmic Luck if they attacked the intruder.

Green looked through the Excursion Lobby and found the Briar Brick Team. While he looked at them, he also noticed one of them looking back at him. Naturally, Team Ankylosaurus had already been found.

The Briar Brick Team consisted of one Minor Immortal and four Adept Immortals. Even more, their Formation Array Master was better at making Formation Arrays than Kyle. He might even be an actual Beginner Immortal Formation Array Master.

'If I got serious, I could probably win this battle, but that would be a bad idea. I can't show too much of my power,' Kyle thought.

"Team Ankylosaurus just wants to travel to the next Planet," Kyle transmitted to the person looking at Green. "Is there still a free Planet nearby?"

A map of the Planet appeared in Kyle's head as the Formation Array Master sent him some information. One of the connecting points was highlighted. "Leave through here," the Formation Array Master transmitted.

"Thank you," Kyle answered. "We will honor your claim."

Team Ankylosaurus entered the Planet's vicinity but kept their distance. They didn't want to make it seem like they were scavenging for natural resources on the other team's territory.

After some minutes, the team reached the highlighted connecting point. The two Planets were not yet touching, but they were slowly moving towards each other. Within a couple of years, these Planets would most likely collide and create another Separating Line. The Briar Brick Team had probably claimed this Planet for exactly this reason. When the Planets collided, they might find something valuable.

The team moved towards the vicinity of the other Planet, and as soon as they entered, they got another notification. This Planet was also claimed, but by a different team.

This team had four Adept Immortals and a Minor Immortal as well.

'When the Planets collide, these two teams might enter a brutal battle,' Kyle thought. 'Alternatively, they might have already come to an agreement to share the resources.'

Kyle contacted the new team as well, and they also showed Kyle the way forward.

When they entered the next Planet, they didn't receive any notifications. It seemed like this Planet was not claimed, but that didn't mean that there was nobody here.

"Should we stay here?" Kyle asked.

"That's not a good idea," Abyssal Depths answered. "The incoming collision is visible from all the surrounding Planets. When the collision happens, several teams will rush towards it. The fewer teams we see, the fewer battles we have to fight."

"Then, should we continue?" Kyle asked.

"Sounds like a good plan," Sebastian answered. "Let's search for a small, isolated, unimportant Planet. Digging through an entire Planet takes forever anyway."

"Small Planets are bad choices for us," Abyssal Depths interjected. "It's easier to get to the center on a small Planet. Gravity Cores and the materials surrounding them are valuable. We should go for a large and unclaimed Planet."

"Right, forgot about that," Sebastian answered with a laugh.

The team continued towards the next Planet. On their journey, Kyle's Formation Array picked up another Formation Array. However, the team didn't stop.

Seconds later, Kyle noticed a subtle change.

"Three Adept Immortals and two Beginner Immortals," Kyle transmitted. His Karmic Lines had changed when the other team had noticed them.

"Ankylosaurus," Sebastian commented.

Abyssal Depths took a deep breath through her nose. These Ankylosaurus comments were getting on her nerves.

The team continued.

Seconds passed.

And then...

Nothing happened. It seemed like the other team hadn't attacked or greeted them.

The team reached another Planet, which was claimed. They traveled through it, and finally, they found a Planet that seemed to be just right for their needs.

First of all, it was huge. It was almost a trillion kilometers in diameter. Second, it wasn't claimed. Third, despite its size, it wasn't connected to too many other Planets.

Planets of this size were usually populated with two kinds of teams. One was the powerful kind. The weakest members of these teams were Medium Immortals. The other kind were teams like Kyle's team, relatively weak but not worthless. These were teams that got through the spawn campers.

Teams consisting of Minor and Medium Immortals rarely came to Planets like this. After all, they might be just fat enough for one of the stronger teams to take an interest in them.

"This is a good Planet," Abyssal Depths commented. "Sadly, it's also a Dirt Planet. We might need to search for a long time to find something valuable."

"We have no longevity limit," Sebastian transmitted. "If there's one thing we have, it's time."

"Time is still a valuable commodity because it represents chance," Abyssal Depths answered. "We need to dig into the Planet, and we can't just dig through it and close the door behind us. If the Planet shifts too much, we might be buried."

"Buried?" Sebastian asked with a raised brow. "Since when is that a problem? I usually just move through the ground like it's air."

BANG!

Abyssal Depths stomped on the ground, creating a crater with a radius of ten kilometers.

"I've used quite a bit of power with that kick, but I've only made a crater of this size," she explained. "We're still powerful, but we also have to dig a lot. A thousand kilometers is no problem, but when we're at a depth of millions of kilometers, the pressure will be significant. That's why we need to leave an open hole and fortify the walls. We can't just swim through the ground here."

"But these holes are also noticeable. There might not be many aggressive teams here, but with enough time, even a tiny chance becomes a certainty. This Planet is not great, but it's also not bad. The longer we stay here, the higher the chances become that we get attacked. That's why it's important to choose a Planet carefully."

Kyle furrowed his brows as memories from the far past shot through his mind.

"We have to make a mine," Kyle commented.

Abyssal Depths nodded.

'When was the last time I made a mine?'

Kyle thought back to the Tertiary World. That was when he had made his last mine.

'To think that I would create a mine again.'

"We're staying here," Kyle decided.

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