Though that name hadn't been spoken aloud in ages, it hadn't faded in Fang Senyan's mind; rather, it had circled back countless times, especially given the lingering enigmas from that expedition to the Iron Blood Planet.

Fang Senyan harbored a distinct premonition: his bizarre origins, the mysterious disappearance of the gold mine, even the sheer luck that had shielded him throughout his adventures… these seemingly scattered elements were, in fact, being woven together by an unseen thread!

And the starting point of that thread, he felt certain, lay within the Big Ben Research Institute!

With this thought solidifying, Fang Senyan nodded and murmured,

“Since that is the case, the Prince will certainly get what he desires…”

The Brigadier let out a long, shaky breath. While his exterior remained calm, his heart was hammering against his ribs. He was intimately aware of the sheer power held by the formidable Vice Admiral before him; a mere gesture could likely wipe out everyone on this massive vessel. Angering him was certainly not conducive to a favorable outcome.

And as for Prince Pombalu, his situation was even more precarious. With his faction’s relentless expansion, his ascent to the next generation of royal succession was all but certain. To be caught in the middle, serving as a messenger between these two titans, meant that success was merely expected, but failure could lead to anything from grievous injury to utter disgrace. Who in their right mind would volunteer for such a staggeringly low-yield endeavor?

Upon seeing Fang Senyan’s assent, the Captain immediately issued a few crisp orders. Once the Ace Squad members were safely transferred, the massive steel ship’s engine vents erupted in azure thrust, stretching for two to three kilometers. This pushed the hundreds of thousands of tons of bulk slowly, then swiftly, until the behemoth vanished into the sea of stars.

Feeling the steady, resolute surge of the engines, Fang Senyan closed his eyes. He held concepts like royal authority in utter contempt. Prince Pombalu’s invitation was, to him, nothing more than a ticket into the Big Ben Research Institute.

As for what the Prince desired to know—the precise details of everything… Fang Senyan’s lips curved into a faint smile. Yes. Everyone had a price at which they could be bought. But the friendship of Prince Pombalu was far too cheap; Fang Senyan refused to be underestimated. As for the inevitable disappointment the Prince would face, Fang Senyan didn't concern himself with the repercussions, much like the Noah C space station never concerned itself with the Empire’s eventual betrayal.

After traversing six wormholes, covering hundreds of thousands of light-years, Fang Senyan finally reached the core of the Empire: the location known as Flower Rock Star, or Central Star!

This planet was discovered in the eighty-seventh year of the Interstellar Colonization Era. It possessed a volume 745 times that of Earth and a mass 95.18 times greater. It was wreathed in bands of colorful clouds and orbited by numerous satellites, with an equatorial radius of approximately 60,330 kilometers.

The most famous feature of this world was that it was the sole source of the Stone Creature, the Flower Rock Beast, counted among the "Eight Great Wonders of the Universe."

Even though the Empire spanned seven star systems and ruled over two hundred and thirty billion planets, the unique environment of Flower Rock Star remained unparalleled. This wasn't just due to its climate being more suitable for humans than Earth’s—a feature shared by at least three thousand worlds within Imperial territory—but rather because of the miraculous Flower Rock Beast.

The Flower Rock Beast resembled granite, and if placed side-by-side, distinguishing between the two was incredibly difficult. This was a massive organism that grew attached to mountains, existing in both liquid and solid states. In its solid phase, usually when resting, it adhered to the mountain surface like an incredibly tenacious piece of taffy, often expanding to envelop the entire peak.

This was typically the form people encountered, and in this state, the Beast remained dormant. Unless mining or road construction disturbed the rock face, it would not awaken.

When the Flower Rock Beast transitioned to its liquid state, it began hunting. It would slowly liquefy and flow, moving with the deliberate, elegant pace of a snail or slug toward another mountain. It would then cover the target peak like a membrane, secreting acid to digest the captured organic matter. Afterwards, its surface would slowly re-solidify into granite, leaving no trace.

Due to the Beast’s slow rate of movement, very few animals were ever caught for food; its diet consisted mainly of insects and flora. For a creature whose daily movement seldom exceeded five kilometers, and whose only real danger lay in its digestive fluids, humans were never at risk of becoming prey.

Yet, people treasured the Flower Rock Beast not because it was harmless, but because it produced a substance of immense importance to humanity, known as Auditory Acid. This substance had already supplanted coffee as the new golden beverage.

It possessed a peculiar taste and a mild addictive quality, perhaps twice that of tobacco. However, the critical factor was its scientifically verified, profound benefits to the human body. It had been proven that long-term users of Auditory Acid rarely contracted cancer and possessed an immune system four to five times stronger than the average human (referring to future humans). Furthermore, freshly produced (within 24 hours) Auditory Acid was three times more potent than the agents used in manufactured drinks.

Thus, it was entirely logical that the population of Central Star exploded exponentially, given that the Flower Rock Beast could not be cultivated on any other planet or in any other environment. Within fifty years, Flower Rock Star rapidly became the economic hub of the entire Empire. Ten years later, with the arrival of the Imperial Emperor, it became the political center. Over three billion seven hundred million people were forcibly relocated from this health-giving world—and among those thirty-seven hundred million was the grandfather of the current leader of the fiery "Rebel Forces."

Oh, and one final note: for the Flower Rock Beast, Auditory Acid was nothing more than its waste product... This was hardly surprising, merely the strict execution of natural law.

It was just as leaf-cutter ants protect aphids because they crave their sweet excretions, or ambergris is merely the developing feces inside a sperm whale’s gut, or Civet coffee is derived from cat excrement. Humanity has long held the habit of valuing the result above its origin.

Sensing the subtle shift in gravity transmitted through the seat, Fang Senyan and his companions stood up, stretching their cramped limbs. The tedious journey was finally over. Without needing to look, Fang Senyan’s myriad streams of sensory input already mapped out everything around him. This was a clandestine military base, starkly isolated amidst the mountains. There was no welcoming party on the landing pad, as anticipated; instead, soldiers stood ready, weapons fully charged. Furthermore, at least eleven particle cannons and thirty-seven armored vehicles surrounding the base had their energy cells fully primed, emitting a low hum.

The colossal ship slowly settled onto the airfield. Then, a military officer entered the compartment where Fang Senyan and his team were situated and gestured for them to exit. Unconcerned, Fang Senyan’s group followed the officer down into the lift, descending smoothly toward the landing zone.

When the elevator reached the hull level, the hatch slid open with a soft sigh. Normally, any group confronted by the sight of heavily armed soldiers waiting below, with muzzles pointed their way, would surely panic.

However, having anticipated precisely this scenario, Fang Senyan and his teammates had already coordinated their response. Even before the soldiers could react, Zi, Aziz, and Roni moved in unison!

Every soldier aiming a weapon found their tactical helmet, along with their hair underneath, instantly vaporized by a psychic barrier, yet not a single one sustained physical injury. The triggers under their fingers quietly snapped, scattering across the ground, but their fingers remained unscathed.

As for the particle cannons aimed at Fang Senyan’s group, six of them began sputtering plumes of dejected black smoke. Crucially, these six were the most powerful units, and without them, Fang Senyan and his team would have been forced to fight defensively using the warship for cover, risking total destruction of the vessel.

Prior to achieving the Executor Realm, the trio could not have executed such a precise maneuver. Like a master butcher’s cleaver—though no one was hurt—this level of terrifying control utterly shattered the soldiers’ morale.

However, the main hangar doors immediately slid open, and at least a dozen warriors clad in massive, exoskeletal armor strode out. These suits appeared more refined, crackling with electrical energy, and were equipped with astonishing weaponry: augmented laser turrets, laser cannons, ion cannons, and tractor-beam arrays—none were missing. Their robust outer shells were reportedly capable of withstanding a direct hit from a battleship’s main cannon!

Regrettably for the opposition, Aldaris unleashed a single Mind Storm. The twelve armored warriors immediately collapsed, convulsing on the ground, vomiting uncontrollably like victims of an epileptic fit. These expensive suits, valued at the cost of three Pacific-class battleships, remained completely undamaged, but their occupants were utterly neutralized.

The most potent weapon is useless without an operator; it becomes mere scrap metal. Aldaris’s Mind Storm acted directly upon the spirit; the armor’s composition offered absolutely no resistance to it. Although, if Aldaris could reach Fang Senyan’s Arbitrator Realm, he might have advanced further and directly subjugated the soldiers’ minds to his will.

Fang Senyan surveyed the scene, regarding the tableau of broken puppets, and smiled faintly:

“To display hostility toward an Imperial Vice Admiral, regardless of which constitution you cite, is punishable by execution. If you have any more parlor tricks you wish to demonstrate, feel free to try. However, this time, I offer no guarantees that I will hold back.” (To be continued.) www.RT