※The next day, all preparations were finalized. The Behemoth approached the headlands outside the Manor City, and Yang Ying brought Katerina aboard, ready to take the first step toward entering the Galaxy.

Inside the bridge, Yang Ying and Katerina each had a VIP seat. They chatted and laughed, both looking forward to the journey ahead.

"Sir, what kind of things will they be selling in the alien markets?"

"I'm not sure either. We'll see when we get there. Perhaps you can finally develop your talent."

"What talent?"

"Shopping. They say every woman has that talent."

"Haha, Sir, you’re amusing."

"Amusing? If you really start shopping, I’ll accompany you. As a Master of the Peak of Perception, a mere trip to the market is child's play. A life is incomplete without strolling the streets of an alien civilization."

While they were speaking, Yang Ying’s communicator suddenly chimed. He looked down to see a message from Jiayouna, wishing him a smooth journey.

"Who’s contacting you at this hour, Sir?" Katerina asked curiously.

"It’s Jiayouna, wishing me a good trip. When I asked her the reason for unifying our stance the day before yesterday, I felt there was nothing to hide, so I just told her I was leaving the solar system to explore." Yang Ying replied.

"Sir, everything is ready. We can depart at any moment." Howard, having ensured all systems were checked by everyone, turned back to them.

"Good, let's go," Yang Ying smiled.

"Yes!" Howard turned back. He shouted to the staff, "Prepare for the space jump! Target: Falaro Sector. Resupply point: Bante Star. Initiate jump sequence."

"Yes!" the staff responded.

The Behemoth enveloped itself in a curtain of light and plunged into hyperspace, vanishing without a trace.

For this departure, Yang Ying brought only the Behemoth, but if necessary, he could summon other warships to his side instantly through the Stellar Gauntlet.

The destination of this trip, Bante Planet, was four hundred and twenty light-years from Earth. It was the closest of all Class II supply stars to Earth, but this was no short journey.

When the speed of the space jump was calculated, the faster-than-light engine allowed the Behemoth-class battlecruiser to navigate at a maximum velocity of one hundred thousand times light speed. This meant it could cross one light-year in about five minutes and fifteen seconds. Four hundred and twenty light-years would take a day and a half of continuous travel.

This entire duration would be spent within hyperspace.

A day and a half later, the Behemoth burst out of hyperspace. Bante Planet lay directly ahead; the stellar map was perfectly accurate.

This system was structured similarly to the Solar System, with a brilliant golden star at its center. Bante Planet was one of the three planets in this system, situated in the middle orbit. One of the others was too hot, and the other too cold; neither held much value for development.

It was worth noting that Pluto, where the Ancient Legion was stationed, also held no inherent development value. Pluto's habitable environment was sustained by enormous energy consumption—a losing proposition for anyone observing it. Without that energy, Pluto would quickly revert to a cold, dead star. It was only due to its military significance that the Kustarians had modified it and continuously supplied the energy needed to maintain its environment.

While Yang Ying was contemplating this, the Behemoth proceeded at conventional speed for another half an hour, nearing the gravitational sphere of Bante Planet.

A signal connected to the Behemoth's communication channel—a public frequency. An alien with an octopus-like head appeared on the holographic screen. Its skin was dark red and rough, possessing four arms and four legs, topped by a round head. Where humans had beards on their chin and neck, this creature sprouted long, thick tentacles. One side of the tentacles was coarse, while the other was covered in suckers, making it resemble a creature from legend. It babbled a string of incomprehensible sounds.

"Do you speak Singerese?" Yang Ying asked in the Singer language.

He had prepared thoroughly before departing. The Singers were one of the top five races in the Orion Arm, wielding vast influence; thus, Singerese was a standard universal language. Furthermore, the Singers were renowned for their celestial voices, making Singerese widely recognized as the most beautiful language in the galaxy, with supporters everywhere. Many lower, and even higher, civilizations treated Singerese as the most important alien language, Earth included.

For Yang Ying’s memory, learning Singerese was remarkably easy. A quick scan of a dictionary, memorizing the grammar rules, and he could start speaking. A moment's practice allowed for fluent communication in Singerese.

Bante Planet was not far from the Singer sphere of influence, and the octopus-headed alien clearly understood Singerese. He repeated his previous message in the Singer tongue: "Great Advanced Civilizations, welcome to Bante. We will provide you with excellent service. Please follow my guidance to the designated berths on the planet." Although the octopus-man's pronunciation was slightly strange, carrying a thick accent, it was indeed Singerese.

Large vessels belonging to Advanced Civilizations were far superior to Earth’s, most capable of entering a planet's gravity well. An Earth-manufactured ship, conversely, would likely plummet straight down upon entering the gravity well, burning up into a fireball upon impact.

"Who are you?" Yang Ying asked the octopus-man.

"I am Bante Planet’s Guide, Tutuhaan. It is my great honor to serve you, Your Excellency," the octopus-man replied respectfully.

Following the guide's directions, the Behemoth landed on a vast expanse of landing pads—a massive, flat area spanning tens of square kilometers.

"My service ends here. Other departments will take over shortly. I hope you enjoy your time here," the octopus-man said courteously before ending the communication.

"Sir, he didn't even ask about our origins. Don't you find that strange?" Katerina asked.

"I find it perfectly normal," Yang Ying smiled. "Anyone who can reach this place has mastered space-jump technology—they are an Advanced Civilization. This entire planet, however, belongs to lower civilizations, who naturally dare not provoke us. I suppose people from Advanced Civilizations dislike being questioned incessantly by lesser beings. They may have inquired about origins in the past, but after being taught a few times, they gave up."

Katerina nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, let's not linger here. Let's go down and take a look," Yang Ying rose, taking Katerina's hand, and left the bridge.

Howard remained on the Behemoth with the majority of the crew. After all, they were in an unfamiliar place, and caution was needed in many areas. Moreover, all the crew members were clones; their core programming was dedicated solely to combat and combat-related matters. Their needs regarding other aspects were minimal; they had no interest in touring alien planets.

A squad of Phantom Agents followed Yang Ying down as escorts. An octopus-man approached them, bowing deeply in a show of deference, and spoke in Singerese: "Esteemed visitors, the rental fee for docking large vessels here is fifty thousand Bante Credits per standard planetary cycle. Maintenance, repairs, and provisions are calculated separately. How do you intend to settle the payment?"

Evidently, this octopus-man had already communicated with Tutuhaan and understood that Yang Ying spoke Singerese.

Yang Ying did not pause but continued walking forward, thinking internally: So, they’re here to collect payment. He had already considered the issue of currency before leaving. How could one shop without money?

Before departing, Yang Ying had exchanged a considerable amount of Singer Credits through the Singer-Earth United Industrial Group, as Earth currency lost its purchasing power outside the solar system.

The exchange rate between Singer Credits and Earth Credits was roughly one Singer Credit to one hundred and fifty Earth Credits. Yang Ying had exchanged ten billion Singer Credits, which he believed should be sufficient for their expenses here. A market run by a mere low-level civilization—he doubted they could spend ten billion Singer Credits even if they bought out everything.

"What is the price if I pay in Singer Credits?" Yang Ying asked as he walked.

The octopus-man scuttled forward on his four feet, shuffling behind Yang Ying. Hearing "Singer Credits," his round mouth opened in what looked like hearty laughter, seemingly pleased that Yang Ying intended to pay in their currency.

He raised one hand and held up two fingers. In fact, his hand only had three fingers in total, and they were soft and tentacle-like, seemingly boneless.

"One Singer Credit exchanges for two hundred Bante Credits. You only need to pay two hundred and fifty Singer Credits to dock for a whole day!" the octopus-man chirped excitedly.

Yang Ying could sense there was no markup; this octopus seemed quite honest. Bante Planet’s currency was less valuable than Earth's—even less valuable. However, the issue wasn't the rate; it was the figure: two hundred and fifty Singer Credits. Yang Ying mused: There probably isn't a concept of 'two hundred and fifty' on Bante Planet.

Yang Ying pulled out a ring. Many Singer artifacts were fashioned into jewelry, including their credit devices.

This ring was exquisitely crafted. Its interwoven, filigreed patterns were finer than a strand of hair, layered one upon the other in what seemed like an endless loop, drawing the eye toward the central large gemstone that radiated a fiery red light, as if many stars were orbiting a moon.

Even by its exterior, the ring was clearly extraordinary. The octopus-man had never seen one but was familiar with Singer customs and immediately treated it with importance. Yet, he could never have imagined that this small ring contained the colossal wealth of ten billion Singer Credits.

"You can charge three hundred for the day," Yang Ying stated, immediately raising the price by twenty percent. The octopus-man’s heart leaped with joy.

"But!" Yang Ying continued, causing the octopus-man's expression to turn serious.

"I need your best guide here to take me to the currency exchange center." Yang Ying added.

"No problem, no problem at all," the octopus-man nodded repeatedly. "We will absolutely find you the best guide."