"Do you know Jiayouna?" Yang Ying wondered internally. He hadn't expected to run into an acquaintance in such a crowd.

"Yes, I do. Jiayouna and I studied at the same school. We even shared a room for a while. But Jiayouna was just too amazing; she was a genius in cultivating Song Arts. She not only achieved the Third Level but also became a diplomat. I’m nowhere near her level," the female singer said with a laugh, her tone carrying deep admiration for Jiayouna.

"Exactly, exactly. Back then, Jiayouna was the darling of the whole school," the male singer chimed in, his expression wistful. Suddenly, his face stiffened. He mechanically turned his head and saw a wave of killing intent surging off the female singer, sending a chill down his spine that made his hair stand on end and his bones feel icy.

"Heh heh. The darling of the school, is she?" The female singer wore a subtle smile that nevertheless seemed to drop the air temperature by several degrees.

At that moment, a voice interrupted the tension.

"I remember now. Isn't Earth that planet not far from the border between our territory and the Kustar people's territory? Because of the Galactic Accord rule that prohibits higher civilizations from proactively attacking lower ones, the Kustar people even specially formed an Ancient Legion to deal with Earthlings. But how would Earthlings appear here? You should still be a long way from mastering spatial jump technology," the middle-aged singer, after all a Quasi-Master, possessed an exceptional memory and quickly dredged up the information about Earth from the depths of his recollection.

"That information is obsolete now," Yang Ying chuckled. "The Ancient Legion has been completely annihilated, and Earthlings have also mastered spatial jump technology, becoming a member of the higher civilizations."

"What! Such a leap in development—it’s simply unbelievable!" the middle-aged singer exclaimed in astonishment.

"It is the truth," Yang Ying affirmed. "Perhaps Captain, when you next return to Song Star, you will receive this news."

The middle-aged singer nodded. "If that is the case, why have you sought us out?"

Yang Ying explained, "It’s only because Earth has not mastered spatial jump technology for very long and doesn't yet have a transport ship capable of it. I have purchased quite a few mineral resources here and need a transport ship to ferry them back to Earth, so—"

"So, you want to find a Song Star transport ship to handle this matter, and that’s why you sought us out, is that right?" The middle-aged singer now understood Yang Ying's purpose.

"Yes," Yang Ying nodded. "I wish to ask Captain to help me contact the Song Star transport company and I am willing to pay Captain a brokerage fee. What do you think?" Yang Ying gestured a number with his hand.

The middle-aged singer burst into laughter upon seeing the figure. Without a second thought, he declared, "Of course, we can! If there's money to be made, why refuse? Isn't the reason we travel everywhere for profit? Do you need the transport ship now, or in a few days?"

Just like that, the issue was settled.

Seeing that he agreed, Yang Ying also smiled. "Now, immediately. I plan to leave Planet Baant right away."

"Perfect timing. We were just about to leave Planet Baant ourselves. We can go to the landing pad together. We can't conduct faster-than-light communications here; only once we are back on my ship. If it weren't for those two..." The middle-aged singer glanced at the male and female singers, who immediately adopted expressions of repentance. "If it weren't for them, we should have left two days ago."

Yang Ying knew that without faster-than-light communication, contacting the Song Star transport company through conventional means might take at least a thousand years. A thousand years...

"It's settled then," Yang Ying said.

"I’ll go call a skimmer."

Seeing that both parties had reached an agreement, Pipinav took out his communicator and hailed a skimmer.

The group boarded the skimmer and quickly returned to the landing pad.

When Yang Ying saw the Song Star people's vessel, he couldn't help but sigh at the ubiquity of coincidence. The ship was parked surprisingly close to the Behemoth. It was the very same Song Star vessel Yang Ying had noticed when the Behemoth first landed on Planet Baant!

Even the young Song Star girl who had been singing at the bow was still singing in the same spot. Seeing the group return, she stood up happily, waving and shouting greetings, casting curious glances toward Yang Ying’s side.

The Captain led the group into the cockpit at the bow. This was Yang Ying's first time inside a Song Star vessel, yet he didn't feel anything particularly special. Song Star ships were famous for their gorgeous, aesthetic artistry, but in both respects, they couldn't compare to the ships of the Divine Race.

The Divine Race ships were artistry taken to the extreme, blending the aesthetic pursuit of perfect essence with powerful practicality, representing both magnificent artistic achievements and incredibly potent war machines.

Having long been familiar with the Divine Race Carriers, Yang Ying found the Song Star vessel rather subdued, nothing to write home about.

The middle-aged Song Star Captain, seeing Yang Ying's reaction, assumed Yang Ying had been aboard a Song Star ship before.

Inside the cockpit, under the Captain's operation, Yang Ying sent the cargo manifest via faster-than-light communication to the... Star Transport Company. Within minutes, a response came back. The acceptance was finalized...

Faster-than-light communication utilized technology entirely different from spatial jumping and was much faster, but it could only transmit signals; physical matter could not be transferred using this method.

Clearly, no matter how fast the Song Star transport ship was, it would only arrive after Yang Ying had already left. However, Yang Ying had entrusted the liaison work on Planet Baant to Pipinav. As a top-tier intermediary, he was thoroughly familiar with this sequence of steps.

"Please rest assured and leave the matter to me," Pipinav declared confidently, assuring the esteemed guest of his commitment as a top intermediary to handle this beautifully.

"Then I entrust everything to you," Yang Ying said. Three days of interaction were enough for Yang Ying to understand Pipinav’s character; he had both the ability and the desire to see this through well.

After finalizing the paperwork, Yang Ying noted down the contact information for the Song Star Transport Company. Before his own transport company could open, he would likely have to rely on them.

Ending the communication with the transport company, Yang Ying transferred the promised brokerage fee to the middle-aged Song Star man. "Thank you, Captain, for your assistance."

"Don't mention it. I hope we have opportunities to cooperate again in the future." The Captain had clearly discerned from the cargo manifest just now that Yang Ying was a major benefactor, at least far wealthier than he was.

"I hope so," Yang Ying replied calmly.

After exchanging contact information, Yang Ying led Katerina and the others back to the nearby Behemoth, preparing to leave Planet Baant.

"Hmm, his ship is parked so close to ours. What a coincidence. I remember when we clashed with the Kustar people on the street two days ago, he was nearby too—another coincidence. Meeting him again after leaving the Enforcement Team was another coincidence. Knowing Jiayouna is yet another coincidence. And now, leaving Planet Baant together, that’s also a coincidence. There have been quite a few coincidences these past few days," the female singer counted on her fingers beside the Captain.

The Captain listened, lowering his head in thought for a moment. The male and female Song Star individuals exchanged glances and nodded, leaving the cockpit. They seemed to have reconciled completely, their movements showing perfect synchronicity.

The Captain locked himself in the cockpit alone. After a short while, the cockpit door opened again, and the Captain emerged looking completely distraught. The male and female Song Star individuals rushed over. "Captain, what's wrong? What exactly did you ask that made you look so soul-sick?" This appearance completely shattered the composed image they held of the middle-aged Song Star man.

"That person just now, the Earthling Yang Ying... when we exchanged contact information, the Captain learned Yang Ying's name. 'He'—he is a Peak Master!"

"What!" They were utterly horrified. The most powerful among all the Song Star people was the sole Fourth Level master, Yafei, who had guarded the Song Star people for ten thousand years. Yang Ying, being at the Third Level Peak, was already the strongest level below Fourth Level. The shock this brought to the two young Song Star individuals was immense.

"It seems he was the one who secretly helped you out on the street back then," the Captain mumbled, his eyes unfocused, as if sleepwalking. "That was the Third Level Peak, a figure worthy of an epic legend, standing right in front of me just now..."

Meanwhile, Yang Ying and his entourage returned to the Behemoth and arrived at the bridge. Yang Ying and Katerina each took their seats. "The itinerary on Planet Baant is complete. It's time to move on to the next objective."

Howard turned half his face around and replied, "Yes, sir." He then turned his head back, issuing orders to the assembled staff with a grave expression. "We set sail for the next objective!"

The Behemoth ignited its aft thrusters, slowly ascending into the sky. Before it even left the atmosphere, thousands of meters up, its entire hull flashed with light, and it plunged into hyperspace!

While Yang Ying was continuing his journey outside the Solar System, a guest suddenly arrived at Manor City. She traveled in an ordinary spacecraft and landed at the city's spaceport.

After the ship docked steadily, the hatch opened, and Cecilia Langdon, the Female Peak Master rarely seen even within the Psychic Monastery, stepped out of the vessel.

"Is that Master Langdon? May I ask what business you have in Manor City? If you are looking for the Commander, he is not here." Kalia intercepted her at the port. Not long ago, he had suddenly received word that Master Langdon of the Psychic Monastery was heading toward Manor City.

Because the matter seemed somewhat peculiar, Kalia had come to the port to test the waters.

Master Langdon thought to herself: Jiayouna was indeed right; the Profound Peak Master Yang Ying has already left the Solar System. This might be the best opportunity to truly gauge the capabilities of the Tulan Mercenary Group.