Translator: AnubisTL
As the words left his mouth, it seemed he had finally guessed correctly. Xiao Lu nodded repeatedly, his pupils gleaming with excitement.
"You?" Chen Mang hesitated slightly, glancing down at Xiao Lu. When the train's armor had been upgraded to Tier 500, Xiao Lu's Tier had also reached 300, the maximum for a Star-Devouring Beast. Further upgrades would be exceedingly difficult.
The Giant Beast Carriages could no longer contain him.
A Tier 300 Xiao Lu...
Could he defeat the Cosmic Behemoth?
Based on Xiao Lu's previous performance, the odds didn't seem high. But Chen Mang hadn't monitored Xiao Lu's progress since he reached Tier 300. Perhaps his strength had surged again after reaching that milestone?
Still...
Tier 300 meant his defense energy range was limited to that level.
Even if he improved further, how much could he possibly gain?
A Tier 300 defense would be annihilated upon contact with the Cosmic Behemoth. It would be a suicide mission.
Even Chen Mang's train, with its Tier 500 armor, barely dared to approach the creature. The Cosmic Behemoth shattered space wherever it went, yet remained unscathed. This alone demonstrated the creature's colossal defensive capabilities.
The apex predator of the cosmos.
Chen Mang studied the confidence and eagerness in Xiao Lu's green eyes. After a long silence, he finally nodded.
"Alright, let's give it a try."
Without hesitation, Chen Mang steered the Stellaris train away from the planet, using the refrigerator to return to the 27th Galaxy within the Kasha Civilization Federation. From there, they traversed a wormhole to the Mechanical Civilization Ruins.
The Cosmic Behemoth was invading the zone around the Mechanical Civilization Ruins.
So far, no casualties had been reported.
Chen Mang planned to send Xiao Lu to test the waters.
The journey was long.
Even with wormhole traversal, the entire process would take seven days, requiring multiple jumps between wormholes. The distances between these wormholes were considerable.
Soon enough—
Seven days had passed.
Chen Mang sat in his chair, gazing at the massive Cosmic Behemoth displayed on the Doppler Radar. He was now at the Mechanical Civilization Ruins, 12 light-years from the creature.
He couldn't get any closer.
There were no wormholes closer.
Or rather,
The Cosmic Behemoth's immense gravitational disturbances had destabilized the surrounding space, making it impossible to create new wormholes. Existing wormholes in its path had been systematically destroyed.
"So, I'll drop you off here and head back?"
Chen Mang looked down at Xiao Lu beside his feet. Over the past few days, he had tried many times to communicate with Xiao Lu. Although they didn't share a language and Xiao Lu couldn't speak, Chen Mang had roughly understood that after evolving, Xiao Lu possessed a unique method of attacking Cosmic Behemoths.
That's about the gist of it.
Xiao Lu nodded, then turned to the Star-Treading Sword Tiger beside him, repeatedly gesturing for it to look at the radar.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure it keeps an eye on the radar."
Over the past seven days, Xiao Lu had only made one preparation for the battle: he had carried his subordinate, the Star-Treading Sword Tiger, in his mouth to the locomotive cabin, where he instructed it to sit motionless and watch the radar, so it could admire his heroic stance during the upcoming battle.
"Do you need any energy replenishment?"
"There's plenty of iron ore in the train."
Xiao Lu shook his head again, his eyes brimming with confidence.
"Alright."
Chen Mang said nothing more. After tossing Xiao Lu out the window, he used the refrigerator to travel over a thousand light-years away to a safer location.
He knew he couldn't withstand the shockwaves of such a battle.
However, he had thrown several refrigerators into Xiao Lu's mouth, ensuring that if things went south, Xiao Lu could immediately escape back to the train via the refrigerators.
Now all that remained was to wait.
To wait for the Cosmic Behemoth to advance another 12 light-years and encounter Xiao Lu.
At its speed, this distance would be covered in no time at all.
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, feeling both apprehensive and expectant.
In recent days, he had visited Kira again to inquire about the Cosmic Behemoth known as the Star-Devouring Beast. However, Kira, who was usually a walking encyclopedia, shook her head, explaining that the universe teemed with Cosmic Behemoths, making it impossible to know them all.
Still, Kira had shared a new piece of information:
Civilization Wonders could be packaged and taken away.
After conquering other civilizations, advanced civilizations would relocate all their Wonders to their own domains.
However, the conditions for doing so were far from simple.
Chen Mang sat in his chair, Kira's words echoing in his mind as he pondered how to move Civilization Wonders onto his train.
As he delibered, the radar screen began to flicker, its image quality fluctuating wildly. This indicated that the radar's ability to capture images had been compromised by the spatial fragmentation.
Radar was one of the most crucial accessories in the universe.
To date, Chen Mang had encountered only two things in the cosmos that exceeded the speed of light:
First, the neural signal transmission speed of large Cosmic Behemoths.
Second, the image capture speed of high-Tier radars, capable of instantly capturing real-time images from distances of up to 100,000 light-years away.
Both of these speeds far exceeded the speed of light, making them less about velocity and more about rule-based abilities.
Without radar, the images he received from 100,000 light-years away would be hopelessly outdated. There would be no real-time view; by the time he detected an enemy at that distance, they might already be at his doorstep.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen, his heart pounding with anticipation.
It began.
Closer, closer.
Even before Xiao Lu had fully closed the distance, chaotic spatial fluctuations surged like a tidal wave. Countless spatial fragments materialized, transforming into tangible projectiles that erupted outward like a storm of pear blossom needles.
On the screen, the colossal Cosmic Behemoth was encased in a thick ring of planet fragments resembling chocolate crisps—a formidable defensive armor and a deadly offensive weapon.
What would Xiao Lu do next?
Under his expectant gaze, Xiao Lu activated its Devouring Form. Its body rapidly expanded, instantly swelling to 0.1 light-years in diameter. The resulting shockwave shattered the surrounding space, pulverizing countless dead stars in an earth-shattering display.
But...
Chen Mang frowned slightly. He had assumed that Xiao Lu's size would increase upon reaching Tier 300. Why was it still only 0.1 light-years? How could it possibly fight at this scale?
The opponent was nearly two light-years across.
This was a completely different league.
If you tried to bite them, you'd only manage to nip at their hemorrhoids, at best requiring a minor, painful surgery.
These two Cosmic Behemoths had transformed into powerful gravitational bodies within the Niya Star System, resembling colossal black holes. Their Gravity Fields clashed relentlessly, the battle mirroring the spectacle of two nearby black holes devouring each other.
There was no physical contact, no visceral clash of flesh and bone.
The distance closed further.
The two Cosmic Behemoths were now visible to the naked eye.
The violent gravitational disturbances they generated plunged the Mechanical Civilization Ruins into utter chaos. Countless dead stars were annihilated, and the resulting shockwaves mercilessly ravaged the ruins, as if righting a cosmic wrong.
On the radar, the images flickered like a slideshow, freezing frame by frame.
Then, in an instant—
The display abruptly transformed.
Xiao Lu seemed to blink on the screen. A stellar-like sphere of energy erupted from his maw, instantly drawing all the outward-rushing shockwaves into its luminous core.
Immediately afterward—
Xiao Lu then absorbed the entire sphere of light into its abdomen.
The process caused no damage to the Cosmic Behemoth; it merely absorbed the residual energy from their clash, as if to protect the Mechanical Civilization Ruins.
"What is Xiao Lu doing?!" Chen Mang frowned, his anxiety growing. In the heat of battle, any hesitation to protect surrounding planets would put a combatant at a severe disadvantage, making them timid and restrained.
Now that war had begun, such concerns should be cast aside. The battle must be finished first.
However, the next moment, Chen Mang witnessed something utterly bewildering.
Xiao Lu's mouth suddenly widened, expanding like a black hole—no, it was a black hole!
It stretched impossibly wide, expanding at an absurdly rapid rate.
Three hours later, Chen Mang had retreated to a distance of 30,000 light-years. The battle hadn't concluded, or rather, it seemed it hadn't even truly begun.
In those three hours, only one thing had happened: Xiao Lu's mouth continued to expand, reaching a diameter of hundreds of light-years. The immense gravitational pull made escape impossible for the Cosmic Behemoth, its movements visibly slowing as it lost the ability to accelerate through spatial fragments.
Without spatial fragment acceleration, the Cosmic Behemoth's speed in the cosmos was excruciatingly slow.
To traverse the Niya Star System...
It would take at least hundreds of millions of years.
"..."
Chen Mang watched in silence, the scene before him far exceeding his comprehension. He had never imagined Xiao Lu's mouth could expand to such an extent. If you'd told me you had this ability sooner, I would have deployed you during the final battle against the Zerg Civilization! One bite, and the entire Zerg Civilization would have been annihilated.
Just like a crunchy snack.
So satisfying.
So perfect.
Just then!
Xiao Lu's mouth gradually closed, shrinking back to its original size.
Three hours later, the Mechanical Civilization Ruins fell into an eerie silence, forming a "Cosmic Void" hundreds of light-years in diameter. Within this void, nothing remained—not a single dead star or sun.
Moreover, contrary to expectations, a battle of this magnitude should have generated massive spatial distortions. Yet, there were no spatial ripples or shockwaves whatsoever, as if someone had simply scooped out a spoonful of cake, leaving the surrounding area utterly undisturbed.
Immediately afterward—
Xiao Lu suddenly materialized in the locomotive cabin via the refrigerator. Having just returned, he managed only a quick glance at Chen Mang and the Star-Treading Sword Tiger before collapsing into a deep slumber.
Ten minutes later, after a thorough examination of Xiao Lu's body, Xiao Ai reported: "Xiao Lu sustained no injuries. However, our scans detected extremely violent spatial fluctuations within his stomach, containing nearly infinite spatial fragments."
"The shockwaves that Xiao Lu absorbed into his abdomen earlier are now rampaging wildly inside him."
"Can we find a way to expel them?"
Chen Mang frowned. "What about putting him in the medical bay?"
"Um..." Xiao Ai shook his head. "While these shockwaves are indeed damaging Xiao Lu's internal organs, their primary target is the Cosmic Behemoth he just swallowed."
"I think I've figured it out."
"This is a form of digestion."
"Normally, if you swallowed a Cosmic Behemoth two light-years in diameter whole, you wouldn't even bother thinking about digestion."
"So—"
"Xiao Lu spat out a luminous sphere. That's his stomach pouch, containing an enormous Small World. He's storing all the spatial fragments and shockwaves inside it."
"It acts like gastric juice."
"If the stomach pouch were empty, these substances—far more potent than gastric juice—would severely damage it. But since it's currently filled with the massive Cosmic Behemoth, these 'powerful gastric acids' are rapidly breaking down the creature."
"And constantly extracting nutrients to replenish Xiao Lu."
"When Xiao Lu awakens again, his strength will be greatly enhanced."
"In other words,"
"Xiao Lu cannot digest any food because his stomach lacks gastric juice. Any food he consumes, even a simple meat sandwich, will remain undigested."
"It will simply accumulate there."
"To digest food, he must absorb violent spatial fragments and shockwaves, which only occur during large-scale battles of this magnitude."
"I understand," Chen Mang nodded. He now realized why Xiao Lu had shown no interest in participating in the war against the Zerg Civilization. After evolving, Xiao Lu couldn't digest the Zerg Monsters he consumed.
While he could absorb the spatial fragments and shockwaves he generated himself, these were overkill for digesting Zerg Monsters and would ultimately damage his own stomach.
To put it bluntly:
Xiao Lu can only eat hard foods; he can't digest soft ones.
The harder, the better.
"..."
Chen Mang gazed at the blank zone within the Mechanical Civilization Ruins, a void as vast as the cosmos itself. After a long silence, he murmured, "I think the Mechanical Civilization's records about the Star-Devouring Beast might be inaccurate."
"Their database classifies the Star-Devouring Beast as an S-rank potential Cosmic Behemoth that feeds on mining stars."
"But—"
"Now it seems the 'star' they referred to might not be mining stars, but the stars of Cosmic Behemoths themselves."
"This creature is truly adept at devouring Cosmic Behemoths."
That Cosmic Behemoth...
Even if he had intervened, he would have needed to draw upon his full foundation to stand a chance.
Yet Xiao Lu simply swallowed it whole in a single gulp, ending the battle instantly.
The larger the spatial fragments and shockwaves the Cosmic Behemoth generated, the easier they were for Xiao Lu to digest. Had the creature been any weaker, Xiao Lu wouldn't have dared to swallow it. If he couldn't digest it, he would have fallen into eternal slumber, never to awaken again.
Just then—
"I've found something," Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the train. "Train Conductor, I discovered this information in the Niya Civilization's train database."
"It contains some information about the Star-Devouring Beast."
"One detail is similar to a legend."
"It says the Star-Devouring Beast is a Cosmic Behemoth with immense potential. By continuously devouring, it can break through its limits. However, its digestion is slow, often requiring millennia of slumber."
"To truly mature, it typically needs hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer."
"A major reason for this is that the Cosmic Behemoths it consumes are difficult to digest. It must constantly roll through the cosmos, creating spatial fragments and shockwaves, then draw them into its 'stomach' to aid digestion."
"But..."
"Cosmic Behemoths transformed into 'Cosmic Landmines' are often colossal. The spatial fragments and shockwaves they generate are massive and brimming with energy. This energy accelerates the Star-Devouring Beast's digestion."
"In other words..."
"The 'Cosmic Landmines' feared by all civilizations are, in Xiao Lu's eyes, a natural and abundant delicacy."
"Large portions, potent energy, and easy digestion."
"If Xiao Lu could consume one Cosmic Landmine every day, it wouldn't be impossible for him to evolve in just a few years to a level that would take other clansmen hundreds of thousands of years to reach."
"I understand."
Chen Mang nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So, if Xiao Lu were to devour a Cosmic Behemoth several million kilometers in diameter, not only would the energy it contains be far less than that of a Cosmic Landmine..."
"...but due to the smaller spatial fragments and weaker shockwaves, it would also be extremely difficult to digest."
"That's correct."
After a long silence, Chen Mang suddenly chuckled. "Excellent."
This meant he no longer needed to fear Cosmic Landmines. In fact, he could now view them as opportunities—Xiao Lu's perfect nourishment.
No wonder Xiao Lu was so eager to join the battle.
It wasn't a desire for glory.
It was a hunger for food.
However...
The limitations of this "high-end game" strategy were severe. All gastric juice had to be supplied externally; none could be produced internally. He couldn't even digest a simple steamed bun? Well, considering Xiao Lu lacked any visible excretory organs, it's likely his body completely lacked digestive and excretory functions.
It's almost like having an external stomach.
With this, he no longer feared upgrading the radar.
Of course, this didn't mean he could completely disregard Cosmic Landmines.
Cosmic Landmines came in many forms, all serving the same purpose.
Their manifestations varied, with the most common being the Cosmic Behemoth. However, he remained uncertain about the forms of Cosmic Landmines deployed by more advanced civilizations, a crucial piece of information.
"Summon Kira."
"Understood."
"Cosmic Landmines?"
After a moment's thought, Kira replied, "Cosmic Landmines come in many varieties. Generally speaking, the more powerful the landmine, the higher its activation threshold. After all, they're extremely costly to deploy. It's impractical to expend such resources to eliminate a Third-Tier Civilization."
"In the cosmos," she continued, "civilizations can be roughly categorized into three tiers."
"First, Second, and Third-Tier Civilizations are considered weak, still in their formative stages. During this period, even if they wage wars within their own territories, no one will bother with them."
"However," she added, "the Third-Tier Civilization mark represents a significant threshold."
"When your civilization reaches Tier 3, it means you've officially established yourself in the cosmos. In other words, you've also earned the right to be destroyed."
"The standard for judgment is typically a detection range of 100,000 light-years."
"Many Tier 4 and Tier 5 civilizations deploy Cosmic Behemoths—cosmic landmines—to destroy emerging Tier 3 civilizations within or near their territories."
"Tier 4, Tier 5, and Tier 6 civilizations are collectively referred to as advanced civilizations."
"Civilizations in this range are already quite powerful."
"Moving up the tiers..."
"Tier 7, Tier 8, and Tier 9 civilizations are considered Top-Tier Civilizations. The final tier comprises the strongest civilizations within Tier 9: God-Tier Civilizations."
"I'm not familiar with the cosmic landmine strategies of advanced or Top-Tier Civilizations; I haven't paid much attention to them."
"But I can tell you about the cosmic landmine strategies of God-Tier Civilizations."
"Let's take the human civilization as an example."
"The God-Tier human civilization has deployed various types of cosmic landmines, one of which is called the Emotion Detector. This system involves releasing countless nanoscopic robots into the cosmos."
"Once the happiness index in a particular zone rises sharply and negative emotions plummet, the 'Purge Device' is activated."
"It's widely believed that when a civilization reaches Tier 7, the social aspects of its residents' lives—such as lifespan and entertainment—enter a quasi-utopian era, causing the happiness index to skyrocket."
"Wait a minute," Chen Mang interrupted, frowning. "Are you saying the God-Tier Civilization deployed these 'Cosmic Landmines' to destroy Tier 7 Civilizations?"
"If their goal was to prevent a sudden 'Civilization Big Bang' from lower-tier civilizations, shouldn't they be targeting Tier 9 Civilizations instead?"
"Theoretically, yes," Kira nodded. "But in reality, there aren't many Tier 9 Civilizations, making them easy to monitor without resorting to Cosmic Landmines. Moreover, even for a God-Tier Civilization, destroying a Tier 9 Civilization would be a significant undertaking."
"Sometimes, even with their best efforts, they can't prevent a Tier 9 Civilization from successfully advancing to God-Tier."
"All they can do is try their utmost to prevent it. If they fail and the civilization successfully ascends, they then initiate negotiations."
"But—"
"The number of God-Tier Civilizations in the universe is steadily increasing, which means resources are becoming scarcer. The pie is being divided among more and more, but eliminating a God-Tier Civilization is extremely difficult, and they rarely self-destruct."
"In this situation, God-Tier Civilizations target Tier 7 Civilizations for directed purges."
"It's the most cost-effective approach."
"A casual strike can easily destroy a Tier 7 Civilization. By reducing the number of potential Tier 9 Civilization seeds, they solidify their dominance and prevent more civilizations from reaching God-Tier status."
"Most civilizations deploy Cosmic Landmines in this way, rarely targeting their immediate subordinates. That would be too costly. Instead, they typically target civilizations two or even three tiers below them, maximizing profit with minimal investment."
"As for Tier 8 Civilizations..."
"The 9th-tier civilizations keep a close watch on them. They won't allow any Tier 8 Civilization to advance to Tier 9."
"So what do Tier 7 Civilizations do?"
"They prevent Fourth and Fifth-Tier Civilizations from advancing."
"And the Fourth and Fifth-Tier Civilizations?"
"They prevent Third-Tier Civilizations from advancing."
"What about the Third-Tier Civilizations?"
"They just get beaten up."
"And the Tier 1 and 2 Civilizations?"
"Those who haven't earned the right to be beaten often perish in some inexplicable cosmic event."
"Sounds like it has nothing to do with 6th-tier civilizations."
"It's the same as 4th and 5th-tier civilizations: they beat up 3rd-tier civilizations while trying to avoid getting beaten up by 7th and 8th-tier civilizations."
"Do 4th, 5th, and 6th-tier civilizations all beat up 3rd-tier civilizations?"
"Yes, it's the most cost-effective and impactful strategy."
"..."
Chen Mang fell silent, deep in thought. His own "human civilization" was a 3rd-tier civilization. He had been quite pleased recently, having achieved in just a few years what the Mechanical Civilization and Kasha Civilization had taken millennia to accomplish.
But now...
He had merely earned the right to be beaten.
And only to be beaten.
He had no right to strike back at anyone.
Still, it was an improvement over before, when he didn't even have the right to be beaten.
"Hearing you say that, 3rd-tier civilizations sound quite pitiful."
"They are indeed pitiful. That's why 3rd-tier civilizations have the highest extinction rate in the universe, far surpassing even 2nd-tier civilizations, despite the latter being more numerous."
"Does breaking through to a 4th-tier civilization mean you can start beating people up?"
"By the time you reach the Fourth-Tier Civilization, you likely won't have the foundation to deploy Cosmic Landmines yet. Attacking others at this stage would be risky, but you'll be able to defend against some advanced civilizations' Cosmic Landmines. At this point, few will dare to attack you."
"Fifth- and Sixth-Tier Civilizations won't bother attacking you; the cost would outweigh the gains."
"The defining moment is—"
"When you destroy a civilization's Cosmic Landmine, they'll never return to this region."
"Hmm?" Chen Mang raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "They won't seek revenge?"
He had just destroyed a Cosmic Landmine deployed by an unknown civilization and was already preparing to flee with the Wonders. He hadn't expected them to simply give up.
"In 99% of cases, they won't. But there's always the occasional hothead," Kira explained. "The primary purpose of Cosmic Landmines is to secure long-term stability for a civilization's future development with minimal resource expenditure. If a civilization can destroy your Cosmic Landmine, it means they're already quite powerful."
"At this stage, launching a full-scale military campaign to destroy this civilization would consume vast resources, making it a poor investment."
"The cost-effectiveness is low."
"So we might as well ignore them."
"Let them develop and grow wildly on their own."
"After all, in the cosmos, you don't even need to lift a finger against your enemies. Just sleep for a few centuries, and you'll wake up to find they've mysteriously vanished."
"If they do manage to advance, we can always wage war later. Victory then would yield a substantial reward."
"The 'Cosmic Landmine' acts like a threshold."
"As long as you don't trigger its threshold, it ignores you. But once you cross that line, it comes after you. If it can't defeat you, you're temporarily left alone—until you trigger the threshold of a Cosmic Landmine set by a more advanced civilization."
"Cross this threshold, and you'll enjoy smooth sailing."
"Fail, and you'll perish."
"There's no concept of 'revenge' here."
"The cosmos knows no hatred."
"Just like the Tier 9 Civilizations that are frantically blocked by God-Tier Civilizations during their Advancement process, no matter how many die in the process, once they successfully break through and ascend to God-Tier status..."
"...everyone will instantly and tacitly agree to a ceasefire."
"Then they'll quickly integrate into the God-Tier Civilization, start blocking other Tier 9 Civilizations from advancing, dividing the cake while preventing others from getting a slice."
"It's always the same."
"You fart according to where you sit."
"Hatred is never the true reason for starting a war."
"Resources are everything."
"That's why even though you annihilated my Zerg Civilization, I harbor no hatred toward you. Losing means death—it's perfectly normal, a Cosmic Law that no one can escape. For someone to win, someone else must die."
"You can't be happy when you win and resentful when it's your turn to die."
Kira left the locomotive cabin.
Chen Mang sat alone in the empty cabin, digesting the information Kira had just given him. In other words, he would now enter a long period of development, during which no one would disturb him.
That was good.
But...
"Sigh."
Chen Mang rubbed his temples, feeling a sudden wave of fatigue. Maybe... maybe I should just settle down here in the Niya Star System and develop slowly.
Climbing all the way to the top...
I'd have to take so many beatings.
Everyone would want to beat me up.
It's not that I'm afraid of getting beaten up; it's just... it's so annoying to deal with this every few days. How exhausting!
Just then, Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the train again.
"Train Conductor, I believe you need to rest for a while and rediscover your passion."
"There are currently no immediate threats in the Niya Star System."
"You could spend a few years on Aquablue Star, relaxing and clearing your mind, before returning. You've been working too hard these past few years, with too many responsibilities."
"Most successful people don't maintain constant effort. They typically work intensely for a few years, achieve significant breakthroughs, and then spend the rest of their lives in a state of blissful stagnation, almost like 'lying flat'."
"In such a state, people often find their true selves, discover why they live, and identify their goals."
"Striving too hard can blind you with the illusory sense of progress it brings."
"..."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, his eyelids drooping slightly. He remained silent for a long moment before opening his eyes and murmuring, "You're right. I'll rest for a while and stay in the Niya Star System for now."
"I'll rest in the Niya Star System for a while."
"Then I'll move on to other galaxies."
He had been considering this for some time, but constant emergencies had kept him from stopping. Now that things had finally settled down, he could finally take a break.
Unless...
Unless the civilization behind the Cosmic Behemoth he had just slain was the "hothead" Kira had mentioned, no one should bother him. This was the perfect opportunity to absorb all the civilizations within the Kasha Civilization Federation that wanted to join him.
Pack them all into the train.
They would all be his people.
Decadence is often the beginning of clarity.
We shouldn't fear hitting rock bottom; it's the starting point for a rebound. Actively seeking out rock bottom can lead to breaking through to new heights.
When you're down to your last penny, it's time to burn your boats.
The more desperate a person is, the greater their untapped potential becomes.
The line between being completely ignored and becoming world-renowned is razor-thin.
In truth, Chen Mang had always been a man of decisive action. When he sensed his fatigue growing, a feeling that the future held too many trials he didn't want to face, he promptly left the Stellaris train.
He traveled to Aquablue Star to begin his vacation.
This time, his companions were different from usual. Normally, Old Pig, Biaozi, and their entourage would accompany him, forming a massive, boisterous group. This time, the group was much smaller and more subdued.
His companions were Yan Yao, Ji Chuchu, and...
The goddesses sent from Black Tortoise Star.
Together, they formed a small tour group.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang stood on a city street on Aquablue Star, a satisfied expression on his face as he ate an ice cream cone. He smiled at the bustling crowds around him. "This feels much more relaxing."
He wore a human-skin mask.
Without it, he would have drawn too much attention, defeating the purpose of his relaxation.
There were no pressing matters for him to handle on the Stellaris train.
Only during periods of rapid development did the train require his attention. Now that its progress had stalled, there was little for him to do. Under Xiao Ai's management, both the train and the planet within were developing steadily and swiftly.
While the train's development remained crucial, even the most dedicated individuals needed rest. After all, humans weren't made of iron.
Yet...
Despite his efforts to remain inconspicuous, every passerby still glanced at him. This made him instinctively reach for a mirror to check his face—had his disguise fallen off?
"Why does everyone keep looking at me?" he asked.
"No idea," Ji Chuchu replied, her eyes blinking as she shook her head while clinging to Chen Mang's left arm and licking an ice cream cone.
Yan Yao, clinging to his right arm, fanned them with a gentle breeze, shaking her head with a smile. "I'm not sure either, Lord Mang."
Behind them, a group of celestial maidens chattered like larks, their voices rising and falling in lively conversation. Occasionally, one of them would spear a piece of fruit with a fork and feed it to Lord Mang.
"Mm."
Chen Mang pondered seriously for a moment before nodding in deep agreement. "It must be my extraordinary charisma—simply irresistible."
Surrounded by a throng of celestial maidens, he strolled down the street, unable to suppress a grin.
He knew exactly what was happening.
But...
This was rather enjoyable. The envious, jealous, puzzled, and bewildered gazes were quite amusing.
If a wealthy young heir were to appear and give him a chance to "slap him down," it would be even more entertaining.
Alas...
After wandering for three hours, no arrogant young heir emerged to mock him. This time, the script was off—he hadn't received the right script.
Next time, he'd try a different script.
He had no itinerary, no planned tourist spots. He simply wandered aimlessly, buying whatever caught his eye.
This trip was meant to clear his mind.
He wanted no purpose, no agenda—just mindless fun.
As night deepened, it was time for a change of pace. Chen Mang led his entourage to the palace Doba had built for him. This was his first time staying there since its completion, and the interior was already fully furnished.
Everything was brand new.
Moreover, it was clear someone had been cleaning daily, as there wasn't a speck of dust inside.
"Not bad," Chen Mang remarked, withdrawing his gaze from the absurdly large bed in the master bedroom and turning to Doba beside him with a smile. "How's the Heavenly Palace from that blueprint you showed me coming along?"
"Progress is being made, but it will still take some time," Doba replied hastily, eager to report on the progress.
Chen Mang's smile slowly froze. He had only asked casually, yet Doba claimed there was progress? Was the Heavenly Palace on that blueprint really so easy to construct?
He had originally assumed it would take at least several millennia for his future self to build it.
Now it seemed it might not even take a century—perhaps just a few decades?
Was the Goblin Civilization's technological development advancing this rapidly?
He wanted to press further, but remembering it was his rest time, he refrained from saying more, deciding to discuss work matters after his break.
That night, Chen Mang indulged in several unrestrained releases.
Life, after all, boils down to one word:
"Contentment."
Of course, rest was rest.
Chen Mang hadn't forgotten some things. After a night of hard work, he returned to the Stellaris train, today being the day he was supposed to meet his online friend, Little Fatty, for a chat.
But...
This time, he waited a long time in the locomotive cabin.
The Cyber Miner in his dream also waited a long time.
Neither of them saw Little Fatty.
"He's not coming?"
As dawn broke and Little Fatty still hadn't appeared, Chen Mang, sitting in his chair, glanced at the control panel, a faint worry creeping into his heart. Could something have happened to Little Fatty?
Yet...
From Little Fatty's words, Chen Mang had gleaned that his father was a man of considerable influence and deeply loved his son. It seemed unlikely that a father would allow his child to mine in such a dangerous zone without providing covert protection.
Though Little Fatty believed his father was merely a businessman, legitimate merchants rarely possess the means to acquire core intelligence known only to those within the civilization's inner circles.
The Heavenly Palace had barely finished their initial exploration.
Yet Little Fatty received the information almost immediately.
Such swift access required extraordinary influence—connections that reached the heavens themselves.
This was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary businessman.
Still, despite his worry, they were separated by vast distances. Even if he was concerned, there was little he could do. Perhaps Little Fatty had simply fainted?
Little Fatty had once confided in him about his psychological condition: he would go limp around women, a condition that made him dislike them. He preferred to handle things himself, a habit stemming from a traumatic first encounter where his nervousness led to erectile dysfunction, which the woman then publicly humiliated him for.
This incident left him with a deep-seated fear of real-life interactions and a reluctance to ever try again.
He had asked Chen Mang for a solution.
Chen Mang's advice was to eat more red heart nuts. When Little Fatty asked what those were, Chen Mang wanted to send him some, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Instead, he suggested buying targeted medication.
Perhaps...
He had gone out to buy medicine?
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully, dismissing his worries for now. He'd try contacting him again tomorrow. It couldn't be that something had happened to the Nami Civilization, could it?
After all, with Little Fatty's father's influence, it was unlikely anything serious could happen to him.
If something did go wrong...
It would mean the entire Nami Civilization was in danger.
(End of the Chapter)
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