Back in one of the Outer Commercial Continents, Adrian kept moving through the sprawling, chaotic crowd, his presence masked beneath the unremarkable guise of 'Aeon.'
Millions of wandering cultivators, independent merchants, and minor sect delegates moved around him.
Adrian did not have a specific destination in mind. He didn't know anyone here, and stopping a random cultivator to ask basic questions about the power structure of the hub would only invite unnecessary scrutiny.
In a place where the lowest baseline of existence was the Rule Stage, ignorance was often perceived as vulnerability. If he appeared too uninformed, he would either be marked as an easy target for swindlers or flag the attention of the hub's security networks.
So, Adrian's plan was simple: roam, observe the sceneries, listen to what everyone was talking about, and piece the information together himself.
There were multiple outer commercial continents within the Providence Hub, connected by massive transit bridges that arched over the artificial voids between the landmasses.
Adrian walked through them for hours, letting his enhanced perception drift like a net over the endless sea of conversations. He filtered out the haggling over prices, the boasts of mercenaries, and the petty disputes of minor sect disciples, focusing entirely on the underlying political and economic context of the station.
Eventually, and far better than he had anticipated, the fragmented whispers began to form a cohesive picture.
First of all, he found the answer to the most pressing question he had carried since his arrival: Who actually managed this colossal intergalactic hub?
It was the Ethereal Providence Sect. The Providence Hub was under the control of a Lesser Major Sect known as the Ethereal Providence Sect.
Adrian listened to a group of mercenaries, complaining bitterly about the extortionate docking fees levied by the Ethereal Providence Sect's enforcers. From their grumbling, Adrian learned that this sect was famous across several neighboring galaxies entirely because of this intergalactic hub. They did not conquer territories through endless wars. Rather, their power lay in commerce, control, and the facilitation of trades that could not occur anywhere else.
And then he learned another crucial piece of information that didn't make full sense to Adrian. The great sects like the UNI-Sect only hosted their hubs within developed galaxies. Because of that perceived neglect, countless other sects had stepped in to fill the vacuum, constructing their own hubs and waystations between the galaxies.
Even these mentioned lesser factions were actually independent, not even subsidiary sects of a great sect. This information raised doubts for Adrian.
"Why would the UNI-Sect simply ignore this entire domain?" Adrian thought. "They should have the power to regulate the intergalactic void, so why leave it to lesser factions?"
Without any answers, Adrian travelled into more and more commercial continents. As he did, the sheer volume of illicit activity happening in broad daylight made him pause. In the span of a single day, he witnessed open black markets selling powerful poisons without a fraction of the oversight required in Andromeda UNI-Hub. And worst of all, he saw the slave trades.
Adrian stopped near the edge of a bustling plaza, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly as he watched a procession of cuffed alien beings being dragged through the street by a group of armored merchants.
Then, the cold truth settled into his mind. The Great Sects had intentionally left the domain of the intergalactic void to Lesser factions. This was not because they didn't care about this domain or lacked the power to control it. Rather, they wanted it to be lawless.
If the UNI-Sect permitted slave markets, black market trading, and the harvesting of sentient beings within their official UNI-Hubs, it would irrevocably tarnish the righteous image of the Great Sects. They needed to maintain the facade of ultimate justice and absolute order to keep the billions of galaxies submissive and reverent.
But at the same time, the elites of those Great Sects still desired the fruits of these illicit trades. They still needed the rare, forbidden materials. They still wanted access to the dark underbelly of the universe without getting their own hands dirty.
By allowing Major Sects like the Ethereal Providence Sect to operate these independent hubs in the void, the Great Sects created the perfect buffer. These hubs facilitated all the dark, horrific trades the universe demanded, taking all the moral stain and reputational damage upon themselves. And at the end of the day, if a titan from a Great Sect needed something from the black market, they could simply send a proxy here, reaping the benefits while keeping their own name completely spotless.
"A beautifully constructed hypocrisy," Adrian murmured internally, a wave of disgust rolling through his chest.
He watched as the cuffed aliens were dragged around a corner, their chains clinking sharply against the floor. Adrian felt a rising anger. He was completely fine with black markets dealing in smuggled weapons or overpriced artifacts, but he drew a hard line at the subjugation and enslavement of sentient life.
But for now, Adrian forced himself to remain still. He kept his hands relaxed at his sides and simply kept walking.
He was not in a position to just blindly intervene and free every slave he saw. This was the hub of a Major Sect, swarming with Astral Stage beings. If he revealed his power here over a street-level slave convoy, he would bring the entire wrath of the Ethereal Providence Sect down upon him before he had even mapped out their hierarchy or found the knowledge he had come for.
"Patience," he reminded himself coldly. "You cannot tear down a structure until you understand where its load-bearing pillars are."
Seeking a distraction from the grim reality of the streets, Adrian navigated away from the plaza and entered a high-end commercial avenue. He soon stopped before an imposing, multi-story building that radiated a dense, soothing aura of vitality and herbal refinement. The sign above the entrance, written in glowing green runic script, read: The Verdant Crucible.
It was an alchemy shop, though far more opulent than anything he had seen in Andromeda. Intrigued to see what a Lesser Major Sect's hub considered premium alchemical goods, Adrian stepped through the energy barrier at the entrance.
The interior was immaculate. Rows of floating pedestals displayed various pills and preserved plants, each isolated within its own perfectly calibrated micro-environment.
An attendant, a slender humanoid with pale golden skin and multiple intricate rings pierced through his elongated ears, approached Adrian immediately. He took one look at Adrian's High Rule Stage aura and offered a practiced, respectful bow.
"Welcome to the Verdant Crucible, Senior," the attendant greeted smoothly. "I see you carry the aura of one who has seen many battles. Are you seeking something to stabilize your Rule Core, or perhaps a resource for immediate, high-yield recovery?"
"I am browsing for now," Adrian replied evenly, adopting the persona of a wandering veteran. "But I am interested in seeing what you consider your most premium recovery assets. Something beyond the standard Void-Calming or Moon-Silver refinements."
The attendant's eyes gleamed. "Ah, a connoisseur. If standard refinements do not catch your eye, then you must see our most exclusive product. Please, step this way."
The attendant led Adrian to a highly secured pedestal at the very center of the room. Floating within the stasis field was a single, perfectly spherical pill. It was not green or gold like most vitality pills; instead, it pulsed with a deep, mesmerizing, almost luminescent crimson. The density of life force radiating from it, even through the containment field, was staggering.
"Behold, Senior," the attendant said, gesturing grandly. "The Life-Blood Pill. Its regenerative properties are unmatched. A single pill can instantly restore the physical form of a Peak Rule Stage cultivator from the brink of annihilation, while simultaneously soothing the strain on their consciousness."
Adrian looked at the pill, his interest genuinely piqued. A pill that handled both physical regeneration and consciousness stabilization to such an extreme degree was incredibly rare.
He tapped the holographic plaque floating beside the pedestal to read its composition. The text expanded, detailing the refinement process, the arcane fire concepts used to purify it, and finally, the core ingredient.
› Core Material: Pure Elyrian Blood (Extracted at Peak Vitality)
Adrian's eyes locked onto the words. He read them a second time, ensuring he hadn't misunderstood.
"Elyrian Blood?" Adrian asked calmly. "I am unfamiliar with that material. Is it harvested from a mortal beast species native to this sector?"
The attendant let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, no, Senior! Elyrians are not mortal beasts. They are actually a sentient race, quite famous for their magnificent, glowing wings. Their natural physiology is a miracle of the universe. Their blood naturally generates and hoards the purest form of the essences needed for these pills"
The attendant smiled, completely oblivious to the sudden, terrifying stillness that had overtaken Adrian.
"The refinement process is quite delicate," the attendant continued enthusiastically. "You see, you cannot simply kill an Elyrian to harvest the blood. If they die, the conceptual essence in their veins dissipates instantly. The true mastery of the Life-Blood Pill lies in keeping the Elyrian alive during the harvesting process. They are restrained in specialized extraction formations that continuously siphon their blood while simultaneously feeding them just enough cheap nutrients to force their bodies to regenerate more. It is highly efficient! A single healthy Elyrian can serve as a blood-factory for decades before their body finally collapses from the agony!"
The attendant gestured to the pill with immense pride. "Because of the... extreme pain they experience during the continuous extraction, their blood becomes highly stimulated, enriching the final product. It is a masterpiece of modern alchemy. Only fifty million UNI-Coins, Senior."
Adrian stared at the glowing red pill. He wasn't really looking at a miraculous alchemical achievement. He was looking at the condensed, agonizing suffering of a living, sentient being who had been strapped to a table and bled dry for decades just so wealthy cultivators could recover from their battles a little faster.
"I see," Adrian managed to say. His voice was so quiet, so devoid of emotion, that it sounded almost hollow. "It is... a unique process."
"Indeed, Senior!" the attendant beamed. "Would you like to purchase one?"
"Not today," Adrian said, turning away from the pedestal before the attendant could see the killing intent that was beginning to bleed into his eyes. "I need to consider my finances."
"Of course, Senior. The Verdant Crucible is always here to serve you."
Adrian walked out of the alchemy shop, his strides measured and controlled, but his mind was an ocean of boiling rage.