039 Heroic Spirit Bar

The bar is filled with dark blue lighting. A glass of tequila with mint and chili, a bug-man warrior carrying a Laser Rifle, a girl bartender playing guitar with a heat sink, and a silicon-based female bartender staring at you with dead fish eyes, chatting with you casually.

The mercenary next to him, drunk, was spewing swear words and acidic spittle as he talked about politics and how to cut off Red King's head, as if that would free the Valkyrie Fortress's outpost satellite from his control.

This is Mintak'yko, the most famous bar in Valkyrie Fortress, but regulars who frequent it can't remember this tongue-twisting name at all.

"Heroic Souls"

This is their true home.

In Valkyrie Fortress, where land is incredibly valuable, not everyone can afford to stay in hotels and apartments. Even if someone spends a lot of money to buy a house, the constant fighting between gangs and mercenaries, as well as the frequent changes in ownership of local power, lead most newcomers to choose to rest in bars.

"Did you see the news? I told you, that bastard Red King is stealing everywhere, he'll get into trouble sooner or later—look, the ' United Company ' was fined 1.2 trillion Ammonium Gold by the Abyss Interstellar Alliance as punishment for prohibiting them from prepaying loans to the Arat Federation, which is in conflict with society!"

A silicon-based being, his body covered in crystals, took a sip of the highly acidic cleaning solution. His blood vessels immediately glowed red-hot, and his facial expression panel lit up with excitement, as if he wanted everyone to know how powerful his self-generated program was. "If you ask me, this is the most impressive fine ever levied against Narrative-level Civilization in the Abyss. But the ' Heroes Empire ' isn't exactly a saint either; they didn't send anyone themselves, leaving the Arat Federation to resist the [Purple Moon Society] Atenia."

"No, your idea lacks a macro perspective. Without the Narrative-level blocking it, these societies would have already wiped out Star Abyss."

A priestly knight with a crocodile head finished his prayer, stuffed the book into his robes, and grinned, saying with dissatisfaction:

"Over the past forty centuries, the Temple of Annihilation has continuously waged wars using Astral strategies, expanding its territory by one-fifth. While the Heroes Empire has also expanded its ' Fixed Time Domain,' it has only solidified two interstellar routes, totaling no more than 40 million light-years—a far more respectable expansion than the Temple of Annihilation's priests."

Clang!

A dagger was stuck into the table, and a dashing and beautiful elf immediately sat down between the two. She tossed her silver-white ponytail, and her Exoskeleton Armor adapted to transform, revealing her pretty chocolate skin.

"Hey, Kavin Magnet, Crocodile Prophet. You two have had a good meal today, criticizing politics first thing in the morning."

She casually put her feet up on the table, picked up a glass of glowing magic beer, and said sarcastically:

"Here, it's the Philosopher King battling the Pope; over there, it's [Society] invading 'Civilization.' Hahaha, Star Abyss is truly amazing! We commoners with our heads on our hips, free mercenaries who barely pay any taxes a year, actually care about which Narrative-level masters are superior or inferior. That's incredible!"

"Flana Nightwhisper, if your little mouth were even half as pretty as your face and figure as a Dark Elf, you wouldn't have been a freelance mercenary for 90 years and still not been able to find a regular teammate," Magnet immediately retorted without hesitation.

"Although Mr. Magnet is short-sighted, spits sand when he speaks, and is not very intelligent, honesty is one of his few good qualities."

The Crocodile Prophet made the sign of the cross on his chest. "May the all-knowing and all-powerful Buddha of Boundless Longevity protect you and help you escape from suffering soon, Amino."

"Get lost." The Dark Elf Flana raised her long, straight ring finger. "When I find a rich, young, and handsome guy, you'll all know you were wrong."

"Then you can only find a blind person," the magnet said bluntly.

"Hey, you're eating silica compounds and passing sand in your stool, are you never going to stop?!"

"Don't fight, you'll have to pay for the broken things."

Squeak—

As the three were arguing, the bar door slowly opened, and a young man with short blond hair, wearing a blue and white jacket, walked in. He was wearing a hood and looked like a mage, but his demeanor was completely different from the low-key and reserved nature of those Spellcasters.

He does nothing, and people will naturally focus their attention on him.

"Oh, a newbie?" Magnet muttered.

"He's a carbon-based human mage, but I don't know which race he belongs to," the Crocodile Prophet immediately recognized his race and class.

Dark Elf's comment. "Inexperienced."

Pat, pat.

The man went straight to the counter, sat down, and said to the bartender:

"Annihilation Spring Brew, Wyrm Blood Whiskey, Nuclear Beer, Cherry and Lemon."

"One cup of Valhalla, 25g of Ammonium Gold."

The bartender spoke, but his expression was strange:

"I haven't seen your face before, but you don't look like you're new here. A mage wouldn't stoop to working in a bar frequented by freelance mercenaries."

"Political asylum seeker." The young man said succinctly, "Mr. Olavier once offered a reward for the acquisition of Ling Mu Jin, with the location of the tavern marked on it."

"I see, you're here to collect your reward." The bartender shrugged. "You're too late. Boss Olavier has already received enough of the materials he needs, so we won't be taking any more of these hibiscus in the near future."

The young man chuckled, "I know, but I think Mr. Olavier wouldn't refuse a raw material production area for radon glutinous rice that hasn't been claimed by any authorities, would he?"

The Silicon Valley bartender paused for a moment, then immediately said earnestly, "Please wait a moment."

The next moment, he inserted a data receiver into the interface at the back of his head. After the display on his face flickered for a moment, it reassembled into a sullen face, and his voice became old-fashioned:

"Do you have access to radon-based glutinous rice production facilities?"

"You don't believe me?" the young man retorted.

"Radon glutinous rice is a superior raw material for silicon-based life care products. It can prolong the life of silicon-based organisms. The inert gas molecules can isolate the crystallization oxidation in the body. At the same time, radon glutinous rice is an irresistible delicacy for silicon-based organisms. The market is too big and the profit is too high. If you let me, a bar owner, get my hands on it, I can buy this street in a month."

The other party did not explicitly express doubt, but every sentence repeated the same point: such a high-value material as radon glutinous rice is not something a newcomer like you, who has just started out and is applying for political asylum, could possibly produce.

"Besides, you're not even at the Gamma-rank level yet." He glanced at the young man, a hint of disdain in his tone. "You're not even an adult yet, are you? Are you in college? If you're in a hurry for money, I can give you a job—but if you want to swindle, then I'm sorry, this is one of the most notorious lawless areas in the entire Abyss, where there is no rule of law."

"Mr. Olavier, I think you've misunderstood." The young man smiled. "I never said that I own a planet that can produce radon glutinous rice."

"Then there's nothing more to say. Get lost. I don't have time to waste with you."

After saying this, Olavier prepared to raise his hand and unplug the signal receiver.

"In that case, it's a real shame," the young man said regretfully. "I was thinking that the planet was an unclaimed land, where the civilization was still playing with stone tools and bones. The hardworking and resilient ' Six Eyes ' Olavier would probably like it."

"Who knows, the rumors are untrue. It seems that the real Mr. Olavier is unwilling to put in the effort to develop it and only wants to acquire existing high-priced Radon Glutinous Rice Farm. In that case, I'll have to look for another one."

After saying that, the young man turned around and prepared to leave.

"--return!"

Olavier quickly shouted:

"You said... that planet is no man's land? Could it be some secret planet being observed by Interstellar Civilization and used as a social testing ground? Is it really an independent planet?"