The First Legendary Figure

"I understand... It was the gravitational disturbance caused by this ship, combined with their signal interference, that disabled our hyperspace diverter..." Kunto muttered. "I've never seen such a huge ship in my life... Is this really a spaceship? Or a space station?"

"The question now is, why has a warship like this appeared on the outskirts of Endor?" Feraci was starting to lose it. "If that's the case, then Kenneth and the other two..."

"Communications have been completely cut off," Spade said from behind them.

"That's a given. What level of energy do they have? What level do we have? Even the simplest electromagnetic interference would be enough to turn us blind and deaf." Kunto resigned himself completely and slumped back into his seat.

At that moment, the hangar exit in the middle of the gigantic warship opened, and more than a dozen small fighters flew out, heading straight toward them.

"They didn't fire on us right away, so they probably want to talk. Let's just surrender. I don't think a force capable of owning such a massive warship would make things difficult for little fish like us... Listen, when the time comes, we need to stay neither servile nor overbearing. Don't let them intimidate us. We have to let them know we're not to be trifled with," Kunto said.

"No problem. Leave it to me," Feraci replied with a nod.

He piloted the ship into the hangar under the fighters' guidance. Even the hangar entrance alone was incomparably vast. Looking at the empty hangar deck, Feraci whispered, "This hangar could even berth a Republic Judicial Fleet cruiser! What an unbelievable display of wealth!"

Once the ship had come to a stop, they had barely stepped out of the cabin when they saw a squad of fully armed soldiers standing in formation outside! Every one of them was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, their eyes sharp. They were clearly well-trained elites, far more elite than the undisciplined Galactic Republic soldiers Kunto and the others usually saw!

When the three of them came down, the soldiers pulled back their bolts in unison. Click! A blatant threat!

Feraci trembled in fright, raised both hands, and dropped to her knees with a thud. When she looked back, Kunto and Spade had knelt even faster than she had. They were on the ground with their hands over their heads, their posture textbook-perfect...

Tang Xiao watched the three people kneeling neatly before him through the surveillance feed, cold sweat trickling down his temple. He turned to Qi Jian and said, "I'm guessing... these three are with the three we captured earlier?"

"I think so too." Qi Jian nodded. "Administrator, you can tell at a glance that people like this are smugglers. Who knows how many dirty deeds they have on their hands? It wouldn't be unjust to arrest them and shoot them immediately."

"Bring them in for questioning. People who frequently run smuggling operations can be very useful," Tang Xiao ordered.

The three were soon escorted to the bridge by Fourth Civilization Marines. Tang Xiao spoke with them through a translation robot. There was not much information to be gained; these smugglers clearly had no interest in the political situation of the Milky Way Galaxy. All they cared about was their own wallets.

The middle-aged man named Dubrak Kunto was the leader of their little smuggling gang, while the somewhat attractive woman beside him, Mars Feraci, was his woman. They mainly worked for the Hutts around Tatooine, frequently traveling to Endor to acquire beast pelts, gemstones, and other goods to haul back and sell.

"The Hutts..." Tang Xiao stroked his chin, feeling that this was rather troublesome.

The Hutts were a very ancient race in the Milky Way Galaxy, resembling oversized slugs. Despite their disgusting appearance, the Hutt Empire had once flourished and become immensely powerful. They possessed deep reserves of strength and had even retained a formidable fleet to this day. Although they ostensibly submitted to the Galactic Republic, they remained autonomous, beyond the Republic's control—first, because they were too far away; second, because biting into them might break your teeth.

After the ancient Hutt Empire was nominally absorbed by the Galactic Republic, the Hutts had poured their resources into underground enterprises.

To put it bluntly, every Hutt was a mafia boss—and the filthy rich kind.

Tang Xiao waved his hand, having the soldiers escort Kunto and the others to prison. He continued analyzing the language, then wrote down the words "Hutts" on the interface where he planned his timeline and sphere of influence.

At that moment, the Mainframe suddenly sent him a message. Administrator, we have met the conditions to awaken a Legendary figure. He can be awakened immediately.

"A Legendary figure? The conditions were met that easily?" Tang Xiao was stunned for a moment when he heard the news.

He hurriedly pulled up the character page. Sure enough, among the Legendary figures, one name had lit up, indicating that he was willing to be awakened and pledge loyalty to Tang Xiao.

"Name: Cun Te (Trent) {Note 1}. Explorer. Skilled in interpersonal relations, smuggling, piloting, and spacecraft modification." Tang Xiao read out his information. "Awakening condition: a grand stage and an excellent spaceship."

This condition could be considered difficult or easy. It was highly flexible. It showed that this person did not care when he was awakened. All he wanted was adventure.

Though there was no especially detailed introduction, Tang Xiao already knew who this man was.

Cun Te! The protagonist of Freelancer, a great adventurer.

"Awaken him, then have him come see me immediately." Tang Xiao paused, then added, "Forget it. I'll go to the medical bay to see him."

He headed directly toward the medical bay and saw a sturdily built man in a leather jacket undergoing a physical examination. He had blond hair, handsome features, and a touch of stubble. One look told anyone that he was a man weathered by life, with stories written all over him. Judging from the flushed, bashful expression of the female nurse beside him, Cun Te had already flirted with her quite a bit before Tang Xiao arrived.

When Cun Te saw Tang Xiao, he waved and greeted him familiarly. "Hi, Administrator. You came all the way here to see me? I'm truly flattered! I'm Cun Te. It looks like our colony has been developing quite smoothly under your leadership."

"You know, we are in a very complex and dangerous universe. There may be thousands upon thousands of intelligent species here, along with a complicated political environment. So I cannot relax for even a moment, and this is precisely when I need you. I just seized a spaceship. It's yours now." Tang Xiao extended his hand and shook Cun Te's.

"Haha, I've already seen the information on that ship in the Core Computer. She's a fine vessel, and I can't wait to throw myself onto such a stage." Cun Te laughed heartily.

He seemed to possess an innate charisma that allowed him to quickly get along with anyone. After chatting with Tang Xiao for a while, he shifted the topic to the young nurse beside them. He was eloquent and humorous, and after a few jokes, he had the nurse laughing so hard that she swayed like a flower in the wind.

But Tang Xiao had no mind to marvel at Cun Te's skill with women. Instead, he felt a little excited. Cun Te might not have been famous, but his abilities were unquestionably formidable. As a citizen of Britannia in the game, he had once thwarted the Nomads' invasion and spared the entire Sirius Sector from the ravages of war.

He had once piloted a ship alone through the universe, starting with nothing and building himself up from scratch. He took part in war after war and foiled conspiracy after conspiracy. In the end, he had even flown alone into the heart of enemy territory, fought his way into the Nomads' main nest, and obtained their core. It was equivalent to him taking on an entire interstellar species by himself!

The piloting skills, wisdom, courage, adaptability, and ability to maneuver among various factions that he had displayed throughout that process fully earned him the title of Legendary figure!

Now that he had joined them, he could explore this Milky Way Galaxy.

The two chatted in the medical bay for a while. Cun Te only needed a physical examination to confirm that his body was fine after cryogenic hibernation. He soon completed the examination, bid Tang Xiao farewell, and headed to the hangar to inspect that YT-1000 light freighter.

That was right. Ever since that ship had entered the mothership, it had taken the Tang surname, and Tang Xiao had promptly gifted it to Cun Te.

Bonus chapter illustration 1: Cun Te (Trent), protagonist of Freelancer

Before the contract status changes, hurry up and invest. Invest now, profit later.