Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

You only need to know that a private fleet of 300 starships is a unique sight in the solar system, so it's impossible for there not to be discussions about it online.

"To make a long story short, someone wants your NZT-50," Liu Manyun said, dropping a bombshell. Seeing Lin Zhichen's shock and anger, she quickly added:

"Don't worry, it's not the Federation. It's a close friend of mine from the Anlan Tribe. Her family has been in business for generations and has considerable influence in the Anlan Civilization. She hopes to obtain a portion of the NZT-50 quota through me."

The Anlan Civilization is a relatively influential civilization in the galaxy. Its foundation is comparable to the Federation's, perhaps slightly weaker, but the difference is not significant.

Historically, the two sides have had good relations, and their territories are close. Because their humanoid forms are similar, there has been a lot of civilian exchange between them.

Under the influence of a series of factors, the two sides finally reached a strategic alliance agreement a hundred years ago, further opening up their markets to each other and signing a mutual defense treaty to deal with common threats.

Lin Zhichen rubbed his head, the drowsiness completely gone. He said irritably, "NZT-50 won't be on the market for now, so there's no point discussing quotas at this time. Besides, even if I promise now, what good will it do? When it's officially launched, we'll have to renegotiate."

"That's right, you can ignore the quota and make a quick profit," Liu Manyun reminded him. "My friend has a certain influence in the Anlan Tribe's government and military. She can get things that ordinary people can't get—of course, not strategic items!"

Seeing Lin Zhichen's eyes light up, she had to add, "But releasing NZT-50 to the market, even to alien markets, will still be closely monitored by various forces, and it will be exposed sooner or later."

"If it's exposed, it's exposed. I'm almost ready on my end. In about a month, everything will be ready!" Lin Zhichen pondered.

"Since it's business, I'll go. Let's see if I can add some insurance for the future!"

He quickly received the other party's communication. After inputting the command, the signal connected, and a clear figure appeared on the holographic projector.

"She looks just like an elf," Lin Zhichen exclaimed. Tall and slender, with a beautiful appearance and a delicate figure, she possessed a harmonious beauty, as pure and natural as the landscape. Her beauty was completely different from Liu Manyun's, like the distinct charms of orchids, plum blossoms, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Conilia," she said. Her sky-blue hair couldn't hide her long ears, and her azure eyes reflected the mystery of the sky. A perfectly fitting smile graced her exquisite and flawless face. "I've heard Manyun mention you many times. I hope my unsolicited contact doesn't cause you any displeasure."

"Beauty always makes people forgiving," Lin Zhichen smiled. "I'm Lin Zhichen, the leader of the Meteor Mercenary Group. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're quite the charmer. No wonder Liu Manyun likes you so much," Conilia chuckled. "Knowing you're a busy man, I'll get straight to the point: I hope to obtain a certain quota of NZT-50."

"That might not be possible. We have our own plans for the launch of NZT-50, and you'll likely have to negotiate with the Federation yourself then," Lin Zhichen shrugged.

"So blunt," Conilia pouted, her delicate lips forming a cute expression. "Then I want the exclusive sales rights for NZT-50 in the Anlan Civilization!"

"A beauty's request is always hard to refuse, but what can you offer me in return?" Lin Zhichen asked.

"That depends on what you want. I recall your Federation has regulations against non-Legions owning flagships. Otherwise, Dreadnoughts or even Titans would be possible!" Conilia said, surprising him. "The key is, what do you need right now?"

"The nights are long and lonely, and I need you~" Lin Zhichen drawled, his tone flirtatious.

"Oh? Is that so?" Conilia smiled enigmatically, a hint of danger creeping into her demeanor. "Manyun was right. You're the type who wants everything. Should I contact her?"

Lin Zhichen's eyes narrowed, not from her "threat," but from the psionic energy she displayed.

If his senses weren't mistaken, this seemingly delicate beauty's psionic energy cultivation was at least a major tier higher than his current level—Heroic!

"Damn it! Are Heroes everywhere now? Why do I encounter them wherever I go?" Lin Zhichen grumbled inwardly, then pondered, "In that case, do you have any Industrial Colony Ships?"

Industrial Colony Ships are a special type of colony ship, serving as mobile industrial bases capable of producing most industrial goods. Their drawback is obvious: due to the integration of too many production lines, their output is low, only suitable for early-stage transitional use.

Some powerful Industrial Colony Ships can establish a complete industrial system for a colony from scratch, making them indispensable for colony construction.

However, these ships are extremely difficult to manufacture, representing the pinnacle of high-tech. Their technological complexity far surpasses that of Battleships or even Flagships.

"Are you planning to build a base?" Conilia's eyes flashed, then she pondered for a moment. "How about this: I'll give you a Large Industrial Colony Ship. It will be delivered to Earth within a week!"

Lin Zhichen couldn't help but glance at her. Specialty ships are difficult to build and have low demand, making them notoriously expensive on the market. A Large Industrial Colony Ship like this would cost at least tens of millions of Energy Coins. She was just giving it away. She truly lived up to her reputation as a shrewd businesswoman, like Lu Buwei!

The high price wasn't the only issue. Such ships were simply not available on the market. Even with Lin Zhichen's military clearance, he didn't have the qualifications to purchase medium-sized or larger Industrial Colony Ships.

"In principle, I agree to your exclusive sales rights in the Anlan Civilization, but you'll need to negotiate the specifics with the Federal Government yourself," he said. "I have one more condition: for at least three months, you cannot expose my identity. Once my NZT-50 is on the market, you can do as you please."

"Ooh yeah!" Conilia jumped up with joy, her cute and charming appearance making Lin Zhichen's eyes light up.

"Excuse me, I'm just too happy," Conilia said with a beaming smile. "How much NZT-50 do you have on hand? Two Energy Coins a pill, I'll take it all!"

"I can give you two million pills," Lin Zhichen said, wiping away nonexistent tears. "Give me a location, and I'll deliver them!"

This was a business deal worth four million Energy Coins, not to be taken lightly!

Soon, a star map was sent over. Lin Zhichen looked at it. The distance from the solar system to the destination was at least a hundred star systems. Fortunately, the two nations' territories were connected by stargates, so the journey would only be a few star systems.

"Looks like I'm going on a long trip," Lin Zhichen said, a clear smile on his face despite his busy schedule.

Ten million Energy Coins was enough to build a Titan!

For a force like the Meteor Mercenary Group, this was enough to be completely equipped, arming the entire fleet to the teeth!

"Big Brother, going out again?" Wu Tianyi followed Lin Zhichen, watching NPC workers load boxes of NZT-50 onto a flying vehicle.

NZT-50 pills were extremely small. A standard 0.5 cubic meter thermostatic container could hold ten thousand pills. The cargo hold of the 'Qinyuan' was emptied and could fit them all.

"That's right, a big buyer. We're going to strike it rich this time," Lin Zhichen said with a smile. "When I get back, we'll begin our true voyage."

The others listened, their hearts stirred with a mix of worry and longing.

"Dapeng, you're coming with me this time. You two stay and guard the home base," Lin Zhichen instructed directly. "I estimate it'll only take about a week, so I won't be back too late."

"Understood, Big Brother," Wu Tianyi nodded solemnly.

"Qinyuan" set off quickly, flying to the Kuiper Belt of the solar system, traveling at faster-than-light speed along the hyperspace lane.

Even with a full crew of master-level NPC Crew, even if their speed reached 300 kilometers per second, they wouldn't crash into obstacles and destroy the ship and crew. However, as a precaution, they still flew at a speed of 30 kilometers per second, which was already faster than lightning in the universe.

Ten days later, they had already passed through the hyperspace lane and arrived at Dover, the closest commercial planet to Earth. There was also a stargate connecting to the Anlan Civilization here.

A stargate is a fixed wormhole that can shorten distances of thousands of light-years into a single spatial gate. Even civilizations in the Milky Way with this technology are considered top-tier powerful interstellar civilizations.

However, due to the importance of the stargate, the flow of ships was like congested roads in a big city during the planetary era, with slow speeds.

To pass through, one needed to report, then undergo inspection, and finally queue up to pass. This often took one to half a month, as Lin Zhichen discovered upon arrival.

Fortunately, as a high-ranking official in the military, even if he was just nominally appointed, he had priority passage. After a series of procedures, he could obtain passage permission the next day.

At this point, the superiority of having privileges was once again evident. Wei Peng and Lin Zhichen looked at the endless stream of ships lined up in the starry sky, a smug smile on their faces.

"Let's go. We've come all this way, let's go shopping."

The warship was handed over to the NPC Captain to pilot. After queuing, the two of them took a flying car and sped towards the commercial port not far from the stargate.

Speaking of which, this was the normal way to queue at the entrance of a wormhole. If everyone was made to wait a week for nothing, it would be a huge waste. The stranded population was a natural consumer group, and a prosperous commercial port was thus formed.

The flying car was parked at a berth, and the two of them got out, looking at the surging crowds, momentarily lost in thought.

"Holy crap, Big Brother, look at that Crest! Are there really Crested people?!" Wei Peng exclaimed loudly as a few aliens walked by.

"Shut up. Look at the people around us, they're treating us like country bumpkins!" Lin Zhichen glared at him fiercely.

"Let's go see what's here."

In the Interstellar Era, the application of holographic technology had permeated all levels. This massive space starport displayed blue skies and white clouds. Under the filtered sunlight, there were faint mountains and forests, but in reality, these were all false backgrounds.

But even though it was fake, this background made the tourists in the starport still feel the natural scenery. In fact, there were races in the sea of stars who liked steel or other strange things, but most natural life still yearned for an original ecological environment. Therefore, the decoration of this starport mostly used materials like raw wood, green trees, and fresh flowers. Even the floor underfoot was paved with pebbles, and the surrounding vegetation was lush, exuding a natural aura.

"The more developed something is, the more it returns to the ancient," Wei Peng sighed as he watched. "I thought I'd see a sci-fi style."

"It's probably because most people in the starport spend their entire lives on starships. This kind of natural decoration can alleviate psychological burdens."

Lin Zhichen seemed to have noticed something. His keen psionic senses told him that most people here had varying degrees of repressed emotions.

"Big Brother, there's a Clone Shop here too," Wei Peng said.

Lin Zhichen glanced at it and casually opened it with his holographic wristband. "Oh, this is also officially run. Most of them are common professions. Although most of them are trash, you can occasionally get an excellent one."

As he spoke, the dense NPC icons on the holographic projector suddenly trembled, and the interface that was previously visible changed completely.

"Is this a refresh? What good luck!" Lin Zhichen was stunned. Such an opportunity was not common. To prevent all high-value NPCs from being monopolized by certain organizations, the Federal Government's clone factories had no fixed refresh times; it all depended on luck.

Of course, there were countermeasures for every policy, but the effect was only average.

But at this moment, a strong premonition struck him, causing him to subconsciously click on a page among the tens of thousands of selection interfaces. A yellow icon appeared before his eyes.

"This is!" His heart suddenly clenched, and he clicked it without hesitation. Only after 2000 Energy Coins were deducted did he breathe a sigh of relief and come back to his senses. "I actually stumbled upon a treasure?!"

He opened the newly purchased NPC's personal panel:

"Name: Li Heng Human, Yellow

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Profession: Master Scientist

Talent: Matter Reorganization (Yellow), Material Research +30%

Skills: 1. Material Research (Red), Master 11.32%: Material research ability +28%, allows research of materials of Yellow grade and below.

- Matter Reorganization (Yellow), Apprentice 0.13%: Reorganize matter using psionic energy (Not activated)

Evaluation: Master of manipulating matter, but took an arrow to the knee!"

"A master-level material scientist?! The Federation would let such a scientist enter the market?" Lin Zhichen stared at the panel in shock, speechless for a moment.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?" Wei Peng, who had been quiet, finally noticed the abnormality and startled Lin Zhichen.