The Void Station floated in the darkness like a gigantic metal beehive, the port lights densely scattered across its surface weaving an intricate web of light amid the stars.
When Chen Xuan followed Black Stone and Iron Rock off the ship, a faint tremor traveled up through the metal floor beneath his feet.
It was the pulse transmitted from some enormous power core deep within the station as it operated, like the heartbeat of a sleeping beast.
Black Stone led Chen Xuan through several crisscrossing passageways and arrived at the station's central district, a trading hall known as the Black Dragon Star Bank.
The hall's dome rose over a hundred zhang high, constructed from a translucent crystal that offered a direct view of the dim starry sky outside.
Several hundred trading counters stood in orderly rows, while starry sky cultivators clad in all manner of attire moved back and forth among them. Some were entirely covered in metal armor, some had skin of strange hues, and some were so enormous they had to bend down to pass through the corridors.
The languages and divine senses of different races intertwined, merging into a clamorous yet orderly tide of sound.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, this Black Dragon Star Bank is an exchange operated by the Black Dragon Sacred Dynasty itself. Its prices are fair, and it won't cheat you," Black Stone said. "Private buyers may offer slightly higher prices, but trouble is easy to come by. Since this is your first visit, trading through an official hall is the safer choice."
"Thank you."
Chen Xuan nodded and headed toward an empty counter.
A young woman in a black uniform sat behind it. Her skin was pale gray, her hair fine and dense like silver threads, and a faint fluorescent glow flowed within her