Forced Acceptance of Opportunity?

The virtual screen flickered, revealing the interior of the opposing starship in a state of utter ruin. Sparks showered from exposed wiring, accompanied by the sharp crackle of electrical shorts; the vessel was severely compromised.

Only one figure remained on screen: a man in his late forties, clad in a specialized combat suit now coated in a fine layer of dust.

Judging by his condition, he appeared to be on the verge of death.

"Urgh... sir..."

"Listen to me."

Before Feng Xiao could finish his inquiry, the middle-aged man cut him off.

Feng Xiao fell silent, watching the disheveled man with curiosity. Despite the wreckage, the size of the control room suggested this was at least an Elite-class starship, perhaps even Star-Land class.

How could the captain of such a formidable vessel end up in this state?

"I am the captain of the Star-Land class starship, Atel Jones, belonging to the Atel Consortium's security division. I was ordered to investigate a data leak at the Morton Galaxy branch."

"I never expected the Morton branch to collude with the Four Sacred Islands Shogunate in an attempt to defect from the Consortium. They tried to silence me."

"As you can see, they nearly succeeded."

"I need you to deliver this intelligence to the Consortium headquarters in the Heavenly River Star Sector. As payment, I will give you the only Star-Weapons and treasures remaining in my cargo hold."

If a starship were destroyed outright, its equipped Star-Weapons had a 99% chance of shattering. Only if the starship core dissipated on its own was there a higher probability of preserving the armaments.

A sudden starship, a sudden character, a sudden commission...

Feng Xiao and his two companions stood frozen for several seconds before they could process the situation.

Hesitantly, Feng Xiao replied, "Sir, while we understand your situation, we cannot guarantee success. Furthermore, we cannot be certain that what you say isn't a trap."

"I can draft a Supreme Rule starship agreement; everything I have said is true. Moreover, I can provide your payment in advance! A purple-quality talent-level enhancement treasure and a purple-quality medical Star-Weapon!"

Feng Xiao, who had been planning to avoid trouble, changed his tune the moment he heard the rewards.

His tone shifted instantly: "No problem! Since it involves the betrayal of those despicable turncoats, as a member of the righteous faction, I am duty-bound to assist! Leave it to me!"

The Four Sacred Islands Shogunate?

They were merely the second-strongest power in the Morton Galaxy; they were nothing compared to a purple-quality talent enhancement item and a purple-quality medical Star-Weapon.

Forget delivering intelligence—he would have no problem blowing up the Four Sacred Islands Shogunate's home planet!

Besides, he didn't like the sound of that name anyway.

"..."

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment, then drafted a Supreme Rule agreement with Feng Xiao. After handing over the two items, he departed immediately.

Watching the oval-shaped starship drift away, Feng Xiao remained silent for a long time.

I can stumble upon such a windfall just by wandering around? Am I truly the protagonist?

"Say, there's a high probability he won't make it out of Qiansen Star Lake, right?" Wang Hao remarked, watching the starship grow smaller in the distance.

"High probability? Facing the pursuit of the Morton Galaxy's second-strongest power and a large Consortium branch, even a Star-Land class ship couldn't possibly escape. Besides, I suspect his ship was affected by some special weapon—something similar to Li-style Particles, but far more potent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to send out a single message."

Feng Xiao remained remarkably calm, showing no signs of panic.

Setting aside the fact that Alliance law forbade high-level starships from attacking nascent ones, the moment he revealed his talent, the Four Sacred Islands would have to back down.

Don't ask why—it was the protection of the civilization's upper echelons.

Of course, that was only if he had no other choice; under normal circumstances, he preferred to outwit his opponents.

For instance, right now...

[Starship ahead, please cease your advance. We have questions for you.]

Feng Xiao's expression remained serene.

He looked at the two approaching Star-Land class ships, each four to five thousand meters long, with a hint of disdain.

A proper Star-Land class vessel had a hull nearly ten thousand meters long. These two from the Four Sacred Islands were clearly second or third-generation junk with their starship cores heavily downgraded.

[A mere third-rate power in the Morton Galaxy—who gave you the authority to inspect me?]

Upon receiving the transmission, the three captains realized that the ship before them, despite its hull being less than two thousand meters long, possessed the energy output of an Elite-class starship.

They were inwardly shocked.

It was only a mid-to-high-level starship, yet its energy output exceeded most Elite-class vessels. Even with the full support of the Four Sacred Islands, could they even cultivate one such genius?

This had to be a prodigy from a major power within the civilization's inner domain.

After all, Star-Weapons alone could not exert such power on a low-level starship without the assistance of a sufficiently powerful captain's talent.

"We were merely following protocol. Since you are a young noble from a major power, it is naturally impossible for you to be the fugitives we are tracking. Please, forgive us."

Did the world truly believe that Star-Land Class ships were powerful enough?

Once one reached a certain social stratum, Star-Land Class ships were nothing more than cannon fodder.

If an ordinary captain offended a major power, even captains of Star-Land Class ships from small nations—the second or third generation of their families—would be trembling in fear.

Let alone someone who, at a glance, appeared to be a prodigy.

Without a word in response, the Star Origin flew forward at a leisurely pace, continuing to wander randomly through the inner region in search of resources.

The captains of the three starships watched the Star Origin depart, clicking their tongues in envy before resuming their hunt.

As for killing to seize treasures... forget it.

There were thousands of types of Star Martial Arts, and it wasn't as if there were no Star Martial Arts capable of investigating who killed whom. No matter how secretive one was, there was always a risk.

"Boss, you're amazing!"

Wang Hao was full of admiration. If he hadn't known Feng Xiao's true identity, he probably would have been fooled by him as well.

Whether it was his demeanor, his tone, or his temperament, he had nailed it perfectly.

Feng Xiao chuckled, "I was just testing them. If it hadn't worked, I would have run away at light speed. Who knew they wouldn't even harbor a shred of suspicion? I suppose it just goes to show how powerful the deterrent force of the major powers within the Star Sea Human Alliance truly is."

"Alright, our excursion in Qiansen Star Lake will end here for now. Aside from the environment, Star Beasts, and plant-based resources, there isn't much else here. Even the best scenery gets boring after a while. Prepare to return to the Morton Galaxy and pay a visit to the Violet Kingdom."

Feng Xiao looked at the warning signals from the core region on the screen and suddenly turned back to say.

The Star Origin was not yet qualified to enter the core region.

Even with sufficient guarantees for defense and speed, they could not move recklessly in the inner region; even now, some areas of the inner region could likely pose a threat to the Star Origin.

Since they had been everywhere they could go, as explorers, they should start looking for better regions.

However, before that, they needed to make a trip to the Violet Kingdom to trade for a batch of supplies. Some things were useful, but others needed to be sold off.

"The strongest nation in the Morton Galaxy?"

Wang Hao and Ilde were filled with longing. The former longed for every corner of interstellar society, while the latter had grown up in the Morton Galaxy listening to people praise the Violet Kingdom.

Now that they could actually go, they were naturally full of anticipation.

Feng Xiao casually pulled up the data for the purple medical-type Star Martial Art.

Tianyi Medical Chamber
Quality: Purple (10% Mutation)
Level: Lv0 (The upgrade effects for this type of Star Martial Art are not significant; it requires large-scale upgrades)
Description: A special medical Star Martial Art that fuses technology with ecology and nature. Originally a medical chamber from an Eastern nation, it mutated due to unknown causes.
Effects:
1. Unless the brain or heart suffers instant fatal damage, it can remotely sustain life for 5 minutes.
2. The medical treatment pods (four in total) can heal conventional severe injuries or below within two hours.
3. Can treat parasitic infections, microbial viruses, and similar conditions of Level 3 or below.
4. Can produce special serums, possesses the effect of restoring moderate injuries and stamina, and has functions such as self-researching serums.
Buff: +20% life vitality for all crew members.

Without hesitation, he tossed the original yellow medical Star Martial Art into the warehouse to be replaced.

Yet, the ship remained silent. The three of them looked solemnly at the item capable of upgrading a captain's talent level, their expressions full of seriousness.

A legendary talent—how strong would it be after being upgraded?