The Compass Disaster

A trade ship slowly approached the stargate. Short-range jumps could not be made completely safe, so after jumping close enough to the stargate, the trade ship relied on conventional propulsion to sail through it.

During this time, the trade ship would undergo a security inspection from the garrisoned fortress. The stationed military would send several representatives aboard to inspect the vessel, mainly its cargo.

Generally speaking, this was one of the busiest periods for a trade ship. Another busy period came during the security inspection after passing through the stargate. These two-way checkpoints effectively maintained space security within the Veron Coalition, ensuring that things like space pirates would not emerge.

Yet for some reason, the captain suddenly summoned all crew members to gather in the conference hall during this busy time.

At the podium in the conference hall, the captain looked solemnly at the assembled crew and began speaking.

"I imagine everyone is wondering why I suddenly gathered you all here at a time like this..."

"Before answering that question, I want to show you something."

With that, the captain removed the black cloth covering an object beside him.

When the object was revealed before the crew, they were even more taken aback.

They had thought it would be some priceless treasure, but to their utter surprise, it was merely a navigation compass. Though compasses were expensive, they were hardly something to be treated like a treasure.

The crew watched as the captain, wearing an extremely serious expression, solemnly addressed them.

"That's right, this is a navigation compass, specifically used to guide trade ships during jumps."

"As you can see, I bought another new navigation compass. To buy this new one, I had to put in quite a bit of my own money again."

As he spoke, the captain's gaze