Universe Mercenary Alliance Outpost

It had been exactly fifty years since Zhou Yuan killed that third-stage World Lord ferocious beast. Over the past half-century, he had steadily pushed deeper into the inner regions of the Sixth Continent, plundering many natural treasures along the way and encountering no fewer than ten World Lord-level ferocious beasts.

When he was lucky enough to encounter first- or second-stage World Lords, he had forcefully slain them by relying on the advantages of the Zhenkong Blade and Zhenkong Slash.

But he had also encountered terrifying beings at the peak of the World Lord level. Ship and man alike, he had fled in miserable retreat, losing two spacecraft one after another. Several times, he had only escaped by using the Myriad Transformations Secret Technique to forcibly turn himself into an inconspicuous meteorite, slipping away right under the ferocious beasts' noses.

"Good thing these ferocious beasts aren't very intelligent." Sitting in his spacecraft's cockpit, Zhou Yuan still felt lingering fear when he recalled the last time he had been chased into abandoning his ship and turning into a meteorite. "If it had been an intelligent lifeform, it definitely would have noticed something was wrong when I suddenly disappeared while running away and a meteorite appeared in my place."

"Master, a message from the Universe Mercenary Alliance has arrived," Beibei suddenly said. "The Alliance has established outpost bases around every continent in the Yunyan Secret Realm. They provide places to post and accept missions, as well as trade. All human mercenaries who enter the secret realm may use them."

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up. "Where is the outpost on the Sixth Continent?" Nearly all experts who ventured outside registered as mercenaries, and Zhou Yuan was naturally no exception.

"Master, the outpost is roughly thirty light-years from our current position, located in the orbit of the Sixth Continent's innermost region." Beibei immediately brought up a star map and projected a clear route before Zhou Yuan.

"Good. Change direction and head for the outpost." Zhou Yuan gave the order at once. He had already used up two spacecraft. He had only brought four in total, and half were already gone. Besides, he had accumulated quite a few resources he had no use for and was worrying about where to trade them.

They traveled for several more decades, and Zhou Yuan drew ever closer to the mercenary alliance's outpost. The deeper they went into the inner regions, the more planets had already been plundered. Most resources on the supergiant planets had been mined clean, and the occasional scraps left behind were of little value.

One day, just as Zhou Yuan's spacecraft passed over a planet covered in craters, an enormous figure suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision.

It was a space fortress comparable in size to the sun, its entire body forged from dark-gold special metal. Countless gun barrels protruded from its surface, densely packed like a honeycomb, while its outermost layer was covered by a constantly flowing multicolored energy shield.

Shipping lanes had also been opened around the base to allow spacecraft to accelerate. Large numbers of ships entered and exited around the fortress at every moment—some were massive transport vessels, some were nimble little scout ships, and there were even F-grade warships that looked like nothing to mess with.

"The Universe Mercenary Alliance really has deep pockets!" Zhou Yuan muttered as he looked at the base before him, which could practically be called a mobile fortress. The resources consumed each day just to keep such a massive base running were astronomical. Only a superpower spanning the universe could accomplish such a thing.

"Beibei, apply for entry into the base."

"Yes, Master. The application has been sent."

Not long afterward, Beibei's voice sounded again. "Master, the Mercenary Alliance has replied. We are permitted to enter. They have also included the base's rulebook."

As Beibei spoke, a detailed list of rules was projected before Zhou Yuan:

1. Any form of combat is strictly prohibited within the base. Violators will be directly expelled from the secret realm; serious offenders will be killed on the spot.

2. The base provides secure trading venues and official guarantees for all transactions, charging 5% of the transaction amount as a handling fee.

3. The mercenary mission zone allows missions to be posted and accepted. Mission difficulty ranges from three-star to five-star, with rewards corresponding to difficulty.

4. The base maintenance zone provides spacecraft repair, upgrade, and purchase services, with all kinds of components available.

5. The base rest area provides services such as nutrition pods and cultivation rooms, charged by the hour; ...

There were more than sixty rules in all, every one centered around ensuring warriors' safety and fair trade. Zhou Yuan quickly scanned through them and found nothing unreasonable. He could accept them completely.

"Beibei, enter the port."

The spacecraft slowly flew toward the base's spaceport. Only when they drew close did Zhou Yuan discover that the multicolored energy shield was not fully sealed. Once a spacecraft had authorization, an opening would automatically appear for it to enter or exit. After entering the energy shield, the internal space was even more astonishingly vast.

"Let's go to the Alliance's official trading office first and sell the resources we're carrying." As Zhou Yuan put away the spacecraft, he said to Beibei, "Selling directly to the Alliance is convenient and safe, and it keeps things confidential."

The resources he possessed had all been taken from the nests of Domain Lord-level and World Lord-level ferocious beasts. The aura he was currently simulating was only that of a second-stage World Lord. If he sold them in the public trading area, it would inevitably attract covetous eyes.

Selling directly to the Alliance, on the other hand, not only ensured fair prices but also allowed him to make use of the Alliance's confidentiality rules to prevent his wealth and strength from being exposed.

The Universe Mercenary Alliance outpost was located in the core area of the base. It was a grand independent building, guarded at its entrance by a squad of tall combat robots. Their auras were powerful; all possessed peak World Lord combat strength.

Zhou Yuan first went to the mission area, where a massive light-screen terminal displayed densely packed mission information scrolling across it.

"Beibei, bring up the list of the Universe Mercenary Alliance's acquisition missions for treasures I possess," Zhou Yuan said to his intelligent assistant.

"Yes, Master."

The next second, a light screen appeared in the air before Zhou Yuan, clearly listing the treasures he possessed that the Alliance was currently seeking to acquire:

[Acquisition] Flame Sun Grass (Three-Star): Mission No. YQW-1205634803, purchase price 4.8 trillion Universe Coins per stalk, 10 slots remaining

[Acquisition] Star Marrow Fungus (World Lord level): Mission No. XDF-1249246517, purchase price 4 trillion Universe Coins per stalk, 5 slots remaining

[Acquisition] Profound Ice Lotus (World Lord level): Mission No. BAS-0668564149, purchase price 5 trillion Universe Coins per stalk, 3 slots remaining

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up. "Beibei, help me accept the acquisition missions for Flame Sun Grass, Star Marrow Fungus, and Profound Ice Lotus."

"Yes, Master. The missions have been accepted. The information has been synchronized to your Adventure Card."

Zhou Yuan walked up to the service counter and said to the receptionist, "I want to submit missions. Mission Nos. YQW-1205634803, XDF-1249246517, and BAS-0668564149."

The receptionist was a female robot with a sweet smile. She gave a slight bow. "Esteemed guest, please follow me to the VIP room."

After following the robot to the VIP room, Zhou Yuan was led to a tall metal platform. The robot then said, "Esteemed guest, please place the treasures you wish to submit on the platform."

Zhou Yuan walked to the scanning platform and first took out the Flame Sun Grass he had obtained from a World Lord ferocious beast's nest, placing it on the platform.

The instrument immediately emitted a pale blue scanning beam. In just one second, the light screen displayed:

Scan complete. Flame Sun Grass (World Lord level, three thousand years old) meets the requirements of mission YQW-1205634803. Confirm submission?

Zhou Yuan tapped "Confirm." The next second, 4.8 trillion Universe Coins appeared in his universal bank account, while the Flame Sun Grass was automatically stored in the storage compartment beneath the instrument.

He then took out the Star Marrow Fungus and Profound Ice Lotus for scanning one after the other. Each identification and transaction took only one second. When the submissions were complete, his account instantly gained another 13.8 trillion Universe Coins.

Next, he went to the trading area and sold the remaining treasures in his possession that could not be used as mission items to the Universe Mercenary Alliance. In total, he received more than fifty trillion Universe Coins.