It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy. Hu Yu knew that although his fleet was at the Star System-Level Civilization, his assets were still a fraction of what the Wind Star Civilization. To say it was a fraction was an understatement; it was truly a drop in the ocean, more like a drop in the ocean of ninety cows.
The sheer number and scale of these space-based artillery platforms and interstellar mines far surpasses that of a mere 20 million Stealth Killer. This three-dimensional defense system required the resources of countless planets to create, and even Small Star Sector Civilization would likely not dare to rampage through such airspace.
Thinking about his planned 500-year development strategy, Hu Yu had a feeling that even 5,000 years might not be enough, considering that the Wind Star Civilization had been operating here for over 50,000 years.
The warship's route was not a straight line, but a winding one. The conventional power engine had increased the warship's speed to 0.6 times the speed of light. It took three years to travel a distance of one light-year and finally reach the core territory of the Wind Star Civilization.
The warship began to re-enter warp state at a distance of 20 astronomical units from the mother Wind Star Civilization. Unlike the outer perimeter, there were no space-based artillery batteries or interstellar mines to be seen here, except for the busy coming and going of spaceships. There were hundreds of millions of ordinary spaceships, which varied in size and shape and should all be civilian spaceships.
These are nothing compared to what truly shocked Hu Yu: the planets here. The entire system has four busy planetary orbits. The third orbit has over 600 planets. Although the second and first orbits have fewer planets than the third, each orbit still has two to three hundred. These three orbits together have over a thousand planets. In addition, there is the less crowded fourth orbit, with only a little over a hundred planets.
This dense cluster of planets is clearly not naturally formed. This Wind Star Civilization is quite insane; it's unknown how many star systems they searched to find these planets and then transported them one by one.
Without exception, all of these planets are habitable. Transforming so many planets into habitable planets is no easy task. The Wind Star Civilization truly lives up to its reputation as an old-established Star System-Level Civilization. Hu Yu is finding it difficult to transform even one planet, let alone thousands of them.
One astronomical unit away from the outermost orbit, there are more than a dozen enormous space-based docks, each over two thousand kilometers long and wide, forming a massive square iron plate. In the center of this iron plate dock are several huge buildings, Hu Yu's Wind Star Fleet was controlled by a guiding signal and docked at one of these docks.
Hu Yu remotely controlled dozens of cloned Wind Star People, the fleet leaders, to disembark from the warship and enter the buildings. To avoid any mishaps, the ordinary crew members remained on the warship. These buildings were clearly prepared for these crew members. Inside the buildings, besides the Wind Star People coming and going, there were also creatures of other races busy at work, seemingly all serving the Wind Star People.
"Hey, Si Luo, you're back from your mission? You seem a little slower this time than last time." Hu Yu had barely stepped into the building when a Wind Star People immediately came up to him.
"Oh, it was a little slow. Two warships encountered minor problems along the way, and repairs took some time," Hu Yu replied casually.
"It's good that you're alright. How about it? You've made quite a bit of money over the years. Not everyone can get this kind of lucrative job. How about you enjoy yourself tonight?"
" Feng Jun, every time I come back, I've patronized your business. I've only been the transport team leader for a few days. Speaking of lucrative jobs, you're the one who really makes a fortune by getting the dock management rights. You can stay here and make a killing without doing anything. Unlike us, we work hard in the wind and rain, earning only meager wages, and we still get exploited by you. Enough nonsense, the usual, Silo Liquor with roast beef."
Hu Yu and his dozens of clones were all information collectors. All kinds of information about the conversations between the Wind Star People inside the building were collected. The computers and scientists on the scientific ship 4,000 light-years away immediately analyzed the information. Hu Yu knew all the information about the Wind Star People in front of him in a few seconds. Combining this with the habits of his own Wind Star People, who was originally called Si Luo, Hu Yu said these words, which were almost watertight.
"Alright, almost there. Si Luo, make sure you get some rest here this time. I've discovered something new recently, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"No, I have a mission to complete. If I stay here for a few more days, all the work I've done over the past few years will have been for nothing."
"No way! You said last time that you'd definitely have a good time here for a few days when you had the chance, and you said it the time before that, and the time before that too."
"Yeah, next time for sure, next time, the further away from you, the better."
"Don't say that. Honestly, the price I'm offering you, Si Luo, is absolutely the best deal."
"Alright, alright, you go ahead and get busy. I want to be alone for a while."
"Hey, Si Luo, which planets are we going to be on this mission?"
"Why are you asking this? Don't you know that asking about fleet secrets can cost you your head?"
"It's not some big secret. With our relationship, what can't we talk about? Would I ever harm you?"
"I know that everyone in the entire civilization except you could potentially harm me, but you're the only one who would love for me to live until the end of the universe, so you can extract more value from me. Okay, I'll tell you, it's no big deal. Actually, I've only made two trips to the 300 mission planets assigned by the higher-ups, ten planets each time. I haven't decided which planets to choose this time yet. I'll see how the other fleets choose. I'll go after they've made their selections. Anyway, for us, it doesn't matter which planet. After finishing this bottle of Silo Liquor, I'll get a good night's sleep and think about it later."
" Si Luo, if we go to Planet 97, could you get me some local specialties?" Feng Jun whispered in Si Luo's ear.
" Feng Jun, this could cost you your head! No way!"
"Look at you, fine, today's free, plus two bottles of Silo Liquor, half a pound of fire beef, and two ounces of wind lizard. How about it? This isn't the first time you've done this. I know you got some local specialties from Planet 469 for Dock Number Three last time."
"You can't just say things like that. Besides, is my head only worth this little bit of wine and meat?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Jun thought, "This is promising. Although Silo Liquor is expensive, it's nothing compared to the specialties of Planet 97."
" Si Luo, here's what you do, get them for me, split it 30/70, how about I get 70% and you get 30%?"
" Feng Jun, are you crazy? I'm the one who'll lose my head, you're the one who'll make the money, it's about 70% me and 30% you."
"I'm also facing a lot of risk. The black market is being cracked down on now, and several of my colleagues have been taken down."
"Fixed price, fifty-fifty, or you can go find someone else."
"Deal!" Feng Jun gritted her teeth and agreed.
Silo Liquor is a beverage specially developed for the Wind Star People Wind Star People. After drinking it, their bodies become lightheaded, and their minds temporarily lose their rationality, much like the psychoactive substances rock sugar and flour in human society. However, Silo Liquor is not addictive and effectively relieves psychological and physiological stress. For crew members who are away from home for extended periods, being able to drink a bottle of the expensive Silo Liquor after each mission is considered the best life. Throughout the upper echelons of Wind Star, Silo Liquor is practically an essential drink for everyone.
Apart from the owner Feng Jun, the Wind Star People in the building were almost all crew members. They spoke loudly and danced freely under the influence of Silo Liquor, releasing the pressure of their long-term life on board.