Clang!
The heavy chains hit the ground, Kerlodd breathed a sigh of relief. He stretched his limbs, looked down at his naked body, and said awkwardly, "Could you...?"
A set of clothes was thrown at him, Kerlodd hurriedly put them on, feeling ashamed of being naked.
Han Xiao Quan kept a smile on his face as he watched Kerlodd the whole time. Kerlodd's personal account had universal currency, and calling for an interstellar travel group cost money. Han Xiao wasn't sure if the other party would accept material payments, so having universal currency was a guarantee.
Moreover, he genuinely didn't want to kill Kerlodd. Although he was currently in control, Goddora certainly knew that an investigator had come to Planet Aquamarine and unexpectedly lost contact. She would contact the Six Nations to inquire about the situation after some time, and might even send a new investigation team.
The truth will eventually come out. Killing Kerlodd would only escalate the conflict. There's no need to be so extreme. Murder for money isn't necessarily a good habit. Keeping Kerlodd will prevent things from escalating from a personal issue to a more serious level. As long as no one dies, Goddora won't care if the investigators encounter minor danger. This little conflict is insignificant.
Of course, although Kerlodd made a promise, Han Xiao was not entirely unprepared. At least on Planet Aquamarine, he would not let Kerlodd out of his sight, nor would he return any equipment to him.
Because of his deliberately mysterious behavior, Kerlodd assumed that Han Xiao also came from beyond the stars and, unsure of his identity, dared not act rashly.
And so, Kerlodd asked again, "Who exactly are you?"
"An alien," Han Xiao replied dismissively.
Humans are a vast race in the Galaxy, with countless branches. Kerlodd observed that Han Xiao seemed to be the most common Cosmic Human, and couldn't discern his origins. He scratched his head and said, "Alright, I won't ask anymore. When are you planning to leave? I want to go home as soon as possible."
"It won't be long."
Han Xiao plans to take all the top-ranked professional players from the Planet Aquamarine region with him. The regional league will be over soon, and he can afford to wait that long.
Kerlodd suddenly asked, "By the way, where's my spaceship?"
"Someone picked it up, and they probably won't give it back to you." Han Xiao knew perfectly well what happened afterward. Just the fact that the Dark Net's intelligence personnel hadn't been able to find out about the spaceship crash meant that Raylen had blocked the news, and it was obvious what she was up to.
Kerlodd, he didn't want to contact the Six Nations. The situation was beyond his control, and he didn't want to take any risks. Moreover, he felt that Han Xiao, being a fellow interstellar person, would have common topics and would be easier to negotiate and communicate with than the natives.
"What's wrong with your spaceship?" Han Xiao asked.
"I don't know either. It was flying fine in stealth mode, and when we were about to reach Planet Aquamarine, the engine suddenly failed, and I crashed. The Observer ship isn't big, but it's very stable. I don't know why it suddenly malfunctioned."
Han Xiao seemed to be deep in thought.
Shaking his head, Han Xiao got down to business, turning on his communicator and registering a personal account. The communicator also functioned as a personal terminal, with a wealth of account features, including bank transfer functionality—the most common and convenient method of transaction in the universe. Every major civilization has its own interstellar bank, the most authoritative being the banks of the three major cosmic civilizations, boasting the largest user base. These banks are interconnected, allowing access from anywhere in the galaxy.
Han Xiao randomly selected one and had Kerlodd transfer the money.
bite--
"878 points of Enas have been transferred to your account," a pleasant synthesized female voice announced from the terminal.
"You only have this much money? You're too poor," Han Xiao couldn't help but complain.
The Enas is the universal currency of the universe and the most commonly used unit of currency in interstellar space.
Kerlodd blushed. "I don't have the habit of saving money. Being an investigator is a tough job. I need to enjoy myself... Wait, what am I supposed to explain to you?"
He suddenly realized that he was the one being robbed, so why should he feel embarrassed because he didn't have much money? That's crazy!
With the money in hand and his goal achieved, Han Xiao felt relieved. He calculated the days; the final round of the Planet Aquamarine regional competition would still take more than ten days, so he decided to contact the interstellar travel group in advance.
The communicator had hundreds of channels. Han Xiao searched and entered the "Garton Star System Travel Business Channel." The screen displayed a dense list of tour routes, emitting a cold, synthesized electronic voice.
"Should we perform a screening?"
"Confirm."
"Your location?"
"Planet Aquamarine, Ninth Star Zone."
"Destination?"
Han Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "The Juberly Hub."
Please select a price range.
"The cheapest one." Han Xiao glanced at Kerr, the poor bastard, Lord.
"Number of people?"
"Dozens of people."
"Race?"
"Human beings."
Have you ever used the interstellar travel service before?
"Have."
After answering more than twenty questions, I finally narrowed it down to five tour groups. Interstellar travel is a widely offered service by many large corporations. It's one of the cheapest ways to travel between stars, similar to a private car service, or more accurately, a "public transport spaceship."
Han Xiao took a liking to the "Short Horn Star" travel group, a reputable interstellar travel group. After making the selection, the communicator was transferred to the Short Horn Star salesperson's line so that both parties could discuss the specific details in person.
"Hello, thank you for choosing Short Horn Star. We will provide you with the best value for money service..."
The saleswoman was a beautiful human woman. Depending on the client's race, a saleswoman matching their aesthetic preferences would be assigned. After a long, enthusiastic welcome speech, she said, "We have received your travel terms. Fortunately, a Whale-Elephant class ship will be passing through the Ninth Star Zone in twenty days. We will pick you up then. What class of seating would you like? We have Economy Class, First Class, VIP Class, Super VIP Class, and Deluxe VIP Class available."
What's the price for economy class?
"3 Enas per person, how many seats would you like to reserve?"
"Fifty, I guess." Han Xiao calculated that about fifty top-ranked players would be enough, and bringing along some players was a very important part of the plan.
After paying the deposit and confirming the boarding time, Han Xiao nodded secretly. His preparations for the interstellar journey were complete. His destination was the Juberly Hub, a transit station in the Garton Star System with convenient transportation. Various races from the Colton Star Cluster gathered there, where there were many opportunities. In Han Xiao's plan, the Juberly Hub was the most suitable first stop for entering interstellar space.
"Next, all I need to do is wait for the players to finish their matches, then I can rally them and assemble the team. Everything is ready, all that's needed is time," Han Xiao thought to himself.
Moreover, there are still some matters to attend to on Planet Aquamarine before leaving.
For several days in a row, Han Xiao secretly moved supplies and kept Kerlodd by his side, making him wear a cloak that covered his skin color. Kerrod occasionally appeared in front of the Sanctuary staff, which aroused their curiosity and surprise. They wondered why there was a Mysterious Person by Han Xiao's side.
In the quarterfinals of the individual competition, Frenzied Saber Li Ge. Frenzied Saber, who was universally predicted to lose before the match, surprised everyone with his performance. After a five-round battle, he narrowly defeated Li Ge with a score of 3 to 2. This time, Frenzied Saber fully demonstrated the style of a mechanical warrior. He had also been holding back, practicing with a power warhammer in private, but had not used it until now. Its instantaneous explosive power was even stronger than that of the Pugilist Class, breaking through Li Ge's entanglement.
When Frenzied Saber entered the top four of the individual competition, the haters immediately disappeared. Victory is the best source of confidence, and his title of "Huaxia's Number One Pugilist Mechanic" became increasingly loud on the forums. He was considered the biggest dark horse to emerge from the first league!
Li Ge never expected to be defeated by Frenzied Saber Dao. To make matters worse, the Temple made it to the semifinals of the team competition and faced Long Sky. Hao Tian was determined to avenge his previous defeat and defeated the Temple team to enter the team finals.
The situation is clear: Long Sky and Dynasty will compete for the regional championship, while Temple can only compete with another top four team for third place. In the individual competition, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Frenzied Saber is likely to secure a top-three finish, greatly increasing his chances of qualifying for the international finals. As for the championship, it's not that Han Xiao looks Frenzied Saber, but Dynasty's Kings and Generals too formidable. Their skills, operations, and individual attributes are almost flawless in version 1.0, and Dynasty has the momentum to contend for both championships. The media is overwhelmingly optimistic about them.
Even so, Frenzied Saber's record and reputation are far better than in his previous life, making the training of him worthwhile.
The regional leagues have been going on for about half a year, and the highest-level players have reached the level cap of 60 on average.
Just as Han Xiao was quietly making preparations, Bennett suddenly called that day.
"I've reached the Third Sanctuary. Where are you?"
Han Xiao joked, "Why did you suddenly come here? Did you miss me?"
"What do you think?" Bennett asked gravely. "Where did you hide that alien? Did you not eat it?"
Han Xiao vanished, and his brows furrowed. "Huang Jian tipped you off?"
"We'll talk when we meet. You've gotten yourself into big trouble again!" Bennett said in a deep voice, though his tone wasn't particularly accusatory... He was used to being caught in the crossfire.