150: Chapter 150, Second Trial: The Guidance to the Eternal Starfield

The silence at the Reception Station lasted for eleven minutes.

It wasn't that no one wanted to speak.

It was that no one had the strength to speak.

---

Lin Ye stood at the edge of the teleportation array, his back to the group, facing the star gate that was still pulsing with faint blue fluorescence.

That gate connected to the Trial Ancient Star of the first trial.

It connected to the remains of that level 70 Saint-Grade projection, 127 Star Beast cores, 217 kilograms of insectoid Materials, and that record engraved with his name, still burning quietly in the center of the stele.

He did not turn back.

He was listening.

Listening to the nine breaths behind him.

Su Qingyue's breathing was very light, so light it was almost inaudible—that was the Vast Cold Spirit Body autonomously entering a "fetal breathing" state while in an extremely weak condition to preserve every ounce of stamina.

Shi Potian's breathing was heavy, so heavy that every rise and fall of his chest carried the sound of his lungs rubbing against his ribs.

The state of deep depletion had caused his body to lose 80% of its self-healing ability, and the three open fractures on his right arm were still slowly oozing blood, pooling into a small puddle of dark gold blood beneath him.

Chen Hao's breathing was irregular, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

It was a stress response from excessive consumption of Mental Energy; 47 hours of high-intensity mecha piloting, two instances of limit overload at the level of mecha self-destruction, and the final particle cannon explosion that took the giant beast down with him had pushed him to the brink of consciousness collapse.

Zhou Tieshan's breathing was deep, each exhalation dragged out long.

His right arm had completely lost sensation, and the bone fracture extending from his elbow joint to his scapula had worsened by one level during the teleportation process.

The emergency painkiller Yun Qianxue injected could only numb the nerves, not repair the bone—he needed at least 72 hours of deep rest.

Chu Yunxi's breathing was rapid and hot.

A body temperature of 42.1°C was slowly eroding her consciousness; she was struggling on the edge of a coma, every heartbeat fighting against the source of infection.

Qin Ruoxue wrapped the thousand faces cloak, which had shattered into seventeen strips of rags, around her, using her own remaining 13% stamina to maintain that almost invisible thermal shield.

Zhao Wuji's breathing was shallow and light.

His stamina fluctuated between 8% and 11%, and every deep breath caused that number to drop by 0.3%.

He didn't dare to breathe deeply.

He just sat there, taking the remaining supplies out of his backpack one by one, counting them, recording them, and putting them back.

That was the only thing he could do.

Qin Ruoxue's breathing was steady, so steady it was almost cold.

There was a cut on her right shoulder deep enough to see bone, caused by the shards of the cloak torn apart by spatial turbulence during the teleportation.

She didn't treat it, just pressed her left hand against the wound, her thumb pressing on the bleeding point, holding it for eleven minutes.

Lu Xinghe's breathing was level, so level that the rise and fall were almost imperceptible.

His sea of consciousness was dead silent, unable to communicate with any Law, unable to perceive any fluctuation of spiritual power, and even unable to actively close his eyes.

He just kept his eyes open, looking at the afterglow of the star core debris on the dome.

Yun Qianxue's breathing was slow and restrained.

She was controlling the circulation of her Divine Power, squeezing that remaining 11% of spiritual power out from the depths of her Meridians like a stingy miser.

It wasn't healing; it was "pre-positioning"—she was reserving the last 0.5 seconds of casting margin so she could immediately deliver that life-saving rejuvenation spell the next time someone was on the verge of death.

Nine breaths.

Nine kinds of exhaustion.

The same battle.

---

Lin Ye turned around.

His Meridian load had dropped from 650% to 490%, and the countdown to collapse had extended from 43 seconds to 11 minutes—but it was still ticking.

He did not look at that countdown.

He just looked at those nine familiar faces, looking at the unhealed scars carved on each of them by the 47-hour expedition.

Then he spoke:

"Seventy-two hours."

"We must return to Chaos Valley before the Ancient Star Road portal closes."

He paused.

"But before that—"

He didn't finish.

Because the three-meter-high, two-meter-wide alloy door on the east side of the Reception Station was opening from the inside.

---

It wasn't a person behind the door.

It was "light".

It was an extremely restrained, extremely orderly, pure white beam of illumination with no excess spill, spreading evenly across the entire doorway from the light-guiding grooves on the edge of the door frame.

A silver-white, streamlined humanoid outline walked out of the light.

Not a mecha.

It was a "Reception Unit".

[Eternal Star Domain · Reception Station Official Reception Robot · Type III]

[Model: ETC-WELCOME-7]

[Rank: None (Service Type)]

[Height: 1.87 meters]

[Material: Star Brilliance Alloy Type II · Lightweight Plating]

[Core Functions:]

[1. Real-time multi-language translation (17,432 known civilization languages/dialects recorded)]

[2. Environmental parameter adaptation (Gravity/Atmosphere/Temperature)]

[3. Emergency medical assessment (Non-invasive scanning)]

[4. Ancient Star Road Trial Taker information verification]

[5. Ancient Star Road Second Trial passage authorization issuance]

[Current Behavior Mode: Active Engagement]

---

The reception robot stopped at the edge of the teleportation array.

Its head was a complete curved display screen, and a minimalist smile symbol appeared in the center—not an expression, but "politeness".

"Welcome to the Ancient Star Road Second Trial · Eternal Star Domain Reception Station."

Its voice had no emotion, no inflection; every syllable was precisely tuned and transmitted to the human ear at the most comfortable frequency under 0.1G gravity.

"According to Resolution No. 1409 of the 37th Star Domain Council of the Eternal Star Domain, all Trial Takers who pass the first trial for the first time will automatically receive 'VIP Reception' eligibility at the second trial Reception Station."

"I am your exclusive receptionist, number III-7."

"May I ask, who is the leader of this expedition team?"

---

Lin Ye took a step forward.

He stood in front of the reception robot.

His Void Realm armor had seventeen damaged spots from the 47-hour expedition, and the scorch mark on his breastplate, pierced by the annihilation gaze of the Star Core Giant Beast, was still warm.

There were three cracks up to 3 millimeters deep on the scabbard of his refined iron longsword—permanent damage left by the eyelids clamping down when he pulled the blade from the giant beast's eye socket.

His HP was 23%.

His Divine Power was 0%.

His Meridian load was 490%, and the collapse countdown was 11 minutes.

He stood here.

On the reception robot's display screen, the smile symbol paused.

0.1 seconds.

Extremely brief.

So brief that if Lin Ye's Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body perception hadn't been in a state of overload stress, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

But in that 0.1 seconds, the reception robot's core processor completed a highest-priority emergency task switch—

Switching from "Standard Reception Protocol" to "Special Reception Protocol".

[Identity Verification: Night Emperor]

[Affiliated Faction: Heavenly Court]

[First Trial Completion Record: 2 days 18 hours 43 minutes 47 seconds]

[Star Ranking: 1st Place]

[Millennium Coronation Status: Confirmed]

[Reception Protocol: Standard → Supreme]

---

In the center of the reception robot's display screen, the smile symbol disappeared.

Replacing it was an extremely concise, unadorned—

[Salute].

It was not a reproduction of a human military salute.

It was the highest respect from the Eternal Star Domain to "the one who broke the ancient record".

It bowed slightly.

Its silver-white shell cast a faint, fleeting golden reflection in the cold light of the star core debris.

"Your Excellency Night Emperor."

Its voice still had no emotion.

But the words "Your Excellency" had never been used in front of any player in the Eternal Star Domain reception protocol.

"Eternal Star Domain · Seventh Research Fleet Commander · Carl Reynolds, extends greetings across the Star Domain to you."

"He will arrive at the Reception Station in 127 minutes."

"Before then, please accept the highest-spec rest service at the Reception Station with your expedition team members."

---

[System Prompt: Eternal Star Domain · Reception Station offers you the "Supreme Reception" protocol]

[Service Content:]

[1. Force all members to exit combat state (Already in effect)]

[2. Restore all members' HP/Divine Power/stamina to 100% (Takes 47 minutes)]

[3. Repair all members' equipment durability to over 90% (Free for below Legendary-Grade equipment; self-provided Materials required for Legendary-Grade and above)]

[4. Provide exclusive rest pods × 10 (Includes deep sleep induction, Meridian damage repair, and sea of consciousness soothing)]

[5. Open Reception Station supply exchange permissions (Can use first trial loot points to exchange for Eternal Star Domain specialties)]

[6. Grant "Star Domain Friendship Medal" (Establish initial friendly relations with Eternal Star Domain official factions)]

[Service Duration: 72 hours (Before the Ancient Star Road portal closes)]

[Accept?]

---

Lin Ye did not confirm immediately.

He looked at the line [Grant "Star Domain Friendship Medal"].

Three seconds.

"Accept."

---

[System Prompt: You have obtained "Star Domain Friendship Medal" × 1]

[Star Domain Friendship Medal]

[Type: Faction Token/Reputation Credential]

[Quality: Epic (Bound)]

[Description: An honorary token issued by the Eternal Star Domain Council to "outsiders with significant contributions or high potential to the Star Domain." Holders of this medal enjoy diplomatic status equivalent to a "friendly faction representative" throughout the Eternal Star Domain.]

[Effects:]

[1. Throughout the Eternal Star Domain, all NPC faction initial reputation is locked to "Friendly" (Originally "Neutral")]

[2. When trading at Eternal Star Domain official institutions, tariffs -30%, priority +2 levels]

[3. When dying within the Eternal Star Domain's sphere of influence, the resurrection point can be chosen as any unlocked main city (Cooldown 72 hours)]

[4. With this medal, one can apply for "Outpost Establishment Eligibility" at the Reception Station (Requires additional approval from the Council)]

[5. Cannot be traded, dropped, or destroyed after binding]

[Current Bound Party: Heavenly Court (Faction)]

[Note: This medal is the Eternal Star Domain's respect for the "top of the Star Ranking," and also their investment in a "future ally."]

---

Lin Ye tucked the medal, which was entirely silver-blue with a tiny piece of star core embedded in the center, into his bosom.

He did not turn back.

But he knew the eyes of the nine people behind him were currently on his back.

Zhao Wuji's voice came from behind him, hoarse, dry, but with irrepressible—excitement?

"...Boss."

"Outpost."

"Council approval."

"That is... that is our... in the Eternal Star Domain..."

He didn't finish.

But he didn't need to finish.

Lin Ye understood.

---

Minute 27.

Reception Station West District · Medical Pods.

Yun Qianxue stood at the edge of the pod door.

Her green lotus staff—that staff with a shattered head, cracks covering the shaft, and the undying flame of life inside completely extinguished—was placed horizontally by her on the storage rack outside the pod.

She didn't take it in.

Because the Eternal Star Domain's medical pods didn't need a staff.

[Eternal Star Domain · Standard Medical Pod]

[Model: ETC-MED-9]

[Functions:]

[1. Fully automatic nano-scale trauma repair (Open wounds/closed wounds/internal organ damage)]

[2. Bone resetting and reinforcement (Self-provided bone source Materials required)]

[3. Nerve reconnection and regeneration (97% success rate for fresh wounds within 72 hours)]

[4. Infection source removal (Spectral antibiotic atomization)]

[5. Deep fatigue elimination (Theta wave induction)]

[Treatment Time: Varies from 7 minutes to 4 hours depending on injury level]

[Current Load: 9/10]

---

Pod 1: Shi Potian.

His right arm was completely wrapped by the medical pod's nano-repair unit.

The three bone shards that had pierced his skin were aligned, reset, and fixed one by one by robotic arms with millimeter-level precision under an electron microscope.

The bone source Materials came from the Eternal Star Domain's synthetic inventory—not the original bone matter of the Hegemon Body Ancestral Star, so the strength after repair would be 15% lower than the original.

But he had no choice now.

[Estimated Repair Time: 3 hours 47 minutes]

[Full Recovery Time: 7 days (After the deep depletion state ends)]

---

Pod 2: Zhou Tieshan.

His right arm bone fracture extended from the elbow joint to the scapula, and the white lines as fine as a spider web on the imaging scan ran through almost the entire humerus.

The medical pod determined it "required external bone plate reinforcement."

He chose to pay for it himself.

The [Giant Beast Shell Fragment] collected from the carcass of the Star Core Giant Beast was cut by nano-robotic arms into 0.3mm thick flakes and attached to the surface of his bone one by one.

[Estimated Repair Time: 2 hours 11 minutes]

[Reinforced Right Arm Defense: +12%]

---

Pod 3: Chen Hao.

60% of the skin on the back of his right hand was carbonized, third-degree burns, with large-scale necrosis of the subcutaneous nerve plexus.

Eternal Star Domain's skin regeneration technology could grow a brand-new epidermis identical to the original skin in 47 minutes.

But repairing the nerve plexus would take longer.

He lay in the medical pod, watching his right hand being slowly pierced by countless hair-thin mechanical probes.

No anesthesia.

He requested no anesthesia.

[Estimated Repair Time: 1 hour 37 minutes]

[Nerve Function Recovery Time: 72 hours]

---

Pod 4: Chu Yunxi.

Her body temperature was 42.1°C, and the source of infection came from the crystal thread that had grazed her bow arm in the Crystal Forest.

The crystal thread was 0.03 millimeters in diameter, and the ancient Star Core virus carried on its surface erupted fully after a 47-hour incubation period.

The Eternal Star Domain's medical System encountered this pathogen for the first time.

Scanning, analyzing, matching, synthesizing antibodies—

It took 4.7 seconds.

[Infection source cleared]

[Estimated Repair Time: 47 minutes]

[Body temperature recovery to 37.3°C: 19 minutes]

---

Pod 5: Qin Ruoxue.

The cut on her right shoulder was deep enough to see bone, with a 1.7-millimeter deep notch in the scapular spine.

During the teleportation, the torn piece of the cloak had sliced across her skin at 0.3 times the speed of light.

It wasn't a cut.

It was a "laceration."

The medical pod detected three 0.1-millimeter square fragments of cloak material deep in her wound.

She lay there, eyes open, watching the flowing data stream on the ceiling of the pod.

She didn't close her eyes.

[Estimated Repair Time: 31 minutes]

[All fragments cleared]

---

Pod 6: Lu Xinghe.

His sea of consciousness was dead silent.

The Eternal Star Domain's medical pod could not detect Mental Energy, could not repair the sea of consciousness, and could not treat any damage related to Law.

The nano-units in the pod scanned his body seven times and only outputted one line of conclusion:

[Physiological signs: Normal]

[Mental activity: None]

[Suggestion: Transfer to a specialized institution for treatment]

---

He lay in the pod.

Eyes open.

Looking at the ceiling of the pod.

The remnants of the star compass, which had split into seventeen pieces, were taken out of his bosom piece by piece and placed on the storage rack beside the pod.

Lined up in a row.

Neatly.

---

Pod 7: Zhao Wuji.

His stamina slowly recovered from 8% to 31%.

No external injuries.

No internal injuries.

No organic damage requiring surgical repair.

He was just... too tired.

47 hours.

470 kilometers.

127 Star Beast cores.

217 kilograms of insectoid Materials.

10 bottles of Chaos stock solution.

1 Blood Energy Amplification Core · Damaged—destroyed in front of the giant beast.

He lay in the medical pod, eyes closed.

His mysterious gold abacus was placed on his chest, rising and falling slowly with his breathing.

[Estimated rest time: 2 hours]

[Stamina recovery to 80%: 1 hour 17 minutes]

---

Pod 8: Su Qingyue.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Her ice soul sword was broken.

Her right hand still maintained the posture of holding a sword—even though her palm was empty, and even though the remains of the hilt had been placed on the storage table outside the cabin.

The medical cabin detected three 0.5 mm long metal fragments between her right fingers.

Those were fragments that had embedded themselves into the skin of her tiger's mouth when the hilt shattered.

[Fragments cleared]

[Hand soft tissue repair in progress]

[Estimated completion time: 17 minutes]

———

She lay in the cabin.

With her eyes closed.

But not asleep.

———

Cabin No. 9: Yun Qianxue.

She rejected the medical cabin's request for a "comprehensive examination."

She only accepted 17 minutes of θ-wave induced sleep.

She needed to fall asleep.

Because when she was awake, she would subconsciously try to grasp that staff that had already gone dark.

———

Minute 47.

Lin Ye stood in the corridor outside the medical cabin.

His Meridians load had dropped to 270%, and the collapse countdown had extended to 6 hours and 17 minutes.

He did not enter a cabin.

He just stood there, looking at those nine tightly closed cabin doors.

Then he turned around.

Reception Robot III-7 was still standing at the end of the corridor, the smile symbol on its display screen having returned to its standard state.

“Your Excellency Night Emperor.”

“Commander Carl will arrive in 73 minutes.”

“He expressed in a communication that he hopes to have a private meeting with you.”

“Regarding—”

III-7 paused.

That was its processor performing a “semantic weight assessment.”

0.07 seconds later.

“Regarding the ‘Outpost’.”

———

Minute 73.

Eternal Star Domain · Reception Station · East District Parlor.

This was a circular domed space with a radius of 7 meters, its four walls composed of one-way smart glass.

Looking out from the inside, there was the boundless Void Realm, dotted with sparse starlight.

Looking in from the outside—

There was only a layer of silver-white energy coating that did not reflect any images.

Carl Reynolds stood in the center of the dome.

He was still wearing that silver-white uniform of the Seventh Research Fleet Commander, still wearing that single-sided data analysis monocle, and still expressionless.

But when he reached out his right hand to Lin Ye, the 0.3-second delay betrayed his current emotions.

It wasn't nervousness.

It was an "assessment."

He was re-evaluating the man before him.

47 hours ago, at the Star Ring City auction, he had purchased the third star token for three million coupons.

47 hours ago, he was just "a leader of an emerging power worth investing in."

Right now.

He was at the top of the star rankings.

The breaker of an 814-year record.

The first expedition captain in the history of the Eternal Star Domain to complete a first kill in front of a Rank 70 Saint-Grade projection with an average team Rank of 55 and a 0% casualty rate.

He was—

【Lin Ye · Night Emperor · Heavenly Court】

———

Lin Ye shook his hand.

A line of green confirmation codes flashed on Carl's data monocle.

“Your Excellency Night Emperor,” Carl said.

His voice was still calm, without any fluctuations.

But that “Your Excellency” was of the same language, the same context, and the same weight as the honorific used by III-7.

“Congratulations.”

“First place on the star rankings.”

“814 years.”

He paused.

“My father's generation had been waiting for someone to break this record.”

———

Lin Ye did not speak.

Carl continued:

“The connection between the Eternal Star Domain and the Ancient Star Road predates the Big Dipper Star Field by more than seven hundred years.”

“We were the first to discover the entrance to the Ancient Road, the first to establish Reception Stations, and the first to attempt systematic conquest of the Trial Ancient Stars.”

“But we were also the first to give up.”

He took off his data monocle and used the hem of his uniform to wipe the fine scratches on the inside of the lens that could never be wiped away.

“Because our cultivation System conflicts with the Trial Laws of the Ancient Road.”

“The combat power of a technological civilization is suppressed to less than 40% of its original value under 9.7 times gravity.”

“Our strongest mecha warriors couldn't last 11 minutes in front of a Star Core Giant Beast.”

“In seven hundred years, 437 expedition teams from the Eternal Star Domain have entered the first trial.”

“Only 3 teams came back alive.”

“0 teams obtained a star token.”

“As for breaking the record—”

He put the data monocle back on.

“You are the first.”

———

Lin Ye looked at him.

Three seconds.

“So you need allies,” Lin Ye said.

It wasn't a question.

Carl did not deny it.

“Resolution No. 1409 of the Eternal Star Domain Council,” he said.

“Passed unanimously.”

“From the 38th Archon to the grassroots engineers of the 7th Research Fleet, everyone's consensus is—”

“We cannot beat the Ancient Road.”

“But we can invest in those on the Ancient Road who can beat it.”

———

[System Prompt: Eternal Star Domain · Seventh Research Fleet Commander 'Carl Reynolds' has initiated a faction-level cooperation proposal to you]

[Proposal Name: Reception Station Outpost Joint Construction Plan]

[Partner: Heavenly Court]

[Proposal Content:]

[1. The Eternal Star Domain will provide 300 square meters of vacant space in the East District of the Reception Station as exclusive Outpost construction land for the Heavenly Court in the second trial]

[2. The Eternal Star Domain will provide the basic framework for the Outpost (including energy/life support/communication Systems) and 50% of the construction Materials]

[3. Heavenly Court is responsible for the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Outpost's internal functional modules]

[4. After the Outpost is completed, Heavenly Court enjoys 99 years of free use rights and can independently decide whether to open supply/repair/trading services to the public]

[5. The Eternal Star Domain has the right to station no more than 3 liaison officers in the Outpost to be responsible for coordinating affairs between the two parties]

[6. If the Outpost generates revenue, Heavenly Court and the Eternal Star Domain will split it 7:3]

[Proposal Validity: 72 hours (before the Ancient Road portal closes)]

[Accept?]

———

Lin Ye looked at the proposal lines.

300 square meters.

99 years of free use rights.

7:3 revenue split.

This wasn't an "investment."

This was an "invitation to the table."

The Eternal Star Domain wasn't seeking cooperation with the Heavenly Court.

They were expressing sincerity to the "Top of the star rankings."

———

“Accept.”

———

[System Prompt: You have accepted the 'Reception Station Outpost Joint Construction Plan']

[Outpost Name: Unset]

[Estimated construction period: 7-14 days]

[Current construction progress: 0%]

[Must dispatch at least 3 permanent personnel to be responsible for construction/operation]

[Suggestion: After returning to the Big Dipper Star Field, immediately form a second expedition team]

———

Carl Reynolds stood in place.

On his data monocle, that line of green confirmation code saying "Proposal Accepted" had already refreshed seven times.

He didn't look at it.

He just looked at Lin Ye.

“...You won't ask why?”

Lin Ye did not answer.

“The Eternal Star Domain Council,” Carl said.

“137 seats, 17 permanent member powers.”

“For this proposal, they argued for 73 days.”

“Opponents said it was leading a wolf into the house.”

“Supporters said it was borrowing a ship to go to sea.”

He paused.

“I cast a supporting vote.”

“Not because I foresaw that you could break the record.”

“But because—”

He took off the data monocle again.

This time, he didn't wipe the lens.

He just looked at the extremely fine, almost imperceptible crack on the lens surface extending from the top left to the bottom right.

“My father was the deputy commander of the 73rd Expedition Team.”

“432 years ago.”

“They died in the first trial.”

“Only 11 kilometers away from the teleportation array.”

———

Lin Ye did not speak.

Carl put the data monocle back on.

That crack happened to lie right across the center of his right pupil.

“You don't need to answer any of my questions,” he said.

“And you don't need to undertake any obligations that do not belong to the cooperation treaty.”

“I just wanted—”

He paused.

“...one person to know.”

“The Eternal Star Domain is not a cold-blooded animal.”

“We have also waited for 814 years.”

———

Minute 127.

Reception Station · Medical Cabin.

Nine cabin doors opened in sequence.

Shi Potian walked out of Cabin No. 1.

His right arm was wrapped in three layers of nano-repair film. This film would slowly degrade within 72 hours while releasing bone growth factors.

He stood in place and moved the five fingers of his right hand.

Very slowly.

Very lightly.

But they could move.

Zhou Tieshan walked out of Cabin No. 2.

His right arm was a size thicker than when he went in—that 0.3 mm thick giant beast shell bone plate shimmered with a dark green metallic luster under the X-ray scan.

He raised his right arm and clenched his fist.

No pain.

Chen Hao walked out of Cabin No. 3.

The skin on the back of his right hand was brand new, so white it was almost transparent, forming a sharp contrast with the bronze color of his left hand.

He raised his right hand to his eyes, turning it over and back.

He watched it for a long time.

Chu Yunxi walked out of Cabin No. 4.

Her body temperature was 37.1°C, and an Eternal Star Domain fever patch was still stuck to her forehead—it would continuously release cooling gel and automatically degrade after 72 hours.

She stood in place and took a deep breath.

Air entered her lungs from her nasal cavity, carrying the unique lightness of 0.1G gravity.

Qin Ruoxue walked out of Cabin No. 5.

Her right shoulder was wrapped in a circle of transparent biological bandages, through which the pink new skin regenerating underneath could be seen.

She stood at the cabin door, not immediately stepping out.

She just lowered her head, looking at her thousand faces cloak spread out on the storage table, which had been shredded into seventeen strips of rags.

Zhao Wuji walked out of Cabin No. 7.

His stamina was at 87%.

He squatted on the ground and recounted the remaining supplies in his backpack.

High-grade Blood Recovery Pill: 0.

High-grade spirit recovery pill: 0.

Emergency Repair Kit: 0.

chaos primordial fluid: 1 vial.

He put it into the deepest part of his backpack.

Lu Xinghe walked out of Cabin No. 6.

His spiritual sea was still dead silent.

He picked up the seventeen fragments of the star compass on the storage table and tucked them into his bosom one by one.

Yun Qianxue walked out of Cabin No. 9.

She walked to the storage table and picked up the green lotus staff, whose head was shattered and whose body was covered in cracks.

She held it in her palm.

Three seconds.

She put it into her Storage Ring.

Su Qingyue walked out of Cabin No. 8.

The skin on her right tiger's mouth was as good as new, showing no signs of having been injured.

She stood in place, looking down at her right hand.

Her palm was empty.

The remains of the hilt had already been placed by her into the deepest part of her Storage Ring.

———

Nine people.

Nine doors.

Nine figures standing firm once more.

Lin Ye stood at the end of the corridor.

He looked at them.

One by one.

“Outpost,” he said.

“The Eternal Star Domain gave 300 square meters, 99 years of use rights, and a 7:3 split.”

“Construction period is 7-14 days.”

“Need at least 3 people to stay permanently.”

———

No one spoke.

No one raised their hand.

No one said, “I'll go.”

Because everyone knew—

The expedition team was going back.

In 72 hours, the Ancient Road portal would close.

There were still three thousand six hundred people waiting in Chaos Valley.

The production lines of the Mecha Workshop were still running.

The business plan for the Star Domain trade license had already been submitted.

The Primordial Royal Court of Purple Mountain, the Vampire Council of the Eternal Star Domain, and that ant queen still waiting in the first trial—

All of this required them to go back.

So no one said, “I'll go.”

Because they all wanted to go.

But no one could.

———

Zhao Wuji stood up.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He walked up to Lin Ye.

“...I'll stay.”

His voice was very light.

“The review of the trade license needs someone to communicate in person in the Eternal Star Domain.”

“The construction of the Outpost needs someone to coordinate material dispatching.”

“The revenue split is 7:3; the accounts need someone to verify them.”

He paused.

“I'll stay.”

———

Qin Ruoxue walked out.

She stood beside Zhao Wuji.

“The Heavenly Secret Pavilion needs someone to establish an intelligence node here,” she said.

“The Reception Station is the only transit point for the second trial.”

“All Trial Takers coming up from the first trial must pass through here.”

She paused.

“I'll stay.”

———

Chen Hao walked out.

His right hand was still trembling slightly—that was a normal reaction after neural interface, and it would take 72 hours to fully stabilize.

But he stood on the other side of Zhao Wuji.

“chaos unit no. 1 is scrapped,” he said.

“But the Mecha Workshop cannot stop.”

“The Eternal Star Domain has the most advanced technical data, Dr. Ailin's former colleagues, and the core Materials we need for the next stage of mecha research and development.”

He paused.

“I'll stay.”

———

Three people.

Three hundred square meters.

Ninety-nine years.

7:3 split.

Lin Ye looked at them.

Three seconds.

He spoke.

Not “Thank you.”

Not “It's been hard on you.”

Not any of those platitudes that could be recorded by the System, quantitatively evaluated, or written into the faction's book of merit.

He only said:

“Come back alive.”

———

Minute 144.

Reception Station · Teleportation Array.

That star gate pulsating with pale blue fluorescence was now stable at one pulse every 1.7 seconds.

Behind the gate was Big Dipper Star Field · Yan State · Chaos Valley.

It was that portal of interwoven silver-white and dark gold floating three hundred meters in the air.

It was the three thousand six hundred Heavenly Court members standing there, not having left for 47 hours.

Lin Ye stood at the edge of the teleportation array.

Behind him were Su Qingyue, Shi Potian, Zhou Tieshan, Chu Yunxi, Lu Xinghe, and Yun Qianxue.

Before him were Zhao Wuji, Qin Ruoxue, and Chen Hao.

Three pairs of eyes.

Six gazes.

No hugs.

No goodbyes.

No “Wait for me to come back.”

Zhao Wuji just took his backpack off his shoulder, placed it on the ground, and unzipped the outermost layer.

Inside was that vial of chaos primordial fluid.

He handed the chaos primordial fluid to Lin Ye.

“...Be careful on the road.”

Lin Ye took the chaos primordial fluid.

He tucked it into his bosom.

He turned around.

And stepped onto the teleportation array.

———

[System Prompt: You are about to teleport to 'Big Dipper Star Field · Yan State · Chaos Valley']

[Teleportation countdown: 3 seconds]

[2 seconds]

[1 second]

[0 seconds]

———

A pale blue light pillar shot into the sky.

Six figures disappeared simultaneously into the depths of the star gate.

———

Reception Station · Edge of the Teleportation Array.

Zhao Wuji stood in place.

His backpack was empty.

He had given that vial of chaos primordial fluid to Lin Ye.

He didn't know if he would ever see it again.

He just stood there.

Looking at that star gate that was slowly closing.

For a long time.

Then he turned around.

“Outpost,” he said.

“300 square meters.”

“99 years.”

He paused.

“Enough to build a three-story building.”

———

Qin Ruoxue stood beside him.

She didn't look at the star gate.

She looked at her thousand faces cloak spread out on the storage table, which had been shredded into seventeen strips of rags.

“...It can be repaired,” she said.

———

Chen Hao stood in place.

He raised his right hand to his eyes.

That hand, so white it was almost transparent, was shimmering with a faint luster under the sunlight.

“...Can hold the joystick,” he said.

———

In the distance.

Reception Station East District.

That 300-square-meter vacant space was currently, at a speed of 0.3 meters per second, from the star core remains that had been slumbering for ten thousand years—

Peeling away.

Taking shape.

Waiting to be named.

———

【Chapter 150 · End】