243: Chapter 239 Settling Down

“Connected to the Luoda Starport flight path, docking granted, berth C-7.”

The voice of Zeus rang out.

The ship's vibrations ceased, and the view outside the porthole shifted from flowing light trails to a metal spaceport so magnificent it defied imagination.

Countless ships shuttled orderly along invisible lanes like carp crossing a river, trailing exhaust plumes of various colors.

“Let's go, let's take a look at our new home.” Song Yang was the first to stand up.

As the ship's light ladder touched the tarmac, an invisible pressure instantly enveloped everyone.

“Ouch!”

Yang Yueqi jumped out first, but her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

“What's going on? It feels like I'm carrying someone on my back!”

Zhang Xinmei followed closely behind; she tried hard to maintain an elegant posture, but her body leaned forward involuntarily, and the heels of her shoes seemed to be sinking into the metal floor.

She gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead: “The gravity here is even stronger than during training.”

Bai Jie looked even paler, gripping the edge of the hatch tightly; every step she took was exceptionally heavy, as if her feet were weighted with lead.

Only Liliya maintained a light gait; she looked at the disheveled group and explained:

“The gravity on Luoda Star is 3.8 times that of Earth. Your training was only the basics; it will take time to fully adapt.”

Inside the spaceport, countless alien races of various forms brushed past them—some several meters tall, some with skin like rock, and others floating in mid-air.

Yang Yueqi's curiosity quickly overcame her physical discomfort; she widened her eyes and whispered in surprise:

“Wow! Look at that one, he has four arms!”

The group was guided onto a floating conveyor belt.

The conveyor belt glided silently, taking them away from the bustling spaceport toward a gigantic, vaguely outlined city in the distance.

The scale of the buildings defied human comprehension; each one was like a mountain range piercing the clouds, their surfaces flowing with neon-like light.

The conveyor belt stopped in a quiet area, revealing a vast, detached estate before them.

The gate slid open automatically, and dozens of sleek, silver robots glided out, lining up neatly in two rows, emitting a synchronized electronic voice:

“Welcome home, Master.”

“Over a thousand square meters? And fifty service robots?”

Zhang Xinmei looked at the spectacle, and the heaviness in her body seemed to lighten considerably.

“This is much more impressive than my Villa on Earth.”

Yang Yueqi had already cheered and rushed inside, completely forgetting the constraints of gravity.

“This is our home for the time being.”

Song Yang said to them, “You all get familiar with the environment and adapt to the gravity first. I'm going out to pick up a few people.”

After saying this, he didn't linger and turned back to the spaceport.

Not far from berth C-7, a small, seemingly quite new civilian starship was hovering quietly.

As Song Yang walked up, the starship's light ladder slowly descended.

On the light ladder, Thunderstorm, Tiger Zhao, and Boss Li stood together, looking uneasy.

They were wearing clothes brought from Earth that looked completely out of place here, their faces a mix of shock and confusion.

Thunderstorm, who had once dominated in the apocalypse, now looked like a child visiting the city for the first time, just standing with his mouth agape, staring blankly at the ships shuttling across the spaceport dome.

Tiger Zhao and his brothers huddled close together, their hands instinctively reaching for their waists, only to find their usual weapons were no longer there.

The calmest one was, surprisingly, Boss Li.

He greedily breathed in the strange air, his eyes flashing with the radiance of someone who had no regrets in this life.

Seeing Song Yang approach, the group seemed to find their backbone.

“Song... Brother Song...”

Thunderstorm's voice was a bit dry; his former boldness had been shattered by the sight before him. “Good heavens, is... is all of this real?”

Song Yang walked up to them, looked at these familiar faces, nodded, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

“It is real.”

“I promised you that I would take you to see this universe.”

“Welcome to the new world.”

“There are rules here,” Song Yang's voice pulled them back to reality, “First, you need to adapt to the gravity, then the language. I will arrange housing and basic learning equipment for you.”

He didn't lecture them with big principles, but instead took out several metal cards shimmering with a deep blue luster and handed one to each person.

“Inside this are 100,000 star coins, the universal currency of the universe. How you use them is for you to figure out; everything depends on your own abilities.”

Thunderstorm gripped the thin card, feeling it heavier than any weapon he had carried in the apocalypse.

He opened his mouth, but the bold “Thanks, brother” got stuck in his throat, and in the end, he just nodded heavily.

Tiger Zhao and his brothers carefully put the cards away as if they were life-saving rations.

After finishing these arrangements, Song Yang didn't stay any longer; he turned and boarded an automatically waiting hovercar and drove off in the direction of the estate.

...

In the backyard of the estate, steam was swirling.

The hot spring pool was not a stone-built structure like those on Earth, but a naturally formed pool of jade, with water appearing a dreamy light purple and emitting a strange fragrance.

Tiny silver light particles floated on the water's surface, like crushed stars.

“Wow, soaking in this makes my body feel lighter!”

Yang Yueqi was like a happy little fish, swimming back and forth in the wide pool, her twin tails whipping up arcs on the water's surface.

Zhang Xinmei leaned lazily against the warm, smooth pool wall, letting the hot spring water soak her curvaceous body; she scooped up a handful of purple water, watching the droplets slide down her fair arm.

“This is more comfortable than any spa on Earth, though it's missing something.”

Bai Jie sat quietly, eyes slightly closed, water vapor clinging to her long eyelashes.

Footsteps approached, and Song Yang's figure appeared by the hot spring.

“Yo, our patriarch is back?”

Zhang Xinmei's eyes lit up, her voice carrying a hint of coquettish complaint.

“You left us here and ran off to have fun somewhere?”

Song Yang took off his outer garment, revealing his well-proportioned, solid physique, and walked calmly into the hot spring under the varied gazes of the women.

The warm water instantly enveloped him, dispelling the lingering fatigue of the past few days.

“Arranging a place for a few people to stay.”

He leaned back not far from Zhang Xinmei and answered casually.

Yang Yueqi swam over immediately, curiously leaning against Song Yang: “Old friends? Are they people from Earth? They came too?”

Song Yang nodded, with no intention of saying more.

He closed his eyes, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

Tender moments are always fleeting.

After the hot spring, and a kiss each, Song Yang and Liliya changed their clothes and boarded a hovercar again, blending into the city's steel forest.

“Luoda Star is the center of this star region, with a permanent population of sentient beings exceeding 100 billion.”

Liliya looked at the gigantic buildings flashing past the window. “You might be able to rule on Earth, but here, individuals like you, or even stronger, are as common as drops of water in the ocean.

If you want to gain a foothold, or even become stronger, there is only one path.”

“Combat.” Song Yang said it for her.

Liliya nodded: “Constant combat and tempering, where the strong are respected—this is the eternal law of the universe.”

“Zeus, navigate.” Song Yang spoke.

“Optimal route locked.”

The voice of Zeus rang out, “At three o'clock, 'Blood and Sand' The Arena.

It is one of the thirty-seven beginner-level The Arena in this city, specifically prepared for those who crave to prove themselves or for those looking to trade their lives for money.”

Under the guidance of Zeus, the hovercar deviated from the main flight path and flew toward a group of buildings with a distinct architectural style.

It was not a single building, but a massive fortress constructed from pitch-black metal and dark red rock.

Even from a great distance, one could seemingly hear the sounds of slaughter emanating from within, muffled to the extreme by layers of soundproofing material.