Chapter 112

"Wait..." Bauhaus's voice reached Li Yu's ears just as expected. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head with a puzzled expression. "Is there something else?"

Bauhaus's face suddenly wrinkled into a flattering smile. "Five hundred thousand Star Coins, and Your Excellency hasn't even taken a close look at the Mermaid. How can you just leave?"

"If word of this gets out, wouldn't people think I, Bauhaus, am a poor host?"

Bauhaus guided Li Yu over to the massive Fish Tank. The average IQ of Mermaids had already met the interstellar society's standard for sentient species.

They possessed remarkable civilization and Technology on their Homeworld. When they were assimilated into the Star Glory Empire, they even advanced the Star Empire's Liquid Technology by a small step.

The Mermaid hid timidly in the corner. She completely failed to pique Li Yu's interest; in fact, he felt rather bored.

Fortunately, Bauhaus was merely using this Excuse to keep him here, rather than genuinely wanting him to appreciate any Mermaid.

"Listening to Your Excellency's words just now, it seems you have some sort of plan..." Bauhaus probed tentatively.

"I do... but I will not tell you." Li Yu's candid attitude left Bauhaus stunned.

The Mermaid shivered in the corner, her eyes brimming with pleading and helplessness. She seemed to sense that Li Yu looked at her differently.

She was attempting to silently beg Li Yu to rescue her...

"Give me an opportunity..." Bauhaus was Noncommittal, though the phrasing clearly displeased him.

"You alone cannot fight the Imperial Fleet... Even if you block them once, you cannot stop them a second time. You must incite the entire No Man's Land System to rebel."

Li Yu turned a blind eye to the Mermaid's cries for help and continued talking smoothly, "The entire No Man's Land System is intimidated by the alliance between Dark Star and the Imperial Fleet, hesitating to make a move."

"Once a problem arises in their cooperation, that will be an opportunity."

Bauhaus furrowed his brow. Everyone understood this logic. Although the Star Glory Empire was vast, the No Man's Land System was ultimately not their Territory.

The sheer number of Marauders was enough to cause them immense trouble, which was exactly why they sought cooperation with Dark Star.

However, Dark Star sweeping through the No Man's Land System was a testament to their genuine combat power, holding significant influence among the Marauders.

Currently, a portion of the Marauders still believed that Dark Star's cooperation with the Star Glory Empire was simply to prevent the Empire from launching a large-scale strike against the No Man's Land System.

"Soon, someone will make a move against Dark Star. I hope you can exert your influence when the time comes."

Hearing Li Yu's words, Bauhaus completely relaxed. Since Li Yu was not asking him to Lead the Charge, he naturally had no further misgivings.

"Dark Star's cooperation with the Star Glory Empire has long stirred up a lot of dissatisfaction. If someone attacks Dark Star, I will definitely follow up!"

Bauhaus declared firmly. He had his own plans to consider; his slave trade network had already reached a bottleneck.

If he wanted to continue expanding, it would be difficult... It was impossible for him to monopolize the entire slave trade in the No Man's Land System alone. He could only extend his reach into other industries.

Perhaps... this was an opportunity...

Li Yu remained Noncommittal. He would not trust Bauhaus based on a few firm promises. If the Slave Tycoon was not unsure about successfully taking him down, how could he possibly be chatting here so cordially?

He left the area, with Bauhaus personally escorting him outside the Tyron Tower. His appearance had changed once again, shifting into a completely different guise.

On the streets, Dark Star members and silver-clad Imperial Soldiers mingled together, heading toward the Shipyard—a rare and peculiar sight.

"Bah! How much longer is this damn lockdown going to last? My money is all dried up, and I am itching to score a new haul!" a Marauder cursed by the roadside.

"Who knows? Dark Star and the Imperial Fleet seem to be looking for someone. They have seized a lot of Spaceships over the past two days and caused a ton of chaos."

"Fucking hell... I thought Dark Star was a big deal, but it turns out they just went to be a lapdog..."

Some hushed conversations drifted into Li Yu's ears. Over the past few days, the atmosphere in the No Man's Land System had grown increasingly tense, exactly as Li Yu had predicted.

Many Marauders were already losing their patience. The joint efforts of Dark Star and the Star Glory Empire to search Spaceships one by one had sparked several firefights.

Li Yu frowned slightly. Dark Star was searching for the Titan Ruins Key... while the Star Glory Empire, in addition to looking for the key... was also actively hunting for his whereabouts.

From the intelligence he exchanged with Glazed Star, he learned that the Star Glory Empire already knew they had arrived in the No Man's Land System.

This was also one of the reasons he decided to Con Bauhaus. They could not stay here any longer, or they would be discovered sooner or later.

Unless he abandoned the Spaceship, Mo Duo, Hunter, the Sand Worm, and Li Ping, and went into hiding all by himself...

He thought it over... Until the bitter end, he should not entertain such thoughts.

Returning to the Spaceship, he noted that fortunately, due to the immense scale of No Man's Land, the shortage of manpower, and the Marauders remaining Unruly and Rebellious—which had triggered multiple violent clashes—the Screening progress was not too fast.

Back inside the Spaceship, Hunter stared at Li Yu's somewhat tattered Suit with a peculiar expression...

Mo Duo twitched her nose, eyeing Li Yu suspiciously. "You have a peculiar scent on you..."

"Huh?" Li Yu looked completely baffled. 'Scent? What scent... I cannot smell anything myself.'

"There really is!" Hunter sniffed the air, looking exhilarated as if he had uncovered some incredible secret.

Exasperated, Li Yu glared coldly at the inexplicably excited Hunter.

"Someone was assassinated. The assassin was a woman, and she took me as a Hostage," Li Yu explained sincerely.

"You actually ran into something like that just by going out?" Hunter clearly did not buy it. "Taking you as a Hostage, the probability of that is way too low. Not even interstellar novels would dare write a plot like that."

Mo Duo lowered her head, swiping on her Smart Terminal. After a long while, she spoke in a faint tone. "Was the Mermaid pretty?"

Li Yu's heart skipped a beat. 'Damn... how did Mo Duo find out?'

No emotional ripples could be seen in Mo Duo's pale red eyes. Her tone was placid. "You used the word assassination. Only people with a certain Identity and Status are worthy of that word."

"I went on the Black Hole Network and searched..."

Mo Duo flicked her finger lightly across the Smart Terminal, and a holographic projection materialized before them.

"Slave Tycoon Bauhaus Assassinated! Mermaid Appreciation Meeting Turns Into an Execution Ground!"

Li Yu's eyes twitched slightly. Then he heard Mo Duo state indifferently, "However... none of this has anything to do with me."

She sat by the porthole, her tight-fitting jeans outlining her long, straight legs. Her hair draped loosely over her chest, leaving only her pale... cheeks visible...

"Indeed..." Li Yu muttered.

"You went to see Mermaids?" Hunter gave him an odd look and sighed. "Young people Lose Self-Control, it is understandable."

In his heart, Li Yu had always seemed as seasoned and devious as a monster, but right now, he finally felt like an ordinary young man.

Hunter had seen Mermaids before, and more than just one. Of course... they were not enslaved Mermaids, but Mermaid Citizens.

"Scram..." Li Yu snapped in annoyance. "There is nothing special about them. I do not even know why so many people praise them..."

Too lazy to continue bantering with Hunter, Li Yu walked over to the Sand Worm tank. In just two short days, the level of Star Sand had dropped by a significant margin.

The originally yellowish-brown Sand Worm was slowly shifting toward a deep blue hue. Its surface shimmered with a unique luster, much like starlight, and it had even grown about a finger's length longer.

......

Aaron Civilization — Core Administrative Planet. Throngs of Aaronians gazed up at the sky, looking somewhat panicked at the Star Glory Empire's Imperial Fleet blotting out the heavens.

They were a humanoid species, differing from Interstellar Humans only in minor details.

The towering Star of Aaron, completely green, featured a single metal pillar supporting a massive circular structure. This was their pride and symbol, as well as the residence of their rulers.

However, at this moment... the place was filled with roars and fury.

"...Does the Star Glory Empire think they can just say the word and take away what we worked so painstakingly to excavate?!"

The King of Aaron roared furiously at the Starlight General. He wore green royal attire adorned with an extremely complex array of accessories.

The Starlight General remained apathetic. Even facing a monarch who ruled over three Star Systems, he showed no signs of apprehension whatsoever.

Waving his hand gently, a mass of interstellar text materialized in the void. "According to Chapter Seven Hundred Thirty-Eight, Article Fourteen of the Supplementary Agreement to the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance Between Aaron and the Star Glory Empire."

"The Aaron Civilization has the obligation and responsibility to hand over any discovered Titan Ruins and artifacts to the Star Glory Empire for safekeeping."

Among the massive block of interstellar text, a line of small print appeared and magnified...

The King of Aaron glared at that line of text with an ugly expression. In his heart, he could not help but curse the Green-Clad Knights. What a bunch of useless trash! Not only did they bungle the task, but they also leaked the information!

Forcing a smile, he argued, "It merely states an obligation and responsibility, not a mandatory requirement..."

"Your Royal Highness..." the Starlight General interrupted expressionlessly. "I did not come here today to play word games. If you do not surrender the relevant data and artifacts, it will be considered an act of war against the Star Glory Empire!"

The King of Aaron's eyes widened. Breathing heavily, his face flushed red as he pointed a trembling finger at the Starlight General... but could not utter a single word.

"Give... give... give it to them!" the King of Aaron bellowed angrily.

The ministers beside him, who had remained silently listening all along, immediately sprang into action. Before long, a massive amount of data was transmitted over.

Eight Green-Clad Knights walked in, carrying a heavy pale gold chest. Its surface was covered with intricate patterns, along with decorations that appeared to be made of bone.

Immediately, personnel from the Star Glory Empire stepped forward with complex Instruments to inspect it. Accompanied by a series of beeping sounds, they reported, "General... the epoch readings are normal. Preliminary estimates indicate it is a Titan artifact."

"It appears to be a Weapon case, equipped with a Titan lock. It requires a key..."

"A key?" The Starlight General looked at the King of Aaron.

"We do not have the key..." the King of Aaron responded with a terrible attitude. "I sent people specifically to track it down..."

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized something and asked suspiciously, "You did not know about the key?"

"Where exactly did you learn that we discovered the Titan Ruins?"

The Starlight General's expression shifted slightly. That damned Dark Star actually concealed the information. No wonder they were so cooperative in the search for Li Yu's group; it turned out they had their own ulterior motives.

"Farewell... I hope the King of Aaron will think things through more clearly next time..." The Starlight General turned and left. His subordinates followed closely behind, carrying the heavy chest and leaving behind the incessantly roaring King of Aaron.

His pace was swift... If Dark Star found the Titan Ruins Key first, the Empire would likely be extorted once again!

Those damned Marauders... sooner or later, we will Wipe Out all of them!

Fury blazed within the Starlight General's eyes...