Chapter 185: News of the Blazing Eye Remnants

Unable to proceed directly to Blazing Eye Star for the time being, the group piloted a small travel ship to the Tasuri Hub.

As a transit hub contracted by Opto-Electric Technology, the Tasuri Hub displayed all the hallmarks of a major arms dealer, with numerous frigates deployed across its outer space layer.

These were stationed to prevent any long-range strikes from obliterating the hub.

Given that this was already within the borders of the Star Glory Empire, such stringent defensive measures were theoretically unnecessary. However, ever since the destruction of Blazing Eye Star, the Tasuri Hub had suffered several attacks.

Rumor had it that these were surviving tribesmen of the Blazing Eye race who had attempted to force their way in, only to be blown to pieces by the frigates.

The travel ship docked at the nearest port. Li Yu lined up to handle the vessel's mooring procedures. When his turn arrived, the staff member suddenly smiled and said, "Welcome, Sir Li."

His identity had already been verified upon entering the port. Although a knighthood barely crossed the threshold into the privileged class, compared to ordinary citizens, it was more than enough to warrant special treatment.

As for his Ability User Legion, they had all been uniformly registered with slave status and remained aboard the ship. As long as there were no wanted criminals among them, the Star Glory Empire would not pay them much mind.

Disguising oneself as a slave was actually a decent method for smuggling into the Star Glory Empire, but it came with a massive drawback. Once registered, a person essentially became the personal property of the slave owner, making it nearly impossible to ever obtain a formal identity.

"That place is guarded tightly. Getting close probably won't be easy," Hunter remarked as he dodged a few unfamiliar alien creatures.

Li Yu already had a rough plan in mind and replied, "I just checked the Black Hole Network. There are specialized smuggling teams out there, so it shouldn't be a major issue."

Blazing Eye Star held quite a few valuable items. The special mineral resource known as Red Star Stone was said to be an excellent material for enhancing mental power, making it incredibly expensive.

There were also quite a few Blazing Eye Remnants. Every Burning Eye Star-person could fetch a handsome price on the Black Market, driving many prospectors and slave traders to exhaust all their options to get near Blazing Eye Star.

Though the risks were immense, the profits were equally astronomical, providing enough incentive for many to risk their lives.

The group wove their way through the bustling crowds. About twenty minutes later, Li Yu and the others stopped in front of a towering high-rise. He glanced at the location on his smart terminal. Arthur Building. This was the place.

The people backing this operation clearly possessed substantial influence, openly advertising their address on the Black Hole Network without any fear of the Star Glory Empire discovering them. Did they really think the Empire's agents did not know how to bypass network restrictions?

"I want to enter Blazing Eye Star," Li Yu stated his purpose to the receptionist.

"Please wait a moment."

The receptionist glanced at him and operated a holographic terminal for a brief moment.

Shortly after, a formally dressed guide led them toward a specific room deep within the floor.

"Did Your Excellency also come here because you heard the news?" the man inside asked with implied meaning as soon as they took their seats.

"The news?" Li Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked directly, "What news are you talking about?"

"Oh, you do not know?" The man looked mildly surprised, but his smile quickly grew even more eager. "That will be ten thousand Star Coins, please. Excellent value for money, I assure you."

Li Yu was briefly rendered speechless by this blatant opportunism. Truly a natural-born businessman. He did not mind too much and simply transferred ten thousand Star Coins over.

"It is like this," the man began, hiding nothing upon receiving the payment notification. "Not long ago, a group of remnants on Blazing Eye Star ambushed an exploration vessel belonging to the Star Glory Empire."

"This has stirred up a lot of slave traders. After all, it has been a long time since any Blazing Eye Remnants were seen on the planet. We all assumed those Red Eyes had died out completely."

Hunter's brow twitched. He subtly glanced at Mo Duo and took a step back, terrified that he might accidentally get splattered with blood.

Mo Duo's expression remained entirely aloof, devoid of any discernible joy or anger. However, her tightly clenched fists beneath the table were more than enough to betray the turmoil within her.

Li Yu kept a close watch as well, his Titan Symbiotic Armor primed and ready. If this guy's head suddenly exploded, he needed to make sure none of that gray matter ended up on his clothes.

"Hmm? Is that not the reason you came here?" the man asked in confusion when Li Yu remained silent for a while, quickly adding,

"If you possess any confidential intelligence, please share it with us. We will certainly provide a reward that satisfies you."

Seeing that the man had not yet dropped dead, Li Yu realized Mo Duo had not lost control. He replied, "Let's just say that is the reason for now."

"I want to know how I can smuggle my way in."

The operative attending to Li Yu felt that his client's gaze was somewhat strange, but he answered patiently, "As long as you pay the appropriate price, we will naturally handle all the arrangements."

With that, he pulled out a price list. The smuggling fee for a single person hovered around one million Star Coins, which was already an exorbitantly high price.

However, smuggling an entire small spaceship cost a flat rate of fifty million Star Coins, round trip included.

Smuggling services were not provided for larger vessels.

Li Yu pondered for a moment before opting for the spaceship smuggling route. It was simply more convenient.

"You choose the spaceship option?" The man's eyes blazed even brighter. This was a major client! "Please provide me with your ship's specifications and registration number. Once the payment is settled, I will arrange it for you as quickly as possible."

Confident that the other party would not dare take his money without delivering, Li Yu transferred the Star Coins without hesitation.

"You are truly generous," the man flattered before rapidly operating his intelligent brain. Several holographic interfaces popped up. He skimmed through them and beamed a sycophantic smile. "The earliest smuggling window is in five hours. Is that too rushed? We could also schedule it for three days from now."

"No need, five hours is fine," Li Yu shook his head. There was no reason to waste another three days, and they had no pressing matters to attend to at the Tasuri Hub anyway.

"Understood, not a problem at all. Please follow the designated flight path we provide you in exactly five hours. Do not delay beyond ten hours." He quickly transmitted a set of navigation coordinates and continued,

"When you are ready to return, just notify us, and we will make the necessary arrangements."

Li Yu nodded, realizing that this so-called smuggling operation likely just involved colluding with the garrison forces on Blazing Eye Star to turn a blind eye.

After transmitting the visual characteristics of their ship to the operative, Li Yu and his group took their leave. With five hours to spare, it was the perfect opportunity to purchase some logistical supplies.

The number of people aboard their spaceship had multiplied significantly, and their daily resource consumption had reached a level that could no longer be ignored. Essential supplies like compressed nutrient solutions and life-support medical kits needed to be stockpiled in massive quantities.

Developing superpowers drained physical energy continuously. Unless Li Yu wanted to watch his Ability User Legion starve to death, he had to prepare vast amounts of consumables.

Li Yu browsed the Black Hole Network. Information regarding Blazing Eye Star could only be found here; there was absolutely no mention of it on the regular interstellar network.

Only a tiny fraction of Blazing Eye Remnants were left, scattered haphazardly across the entire planet. Unless one blew the entire Blazing Eye Star to pieces, tracking down the remaining survivors would be no easy feat.

Perhaps the Morgan Family simply had no interest in the surviving Blazing Eye Remnants and thus had not launched any massive manhunts, or perhaps they were harboring some ulterior motives.

Even on the Black Hole Network, Li Yu failed to unearth any particularly useful information.

Purchasing the supplies was delegated to Hunter, while Li Yu and the others returned to the spaceship to rest and close their eyes.

"Keller, come here for a second," Peyton called out. Keller, who had just been bouncing cheerfully around the cabin, instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

The little girl's face was twisted in conflict, caught between wanting to obey and desperately wanting to run away.

"I will give you some candy afterward," Peyton added.

Sinai instantly grew tense and shot up from her seat, the sudden movement causing her ample chest to bounce violently enough to momentarily throw off her balance.

Sinai looked as though she wanted to say something, but her expression betrayed hesitation, as if she didn't quite dare to voice her objections.

"Peyton, this is already the fourth time. Drawing her blood this often is a bit much," Li Yu said, frowning slightly.

"Didn't you say it was fine as long as she volunteered?" Peyton asked in genuine confusion.

"That doesn't mean you can drain her dry," Li Yu sighed in exasperation.

"The volume I extract isn't that much," Peyton shook his head, though a spark of intense excitement quickly replaced his denial. "She is absolutely a Blood Descendant within ten generations of the Grand Duke of Blood. If she were in the Radiant Council, she would be a prime candidate for a divine child or saintess. It's simply incredible!"

Li Yu shook his head, deciding to ignore the research fanatic.

Right at that moment, Hunter returned from his supply run. He immediately launched into a disgruntled tirade, thoroughly dissatisfied with how the others were merely sitting around enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Unfortunately, no one paid him any mind.

The spaceship slowly launched. Following the specific navigation route, they charted a course back toward Blazing Eye Star.

Standing before the porthole, Mo Duo stared blankly into space, a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts crashing over her. Ever since arriving here, her mind had been entirely untethered, a deluge of long-buried memories rushing to the surface.

The sound of laughter echoed in her ears. In the bright, radiant sunlight, her tiny figure sprinted across a grassy meadow. Two blurry silhouettes chased after her, their faces indistinct, yet they both seemed to be smiling.

"...Slow down..." a voice drifted into her mind, feeling immensely distant and yet as close as a whisper.

Mo Duo's gaze slowly refocused. She realized that, at some point, Li Yu had stepped up to stand silently by her side.

"I was about her age back then..." Sorrow flickered in Mo Duo's eyes as she watched the little girl giggling joyfully over a lollipop—a treat Hunter had brought back for her.

Keller was bubbling with so much joy she practically blew a snot bubble. Suddenly, she realized Mo Duo and Li Yu were staring at her. 'What are they plotting? Are they trying to steal my lollipop?'

At that thought, Keller twisted her delicate little hands together. Her face scrunched up like a bitter melon, radiating absolute reluctance.

But then she remembered her mother's strict warning: whatever she did, she absolutely must not anger these people.

"Here... you guys can have it..." Keller pouted, begrudgingly holding out her precious lollipop.

Li Yu's mouth twitched slightly. Mo Duo simply smiled, rubbing Keller's little head as she kindly rejected the tribute.

"Hehe..." Keller's joy instantly returned. She skipped happily away, though the moment she approached Peyton, her skipping abruptly ceased, and she carefully walked past him as if nothing had happened.

"I'll help you wipe out the Morgan Family eventually," Li Yu offered as comfort, his words plain and unadorned.

Pfft... Mo Duo stared blankly at Li Yu before bursting into sudden laughter. Her eyes reddened, as though warm tears were about to well up, but she forcefully suppressed them.

"Then I will be sure to thank you."

Li Yu chuckled softly. He knew Mo Duo hadn't taken his promise to heart, but he didn't feel the need to elaborate further.

The Nobles were titanic behemoths that stood tall above the Star Glory Empire. No individual capable of destroying a Noble family currently existed, and as for factions, only the Radiant Council would dare to make such a claim.

Their spaceship approached Blazing Eye Star once more. Only half a day had passed since their last approach.

Thanks to the designated navigation route, they truly did not encounter any further obstruction.

Even when patrolling warships were clearly visible through the portholes, the patrol craft turned a blind eye to them, treating them as if they didn't exist.

"I don't even know whose command this fleet belongs to, but they are absolutely rotten to the core," Hunter grumbled contemptuously.

The Star Glory Empire had plenty of ragtag fleets. As long as they hadn't earned a Glory rating, none of them were worthy to enter Hunter's esteemed sights.

"It's precisely because they are rotten that things are so convenient for us," Li Yu noted, staring at the gradually magnifying image of Blazing Eye Star. Its atmosphere was wracked by magnetic energy storms, the ground scarred with massive planetary craters, and the entire surface suffering from severe desertification.

These were the devastating scars of war; the ecological environment had been irreparably destroyed.