Chapter 201: Sights and Sounds of the Troll Star

"The Trolls used to exist in a tribal format. But after they were assimilated by the Star Glory Empire, they erased the title of 'Chieftain' for their leader as a sign of respect to The Emperor."

"Can you tell me something I can't look up on the Interstellar Network?" Li Yu had zero interest in Hunter's rambling. Most of the information regarding the Troll Star could easily be found on the Interstellar Network.

Another portion could be found on the Black Hole Network, such as how the Troll Clan determined their individual strength based on their Number Of Bloodline Attributes.

Similar to the Blazing Eye Race, a Foreign Gene Chain was highly prone to rejection when introduced to the Troll Clan, leading to Genetic Mutation, unless it was a uniquely compatible gene chain.

In truth, the more inherently powerful a race was, the harder it became for them to integrate a Foreign Gene Chain due to the sheer dominance of their own genetics.

"Although they stripped away the title of Chieftain in name, the leader of the Troll Legion is essentially the chieftain in all but name." Hunter pondered for a moment before adding, "The strength of the Troll Legion cannot be underestimated. They possess an illustrious reputation."

"How strong is that leader?" Li Yu asked casually.

"A Four-Blood Troll. He has a combat record of tearing an A-Tier Lifeform apart with his bare hands. He is the strongest Troll the Troll Clan has seen in five thousand years."

Li Yu paused, his face turning completely deadpan. "Claptrap, recalibrate our coordinates. We are leaving."

At best, Tu Rui had only helped him gather a wave of information. If there had been no danger involved, Li Yu wouldn't have minded making the trip since he had the free time.

But going up against an enemy of that level? He absolutely refused to take such a massive risk.

"The Troll Legion is stationed to guard the Boundless Border Territory. Unless there is a special situation, he won't return easily. You can relax," Hunter explained.

"Are you certain?" Li Yu remained somewhat suspicious.

Hunter let out a sigh. "Unless he actively wants to die, he cannot leave his designated post. The Empire issues extremely severe punishments to anyone who disobeys orders."

Only then did Li Yu feel slightly relieved. At the same time, another thought struck him. 'That Troll is only a Four-Blood Troll?'

Tu Rui had mentioned that the Grand Elder seemed to want to use his son to create a Five-Blood Troll. If a Four-Blood Troll was already this fierce, wouldn't a Five-Blood Troll be practically unstoppable?

"The genetic makeup of the Troll Clan is highly unique..." Peyton interjected. "The Empire once researched them for a period of time, hoping to spend a massive price to clone a Four-Blood Troll. However, without exception, every attempt failed."

"Failed?" Li Yu was somewhat surprised. Although his impression of the Star Glory Empire wasn't the greatest, as a massive empire of such caliber, their technology had undoubtedly developed to an incredible level.

And yet they had actually failed a cloning procedure?

Peyton sounded a little uncertain as well. "It seems the Trolls are one of the Titan Creations. Their biological structure is exceptionally complex, so the Empire had no choice but to give up."

"Titan Creation?" Li Yu felt like Peyton's mouth was like a dimensional pocket; every so often, an obscure special term would just suddenly appear from it.

Unsurprisingly, absolutely no one discussed this term on either the Interstellar Network or the Black Hole Network. It had to be a high-level secret.

As for Peyton, he couldn't care less about the consequences of leaking secrets. Li Yu strongly approved of this trait—he answered whatever was asked and never acted like a Riddler.

"A Titan Creation is simply a living race created by the Titan Civilization. Without exception, they all possess incredibly high racial potential. The Trolls are one such branch," Peyton said in a flat tone, sounding as if he were merely describing a roadside anthill.

"Are there many Titan Creations?" Li Yu asked, his curiosity piqued.

Peyton shook his head. "I don't know the exact number, but looking across the entire universe, there shouldn't be many."

"If the Titans were so badass, how did they go extinct?" Just hearing about this civilization in passing a few times was enough to prove their immense power.

Yet even a civilization this powerful had still perished in the cosmos.

Upon hearing this question, a rare look of hesitation surfaced on Peyton's face. Not only did he not know how to answer, he didn't even know where to begin.

He tried to organize his words a few times but gave up each time. In the end, he simply shook his head.

Li Yu had merely asked in passing anyway. After all, the Titan Civilization was still far too distant a concept for him.

The overall strength of the Troll Star was not considered high. There were fewer than ten B-Tier Lifeforms permanently residing on the planet year-round. The vast majority of their elites were serving in the Troll Legion, while a small fraction wandered off in other regions.

However, this was still an astonishing number, more than enough to illustrate the sheer might of the Troll race.

Through the porthole, the Troll Star gradually grew larger. Although it was a Life Planet, its surface was a desolate gray-black, with rocky terrain covering more than half the globe.

A few specific regions stood out vividly: a crimson landscape spewing magma, an icy desert blanketed by massive white blizzards, and a zone of dark storm clouds where thunder raged ceaselessly.

Only a tiny fraction of the planet was actually suitable for habitation. One could safely say the living conditions were exceptionally harsh.

The entire planet lacked any precious, large-scale mineral resources. In fact, there wasn't a single valuable planet in the surrounding star system; it was a textbook Barren Star System.

Therefore, even though this was the Homeworld of the Star Glory Empire's illustriously renowned Troll Legion, it had completely failed to develop any prosperous commercial cities.

He didn't rush to land. Instead, he had Claptrap patrol along a high-altitude orbit, specifically marking a few key locations where large clusters of stone houses were gathered.

Hunter asked, "How do you plan to get over there? Based on what you said, Tu Rui's son is definitely under strict guard. If you aren't careful, this will very likely escalate into a rather large-scale battle."

"That is true..." Li Yu nodded. "However, transplanting a young child's heart isn't something even a clan's Grand Elder would dare do in broad daylight."

"It shouldn't be as difficult as we are imagining. If there is genuine danger, I will abort the operation."

"Beep, beep, beep—"

The Blazing Light Starship's radar detected an unknown spaceship approaching the Troll Star. After magnifying the image, it revealed an official transport vessel belonging to the Star Glory Empire. It was roughly a kilometer long, bearing chain emblems on both its sides, and was escorted by two nearby frigates.

The Blazing Light Starship activated its stealth mode and remained undetected by the approaching ships.

"That's a The Cage series transport ship. Those should be prisoners," Hunter recognized the vessel and ventured a guess.

"Prisoners?" Li Yu looked slightly confused. "Why are they transporting prisoners to the Troll Star? Don't tell me this place doubles as a Prison Star?"

"It's likely Obligatory Labor for the convicts..." Hunter explained. "They've been sent to the Troll Star to serve as slaves."

Because the Star Glory Empire's laws had been amended several times, there were very few crimes that still warranted the death penalty. The vast majority resulted in sentences of several decades to a hundred years of imprisonment.

All of this fed directly into the Star Glory Empire's financial expenditures. Over time, as this expense grew larger and larger, the Empire began to grow disgruntled.

'You bastards not only commit atrocious acts, but I still have to pay to keep you fed and sheltered.'

Defunding just one Prison Star meant they could build an extra battleship. This calculation made the Empire increasingly unhappy with the status quo, and thus, Obligatory Labor came into being.

Some mockingly referred to them as "Obligatory Slaves"—using massive hordes of prisoners to replace the financial subsidies the Star Glory Empire normally granted to its various colonial planets.

"The Empire sure is a Clever Little Devil," Li Yu shook his head, staring fixedly at the transport ship as a plan gradually formed in his mind.

The Blazing Light Starship trailed far behind the convoy, descending into the atmosphere at an agonizingly slow speed to avoid generating any frictional heat arcs that might draw their target's attention.

The ground gradually came into focus. It was a massive city built from stacked boulders. The passage of time hadn't left obvious scars on the giant stones, but it had infused them with an ancient, weathered charm.

Trolls clad in animal skins walked back and forth. Some carried massive, slain beasts over their shoulders, with a Spiked Club strapped to their waists, looking as though they had just returned from a hunt.

There were members of other races as well, though they all looked thoroughly haggard. They wore tattered rags and were bound in heavy Chains.

The other ends of those chains were gripped tightly in the hands of the Trolls, who would occasionally give a vicious yank. The clinking of the metal links caused the slaves to stumble forward several steps, drawing roaring laughter and envious looks from nearby Trolls.

It seemed that Trolls who owned slaves held a higher status. They strutted past with their heads held high, practically radiating arrogance.

Rumble!

A deafening roar echoed from the sky, instantly drawing the attention of the surrounding Trolls. They immediately grew excited, panting heavily and tilting their heads back to unleash wild, booming roars at the heavens.

Every time these things arrived, it meant a fresh batch of toys for them to play with.

Inside the transport ship's captain's cabin, a Holographic Screen displayed the frenzied Trolls below. Looks of contempt flashed across the faces of the transport officers.

"Look at this savage race. All this excitement over a few simple slaves," one of them sneered.

"Heh, it's precisely because they are savage that we can dominate them so easily. A handful of slaves is enough to placate them."

"If I recall correctly, the population of Trolls has been steadily declining year by year, hasn't it? Their birth rate is already far lower than their death rate."

"Give it a few more years, and we might never see this race again."

"Now, you can't say that. They are the Empire's most loyal 'warriors,' haha..."

The group erupted into laughter, their arrogance and disdain on full display.

The spaceship gradually docked just outside the massive stone walls. This was the largest Troll settlement on the Troll Star. The Grand Elder had received news of their arrival long ago, and his Hover Chair slowly floated out from within the city.

Wherever he passed, all the Trolls immediately parted to make way, gazing at the Grand Elder with eyes full of reverence and absolute terror.

Hum—

The ship's hatch opened, and a metal ramp extended outward. The transport officers marched down with solemn expressions, first offering a crisp military salute to the Grand Elder as a sign of respect.

The Grand Elder's expression was incredibly gloomy. The deep wrinkles on his face were so profound they could crush a Six-Horned Fly to death. He merely nodded, his tone cold and detached as his words were translated through the Hover Chair's speakers. "What is the quantity this time?"

The transport officers didn't show any dissatisfaction toward the Grand Elder's icy reception. The leader of the group replied, "A total of three thousand eight hundred."

"Three thousand eight hundred?" The Grand Elder frowned deeply. "Why has the number dropped yet again?"

"Your Excellency, the Species Rights Organization has been incredibly active recently. The Empire can't exactly send people over with too much fanfare right now," the transport officer explained with a bitter smile.

The Grand Elder furrowed his brow. His voice sounded like grinding stones in his throat—hoarse, grating, and deeply unpleasant. "Every one of those organizations deserves to die. I have no idea why the Empire allows such groups to exist..."

The transport officers Look at Each Other in Dismay, their lips twitching as they fought back the urge to laugh.

If those activist groups ever heard those words, the Trolls would be in a world of trouble. However, these savage brutes probably didn't care in the slightest.

"Prepare for the handover..." The Grand Elder's predatory eyes swept over the men. He seemed to have noticed something, and his tone grew noticeably darker.

A massive crowd of shackled prisoners was escorted down the ramp. They hailed from all sorts of species, but every single one of them was male. Female criminals were considered far more valuable than their male counterparts.

Most of the convicts still looked utterly bewildered. But then, they finally noticed the massive, hulking Trolls surrounding them, cracking their knuckles and practically trembling with eagerness.

Their towering bulk, grotesque musculature, and cruel, sadistic smiles created an unparalleled sense of suffocating pressure.

"Trolls... they're Trolls!?" someone suddenly screamed, his face completely drained of color and twisted in pure terror.

"I want to leave this place! Let me go! Get me out of here!"

Among the criminal underworld, the name "Troll" was akin to a living nightmare. The vast majority of convicts sentenced to Obligatory Labor on the Troll Star ended up dead.

Those who didn't die were left either completely insane or catatonic. It was so terrifying that some beings who had suffered from chronic constipation for years were instantly cured by sheer, blinding panic.

Not only did these brutes derive immense pleasure from torturing prisoners, but they also forced the convicts into brutal deathmatches. They had endless, depraved ways to play with their captives.

Many of the prisoners simply couldn't fathom how the Star Glory Empire still maintained such a savage colonial planet.

"Where are the special prisoners I requested?" The Grand Elder scanned his surroundings, a deep frown settling on his face.

"They're bringing up the rear..." several of the transport officers chuckled wretchedly. They hadn't expected an old coot like him to still possess such ravenous appetites.

Ten cages were wheeled out, all tightly draped in thick black cloth. Nobody could see what was hidden inside.

The Grand Elder's chair drifted forward smoothly. He peeled back a corner of the fabric, immediately catching sight of terrified, panicked eyes and smooth, pristine white skin. He nodded, his grim expression finally easing up considerably.

"Nok, take them away. Deliver them to the residences of the other elders. Two for each of them. Memorize it well," he instructed the middle-aged Troll standing by his side.

In stark contrast to the surrounding crowd of hyper-excited Trolls, Nok appeared exceedingly composed. He simply gave a curt nod, gathered a few subordinates, and wheeled the cages away from the site.

"Silence!" The Grand Elder's voice echoed far into the distance, amplified by the Hover Chair. The incredibly rowdy Trolls gradually quieted down, turning their reverent gazes toward him.

"Any Troll whose combat ranking within the clan is above three thousand eight hundred may claim one slave. If anyone does not wish to claim theirs, the right will pass down to the next in rank."

It was an extremely simple rule, but undeniably effective. Immediately, countless Trolls began pulling crudely fashioned stone chips from their waists or the folds of their clothing.

Carved into the stones in the Troll Clan script were numbers like "1725" or "2369." These clearly denoted the so-called rankings.

Even having witnessed this process a few times before, the transport officers still couldn't wrap their heads around a ranking system that completely lacked any anti-counterfeiting measures.

From what they understood, the method to dispute a rank was brutally simple: steal the stone chip. Whoever snatched it claimed the corresponding rank.

It seemed these Trolls had never even considered the concept of forgery. Only what was seized by one's own fists truly belonged to them.

In fact, quite a few Trolls instantly tried to snatch the stone chips from others right on the spot, sparking several explosive brawls. The victors were met with thunderous cheers, while the losers could only slink away in dejection.

In the past, the defeated would have paid with their lives. However, the current Trolls could no longer afford to recklessly throw away the lives of their tribesmen.

It didn't take long for the Trolls to claim their newly acquired toys and depart. Still, quite a few convicts were left behind, as not all of the high-ranking Trolls were present for the ship's arrival.

The Grand Elder dispatched guards to watch over the remainder until they could be claimed. Meanwhile, the transport officers, utterly unwilling to spend a second longer in this godforsaken wasteland than necessary, offered a quick farewell and immediately left.

As the spaceship fired its engines and soared into the sky with a mighty roar, Li Yu watched the entire sequence of events from a short distance away, his expression incredibly strange.