Chapter 209: Storm Over Half-Fish

"Master, we have arrived at the Half-Fish Planet." Claptrap's voice rang out through the cabin. Li Yu, who had been bored out of his mind watching two noobs pecking at each other, perked up slightly.

Through the porthole, the planet revealed itself to the crew. Oceans covered nearly ninety-five percent of its surface, leaving only a few scattered landmasses drifting in isolation across the vast blue expanse.

The largest of these landmasses looked exactly like a fish sliced cleanly in half, which was precisely how the planet had earned its name.

Similar to most barren star systems, there were no mineral-rich planets in the vicinity. Combined with its remote location, the Barot Civilization simply could not be bothered to govern this place, leaving the planet's civilization extremely backward.

The native species of the Half-Fish Planet was a unique amphibious humanoid race capable of operating underwater for extended periods.

This evolutionary trait was a direct result of the planet's unique geographical environment.

"This is the Barot Civilization's Half-Fish Star System. We welcome all interstellar travelers to stop over and transfer here. The Half-Fish Planet offers unique culinary delights and services."

The broadcast from the Half-Fish Planet echoed through the communication channel, seemingly beckoning passing interstellar travelers to stay and spend their money.

Li Yu wore a peculiar expression. Based on the information he had gathered from the Black Hole Network, he knew the truth.

Li Yu had already done a rough background check on this planet via the Interstellar Network. This was the exact location he had chosen for his transaction with the Amethyst Civilization.

He had originally scheduled the trade with the Amethyst Civilization for fifteen days later, but it only took him about ten days to arrive.

However, this was all part of his plan. He arrived early specifically to prevent the Amethyst Civilization from setting up an ambush in advance.

As it turned out, the other party did not make Li Yu wait the full five days. On the third day, the radar of the Blazing Light Starship detected an Amethyst Civilization spaceship.

"How can you be so sure it belongs to the Amethyst Civilization? Quite a few spaceships have landed here over the past few days," Hunter asked curiously.

Even though the Half-Fish Planet had practically nothing of value, that promise of special services still managed to attract plenty of thrill-seeking tourists.

This was largely thanks to the marauders, who had broadcasted the advertisement across several nearby space routes.

Li Yu did not reply. Instead, he directly projected a full view of the spaceship onto the holographic screen. Hunter immediately fell silent.

The vessel simply screamed Amethyst Civilization. Did that giant purple crystal embedded in the hull actually serve a practical purpose?

Were they really not afraid of being discovered by the Barot Civilization?

Aboard the Amethyst spaceship, Rhode stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the approaching landmass of the Half-Fish Planet. He bore some resemblance to Kansa but possessed a much more resolute demeanor, clad in custom-fitted purple armor.

"Your Highness, he might not necessarily accept your invitation," his adjutant reported.

"That is not something you need to concern yourself with," Rhode replied, slightly raising his chin, his gaze icy.

"Understood." The adjutant immediately lowered his head.

Rhode's eyes flickered. "He is a smart man. Continuing to wander aimlessly holds no benefit for him. He needs a faction or an individual powerful enough to grant him asylum."

"Your Highness, we have detected a high-energy reaction at the landing zone," someone reported, projecting the sensor feed onto the holographic screen.

A white mechanical chair hovered in mid-air. The man seated upon it was resting his chin on his hand, leaning casually against the armrest, looking thoroughly bored.

"Is that him?" the adjutant exclaimed in surprise. Although the appearance did not match their records, his intuition told him that this had to be their trading partner—Li Yu.

"It seems he arrived long ago. In that case, our ambush plan will be very difficult to execute..." the adjutant noted with a frown.

"It is harmless. He is entirely alone. It won't be a problem," Rhode dismissed the concern nonchalantly.

A massive shadow fell from the sky as the Amethyst spaceship slowly touched down not far from Li Yu. Several squads of native marauders had already begun creeping closer, hoping to score some easy loot.

Hiss—the pneumatic pumps released, and the blast door slid open. Rhode stepped out, leading a retinue of Amethyst personnel.

Li Yu's fingers drummed rhythmically against his chair, producing a crisp tap-tap-tap. His gaze met Rhode's, though no sparks flew between them.

"Li Yu?" Rhode asked, though his tone made it clear it was a statement of fact. The Amethyst personnel behind him remained vigilant, glaring at the languid man.

"That's me. Did you bring the money?" Li Yu asked, resting his cheek on his palm. He let out a wide yawn, the bright sunlight making him feel incredibly drowsy.

Four B-Tier Lifeforms stood silently behind Rhode. That number alone was more than enough to put Li Yu on high alert.

Seeing his dismissive attitude, Rhode narrowed his eyes slightly, the purple crystal on his forehead faintly pulsing. The adjutant behind him stepped forward and projected a holographic screen. It displayed a Black Hole Bank account, showcasing a long string of zeros trailing after the number 511.

"Where is the item we requested?" the adjutant demanded in a deep voice.

Like a magician performing a trick, Li Yu pulled the Amethyst Core from his jacket. He tossed it lightly in his hand as if it were nothing more than a brick. The crystal-clear core refracted a dazzling, brilliant light under the sun.

The moment the core appeared, every Amethyst gaze locked onto it. Rhode's pupils shrank. His armor's built-in system conducted a long-range scan of the core, generating a rapid stream of data.

"This core... has it been cut?" The Amethyst Civilization had built its foundation on the unique properties of these cores; they were as familiar with them as they were with their own bodies.

The data from several distinct facets provided undeniable proof that this piece had been severed from a larger whole.

This pointed to a glaring fact: it was not a complete Amethyst Core. This situation was entirely beyond the Amethyst Civilization's expectations.

"Take a guess..." Li Yu replied noncommittally, refusing to give a direct answer.

The atmosphere grew heavy with silence. The money was ready, and the goods were present, but how exactly were they going to conduct the exchange?

A short distance away, the squads of native marauders stealthily crept closer to observe.

"Boss, what are they doing? What's that shiny purple thing?" one of them whispered.

The boss's eyes were brimming with pure greed. "It's definitely something valuable. Let's snatch it from them in a bit."

Both Li Yu and Rhode had noticed the lurking native marauders, but neither could be bothered to deal with them at the moment.

"How about this? I'll place the Amethyst Core in the middle. You transfer the funds, and then you can go pick it up. Does that work for you?"

Li Yu suggested. There was a blatant lack of trust between the two parties, but that could not be helped.

"Fine," Rhode agreed, nodding his head to the proposal.

Li Yu wanted to offload the core, and finding an easy mark like the Amethyst Civilization was rare. Meanwhile, the Amethyst side desperately needed to secure the core. Neither party wanted any complications during the transaction.

Li Yu set the Amethyst Core down on the ground and stepped back. The Star Coins were transferred into his account, and Rhode secured the core. Both sides simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

"That went smoother than I imagined," Li Yu remarked playfully. "I honestly thought you guys would try to stir up some unexpected trouble."

"We had no intention of causing any issues with this matter..." Rhode shook his head. "However, there is one more thing."

"Oh?" Li Yu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Rhode.

"Would you be interested in joining our Amethyst Civilization?" Rhode offered abruptly.

Hearing this, Li Yu was slightly taken aback. They were actually inviting him to join their ranks?