Chapter 96: Aaron Civilization

The group moved with lightning speed, arresting the young man and the girl before packing up and leaving. The patrons inside the Wandering Butterfly looked at each other in dismay, some still failing to process what had just happened.

"Apologies for the scare, everyone. A minor incident just occurred, but it has little to do with any of you."

Madam Pig-Human, the proprietor of the Wandering Butterfly, waddled out while twisting her thick, barrel-like waist. Rolls of overlapping fat cascaded down her frame, and her ample chest was nearly the size of three soccer balls.

With every step she took, her flesh jiggled precariously, making one fear that she might suddenly pop out of her own skin in the next second.

"Boss, that scared us to death! How can we feel at ease when your place is so unsafe!?" someone shouted loudly. The voice sounded quite young, yet it immediately resonated with many others.

"You damn little bastard, do not think I do not know what you are plotting! If it is unsafe, then scram!" the boss cursed furiously, the folds of her fat squishing together.

"We were just drinking and singing here when the front doors were suddenly blown open. We haven't even asked you for compensation for emotional damage yet!" The voice shifted to a different location, seemingly hiding on purpose.

"Exactly!" At the mention of money, even more people chimed in agreement.

"You little shit, do not let me catch you!" The boss was muttering curses, her expression filled with heartache as she yelled, "A thirty percent discount on all bills today. Are you happy now? You bunch of damn bastards."

Instantly, the atmosphere in the bar grew lively once more. Bottles of alcohol were popped open one after another, and the air quickly became thick with the scent of liquor.

'Not a bad trick...' Li Yu was slightly surprised, not expecting the bar owner to be this clever.

After such a disruptive incident, it was entirely possible that these patrons could have used the chaos to leave without paying their tabs.

But now... not only had she smoothed over their grievances, but she had also reignited the venue's vibrant atmosphere.

He guessed that the person shouting earlier was likely in cahoots with the boss.

"Claptrap... can you take over the surveillance here?" Li Yu asked.

"Yes... I need some time..." Claptrap replied. Ever since it acquired the new Spaceship as its host, its hardware capabilities had improved significantly.

Claptrap could now unleash even greater processing power...

Beside him, Li Ping remained completely silent. Ever since being conned by Li Yu... no, ever since he established a new direction in life, he had developed a rather stoic demeanor, showing neither joy nor anger. It was hard to tell if this was a good or bad thing.

"Give me a glass of Star Sea Mystery..." Li Yu sat at the edge of the bar counter. There was a sticky residue coating the metallic surface, which made him feel slightly disgusted.

"That will be 3,500 Star Coins..." This was an astonishing price, and it was even the discounted rate; the original price was 5,000 Star Coins.

Inside a Wine Glass no larger than a fist, a translucent blue liquid swirled with ceaselessly shimmering particles, looking as magnificent as a miniature galaxy.

Taking a small sip, a tingling sensation slid down his throat, inducing a mild, intoxicating euphoria.

"...Do you know the origins of those green-armored soldiers?" On the other side of the counter, a teenage boy was sitting on the bar, legs crossed, wearing a smug expression.

"What origins... Spit it out already!" someone nearby could not help but ask, their face full of impatience. People with strong curiosity were everywhere.

"Rumor has it they are..." The boy paused, sighed, and rubbed his fingers together. "Without a little of this... it's really boring to talk about."

This kid's voice was exactly the same as the one that had just confronted Madam Pig-Human.

"Fuck, you want money just to share some gossip... scram..." a Lodas cursed angrily. His entire white skin turned red, which was a physiological trait indicating their anger.

The people nearby immediately dispersed while muttering curses. No one was willing to spend money just to hear a teenager spout nonsense.

"Don't leave, it is absolute exclusive intel... not many people here know about it!" The boy suddenly grew anxious, but the more desperate he seemed, the more everyone ignored him.

"You ignorant fools, you will definitely regret this..." The boy hopped down from the Table, looking quite indignant.

"How much?" A clear voice reached his ears. The boy looked toward the sound and saw a young man sitting at the bar not far away, holding a glass of Star Sea Mystery and watching him.

Star Sea Mystery was considered a high-end liquor in this establishment. This guy was definitely a massive fat sheep.

"Five... no... ten thousand Star Coins!" The boy nervously and apprehensively held up a single finger, mustering all his courage.

Li Yu downed the rest of his Star Sea Mystery in one gulp and nodded. "Alright, speak."

A wave of regret immediately washed over the boy, wondering if he had set the price too low. However, he did not dare to raise it at the last second, terrified that Li Yu might back out.

"Transfer the money to me first..." The boy remained highly vigilant.

Li Yu was straightforward. Ten thousand Star Coins... transferred instantly. With one hundred and seventy million Star Coins on hand, this was the true definition of deep pockets!

This amount of money seemed like a lot, and in reality... it was a lot. However, it all depended on what it was used for.

Top-tier C-grade Gene Chains could cost hundreds of millions of Star Coins, or even more...

Meanwhile, purchasing a C-grade Mechanical Augmentation corresponding to a Firmament Engine or a Matrix Shield Generator would easily run into tens of millions of Star Coins.

So, this amount of wealth... was neither too much nor too little, depending entirely on its application.

"Some idiot actually paid... let's go listen..." There were people who had kept their eyes on the boy. Seeing an easy mark cough up the cash, they could not resist trying to eavesdrop on the information.

"You did not pay, so back off..." Before Li Yu could say anything, the boy voiced his displeasure.

"Telling one person is the same as telling two." The Four-Armed Titan from earlier stepped forward. His massive bulk provided a strong sense of intimidation. The boy cowered slightly, glancing at Li Yu.

"You do not mind, do you?" The Four-Armed Titan looked at Li Yu as well.

He recognized this guy. The young man who had been arrested earlier seemed to know him... but also seemed like he didn't.

Li Yu frowned slightly, staring at the Four-Armed Titan who wore a crystal diamond pendant. "Scram!"

No one could understand what Li Yu had done. They only saw the Four-Armed Titan suddenly convulse, involuntarily curl into a ball, and physically roll out through the gaping hole blown in the front doors.

Silence blanketed the immediate vicinity, standing out starkly amidst the noisy bar.

The onlookers involuntarily backed away several steps, their faces pale with awkward apprehension.

The boy's eyes went wide. He was clearly shocked and somewhat frightened, wondering if he had been far too bold to demand Star Coins from this terrifying individual.

"Uh... I will just refund your money... sir..." The boy broke out in a cold sweat.

"No need. Just tell me what I want to know..." Li Yu glanced down at his Smart Terminal. Claptrap had already finished the decryption process.

Sure enough, it had retrieved the surveillance footage from earlier. Slowed down over ten times, the video clearly showed Li Yu accepting that dark Green Key.

Although he could change his appearance, Li Ping could not.

His expression flickered. Erasing this segment of footage would be useless; as long as the Hard Drive was not completely destroyed, the data could always be recovered.

"...Those people are the Green-Clad Knights of the Aaron Civilization..." the boy began to explain.

Throughout all known civilizations, there were, of course, more than just the two mighty powerhouses of the Star Glory Empire and the Radiant Council. There were also numerous minor civilizations.

During the Great Colonial Era, characterized by the Star Glory Empire's barbaric expansion, they had colonized over a hundred smaller civilizations, including the Troll civilization, the Blazing Eye civilization, and many more...

Some were assimilated into the Star Glory Empire, while others gradually faded into obscurity...

This continued until they encountered the powerful Radiant Council, triggering an Interstellar War that lasted for millennia.

It was not until both sides realized they were powerless against each other that the conflict ended in a fragile peace. And at this time... a coalition of countless minor civilizations—the Civilization Federation—rose to prominence.

Born to resist being devoured by the two super empires, this union of hundreds, even thousands, of smaller civilizations barely scraped together enough leverage to negotiate.

Thus, the Interstellar Alliance, jokingly referred to by Interstellar Society as the Cosmic Class Committee, was established, ushering in a rare era of peace in the Universe.

In reality, the Civilization Federation could never defeat either the Star Glory Empire or the Radiant Council in a one-on-one confrontation. However, they possessed enough power to drag either faction into an endless quagmire of war.

And because the other super empire was always covetously staring from the sidelines, neither side was willing to be bogged down in a war. This forced them to reluctantly acknowledge the Civilization Federation as nominal equals.

However, there was another theory within Interstellar Society. Neither The Council nor the Empire wished to restart the war unless they were absolutely certain of total victory over the other. Therefore, the emergence of the Civilization Federation was tacitly approved by both sides as a buffer.

Regardless, the Civilization Federation stood as the spokesperson for minor civilizations, although over the passage of time... they had strayed far from their original intentions.

The Aaron Civilization... a small civilization situated near the No Man's Land System and bordering the Star Glory Empire Territory, ruling over three minor star systems...

Some basic information was quickly pulled up by Claptrap. It was a centralized interstellar civilization, similar in structure to the Star Glory Empire.

"Rumor has it that the Aaron Civilization has recently been excavating something in the Pastoral Song Star System. They deployed more than half of the Aaron Green-Clad Knights... and even clashed with a Resistance Organization operating within the Star Glory Empire—The Reformers,"

the boy said in a low voice, terrified that his ten-thousand Star Coin intel might be overheard by someone else.

Wherever there were rulers, there would be rebels. The Star Glory Empire was naturally no exception. The dominance of the ruling noble class and the rampant Slave Trade ensured that resistance movements within the empire were always raging like wildfire.

At their peak, the rebels had completely eradicated three major noble houses of the Star Glory Empire, wiping their entire bloodlines off the map.

Unfortunately, they were ultimately suppressed. After all, the monolithic power of the Imperial Nobles was not a mountain easily scaled.

"What are they digging up?" Li Yu asked curiously. He thought of that key; it had to be something crucial...

Why would they hand it over to him, a complete stranger they had just met? Furthermore... why stay at a bar drinking instead of immediately running away after acquiring such an item?

He wanted to figure out what this thing was as quickly as possible. If it was something good, he would keep it. If it was useless, he would chuck it away.

"I don't know..." The boy scratched his head sheepishly, his knowledge clearly limited.

"How did you..." Li Yu scanned his surroundings and spotted a staircase leading to the second floor in a corner. It was guarded by several burly Pig-men whose bulging muscles stretched their black Suits to the limit.

"How did you learn about all this...?"

The fact that a mere teenager knew information that many Marauders were oblivious to was certainly enough to pique his curiosity.

"Well..." The boy stammered, "I just overheard it by chance..."

He was reluctant to elaborate, and Li Yu did not press the issue. Instead, he asked, "Can you take me to the second floor?"

"To the second floor?" The boy instantly became wary. "For what?"

"I have some business to attend to..." Li Yu smiled warmly, holding up five fingers. "Fifty thousand Star Coins..."

"Hiss..." The boy gasped, licking his lips nervously. "Bringing someone up there is pretty difficult... I will need more money..."

"How much?" Li Yu asked.

"One hundred thousand Star Coins..." the boy managed to spit out a number with great effort.

"Deal." Li Yu agreed instantly, without a moment's hesitation.

The boy: "..."