Chapter 88: Universe Apprentice Mercenary

"But this is far inferior to the Rift‑Empty Gun you gave me."

"Alright." Mingyu thought, "I'll give you one‑third of the territories under my command! No, that might attract schemers. Instead, I have nearly a hundred thousand life‑planet territories; from today, half the ownership belongs to you, half to me. You'll manage everything normally; I don't care about planet revenue or planet soldiers."

"And cash…"

"Sir, I'm afraid I don't have the energy to manage it either," Xiao Yu said.

"That's true; your focus now should be strengthening yourself, and being distracted isn't helpful. But as a Domain Lord, how can I accept your favor for free?" Mingyu laughed, "How about this: I'll give you ten thousand life planets for you to play lord with."

Ten thousand life planets, all top‑grade, in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire are worth at most 30 trillion Qianwu coins and 9.1 billion Cosmic Coins; that amount can't even buy an ordinary fifth‑tier Force Weapon, let alone a Rift‑Empty Gun.

"Hmm, then a thousand life planets!" Xiao Yu nodded.

"Fine, a thousand. A thousand life planets as a domain are inconspicuous in the Universe and won't attract big‑shots," Mingyu smiled. "As for cash, I don't have much; it's nowhere near the price of your Rift‑Empty Gun."

"Lord Mingyu, just give it as you see fit; the four of us brothers have already harvested enough," Xiao Yu laughed.

"Give me your account," Mingyu said.

"Here." Xiao Yu provided his Cosmic Star River Bank account.

In a moment, Xiao Yu received a transmission from Wu: "Xiao Yu, you have a new email."

Xiao Yu's consciousness entered the Virtual Universe, opened the email, and saw a notice of a 20 billion Cosmic Coin deposit from the Cosmic Star River Bank.

After exiting the Virtual Universe, his awareness noticed a slight tremor in the surrounding space.

In the manor, a tall, thin man with two antennae on his forehead appeared; his black cloak fluttered in the wind, and his cold, sharp gaze swept the surroundings, as if the whole world were captured in his eyes.

"General," Mingyu stood, bowed respectfully, and simultaneously sent a transmission to Xiao Yu and the other five.

"Realm Lord," Xiao Yu, Hong, and the other five bowed respectfully.

"Mingyu, you're lucky; this Rift‑Empty Gun suits me perfectly, I'm buying it."

"It's my honor to let the General wield it," Mingyu laughed. He hurriedly retrieved the newly acquired fifth‑tier Force Weapon Rift‑Empty Gun from his Space Ring, and the gun floated straight toward the tall, thin man.

The tall, thin man extended his hand, took the Rift‑Empty Gun, and casually thrust it into the sky. A clear blue heavens split with a two‑to‑three‑kilometre crack, faintly revealing a fleeting illusion beyond, then the fissure vanished and the sky returned to calm.

Xiao Yu, Hong, and the others were stunned; a casual strike produced a two‑to‑three‑kilometre spatial rift.

"What a gun!" the tall, thin man laughed.

"Congratulations, General," Mingyu bowed again.

"Ha ha, the Rift‑Empty Gun truly lives up to its name. My grasp of the spatial Fundamental Law is only skin‑deep; with this gun driving it, the power spikes instantly," the tall, thin man laughed at Mingyu. "Mingyu, I've bought your Rift‑Empty Gun, so I won't make you lose much. I've already transferred the money to your account, and I owe you a favor!"

Then the tall, thin man vanished.

With this deal, Xiao Yu and the others secured a Domain Lord's promise; for a while, they won't have to worry about Earth.

After Xiao Yu and the five left Mingyu's manor, Nuo Lan Shan received Mingyu's email, was frightened, and quickly recalled De Wen Nuo Lan Shan. Fortunately, De Wen Nuo Lan Shan's journey was not yet halfway, so his painstakingly built Nuo Lan Shan clan avoided disaster.

The six first went to the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance base, turned in the mission items, and became Universe Apprentice Mercenaries.

"Let's go, head back to Earth." Xiao Yu and the five arrived at the planetary docking port, took their space ships, and left Canglan Star.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6… 3, 2, 1! Universe jump!"

The Guotai can reach up to four times light speed in this dark Universe, though it usually cruises at three times light speed.

In the Guotai's control room, Xiao Yu, Hong, Luo Feng, and Lei Shen lingered.

"Big brother, second brother, fourth, let's discuss the division of this haul!" Xiao Yu laughed. "First, the thousand life planets: I plan to give Luo Feng 300, and you big brother and second brother each 200."

"What would I do with so many life planets?" Hong asked.

"Management of these life planets can be left to professionals; just send trusted overseers periodically. They can also serve as trial grounds for training the next generation."

The four, being Earth's strongest, focus on strengthening themselves, but their descendants may not all inherit the talent to become strong; thus becoming excellent administrators is also an option.

"Fine, even if these planets are given to me, I'll have Luo Hua manage them," Luo Feng said.

"That split works," Lei Shen said, patting his bald head. "Having 200 life planets and being a lord feels good."

A few hundred life planets are nothing to them.

"Now let's discuss the Cosmic Coin distribution," Xiao Yu laughed. "We obtained Universe Crystals and Cosmic Coins totaling 49 billion Cosmic Coins; big brother and second brother each get 7.4 billion, and fourth gets you 14.7 billion."

Hong shook his head: "Third brother, this time we relied entirely on you and fourth; I and second just roamed the Inter‑Realm, truly…"

Lei Shen also shook his head: "Too much, we can't use it all."

"Third brother, honestly, you gave me too much; if not for your life fruit, my Mo Yun Teng wouldn't have reached Universe‑level," Luo Feng said.

Xiao Yu ignored their refusals, entered the Virtual Universe and instructed Wu to transfer the funds to the three.

Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen each received an email in the Virtual Cosmic Network.

"Next up, second brother, here are the Thunder Secret Techniques you wanted—five sets in total. Study them well," Xiao Yu handed the Space Ring containing five auxiliary Smart Light Brains to Lei Shen.

In fact, Xiao Yu had Wu duplicate one set of the Thunder Secret Techniques, and also copied a portion of his own received Thunder Secret Technique inheritance into one of the auxiliary Smart Light Brains.

Lei Shen crouched, removed all five 'chips' from the auxiliary Smart Light Brains, then inserted one into his own Smart Light Brain.

"So awesome!" Lei Shen's face flushed.

"Fourth brother, how do you plan to handle the remaining treasures?" Hong asked solemnly.

"Of the remaining 83 treasures, I'll keep one fifth‑tier Force Weapon and three d6‑level orbital cannons; the other 79 I'll sell," Xiao Yu said. "The Cosmic Star River Bank offers consignment sales, though it charges a handling fee."

"Xiao Yu, there are so many treasures this time; just consign them through your teacher Hu Yanbo's account," Ba Ba Ta suggested. "It's safe, and the fee is only one‑per‑thousand."

These treasures are indeed hot‑handed; perhaps only a five‑star confidentiality system is secure enough.

Seeking recommendation!!! Seeking monthly tickets!!!

(End of chapter)