Chapter 72: Mind Link (Requesting First Subscription)

As the ship sailed out of the orbital range of the Crystal Illusion, Ninglu arrived at the J-005 deck to inspect the new creations of the space apes, but found no surprises.

He was not in a hurry; Vostonia was not lacking in industrial waste, and with enough quantity, miracles would eventually emerge.

He said to Woyiqiehe beside him, "Continue to provide them with waste."

"Additionally, during the voyage, you must produce the shipyard's design proposal, using the Sopot Shipyard of the Adeptus Mechanicus as a reference for the preliminary design."

Subsequently, he looked at Bukayo and sent a Mind Pulse to the "Midnight Poet."

Bukayo's body stiffened for a moment; several images and data on a creature called an Umbra Monster appeared in his mind.

At the same time, there was an order from Ninglu.

"Go to the vicinity of the Warp Engine and bring me at least one Umbra Monster."

"Capturing it alive is best, but if it is dead, the corpse must be intact."

Bukayo nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

He did not feel the slightest surprise at Ninglu's request; the master he served was only interested in various exotic creatures.

The Umbra Monster, which lived in the void and could manipulate and control shadows, would naturally pique Ninglu's interest.

Immediately, Bukayo saw Ninglu walk toward Malena and speak.

"We are going to the A-001 Cabin."

Bukayo returned to his cabin on the upper deck; as a Leader, he possessed a spacious cabin, which was a suite.

The outer room was smaller and could only fit a desk, on which sat a Cogitator and over a dozen Data Slates.

The inner room was larger and, besides a bed, contained furniture such as a wardrobe.

He took off his custom-made armor, changed into black robes, and put on a hood.

He went to the weapon rack, picked up a black military backpack, and opened it to check.

To please Ninglu, Bukayo often went hunting and had a full set of equipment and tools.

After checking them one by one, he shouldered the military backpack and walked out of the cabin.

Bukayo skillfully found a ventilation duct near the Warp Engine, took a forearm-length crowbar from his backpack, took three running steps, and leaped up.

The "Midnight Poet" swung his left arm, hooked and pulled with the crowbar, and pried open the grate.

After landing, he immediately sprang up, leaped into the ventilation duct, and pulled the grate shut behind him.

Merging into the Darkness, the "Midnight Poet" immediately felt a surge of spirit; his Spirituality became more active, and his vision in the dark was greatly enhanced.

He moved forward in the duct, hunched over, searching everywhere with his eyes; from the data he had received, he knew the Umbra Monsters were eight centimeters large, that they loathed light, and hid in the shadows.

After moving forward more than thirty meters, Bukayo stopped suddenly; he saw an umbrella-shaped creature at the corner ahead, hanging upside down above the duct.

Bukayo took a small silver box from his backpack and opened the lid, which was divided into twelve compartments inside.

He held the box and continued to walk forward.

Bukayo's Spirituality was suddenly triggered; his pupils deepened as he stared at the two hooks, four blades, and tooth-like aggressive limbs spreading out from the shadows.

The "Midnight Poet" knew this was the ability of the Umbra Monster; he did not panic, nor did he dodge or attack—he simply began to chant a hypnotic poem.

"Ah, the shadow of Fear quietly fades away,

Crimson hope spreads across the night sky.

At least one thing is certain: this life flies by like a dream,

A touch of reality flashes past, the rest turns to smoke.

Flowers bloom for an instant, then return to silence after their brilliance,

To depart from this world is nature's gentlest touch.

At the end of this dream, I gently close my eyes,

Letting my soul drift into a peaceful sleep with the passing time."

The spreading attacks gradually stopped, and the Umbra Monster clinging to the top of the duct swayed and fell down.

The "Midnight Poet" leaned down and moved quickly; as the mushroom-shaped creature fell to waist height, he extended the small silver box to catch the Umbra Monster.

When the "Midnight Poet" captured the third Umbra Monster, he felt the metal duct tremble slightly; he knew the Warp Engine had started.

At the same moment, inside the A-001 Cabin.

Ninglu used "Warp Insight" to observe his surroundings, and after feeling the waves formed by Malena's Yajian Yixiang gradually calm down, he turned part of his attention to the Data Slate.

While he handled official business, a portion of his consciousness always accompanied the ebb and flow of Malena's waves.

When Malena rested, the two would dine together, chat, and meditate for a while to rest.

Ship time passed day by day, until eleven days later.

Ninglu sensed that the calm waves were stirring up giant surges; when he put down the Data Slate, he had already noticed Malena's plump body trembling slightly, with sweat seeping from her smooth forehead.

He knew Malena must have encountered trouble, so he used telepathy to send a Mind Pulse.

"When you feel my consciousness, open your mind to me."

Immediately, Ninglu's consciousness spread toward Malena; her door of the mind was a wooden door.

His consciousness turned into a large hand and knocked on the door, "Dong, dong, dong."

The wooden door opened a crack, and Ninglu's consciousness immediately seeped inside.

The moment their minds touched, their bodies shuddered simultaneously.

Through years of tempering, Ninglu's mastery of Mind-type psionics had already surpassed the height reached by the greatest Mind Aether Master of the Fulao people in the Psionic Crystal.

In an instant, he concealed the secrets within his own mind: his "Kingdom of Disorder," Potion Sequence, Primarch...

All Malena could learn were insignificant pieces of information, such as Ninglu's appreciation for her, and the subtle emotional fluctuations within his seemingly forever-calm temperament.

Even so, Malena gained a brand-new understanding and perception of Ninglu.

Ninglu, meanwhile, felt more in that instant; in Malena's heart, he was not a purely divine image.

It was a complex image, possessing god-like combat power, but also an object she longed to understand and communicate with.

The two quickly pulled themselves out of the shock of the psychic contact and focused their attention on the threat from the Warp.

Ninglu noticed that around the edges of Malena's psychic ocean, countless gnawing octopuses were waving their tentacles, slapping the surface of the Vast Ocean.

He only glanced at these creatures before recognizing their identity.

They were predators of the Warp; they were not daemons, yet they were ancient and malicious hunters living in the Sea of Souls, formless and feeding on life energy.

When hunting, they would manifest into form based on the prey's metaphors and descriptions.

Malena's impression of dangerous creatures was that of gnawing octopuses, and so the predators took that shape.

With a thought from Ninglu, a Heavy Halberd appeared in his hand, and with one step, he arrived at the edge of the Vast Ocean.

He swung the halberd, and the tip pierced the body of the Warp predator that had manifested as a gnawing octopus, just like popping a balloon.

In an instant, the massive creature vanished into nothingness.

The many predators sensed the new prey's immense life energy, which, compared to the previous prey, was the difference between a sun and a lamp.

Driven by predatory instinct, they swarmed madly toward Ninglu.

"Leave them to me; you focus on the navigation."

Ninglu slashed out with his Heavy Halberd, and several massive, malicious hunters were erased.

Facing a top-tier predator, the Warp hunters scattered in terror.

Ninglu then withdrew from Malena's mind and continued to handle his official duties.

The subsequent Warp voyage was without further incident, and Wosituoniya zhi Ao and Vistula successfully returned to the real universe.

"Well done," Ninglu said with a smile, "go and rest."

Malena looked at the giant before her; in her eyes, Ninglu lacked a bit of majesty and mystery, but possessed much more familiarity.

"Alright."

Her face beamed with a smile, as she felt Ninglu's concern.

Ninglu walked out of A-001 Cabin and subsequently found Bukayo.

"My Lord, I have found a total of thirty-five Umbra Monsters."

"Well done."

Ninglu said approvingly; he took the Umbra Monsters back to his own cabin and immediately began to concoct the "Briber" Potion.

(End of chapter)