Chapter 225: Star Tower 79, Star Floor 26

More than twenty days passed in the blink of an eye. Yu Xian's spacecraft had encountered a few unexpected incidents along the way, so they arrived at Crescent Bay three days later than originally estimated.

When the spacecraft completed its final spatial jump, Crescent Bay was already visible in the distance. It was an enormous rift, but its shape bore no resemblance whatsoever to a crescent moon. Instead, it looked more like a gigantic black mouth.

Countless spacecraft and warships hovered around this enormous "mouth." Inside were planet after planet that had been reshaped according to the concept of a round heaven and square earth. These planets had been transformed from spheres into square worlds and stacked layer upon layer, forming one "Star Tower" after another. [1]

Every floor of these Star Towers had a separate owner. Some had been developed into residential districts, while others had been turned into commercial districts, with no two floors being exactly alike.

The densely packed Star Towers surrounded an enormous star, forming ring after ring around it. Before these stellar rings, even the largest warships appeared incomparably tiny.

Yu Xian's spacecraft soon merged into the countless vessels around it and floated toward Crescent Bay in an orderly fashion. When they entered Crescent Bay, the spacecraft's various protective systems automatically began shutting down one after another. The screens also went dark in succession, while layer after layer of protective barriers opened, leaving only a single energy shield to prevent the air inside the spacecraft from escaping.

Aboard a neighboring spacecraft, a man stared at the distant Star Towers and excitedly shouted, "Hahahaha! I'm back! I knew I'd make it back alive! Woohoo!"

After venting his emotions for a while, he burst into loud sobs.

An elderly man with horns growing from the top of his head sat at the stern of the spacecraft in front of Yu Xian. Holding a cup of blue-colored drink, he called out to Yu Xian's group. "Hey, kids! There are only three of you?"

The space inside Crescent Bay was no different from outer space. In theory, sound should have been unable to travel here, but the old man clearly possessed a special technique that allowed him to converse with others in space.

Yu Xian looked at the old man and asked with a smile, "Sir, may I ask what advice you have for me?"

He directly teleported the vibrations of his voice to a point in front of the old man, making it feel as though the two of them were speaking face-to-face.

The old man was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "It seems I was being presumptuous. You're different from that stupid pupa."

He pointed toward the excited man on the neighboring spacecraft. As he gazed at the impact marks scarred into the neighboring spacecraft, he lamented. "Every year, countless stupid pupae who grossly overestimate their capabilities come to Crescent Bay thinking that courage alone is enough to carve out a place for themselves in the Abyss and become respected Star-rank powerhouses. But in reality, if ten million people enter the Abyss, they're lucky if even half of them make it back."

Yu Xian got curious. "What are you hoping to gain from entering the Abyss, Sir?"

The old man rolled his eyes at Yu Xian. "Why should I tell you? Kid, knowing too much won't do you any good. If you want to survive in the Abyss, the most important thing is not to be too curious."

He got up and returned to the cabin. His spacecraft had a very distinctive design. It looked just like an ancient pleasure boat, elegant and antique. Even among the countless strange and unusual spacecraft, it stood out from the rest.

Yu Xian smiled and shook his head before saying, "Xiao Du, set a course for the Star Leviathan Port on Star Floor 26 of Star Tower 79."

Star Floor 26 of Star Tower 79 was where Feilichi and his team lived. Since Yu Xian possessed their memories, Star Floor 26 of Star Tower 79 was the part of Crescent Bay he was most familiar with. Therefore, he decided to establish a foothold there first and consider everything else once he had settled in.

Moreover, he also sensed the existence of many bubble coordinates. Those bubble coordinates were extremely, extremely far away from him, but every one of them pointed in the same direction: deep into the vast starry sky, at least seventy million light-years away.

Observing Crescent Bay, Yu Xian pondered a question. Do Crescent Bay and Blue Planet exist within the same universe?

The method of verifying it was quite simple. All he had to do was leave a spatial bubble in Crescent Bay and try traveling back and forth. That would give him the answer.

However, now was not the time to test it. There were other spacecraft all around them, and supernatural abilities came in all sorts of strange varieties. If he accidentally exposed the Blue Planet's coordinates, that would be a serious problem.

Little Nora gazed at the enormous Star Towers one after another with anticipation. "Big Bro, are we going to live here from now on?"

Yu Xian nodded. "Mm. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll make our home here. But we'll still have to go into the Abyss from time to time. Scared?"

Little Nora glanced at Little Huang Quan beside him and immediately put on a brave front. "It's just the Abyss. I'm not scared at all. Besides, with Big Bro around, there definitely won't be any problems."

The little fellow is already becoming conscious of his role as an older brother and doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of Little Huang Quan.

While Yu Xian chatted with the two little ones, the spacecraft shifted between and wove through various spacecraft as it headed toward its destination. Every Star Tower had its own number, and Star Floor 26 of Star Tower 79 was a mixed-race district where members of any race could settle.

According to Feilichi's memories, Crescent Bay was ruled by seven major races: Humans, Elementals, the Divine Race, Barbarians, Mechanical Lifeforms, the Plant Race, and the Beast Race. The leaders of the seven major races had jointly established Crescent Bay's three fundamental rules: standardize Crescent Bay's currency, recognize the legal ownership of the Star Towers, and establish the status of Star-rank powerhouses.

The currency used in Crescent Bay was called the Star Energy Coin, commonly shortened to the Star Coin. Star Coins were jointly created by the seven races and existed in two states. Before being infused with energy, they were known as Gray Star Coins. Only the coins that had been filled with energy could be considered true Star Coins.

The seven races supplied Gray Star Coins on every Star Floor. A single Star Coin could purchase 100,000 Gray Star Coins, but Gray Star Coins themselves had no purchasing power. Only after they were fully charged with energy could they become actual currency.

Crescent Bay was home to large numbers of "battery people." Every month, they cultivated for the sole purpose of filling Gray Star Coins with energy and earning Star Coins.

They used Star Coins to purchase the necessities of daily life. Eventually, those Star Coins circulated into the hands of various powerhouses, who absorbed all the energy inside them. The depleted coins then reverted to Gray Star Coins, and the authorities collected them once again.

Overall, the Star Coin system was fairly stable, and the value of Star Coins fluctuated very little. Unless someone absorbed the energy from a massive quantity of Star Coins all at once and caused a temporary currency shortage, it was extremely difficult to affect their value.

Yu Xian's spacecraft slowly docked on a square platform at the Star Leviathan Port. Three employees wearing uniforms of the Good Passage Company had already noticed the spacecraft when it entered the Star Leviathan Port and came over in advance.

When the spacecraft's door opened and Yu Xian emerged with the two little ones, the three employees frowned. One of the women raised her arm, and the bracelet around her wrist lit up with blue light. Photos of Feilichi and his team appeared on a blue holographic screen.

The woman quietly said, "Captain, they're not the original renters."

The man walking at the front nodded, then stepped forward with a smile. "Hello. I'm a recovery agent with Good Passage Company. Here are my credentials. This spacecraft is one of our company's rental vessels. May I ask what relationship you have with the original renters?"

Yu Xian glanced at the man's credentials. "None at all. But the renters you're talking about are all dead."

The man put away his smile. "According to our company's rules, since you have taken the place of our original renters and used one of our rental spacecraft, you are required to cover all expenses associated with the vessel. May I ask whether you'll be paying with Star Coins or through SevenChat Pay?"

SevenChat was essentially similar to WeChat[2] on the Blue Planet. Its full name was Seven-Race Credit Pay. Supernatural beings who did not rely heavily on the energy stored inside Star Coins could deposit their Star Coins into it and convert them into credit for more convenient everyday use.

"Sorry, I don't have either form of currency at the moment." Yu Xian faintly smiled at the man, then took out his mask. "However, I believe this should be more than enough to settle the matter."

A terrifying aura instantly enveloped the three recovery agents. The man in the lead violently shuddered and broke out in a cold sweat, staring at Yu Xian in shock.

His previously straight posture bent slightly. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped away his sweat while saying respectfully, "Sir, Good Passage Company has always treated all powerful individuals with goodwill and respect. Since this spacecraft is fated to have come into your possession, the company would naturally be happy to accommodate you and transfer ownership of the vessel to you free of charge. Please remain at ease. I'll process the transfer for you right away."

Yu Xian watched the man rapidly operate the holographic screen and finally gained a tangible sense of the status Star-rank powerhouses held in Crescent Bay. This was not Huaxia, but a world where the strong preyed upon the weak and might commanded respect. Only the strong could earn respect here.

1. Round heaven and square earth refers to an ancient Chinese cosmological concept in which the heavens were believed to be round while the earth was square. ☜

2. WeChat is China’s multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app. Through its integrated service, WeChat Pay, it serves as one of the primary cashless payment systems in everyday life. ☜