Chapter 1444: The Next Objective, the Mysterious Cosmic Storm!
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Big Eyes’ report was extremely important to Xia Fan.
Long ago, a war had taken place in the Char Star Region. The main partic.i.p.ants in that war were probably the Skywing Clan that had crossed through the Cosmic Gate to attack Ashen Moon, going up against the former hegemony of the Ashen Moon Universe, Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon.
It was precisely because that ancient battlefield existed that there were items belonging to the Skywing Clan circulating in the Char Star Region, from the metabolic booster Sramana had obtained to the remnant of the combat uniform Xia Fan had bought from the market. They were all relics from that battlefield.
Could the Skywing Token that could let him find his family be among those relics?
Xia Fan’s heart beat faster when he thought about that, and he wanted nothing more than to meet the old man Big Eyes had talked about this instant.
!!
But alas, the old man didn’t have a fixed residence, and it was already night-time, so there was no way to find him.
Big Eyes was quite smart. He had felt Xia Fan would be very interested in this piece of information, so he had acted on his own initiative and arranged to meet with the old man tomorrow morning, even giving him a few pieces of silver. The old man had been very happy and immediately agreed to the meeting.
Big Eyes would rather go hungry and help Xia Fan investigate the things he wanted than buy something good for himself to eat. This sort of consideration once again improved Xia Fan’s favorable opinion of him.
After hearing Big Eyes’ story, Xia Fan nodded and said, “You’ve done well. There are a few gold coins here. Take them and do something for me. I definitely won’t mistreat you.
“In addition, take these leftovers back with you. Tony’s car also has a few cheap souvenirs. You guys can have them.”
Xia Fan gave Big Eyes five gold coins, and Big Eyes and his little brother immediately started shouting his praises. They happily packed the food into two large bundles, and then they happily took the insulated cups, t-s.h.i.+rts, and other souvenirs from Tony’s car.
Tony now realized that Xia Fan had kept those cheap items to give to Big Eyes. They were useless to Xia Fan, but to Big Eyes’ impoverished family, they were very much needed. Xia Fan truly thought things through carefully.
The two half-starved children ran back home with four large bundles. Although those things were heavy, Big Eyes and his little brother didn’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, they felt like they were bursting with energy.
They felt like encountering Xia Fan was the luckiest they had been in their entire lives!
…
A quiet night pa.s.sed.
The next morning, Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha left their room. When they went down to the lobby, Tony, Joe, Big Eyes and his brother, and that old man who supposedly knew about the ancient battlefield were waiting for them.
The old man wore ragged clothes and seemed to be in his seventies. From his complexion, he didn’t appear to be in a much better state than Big Eyes, a member of Beacon City’s beggars.
They were soon eating breakfast in a private dining room.
That was what Xia Fan had ordered. He had told Tony and Big Eyes to go to the market early, and if they found the old man, they were to bring him back to the hotel, where he would be generously received. Tony and Big Eyes had naturally done as they were ordered.
The breakfast on the table was basically all cleaned up, and the old man, Big Eyes, and his brothers were so full that their stomachs were sticking out. Xia Fan immediately understood what had happened.
He had the waiter serve some more food, and then he said to Tony, “Go and wait for me in the cafe outside. You can order whatever you want.”
Tony nodded and said to the old man, “This is the big boss. You have to answer whatever question he asks you truthfully. I guarantee that you will be rewarded.”
The old man nodded hastily. He was very satisfied with the breakfast. It had been a very long time since his belly had been that full!
Tony then said to Xia Fan, “His name is Gerry. I’ve already asked for you. When he was younger, Gerry really was a junk collector. He has also worked as a salvager. Once he got old, he didn’t have any savings, so he started begging on the streets.”
Xia Fan nodded, expressing satisfaction with Tony’s work. To make sure that Gerry wasn’t lying, Xia Fan had had Tony collect information on him.
Xia Fan picked up the teapot and poured some tea for Gerry. Gerry quickly stood up and held the cup with both hands. “Boss, there’s no need. I should be the one pouring tea for you!”
Xia Fan chuckled. “It’s not a big deal. Moreover, you’re the elder here, so you deserve respect.”
Perhaps because Xia Fan’s words made Gerry feel so welcome, he awkwardly scratched his head.
Gerry thought that Xia Fan would start asking questions. After all, that was why Tony and Big Eyes had come to find him. But to his surprise, Xia Fan didn’t mention a word quite yet. While eating with Traveling Buddha, he asked Gerry about his living conditions.
“It’s not right to be old and not have anyone to care for you,” Xia Fan said with concern. “Why don’t we do this? Beacon City has a few retirement homes. I will find one with good conditions and buy you a members.h.i.+p. After all, it’s not suitable for you to live in a single residence. It’s not your age, but illness and solitude that are the problems. If you live in a retirement home, you can chat with other residents and play cards, and there will be doctors and nurses to care for you if you’re not feeling well.
“In addition, I’ll put aside a little money for you that you can use as daily spending money. That isn’t the best, but at least you’ll have something to rely on in the future. What do you think?”
Gerry’s eyes widened in disbelief at Xia Fan’s words.
Gerry had imagined that Xia Fan would just use him for what he wanted and then pay him off with some money, letting him go back to live as a beggar.
As he got older, Gerry began to realize that what a person needed the most was something to rely on. He had seen many of his fellow beggars die on the streets all alone, so not only was Gerry satisfied with Xia Fan’s offer, he was flabbergasted.
Xia Fan was helping him retire!
Gerry looked at the younger Xia Fan. Although he had no children, even if he had children, they probably wouldn’t be as considerate as Xia Fan, right?
Gerry started to tear up, and he almost wanted to tear out his heart and offer it to Xia Fan in recompense.
“Boss, you’re treating me too well! I…I don’t know how to pay you back!” Gerry said in a raspy voice.
Xia Fan waved his hands. “There’s no need to pay me back. Just telling your story is enough.
“Do you want to eat a little more? If you’re full, we can set out now.”
“Alright. I’ll do anything you ask!”
Traveling Buddha gave Xia Fan a rather flabbergasted look. He hadn’t expected Xia Fan to be so kindhearted.
The watching Traveling Buddha recalled that when they had encountered people from the Murder Shrine at the Training Camp, Xia Fan had killed them without blinking an eye. This guy was very strange, almost like he had two personalities!
——
Once they left the dining room, Xia Fan went to find Tony and explained the situation to him.
Tony immediately understood, and the party drove off in the car to one of Beacon City’s retirement homes.
This retirement home was located outside of the city. The large yard had a gra.s.s lawn, while the building was a simple and solid white building with six floors. There were many old men and women sunbathing on the lawn.
Tony said that this was the best retirement home in Beacon City.
Xia Fan asked if Gerry was happy with it, and Gerry quickly nodded, on the verge of crying from happiness.
Xia Fan stopped him hastily. As he didn’t know how much being a lifetime member cost here, Xia Fan took out two Tier 3 energy crystals and gave them to Tony.
“Handle the processing. If there’s anything left, leave it to Gerry as spending money,” Xia Fan said to Tony.
Tony already knew that Xia Fan was a good and generous boss, so he wasn’t surprised.
But Big Eyes and Gerry were gobsmacked. Each energy crystal could be traded in for two hundred fifty-gram gold coins. Xia Fan was truly magnanimous!
Tony took the money and went to fill out the paperwork. Xia Fan sent off Big Eyes and his brothers to go and play, and then went with Gerry to sit on some empty chairs in the lawn.
Xia Fan said some comforting words to Gerry and told him to live a good life here.
Gerry nodded, and then untied a cord from his neck. There was a simple computer chip on the cord, which he stuffed into Xia Fan’s hand.
“What is this?” Xia Fan asked curiously.
Gerry solemnly replied, “The chip contains a set of coordinates, the coordinates of the place where I found the remains with the winged symbol.”
Gerry awkwardly scratched his head. “According to the rulers, salvagers listen to everything their employer says, going wherever their employer goes. During the voyage, they’re usually in a complete lockdown so that they don’t get access to any useful coordinates. They’re also searched every day and managed very strictly.”
Xia Fan nodded his understanding.
Salvagers made a living by scavenging s.h.i.+pwrecks; the coordinates of those s.h.i.+pwrecks were secrets held by the salvage companies or the bosses of the private salvaging teams.
After all, there were no laws in the Outer Frontier. Anyone who found the wrecks could salvage them!
If the salvagers sold the coordinates of wrecks to a compet.i.tor for their personal profit, they could cause ma.s.sive losses to a salvage company.
Thus, salvage companies managed salvagers very strictly. They were locked up in a lower hold and were searched whenever they boarded or left the s.h.i.+p.
In such conditions, how had Gerry managed to bring a coordinate finder into the salvage company and ultimately obtain the coordinates to that wreckage?
Before Xia Fan could ask, Gerry very bashfully said, “I wasn’t a very by-the-books person back then. I snuck the coordinate finder into the salvage company, and then I naturally sold coordinates to others.
“At the start, I made a lot of money. But I was also very reckless when I was younger, spending all my money in bars. After all, the money came easy, and it was fun spending it all.
“Alas, the good days didn’t last for long. The people at the salvage company slowly realized that I wasn’t following the rules, so I lost my job as a salvager. The other companies knew I wasn’t clean, so no one else wanted to hire me.
“After I lost my job and spent all my money, I could only be a junk collector.
“Junk collectors make much less than salvagers, and my living conditions grew harder and harder. By the time I was older, there was no turning back.
“Now that I think back on it, I’m truly filled with remorse. If I hadn’t been so greedy and just done my job, I wouldn’t have ended up a beggar.
“Alas, there is no medicine for regret. I have to bear the punishment for the sins I committed in my youth.”
Xia Fan nodded. “How did you bring the coordinate finder into the salvage company?”
Gerry’s face reddened, and he embarra.s.sedly pointed at his b.u.t.t. “I put it in there. Even if I was stripped naked, n.o.body would check there. It just hurt a lot.”
Xia Fan was enlightened, and Traveling Buddha was gobsmacked. He had never imagined that someone would put a coordinate finder in a place like that just to get the coordinates of a wreck. Could it really fit? Would it not bleed?”
“Understood,” Xia Fan nodded. “So if I go to these coordinates, I can find the place you spoke of? Right, what sort of place is it?”
Gerry suddenly turned grim. “Boss, are you really going to try and find that place?”
“Of course.”
“Personally?”
“Mm.”
Gerry slapped his head and regretfully said, “If I had known that, I wouldn’t have told you.
“Boss, you have so much money, so why go yourself? You should find someone else to help you. After all, that place is truly very dangerous.”
Traveling Buddha only got excited after he heard that it was dangerous, curiously asking, “Come on, tell us, what sort of place is it? Is it fun?”
“Fun?” Gerry looked at Traveling Buddha in disbelief. He very seriously said, “Trust me. That place isn’t fun at all. That place is outside of a circular cosmic storm!”
…
On the road to the s.p.a.ceport, Xia Fan pensively looked out the window at the pa.s.sing scenery.
According to Gerry, the wreckage where the Skywing symbol was found was located outside of a cosmic storm vortex.
The salvage company’s technicians had deduced that there was more wreckage inside the storm, but the fierce rotation of the storm would still occasionally shoot wreckage out of the storm.
The salvage company had found that wreckage. As for the wrecks that were still in that cosmic storm, even if the salvage was priceless, the company did not dare to go in. Cosmic storms were not anything to be played around with. The slightest lack of caution would lead to death.
Cosmic storms were a product of energy, matter, s.p.a.ce, and high-speed rotation. They were often accompanied by extremely powerful electromagnetic radiation and waves.
This cosmic storm vortex was one of the most terrifying kinds of cosmic storms. Energy was created in a flat plane in a certain area, around which everything else rotated in a circle.
This circular cosmic storm would keep rotating until its energy ran out. That process might go on for a hundred thousand, a million, or even ten million years!
Xia Fan was feeling rather anxious. The energy storm vortex was like a hurricane. The inside was stable, but the outer layer was a powerful wall made from energy, s.p.a.ce, and matter.
Unless one had a s.h.i.+p that had been specially designed for the task, there was no way of getting into the center of the cosmic storm. But if Xia Fan couldn’t get into the center of that cosmic storm, he would never know the truth.
‘It would be fine if I had a defense core,’ Xia Fan thought to himself.
The Disaster had come with a mechanical core, and Xia Fan now had an energy core. The two cores had ma.s.sively boosted the Disaster’s performance.
But just high performance wasn’t enough. He needed powerful energy s.h.i.+elds to resist the power of the storm. Otherwise, inside the storm, the danger levels would still be off the charts
‘In any case, it’s not that far, so I’ll go and take a look.’ Xia Fan pondered, ‘If it’s really no good, I’ll go and beg Traveling Buddha’s father to help me get a defense core. He should be able to do it. Once I have the defense core, I’ll take a vacation and come back.’
Xia Fan had made up his mind. No matter what, since he had come to the Char Star Region, he would at least go and take a look!
——
It wasn’t long before the hovercar arrived at the s.p.a.ceport. When the hangar door opened, Tony and Big Eyes saw Xia Fan’s strange frigate, the Disaster.
Tony and Big Eyes seemed rather reluctant to see the two men from the Inner Territories off.
Xia Fan chuckled and patted Big Eyes on the head. “Why don’t you seem very happy?”
Big Eyes blinked. “Boss is leaving, but I don’t want you to go.”
“This kid,” Xia Fan chuckled. He stroked his spatial ring and produced two Tier 3 energy crystals, giving them to Big Eyes. He then took out five more energy crystals and gave them to Tony.
“Boss, what is this?” Big Eyes and Tony exclaimed in shock.
Xia Fan replied, “Take it. You deserve them. In addition, Tony, there’s something I need your help with.”
Tony quickly said, “Whatever you say, boss!”
Xia Fan pointed at Big Eyes and his brothers. “These kids are rather sharp, and I consider them to be kindred spirits. I hope that you can look after them once I’m gone.”
Tony chuckled. “Boss, you can relax. Even I can tell that Big Eyes is very smart!
“Thanks to your care, I’ve made a little money, and I will definitely be able to expand my business. Big Eyes and his brothers can be my a.s.sistants. Although their wages might not be high, at least they won’t go hungry!”
Xia Fan nodded, very satisfied with Tony’s arrangements.
Although Xia Fan felt like Big Eyes should also go to school, this was the Outer Frontier. Even if one went to school, it would still be difficult to find a job. Having Big Eyes follow Tony would at least let him learn a skill that would allow him to feed his family.
There was nothing else to be done. Poor children often took charge of the family early on not because they matured early, but because their living conditions forced them to mature quickly.
After reluctantly saying their goodbyes and leaving behind a way to contact each other, Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha boarded the Disaster and left Beacon City.
The Disaster was once more on the way. Its next destination was the mysterious cosmic storm!