Chapter 249: Chapter 169: Mirage

Duan Mingyuan felt that this era was becoming more and more magical.

If you declared your identity and intentions based on principles of peace and friendship, they would steal your supplies, kidnap you and your crew, and demand a hefty ransom from the planet you belonged to.

If you killed their people, letting battle robots bring back the deceased’s military tags, they would seriously consider your suggestions instead.

Of course, some were more extreme, beheading the bandits after killing them and hanging their heads on stakes at the entrance of the village as a deterrent, but that was a bit too extreme. Duan Mingyuan and the crew of the Ranger were clearly not a group of extremists.

Not long after the battle robot returned, the leader of the Cosmic Pirates organization took the matter very seriously and immediately contacted the town, expressing their sincerest apologies to the residents and promising to return all the supplies from the past few months, vowing never to set foot in the town again.

This negotiation once again confirmed that it was truly a magical era.

It also indirectly proved how difficult it was for good people to survive nowadays.

They could be held at gunpoint, and perhaps even ruthlessly eliminated if no ransom could be squeezed out of them.

Shortly after the Ranger left, another flying vehicle landed near the town. Before the residents had a chance to remove the pirates’ bodies, a person in exoskeleton armor hurried over, taking pictures of the gruesome scene with the equipment he carried.

After collecting enough firsthand information, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"What a beautiful day, isn’t it?"

The Owl exclaimed.

But the residents who were still in shock couldn’t empathize with him; instead, they gave him looks as if scrutinizing a pervert.

All they knew was that a patrol team of Cosmic Pirates had stormed into town and then, after a "rat-tat-tat" of gunfire, the place was left with nothing but severed limbs and body parts, forcing them to suppress their nausea as they moved the bodies to the outskirts of the village.

Because the strong smell of blood would attract the creatures living in the desert.

Resource scarcity, pirates, and monsters lurking under the sand—this was their daily life.

"My flying vehicle has water, lots and lots of water."

The Owl said with a slight smile.

Suddenly, smiles emerged on the faces of the townspeople.

It was indeed a beautiful day. They had received precious water twice in a row, and what was even more heartening, the mayor had just informed everyone that the Oasis pirates would no longer trouble them.

Tonight, each person could drink a large cup of water.

Water that wasn’t tainted and flavored by the sand.

What more could they possibly ask for?

"Besides water, I’ve also brought some stories. Oh, and those people probably didn’t mention their identity to you, did they?"

"But as you see, Mr. Adventurer, our town hardly has anything of interest to offer you."

"On the contrary, I am very interested in everything here—I plan to exchange water and stories for a room, and your past experiences,"

The Owl put forth his offer, confident in its appeal.

In fact, as long as he wasn’t dealing with talkative literature masters like Duan Mingyuan, he could always communicate well with others.

"I believe you’ll find the stories I’ve brought quite interesting—because they’re about the most dangerous rebels in the universe."

.........

Duan Mingyuan and his group arrived at the place marked on the map before dark.

What lay before them was still the vast desert, and not a single soul was visible, explaining why even after so long, the Oasis couldn’t pose a threat to the nobility in the throne room.

Even with the markings on the map, without someone to guide them, it was impossible to find the entrance to the throne.

After all, this planet was once the homeland of Cosmic Level great craftsmen; nearly half of the renowned craftsmen hailed from Mechanical Star. However, as Mechanical Star declined, more and more outstanding craftsmen left their planet, drawn away by Universe Company and Shanqi Commerce Association, which opened doors of convenience for them.

Today, only sentiment linked Mechanical Star with the Great Craftsman Association.

"So, the question is, who will guide us?"

Jiuyue voiced the question that all the crew members had in mind.

The desert climate was unbearably hot during the day and cold enough at night to cause hypothermia. It was one of the least habitable regions for humans, and after too much running around in the desert that day, she absolutely did not want to camp out in such a forsaken place.

The skin of a nineteen-year-old girl was quite delicate; she did not want to end up dry-skinned and turn into a yellow-faced woman.

All she wanted now was a hot bath.

The Third Prince had told her about the luxurious hotels of the Mechanical Star’s throne, which were second to none in the entire universe, complete with the most luxurious bathing suites. If nothing went awry, she should have been soaking in warm water by now, with snacks provided by the hotel by her side.

"Unless there’s an unexpected issue, it should be a crow."

Duan Mingyuan still remembered his agreement with the Extraditor known as Oath from his academy days, who had promised to guide them upon their arrival on Mechanical Star.

Of course, that is, if nothing unexpected happens.

"Mr. Oath’s situation wasn’t good before he left Blue Star," he said Shanqi Commerce Association had set their sights on him.

During that time, Garoya’s flagship still hadn’t left Blue Star’s airspace, heaven knows what kind of wondrous encounter might occur between a crow and a Chamber of Commerce representative.

"You’re sure it was a crow, right?"

This was the first time the Third Prince heard Duan Mingyuan mention the matter of the crow, but it obviously wasn’t a good sign.

Because before Ranger had set sail, he suddenly saw a strange post on social media.

"Today is the Crow Feast, said to be a specialty of Blue Star."

The poster was Garoya.

The location was the banquet hall on her flagship. She was dressed in a red evening gown, elegantly holding a wine glass, and the crow seemed to have been meticulously cooked into two dishes.

The body was roasted, accompanied by a black truffle sauce.

The innards were fried and served with bread.

The Third Prince flipped through his social media, and now he could still find this photo.

Now, combining what Duan Mingyuan said about the Extraditor who turned into a crow, he finally understood the mystery behind this photo.

"Oath—Mr. Oath!"

Jiuyue saw the photo, and tears rolled down the corners of her mouth.

Indeed, her heart was filled with sorrow. If she had known that the crow would be captured by Shanqi Commerce Association after leaving Cloud Sea Academy, it would’ve been better if they had eaten him at the academy.

Such a death could have brought his friends satisfaction and joy, which is far better than dying at the hands of an enemy.

"Don’t worry, the one on this table isn’t him."

Duan Mingyuan spotted the flaw at a glance, "Garoya once said that she doesn’t eat sweets or sentient beings. The former is a personal preference, and the latter is the doctrine of the Shan Clan."

As for whether the Extraditor was still alive, that was something he had yet to verify.

With that, he turned on the player on his phone, chose the recorded crow’s screeching sound, and turned the volume to the maximum.

The screeching sound was piercing and hoarse, causing everyone present to frown involuntarily.

"Hey, turn it off, I’ll accuse you of disturbing the peace!"

A familiar voice came from below their feet. Stimulated by the crow’s screech, this person had instinctively mastered the "Earth Escape - Heart Decapitation Technique" and, grabbing Duan Mingyuan’s ankle, started dragging him into the sand.

"First of all, how many times have I said that the crow was only a disguise!"

In the midst of the chaos, they heard the man’s emphasis.

When their vision cleared, Duan Mingyuan and the others were already in a bustling street, looking up at the more than five-star luxury hotel mentioned by the Third Prince. However, apart from them, there were no other pedestrians to be seen on the main street.

This time, the Extraditor Oath would strike in the form of a sand-eating beast.

The sand-eating beast is a unique species on Mechanical Star, feeding on the corpses of humans and animals, usually lurking in the sand, attacking passing caravans when hungry.

Jiuyue lost interest just at the sight of the sand-eating beast on the ground.

A large brown scorpion, which at a glance didn’t appear to have much meat on it.

"It’s called adapting to local conditions."

The large scorpion on the ground explained that mimicking different local species on different planets is a skill every Extraditor must learn.

He felt it necessary to explain the photo on the Third Prince’s phone, "Although the Chamber of Commerce intercepted my flying vehicle and captured me onto their flagship, I ultimately escaped cleverly. Rather, I hitched a ride with them. That Chamber of Commerce representative was so pissed off after discovering my escape that they could only eat crow to vent their anger that night."

No prison in the world could hold an Extraditor.

Although they’re not strong in head-on combat, their ability to escape is top-notch in the universe.

After defending the reputation of Extraditors, Oath then told everyone about the current situation on Mechanical Star, "This is a mechanism known as ’Mirage.’ Although I don’t know the principle behind it, it has hidden the entire city. However, you must have sensed that there is something not quite right with this city, right?"

"Yes."

Duan Mingyuan solemnly nodded, "It’s strange that such a large scorpion could appear on the street of the city without anyone caring."

...

After a brief silence, the scorpion skillfully continued the conversation, "That’s because only those who have registered can reach the other side of ’Mirage.’ They don’t need to maintain public order at all. If an unregistered person tries to forcefully enter in the way you just did, they would just be buried in the sand and suffocate to death... But you are right, I can’t stay here too long. That Chamber of Commerce representative mixed personal grudges with public affairs and placed me on the unwelcome list."

The scorpion explained, "The hotel behind you is where you’ll be staying. After you enter, the staff will inform you about the meeting schedule. Until the conference is over, you won’t be able to leave the hotel. The nobles of Mechanical Star don’t like outsiders wandering around their city. It’s worth mentioning that, although the Chamber of Commerce won’t directly interfere with the meeting, they will be in charge of security during it."

"In other words, even if you are determined to vote ’no,’ don’t let them see through you, or you might be assassinated before the voting day arrives."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read