Chapter 84: The Galactic Bank, Arrival! (Fourth Update)

Beyond Canglan Star.

A peculiar spaceship, resembling a soaring bird, drew near. Painted boldly on its hull, in the most conspicuous position, was the insignia of the "Cosmic Galaxy Bank."

At the sight of this vessel, the hearts of the powerful figures from all factions on Canglan Star sank. The Cosmic Galaxy Bank was a colossus rivaling even the Universal Mercenary Alliance itself.

For the bank to appear now, at such a critical moment, was it for the sake of the Inner World?

The ship’s owner cared nothing for the thoughts of these onlookers, landing directly before the villa that served as the entrance to the "Thunder World."

The hatch opened, and a man clad in crimson battle armor, exuding a formidable aura, strode out. His gaze swept the villa as he thundered, "Everyone, come out!"

"Everyone, come out!"

"Come out!"

"Come out!"

The voice, imbued with terrifying primordial force, resounded in every ear. Even domain masters and world lords felt their souls tremble, compelled to obey the command and leave the villa.

"An Immortal?!"

"He must be an Immortal!"

The faces of representatives such as Ming Yu and Jiang Tianchen betrayed their shock.

Qiniya, in contrast, composed herself far better. Though she could not resist the world lord-level sonic assault, she suppressed the pain in her soul and flew from the villa, raising her voice to call, "Respected Immortal, does the Cosmic Galaxy Bank intend to disrupt the Universal Mercenary Alliance’s testing world?!"

"Little one, you should address me as ‘Lord Santu!’" The crimson-armored Immortal glanced at Qiniya, then swept his gaze across the gathering. His voice was low and stern: "I have no interest in the Inner World’s affairs. By the bank’s order, I am here to escort an important guest of the bank! Whoever dares interfere is my enemy!"

"A guest?!" Everyone was taken aback.

Those of higher status quickly processed the implications: "If the bank sends an Immortal to receive someone, that person must be at least a four-star client, perhaps even five-star!"

"Could someone of that stature truly be in the Inner World?!"

Jiang Tianchen and the others exchanged glances, realizing this incident had far surpassed their ability to control.

—

Within the Inner World.

After exchanging treasures, Jiang Chen had already regrouped with Luo Feng and the others.

Receiving news from the Virtual Universe, Luo Feng immediately said, "A’Chen, the Cosmic Galaxy Bank has arrived. Should we go out now?"

Jiang Chen nodded. "Wait a moment. I’ll recall my troops first."

As he spoke, Jiang Chen mentally issued orders to Jarvis to recall his SCVs and fighters.

One after another, SCVs returned, laden with cosmic crystals, which Jiang Chen stored in his spatial wristband.

As for the ten thousand fighters, he did not withdraw them; instead, he had them maintain vigilance in the surrounding area, in case any fish had slipped through the net within the Inner World.

The group quickly flew toward the exit.

Passing through, they returned to the Thunder World, and after several days’ travel, reached the portal to Canglan Star.

—

Canglan Star.

The Immortal deity Santu had already been waiting outside the portal for nearly ten days.

He could have entered the Inner World directly and swiftly extracted Jiang Chen and his companions.

Yet, in name, "Thunder World" was territory of the Universal Mercenary Alliance. Though he served the bank, as an ordinary Immortal, he would not disrupt the unspoken agreements among the great powers without the bank’s explicit authorization.

To have the bank send someone into the Inner World to retrieve a guest would be a blatant violation of the Mercenary Alliance’s rules. It was not impossible, but... it would cost extra.

A hundred Hunyuan units was far from enough to justify that step.

An Immortal’s time was precious, but compared to the balance among the five great powers, it was insignificant.

—

Santu stood unmoving outside the portal for several days, like a statue.

The other factions, realizing any hope of seizing treasures from the Inner World was lost, did not dare leave carelessly. They kept their distance, focusing their attention on the villa by the Thunder World’s entrance.

Suddenly—

The villa’s light screen rippled; a fighter emerged, hovered for an instant, then returned.

Santu observed the scene without reaction, and made no move to prevent the fighter from recording his image.

Moments later, the light screen rippled again, and figures emerged one after another.

At their head was Luo Feng, the one who had signed the agreement with the Cosmic Galaxy Bank.

"I am Santu, in service to the Cosmic Galaxy Bank. By their command, I am here to escort you and receive the cargo," Santu declared, looking to Luo Feng. Though he had confirmed Luo Feng’s identity by appearance and psychic signature, he held out a device and scanned him.

Once the indicator glowed green, Santu asked, "Are these all with you?"

"Lord Santu, I am Luo Feng. These are my companions," Luo Feng answered respectfully, handing over a space ring. "Here are the agreed rewards and the treasures to be sold through the bank."

During their return from the Inner World, Jiang Chen and the others had already divided the treasures. Hong and Thunder God each received one item, the rest split between Jiang Chen and Luo Feng at a ratio of six to four.

Though Luo Feng had contributed little during the ordeal, without his connections, Jiang Chen could never have carried away so many treasures.

As Jiang Chen’s mecha business expanded across the cosmos, he had come to realize one thing: at times, connections are more valuable than anything.

Whoever controls an irreplaceable channel is entitled to a significant share of the profits.

The treasures left by World Lord Kabu were not all useful to Jiang Chen and Luo Feng; indeed, most were not. Those surplus treasures would be sold through the bank’s channels and the proceeds divided.

Only by relying on the bank could they ensure proper value and avoid being double-crossed.

Santu scanned the items to confirm their match with the contract, then nodded. "Come with me. I will take you wherever you wish to go."

With that, Santu’s divine power enveloped the group and ushered them into the ship.

As the ship departed, the martial artists and leaders on Canglan Star watched with complex emotions.

Jiang Tianchen could not help but curse inwardly, "Damn it! All that effort for nothing, and we lost so many people!"

—

Inside the ship.

Santu looked at Luo Feng. "Where do you wish to go?"

Luo Feng, following Babata’s advice, replied promptly, "Please take us to Qiongyu Star, my lord."

Qiongyu Star was a high-status administrative planet in the Qianwu Universe Nation, long inhabited by many Immortal deities. There, they would face no danger.

For now, staying on such a high-security world was the best option for Jiang Chen and his companions.

"Qiongyu Star? You’re shrewd." Santu nodded. "It’ll take about two days to get there. Rest in the lounge; I’ll call you when we arrive."

"Yes, my lord." They all bowed respectfully, then followed a robotic steward to the lounge.

The journey passed uneventfully.

Two days later—Qiongyu Star.

In a hotel, Jiang Chen, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God gathered.

"Is it time to divide the treasures?" Babata, who had kept a low profile for fear of attracting Santu’s attention, suddenly projected his virtual image, rubbing his hands and miming counting money with excitement. "I’ve been holding back this whole way!"

—

Throughout their journey, Babata had dared not reveal himself, wary of attracting Santu’s notice. The group also had not broached the topic of dividing the spoils.

Now, in a place of safety, everyone was eager.

"Not so fast," Jiang Chen said, producing five auxiliary light brains. Tapping the table, he called out in a low voice, "Aren’t you coming out? If you don’t, I’ll destroy these light brains."

"Hmm?" Babata was the first to react, sensing something amiss. He eyed the devices in surprise. "Did the intelligence from the Inner World follow you out?"

"You didn’t even notice me, so how did you?" a ghostly voice replied.

On the leftmost light brain, beams of light converged in the air, forming the image of an old man with a white beard, who gazed at Jiang Chen with a strange look.

Babata let out a cry of astonishment. "Damn! How did you hide so well, even I didn’t notice! Jiang Chen, how did you spot him?!"

"The account for the Space Secret Method Inheritance Crystal in World Lord Kabu’s treasure trove was fake, and so was the deposit account. Yet both treasures themselves were genuine and in your possession, weren’t they, ‘Mist’?" Jiang Chen looked at the white-bearded old man.

"You—you—you... How did you know? No wonder you refused to redeem the top two treasures in the Inner World; you already knew they were fakes!" The old man was shocked. "I didn’t reveal my name in the Inner World, and you killed everyone before I could. How did you know about me? Are you the heir of my master’s enemy?"

"I have no connection with your master or his enemies. I just happen to have a little insignificant information."

Jiang Chen did not dwell on the subject, but instead stared at the old man, saying, "Let’s make a deal. I’ll find a successor for your master, and you hand over those two treasures. Or, you can keep your secret, and I’ll destroy your data, rendering your master’s legacy lost forever."

Even after evolving into an intelligent life form, a "host" was still required. Without a powerful mechanical body, the data within the light brain was the greatest weakness. Destroy the host device, and the intelligent life would cease to exist.

"How do I know you’ll keep your word?" The old man’s eyes flashed with anger, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What if you take the treasures and still destroy me, ensuring my master’s heritage is lost?"

"See for yourself. Thunder God, show your domain. Keep it small; don’t attract attention," Jiang Chen instructed.

Thunder God hesitated for a moment, then complied.

"A double-layered Thunder Domain? Star level two?!" The old man could not help but exclaim.

The Inner World had been established by World Lord Kabu to select a disciple. The Thunder Stone treasure exchange was a test, designed to incite combat among the warriors, allowing the intelligence to observe and select a worthy successor.

But to its surprise, all the warriors were slaughtered by Jiang Chen alone, who then exchanged for all the treasures.

Left with no choice, "Mist" followed Jiang Chen out, hoping to escape later and seek a successor elsewhere.

Yet, seeing Thunder God’s prowess—a star-level warrior mastering a double-layered Thunder Domain, with the same lightning attribute as its master—"Mist" realized it had found the perfect candidate.

"Thunder God is my companion. If you entrust the inheritance to him, I assure you I’ll keep my word," Jiang Chen said coolly. "But if you refuse..."

The threat was clear, and "Mist" understood.

After a moment’s thought, "Mist" said, "The Space Secret Method Inheritance Crystal cannot be handed to you; my master’s command is that it must go to his disciple, and I cannot disobey. However, I can give you my master’s legacy."

Jiang Chen was about to reply when Babata interrupted, "Can the inheritance crystal be copied, or not? If not, can it be inherited more than once?"

"Mist" paused, then answered, "It can’t be copied—not by me, at least—but it can be inherited multiple times."

"That settles it, then. The four of you each receive the inheritance, yes? Your master only required you hand the crystal to his disciple, not what the disciple does with it after," Babata reasoned, making Luo Feng and Hong’s eyes light up.

The words "space secret method" were tempting to any cultivator—even many Immortals would covet such a thing.

"Mist" did not object and nodded. "I have no issue. The extent of your gains is none of my concern."

"Then let’s proceed. Transfer World Lord Kabu’s legacy first," Jiang Chen said, glancing at Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng with a smile. "With that done, it’s time for the joyous division of spoils."

(End of chapter)