Chapter 1 The Situation

At this time, the war had almost reached a state of full-scale eruption. Seeing the situation worsen and escalate rapidly into a massive melee, Fang Senyan remained calm and stood his ground. After his teammates had slaughtered the hundreds of warriors in giant exoskeleton armor who harbored ill intentions, Fang Senyan abandoned his previous arrogance, shrugged, spread his hands, and said with a faint smile:

"Prince, the test should be about over, right? If we keep killing, we'll be stretched too thin."

Fang Senyan spoke softly, but for some reason, everyone in the base, even the monitoring soldiers in the underground bunkers who could block nuclear radiation, could hear his voice clearly. This was the utility of the mind tentacles; wherever they spread, they created an effect similar to long-distance transmission.

"Hahahaha!" A clear voice laughed loudly, though it was obviously amplified through a loudspeaker. Immediately afterward, a large tiltrotor aircraft, escorted by eight aircraft, flew from behind a majestic mountain. The aircraft was painted with a clear, fiery red Phoenix emblem, indicating that it was reserved for the royal family.

Prince Pombalu had finally appeared.

Prince Pombalu was wearing a fiery red cloak, seemingly to cover his thin frame. His eye sockets appeared deeper, but his eyes were even more profound. It was truly unbelievable that a young man in his twenties possessed pupils like eerie ghost flames in the dead of winter.

Therefore, one's first impression would be that Prince Pombalu should not be the leader of the empire, but rather someone like the FBI or the head of military intelligence, because a monarch ruling trillions of planets should absolutely not possess such an extremely sinister and effeminate demeanor.

A group of people boarded Prince Pombalu's aircraft. The first thing they saw was a large screen displaying a satellite overhead view, which was clearly focused on this location. According to the hologram, at least three light-based particle cannons and five tactical missiles were aimed at them. With the push of a button, the place would be turned into a sea of fire in an instant.

This was obviously a subtle demonstration, implying that they shouldn't think they were untouchable. With a flick of the finger, they could be reduced to ashes! Of course, these things wouldn't be presented openly, but they were essential displays. Without the means to tame beasts, one would be devoured by them.

The meeting with Prince Pombalu couldn't be described as pleasant, but it was surprisingly free of animosity. This was perhaps because Prince Pombalu was patient and didn't ask about what he wanted. After some pleasantries, the Prince didn't seem inclined to delve deeper, instead assigning a female Major General to receive them. This woman was the epitome of someone who was charming and worldly, and she treated Fang Senyan and his companions very well.

After settling down, Fang Senyan learned that the troops who had fought them earlier were not actually Prince Pombalu's subordinates, but his third brother's. Through two internal collaborators, they had managed to bring down Fang Senyan's ship. If Fang Senyan and his group were strong enough, the third brother's direct forces would suffer significant losses, and the blame would fall on the contractors, leaving him unable to voice his grievances. If they weren't strong enough, they would simply die, at most exposing the two collaborators.

This approach was extremely treacherous and utilitarian. However, Fang Senyan sensed that Prince Pombalu, despite appearing magnanimous, lacked finesse in his methods. Frankly, for the leader of an empire to be so calculating and petty was rather small-minded.

The way to govern a country lies in sincerity and righteousness. Treat the people with sincerity, and conduct great affairs with righteousness. A monarch should either possess great ambitions and a desire to conquer, which would make them a pioneering ruler, or be kind and amiable, even indulging in pleasure, which would make them a conservative ruler. However, if a monarch is suspicious, petty, and focused on power and intrigue, then they are likely to be a ruler destined for destruction.

Of course, Fang Senyan himself was also overly ambitious and impractical, and probably couldn't be a monarch even if he was given the chance. He could only grumble inwardly. After staying here for a few days and seeing the so-called Flower Rock Beasts, Prince Pombalu never appeared again. It was understandable that he was busy with affairs, but for some reason, Fang Senyan always felt that he and Prince Pombalu were like young girls who had secretly tasted forbidden fruit and were anxiously waiting for their period to arrive.

One day after breakfast, Fang Senyan suddenly received a message from his Nightmare Imprint, saying that the Black Arrow he had submitted was about to be auctioned as a collectible, and Fang Senyan, as the owner, would be invited to attend with the highest honors.

After receiving the message, Fang Senyan immediately connected the communication channel:

"Hey, is this Miner? Did they agree to my conditions?"

The Miner on the other end said with a wry smile:

"Your conditions are too harsh, aren't they? Only trade, no sale, the lowest auction house commission, and you even requested it to be displayed in the first round and auctioned in the last round."

A smile appeared on the corner of Fang Senyan's mouth:

"Really? If they don't agree, then forget it."

The Miner sighed:

"I know you're confident, but the auction house also has a request. They don't want a commission, but even if it's not sold, the Black Arrow has to stay with them."

Fang Senyan smiled and said:

"Can't I even take it back?"

"It'll be returned to you after three rounds of auctions if it's still unsold." The Miner obviously knew Fang Senyan would ask this.

Fang Senyan said:

"Two rounds."

The Miner didn't waste words:

"Two rounds, the auction house will take a 5% commission. That's the bottom line."

"Deal." Fang Senyan nodded, but then frowned:

"But you should know my current situation, right? My mother space is evolving. How am I supposed to attend?"

"Your flesh and blood armor can do that. Aside from not being able to return to the space, you can return to the real world, go to auctions, and so on." The Miner frowned and said, "Haven't you even tried it?"

Fang Senyan tried it and said doubtfully:

"It's not working."

The Miner said:

"That's because there's no energy, right?"

Fang Senyan frowned:

"How do I charge it? Damn it, the flesh and blood armor doesn't have a USB port or a power cord."

The Miner said disdainfully:

"Just soak it in water. I really don't know how you've made it this far. It will decompose the water itself and extract enough hydrogen from it for energy..."

Fang Senyan:

"........"

*

This time, Fang Senyan's entry into the auction was no different from the last time. With a flash before his eyes, he was transported to a site the size of a basketball court. The venue was sparsely populated with hundreds of people, none of whom could be clearly seen. However, this time Fang Senyan didn't pay a fee and was seated directly in a box, which had an excellent view and the priority to view precious items.

Thinking back to the last auction where a Major General Loki could shock the entire audience, and now he was a Vice Admiral, Fang Senyan felt a sense of impermanence. As per his request, the auctioneer went straight to a high-pitched tone as soon as he came onstage:

"Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, a powerful weapon will appear at this auction! It is a divine weapon that has reached the pinnacle of perfection! Yes, it is a divine artifact! Please wait and see, and welcome its arrival!!"

Then the Black Arrow appeared before everyone's eyes. Compared to the dazzling light of a legendary weapon, a divine artifact appeared very gentle, just quietly placed there, but the light could not be ignored by anyone. Without the fiery heat of a legendary weapon, it had a natural, self-willed feel! That sharp yet restrained temperament was a characteristic unique to divine artifacts.

A series of low gasps sounded. If the Black Arrow could only be used for shooting, then its value would definitely not be too high, because not everyone would have a good bow and be skilled at shooting with unerring accuracy.

However, the fact that the Black Arrow could also be used as a one-handed weapon tempted many people, and if their strength was up to par and they learned the Berserker's advanced ability of "Weapon Throwing," they could also unleash the Black Arrow's powerful power. Furthermore, the advanced ability of Weapon Throwing was quite common.

Therefore, the people below the stage, if not swarming, were at least half restless, perking up their ears to wait for the auctioneer to quote a price, but the auctioneer said the one sentence they least wanted to hear:

"The seller is only willing to trade in a barter system. They do not accept universal points, merit points, or other methods. The seller is looking for rare minerals and the lamp of Aladdin's lamp as items. Please take note."

Everyone frowned, but at this moment, countless messages went out. No one knew how many people were communicating, and this was exactly what Fang Senyan had expected. The divine artifact he threw out was like a huge core. Anyone who coveted it would be drawn in, involuntarily creating a vortex around this core. Initially, those directly involved were swept in, and later, even those who were swept in were beyond their control.

When the auction was halfway through, the auctioneer was called in and then said without batting an eye:

"Now, a collectible that has just been authorized for auction has been added. Please take a look."

Then, the words "Aladdin's Lamp" fell into Fang Senyan's eyes, and also into the eyes of everyone else. Then, the auctioneer's quote fell into everyone's ears:

"Starting price: five million universal points! An additional one million points each time!"