Herta Space Station, Main Control Section — Recreation Area.
Following the navigation guidance, Nolan arrived at an employee cafeteria. Once the destination prompt appeared on his terminal, he put away his phone and stepped inside.
Glancing around, his eyes soon landed on a familiar figure by the window — Asta, quietly enjoying her afternoon tea. Opposite her, the white dog, Peppy, stood on the chair, staring eagerly at the plate of pastries.
"All right, all right, this is the last one!" Asta said helplessly, dividing the final tricolor mochi and handing half to Peppy.
"Woof!" Peppy wagged his tail happily as he devoured the treat.
"Good afternoon, Asta," Nolan greeted her with a smile as he approached.
"Oh, it's you, Nolan." Asta tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and asked curiously, "Are you here for tea, or are you here for me?"
"The latter. I actually have something I'd like to ask you about."
Nolan briefly explained that he was looking for a place filled with monsters where he could train and improve his strength.
Asta stared at him with an amused, knowing look.
"You do realize you're technically an employee of the Space Station now, right? And you're saying this kind of thing about sneaking off to slack in front of your supervisor — does that sound appropriate to you?"
"Ahem, I can leave behind an avatar. Using it, I can teleport back anytime — it won't affect my work."
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Nolan turned his gaze aside, then demonstrated on the spot by summoning his Sword God of Lumine — showcasing a teleportation technique that used the Void Star Sea as a relay medium.
"Oh… so, judging from how you once went to Lady Herta to ask about a planetary crisis back on your world, this means you can also teleport back there through this method, right?"
If his avatar could manage something like that, Asta knew Nolan wouldn't be reckless enough to explore beyond the stars without some kind of backup plan.
"I wasn't trying to hide it from you — we just weren't that familiar back then."
By revealing this ability, Nolan was essentially opening up to her. After all, her affection toward him had already reached level five and was close to level six — there was little reason to worry about her harboring ill intentions.
"Fine, I'll accept that explanation." Asta nodded in understanding and motioned for him to sit.
"There are indeed plenty of places across the cosmos filled with monsters — regions that threaten interstellar civilization."
"Oh? I'd like to hear more about that."
Nolan lifted Peppy from the chair and sat opposite Asta.
"Have you heard of Stellarons?"
Asta waved a server over and ordered more pastries.
"I heard a little about them from Lady Herta earlier," Nolan replied. "Apparently, they're pollutants that disrupt communication between civilizations?"
"That's right," Asta said, her soft cherry-colored lips parting as she continued,
"It's said that Stellarons were cast across the universe by the Aeon of Destruction — Nanook. They sever the bonds between worlds and annihilate the civilizations they land on. People call them the Cancer of All Worlds."
"Each Stellaron contains immense power. The way it destroys civilizations varies from world to world, but it often does so by amplifying natural disasters or crises unique to that planet — slowly erasing intelligent life.
"At the same time, they twist and contaminate surrounding space, blocking interstellar routes. The Antimatter Legion often invades new worlds through rifts caused by these space distortions.
"If you're looking for real combat experience, heading to a Stellaron Contamination Zone would be ideal. You can enter the rifts there — you'll find plenty of Antimatter Legion troops to fight."
The Antimatter Legion — Nanook's followers — existed for one purpose: to bring total destruction to the universe.
There was no need to show them mercy; only one side could survive.
Nolan had read about Nanook on the Interastral Peace Network. He understood well what it meant to face those who served the Aeon of Destruction.
"That sounds like a good idea," Nolan said. "But how am I supposed to get to a Stellaron Contamination Zone? If the space there is distorted and the routes cut off, how do I even reach it?"
Asta's pale cheeks curved into a gentle smile.
"To travel through Stellaron-contaminated regions and reopen interstellar routes, aside from a few special methods held by the IPC, there's really only one group capable of that — the Nameless, followers of the Path of Trailblaze.
"Their Astral Express carries the power of the Aeon Aavili. Back when Aavili still lived, not even the Stellaron's corruption — nor the unknown galaxies wrapped in Imaginary energy — could halt their journey.
"It was Aavili and the Nameless who first linked the countless civilizations of the galaxy."
Resting her cheek on one hand, Asta sighed softly.
"Unfortunately, after the fall of Trailblaze, only one Astral Express remains. It can travel only along the tracks Aavili once forged.
"To blaze a new path among the stars is now impossible — unless a new Trailblaze Emanator were to appear.
"But the birth of an Emanator requires direct blessing from an Aeon. Without the favor of a Star God, no matter how far one walks their Path, it's nearly impossible to reach that level.
"And since Aavili has perished, no new Trailblaze Emanator can ever arise."
Nolan petted Peppy's head and nodded thoughtfully.
"So Aavili's fall really was a great loss for the galaxy… So what you mean is — if I want to visit a Stellaron Contamination Zone, I can take the Nameless' Astral Express, right?"
"Exactly," Asta said, nodding. "Lady Herta has a mutual-aid agreement with the Express's navigator, Miss Himeko.
"In exchange for providing the train with various resources and support, Lady Herta receives new and rare discoveries found along their Trailblazing journey.
"In about two months, the Astral Express will return to the Herta Space Station for resupply. When that happens, I can ask them to give you a lift."
Asta smiled as she said this, her tone both calm and certain.
The members of the Astral Express crew were all good people — they rarely turned down such a small request.
As for why Asta didn't suggest that Nolan use the Interastral Peace Corporation's transport routes to reach the Stellaron Contamination Zone…
Well, the main reason was simple: the IPC charged exorbitant fees, and Nolan obviously didn't have that many credits to spare.
"Two months, huh…"
Nolan scratched Peppy's chin thoughtfully. That felt like a long wait — long enough that he could probably make it there himself using spatial traversal!
Speaking of which, perhaps it was time he made proper use of his infinite Imaginary Energy.
At the cosmic scale, distances were measured in light-years. Even if Nolan poured every drop of his own Harmonizing Energy into teleportation, mimicking a warship's jump drive, he'd only be able to warp about a few hundred thousand kilometers at most — hardly worth the effort compared to using Void Star Sea's short-range spatial shifts a few times.
Those spatial hops were limited to about ten thousand kilometers per jump due to the need for precise mental positioning, but if used consecutively, the total range could easily exceed hundreds of thousands of kilometers — with almost negligible energy cost.
Still, teleporting a full light-year that way was impossible — not something achievable in a month or two.
And besides, he didn't even know how far the nearest Stellaron Contamination Zone was from the Herta Space Station.
But if he used Imaginary Energy for a jump, that was a completely different story.
It was infinite — meaning he could, in theory, warp anywhere, as long as he spent some time opening a wormhole.
Since Imaginary Energy could distort reality itself, bending space would be far easier than with any other form of energy.
If he experimented a bit, perhaps he could warp directly to the destination — no need to wait for two whole months!
That thought excited him, and he started seriously considering testing it out right away.
As for the potential space pressure he might face during a long-distance warp, he already had a clever solution in mind — using Keqing's Affection Skill on his clothing.
That particular affection skill allowed him to transfer any incoming damage onto his outfit. Even if the clothes reached their durability limit and were destroyed, the attack itself wouldn't harm Nolan.
So, theoretically, he could sacrifice a set of clothes in exchange for one ultra-long-distance warp.
Asta, sitting across from him, had no idea what kind of dangerous ideas were running through Nolan's mind. She placed the fresh plate of pastries brought by the waiter between them and continued speaking:
"If you think two months is too long, you don't have to go looking for the Antimatter Legion in a Stellaron Zone. There are also some planets that were once invaded by the Xianzhou Alliance's enemies — the Denizens of Abundance.
"Even though the wars there have long since ended, those planets often still harbor remnants known as 'Abundance Aberrations.' They're dangerous monsters too — hunting them down would be just as good for your training.
"Coincidentally, this Saturday — the day after tomorrow — a Xianzhou trade fleet will be passing by the Herta Space Station. They loathe the Denizens of Abundance, their aberrations, and even the Aeon of Abundance itself.
"They frequently post bounty commissions to eliminate these aberrations. You can register on the Xianzhou Alliance's external commission site, pick one of those tasks, and coordinate with the fleet directly.
"I'm sure they'd be more than happy to take you along."
Nolan was somewhat familiar with the Xianzhou Alliance — mainly from his research on the various Aeons. He knew they followed the Path of Hunt and were one of the most powerful factions in the galaxy.
Once upon a time, they'd received the blessing of the Aeon of Abundance, granting them immortality.
But that so-called immortality came with a cost.
After living for countless years, many Xianzhou citizens would eventually succumb to the weight of their accumulated emotions — falling into a state known as Mara, where they lost their sanity and attacked everyone around them.
That was certainly not the kind of eternal life they had wanted.
However, while the Xianzhou detested it, other Denizens of Abundance craved that same blessing.
Coveting the Aeon's gift, they repeatedly invaded the Xianzhou Alliance, starting countless wars — until the hatred between them became eternal.
Even now, the Xianzhou viewed all Denizens of Abundance as enemies, so it was perfectly normal for them to post public commissions for exterminating them.
Nolan picked up one of the pastries from the plate and took a bite, nodding slightly.
"Alright, I'll look into it."
After finishing the snacks, he placed Peppy back down and took his leave.
But rather than researching commissions immediately, he was far more eager to test whether his Imaginary Energy–based warp technique could actually work.
Back in his quarters, Nolan connected to the Imaginary Space and drew out a small stream of Imaginary Energy, beginning to experiment with twisting space the way a warship would during a jump.
Sure enough — it worked just as he expected, smooth and effortless.
With its inherent reality-warping properties, just a tiny amount of Imaginary Energy caused the surrounding space to ripple like disturbed water.
Increasing the output slightly, he could easily pry space open.
Then, sitting in his chair, Nolan leaned forward — and vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already standing outside his room.
That tiny bit of energy had been enough to teleport him about five or six meters away.
By that measure, less than one-tenth of his Harmonizing Energy's equivalent in Imaginary Energy could warp him hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
One light-year, though… was about, what, nine trillion kilometers?
Since the maximum output of his Imaginary Energy matched that of his own Harmonizing Energy, he estimated that if he poured out his full power for one second, he could warp roughly a few hundred thousand kilometers.
If he released the same amount of Imaginary Energy instead, he might manage over a million kilometers in a single burst.
That meant, to cross one light-year — roughly nine trillion kilometers — he'd have to sustain full-power output for over nine million seconds… more than a hundred days of nonstop channeling.
Even if he could do it without exhaustion, the sheer time cost made it pointless.
By the time he finished charging up, the Astral Express would have long since arrived.
So, until his strength grew even greater, it was better to stick with conventional starships.
Sighing in mild disappointment, Nolan lay back on his bed and pulled out his phone, searching for the official website of the Xianzhou Alliance.
The Interastral Peace Network's search engine was as accurate as ever — within moments, the results appeared.
There were plenty of sections on the site, but it didn't take long for him to find the public commission board.
Sure enough, there were countless listings — the Xianzhou Alliance, being one of the galaxy's top powers, operated across numerous systems, and thus had plenty of missions.
Thankfully, the page had a filtering system. Nolan set the filters to "Combat Missions" and sorted by "Nearest."
Because his Interastral Peace Network login was registered from the Herta Space Station, the system automatically calculated the relative distance to each commission.
Soon, a list of combat-related commissions appeared, sorted from nearest to farthest.
At the top was one located twenty-two light-years away — a Xianzhou outpost under attack by Denizens of Abundance, requesting aid from nearby patrollers or other allied factions.
(End of Chapter)
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