Chapter 155: Identity (Part One)

Ever since Qin Ming appeared, a great deal had changed.

For instance, Hong and Thunder God did not fall into deep slumber, the Black Dragon spaceship was repaired ahead of schedule, and Luo Feng arrived at Dragon Star earlier than before. Here, he did not encounter the wealthy second-generation heir from a cosmic nation named Gao Sheng.

Of course, some things remained unchanged. The alien spaceship heading toward Earth would still arrive according to its original trajectory, it was simply a matter of a long time yet.

Upon reaching the outer space of Dragon Star, the spaceship was guided to a designated location for docking. Every person disembarking was assigned a serial number, which served as their contact code on Dragon Star.

The planet was unimaginably vast and utterly luxurious, especially the cities. A single city was comparable in size to an entire nation on Earth, populated by various colorful humanoid creatures of bizarre and grotesque appearances.

Those walking the streets were basically at the planetary level or above, with quite a few stellar-level life forms among them.

As for those below the planetary level—in Babata’s words—they were not citizens. Once they appeared on the streets, they were treated like livestock, possessing no rights whatsoever, unprotected by the law, and their deaths would amount to nothing.

“Our first stop is the administrative building of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire stationed on Dragon Star, to join the empire and obtain Black Dragon Mountain citizenship. When traveling through the universe, one must first acquire an identity so that you can connect to the network and enter the cosmic virtual network. Fortunately, it’s not difficult. As long as you have reached the planetary level and have no existing records on the cosmic internet, you can apply directly and have it processed on the spot.”

Under Babata’s guidance, they obtained their identities. It was very simple: stateless individuals whose cultivation had reached the planetary level or above merely needed to pay fifty Black Dragon dollars—far less than a Qianwu dollar.

“Next, we need to purchase slaves, buy metal quotas for Luo Feng’s cultivation, open bank accounts, and so on. This is going to be an astronomical sum! Luo Feng, sell your telepathic weapon, the Arc Blade Disc. You have the Soaring Shuttle anyway, so you don’t have much use for it!”

Babata suggested.

“Alright!”

Luo Feng did not hesitate.

Hong and Thunder God let out helpless sighs.

On Earth, they were true titans who had never once worried about money. Yet upon arriving in the cosmos, they suddenly realized they were nothing more than a bunch of country bumpkins who even had to sell their equipment.

Qin Ming, however, was unconcerned.

Stepping into a new realm, early difficulties were inevitable.

Finding a shop that recycled treasures, they sold the third-tier Arc Blade Disc—usable by sector lords—for eighteen billion Black Dragon dollars, which was equivalent to eighteen million Qianwu dollars.

“Since we have money, let’s first go open an account at the Dragon Star branch of the Cosmic River Bank!”

“Traveling through the universe without a bank account is simply unfeasible. After all, all transactions are conducted through transfers and the like!”

“In the vast universe, apart from the cosmic empires, there are five supreme super-powers. They permeate every corner of the universe, and even high-level cosmic civilization empires dare not provoke them!”

“These five powers are the Cosmic River Bank, the First Cosmic Bank, the Giant Axe Dojo, the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, and the Virtual Universe Company. These are the supreme behemoths that traverse the universe!”

“The bank goes without saying. The Giant Axe Dojo can be likened to an arena of slaughter; it’s filled with truly ruthless individuals. The Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, simply put, is a gathering of mercenaries.”

“The Virtual Universe Company, in particular, can be connected to from almost any corner of the universe as long as you hold the citizenship of a cosmic nation! That place is a second world, incomparably real and indistinguishable from reality. Now that you have your identities, you can purchase smart optical brains to log in directly, or consciousness sensors and consciousness-sensing helmets. As for smart wristwatches, they won’t be sufficient. When we open the accounts later, buy a few smart optical brains. While these items are cutting-edge marvels back on Earth, they are extremely cheap in the universe!”

After opening their accounts at the Cosmic River Bank branch and purchasing optical brains, Qin Ming directly integrated his wristwatch’s advanced intelligence, Fatty, into his brain after authentication.

Following the account opening, everyone received a bank card. Once they left their spiritual imprints, each card became entirely unique, making theft impossible.

“Luo Feng, give me one billion Black Dragon dollars!” Qin Ming asked directly without any embarrassment. “When we return to Earth, I’ll see if I can make money in the virtual universe network. With my intellect, earning some shouldn’t be hard!”

“Alright!” Luo Feng transferred one billion without a second thought. “Big Brother, Second Brother, I’ll transfer some to you as well!”

“No need!” Hong shook his head. “Little Three is adept at creating miracles; he might just make a fortune. As for the two of us, forget it. We don’t even know if this bit of money will be enough for now. Let’s wait until everything is settled!”

“Very well!” Luo Feng nodded.

Qin Ming smiled and said, “Rest assured, give me some time. With one billion, I can earn trillions!”

“You said it yourself!” Thunder God laughed. “When the time comes, we’re definitely going to fleece this wealthy benefactor!”

chatting and laughing, they arrived at the slave market. Seeing planetary-level individuals reduced to slaves without a shred of defiance, and stellar-level beings forced to resign themselves to fate, even Thunder God’s expression grew heavy.

“Without strength, you are nothing but meat to be slaughtered,” Qin Ming said in a heavy tone. “We have only taken our first step into the universe, and we are pitifully weak, fragile as paper. From now on, we must redouble our cultivation and grow strong in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, the moment an accident occurs, something even more tragic than the Great Nirvana will befall Earth!”

Luo Feng and the others all nodded solemnly.

Here, slaves of all kinds could be found—men and women, of various races. Even a ninth-tier planetary spiritual reader was only worth one hundred thousand Black Dragon dollars.

One hundred thousand for a ninth-tier planetary spiritual reader.

A first-tier stellar warrior cost only one million.

However, ninth-tier stellar fighters were quite expensive, costing five billion.

After deliberating, the four of them ultimately decided to purchase three seventh-tier stellar spiritual readers, one hundred low-tier stellar warriors, and one thousand ninth-tier planetary warriors.

The total cost came to less than five billion.

“It’s a pity we don’t have enough money; otherwise, buying a sector-lord-level powerhouse would save us from any worries!” Thunder God remarked. “It’s just that sector lords are ridiculously expensive!”

It was not just moderately expensive; looking at the price tags was enough to induce despair.

They were measured in units of trillions of Black Dragon dollars.

After making their selections and leaving a deposit, the slave market would deliver the slaves to the designated location.

Walking out of the slave market, Thunder God shook his head and forced a smile. “We should have picked out some alien women for the Third Brother.”

“That’s an idea!” Hong agreed wholeheartedly.

“By then, Qin Ming would be our very first alien son-in-law!” Luo Feng laughed heartily.

“Perhaps in the future, I really will be the first!” Qin Ming didn't mind.

Instead of returning to the spaceship, they headed to the ‘Qianwu Dojo’.

This was a school—or rather, a martial arts hall—established by the Qianwu Advanced Cosmic Civilization Empire within the stellar sector it governed, meant for recruiting geniuses from all directions.

Joining was very simple: as long as one reached the planetary level and paid the tuition fees, they could train inside and even hire instructors for guidance.

“When you are weak, joining a faction might seem useless, but once you grow powerful, it becomes your backing and a source of connections,” Babata explained. “My former master was far too solitary, traversing the universe alone. As a result, when he was besieged, not a single person came to his aid, and he died a miserable death! By joining the Qianwu Dojo now, as your cultivation progresses, you will naturally attract attention and integrate into it, gradually forming a powerful network of connections. Once you reach a certain rank, you can hold important posts, become guest elders, and leverage that influence. Most importantly, the Qianwu Dojo places no restrictions whatsoever on its students.”

Qin Ming and the others understood this logic and naturally did not refuse.

When weak, one must use every possible means to grow stronger. As for everything else, it was utterly trivial.

Without lingering further, they returned to the stellar spaceport. After receiving their slaves, they soared into space, preparing for the journey back.

“Next, we need to find a planet to serve as a transit station for Earth, establishing our second base!” Babata suggested on the spaceship. “In the future, any materials we purchase can be sent to the transit base first, which will also prevent Earth from being exposed!”

“Alright, Babata, start gathering information and see which location is suitable,” Qin Ming said. “Then we can purchase the formulation metals for Luo Feng. Helping him grow stronger is the top priority!”

This was a matter they had already agreed upon!