Chapter 00080: Each with Their Own Thoughts
# Each with Their Own Thoughts
Chapter 80
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 80: Each with Their Own Thoughts
Seeing Emperor Saino walking directly towards Tao Ai, Lan Xiaobu's heart skipped a beat. He was certain that the one who had stolen the two bags from his room was indeed Tao Ai.
Because Tao Ai had stolen the bags, he realized that there were no boundary stones inside. No matter how hard Tao Ai racked his brain, he couldn't figure out where those more than ten thousand boundary stones had gone. Today, when Emperor Saino mentioned spatial treasures that could hold items, Tao Ai must have thought of him immediately. His boundary stones couldn’t have disappeared, and Lan Xiaobu would absolutely not discard them on the battle shuttle. The only possibility was that he had used some means to take the boundary stones away, but with so many boundary stones, it would be impossible to do so without being noticed.
Previously, Tao Ai had not thought of spatial treasures, but now that Emperor Saino brought it up, it was impossible for Tao Ai not to think of it. Just because Tao Ai remembered that the boundary stones might have been taken by a spatial treasure, his expression changed, which was noticed by Emperor Saino, who had deliberately mentioned spatial treasures.
At this moment, Lan Xiaobu could only hope that Tao Ai would not bring up the matter of him and the boundary stones; otherwise, it would spiral out of control. No matter how innate he was, under the weapons of a Level-5 technological civilization, he would probably only end up as dust. Even if he tried to escape now, he wouldn’t be able to.
Tao Ai quickly bowed, “I am Tao Ai, from the Silver Radiance Star in the Hundred Mo Star System. I have come to meet Emperor Saino.”
Silver Radiance Star? Emperor Saino frowned slightly. If it were an ordinary star, he would have directly taken Tao Ai away, finding any excuse to do so. Since Tao Ai was from a Level-5 technological civilization star, he couldn't just take him away casually.
Even though the technological strength of Silver Radiance Star was not as good as that of his Red Thunder Star, once war broke out, it would be detrimental to both planets. Therefore, under normal circumstances, conflicts rarely occurred between planets of the same Level-5 technological civilization unless absolutely necessary.
Tao Ai was also in a fierce inner struggle. He was eighty percent sure that Lan Xiaobu had a spatial treasure capable of carrying items. Although he wasn’t certain whether this spatial treasure was obtained by Lan Xiaobu after killing Emperor Saino's son, Lian, he was definitely suspicious of Lan Xiaobu.
“Have you ever seen spatial treasures that can store items?” Emperor Saino asked with a smile, but the oppressive aura surrounding him almost made Tao Ai unable to breathe.
Tao Ai was sure that Emperor Saino was a strong cultivator who had laid a foundation in martial arts; otherwise, he wouldn’t have made someone like him, who was just a step away from establishing a foundation, feel such a terrifying pressure.
“I have not seen one, but I have heard that space can actually be isolated. It is truly astonishing. Space and time are profound and vast, always a topic of study for top scholars. Today, I learned that space can be taken out separately and compressed into something, and that items can even be stored within this compressed space. Technological advancements truly leave one in awe. I wonder if time also has this characteristic; there is so much I need to learn,” Tao Ai sighed.
He ultimately decided not to mention Lan Xiaobu. Just hearing about spatial treasures was enough to stir his blood, let alone the possibility of having obtained one himself.
Lan Xiaobu's strength should be formidable, but if Lan Xiaobu entered the Jade Dawn Star, he would have the chance to eliminate him. He believed that there were weapons that could be brought into the Jade Dawn Star without being detected, and he was confident that he wasn't the only one with such weapons; contestants from Level-5 technological civilization stars were assumed to possess them as an advantage. A few contestants from Level-4 technological civilization stars might also have the opportunity to acquire such weapons that could bypass the detection of the Jade Dawn Star, but Lan Xiaobu came from a Level-2 technological civilization star, the True Promise Star, which definitely wouldn’t have such weapons.
What benefit would telling Emperor Saino bring? What could a Level-5 technological civilization star give him? He himself was a prince, a prince from a Level-5 technological civilization star; he could say that anything offered by the Red Thunder Star was of no concern to him. As for Lian's death, what did it have to do with him?
Emperor Saino had clearly determined that Tao Ai was lying, but Tao Ai's surname indicated that he must have a significant connection to Tao Zhanting, the emperor of the Silver Radiance Star in the Du Huang Empire.
“Indeed, indeed, young people should learn more. By the way, if you have any news about Lian, you must tell me. I may not dare to say anything else, but I have confiscated several reverse laws from the Jade Dawn Star. Although these things cannot be studied, they can be researched by scholars. I hope you can take these reverse laws and discover something beneficial for the entire universe,” Emperor Saino patted Tao Ai's shoulder and smiled as he walked back.
If it were another place, he would have taken Tao Ai away without hesitation; what did it matter if a prince from a Level-5 technological civilization star was involved? When it came to the life and death of his only son, Lian, no one could remain uninvolved.
Seeing Emperor Saino leave, Tao Ai almost called out to him. Reverse laws, that was the cultivation technique! This was the purpose of his visit to the Jade Dawn Star, and it was something he had long desired.
As long as he mentioned Lan Xiaobu's existence, he could very likely obtain a cultivation technique.
“Phew...” It was only after Emperor Saino had gone far away that Tao Ai let out a long breath. He decided to get his hands on that spatial treasure first. Perhaps he could still obtain a cultivation technique from the Jade Dawn Star; even if he couldn't, he could express his suspicions about Lan Xiaobu later. No, once he said it, Emperor Saino would suspect that he had obtained something from Lian.
Seeing Emperor Saino leave and not coming towards him, Lan Xiaobu finally breathed a sigh of relief, his palms even sweating.
It seemed that Tao Ai wanted to secretly take his storage ring for himself, which was good for Lan Xiaobu. He was just afraid that Tao Ai was not focused; if Tao Ai was not focused, he would be in danger today.
Just now, when Emperor Saino left, although he didn’t use his divine sense to scan, he had a feeling of apprehension. This indicated that Emperor Saino had likely already established a martial arts foundation, and his strength was greater than his. Moreover, they were on the periphery of the Jade Dawn Star, which was dominated by a Level-5 technological civilization star, surrounded by a plethora of top-tier firearms. How could Lan Xiaobu ensure his survival?
Perhaps he had just taken out Kunlun, and the next moment he could be eliminated. Even if he wasn't killed, Kunlun would have rushed into the universe; what then? There were far too many battle shuttles and warships stronger than Kunlun here, capable of easily locking onto and eliminating him and Kunlun.
Now that Tao Ai had his eyes on his ring and wanted to quietly take it away, Lan Xiaobu felt fortunate. If Tao Ai wanted to eliminate him, he would also want to eliminate Tao Ai.
If before it was for Ke’er, now it was for his own life; he would stop at nothing to eliminate Tao Ai.
Not only that, he had to quickly find a successor technique to enhance his strength. Could Tao Ai think that he might possess a storage space? It was certain that Mu Yuansang could think of it; it was just a matter of time.
In fact, Mu Yuansang was somewhat suspicious, not of Lan Xiaobu, but of someone from the Hundred Mo Star System who had come to the Jade Dawn Star with him having a spatial treasure. Lan Xiaobu's more than ten thousand boundary stones had been stolen; those were no small items. Even if wrapped in large cloth, they would still be two large bundles. Hiding such bundles without him knowing was utterly impossible.
If it weren't for the surveillance showing that Lan Xiaobu was not the one who stole the boundary stones, he would have genuinely suspected Lan Xiaobu. But who exactly stole Lan Xiaobu's boundary stones? Where did those boundary stones go? Could it be that there really was a spatial treasure?
If such a person truly existed, they would definitely be a contestant from a Level-5 technological civilization star, as only contestants from Level-5 technological civilization stars would have rooms without surveillance.
...
The Jade Dawn Star had not yet opened, and a group of people could only wait outside on the square. Lan Xiaobu was the most anxious; he didn’t dare to cultivate or go out, so he had to endure patiently at the location of the True Promise Star.
Fortunately, after two days, no one came to interrogate him. What relieved Lan Xiaobu was that the Jade Dawn Star had opened.
A total of over one hundred technological civilization stars from the five major star systems entered the Jade Dawn Star in order of their civilization levels. Although there were over a hundred stars, except for four or five dozen people from Level-5 technological civilization stars, there were relatively few entrants from stars below Level-5, adding up to just over two thousand people.
The True Promise Star, where Lan Xiaobu was located, was one of the weakest stars, so it naturally entered last.
As a guard, Lan Xiaobu had to walk in front of Commander Tai and others. He didn’t dare to extend his divine sense but kept his eyes on the situation ahead.
The entrance to the Jade Dawn Star was at the end of the starry sky square where they were located. Although it looked like a door had been opened there, to Lan Xiaobu, it appeared to be a black hole.
What was happening inside the black hole, Lan Xiaobu could not see clearly. He only knew that each contestant would disappear without a trace after passing through the detection gate into the black hole, as if they were devoured by a giant mouth.
The crowd slowly entered the black hole, being swallowed up. As Lan Xiaobu looked at the black hole he was about to enter, he felt a chill in his heart.
Outside the black hole, on the starry sky square, Emperor Saino walked to where the Hundred Mo Star System was located and smiled at Hua Qianfang, who was standing there, saying, “You Hundred Mo Star System did quite well this time, with nineteen stars participating and two Level-2 technological civilization stars entering the Jade Dawn Star.”
Hua Qianfang was a escort; he could not enter the Jade Dawn Star. He never expected that the emperor of Red Thunder Star would主动来找他说话, so he quickly bowed and greeted him.
Emperor Saino patted Hua Qianfang's shoulder, “No need to be formal; we are all here for the same purpose. Don’t treat me as an emperor. By the way, that Tao Ai is quite impressive.”
“Yes, Tao Ai is the second prince of the Du Huang Empire. Not only is his strength formidable, but he also has a great personality,” Hua Qianfang replied meekly.
Emperor Saino nodded, “Was the journey here smooth? Did anything happen along the way?”
Although Hua Qianfang could barely be considered an innate, whether true or false, facing Emperor Saino made him feel an invisible pressure crushing him, making every word he spoke feel difficult and anxious.
(End of Chapter)