Chapter Thirteen: Wealth and Poverty, Section 8

“Welcome?” Black Hair was immediately confused by this word, so much so that he didn’t even notice his cigarette falling from his mouth.
Was this queen insane? If what she said was true, hadn’t he made a huge mistake? Using all of Windstorm’s energy to eliminate just one of their honor guards—was there anything more frustrating than that?
“…Nuke, is what she said true?” Black Hair remained silent for a long time before finally asking. Around him, he could clearly sense a circle of astonished gazes. It was obvious that almost everyone was stunned by the word “queen.”
“Well, I’m not sure either… The Gold-Eating Insects are very ancient creatures, and we Wandering Ones have little contact with them,” Nuke said helplessly, shaking his head.
“Then let’s listen to what it has to say.” Black Hair lost his temper as well. He raised his head, his gaze fixed on the green mass on the screen.
“Queen Lise. If what you just said was meant as a welcome, don’t you think it’s a bit excessive? I happen to have a companion here who knows you and is well-versed in your habits. Please forgive my directness, but I can’t see why a welcome ceremony would require tens of thousands of Gold-Eating Insects, especially since they’re so fierce.”
“Fierce? Ah… Don’t joke… Those are worker bees…” The queen’s voice was strained.
“I’ve been waiting for a long time for guests to arrive. I just wanted to show some sign of welcome… Ahem… Honorable guest, you’ve disappointed me… Many of my children… have died…”
“…” Great drops of sweat rolled down Black Hair’s forehead. At this moment, he truly had nothing to say. Even if what the other party had done could be considered a welcome, he had still taken action first. If they insisted it was merely a gesture of welcome, then no matter what, he couldn’t be in the right.
What made things even worse was that Windstorm’s energy could no longer support another battle. If negotiations failed, his situation would be extremely dire.
Black Hair suddenly felt a sense of loss of control over the situation, accompanied by a surge of disgust.
“Very well, Your Majesty. I have no intention of continuing to argue over this. In my view, everything that happened just now was normal. You know the nature of your children, and before I knew more, I had to be cautious. That’s completely normal. If you insist on continuing this topic, then I can only say I’m sorry.” Black Hair frowned and spoke plainly.

Fortunately, it seemed the other party wasn’t focused on this issue either. After hearing about the black-haired being, it fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“Ahem… Very well… Let’s not dwell on this issue any longer… I came here merely to see the guest I’ve been waiting for for three thousand years… and… I hope we can have a proper conversation…”
“You knew I was coming?” The black-haired one immediately noticed the key point in the queen’s words.
“Of course not… Ahem… It’s just that you’re the first to come to this place…”
“I see.” The black-haired one nodded and gave a gentle smile at the green figure on the screen. “Then, is there anything I can help you with, Your Majesty?”
“Of course… Noble guest… We need you… Please follow me… to my palace to discuss this…”
Hearing this, the black-haired one was momentarily stunned. “Your Majesty, please forgive my directness—is your palace on that neutron star? If so, I’m afraid we can’t go there. The gravity there is beyond what this warship can withstand.”
“It doesn’t matter… Ahem… Noble guest… We can go to a small planet nearby to talk… The gravity there… is normal.” The queen replied, panting.
“Very well, I agree.” After a slight hesitation, the black-haired one nodded reluctantly.
The situation was dire. Under these circumstances, he had no way to refuse. Li Feng’s energy was still slowly being replenished; he couldn’t even perform a teleportation, let alone escape.
Gritting his teeth, the black-haired one stared at the giant figure rapidly disappearing on the screen, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. “Blood Pupils, follow it. Baroka, get all the heavy ion cannons ready, charge them, and remove the safeties. We can only rely on them now.”
“Understood!!” Everyone responded loudly.
Following the queen’s direction, Li Feng’s massive body moved nimbly before disappearing swiftly into the starry sky.
An hour later, on a small planet fifty thousand kilometers away from the neutron star.
It was a very peculiar planet. Though small, it was covered with strange stone carvings, likely depicting some ancient civilization. Many of these carvings had meanings that were impossible to decipher, and the subjects of most of them resembled the Gold-Eating Insects greatly, giving everyone present a strange feeling.
It seemed as though the Gold-Eating Insects truly descended from ancient times.

Could it be true about the nuclear matter? Are these Gold-Eating Insects truly descendants of ancient gods? And are these stone carvings records of their ancestors’ deeds? For a moment, this absurd idea crossed everyone’s mind.

But they had no time to think further—Li Feng had already landed on an open area of this planet. On the other side of the clearing stood a massive palace with an elevation of over 500 meters. The surface of the palace was adorned with countless mysterious patterns. Though its gourd-like shape was somewhat strange, it exuded an overwhelming sense of grandeur.

Just by looking at its exterior, who could say that the Gold-Eating Insects were an uncivilized race? This huge palace and the numerous exquisite stone carvings—weren’t they all the fruits of their wisdom?

To be safe, Hei Fa ordered all the crew to stay on Li Feng, while he, along with Xue Tong, stepped onto the planet’s surface. Following the giant queen’s guards, they entered the palace. After passing through winding corridors, they arrived in a vast space—like a cave inside a mountain. Hei Fa could even see countless sharp and dense stalactites on the ceiling.

The queen of the Gold-Eating Insects, that green mass, was seated on a throne at the top of this space.

“Please sit down, noble guest. I’m delighted to meet you here. Please forgive us—we don’t have anything to offer you to eat. I suppose our food isn’t suitable for you.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to prepare anything for me. Please just tell me why you called me here. I’m happy to help a hospitable host like you,” Hei Fa said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders before giving Xue Tong a signal to sit down on a raised rock nearby.

This was probably the only place in the palace where they could sit. Since even the smallest Gold-Eating Insects were larger than mechs, everything here was enormous and beyond their reach.

“Very well, then I’ll be direct. Noble guest, I hope to get your help in driving away a rival race in the vicinity. We’ve been at war with them for a long time.” For some reason, ever since returning to the palace, the queen’s coughing had disappeared. Her voice now carried none of the signs of old age.

“Other forces?” Black Hair seemed to grasp something. His expression improved significantly. “Please forgive my directness, Your Majesty. Your race is one of the strongest creatures I’ve ever seen. I really can’t think of any other beings that could pose a challenge to you. Moreover, if there’s a force that even your race can’t handle, I doubt I could either.”
“No, no, no—this is different, noble guest. I know where you come from. You are humans—the absolute dominators of the thirty star systems in the vicinity. Your weapons are terrifying, and your warships are incredibly powerful. I’ve heard many rumors about this. I believe you can help me with this task. And…” The queen paused, as if thinking, before continuing after a short while.
“That race isn’t actually that strong; they simply have an innate advantage over us. You may not be aware of this, but our proud exoskeletons are like thin paper in the face of their saliva—utterly fragile. This gives them an edge over us. If it weren’t for the fact that they can’t withstand the immense gravity of neutron stars, we would have been wiped out long ago.”
Upon hearing the queen’s explanation, Black Hair’s eyes lit up.
Nature is truly amazing—unexpectedly, even here, there’s a food chain. As the Queen of Gold-Eating Insects put it, Black Hair could easily deduce that those must be their natural predators.
One thing defeats another… If he weren’t a guest in the palace, Black Hair might have burst into laughter.
But if that race’s saliva could easily destroy the Gold-Eating Insects’ tough exoskeletons, what about warship armor? Would it also corrode as easily as thin paper?
Black Hair thought briefly but kept a straight face. “Your Majesty, I’m becoming interested.”
“Hehe, you truly are my most noble guest. Very well, I’ll be direct. Their name is Mud Beasts. They have no bones at all—just soft, mushy bodies like piles of mud. In terms of strength, my children could easily tear them apart. But for some reason, their bodily fluids are like deadly poison to us; even a slight contact will cause us to disintegrate. From what I’ve observed, your warships should be able to easily solve this problem for us.”
“Are their bodily fluids highly corrosive? Like strong acids?” Black Hair asked suddenly.

“I don’t know what kind of strong acid you’re referring to. But their bodily fluids do have an extremely terrifying corrosive effect. Not only can they melt the shells of us Gold-Eating Insects, but even rocks. I must admit that even if you’re willing to help me, you’d still face great risks,” the queen said slowly.

As expected. Blackhair’s expression changed as he weighed his options in his mind.

He knew that although the vast universe was boundless and there were countless strange races, those with corrosive abilities were often the most dangerous. Their attack methods fell outside the realm of ordinary physical forces and were more chemical in nature. Ordinary mechs and warships found it difficult to defend against such attacks.

But Li Feng was indeed an exception.

In addition to its sturdy and thick armor, Li Feng had designed an ion defense shield on the outside of the ship from the start to accommodate assault needs. Only attacks that penetrated this shield could directly affect the ship’s hull. If those sludge beasts’ bodily fluids lacked the ability to penetrate, Blackhair thought it might be worth a try.

Now, he had another concern.

“Your Majesty, if they’re really as you say, perhaps I can help. But…” Blackhair paused, his gaze shifting to the green object on the throne, before continuing.

“I understand what you mean, noble guest. There must be a reward for effort. That’s a universal law in the universe. You needn’t hesitate. Since I’ve invited you to help us solve this problem, I’ll surely offer you a reward that satisfies you. Perhaps you’re interested in neutron star ores? My children can help you with that. I’m not boasting—probably only we Gold-Eating Insects in this region can enter that planet so easily.”

“Deal!” Blackhair nodded eagerly.

It was as if his wish had come true. He had been struggling to find raw materials from neutron stars, and now someone was offering to help. After all, the gravity of neutron stars was beyond what ordinary equipment could withstand—even Li Feng couldn’t handle it. So Blackhair felt as if he could see a piece of cake right in front of him but couldn’t reach it, which was extremely frustrating.

Phith ore was precious; possessing it meant having countless riches. But if it couldn’t be mined, wouldn’t it be the same?

Sometimes, the difference between wealth and poverty is truly just a thin line.

With the queen’s promise, Black Hair felt relieved, so he quickly ended the visit. After learning from the queen where the race’s lair was located, Li Feng’s massive ship rose into the air and swiftly disappeared into the distant horizon.
“Boss, are we really going to deal with that mud beast?” Blood Pupil suddenly asked in the cabin.
“Of course. We have to. In this star region, we’re newcomers, so an ally is necessary for us,” Black Hair nodded firmly, his gaze fixed on the vast starry sky outside the window, his expression calm.
“Oh, then I need to get ready. I wonder if my demon mech can still function—it hasn’t been used in a long time,” Blood Pupil said lazily as he stretched.
“Go ahead. But there’s no need to go all out. This is just a test. If possible, I also hope to make contact with that mud beast.”
“What!?” Blood Pupil turned his head abruptly toward Black Hair. “What do you mean?”
“Without natural predators, wouldn’t this star region be too boring?” Black Hair said with a smile, a strange glint suddenly appearing in his eyes.