Chapter 20: The Terrifying 31-Star Region, Section 7

One doesn’t know until scanning—once scanned, it’s shocking.
It turned out those planets were not just a few remote, unexploitable mining worlds as Baroka had said. They were actually a vast galaxy with dozens of planets of various sizes!! What Baroka had seen before were merely the outermost planets of this galaxy.
“Am I… dreaming?” Staring in shock at the dozens of new dots that appeared on the screen, Baroka was stunned.
If it were just a few planets that couldn’t be scanned, one could still say Baroka wasn’t thorough enough. But failing to notice such a large galaxy right under one’s nose couldn’t be attributed to carelessness—it was outright dereliction of duty!!
For a moment, Baroka was utterly confused. Sweat droplets streamed down his forehead, pattering onto the keyboard without him even noticing.
At that moment, the dark-haired man at the captain’s station spoke up.
“Didn’t you scan it when you were here last time?”
“Yes, that’s right. All scans showed nothing here. It would have been impossible to detect without direct observation,” Baroka replied in confusion.
“I see.” The dark-haired man nodded and exchanged a glance with the monkey beside him, his expression turning serious. It was now obvious. He believed Baroka wasn’t lying, leaving only one possibility.
At least one of these planets harbored intelligent life!!
Unlike Earth’s earliest understanding, after so much time of exploring the universe, people now knew that life wasn’t that difficult to arise. Given the vastness of the universe and the sheer number of planets, planets with life were not rare—only higher forms of intelligence were scarce. The 31-Star Region was enormous, and its depths remained unexplored; it was quite normal to find one or two intelligent lifeforms there.
But intelligent life capable of hiding an entire galaxy from detection was excessive.
After all, even for humans, hiding such a large galaxy from discovery was impossible!! Neither technology nor resources were sufficient. Moreover, if they could easily conceal an entire galaxy and now suddenly reveal it, what could the implication be?
“Curiosity? An invitation? Or… a challenge?” In the silent control room, the dark-haired man suddenly asked the monkey.
The monkey replied bluntly: “I don’t know.”

“Well, since they’ve removed their shielding, we have to go in and take a look. This time, it might just be a big catch.”
“Hehe, I just hope this ‘big catch’ isn’t actually a shark.” Black Hair also smiled, understanding Monkey’s meaning. By the time he turned around, his expression had returned to seriousness.
“Head to the target planet and activate all scanners throughout the journey. Since our master is so hospitable, let’s not be polite. I want to know everything about the environment, ecology, and distribution of life here.”
“Understood!!” A loud response came from the cabin. The entire fleet immediately traced a graceful arc through space, rushing toward the galaxy below.
A distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometers was nothing but a short time for these warships. Soon, those planets rapidly enlarged in sight, revealing their true appearance, while a series of data points were collected and presented to Black Hair.
“There are thirty-two planets in this galaxy, most of which are satellites unsuitable for life. Only six are actual planets. According to the scans, all planets are covered in dense vegetation. All of them… suitable for life!?”
Upon seeing this report, Black Hair was shocked, feeling as if he were dreaming!!
What a joke. If the environments of all six planets are suitable for life, doesn’t that mean there’s life there? This is absolutely absurd. Could what’s hidden here not be a race, but a civilization?
At this thought, Black Hair’s brows furrowed immediately. Monkey beside him also showed a tense expression.
Unlike ordinary racial patterns, if it were a civilization, things would get serious. After all, the existence of a civilization itself signifies vastness, vitality, and glory. Civilizations that have survived through the long ages of space are none trivial—possessing great depth and flexibility, and most importantly, absolute military strength. This can be seen from humanity’s current magic civilization.
“You were right; it really is a big catch,” Black Hair murmured to Monkey, who responded with a wry smile.
Time passed swiftly. In just a short while, the entire fleet had penetrated among numerous planets. The nearest planet could even be observed with the naked eye. Seeing the lush greenery on its surface, almost everyone wore an expression of disbelief.
The screens showed that the vegetation coverage on these planets… was 100%.

“Send orders to the fleet: double the vigilance, divide into three groups for scanning, and dispatch landing ships. Let’s go check out the nearest planet,” Black Hair finally made up his mind.
After all, the mysteries of this galaxy had piqued his curiosity. He would never forgive himself if he returned empty-handed. If there was danger, so be it… After all, danger meant rewards. Black Hair had always believed that.
The fleet dispersed and reformed its formation, sending out landing ships. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, just like during traditional exploration missions. The only difference was that Black Hair and Monkey’s names were on the list of passengers on these landing ships.
By taking action himself, Black Hair quickly earned the recognition of all the new members. The looks directed at him now carried more admiration. Of course, few knew that his true purpose was simply to see this planet with his own eyes.
The landing went smoothly. The environment of that planet was much better than expected. The landing ships didn’t even experience any turbulence along the way. Just two hours later, Black Hair stepped foot on this mysterious planet.
As soon as they stepped out of the landing craft, Black Hair and his companions were stunned in unison.
Before them stood a giant ancient tree. With a diameter of over ten meters, thick bark, and a canopy that shaded the sky, it clearly displayed the tree’s vigorous vitality. It would be hard to imagine such a massive tree existing without seeing it with one’s own eyes. But what truly shocked Black Hair and the others wasn’t this—it was that there wasn’t just one such tree, but countless of them. These enormous ancient trees covered every visible area, forming a vast forest.
No, it could no longer be called a forest. This was clearly a vast primeval forest that covered the entire planet. The ground was no longer soil or rock but a thick layer of vegetation. Stepping on it felt soft, as if walking on a carpet. Although the air filtration devices prevented them from experiencing the atmosphere firsthand, just looking at it was enough to awe them. Stepping out of the landing craft felt like entering an ancient forest untouched by humans.
“This is… the Forest of Elves!!” A botanist who had landed with the ships suddenly exclaimed in shock, his face turning red.

Endless stretches of green, giant ancient trees under the vast sky, along with shrubs and dense thickets everywhere. This was clearly the most ancient habitat of the elves as described in history—the Forest of Elves. Legend had it to be the cradle of all life, a sacred place for the elves!

“Captain, the air quality test is complete. Everything meets optimal standards—safe for skin contact and breathing. The concentration of trace elements is extremely high and beneficial to human health,” reported a pirate who had stepped up to the dark-haired man.

At his words, everyone eagerly removed their helmets and took deep breaths, their faces instantly filled with awe.

Oh, God! What wonderful air! It was filled with a fresh scent. The refreshing sensation as it entered their lungs alone excited them greatly. In comparison, the heavily polluted air in other star systems was nothing but garbage—unfit for breathing. The Forest of Elves? Was the legend true?

“No, this isn’t the Forest of Elves. It was destroyed long ago. Otherwise, the elves wouldn’t be in such a dire situation. This must be another place, but its vitality isn’t much different from that of the legendary Forest of Elves,” said the botanist again, this time with a calm conclusion. Then he rushed forward to the dark-haired man.

“Captain, let’s start surveying right away. I guarantee it’s the greatest discovery of the year. Our 31st Star System will surely become the brightest star in all civilization. An environment like this, a planet like this— it shouldn’t belong to just one person, but to society as a whole! It’s magnificent!”

Feeling the scholar’s eager gaze, the dark-haired man smiled gently and patted his shoulder.

“Very good. Let’s begin immediately. If you’re right, I’m willing to make this discovery public. As you said, it’s a great discovery, so it should belong to society as a whole.”

“Thank you, Captain!” The botanist was overjoyed. He bowed respectfully to the dark-haired man before turning around and rushing to the landing ship to get things ready. Under his direction, the pirates carried precise instruments from the cabin and soon piled them up beside the landing ship.

Watching his busy and excited figure, the dark-haired man’s smile faded. He glanced at the monkey beside him. “This is one of the scholars sent by the Creek Business Association, the one I told you about. What do you think?”

“He’s a competent botanist, just like those old scholars we met before. But his flaws remain the same.” The monkey glanced at the man casually in the direction Blackhair was looking, then focused on trimming his own nails. “I’m sure that in the near future, this man… will disappear.”