Chapter 26: Civil Unrest, Section 2

The energy sun within the artificial planet gradually set, and darkness descended like a light veil over this vast city. Lights flickered on one after another, and in an instant, the entire artificial planet turned into a world of colors. Huge bulletin boards in the sky glowed brightly, constantly displaying vast amounts of information. The wide streets were filled with vehicles, just like the never-dark cities on Earth in the past.

The banquet was held as scheduled. With the attendance of the royal Moore family, who held high positions, the banquet was undoubtedly grand in scale—there were nearly a thousand servants alone responsible for serving guests. The Longmen Inn specially reserved three floors for it. The spacious halls and bright lights made the Longmen Inn shine like a jewel under the night sky, exceptionally magnificent.

Yet, Miss Wei Li’s status was extremely noble. Not everyone could attend this banquet. Aside from the high-ranking officials of the planet, only true business magnates and the finest warriors might receive invitations. Ordinary people wouldn’t just be unable to attend; even trying to take a glance would likely result in them being monitored by guards.

This reflected the strength of the Longmen Inn. It was unclear what methods they used to obtain five invitations, which could be given freely to guests staying in premium rooms. When the exquisitely crafted invitation was delivered to Black Hair, he immediately understood the significance of Princess Qixi from Bit staying at the Longmen Inn.

Undoubtedly, she had come for this invitation as well. Otherwise, as a princess of a slave race, she might not be qualified enough to attend such a banquet.

However, just before attending, Black Hair noticed a problem: he seemed to have brought too many people with him. Although fewer than a hundred people had disembarked with him this time, their appearance, due to disguise, was extremely imposing—tall, muscular, and resembling stones. Coupled with their fierce looks and bloodthirsty eyes forged by years of combat, such a group would likely be seized by guards as soon as they entered the banquet hall.

But there was nothing he could do about it. In this unfamiliar environment, danger lurked everywhere. Though these pirates were strong fighters, they weren’t very clever. Without his protection, they might easily expose themselves, and Black Hair certainly couldn’t afford such an outcome.

After much thought, Hei Fa decided to take everyone with him. He would simply claim that they were his bodyguards. After all, as an armed merchant, it shouldn’t be too absurd to bring a hundred bodyguards, right? Or… maybe it was a little absurd after all? Hei Fa smiled bitterly. But perhaps even he couldn’t have anticipated this. His concern was entirely unnecessary. The warrior culture of the Moors was beyond comparison to that of the human world. In fact, when he arrived at the banquet hall, he realized that every guest invited had a large group of bodyguards following them—some even numbering over three hundred. His own hundred men were completely ignored.

The banquet hall was a vast square nearly two kilometers in diameter, with a dome made entirely of transparent crystals. Countless lights flickered, illuminating every detail of the hall, making it look like a crystal palace—absolutely breathtaking. The races present in the hall were diverse. Besides those that resembled humans, there were many creatures with strange appearances. Some looked like octopuses, others like reptiles. Hei Fa even saw a giant over five meters tall—taller than any mech, with bulging muscles that seemed ready to burst through his clothes. This giant stood beside the stage, arms crossed, scanning the crowd with a fierce gaze, as if everyone below were prey.

“That’s General Thunderstorm from the Mammoth tribe. He’s Miss Wei Li’s personal bodyguard,” Xiao Nobi appeared out of nowhere and hurriedly explained when he saw Hei Fa staring at the giant. For some reason, his smile seemed even more insincere now, almost gleeful.

“Oh?” Hei Fa was stunned. He took another close look at the giant. “How could a general from the Mammoth tribe be a woman’s bodyguard?”

“Why not?” Xiao Nobi’s eyes widened. “Don’t you know? Miss Wei Li is the most beloved daughter of the Grand Duke of Tarot and one of the high-ranking officials of the Moors’ 15th Fleet. Her military achievements are beyond what many generals can achieve in a lifetime. It’s every man’s dream to serve as her bodyguard! And rumors say only the strongest warriors are qualified for this role. That’s why this position has always been held by the Mammoth tribe. But now…” Xiao Nobi glanced at the Blood Wolf Pirates behind Hei Fa, a smile appearing on his face. “Maybe that rumor is about to be broken.”

“Hm?” Hei Fa felt a chill. “What do you mean?”

“There’s not much else. But today, General Thunderstorm heard that the combat strength of your guards is even greater than that of the Mammoth tribe. He’s quite interested and wants to discuss it with you. There’s also a need for some excitement at this banquet. I think you won’t refuse, right?” Little Norbi smiled, no longer showing the respectful demeanor he had before.
Seeing his carefree smile, Hei Fa felt relieved. A slight smile appeared on his own lips as he looked at Little Norbi with a hint of admiration. “Of course, I’d be happy to.”
“Huh!?” It was now Little Norbi’s turn to be surprised. He rolled his eyes, unable to understand why this Bor tribe merchant had such boldness. He was filled with doubt.
In his plans, this merchant should have been terrified and begged for his help, allowing him to manipulate the wealthy merchant into relying on him. Then, all that precious ore might end up in his hands.
But he never expected that upon hearing the news that the formidable Mammoth tribe was coming for him, the merchant wasn’t afraid at all but instead seemed confident. Could it be that he already knew about his plans? Or perhaps he truly trusted his subordinates?
No… don’t joke. The Mammoth tribe holds the title of having the strongest warriors in the Moor Empire.
Every Mammoth is a towering giant, about five meters tall. Their thick arms possess strength comparable to that of heavy mechs. A single step from them can shake the ground. In terms of strength, no one in the vast Moor Empire is greater than them. Adult Mammoths can even lift a small warship with one hand!! And General Thunderstorm, as a Mammoth general, is among the strongest of all. He never uses weapons in battle; with just his iron fists, he has sent countless enemies to their doom. On the most extreme occasion, this mighty general once torn apart an enemy’s spaceship with his own hands!!

But the Mammoth people’s strength certainly lies beyond that. They have a tradition: whenever a new Mammoth is born, he is sent alone to a mysterious planet—a sacred site of the Mammoth race, whose location is unknown to anyone. It is said to have an extremely harsh environment, with constant thunderstorms and lightning, along with many ancient, monstrous beasts. The newborn Mammoth must live there alone for countless years until he digs up a piece of dark gold ore the size of a warship. This ore becomes his armor and weapons, staying with him forever. It can be carried in normal times, and in times of war, it expands and transforms into a huge armor resembling a mythical giant, providing him with the strongest protection. If not for the small population of the Mammoth race, even the Moor Empire would never dare to provoke them lightly.

If this Bor merchant isn’t an idiot, he must be crazy. Xiao Nuobi immediately formed an opinion about the black-haired man and the others in his mind.

While lost in thought, the banquet had already begun. An extremely tall woman stepped onto the stage surrounded by numerous servants, causing an immediate uproar. Almost all the guests stretched their necks, vying to see her. The hall was instantly filled with chaos, with Miss Veli’s cheers echoing everywhere.

Is she Miss Veli?

The black-haired man stared at the stunningly beautiful woman on stage, utterly speechless.

Indeed, differences between races are not just in appearance; even aesthetics seem to be completely different. If Miss Veli could be called beautiful, the black-haired man would have preferred to see a pig instead. But one thing was clear to him—the Moors are indeed a species with a human-like appearance.

Actually, Miss Veli wasn’t that ugly. It’s just that her style was too unconventional.

Standing two meters tall, she was as thin as a bamboo pole, yet she walked in a swaying manner, giving the impression of being frail. Her numerous crystal pendants jingled with each sway, spanning such a wide distance that the black-haired man worried she might break her waist at any moment. Her face, covered in some kind of paint, looked like that of a ghost—her skin pale as paper, her lips bright red as blood. It made the black-haired man feel nauseous… But just as he bent over, pretending to cover up his nausea, he suddenly noticed that Blood Pupil was already vomiting violently. Seeing the black-haired man’s gaze, Blood Pupil gave a pitying smile.

“Vomit it out. Keep vomiting until you get used to it. You’ll need to be close to her in a moment—cleanse your stomach first.”
“Wow…” At the thought of what lay ahead, the dark-haired person could no longer hold back, and acid rushed up their throat.
Just then, a loud shout suddenly rang out above their heads…
“Hey, you guys! Are you those so-called armed merchants who claim to be stronger than the Mammoth tribe!? Stand up, let me see!!”
In an instant, all eyes in the hall turned toward them…