Chapter 32: Black Holes, Section 7

Indeed, there were tens of thousands of them.
As the light dots approached rapidly, the fortress’s monitoring terminals faithfully carried out their mission. The data on each ship was swiftly transmitted to Kurokami and the others.
Just as seen before, they were all arrow-shaped spacecraft. With sharp, angular hulls and rudimentary thrusters resembling arrow feathers, Kurokami couldn’t understand why this civilization favored such a design, but undeniably, these ships were highly practical. Their fast speed and aggressive collision attacks were eerily similar to those of his own Storm Raiders.
Of course, in terms of durability and destructive power, they were nowhere near on par with the Storm Raiders. Even after the brief interception, the shield of Thor’s Fortress still detected the impact readings from these ships. The data showed that their collision force was barely one-twentieth that of the Storm Raiders.
But what did that matter? The Storm Raiders were strong, but there were fewer than five hundred of them even now. Meanwhile, these arrow-shaped ships seemed virtually endless… In the face of such a massive number, all advantages became insignificant. Kurokami even wondered whether Thor’s Fortress could survive if all these ships launched an attack together.
This was a very powerful civilization. Though not yet fully developed, they had an overwhelming numerical advantage. As allies, they qualified as such.
Unconsciously, Kurokami had already judged them.
Just then, a chaotic signal suddenly appeared on Thor’s Fortress’s display terminal. Jumpy lines filled one corner of the screen, accompanied by a noisy sound, as if countless insects were buzzing.
“Interference?” Blood-Pupil sneered. He turned to leave the room. “Boss, these people are utterly disrespectful. They don’t know how to treat guests. Maybe I should teach them a lesson.”
“No need,” Kurokami replied, contrary to Blood-Pupil’s expectations. “It’s not interference. It seems more like a communication request. Search our database to see if there’s any relevant data.”
The latter part was directed at the Black Prison engineer. Thor’s Fortress’s database contained an astronomical amount of information, all provided by the Wanderers. Given their unique nature, this data was extremely comprehensive. Unless it was a newly risen civilization, most ancient races had detailed records in it.
Fortunately, this time was no exception.

“According to the information we have, this is a civilization called ‘Han’. It originated five thousand years ago, when the Wandering Tribes first made contact with them. At that time, they had just developed language and writing, and their civilization was very primitive. That’s why the Wandering Tribes didn’t interfere with them. However, there are quite a few records of their language and writing.” The database search yielded results quickly. The Black Prison Engineer replied swiftly.

“Good. Adjust the translation device. I want to speak to them immediately.” The black-haired man smiled in satisfaction and issued another command.

The Black Prison Engineer acted quickly. After typing a series of commands, the complex lines on the screen transformed into regular waves. At the same time, an aged and authoritative voice sounded in the command cabin.

“Strangers, you have invaded our territory and posed a threat to our survival. You must immediately state your purpose and your race. Otherwise, we will begin attacking.”

“We are humans. We’re here to seek help,” the black-haired man replied briefly before sinking into the comfortable chair. Taking a glass of red wine from someone nearby, he wore his familiar lazy smile once again.

Seeing his behavior, everyone in the command cabin exchanged knowing smiles. Whenever the leader showed that smile, it meant he intended to take advantage of others. It was just unclear what benefit they could gain this time.

“Help? Wait, you’re using an ancient language. How do you know such a language?” It seemed they had successfully received the message from the black-haired man, and they were immediately surprised. However, it was obvious they had a different interpretation of his message.

The black-haired man was also surprised, but he soon understood. After all, the Wandering Tribes had made contact with them five thousand years ago. It wasn’t surprising that their language had changed so much by now. Likely, much of its grammar had been lost or altered.

But that didn’t matter. Machines could handle the translation; the black-haired man only needed to convey the meaning clearly.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean by ‘ancient language.’ The language I use comes from an ancient race. As for the help we need, it’s quite simple. We’re lost and need your assistance to find our current coordinates. Of course, if you can provide a complete star map, I’d be even more grateful. As a reward, I can offer you one ton of Cemxi ore.”

“Oh, my gods. You mean you can move freely through the universe? You encountered us just because of a lack of coordinates? This is absolutely incredible.” The dignified voice exclaimed in shock. “Oh, I’m sorry—please forgive my excitement. After all, we’ve never had contact with visitors from afar. We are the only civilization in this area of the galaxy.”

“I understand,” said the black-haired man with a smile, nodding. He thought to himself, Surely this guy isn’t thinking of dissecting us like aliens did in the past? Fortunately, the other party’s next words reassured him somewhat.

“Oh, you need coordinates? That’s simple. Really simple. I can provide you with our latest survey data. But please forgive me—could you tell me what a star map is?”

“Damn it. They don’t even have star maps.” At these words, the blood-eyed man behind the black-haired man showed a hint of disdain. Not only him, but everyone in the command cabin shared the same expression.

This was the difference in civilization level. Although this civilization called ‘Han’ possessed an unprecedentedly large fleet, their level of civilization was truly disappointing. As a race that had already expanded into space, they didn’t even have basic star maps. In the eyes of the Blood Wolves, what was the difference between them and primitives? A sense of superiority immediately filled everyone’s hearts.

Yet, contrary to everyone’s complacency, the black-haired man grew worried.

He hadn’t expected this civilization to lack star maps!

What did the absence of star maps mean? It meant it would be very difficult for him to receive their data. Even if they provided what they thought were detailed figures, he might still be unable to relate them to his own location. After all, those were two completely different ways of calculating.

With that thought, his hopes turned into disappointment, and his voice turned cold.

“A star map is a race’s way of marking the universe’s environment. It can also be considered a map. We get lost because we lose reference to the environment through the star map. If possible, I hope to get your help.”

“I see. I’m sorry, we don’t have star maps. But we’re more than happy to welcome a distinguished guest like you. Please follow me. Our planet is ready. But before that, can you assure us that you won’t pose a threat to us?” The dignified voice had become cautious, as if afraid of touching something. Yet, its tone also hid a sense of wariness toward Black Hair and the others.
After all, to this civilization, the appearance of Thor’s Fortress was utterly awe-inspiring. With the size of a planet and its sturdy, coldly reflecting armor, the entire fortress resembled an ancient beast ready to devour anyone at any moment. Even with the overwhelming number of Arrow Ships, the commander still expressed his concerns.
Yet, alongside concern, there was hope. After all, if things went smoothly, no one could imagine what Black Hair’s arrival would bring to this civilization.
Gain comes with danger— isn’t that nature’s ironclad rule?
Soon, Black Hair noticed new changes in those dense fleets. Tens of thousands of Arrow Ships split in two, creating a wide corridor in the middle. At the end of the corridor, the stars shone brightly, but it was still clear that it was a planet—a very large one. From space, it appeared beautiful, mostly blue, likely oceans. Its sapphire-like hue bore a striking resemblance to Earth. The rest was a uniform steel black, adding an unharmonious touch to this beautiful planet.
Clearly, this civilization’s tens of thousands of ships hadn’t appeared out of thin air. Their exploitation of planets had reached horrifying levels. Even just by eye, Black Hair could tell how distorted this civilization was. Half of that planet had been turned into steel!!
Pollution, exploitation, unrestrained plunder—was this the path this civilization had taken to prosperity? Looking at the dense clusters of Arrow Ships surrounding the fortress, Black Hair suddenly felt pity for them.
What a familiar sight. How similar it was to Earth’s past development. Why didn’t these ignorant fools realize their actions were sinful? Though their fleets were now astonishingly large, the price they paid was beyond anyone’s imagination.
His mother, who gave birth to him and raised him, was already gravely ill.
A pitiful race…

With a deep sigh, the dark-haired figure gently waved his right hand. The massive Thor Fortress immediately began to move slowly. Surrounded by tens of thousands of arrow-shaped ships, it slowly headed toward that planet that combined beauty and ugliness…