Chapter 14: Mechanical Civilization, Section 10

Bilito, now sixty years old, is one of the most experienced veterans in the Interstellar Fleet. Though not as high-ranking as the Grand Marshal himself, he still enjoys great prestige and influence. His military achievements are outstanding—he has been awarded as many as eight private planets. He is truly a ruler among equals.

This veteran’s combat style is also unique within the Alliance. What he excels at is not swift, aggressive attacks but rather a solid, impregnable defense. During a campaign to explore a new star region, he was surrounded by enemies ten times his number but managed to hold his ground for five full days, providing ample time for subsequent fleets to arrive. Because of him, the fleet seemed like an ever-present star, and thus the Alliance bestowed upon him a glorious title… Eternal Star.

With ten fleets, and each fleet consisting of 50 warships as per Alliance standards, that totals 500 warships. Such a massive force is less of a probe and more of a true expedition. The resources required for logistics alone are astronomical. Fortunately, since this is a mission to the 31st Star Region, it can also be seen as preparation for colonization, so the entire Alliance had no objections.

Meanwhile, on the planet Mason, Blackhair had no idea that his actions had already triggered such a huge stir. He was taking some much-needed rest with his companions.

Since leaving Hell Star, his Blood Wolf Fleet had not had a proper rest period. The long journey, coupled with several consecutive battles, had left their resources nearly exhausted. Worse still, since the 31st Star Region had not yet been explored, the Pirate Alliance had not established any supply bases there. The nearest bases were located outside that star region, making it impossible to provide timely support. This posed a serious challenge for Blackhair.

But such a challenge clearly didn’t stump Blackhair. He had already come up with a complete plan. For this purpose, he contacted Koko, who was still on Silver Star, and asked her to dispatch a full transport fleet immediately. This fleet didn’t need to include warships, but everything else had to be complete—enough transport ships, as well as mining and engineering vessels, and in large numbers at that.

“Oh, great God Ganluo, Mr. Blackhair, what exactly do you plan to do? Where am I supposed to get you such a huge fleet right now? Even if we hire ships, it will take a long time to prepare!” On the screen, Keko’s little head seemed to be trembling like a maraca, his expression so grim it seemed tears might flow from it.

Ever since he met Blackhair, he had indeed managed to establish a firm foothold on Silver Star. But lately, Blackhair had been nowhere to be seen, yet still caused him a lot of trouble. The local forces on Silver Star, once suppressed by Blackhair, were now showing signs of resurgence, casting subtle glances at him, the former oppressor, leaving him in a constant state of anxiety. Although Blackhair had left him with many subordinates, it still didn’t make him feel secure. Now, with the sudden need to prepare such a large fleet, Keko wondered if his position might be affected.

After all, preparing such a huge fleet required approval from the upper ranks of the Creek Merchant Guild, and assembling it was extremely troublesome.

“You don’t need to know what I plan to do. And let me tell you now—don’t use hired ships. It’s not good for either of us. Whatever you do, I must see the vanguard of this fleet within a week, and there must be no fewer than thirty transport ships.” Blackhair’s expression remained calm, as if he were chatting casually.

“Also, I want you to tell me now whether you can secretly sell a special resource if I provide it to you. Remember, this resource is extremely sensitive and is likely to attract the attention of all factions.”

“Selling it isn’t a problem, Mr. Blackhair. Our Creek Merchant Guild has already established its own market on Silver Star. You don’t need to worry.” Keko became enthusiastic. He knew that a resource valued so highly by Blackhair must be extremely valuable, so he immediately proposed using his own market, as this could save a lot of expenses.

However, he didn’t expect Blackhair to be dissatisfied with his plan.

“We can’t use your market. I don’t want anyone to know these resources come from us. They’re simply too sensitive.” Blackhair shook his head and exhaled a ring of smoke. “Do you have any other ideas?”

“So sensitive!?” Koko’s eyes widened instantly as she finally realized the seriousness of the situation. “That’s a bit troublesome. Our Creek Merchant Guild follows the path of transport merchants and has never been very good at controlling our own sales channels. But there’s still a way—I can take a detour to ensure safety. Mr. Blackhair, could you tell me what this resource actually is?” Her eyes held a hopeful gaze as she spoke.

“Cemxi ore,” Blackhair spat out those words coldly.

“What!?” Koko was shocked beyond measure. It was visible on the screen as she quickly glanced around nervously.

“Mr. Blackhair, this is too much… How could you possibly have such a resource? It’s one of the rarest in the universe. I heard that the highest research institutions in the Alliance have already completed the development of subspaces and are buying up this ore on a large scale. The market is extremely tight right now—just having a small amount will draw everyone’s attention.”

“That’s your concern; you don’t need to tell me. All I can tell you is that I not only have this ore, but also a considerable amount of it. If you can sell it, I guarantee you’ll amass wealth equal to that of entire nations.” Blackhair smiled, a pleased smile.

“But you’ll also attract countless curious eyes,” Koko said, her expression turning grim.

Now, this shrewd Ganluo merchant finally understood Blackhair’s power. What had initially been an alliance formed merely to leverage his strength now seemed to be a far-sighted move. If they truly possessed large quantities of Cemxi ore, there was little doubt that the Creek Merchant Guild would transform completely, becoming the most influential and pivotal guild in the entire Human Alliance.

However, running such a guild wasn’t easy. Koko could almost imagine the consequences if others learned that the Cemxi ore came from her guild. With her current status on Silver Star, she simply couldn’t withstand the pressure from the entire Alliance.

This was… a hot potato…

So she immediately gave Blackhair a brief overview of the current situation of the Creek Merchant Guild on Silver Star and presented her request—hoping that Blackhair would once again strengthen her security there to protect the guild’s interests.

“No problem!” Blackhair agreed readily.

“I’ll send two Pike-class ships to go back with you. They’re stationed on Silver Star, and the crew are all experienced veterans who will provide you with adequate protection. With them around, you needn’t worry—those minor factions are nothing but ants. Even if they were to fight against Silver Star’s defense fleet, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Oh, that would be great. I’ll ensure they have the best living conditions possible.” Koko was overjoyed. Unfortunately, no matter how shrewd he was, he never could have imagined that Blackhair would assign him real space pirates this time…
Only Blackhair would think of using pirates who make a living by robbery as guards.
With Blackhair’s assurance, Koko finally felt relieved. After discussing the details of the operation further, they ended the call. Blackhair got what he wanted, and Koko was also satisfied.
Later, Blackhair went to the planet’s warehouse, where everything was in full swing—numerous people were moving around busily, working on the huge warships. Everywhere, dazzling sparks from welding filled the air.
To use this planet as a base was indeed extravagant; just this massive warehouse was far larger than those of ordinary bases. All the warships of the Blood Wolf Fleet, including the Stormbringer, could fit inside this space, making rest incredibly convenient.
“Boss!” As soon as Bloodpupil saw Blackhair arrive, he rushed over, followed closely by Lily. Sweat covered their cheeks, but their expressions were extremely excited.
“It’s amazing, boss! This base is truly incredible. I never thought I’d have a planet like this as my base. Although I still don’t understand the purpose of all the equipment, it’s already astonishing enough.”
Blackhair understood what Bloodpupil meant—he was referring to the automatic detection and repair systems here. Unlike ordinary bases, most of the equipment on Mason Planet had a high degree of artificial intelligence, making maintenance extremely easy.
Smiling and nodding, Blackhair placed a hand on Bloodpupil’s shoulder.
“Are you getting used to it?”
“Of course, boss. I’m very used to it—extremely used to it! Everything here is so convenient, far better than fixing things by hand back home. The rest areas are fully equipped too. I really can’t figure out what kind of civilization could create such a magnificent planet—it’s simply a masterpiece of gods!!” Bloodpupil’s face was red, and he rubbed his hands together.

“I just don’t know when our supplies will arrive. That way, I can equip the demons with some new weapons. Head, the weapons you assigned me are already severely worn out; I’m worried I won’t be able to hold out in the next battle.”
“Hehe, they’ll arrive soon. I’ve already arranged it.” Black Hair shook Blood Pupil’s shoulder tightly, then turned his gaze toward Lily.
“Do you like your new mecha?”
“I really like it, Master. It’s exactly like my old mecha—operating it feels like merging with it.” Lily also beamed, openly showing her joy.
“That’s a gift from Gao Fei, the blacksmith. It’s the same model as your original mecha. I’m glad you like it.” Black Hair replied with a smile, then suddenly raised his head and announced loudly to all the pirates, “Alright, after being tense for so many days, it’s time for everyone to relax. Put down your work—today we’re going to the nearest planet for some fun!! I’ll pay!!”
“Ahoh… Long live the captain!!!”
The warehouse immediately erupted in excitement.
With over two thousand pirates setting out together, the scale was enormous. But Black Hair had no intention of using warships as transport. Instead, he used shuttles.
These were transport vehicles similar to passenger ships, but as military equipment, they were faster, could carry more cargo, and, of course, had the ability to make continuous jumps. In Li Feng’s warehouse, there were more than thirty such shuttles, enough for all the pirates to board.
Leaving enough people behind to guard, Black Hair, like a leader wolf, led the remaining pirates out of Mason Planet in a rush. The dense swarm of shuttles formed a dark cloud before vanishing into the depths of space in an instant.
On the shuttles, Black Hair briefly explained to Blood Pupil and the others what he had discussed with Koko, which surprised them a bit.
“Head, I understand you want to use transport ships to carry supplies, but what do you need mining ships and engineering vessels for? Do you plan to approach a neutron star to mine there?” Blood Pupil asked in a low voice, his eyes wide open.
They were well aware of the terrifying gravity of neutron stars and didn’t believe Black Hair would actually make such a foolish mistake—mining ships couldn’t even get close…
“Of course not. I have other plans. Blood Pupil, you know the list I proposed. Don’t you have any guesses?” Black Hair calmly closed his eyes to rest, a faint smile on his lips, as if he already knew Blood Pupil was asking out of ignorance.

“Well… hehe.” Blood-Pupped smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
Of course he had some plans, just not entirely certain of them.
From the list of black-haired individuals, it was clear this was a large-scale construction fleet configuration. So… “Head, do you plan to build a surface base on Mason Planet?”
“Nonsense,” Black-Haired replied with a hint of amusement, cutting off Blood-Pupped’s speculation.
What a joke! Mason Planet was a standard armed planet, with solid armor and deadly weapons hidden beneath every inch of its surface. How could a surface base be built there? Would that mean having to consider the safety of that base during battles? That’s utterly ridiculous!
“Stop guessing randomly. My goal is actually quite simple,” Black-Haired said, waving a finger. “I just want to build a base for logistical support. Mason Planet is too obvious; I think it’s not suitable.”
“Then why not use it? With sufficient supplies, wouldn’t Mason Planet make an ideal base? I don’t think anyone can destroy it,” Blood-Pupped said dismissively.
“That’s true, it does have enough supplies. But we can’t stay here forever. Mason Planet can move with us, but what about this place? What will happen to the people left behind after we leave? Station them on Queen Planet?”
“So what do you mean?”
“I want to develop a barren planet and build a city there—colonize it!” Black-Haired replied firmly, a glint of ambition in his eyes.