Chapter 21: Rise Up, Section 9

To be honest, the Mysterious Master never expected Black Hair to actually bring back the Life Crystal. The agreement with Black Hair also hid deeper implications, as it was well aware of what lay within that vortex.
All those so-called “elemental forces” were actually fake. What it truly feared were the extremely unstable energy tides at the core of the vortex! In the face of such a terrifying natural phenomenon, not even the strongest creatures could survive—not even those of the Sicilian race.
So, when it sent Black Hair to retrieve the Life Crystal, it was merely trying to scout the area. It knew full well that the Life Crystal was invisible, and even if those humans were right beside it, the Mysterious Master didn’t believe Black Hair and the others could obtain it.
Yet it never imagined that Black Hair would actually bring back the Life Crystal—and worse, dare to shortchange it!?
Now, the Mysterious Master was left fuming in frustration, unable to express its anger. After all, it had its own ulterior motives. It really couldn’t blame Black Hair for this. Moreover, it had no proof whether the humans had exploited the Life Crystal or not. Who knew—after countless years, the crystal might have shrunk on its own?
The Mysterious Master’s expression darkened. It narrowed its eyes slightly, its gaze sharp as it scanned the surroundings once more before slowly nodding. Without explanation, it waved its right hand, and the Life Crystal on the ground instantly emitted a bright white light before vanishing without a trace.
“Very well, humans. I accept it. As per our agreement, starting today, the other five planets in this galaxy belong to you. You don’t need to worry about the environment. I’ll give you five more self-generating energy crystals shortly, and our deal will be complete. But…” The Mysterious Master’s eyes narrowed, and its voice rose sharply.
“You better not! If I discover you intend to break the agreement, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
Looking at the angry old man before him, Black Hair remained smiling. Only after he finished speaking did Black Hair nod and extend a hand.
“The deal is done. Hope we cooperate well.”
“Hmph!!” The Mysterious Master gave Black Hair’s outstretched hand a cold glance before turning and walking back to the altar. Where it had stood before, five palm-sized crystals lay quietly on the ground, emitting a green glow.

The rest was easy to handle. The great discovery lifted Blackhair’s spirits. In his relaxed state, he immediately conducted a quick scan of the other five planets. The results satisfied him greatly. Aside from differences in size, the environmental and ecological conditions of these planets could easily rival those of Death Star. What delighted him most was that all of them were in their pristine natural state—no one else had set foot on them. Everything remained in its original form, and the food chain had not been disrupted. Many animals and plants long extinct could now be found there.

By God, what a magnificent discovery! If such planets were made public, the impact would be absolutely staggering. Plant and biologist from all star systems would surely flock here like wolves smelling meat!

Of course, now it all depended on Blackhair’s decision.

On the way back, laughter filled the cabin. Everyone seemed to envision a bright future for themselves.

The Thirty-First Star Region would rise rapidly from this moment onward and soon become the most dazzling star in all of human society.

Amidst this cheerful atmosphere, the pirates returned to Death Star in just two days. Without even taking a break, Blackhair immediately gathered all the leaders for a brief meeting. There, he clearly outlined requirements for designing new weapons and warships, and also put the development of these five planets on the agenda.

The effect was unprecedented. When those alien leaders learned there were five more planets as beautiful as Death Star, they were almost ecstatic. Those in Black Prison were also thrilled to know they would receive abundant resources unconditionally. Within just one night, Death Star transformed completely—almost everyone became highly motivated and started working swiftly.

The discovery of these new planets spread quickly among the aliens, and applications to settle there poured in like snowflakes. Seeing Death Star’s thriving state, how could those aliens not see the opportunity? With its beautiful environment, convenient trade, and a leader like Blackhair to protect them, their quality of life would be worlds apart from their previous solitary existence.

However, contrary to this, the news wasn’t spread through official channels, and human society remained silent about it.

Hard to imagine, isn’t it? We already know about the new discoveries regarding the Black-Haired ones. Yet, without an official announcement through proper channels, the human elites remain unwilling to take the initiative to make contact. Instead, they watch as other races eagerly apply for opportunities. This strange insistence, purely for the sake of face, is truly bizarre. Perhaps in their minds, they still hope the Black-Haired ones will officially extend an invitation to them?

Unfortunately, the Black-Haired ones are too busy right now and have long forgotten about them…

Sulei was summoned back from Silver Star immediately, and after contacting Koko, a large amount of construction machinery was obtained. This time, the Black-Haired ones finally mobilized all their resources, insisting on completing the development as quickly as possible. Batches of rare materials were produced on Death Star and sent straight to that mysterious galaxy. It was only then that the Black-Haired ones realized they had become millionaires. Whatever resources they desired, they could obtain them. The thriving inter-race trade on Death Star was no joke—just the taxes collected were enough to support them all.

Of course, due to the scale limitations of the other races, the amount of resources they could get wasn’t huge. But these were all rare resources—just a small amount could be exchanged for common ores, enough to buy the reserves of several planets. It was like the luxury goods favored by human nobles, such as diamonds—they had plenty of them, all of high purity.

As for money? Well, they really didn’t care about it…

The work on building infrastructure progressed rapidly. In just a week, endless fleets of construction ships connected Death Star to the mysterious galaxy like ants moving across the ground. Watching the ships flying in the sky all day was a pleasure in itself. Meanwhile, as the dedicated research team of the Blood Wolf faction, the Hellish Fanatics were also working tirelessly.

Unlike before in Hell Prison, their living conditions were now top-notch. Everyone had their own private room, and the surrounding environment was carefully selected—air quality was excellent, with sea views or jungles available as needed. Even the human nobility probably couldn’t compare to them. The Black-Haired ones truly cared about their treatment.

That’s why, when the actual mission was assigned, these guys were like driven by adrenaline, rushing to the forefront.

Modifying existing mechs, upgrading ordinary warships, and establishing defense systems—these were all minor tasks. The real focus was on building new warships and equipping them with powerful weapons!

The Thirty-One Star Regions are no longer what they used to be—there are resources where needed, and manpower where required. Though they still lack fame, in terms of overall strength, they are likely among the top ten in all of human society. More importantly, the Thirty-One Star Regions were founded by alien races and possess the largest alien trade market in the universe!!

What’s most important in the universe? Resources!! And the resources held by these alien races are undoubtedly full of potential! Years of self-sufficiency have led to each of these races having an abundance of a single type of resource.

With so many resources, coupled with the elite members of Black Prison, it would be a shame not to achieve something remarkable.

Build warships!! We must build new types of warships!!

But building warships isn’t that simple. Although the madmen of Black Prison are all geniuses, their differences in philosophy are extremely severe. Almost every master can propose their own theory of construction, resulting in a vast array of designs—which gives Black Hair a huge headache.

So he took these guys on a thorough tour of Li Feng. By the time they came back, almost everyone was speechless.

They were stunned……

In their eyes, Li Feng was simply a masterpiece of divinity. Whether it was the power system, the defense system, or its terrifying firepower, every aspect nearly reached the pinnacle of human imagination!

Although it appeared somewhat disheveled due to the abandonment of its external armor when leaving the vortex, Li Feng’s inherent strength was undeniable. Especially its miraculous energy recycling system and the resource regeneration technology essential for long-distance travel left these arrogant madmen completely dumbfounded.

The ships they built originally were nothing compared to Li Feng—mere trash!! Apart from firepower, everything else was insignificant!

“Lord Black Hair, could we study this ship’s design diagram?” An elderly man with gray hair, acting on behalf of the others, asked Black Hair first.

Unfortunately, this request was utterly impossible to fulfill. Not only did Black Hair not have it, but even if he did, he would never share such a blueprint, which embodied China’s most advanced technology. Want to know? Fine! Go study it inside the ship yourselves. You can touch anything except the core reactor.

In the end, Black Hair left behind five green crystals along with one sentence:

“One month. I want to see results!”