Chapter 72: The Exploration Begins

Xiang Rong led Feng Mo and Chu Yunjian to a villa, turning to them with a smile, "Don't mind the modest surroundings; this villa is one of the best accommodations here. Get some good rest."

With that, he left. Feng Mo glanced at Chu Yunjian and noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. He couldn't resist teasing her, "Well, Chu Missy, it looks like we're having a secret rendezvous tonight."

Chu Yunjian rolled her eyes dramatically, huffing before walking into the villa. Even when she was being haughty, she was undeniably charming.

They settled into the villa, but nothing eventful happened that night, as Feng Mo needed a proper rest before the exploration of the White Hole the next day.

---

The next morning, Feng Mo rose early and made his way to Starport One, where Hua Qin awaited him. Together, they boarded the modified T3 Reindeer-class transport ship.

Inside the command center, an automated voice echoed, "Earl Feng Mo, please proceed to the designated coordinates. The White Hole exploration will commence in one hour."

Feng Mo ordered his crew to follow the marked path, which took them to a location near the Glorious System's interstellar boundary. Here, the starship's radar was already able to display a video feed of the White Hole.

The White Hole wasn't particularly large, with a diameter of only 3 km. It was classified as a small White Hole. In space, Black Holes, White Holes, and Wormholes were divided into five levels: micro, small, medium, large, and supermassive.

Objects smaller than 1 km were micro; between 1 and 10 km, small; under 100 km, medium; under 1,000 km, large; and anything over 1,000 km was supermassive. Some supermassive Black Holes could even be larger than entire star systems, which was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

This small White Hole had an average output, typically ejecting dark matter, dark energy crystals, and sometimes special interstellar seeds. The seeds could grow into unique flora with incredible effects, like the Elven Life Tree, which could strengthen genes, grant abilities, or even manifest as plant-based lifeforms that could assist in battle.

Feng Mo's primary objective was collecting dark matter and energy crystals, but he wouldn't say no to finding some rare seeds if luck was on his side.

The T3 Reindeer moved into position, and the radar detected a flurry of red blips, representing the various transport ships from other noble houses and empires. It was evident that accessing these upper-level resources was heavily restricted. Without Chu Yunjian's help, Feng Mo wouldn't have known this White Hole exploration existed.

"Please proceed in an orderly fashion and remain within designated exploration zones. A warning: do not approach the White Hole directly, as any accidents will be at your own risk."

The automated voice repeated the instructions, and a path for Feng Mo's ship was plotted.

"Full speed ahead, follow the marked path, and enter the White Hole zone," Feng Mo ordered.

The modified T3 Reindeer engaged its full-speed mode. Thanks to the dark energy crystal integrated into the engine, the ship had an impressive speed of 80 knots in space terms, fast for a transport class.

Upon entering the zone, it felt like the Storm System's asteroid belt, with massive magnetic field fluctuations rendering the radar almost useless. Luckily, Feng Mo had prepared for this, relying on star-range finders and telescopes to aid their search.

The area around the White Hole was a dark, debris-filled expanse, littered with glowing asteroids and luminescent rocks. These light-emitting objects were the compressed dark matter materials—ideal for building T5 starships.

"Activate cruise mode. If it glows, don't bother analyzing; just grab it with the mechanical arms. Everything here has value," Feng Mo commanded.

Unlike others, who carefully scanned for the most valuable finds, Feng Mo's approach was straightforward: collect everything. He needed as many resources as he could get.

Meanwhile, twelve imposing, pitch-black starships approached the Storm System from afar. Their hulls bore ominous, demonic sigils, and each ship's bow displayed a monstrous head, some shaped like bulls, others like tigers. As soon as they crossed into the system, the Storm Fleet detected them.

"Warning! Unidentified fleet, you have ten minutes to declare your origin and crew details, or you will be deemed an invader and destroyed!"

The Storm Fleet issued the warning three times. The mysterious ships complied without resistance, and when Ai Er received their information, her expression darkened, a flash of hatred flickering in her eyes.

The Demon System.

"Silia, handle the communication with the Demon System fleet. My presence must remain hidden," Ai Er instructed.

As a former rebel leader in the Demon System, Ai Er's face was well-known. She always wore her helmet in Federation space and had to be extra cautious now.

Silia, a fierce-looking wolf-woman hybrid, connected to the video feed. The Demon System's representative, a minotaur-like being named Holowell, appeared on the screen, surprised to see a wolf-woman captain.

"I am Captain Silia of the Storm Fleet. State your purpose, Holowell of the Demon System," she demanded.

The minotaur grinned, showing off sharp teeth. "Honorable Captain, I am Commander Holowell of the Demon Taskforce. We come bearing an offer from our Demon Lord. Would your Storm Lord be interested in purchasing high-quality slaves in bulk? Due to our ongoing conquests, we have an excess, and recent disruptions have left many slave merchants in the Snow Eagle Empire unable to conduct business."

Silia raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smirk. The Demon Lord's envoy was quite a salesman. Meanwhile, Ai Er pieced together the situation: the Bai Family's reduced operations had left a gap in the slave market. With the Federation's multiple slave sources, there was now an oversupply.

Currently, the Federation didn't lack generic slaves but was in short supply of rare species, like elves, dwarves, succubi, and skilled professionals like engineers and starship captains.

"Commander Holowell, I must consult our Lord before making any agreements. We'll escort your fleet to the Storm System's capital, and once we receive orders, I'll provide you with a response," Silia replied.

"Very well, Captain. I look forward to our fruitful cooperation!" Holowell said, still attempting to sell his wares. Ai Er couldn't help but chuckle at his persistence.

The Demons' desperation made her wonder: had they conquered a large star system recently, or were they facing internal issues? Regardless, she knew they had to stall Holowell until Feng Mo returned in four days.

Back at the White Hole, Feng Mo was leading his crew like a diligent foreman, collecting resources at a steady pace. But the quality of materials near the outer rim left him unsatisfied. Only one-tenth of the ship's cargo bays were filled after an entire day.

Seeing the meager haul, Feng Mo decided to up the stakes. "Hua Qin, prepare nutrient packs. We're pulling an all-nighter. Head closer to the White Hole, and focus on large deposits or glowing asteroids."

"Yes, sir!"

Note: Ateroids can vary greatly in size, with some as small as 3 meters in diameter.

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