Chapter 269. Starship

The group arrived before the last pagoda after crossing several large distances.

What they saw in front of the pagoda left them completely shocked.

It was an extremely large plane. It gleamed with metallic luster. Its size was several meters.

Everyone wondered what the hell something like that was doing here?

They had never seen something like this on Endra too. No airplane looked like this. No military jet looked like this.

This thing seemed extremely alien.

Aiden stared at the strange object.

He approached it.

He looked at the writings on it.

Vermillion Galaxy.

Torrence Empire.

Lorah Star System.

Scarface Chamber of Commerce.

Starship b233344.

"Guys, come look at this," Aiden said.

The group walked over.

"Obviously, this is from sort of interstellar Civilisation."

"It looks like your theories about interstellar Civilisations being out there was really on point."

"This is a huge discovery."

"Indeed."

The group discussed among themselves.

Aiden nodded.

He located a button on the starship and tapped on it.

The moment he tapped on it, a door hissed open.

The group entered the starship.

The inside of it was very large.

The first thing Aiden noticed was a holographic screen that flickered to life.

[Biological signatures detected.

Registered Numbers- 13.

Estimated power level- 10 intermediate rank 3 warriors, 3 beginner rank 3 warriors.

Species- Humans.

Scanning nationality...

Unregistered in the Universe Alliance database.

Scanning civilization...

Civilisation updated.

Endra, 10,000 light years from the Torrence Empire in the Vermillion Galaxy.

Status- Unprotected.]

A robotic voice read the display on the holographic panel.

Everyone assumed that this was most likely the AI of the star ship. The information on the hologram, however, shocked them.

Everyone was quiet, trying to digest what they were hearing.

Aiden was calm. Everything was within what he had theorised. So there were really interstellar Civilisations out there, huh.

And Endra was considered unprotected?

But he had some questions.

What was the Universe Alliance?

What was this Torrence Empire?

And how the hell did this starship arrive here?

Was the arrival of this starship the reason behind the disappearance of the Han Yi Ancient Sect?

Everyone also had similar thoughts.

"Since this is an AI, it can answer some of our questions, right?" Angela said.

The group was able to adapt quickly. Being emotional about this discovery wouldn’t change anything. They needed answers to their questions.

[Affirmative. I can answer a few questions. However, I cannot reveal myself. I am an Intelligence embedded into the framework of the starship, not a technological lifeform from the machine race.]

The voice of the AI resounded as a series of holographic tests appeared before everyone. The mention of the machine race added more to their questions.

But they decided to take things one step at a time.

"Aiden, ask the questions. You are the brain of the group," Paula said.

Everyone nodded.

They were just being honest.

Aiden nodded.

"How did you get here?"

[The previous owner of the starship was a beginner rank 5 warrior from the Lorah Star System’s Scarface Chamber of Commerce in the Torrence Empire of the Vermillion Galaxy.

She discovered this planet by pure chance while travelling through the sea of stars 2000 years ago.

After confirming from me that this planet was unprotected, a term which means a Civilisation is not registered with the Universe Alliance and can therefore be plundered by anyone since it’s not under the protection of the Universe Alliance laws, she decided to round up some lifeforms on this planet as slaves since they were not under the protection of the Universe Alliance’s laws. The people of this Han Yi Ancient Sect were captured by her as slaves. They could naturally not resist because of her strength. As for why this starship was left here, it had consumed a lot of star energy fuel and needed to be in hibernation for centuries to travel again. So, she left it here and returned to the Torrence Empire with another star ship.]

After the words of the AI, everyone sighed deeply.

So they had been wrong. The Han Yi Ancient Sect didn’t disappear into some pocket world.

This was what had actually happened.

Some alien who randomly discovered the planet captured them as helpless slaves and left the planet with them, leaving this starship behind.

Also, what was this about star energy?

Universe Alliance protection and protection laws?

The group wanted to know. Aiden asked the AI what those terms meant.

[Star energy is the natural energy legendary rank 4 warriors need to break into rank 5. It is a superior form of worldly energy permeating the wider cosmos.

The Universe Alliance has a basic cultivation technique that is given to all registered Civilisations for their legendary rank 4 warriors to cultivate in order to break into rank 5. Star energy is also cultivated to achieve further breakthroughs in cultivation.

If you want to register your Civilisation with the Universe Alliance in order to avoid being plundered by other Civilisations as slaves and merchandise, at least one of the warriors of your Civilisation must be a key member of either of these organisations’ branches in at least a star system.

The organisations are listed below.

The Universe Warriors Association, The Universe Alchemist Association, The Universe Bank Association, The Universe Academic Federation, The Universe Artifact Engineers Association and the Universe Guild Association.

The Universe Alliance is the highest decision making body in the Universe, under which all these organizations operate. The Council is headed by the Apex Council, consisting of Rank 7- Rank 9 warriors, called the Supremes. Rank 9 is the highest level of cultivation. Each rank of cultivation before rank 5 is divided into 5 levels, beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert and legendary. Each rank beyond rank 4 is divided into 7 levels beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, legendary, mythic and transcendent.]

The group digested the information calmly.

So rank 4 was just a very low rank, huh. Even legendary rank 4 warriors would be ants in the hands of the Interstellar cosmic powers. Also the highest level of cultivation was rank 9? That was so far away from their current levels.

"So if someone from our civilization doesn’t become a key member of any of the umbrella organisations operating under the Universe Alliance, in at least a star system, we are just livestock waiting to be eaten by other powers because we are not under the protection of the Universe Alliance?" Aiden asked the AI.

[Yes. Also, this is the extent to which I can answer questions. Since you are not a registered Civilisation under the universe alliance, my database is restricted from providing you with further basic details about how cosmic Civilisations work. However, if you want to know more about the universe, even as rank 3 warriors, you can use the starship to travel to the nearest cosmic empire, the Torrence Empire. I would, however, advise that you don’t travel outer space with just your bodies or even battlesuits. Only rank 5 warriors and above can literally do that. For those below rank 5, they can only use starships for space travel.]

The AI replied.

Everyone was completely shocked.

However, they all understood a few things.

From what the AI had communicated, rank 4 was not the end of cultivation. Aiden’s past speculations had been spot on. Endra was a frog at the bottom of a well. They didn’t have access to the wider interstellar community. They didn’t also have access to cosmic energy cultivation methods, and they didn’t have access to starship technologies. This was why they could not discover other Civilisations and their rank 4 warriors could not break into rank 5 and leave Endra on their own.

They had also discovered that, if they didn’t go through the process of registering Endra with the Universe Alliance, Endra was a sitting duck for whatever civilization would eventually discover it.

They tried to ask the AI further questions.

But, it didn’t reply to them.

Just as it had said. Further basic knowledge of the interstellar community was restricted because they were not part of it.

A calm glint flashed through Aiden’s eye.

He didn’t care about Endra, to be honest. But he had loved ones here who also had other people they cared about on the planet. People like Vandaport and Wembley even had kids.

And if by tomorrow, some powerful interstellar civilization discovered Endra, they would have no protection or interstellar immunity. His loved ones and himself would be cooked.

Aiden hated this. His fate and that of the few people he cared about being in the hands of the strong.

"It looks like I have to get rid of the Order and travel the universe as soon as possible, climb to a key position in a Universe Warriors Association branch in a star system of the Torrence Empire and get Endra registered with the Universe Alliance. I don’t know how I will get rid of the Order yet, but it can’t wait till I’m a rank 4 warrior. Anytime wasted is a time some powerful cosmic Civilisation can use to discover us and trade me and those I care about as slaves on the Interstellar market. That can’t happen. I need to accelerate things," Aiden thought.