Chapter 55
Civilization
Chu Shen looked at the general for a second before shaking his head. “What is an ancient race?” He asked with a puzzled look.
The general had a disappointed look. “Sigh. It’s nothing. Just some wild rumors really. Supposedly there are ancient beings that can accomplish anything. They can manipulate time and space, the very fabric of reality. They’re supposed to be nearly immortal and capable of controlling the energy around them.”
After the general explained what he meant Chu Shen nodded. “Thank you general for the explanation but I am truly not one of the ancient race. So, what’s going to happen to me. Everyone seemed concerned that I was on the ship so I guess I am not going back there.”
It seemed that he may not be the only cultivator in this realm. It was best to stay low and try to not provoke anyone, lest they turn out be an expert.
“It’s true that bringing you here to the frontlines was not the best idea but it was the only option your ship’s captain had. If you agree we will provide you with transport to the closest civilized station around here. Along with the transport we can give you a couple thousand credits, enough to live comfortably for a long time. It's a thank you for what you did for us and an apology for bringing you into this fight."
“Okay, is it alright to join the party outside then if we are done then?” Chu Shen’s eager face gave him away.
The general laughed at the kids expression. “Haha. Of course of course. Who am I to stop a kid’s chance of fun? Go on then, enjoy the celebration!” He shooed him towards the door with a large smile.
Chu Shen quickly left and ran down the street. The guard on the bench and the hovercar were long gone. He joined the crowd and enjoyed himself. He tasted the wonderful food and listed to the strange, yet beautiful, music they had.
Life was good.
Two days later he was reclining in a chair when he felt a small jolt. Just as he was wondering what it was a blue screen popped up in front of him along with a short beep. He read the message.
They had arrived.
It was just like the general promised. First he gave Chu Shen a genetic scan and registered him with the Galactic Bank. It was a company that was founded by the alien races that were already amongst the stars. It had deep roots and used credits, the common currency of the galaxy.
Now all he had to do was wave his hand above a gene reader to pay, or withdraw credits from the bank. Because it was based on his genetics, it was impossible to fake or steal his money.
They paid him well for his services. 4,851 credits worth to be precise. It was originally going to be 3,000 but the townspeople heard of him and gave him a pleasant surprise.
Now he was on his way to civilization. Chu Shen was absolutely fascinated with technology, as they called it here. On his world everyone was obsessed with cultivation related crafts. But here they focused on building without using anything related to Qi at all.
No formations, no heavenly material, beast cores, none of it. Instead they found a way to build things capable of harnessing Qi all by itself in various forms. As an artificer he was naturally curious.
So he was going to the most technologically advanced place possible. Sparta. There they had the best in medical, entertainment, and war technology. Their entire society was based off of war. Defensive war, but war nonetheless.
There was a knock on the door. “Hey kid, we’ve arrived. Get ready because we’re going to be leaving in about ten minutes.”
“Thanks, I’ll be ready.” Chu Shen called back. It was Leonard Maximus. After hearing that he was leaving for Sparta he decided to travel with him. He said he was going back to his homeworld anyways so taking him along wasn’t a problem.
Chu Shen grabbed his small bag of clothes. He didn’t need to carry it but if he showed up in different clothes then questions would be asked. No one needed to know all his secrets.
He stepped outside and closed the door. Leonard stood there in a red polo with blue jeans on. He himself was dressed in a a T-Shirt with the words PWN’ED in bright green lettering with frayed blue jeans on. He looked like an average kid.
“Ready, Shen?” Leonard had taken to calling him that. He explained that he felt awkward saying his full name all the time.
He nodded. “I am. Let’s go.”
It had been easy. The ship Chu Shen had been on took them to a nearby station within 5 hours. Afterwards they went to a transfer station. These huge stations opened up portals to a corresponding station somewhere else.
Unfortunately each station used up vast amounts of energy to be opened even once. It was expensive and the UBF couldn’t afford the cost to transport their ships en-mass, plus the fact that they weren’t very far off anyways.
Leonard rented a two person skimmer, a personal transport that looked like a hovercar only good for low distance travels. It was common practice to rent skimmers for trips through transfer stations where there was a corresponding skimmer lot.
The skimmer business was owned by a single man named Henry Jehosha, making him one of the richest men in the humans galaxy. They got on the skimmer and rode towards the portal. It was a fairly small ring only meant for the skimmers.
There was a much larger ring available for cargo transports but they were much more expensive than the one they were going through. Chu Shen watched out the window in amazement at the sights.
Ahead of them the ring lit up with a blue glow as a small blue vortex appeared in the very center. Soon it spread to fill the entire ring, the very outsides appeared turbulent and chaotic. The skimmer shot through the portal and immediately the blue vortex disappeared without a trace.
This happened five times before it was their turn. One skimmer behind the one crossing tried to move forward but was bounced backwards by a barrier that shimmered red. Obviously a forcefield was keeping them from crossing illegally.
The machine started up. As Chu Shen observed the opening of the whirlpool he started comparing it to the Thousand Miles Formation that he knew of. They were both different and alike.
They crossed through the vortex. A cold sensation ran across his spine, causing him to have goosebumps. Then they were through.