Chapter 120: Departing from Lanque Star

Apart from the part regarding the secret technique, Bai’s deductions were, in fact, quite accurate.

What it did not know, however, was that Earth was actually quite fortunate. A high-ranking figure had recently arrived at the Yuanlan Empire. While the Emperor of the Empire held that secret in the highest regard, he was currently occupied with attending to this distinguished guest. Furthermore, he feared that if he were to leave, the guest might sense something amiss, which is why he had not traveled to Earth personally.

He could not guarantee that if such a person were to learn of the secret, they wouldn't develop a covetous heart. Given that individual’s status and influence, once they discovered the secret, the Emperor of the Yuanlan Empire—despite being the most noble ruler—would have no choice but to offer it up immediately, without a shred of hesitation.

This was no joke. Given that person's power, if he were to take action, it would not just be the Emperor of the Yuanlan Empire who would suffer; the entire vast Empire itself would be brought to its knees.

Consequently, the Emperor had secretly dispatched Prince Lan to handle the matter. To avoid alerting the Emperor to his own ambitions, Prince Lan dared not show any sign of inner impatience and had to travel to Earth on a common interstellar warship.

It was precisely because of this that Earth had gained a most precious window of time. Otherwise, when Lan Tian first activated the Blazing Gold God Armor, the Emperor would have paid any price to perform a space jump and arrive instantly, leaving no chance for him to escape Earth at all.

However, Lan Tian had no idea how lucky he had been. Terrified by Bai’s words, his face turned deathly pale, and he was consumed by anxiety.

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go immediately! No, I need to activate the locator for the Blazing Gold God Armor right now, or Earth is finished!" Lan Tian said frantically, about to summon the armor and engage flight mode.

"Idiot! If you want to die, go ahead and activate it!" Seeing Lan Tian’s impulsiveness, Bai’s expression shifted, and it barked sharply, "Do you honestly believe that if you activate the locator here on Lanque Star, the entire planet won't be locked down within two minutes? You would be dead without a doubt!"

"Then what do I do?! I can't just stand by and watch something happen to Earth!" Lan Tian retorted, his voice filled with urgency.

"Calm yourself! Didn't you just visit Earth?! Isn't it still doing fine? Everything I said was merely speculation. Over half a month has passed, and Earth is still safe and sound. It means the Yuanlan Empire hasn't transmitted there yet, or perhaps they are still on their way. Or maybe my guess is entirely wrong, and the Empire doesn't consider it that important after all. None of this is certain!" Bai remained unaffected by Lan Tian’s distress, analyzing the situation rationally. "Regardless, since Earth remains intact, just pick up the pace and get on your way. Don’t be so pessimistic. Even if, for the sake of argument, people from the Yuanlan Empire really reached Earth, they wouldn't necessarily destroy it. Perhaps after searching and finding nothing, they would simply leave."

"Possible, possible, stop saying everything is 'possible'! What if they are maniacs? What if they take their frustrations out on Earth when they can't find what they want? What if they publicly leak Earth’s coordinates? Once the coordinates are public, those slave traders will surely descend upon Earth to wreak havoc!" Lan Tian spoke with agitation, his eyes reddening as he imagined every possible outcome.

"Shut up! Ultimately, this all comes down to your lack of strength. If you were strong enough, you wouldn't be spouting such nonsense. You could simply make the coordinates public, proudly declare that Earth is your private territory, and execute anyone who dares to cause trouble! Or, you could just blow up the Yuanlan Empire! What is the use of arguing here? You would be better off hurrying to the Jue Tian Tower to participate in the trials!" Bai was becoming annoyed by Lan Tian’s incessant chatter and roared in anger.

"..."

"Fine... it is true that I am not strong enough. To Jue Tian Star, let’s go now!" Lan Tian, silenced by Bai’s reprimand, said with a determined expression.

It was true—his strength was simply too weak. If he were powerful, he could indeed do as Bai suggested: why fear making Earth's location public? Why not simply level the Yuanlan Empire?

"That’s more like it. Don’t overthink things. If you follow my plan, Earth’s level of safety will increase significantly. Trust me, okay?" Seeing that Lan Tian had calmed down, Bai’s tone softened.

"Of course I trust you." Lan Tian nodded. Without further delay, he strode out of the meditation chamber, intending to bid farewell to the Lord of Lanque Star.

"Mr. Lan Tian, leaving so soon? Is there something in my hospitality that has fallen short?" The Lord of Lanque Star asked, looking at Lan Tian in bewilderment. "Didn't we agree to have another drink together after you finished your seclusion? Why the sudden departure?"

"Please don't take offense, Lord Star. It is simply that my elders at home are urging me to return, and I cannot delay any longer." Lan Tian suppressed his inner restlessness and feigned an expression of helplessness.

"I see. Since it is the order of your elders, I shall not force you to stay." Upon hearing the mention of his family elders, the Lord of Lanque Star found it difficult to insist further.

"Indeed, there is a reason for this. Otherwise, I would truly love to have another few drinks with you! Oh, this is my virtual universe network account; if anything comes up, you can send me a message through the network." Lan Tian gave his account details to the Lord of Lanque Star, offering an apologetic nod.

"Haha, very well! Once you have completed the Jue Tian Tower trials, I shall certainly pay you a visit. Do not find me troublesome when the time comes!" The Lord of Lanque Star’s eyes lit up with delight as he accepted the account information.

With this account, he could establish a connection with the mysterious Mr. Lan Tian. If any life-threatening disaster were to occur in the future, this might just save his life. After all, a genius of Lan Tian’s caliber, provided he did not perish prematurely, was destined to achieve terrifying heights.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lan Tian, accompanied by the enthusiastic Lord of Lanque Star, arrived at the only passenger terminal on Lanque Star that connected to the outside world.

Yes, a passenger terminal.

Lanque Star was simply too small and its overall technological level too backward to qualify for a space station capable of space jumps. Having a terminal for passenger ships to dock was something the Lord of Lanque Star had fought for a long time to achieve.

Seeing the terminal, Lan Tian’s expression became rather peculiar. Its structure, entirely cast from metal and possessing a strong science-fiction aesthetic, felt jarringly out of place, clashing sharply with the overall "retro" style of Lanque Star.

Entering the terminal, Lan Tian looked around and saw almost no one, save for a few people here and there waiting quietly in the lounge for their passenger ship to arrive.

"Hehe, please do not mind it, Mr. Lan Tian. Our Lanque Star is truly poor; it took me an immense amount of effort just to secure this terminal. Even so, the passenger ships that dock here are very limited, only capable of traveling to Hengqi Star, the capital of the Hengqi County, or to the capital of our Huidu Dynasty, Huidu Star," the Lord of Lanque Star said with a bitter smile, before greeting a few elegantly dressed people in the lounge.

Clearly, those capable of boarding a passenger starship were already the wealthy and powerful elite of Lanque Star.

It stood to reason; given the overall level of development on Lanque Star, only a very small minority could truly have contact with the rest of the universe.