222 Well, you little scoundrel, it seems you are aiming to be the head wife after all! [Bailu Arc Complete!]

After some haggling, Lu Chen finally secured a top-of-the-line Feiang Dishia Adventure-class long-range ship for exactly 160,000 spirit stones—a vessel originally priced at 270,000, currently marked down to 170,000.

There was only one in stock, and the color was non-negotiable: classic red and white.

Its exterior was nearly identical to the Feiang Di Zhou-class, looking like a nesting doll. It featured a long warship-style hull with two detachable, massive cargo bays mounted at the stern. The ship measured 100 meters in length and 16 meters in height, with a width of 24 meters at the bow and 38 meters at the stern including the cargo bays.

Its cruising speed was double that of the Zhou-class, and its warp speed was eight times faster. Furthermore, the engine included an emergency escape mode, allowing the ship to travel at twice its maximum speed for one hour—though the cost was a halving of the engine's remaining lifespan.

Heavy weaponry included:
A large-caliber laser cannon at the bow, capable of firing in high-energy beam, giant shell, shotgun, and strobe modes.
Two nuclear warheads mounted internally on either side of the ship’s belly.
Twelve tracking torpedoes on either side of the ship’s roof.

The defensive array was even more impressive, capable of blocking any attack below level 60. Feiang’s official marketing claimed its offensive and defensive capabilities slightly surpassed the Empire’s level 50 Wave-class destroyers. This was exactly what Lu Chen valued most.

The interior space of the Xia-class ship was more than twice that of the Zhou-class. However, because the adventure model dedicated so much space to weapons and defenses, the actual living area was less than double the Zhou-class. The internal layout was similar: the cockpit at the front, the lounge in the middle, and a luxurious rear cabin for cargo loading and hosting guests.

Because the overall space was larger, the layout of each cabin was more spacious, rational, and luxuriously appointed. For instance, the cockpit was a relatively independent space with an added co-pilot seat and a small conference room. The lounge featured an extra cultivation chamber. The rear cabin included a reception hall and even a half-convertible glass-topped shuttle.

Overall, the layout remained quite compact, with every comfort configuration maxed out: a large sofa in the conference hall, a game room, panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, a multi-person luxury bathtub, a multi-functional kitchen, and a suspended multi-functional refrigerator that integrated a microwave and coffee machine. It even came with a robotic maid and a cleaning robot.

After taking delivery of the new ship, Lu Chen had less than 10,000 spirit stones left. When he drove the Ghost Knight into the rear cabin, it barely fit without hitting the ceiling. To save space, he switched it to mini-ship mode. Parked next to the convertible shuttle, it was still significantly larger.

The lounge had three individual rooms and one multi-person room. Gloria and Aili moved their personal belongings from the Ghost Knight into their respective rooms and the bathing cabin. The robotic maid was left in Lu Chen’s room, as he had no intention of using it.

Afterward, Gloria immediately converted the small conference room off the cockpit into her gaming room. Lu Chen set up a high-end casual table and chair set by the right window of the cockpit, where he could drink tea and read the news. Aili claimed the left side of the cockpit, carving out a study and ecological observation area.

Everything else remained the same. Once settled, Lu Chen piloted the new ship out of the Saiyun Feiang dealership. Shortly after, Gloria and Aili took the shuttle out for some shopping. Lu Chen set the Ghost Knight to autopilot, letting the armor follow the shuttle to load their purchases. Lu Chen himself made a trip to the Ban-style Treasure House to perform some simple modifications on the ship’s flight control and spirit-pattern systems, preparing it for higher-level hacking information warfare and stealth flight.

In the evening, Lu Chen flew the new ship to the Central Island to find the Adventurer’s Association registry. He updated the flagship, armor, shuttle, and radar identification codes for the Primordial Star Dome Adventure Group. The ship’s name remained the same: The Leonine.

It was not until nightfall that Lu Chen picked up Gloria and Aili, who returned with their haul. Gloria had bought a mess of things—clothes, decorations, cosmetics, and various entertainment devices. Aili had purchased many professional spirit-taming textbooks, emergency pills, and more professional ecological glass tanks.

Next, Lu Chen took the ship to procure a month’s supply of spirit oil, spare spirit pools, various delicacies, and chilled beverages.

"Alright, let’s go!"

After saying goodbye to Madam August, Wan Tun, and Tun Wan, Lu Chen piloted the brand-new Leonine out of the Gan Gate port. Looking down at the massive white leviathan that was the White Dew, he steered into the infinite starry sky.

...

The pristine, snow-white Leonine sailed through the latter part of the Morning Glow route, which resembled a twisted abyss. The starry sky outside the portholes looked like splattered oil paint—colorful, magnificent, and filled with gravitational turbulence from large black holes and high-energy particle storms.

Yet, the Leonine’s flight was incredibly stable, like drifting on a calm lake. Lu Chen received no risk alerts. On similar routes, the old ship would have been tossed about, and his vision would have been flooded with persistent danger warnings.

Beyond the twenty-level upgrade, the ship’s stability and shock-absorption configurations were fully maxed out, granting Lu Chen a rare moment of peace. It felt like driving a luxury vehicle.

On the routes near the White Dew, the radar signals received by the ship were dense. It was as bustling as a market. Adventure ships of all types were the most common, followed by merchant and rescue ships, and finally, tourist vessels. It was a ceaseless stream of traffic.

Lu Chen could even easily crack some of the communication signals and ship logs, catching glimpses of joy and sorrow alike. It seemed that regardless of one’s emotions or gains, the White Dew remained the eternal sanctuary for adventurers. The Adventurer’s Association had truly given the galaxy’s restless geniuses a place to belong. While it was still far from perfectly fair or complete, it was at least striving in that direction.

"Considering the planets near the White Dew are immediately carved up by the powerhouses accompanying the expedition, we should stick to remote routes, angling forward until we reach desolate sectors, then adventuring before angling back to catch up with the White Dew," Lu Chen said while checking the route map. He quickly set the course and put the ship on autopilot.

"Now that we are well-armed and well-supplied, it’s time to pick some relatively dangerous adventure routes!"

Gloria was tying her hair, her lip curling. "Take it easy. Don’t think you’re invincible just because you leveled up. On the Pangu route, level 40s are just elementary schoolers."

Lu Chen kept a straight face. "Then at level 58, you’re just a middle-school-aged rebel."

Aili smiled and reminded him, "Not quite a rebel, she’s the big sister of the elementary school!"

Gloria coiled her single ponytail up, adopting a big-sister attitude, leaning against Aili while glancing at Lu Chen. "Aili and I are going to take a bath."

"No need to report that to me."

Lu Chen clapped his hands, left the pilot’s seat, and went to the casual table by the right porthole to summon the mobile refrigerator.

Gloria’s expression suddenly changed. She winked and said craftily to Lu Chen, "I want to test how big the new bathtub is, and how many people can soak in it at once... Besides, you two newlyweds, don’t you want to cuddle?"

Aili blushed, unsure how to retort.

Lu Chen didn’t indulge her gossip. "Cuddle your head! How many people can soak is a math problem; it depends on who is soaking. Even if Aili and I are added together, we might not displace as much water as you. I bet this tub can support five Ailis or three of me. As for you, you’re all meat, so two at most and it’ll be overflowing."

"You—" Gloria was left speechless, her forehead covered in black lines. She hated that she hadn’t been living up to her standards lately, with too little exercise, making her feel she’d gained weight.

"Aili, let’s go... what a dog of a man, number one at being cold-hearted after the deed. Wait until I’m done with my bath, I’m going to teach you a lesson in the cultivation chamber!"

With that, she took Aili to the bathing cabin to test the new tub. Lu Chen sat at the casual table, responsible for testing the new mobile refrigerator. Whale milk coffee, seaweed black tea, snow lotus beer—one a day, and he wouldn’t repeat a drink for a month.

Sipping his tea, Lu Chen leaned back in the multi-functional chair and opened the ship’s networked light screen to check the news from the latter part of the Morning Glow route. Having been at sea for nearly two months, he had developed the good habit of creating news himself and then sipping tea to watch it.

Flipping through the recent headlines, Lu Chen noticed that the latter part of the Morning Glow route, especially near the Ice and Snow Great Wall, had become significantly livelier. Everyone was putting on a show, generating all sorts of exaggerated headlines. Unfortunately, most of the names were unfamiliar; the stories were exciting, but he lacked a sense of connection.

The most frequent news concerned the upcoming second assessment of the Adventurer’s Association, held at the Ice and Snow Great Wall, which spanned the Pangu Corridor. Because the White Dew was nearing the Wall, the second assessment was significantly harder than usual, featuring new twists that had never been seen before, putting the adventurers who arrived early through the wringer. Those who took the test early were at a huge disadvantage!

But where there are losses, there are gains. Beyond the Adventurer’s Association making a profit, others had opened "cram schools" outside the Wall. Various flight academies, martial arts schools, and dojos were teaching exam strategies, and business was booming.

Major adventure groups from the Blizzard route were also there, watching the assessments to scout for suitable teammates. It was as bustling as a job fair. Even if you failed the assessment, as long as you displayed skills or traits that the seniors appreciated, you would be invited. This included the Guernica Beast Taming Group. Wherever there was an orc genius, the Guernica group was sure to appear.

Furthermore, there was no shortage of even stronger adventure groups coming to watch, such as those from the Three Thousand Star Terrors. One had to know that the flagships and captains of the Three Thousand Star Terrors were never below level 100.

Beyond that, regarding the recent second assessment, Lu Chen saw a shocking headline: The Black Dragon, Gordo, had appeared again!

After escaping from the Imperial Prison, Gordo the Black Dragon released a public video a month and a half later. In the video, she was sitting cross-legged on a giant beast bone the size of an asteroid, gorging on roasted meat. Beside her lay the charred wreckage of a warship.

"Hello everyone, my name is Gordo, an atavistic dragon-human. I’m ten... well, I don’t know how old I am. I have a dream. Because I was too naughty as a kid, I never went to school, so I never had a chance to take any exams. Every time I see others scratching their heads and cramming before a test, I feel envious. I really like exams. But Sea-Hia Port is too far, so I’m going back to the Ice and Snow Great Wall to take the second flight assessment. I hope to find like-minded teammates there. What? You ask me what my goal is? It’s simple. Find a real dragon! The kind as big as a planet! You’re talking about me? I’m just an atavistic dragon-human; no matter how much I eat, I won’t grow that big... No, no, I don’t want to eat a dragon. I want to find a wife. Or a husband. I can’t be the only dragon in the universe, right?"

Lu Chen watched the video over and over, zooming in on the close-ups. He still couldn’t tell Gordo’s gender. No Adam’s apple, looked cute, voice a bit raspy and leaning toward feminine. But it could also be childish, making it impossible to pin down. Especially the innate dominance in the brows, which had a unique majesty. It was truly impossible to tell if it was a naughty loli or a cute, domineering boy.

Lu Chen stared at the screen, noticing that Gordo had clearly become stronger. She had even roasted a star beast of such size... It was very likely that her cultivation was already approaching level 100!

The end of the news report quoted a high-ranking official from the Adventurer’s Association: "The Association does not exclude dragon-folk or dragon-humans from participating in the assessment, but Gordo has not formed an adventure group at Sea-Hia Port, so she cannot participate in the Ice and Snow Great Wall’s second assessment." It was clear the Association was under pressure from the Empire, and the wording was very cautious.

Three days after this news, Gordo posted another public audio file on the Helium Flash network. "You will invite me." It was an ambiguous sound, not human, but a dragon’s roar—low-frequency sound waves completely outside the human range, like the background noise of the universe. It made Lu Chen’s scalp tingle. Ordinary people couldn't hear it at all; only powerful cultivators could.

Even the netizens who usually loved gossip were scared. There was too little news about the Black Dragon, and Gordo was like a child demon-king. It was well known that the more child-like they were, the stronger their power and the greater their destructive potential. This resulted in her having no fans yet. Netizens were both curious and afraid; they couldn't even enjoy the gossip.

There was very little discussion under the news, though the Association’s forums had many related posts. The most discussed topic was the Black Dragon’s gender, followed by whether any ancient dragon-folk still survived in the galaxy or if there were other atavistic dragon-folk.

"The supreme uniqueness of the universe sometimes implies absolute loneliness. I thought Gordo had some grand ideal, but she went to sea to find a wife or husband!" Lu Chen sighed. "It seems the instinct of any creature is to prioritize reproduction and dispelling loneliness, rather than conquering the universe."

Lu Chen continued flipping through the news. Besides the Ice and Snow Great Wall assessment and the Black Dragon, the most frequent news was about Princess Yin Lan’s concert. The organizers publicly declared: the winner of each round of the second flight assessment would receive a free group ticket to Princess Yin Lan’s concert, with a chance to be personally received by the Princess, and perhaps even be invited on stage to perform.

As far as Lu Chen knew, this wasn’t just a promotional gimmick. Tickets for Princess Yin Lan’s concert had been snapped up by scalpers half a year ago, and now one could only buy them at a markup; the highest prices had already been bid up to several thousand spirit stones. What a joke! The tickets held by the organizers were likely the guest tickets reserved by Princess Yin Lan’s team.

"I have to say, Princess Yin Lan is pretty. Too bad, I’m not interested in stars pushed by the Imperial Royal family and their concentrated resources. If I fan her, she won’t marry me, so what’s the point! Don’t expect me to spend even a penny on her. Isn’t it better to spend money on Gloria and Aili than to chase stars? If Gloria and Aili were packaged, wouldn’t they be ten thousand times prettier than your Yin Lan?" Lu Chen said seriously!

He knew perfectly well that Gloria and Aili were watching the cockpit’s news screen in the bathtub. They could see his face and hear his voice. This was actually a captain’s privilege, meant to allow the captain to remotely pilot and control the situation while bathing. Lu Chen hadn’t set the access to "captain only" yet, so Gloria and Aili could see it—they even thought he didn’t know. He could even operate in reverse, cracking the one-way video to see them in the bath. However, he wasn't that kind of person. There was no need to sneak a peek at things he could see in person.

Lu Chen drank his tea leisurely, having already mastered the overall situation.

On the other side, Gloria and Aili were taking a bubble bath in the oversized tub. Aili smiled and said, "See, Sister Gloria? The Captain is actually quite nice. He’s not as stingy as you say, and certainly not as fickle as you say."

Gloria, however, felt she hadn’t misjudged him. "This kid suddenly speaks so nicely, he must have a hidden agenda. I’ve heard this is a form of self-suggestion. Like when you only have three days left before an exam and you say, 'I must study hard,' and then three hours later, 'I really must study hard,' and then, 'Oh, the last ten minutes, one more look will help'... and in the end, you don't even turn off the game and don't read a single word."

Aili: "..."

Gloria added solemnly, "Besides, didn’t he say it himself? The instinct of any creature is to prioritize reproduction and dispelling loneliness, not conquering the universe. You and I are not pure humans, and we can’t have children with him. He must still be thinking about Princess Yin Lan."

Aili reminded her weakly, "Um... Sister Gloria... although half-demons have difficulty reproducing, humanoids can still have children with humans."

Gloria: "Pfft—"

You little... you’re trying to become the main wife, aren’t you!

In the cockpit, at the casual table, Lu Chen continued watching the news. The latter part of the Morning Glow route was indeed much more exciting than the first. Soon, he flipped to a news story about himself. To rescue the Fish-Jie, the Guernica Beast Taming Group’s Second and Fourth fleets had been tracking Vincent’s star beast swarm. Lu Chen thought to himself that his remaining balance of 5,000 spirit stones was likely doomed.

The two star-beast ships appeared frequently in the latter part of the route. Although there had been no progress so far, it exposed their fleet’s strength to the world. The second ship, the Lion, was level 99! The fourth ship, the Dragon, was level 76! Connecting this to the recently shattered and fallen third ship, the Archer, which was level 88, everyone guessed that the first ship, the Virgin, where Guernica himself sat, must be level 100!

Lu Chen hadn't expected that a man like Guernica would name his flagship the "Virgin." It was truly absurd. Netizens believed the Guernica Beast Taming Group would soon be promoted to the Three Thousand Star Terrors. This might be a miracle second only to Algernon!

A day later, a video from the dark web began to spread widely on the adventurer forums. A month ago, Guernica himself had raided an Imperial prison that had previously held Gordo the Black Dragon, single-handedly and easily trashing the level 80 new warden and burning the entire planet! But bizarrely, the Guernica Beast Taming Group’s adventurer points did not increase because of this.

Adventurers were indignant, venting at the Adventurer’s Association, calling them imperial lapdogs. Wasn't it said that adventurer points only looked at the ability shown by the adventurer, not moral or political correctness? The Adventurer’s Association immediately stated that this was the first time they had noticed the video, and they would assess the Guernica group’s points as soon as possible, to be announced during the next update of the leaderboard.

That would be in half a month, Lu Chen noted. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the Guernica group’s press officer posted another explosive message—ten days ago, the captain of the third ship, Speeding Tilis, had luckily survived an attack by a powerhouse of the Heavenly Rank!

In the released video, one could clearly see a black hole suddenly appearing above the Archer. A human finger reached out from the black hole, instantly creating ripples that shattered the Archer from a distance. The forum exploded.

"Star-Breaker Algernon!"
"The strongest Heavenly Rank in history, the representative of genius!"
"Ten days ago... this is the Zu’an Nebula. My god, Star-Breaker Algernon appeared in the Zu’an Nebula!"

Lu Chen thought to himself, there should have been a handsome guy passing by here. However, the absurd part was that the footage of the Leonine in the video had been perfectly edited out. The Guernica group didn’t know whether they were trying to protect the Primordial Star Dome Adventure Group or if they just wanted to monopolize the explosive traffic.

They didn’t post it early, didn’t post it late, but posted the video right then. One had to say, the Guernica group was the king of riding the wave of traffic, using every opportunity to increase their influence. Lu Chen himself had been used several times.

"As expected of the new federal national team that has been fighting the Empire for a thousand years, they’ve mastered the art of traffic," Lu Chen sighed and continued reading the replies.

The post had dozens and hundreds of pages of discussion!

"Why would a powerhouse like Algernon, who rarely appears even in the Blizzard route, show up in the Zu’an Nebula?"
"Why did he come?"
"Was it for the star beast swarm, or the Black Dragon?"
"Could it be for..."
"Regardless, after the Black Dragon appeared, the true Age of Discovery has arrived. This is the best of times, and the worst of times. The powerhouses can no longer hold back."

Suddenly!

A cold sword tip pressed lightly against Lu Chen’s neck. Gloria, wearing black tight-fitting fitness gear, appeared silently at Lu Chen’s side like a sexy and dangerous assassin cat.

"Come to the cultivation chamber; my sword can’t hold back either."