Chapter 4: My Journey Is the Joy of Treasure Hunting [Double-Length]

The sensation of warp-speed flight was peculiar.

The spacecraft achieved superluminal velocity by stretching the membrane of space, yet it remained subject to the effects of time dilation and length contraction as described by special relativity. After a brief tremor at the moment of warp initiation, the vessel vanished, instantly solidifying within a spatial bubble.

To Lu Chen, it was as if darkness swept over his vision, and then, in an instant, he had arrived. He had no sense at all that an entire day in Silverheart’s synchronous time had passed. During that day, every cell and molecule in his body was utterly frozen, while time quietly slipped by.

Upon reaching the destination, his senses returned, and the ship began to shake violently. Like a balloon pressed underwater, suddenly bursting to the surface, the spacecraft sent ripples through space with a loud splash. The ship would tremble fiercely at warp initiation and be tossed by space when the warp ended. The feeling was indeed strange.

Blinking, Lu Chen found himself in an entirely new star sector; the Blue Valley stellar system was no longer visible on the radar screen. Although he’d set his journey for a day, the ship's clocks hadn’t moved—they needed network synchronization to update. The vast interstellar void offered no network; only when near inhabited stellar systems could synchronization occur.

With the warp trial completed, Lu Chen exhaled in relief. Looking back, the intense vibration when entering warp was rather frightening. The shaking wasn’t related to the engine itself, but to the hull. The hull material from Eighteen Hands was sourced from disparate origins, uneven in quality, and much of it didn’t meet standards. The ship should have been scrapped, unfit for long voyages—yet, with no warning system, Lu Chen bravely activated warp flight.

The violent shaking roused Gloria from sleep. In the cockpit’s right corner, beside the porthole, stood an oval conference table with a recliner. Gloria stretched languidly, her plump and graceful legs perched straight atop the table. Dressed in tight black knight attire, she resembled a large, lazy cat. Her eyes, chaotic and shimmering, glanced around, a bit dazed. She remembered that when she’d fallen asleep, the ship was still among the ruins on the slope of Rust Star.

Had this kid started the warp engine and flown so far alone?

She stood up, studying the spaceship carefully. The cabin hadn’t changed much but was significantly quieter. She recalled that the last time she completed warp, she’d crashed heavily into the ceiling. Fixing her gaze on Lu Chen, seated at the helm, she confirmed—no doubt, a genius. Yet he was too swift and arrogant, lacking proper respect for his elders.

“You really act like you belong here, huh!” Gloria strode over, intending to slap Lu Chen’s shoulder, but seeing him drenched in sweat and reeking of spirit oil, she abandoned the idea.

Lu Chen rose, his face stern. “You shouldn’t call me ‘kid’—‘Captain’ is the proper title.”

Gloria admired Lu Chen’s technical skills but disliked his conceited attitude, snorting coldly, “I admit your ship repair skills are impressive, but interstellar adventure is ultimately about earning money. Take me to fortune first; as long as you make me rich, I’ll call you Captain—or even Dad, if you want.”

Lu Chen was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself, as expected from a succubus, she plays the game well.

“Remember what you just said.” Gloria pointed to his sweat-soaked clothes. “You smell strongly of sweat and spirit oil…”

“I’ll take a shower, eat my fill, and then we’ll convene to discuss our next itinerary.”

“Only two of us and you want a meeting… You’re just looking for trouble!”

Lu Chen ignored her, heading towards the living quarters. He was about to push open the shower door when Gloria halted him.

“Ladies first—I’ll shower first.”

“Captain showers first.”

Gloria paid no heed, forcibly opened the door, squeezed inside, and began undressing as if no one else existed…

Lu Chen: “Impressive.”

In a blink, the sound of water and cheerful humming echoed from the bathroom. The frosted glass revealed a voluptuous, slender silhouette. Seeing Lu Chen linger, Gloria laughed triumphantly, “What, want to shower with your big sister?”

Lu Chen helplessly turned away, shaking his head. He wondered if he’d chosen the right teammate.

…

In the cockpit, Lu Chen sat at the conference table, turning his gaze to the boundless starry sky outside the porthole. To him, this universe was both familiar and alien. It shared the same worldview as the game “Galaxy,” yet existed in an era different from the game’s timeline.

The game’s backdrop was at the end of the Imperial Age, with the Empire locked in a protracted war against the rebels. Now, however, the galaxy had entered a new epoch. The central conflict was between humans and humanoids.

Humanoids were the offspring of humans and demon-kind. During the pioneering age, when cultivator humans ventured from their home planet, conquering and exterminating countless cosmic races, some humans, for the sake of bloodline continuation, strengthening their kind, or simply for amusement, cultivated high-level spirit beasts into demon forms and bred with them, producing genetically stable descendants known as humanoids.

Humanoids possessed intelligence comparable to humans and a form nearly identical, retaining only a few animal features. In the planetary tribes and old federations of the pioneering age, humanoids were merely tools for humans—not even considered slaves. They provided labor, inner core or blood products, organs for transplantation, and sometimes fulfilled certain human desires.

With the rise of the Empire, laws protecting humanoids were enacted, but their tragic fate remained unchanged.

Until a tribe of dragonfolk descendants in a remote star region, unable to endure the Empire’s bondage, rose up after a mining disaster. Sparking a wildfire across the galaxy, they united numerous humanoid races to form the rebel army and launched a prolonged liberation war against the Empire.

Before Lu Chen’s transmigration, the game’s progress had reached this point. The universe was rife with conflict, and opportunistic interstellar gangs, pirates, and slavers prowled everywhere. Because survival was so harsh for players, Lu Chen had coded an automatic treasure-seeking bot.

The universe before him now was a thousand years further on. The war remained unresolved. The Empire’s cultivation technology was formidable; despite the humanoids’ superior numbers and cultivation talents, they had not overthrown imperial rule. Fortunately, the Empire, facing a population crisis among pure-blood humans and weakening control over cybernetic beings, could not eradicate the rebels, allowing them to occupy thirty percent of the galaxy and establish the Multiracial Federation, known as the New Federation.

The Empire was forced to ally with the cyborgs and humanoids within its controlled star regions, forming secondary and tertiary alliances, formally granting rights to cyborgs and humanoids to maintain its rule and prevent collapse.

Meanwhile, the galaxy’s spiritual energy concentration declined; chaos abounded. The Pan-Gu Interstellar Corridor, spanning a tenth of the galaxy, was discovered, giving rise to interstellar adventurers. Thus ended the imperial era.

A new epoch began, marked by three-way power, chaos, and strife!

Just as the galaxy welcomed a rare peace, the legendary Four Cataclysms began to emerge from the shadows…

Empire, New Federation, Adventurers, and the Four Cataclysms collided most fiercely in the chaotic region known as the Pan-Gu Interstellar Corridor.

The Pan-Gu Corridor, an ancient structure, was a reverse spiral arm of stars stretching over ten thousand light-years, winding like an interstellar Great Wall, the only unclaimed territory in the galaxy, unconquered by humanity.

It was rife with interstellar storms, colliding black holes, reverse-flowing radiation particles, rampaging star beasts… An extremely hostile environment with low spiritual energy, yet rumored to be the origin of cosmic spiritual energy resurgence, hiding countless ancient treasures.

Another reason Lu Chen coded his treasure-seeking bot was to safely hunt for treasures in the Pan-Gu Corridor.

This was a paradise for interstellar adventurers, a convergence point for the galaxy’s civilizations’ origins and endings.

Lu Chen’s current location, the Dawn Star Region, lay near the corridor’s beginning, in the Empire’s secondary alliance controlled zone.

Although he had a risk-avoidance guide for protection, Lu Chen thought it safest to join the Adventurer Association.

He needed to check the joining requirements for the association, which required network access.

The Empire’s wide-area spirit network had signal relay stations in each stellar system, covering only those systems. At the moment, the ship was drifting in the starry void, far from any settlement, without network access.

Lu Chen decided to make another jump.

“Confirm destination coordinates.”

“Confirm route safety.”

“Warp engine, full power.”

“Acceleration countdown—ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!”

“Jump!”

The vessel vanished abruptly.

In the next moment—or rather, three days later—it appeared on the outskirts of the Rogel stellar system.

Gloria could hardly believe that her shower had lasted three days…

Immediately, Lu Chen activated the ship’s network receiver, connected to Rogel’s signal tower, and accessed the Empire’s wide-area spirit network.

He hadn’t paid the network fee, simply hacked the gateway to get online.

Saving money was secondary; most importantly, without connecting, he couldn’t be tracked.

Lu Chen’s wristband connected to the network, vibrating immediately.

He received three emails from Rust Star.

The first was from Professor Elson of Jinhu Academy’s Spirit Mechanics Department.

“Lu Chen, you have great talent. Even if you don’t get into the Spirit Mechanics Bureau this year, don’t be discouraged. I’ll do my best to secure you an assistant teaching position… Wait for my good news.”

Lu Chen curled his lip. He knew all too well Professor Elson’s style—so-called assistant teaching was just low-paid labor, with little more status than a graduate student.

He marked it as read, without reply.

The second was a reply from his best friend, Wang Tianlin.

“Damn, you played me! The news says you were taken by a lady pirate, and now you’re off to sea as captain… If you’re being held, blink twice and I’ll have my mom come rescue you!”

Lu Chen responded, “My RV was smashed by a spaceship, so I got the repaired ship as compensation. Don’t worry, no one can force me.”

The third was an encrypted email from Aunt Wang.

“小路, don’t do anything rash. I’ve already checked with the Spirit Mechanics Bureau; you still have a chance to get in as a substitute. Don’t worry about money, Auntie will cover it for you… Don’t listen to Tianlin’s nonsense, nothing good comes out of his mouth. Are you really scared away by me? Even if you dislike Auntie, don’t let yourself be bewitched by those vixens outside; there are no good women among star pirates.”

Lu Chen replied with a smile, “It wasn’t Auntie who scared me off. Thanks for everything. I’ll come visit when I can!”

Before he could send his reply, he caught a whiff of intoxicating fragrance mixed with alcohol, and Gloria’s angry voice sounded at his ear:

“Who says there are no good women among star pirates?”

Lu Chen clicked send and retorted, “So, you admit you’re a pirate?”

“I’m an adventurer!” Gloria declared, clutching a chilled soda Lu Chen had brought aboard, gulping it down.

“And next time, don’t warp while I’m showering—I slipped and fell, and spent three days tumbling!”

Lu Chen stood up, preparing to shower, only to discover that Gloria had rushed out wearing nothing but a vacuum sporty outfit—grey cotton shorts and a pale yellow sleeveless top, exuding a refreshing martial arts vibe.

The only drawback was that she was a bit too refreshed…

With her figure, such attire was tantamount to nudity—her toes were visible below, and her curves above. She even sported a playful hairpin, adding a touch of cuteness to her allure.

Truly worthy of the succubus name!

Lu Chen averted his gaze, questioning sternly, “How many outfits does a Sword Spirit Warrior need to change in a day?”

Gloria pouted and retorted, “Can’t a Sword Spirit Warrior love beauty?”

“Loving beauty is fine, but I’m a man—and the captain. I have the right to establish shipboard regulations. Rule number one: no going without underwear!”

“Look at you, blushing! Men don’t blush, only boys… Besides, how do you know I’m not wearing any? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

Lu Chen was speechless.

“You think I’d dare go to sea with you without knowing you have half succubus blood?”

Gloria’s gaze chilled as she scanned Lu Chen’s cultivation and physique, as well as his equipment.

She could find no reason for him to possess such spiritual perception!

“It seems I underestimated you… So what if I have half succubus blood? Humanoids have rights now. Succubi are just humans who maintain their sanity despite being tainted by dark poison—why wouldn’t they have rights?

Also, big sister’s beauty is natural, not because of succubus blood, so don’t look down on me!”

Lu Chen took advantage of her distraction, snatching the iced cola from her hand.

“I don’t look down on you. But if you want more of my chilled soda, you’ll have to dress properly.”

“Fine, fine.” Gloria impatiently grabbed a white cloth from the living quarters, wrapped it around her chest without removing the sleeveless top, and tied a knot at her back.

She disliked feeling constrained. She thought, just because her chest was big and eye-catching, the rest was no different from other women, so she let it go.

Lu Chen shook his head and went to shower.

The bathroom was scented too sweetly, underwear scattered everywhere, all sorts of female products strewn about.

It gave him a headache.

He’d thought Gloria was a simple-living female Sword Spirit Warrior, perhaps a good buddy for the journey, so he’d agreed to team up.

Teammates should share life and death, common ideals, but never flirt.

With too many teammates, flirting only undermines unity.

“Ah, women will always be women.”

Lu Chen showered quickly, changed into a multi-functional spirit mechanic’s suit.

The neatly tailored sea-blue outfit had thoughtful design—dustproof, anti-magnetic, spirit-resistant, with a multi-purpose engraving knife in the pocket.

Returning to the cockpit, Gloria’s eyes widened, apparently finding a new uniform temptation in his attire.

“What do you want to eat?” Lu Chen asked, though cultivators often fast, not needing food or drink.

“Any barbecue?”

“No, only frozen reheated meals—sticky rice dumplings, wraps, hot dry noodles, compressed bread, and some snacks.”

“Spirit grain rice balls, or spirit fish jerky?”

“They’re snacks, not spirit food.”

“Just chocolate, then.”

Lu Chen fetched compressed bread, milk, and chocolate from the fridge.

He mused that, while this woman loved beauty, she favored high-calorie foods. Her figure was plump and athletic, yet slender where it mattered, showing the high energy consumption of a Sword Spirit Warrior.

Back at the cockpit conference table, the two ate while opening the map projection to plan their next itinerary.

Gloria was absorbed in eating and not very concerned about the itinerary.

“There’s nothing to discuss—just head straight into the Pan-Gu Corridor.”

Lu Chen replied seriously, “Before entering the corridor, we must join the Adventurer Association.”

United as a fire, scattered as stars.

The Adventurer Association was formed by countless adventurers to counter other forces and protect their rights—a blazing fire.

It boasted one hundred and eight interstellar mega-ships, like mobile planets, active within the Pan-Gu Corridor, cruising alongside adventurers.

It offered the latest exploration news, paid rescue, temporary supplies, mission bounties.

Each week, it released the updated Adventurer Ladder Rankings, selecting among active teams:

One Saint.

Seven Sovereigns.

One Hundred and Eight Heavenly Commanders.

Three Thousand Star Demons.

And the Potential List: Ten Thousand New Generation!

Every adventurer team entering the corridor took pride in making the ladder, always scoffing at imperial or federation bounties.

With fame, they could even livestream and earn generous rewards from viewers.

Many teams lost money on adventures but struck it rich through streaming.

Gloria, seeing Lu Chen researching association details, thumped her chest, barely restrained by the white cloth, brimming with ambition.

“Our initial goal is to become one of the Ten Thousand New Generation on the ladder—then we can just livestream and earn money lying down!”

“That’s too far off.”

Lu Chen had plenty of ways to make money, no need for streaming.

He checked the requirements for joining the New Generation—most leaders were at least level fifty.

After reviewing the latest association entry requirements, Lu Chen set a three-step plan.

“Step one, we need to earn enough money. I must raise my spirit power level to ten, and ideally, buy a new ship equipped with heavy weapons.

Step two, recruit a teammate. We already have a spirit mechanic and a Sword Spirit Warrior; the third should be a Magus or Spirit Master.

Step three, register with the Adventurer Association, take the strength evaluation, and officially enter the Pan-Gu Corridor.”

Gloria’s mind was still stuck on the first step—making money.

“You’re very methodical, but how do you earn enough without entering the corridor? Don’t tell me you think star leaders like Rust Star—weak and wealthy—are everywhere. A hundred spirit stones is nowhere near enough for a new ship.”

“I can make money in any stellar system.”

As soon as he spoke, multiple red dots flashed on Lu Chen’s treasure map.

This meant several qualifying treasures had been discovered within the Rogel system!

The criteria:

No sovereignty dispute.

With Lu Chen’s current abilities and resources, obtainable quickly and with low risk.

Substantial rewards.

His joyful treasure-hunting adventure had begun!