This is really not mechanical ascension-Chapter 893 - 461 Accident at Damenles Star Gate Node_2

Sure enough, the star gate node below was quite dilapidated, with peeling paint on the metal shell, not to mention the docking star port.

Forget about a closed anchor point; it’s not even a slightly advanced magnetic lock, just an old-fashioned traction lock.

"Just wait patiently..." Li Ming said without words, having planned ahead and not minding a bit of delay.

Unexpectedly, Vermilion Bird added, "Master, based on feedback from the Damenles Star Gate management system, due to technical reasons, during the spatial coating and queuing, it’s best not to have anyone on the ship."

"Should people stay on the ship or not?" Li Ming raised an eyebrow, then realized, "It’s hard to come by a flock of fat sheep; they surely want to take full advantage."

Through the porthole, he saw flying devices coming and going to the queue of ships.

Opening the wide-area channel, sure enough, a burst of cursing came right at him--

"Is this star gate node crazy poor, not allowing people to stay on the ship while queuing?"

"What the hell..."

Due to the scarcity of star port spots, to enter the star gate node below, one can only be towed by a flying device, and this is charged per head, five thousand Star Coins per person.

Those who can pilot ships for long-distance travel usually don’t mind this amount of Star Coins.

But according to some talks on the wide-area channel, this has already been adjusted; a few days ago, the asking price could be as high as fifty thousand Star Coins.

Because there were a lot of travel ships or rented ships, this price caused a public outcry, which forced them to lower it.

After paying the fee, and casually finding a B Level Mechanical Body to serve as a bodyguard, Li Ming took a creaky flying device to the star gate node below,

with a sense of decay rushing at him, piles of garbage lining the streets, with a faint smell of rot in the air.

There seemed to be some locals from the node, gathering in threes and fours, eyeing these completely out-of-place travelers.

Li Ming wandered around; there were quite a few shops, but some were obviously closed for a long time, only reopening these past two days with the sudden influx of people.

They were selling some local civilization specialties, but the prices were extremely high, and as for the shops selling Energy Blocks, the prices were sky-high, with markups of four or five times.

Hotel prices were crazily expensive; every traveler Li Ming met along the way was cursing, various interstellar dialects weaving into a beautiful symphony.

Not to mention dining places, which were both expensive and unpalatable, with poor service attitude.

Li Ming scanned the Star Network and actually found a well-reviewed place.

The reputation reversed recently; previous sporadic reviews all mentioned how the owner was arrogant, the prices extremely high, and the attitude terrible.

But these past two days, they all talked about how it was great value, with a signature dish, roasted Star Stream Black Snake, being incredibly delicious, and the owner sticking to principles, refusing to raise prices.

Following the navigation, Li Ming arrived at a more secluded area.

The storefront stood out from its surroundings, with a black signboard and several large red characters immaculately clean—Old Feit’s Roasting Shop.

Star Stream Black Snake was a local culinary specialty, with a long line already formed out front, with various life forms present, including some well-dressed individuals.

Li Ming stood at the end, feeling not bored but rather intrigued, with a sense of familiar unfamiliarity.

"Hey, buddy..." someone sidled over, with blue skin, protruding eyes, and a rather sleazy demeanor resembling some kind of sub-human.

Their gaze swept over Li Ming, noting all the handmade advanced goods.

Their eyes sparkled with strange speech patterns, introducing themselves: "I’m Seth, a local, and I have some connections. Is your time valuable, interested in paying some Star Coins to buy time?"

A scalper? Li Ming’s expression turned odd, casually asking, "What’s the price?"

"For each position jumped, it’s a thousand Star Coins; there are over two hundred people ahead of you. I’ll give you a discount, two hundred thousand Star Coins." Although his voice was low, several nearby life forms still glanced over curiously.

Li Ming couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle, "Forget it, I can’t afford that price."

"Fool, people with money aren’t stupid." Someone muttered loudly nearby.

Seth didn’t feel awkward, whispering, "How about this, I’ll give you another discount, twenty thousand Star Coins..."

From two hundred thousand to twenty thousand, that discount is quite significant indeed.

Li Ming was just about to speak, when ding-a-ling—

The two shop doors swung open, and two figures emerged, one tall, one short, with a single eye in the center of their faces.

Muttering something under their breath, they had two metal pins in their mouths.

For some reason, every life form on the street felt a chill down their spine, watching the two in awe.

Like a row of sheep encountering a well-fed lion.

Li Ming’s eyes suddenly narrowed, S Level life forms, and there were two of them?

He was vigilant for a moment, then relaxed, as bypassing through a warp indeed wasn’t possible.

He was an S Level life form himself, which didn’t prevent there being other S Level life forms.

The yellow cow beside him dared not speak either, watching the two leave before swallowing hard, pulling out a somewhat worn pocket watch from his shabby clothes, and slapping his thigh, "Damn, the challenge match is about to start so soon."

He looked up and saw Li Ming, smirking, "Boss, it’s too late now. Even if you give me two hundred thousand Star Coins, I can’t get you in."

He turned to leave, tiptoeing, seemingly following the two.

Challenge match?

Li Ming squinted slightly but heard voices from all directions, speaking in interstellar slang. Unnoticed, he had already switched Controlled Objects --

[Advanced Translator--A Level:

Control Ability--Language Proficiency: You can understand all star languages recorded under the official interstellar alliance and can quickly learn unknown languages.]

"The queue’s so long, should we check out the challenger match?"

"It’s said that if you win, you get a billion Star Coins!"

"A billion Star Coins? What’s going on?" Someone turned around with a curious look.

"New here? Some guys are holding a platform challenge match, claiming to select talent with potential to train using resources, offering a sky-high one billion Star Coins..."

"What level is the opposing Evolved Body?" A half-beast with a ferocious aura asked, evidently interested.

The group discussing fell silent, cautiously saying, "It’s fighting with your own virtual duplicate, but it’s not easy. You first fight one virtual duplicate, then two, and it’s said that winning against eight at the end is necessary."

Hmm? Li Ming was slightly mentally jolted?

Why did it sound so much like the Holy Castle trial? Only much less difficult, a coincidence?

But since it was organized by two S Level life forms, it couldn’t be that simple. An idea crossed his mind, and the black-clad bodyguard beside him inserted himself into the queue. Li Ming himself turned to leave.

...

At the central area of the node, what was originally a vast square was now occupied by a metallic fortress, with walls over ten meters high, and eight passages guarded by life forms with strong presence.

Inside the castle, the two returning life forms made their way to the deepest part, knocking on the door with respectful expressions. freёnovelkiss.com

"Enter." A voice full of age came from the room. The two pushed the door open, not daring to lift their heads, speaking in deep voices, "Lord Ling Shou, the new batch is in place, and we can begin."

The one addressed as Ling Shou was facing away from them, hair white, holding a crystal-clear crystal ball.

Ling Shou was silent for a long while before letting out a long sigh, "The guidance of this Terrax Holy Crystal remains vague, not knowing when the target will arrive, if this commotion fails to draw their attention... "

The shorter one hesitated, "My lord, I’ve never understood, does the Holy Crystal guide the bloodline of the Terrax Saint King, or those undergoing the King-making Trial?"

Ling Shou said indifferently, "The King’s Trial is extremely difficult; only the Terrax Saint King Bloodline can possibly pass, and the two are one."

The taller life form behind spoke, "Rest assured, the guidance of the Holy Crystal cannot be wrong. Since it led us to this Star Domain civilization, it will surely find the Terrax Saint King Bloodline."

"Hard to say, this Star Domain is influenced by the River of Eternal Silence, greatly diminishing the Holy Crystal’s ability..." Ling Shou’s brows furrowed, the crystal ball in his hand slowly lighting up.

In brilliance, the Damenles Star Gate node gradually emerged, enlarging continuously.

However, upon reaching a certain size, it abruptly exploded, returning to a misty state.

Ling Shou sighed helplessly, "Can only confirm, the target hasn’t left yet."

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