Game: Civilization Paradise

Xiaoqi eagerly tore open the letter, and Cloud Fish and the others all crowded around to look.

Just then, Long Ming also walked over and craned his neck to take a look.

At that moment, Xiaoqi and the others seemed to sense something and turned to look at Long Ming in unison.

"Why are you looking at me? Read the letter!"

Long Ming said with a smile.

"Oh, oh, right."

Xiaoqi and the others quickly unfolded the letter and read it carefully.

The letter's general message was that the 42nd Legion, which she was a part of, had successfully followed the Third Legion in an assault on the Guangxiao Star Sea. She said they were doing quite well now, told everyone not to worry, and urged them to hold on, as the future was promising.

Long Ming's heart stirred as he read this. After thinking for a few seconds, he said to Xiaoqi and the others,

"Xiaoqi, I'm planning to go to the Guangxiao Star Sea."

"Huh? Why the sudden decision to go to the Guangxiao Star Sea?"

Xiaoqi and the others were taken aback.

"Aren't Luoxue and her group doing pretty well for themselves? I'll go join them. Maybe there's a better future for me there."

Long Ming said to Xiaoqi and the others with a laugh.

"That's true... But how will you get there?"

Although Xiaoqi and the others were reluctant to see Long Ming go, they knew he couldn't stay at the Star Wish Cafe forever. There really wasn't much of a future for him here.

"The Star Alliance has opened up long-range voyages. I'll just go with one of them."

Long Ming told Xiaoqi and the others.

"Okay. When you see Sister Luoxue, please give her a message for us. Tell her we miss her very much!"

Xiaoqi and the others nodded.

"Alright. I'm going back to my room to rest."

Long Ming then walked toward the stairs.

...

「In his room.」

Long Ming sat at his desk, raised his wristband to log into the Star Alliance forums, and began searching for how to get to the Guangxiao Star Sea.

SWISH~

A huge number of guide posts popped up.

Long Ming was surprised to see them all. It hadn't been long since the Alliance had announced the long-range voyages, yet there were already so many guides.

He immediately began to read through them carefully.

An hour later, Long Ming finally understood the ways to travel to the Guangxiao Star Sea.

The Star Alliance had organized long-range fleets to travel to the Guangxiao Star Sea, and ordinary citizens could buy tickets to travel with them.

However, there were different kinds of tickets, mainly divided into two types: fast and slow.

The fast tickets were for passage on ships capable of faster-than-light travel, with a journey time of about fifteen days. The slow tickets were for sub-light speed ships, with a journey of about half a year.

The prices of the two types of tickets were also worlds apart.

Of course, the fast tickets were also divided into different classes. Prices varied greatly depending on the ship and the cabin.

Long Ming thought for a few seconds, then logged into the designated Star Alliance website. He spent 10,000 Star Coins to purchase a first-class ticket on the Level 4 mothership, the Haiyun.

BUZZ~

Just then, Long Ming's wristband vibrated, and a notification popped up.

"Dear Mr. Long Ming, congratulations on your successful purchase of a first-class ticket for the Haiyun. Please proceed to Starport 47 on Star Island No. 1000 to board at 2:00 PM on April 13th, Star Alliance Year 966...."

After seeing the notification, Long Ming checked the date. Tomorrow was the 13th.

He immediately began to pack his things.

...

「The next morning.」

Long Ming came down the stairs.

"Long Ming, are you leaving now?"

Xiaoqi and the others gathered around him, their faces filled with reluctance.

"Yeah. You guys take care here. If you run into any trouble, find someone to let me know."

Long Ming said with a smile to Xiaoqi and the others.

"Okay. Be careful on your journey."

"Alright. Goodbye!"

"Have a safe trip!"

Xiaoqi and the others all waved goodbye to Long Ming.

Long Ming gave a wave, turned, and left.

...

「A short while later.」

Long Ming took a stellar rail to Star Island No. 1000.

Although most of the outer Star Islands were for the lowest class of citizens, some were used for docking starships, like this one, Star Island No. 1000.

After getting off the transport, Long Ming followed the dense crowd to Waiting Hall No. 7.

The hall was packed with travelers.

Long Ming looked around for an empty seat, but basically all of them were taken.

Just then, he saw an empty seat next to two men—one was a refined-looking man with glasses wearing a suit, and the other wore jeans and a gray trench coat—but a black travel bag was sitting on it.

Long Ming walked up to the man in the gray trench coat and asked politely,

"Excuse me, sir. Could you move your bag so I could have this seat?"

"Oh, of course. My apologies."

The man quickly took his bag off the seat.

"Thank you."

Long Ming then sat down.

Just then, the man in the trench coat continued his conversation with the man in the suit beside him.

"So, my friend, are you heading to the Guangxiao Star Sea for business, or...?"

"My uncle has a business there. I'm going to join him and try to make a living."

"What a coincidence, me too! I heard the streets there are paved with gold. You can strike it rich doing just about any kind of business!"

"I suppose so!"

"I'm Aemon. What's your name?"

"Gretel!"

...

Long Ming leaned back in his chair, listening to Aemon and Gretel chat.

Time ticked by, and in a blink, it was 1:55 PM.

Just then, a colossal shadow flitted past the window.

Instantly, the entire waiting hall began to tremble slightly.

"What's going on?"

"Was that an earthquake?"

"This is a Star Island. We don't get earthquakes here."

...

Everyone was startled and broke into discussion.

Long Ming was also a little confused.

Just then, an announcement came over the broadcast system.

"All respected passengers, boarding for the Haiyun, bound for the Guangxiao Star Sea, has now begun. Please prepare to board."

Hearing this, Long Ming and the others all stood up and headed for the gates at the entrance to the boarding tunnel.

At that moment, the indicator lights on the boarding gates lit up.

Long Ming and the others passed smoothly through the electronic gates and entered a transparent tunnel that was eight meters high and twenty meters wide.

They walked along the tunnel and soon beheld a truly shocking sight.

A starship came into view—so vast its ends couldn't be seen, completely covered in gray armor, and exuding an overwhelming presence.

"Whoa, is this the Haiyun?"

"This ship is huge!"

"What we're seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg."

"How big is the Haiyun?"

"The Haiyun is a Level 4 mothership under the Star Alliance's Moorgate Consortium. It's fifty kilometers long with a rectangular hull covered in heavy alloy armor, and it's equipped with Light Beam Cannons, 5,000 universal launch ports, and 1,000 interceptor cannons."

"Awesome!"

...

Long Ming stared at the ship before him, deeply shaken by the sight.

Although he had looked up information on the Haiyun when he bought his ticket, reading the specs and seeing it in person were two completely different things.

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from behind, followed by a group of bodyguards in second-generation mechanical exoskeletons who began to push the crowd back forcefully.

"Everyone, to the right!"

Startled, Long Ming and the other passengers moved to the right.

The bodyguards directly set up a barrier, splitting the entire tunnel in two.

Long Ming and the others were cordoned off on the right side. At the same time, some of the guards ran ahead to block the path of the passengers in front.

"Who are you people?"

"Why are you stopping us from boarding?"

...

Many passengers demanded angrily.