Game: Civilization Paradise

At that moment, the leader of the guards, a fierce-faced man with a bushy beard, glared viciously at the passenger who had voiced the doubt and said bluntly,

"Shut up and wait quietly!"

"If anyone wants to make trouble, don't blame us for getting rough!"

...

The passengers, who had been furious just a moment ago, were instantly intimidated.

Just then, a 3.5-meter-tall V3 Mechanical God, its body radiating a three-colored light and its design incredibly sleek, sped past from the left side of the corridor, flanked by four Destroyer-class mechs.

A gust of wind swept by.

"Ah!"

Many of the young women in skirts screamed, holding down the hems of their dresses.

After them, a spirited, white-haired old man in a black brocade robe walked straight over, followed by a group of splendidly dressed, arrogant-looking young men and women.

With their heads held high, they ignored the crowd and boarded the ship unimpeded.

At that moment, Gretel, who was standing beside Long Ming, watched their retreating figures and said with a slight frown,

"I didn't expect to run into them here."

"Who are they?"

Long Ming asked, a little curious.

"Their status is extraordinary."

Gretel said to Long Ming with a smile.

"Can you tell me about them?"

Long Ming asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Within the Star Alliance, there are twelve special seats representing the nobility of the Twelve Universes. They possess unparalleled status and privileges."

"Are those people from the Twelve Universes nobility?"

"No, but the first two groups that just went by seem to have some connection to the nobility of the Twelve Universes."

"I see. May I ask your name?"

"Gretel. And you?"

Gretel extended a hand toward Long Ming.

"Long Ming!"

Long Ming shook Gretel's hand.

Soon, all the nobles had boarded the ship, and the bodyguards who had been blocking the way withdrew.

Long Ming then followed the crowd, boarding the ship in an orderly fashion.

Just then, a beautiful, youthful female attendant in a red dress and high heels smiled at Long Ming and said,

"Esteemed Mr. Long Ming, you have purchased a first-class ticket! I am your exclusive attendant, Xiaoyu."

"Hello!"

"Please follow me. I will guide you to your room and introduce you to the mothership Haiyun."

"Alright!"

Long Ming then followed Xiaoyu.

"The mothership Haiyun is a vessel under the Star Alliance's Moge Consortium. Many areas on the ship are restricted and not open to the public. Your accessible areas are limited to Sectors H, J, K, and L. Please remember not to enter any other sectors."

"Understood!"

"Of course, the space in these four sectors is comparable to a small town, with very complete living amenities. If you require more advanced services, you can go to Sector H1. It has top-tier restaurants, a commercial street, a shopping city, and even the top-of-the-line Fengyu Entertainment Club."

Xiaoyu explained in great detail.

"Mm, right. Can I log into Starry City from here?"

As Long Ming listened to Xiaoyu's introduction, he couldn't help but praise them internally. 'These people really know how to do business.'

"Yes, but there is one thing I must inform you of."

Xiaoyu said to Long Ming.

"What is it?"

"After the ship departs from Star Island, the Civilization Forum and Starry City that you log into will not be the same as before."

"Not the same?"

Long Ming asked, a little surprised.

"That's right! The Civilization Forum and Starry City you are currently logging into are connected to the Star Alliance's main Mechanical Mother Pillar. However, once the ship has departed, when you log in again, you will be connecting to the small-scale Mechanical Mother Pillar carried by this mothership. These small-scale pillars were obtained from various civilizations that joined the Alliance, as well as from fallen civilizations."

Xiaoyu gave Long Ming a brief explanation.

"I understand."

Hearing this, Long Ming more or less understood. 'To put it bluntly, it's a LAN.'

Soon, Xiaoyu led Long Ming to the door of room H4562.

"Sir, this is your room. You just need to touch the electronic lock with your wristband to open the door. The room is also equipped with a smart butler; you can summon the control interface at any time to issue commands."

"Thank you."

Long Ming raised his wristband and touched the electronic lock.

CLICK~

The door slid open.

"Then I will take my leave."

Xiaoyu then turned and left to receive the next guest.

Long Ming entered the room, closed the door, and looked around.

The room was about sixty square meters, furnished with a leather sofa, a solid wood desk, a gaming pod, and other furniture. The overall decor was one of understated luxury, very tasteful.

Long Ming was very satisfied when he saw the gaming pod.

A large part of the reason he had bought a first-class ticket was because it came with a mental-link pod.

Long Ming walked over to the bed and lay down to rest.

「Several hours later.」

A slight vibration spread through the room, and Long Ming's eyes snapped open.

Just then, a pleasant voice came over the ship's broadcast system.

"Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, the Haiyun is about to depart and enter superluminal flight mode. There will be some turbulence, so please ensure your own safe—"

Hearing this, Long Ming got up and tried waving a hand.

A virtual control interface immediately appeared.

"Not bad, pretty high-tech! Show me the external view."

"Acknowledged."

A pleasant electronic voice responded.

Instantly, the metal wall beside him became a projection of the vast, starry cosmos outside.

...

「On the bridge of the Level 4 Mothership Haiyun.」

A middle-aged man sat in the command chair. He wore a blue command uniform, his temples were graying, his skin was tanned, and his chiseled features wore a calm and steady expression.

Numerous operators sat at their consoles, giving continuous reports.

"Power unit one, output is nominal."

...

Just then, a woman with delicate features, also in a blue uniform, spoke respectfully.

"Captain Vitor, all preparations are complete."

"Ah, so the wonderful vacation is over already. To be honest, I'm really reluctant to leave the City of Stars."

"Captain, I heard the family put you in charge this time with the intention of having you stay on the front lines to make a name for yourself, didn't they?"

Aisi said with a smile.

"Sigh, you think I don't know? But it's not that easy! Anyway, forget it. It's time to depart. Relay my order: activate the superluminal drive!"

Captain Vitor's expression turned solemn as he gave the command.

As the command was issued!

Dazzling halos of light erupted from all the engine nozzles of the Level 4 Mothership Haiyun.

A terrifying propulsive force acted upon the ship's hull.

The entire Haiyun shook violently, its hull groaning under the strain.

The next second.

The starry sky in front of the Haiyun rippled like the surface of water.

WHOOSH!

The entire ship plunged straight into the rippling space and vanished.

「Back in the room.」

For a moment, Long Ming felt something strange.

He felt his surroundings vibrating slightly, but it quickly subsided.

Long Ming looked at the virtual external view.

His eyes were filled with an illusory, distorted white light.

"So this is subspace?"

Long Ming watched with great interest for a long time.

GRUMBLE~

At that moment, his stomach let out an inopportune rumble.

Snapping out of his trance, Long Ming got up, left his room, and headed for the nearby transit elevator area.