BATTLE FOR STARS

“Who are they?” Ding Yufei asked curiously.

Belina sighed softly. “You don’t recognize any of these slaves?”

“Huh? Are they famous or something?” Ding Yufei was genuinely confused.

“They themselves aren’t famous,” Belina said, pointing toward one of the rooms. “But their appearances have been modeled after well-known figures. That one, for example, is based on the famous interstellar singer Carmen.”

“And that one—he’s modeled after Barrett, a well-known game actor. That one over there is even a character from a virtual game,” she added, gesturing toward several other rooms. “I don’t recognize all of them, but they’re probably all famous figures from different planets.”

“So these customized appearances are for…” Ding Yufei trailed off, already starting to understand.

“If they were created just through genetic adjustments and cosmetic surgery, that’s one thing,” Belina said quietly. “But if they’re actual clones, then it becomes a serious issue.”

“Are clones even allowed?” Ding Yufei asked.

“No. No nation permits cloning. Partly for security reasons, and partly because clones tend to have shorter lifespans than natural humans—it’s fundamentally unfair to them. Large-scale cloning would also create major social problems.”

Although they were speaking softly, Jill still overheard them and turned around to clarify:

“Rest assured, these are not clones. They are slaves cultivated according to client specifications. Some may appear older, but that’s simply due to surgical adjustments to meet customer requirements. Rooms marked with a purple indicator mean the slave has already been reserved. Those without markings are available for purchase.”

Ding Yufei looked more closely and noticed that many rooms indeed bore purple markers. That explained why the slaves here weren’t actively presenting themselves.

Reserved slaves had no need to display themselves, while unreserved ones, designed with very specific appearances, either appealed to a buyer or didn’t—so there was little point in trying to attract attention. To Ding Yufei, however, these faces meant nothing. He didn’t recognize any of them, and so he felt no interest.

“We’re not planning to buy any,” Belina said. “We were just curious. But won’t purchasing these customized slaves cause problems?”

“That depends on the laws of the buyer’s home region,” Jill replied. “We are only responsible for cultivation.”

“What kind of people usually place these custom orders?” Ding Yufei asked.

“From what I know,” Jill answered, “some do it out of admiration for celebrities, some to recreate loved ones or friends, some for… less kind reasons, and others simply to realize their own fantasies. There are all kinds of motivations. However, customized slaves cost many times more than standard ones, and the process takes much longer, so not many people choose this option.”

The explanation was vague, but Ding Yufei understood enough—some requests came from sentiment, others from darker impulses. As long as someone could pay, the company would fulfill the order.

---

As they continued forward, they eventually reached the end of the corridor.

There, instead of one door, there were two—one red, one black.

Belina raised her wristband toward the black door, but it remained closed. The red door beside it opened instead, revealing the passage leading back outside.

“What’s behind the black door?” Belina asked.

“That area is handled by specialized personnel,” Jill replied. “Even I’ve never been inside. It likely contains slaves with even more complex requirements—higher confidentiality, stricter controls. Only very special clients are granted access.”

Ding Yufei and Belina exchanged a glance.

Even their VIP clearance wasn’t enough. Whatever was inside, it was clearly on another level.

Belina frowned slightly. She had already recognized that the slaves they’d seen were modeled after celebrities—but what about more influential figures? If people were willing to replicate famous entertainers, surely some would want to replicate individuals of far greater importance. Whether those were clones or not… was another question entirely.

She looked at the black door for a moment, then sighed.

“Forget it. Let’s head to the trading hall.”

---

The trading hall, despite its name, wasn’t a single large space but a collection of private rooms.

Each room functioned as a network-based selection platform, similar to purchasing online—only more comfortable, more efficient, and with better service.

Most visitors preferred browsing in person. Only when they couldn’t find what they wanted would they come here, so the hall itself wasn’t crowded.

Led by Jill, the two entered a comfortable room. It resembled a lounge, with plush seating arranged around a low central platform.

Jill brought them drinks and activated the platform. Instantly, a cylindrical hologram appeared in midair, its surface displaying countless slave profiles. With a simple wave of the hand, the cylinder rotated, revealing new faces in an endless stream.

“If you have specific requirements,” Jill explained, “just tell the system, and it will filter candidates for you.”

Ding Yufei had no idea what to choose, so he looked to Belina.

She thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll take 1,700 labor slaves and 300 service slaves. Evenly split between male and female. Include a variety of appearances and specialties.”

“Understood, ma’am,” Jill replied, her smile brightening. Most VIP clients only purchased dozens at a time—this order of two thousand was enormous.

Within moments, the system selected the slaves according to Belina’s criteria and displayed them in the hologram. She gave it only a brief glance—reviewing them individually was impractical.

With a simple gesture, she transferred a string of code to Jill’s console.

“Process the payment with this.”

The code represented the wager she had won from the Emperor—it could be used directly as payment.

“Of course,” Jill said, clearly delighted.

“Oh, and send the girl we selected earlier—Dong Jiaqi—directly to our hotel,” Belina added.

She turned to Ding Yufei with a faint smile. “Consider her a gift. You can experience what it’s like to be a slave owner.”

She knew well the kind of upbringing Ding Yufei had on Earth. To him, this “gift” would likely amount to nothing more than having a personal attendant.