The first squad that went out to check the situation was now split into three groups, two people in each group, driving small rescue ships and starting to monitor the space around the merchant fleet.
The captain of the first squad was named Qingping.
He was a Cloud Knight who had been seriously injured while fighting against Abundance abominations, which left his right leg disabled and forced him to retreat to the second line.
After traveling together with the Minghuo Merchant Group for more than fifty years, he was now over three hundred and eighty years old.
Acting together with Qingping was a young man named Zhou Xing.
The two usually got along well. Zhou Xing always liked listening to Qingping talk about his past battles on the front lines, and he seemed to really long for those kinds of scenes.
Unfortunately, he did not have much talent. His martial skills were not strong enough.
Following the merchant group and gaining experience was still enough for him to protect himself, but if it really came to a life and death fight against Abundance abominations, he would be no different from delivering himself up as food.
Under General Jing Yuan's governance, the Luofu represented the Alliance in trading and building exchanges in the universe, and it had been peaceful for hundreds of years.
The other Xianzhou ships would often send news of being attacked or facing unrest, but only the Luofu enjoyed long lasting peace.
Compared to the other generals, this Divine Foresight General carefully managed every detail of the Luofu's actions, avoiding as many potential troubles as possible. When something could not be avoided, he would eliminate it before it could grow serious.
Thanks to that, Zhou Xing could follow the merchant group and slowly gain experience.
However, if the Xianzhou were ever in real danger, then no one would care about hidden injuries, old wounds, or average martial skills. Everyone would pick up their weapons and fight the enemy to the death.
While sighing about the peace of the Luofu under General Jing Yuan's rule, Qingping and Zhou Xing adjusted the instruments in their hands, preparing to test the space stability index here.
"Hmm..." Qingping narrowed his eyes at the dial, watching the numbers on it remain unchanged.
"The space stability index here shows no positive or negative change. It looks like the fleet stopping here is not because of a spatial closed loop phenomenon. Kid, what about your side?"
"The Imaginary index also shows no obvious fluctuation. For now, we can rule out the influence of a Stellaron. Captain Qingping, maybe we can test the space energy index."
"If the energy intensity within a fixed unit of space is too high or too low, it can also cause some strange phenomena," Zhou Xing said.
"Mm, we can."
Qingping nodded and began adjusting things again with the young man beside him.
But this test required a bit more waiting.
So while waiting, Qingping contacted the other two groups to ask about their results.
The three groups were testing near the merchant fleet, and although there was a large distance between each group, the final results of the other two groups were no different from Qingping's group.
Zhou Xing glanced at the energy reading on the dial that had not yet stabilized, then turned to the senior beside him and said, "Captain Qingping, what was the most unforgettable battle in your memory?"
Qingping's eyes stayed fixed on the dial in front of him without moving, as if he had fallen into his memories.
Only after a moment did he slowly begin to speak.
While telling the young man beside him, the scenes from that time gradually appeared in Qingping's mind. Even though it was only a memory, it felt as if he could still hear the sounds.
The enemy's weapon fell again, and the comrade in front of him collapsed into a pool of blood.
Blood splashed and covered his entire face, dyeing the dusty helmet red and turning his armor and inner clothes black.
His hair, soaked with blood and mixed with sweat, stuck tightly to his body, and the long blade in his hand was already battered and broken.
He could not remember how long he had been fighting here. He only remembered some words his parents had said when he was young, and the orders the general had given before the battle.
'Kill!'
In his dark red vision, he could see the enemy approaching with a long spear raised. That thought appeared in his mind.
But his hand could not lift, and his feet could not move.
There was no strength left.
He could see his comrades roaring as they rushed forward, but he could not hear the cries of charge in his ears, only the rumbling of his empty stomach.
'Hungry!'
'So hungry!'
Suddenly, he could hear sounds again. The noise of fighting and the clash of metal rang without end. At the same time, a sharp pain came from his right leg. The enemy's spear had pierced through it.
Coming back to his senses, he gritted his teeth, stepped forward, grabbed the enemy's body, and used the blade in his hand to slash down at the enemy's head again and again.
After that, he could not remember clearly.
His consciousness was blurry. He only knew that when he woke up again, he was already in the Alchemy Commission, and the battle had been won...
Speaking of which... It seemed like someone was talking?
Yes.
If he had strength, he would not have been so miserable back then.
If he had strength, his younger brother would not have died.
Qingping blinked and remembered the face of the comrade who had fallen.
It was his own younger brother.
Time seemed to return to that moment again. The enemy's spear thrust forward and pierced straight through Qingqu's throat.
He did not even hear Qingqu's final sound.
Qingping slowly raised his head and looked at the glass of the ship in front of him. He could see a faint reflection on it.
Why did the person inside look so miserable?
A man covered in a black robe walked over from somewhere unknown and said with a smile, "You are very unwilling, aren't you? You look gloomy and miserable. That is not good. Like this... you cannot be called beautiful at all."
Robin frowned tightly.
At this moment, she had no mind to continue talking with the two Xianzhou friends she had just met.
She only stared at the wall of the room, stood up, and asked seriously and firmly, "Who are you?"
The black robed figure in her sight slowly stepped forward, walked out of the wall, and came in front of her, as if he had pressed right up against her.
"Miss Robin, you are feeling a little anxious right now, aren't you? After all, time is limited. If this delay continues any longer, you will be late for your performance. Yet this terrible cosmic phenomenon shows no possibility of being solved."
Robin narrowed her eyes and said nothing, but her gaze was full of hostility.
"Do not look at me like that, Miss Robin. I am a person with pursuits and ideals. Please believe me, I sincerely came to solve the problem."
"The way you are full of hostility and inner anxiety is not beautiful at all. You must understand, being able to do what you want to do, everyone laughing happily, everyone embracing happiness, that is true beauty!"
"This is my pursuit, to make everyone happy. Our ideals are the same, Miss Robin. I hope you can give me your trust. I am really just here to help a little. Of course, I will also collect a small reward."
After saying that, the black robed man slowly turned his head.
Robin also turned her head along with his gaze. In the end, her eyes fell on the Xianzhou boy who was looking confused.
Robin immediately realized that this man's target was probably this child named Nero!
But what was the reason?
Was it because of this child's special trait?
The first impression Nero left on Robin was very deep. It could be described with two words.
Bbeautiful and magical.
Robin rarely felt surprised by someone's appearance, but this child was an exception.
Although the other party could also be considered an "uninvited guest," at the first glance, Robin was also amazed by that flawless face.
On the other hand, the moment she saw this child, her mood strangely became a little better. It felt like seeing Dominicus, one of Harmony Xipe's many incarnations, or like seeing her older brother with long hair.
Robin believed this was a very magical trait of Nero, something that made people feel close to him.
Because of that, she had gotten along quite well with the two Xianzhou visitors.
But now...
In the end, Robin's attention returned to the black robed man.
He had not spoken again and seemed to be waiting for her to make a decision.