The victory brought more than just silence to the Academy; it brought Lin Feng the resources he needed to disappear. He didn't stay to enjoy the "face-slapping." He took the 500 million credits and the slave ledger and jumped his ship straight to the "Void-End Market"—a lawless station on the edge of the galaxy.
He needed a crew. Humans were too intertwined with the Imperial politics that had just betrayed him. He needed those who had no home to return to.
In the dark, neon-lit alleys of the market, Lin Feng entered a high-end auction house. On the stage stood a towering figure—an Orc female with skin the color of moss and eyes like burning embers. Her name was Kara. Beside her was a Succubus, Lilith, her wings clipped and bound by gravity-shackles.
"These are 'defective' stock," the auctioneer sneered. "The Orc killed her last three masters. The Succubus refuses to use her charm. Garbage."
"I'll take them both," Lin Feng said, throwing a credit-chip onto the table. "And the Ice Elf in the back. And every other non-human girl on that ledger I won."
Back on his ship—now a massive, mirrored Cruiser he had 'copied' from an Imperial patrol—the girls stood in the cargo bay, expecting the worst.
Lin Feng walked in, not with a whip, but with a toolkit. He walked up to Kara and used a laser-cutter to snap her collar.
"I didn't buy you to be slaves," Lin Feng said, his voice echoing in the bay. "I am Viscount Lin Feng of the Dust Sector. My territory is a wasteland, and the Empire wants me dead. I need an engineer, a pilot, and a tactical team. If you stay, you get a room, a salary, and the chance to fire back at the people who put you in these cages."
Kara rubbed her neck, looking at the human boy. "Why should we trust a noble?"
Lin Feng pointed to the viewscreen. Outside, a fleet of thirty identical Cruisers stood in perfect formation. "Because I can give you more firepower than any King in this galaxy. And because I'm the only one who doesn't care what race you are—only how well you can aim."
Lilith, the Succubus, stepped forward, a playful yet dangerous glint in her eyes. "A Viscount with a ghost-fleet? This might be more fun than the Abyss."