The Super Star Bridge Star Map Draftsman II: Fate of the Galaxy

“What’s wrong with him?” Dawn Lucius asked as he and Ailven returned to the main ship after the hearing and found Jonathan lying unconscious.

“Nothing—he just needs rest,” Hamilton replied without turning his head.

“Master, I’m sorry,” Ailven said, bowing slightly to Hamilton. He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to step forward, then stopped in his tracks. “I failed to do what I should have at the hearing. I couldn’t answer Chairman Layte’s questions properly, and this will—”

Hamilton waved a hand dismissively, turning to face Ailven. “It’s not your fault. The first time attending such a meeting, it’s only natural to feel pressured. There will be plenty more opportunities in the future. When that time comes, find your courage—we,” he raised a hand and gestured in a circle, encompassing everyone present, “will have your back. You only need to say what needs to be said.”

“Thank you, Master,” Ailven said, bowing deeply.

“When I invited you to join our research and took you on as my student, what impressed me most was your innate drive—the confidence to refuse a life of mediocrity,” Hamilton said, smiling as he walked over to Ailven and patted him on the shoulder. “Now, rest assured—the goal of this hearing has been achieved. You may continue your work without worry.” He then turned and walked over to Dawn Lucius, standing sideways in front of him. “Thank you for stepping in at the hearing when we needed it most. You helped us secure the chance to conduct our investigation. Otherwise, those men would never have let us proceed so easily.”

Dawn Lucius glanced at Hamilton, unsure whether to say “you’re welcome.” The man in front of him seemed to act with the greater good in mind—but he had kidnapped Dawn’s son. Such ruthless means to achieve an end made Dawn wary beyond measure. In the end, he said nothing. Instead, he turned and looked out the window. The ship was still docked in its original position. In the sky garden outside, sightseeing vehicles bustled back and forth, carrying passengers from all corners of the galaxy—some with smiles of joy on their faces, others with furrowed brows of worry, still others with empty looks of confusion. Dawn walked closer to the porthole, his thoughts fixed on one thing: finding his son and getting as far away from all this as possible.

“Hey—thank you,” Ailven said, walking up behind him with a smile.

“Hmph,” Dawn grunted, turning to glance at him before walking away in the opposite direction.

“Master, what should we do about Minister Zhou Qing’s invitation?” Ailven asked, turning back to Hamilton.

It turned out that after the hearing, Zhou Qing had approached Dawn and Ailven privately, inviting them to a gathering at his home. His intentions had been vague and ambiguous. The words that had escaped his slightly yellowed teeth had made it sound like nothing more than a casual social call—but his evasive, darting eyes had betrayed a deeper agenda, something that couldn’t be discussed in an official setting. Minister Zhou Qing was a master of subtlety, leaving them curious and intrigued.

Dawn had said nothing at the time. For once, Ailven had acted with remarkable maturity. He’d explained that they needed to return to the ship first to take care of some matters, and would report back to Minister Zhou Qing afterward with a response, in case their travel plans changed.

“Well…” Hamilton began, turning to look at Ailven—but before he could finish his sentence, Jonathan woke up.

“Sir, what do we do next?” Jonathan asked, smiling as he struggled to his feet. He moved like a man recovering from a severe illness, shuffling slowly toward Hamilton. His eyes flickered between his own feet—making sure he could walk steadily—and Hamilton’s face, filled with eager anticipation.

“No need to rush—rest first,” Hamilton said, smiling warmly.

“The Moreth Steader looks in good spirits,” Ailven observed approvingly.

“Yes, yes,” Jonathan muttered, still struggling to make his way toward Hamilton. He forced his right foot forward, using it to drag his left foot along behind.

“Very well then,” Hamilton said, clapping his hands together and pressing them to his chest. “I’ll show you something first. After that, I’ll be staying there. You, Moreth Steader, may arrange your own schedule—I don’t think you need to stay with us any longer. As for you, Star Map Draftsman…” Hamilton paused, bowing slightly to Dawn. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to stay with us for now. Once Sandra has your son, you may decide what you wish to do. Does that sound acceptable?”

Dawn said nothing. He turned and checked the communication device on his wrist. Not long ago, Sandra had sent a message saying everything was going smoothly—but their destination was far away, deep within Strath territory.

“I’ll do as the Master says!” Ailven replied promptly.

“I’ll follow your instructions, sir!” Jonathan echoed, speaking right after Ailven.

The ship began to slowly undock from the station. Their destination was another artificial planet, so they flew at a leisurely pace. On Ailven’s advice, Jonathan sat back down on the edge of the bed. Even though Hamilton had urged him to lie down and rest, he’d politely declined. It wasn’t that he wasn’t tired—far from it. What no one else knew was that ever since he’d put on the device, every time he closed his eyes, his mind was flooded with terrifying visions, visions that screamed at him, dragging his soul toward an abyss of emptiness and destruction.

He saw a massive black-brown head with a gaping, toothless maw, spewing forth clouds of purple-red gas—as if it had just finished devouring an entire galaxy. Jonathan couldn’t see what lay behind the head, or if it even had a body. The skull slowly turned to face him, and he felt his breath catch in his throat, as if someone were sucking the last remaining oxygen from his lungs. He also saw a tornado covered in countless black eyes, tearing relentlessly through the Galaxy. Galaxies were ground into scarlet dust and consumed entirely by the twister. The eyes weren’t looking at Jonathan—but the figure standing beside the tornado was. The man was covered in barbed spikes, and he drove a sword taller than himself into the ground, fixing Jonathan with an unblinking, deathly stare.

“Moreth Steader—are you alright?” Ailven asked, noticing Jonathan trembling and hurrying over to him.

“I’m fine—I’m just exhausted,” Jonathan replied, forcing a weak smile. When he looked up, he found Dawn Lucius staring directly at him. “That giant… could it be Dawn Lucius?” Jonathan thought to himself. He looked exactly like the figure in his nightmare. Jonathan couldn’t help swallowing hard.

“Hang in there,” Ailven said. “Once we reach our destination, we’ll find a medical station. You can rest and recover there, okay?”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Jonathan said, waving a hand dismissively.

“The Moreth Steader is young and strong—he’ll be back on his feet in no time,” Hamilton announced from the center of the cabin.

“I suspect this is the result of some new scheme to satisfy your boundless ambition,” Dawn Lucius said coldly, turning to face Jonathan. “It reminds me of the first time we met.”

“Are you lecturing me now?” Jonathan retorted with a scoff.

“Do you two know each other? What happened the first time you met?” Ailven asked, his curiosity piqued.

“He—” Dawn began to speak, but Hamilton cut him off sharply.

“That’s enough!” Hamilton snapped, his voice filled with impatience. He jabbed a finger at the air in front of him. “Remember what I said: leave your past grievances outside this ship. Leave them out of my sight. You are both part of my plan—do you understand? Say no more. Soon enough, you won’t have to see each other again. The ship is almost there—focus on your own tasks.”

The ship soon docked near the farthest artificial planet in the system. Dawn Lucius noticed that this planet had no sky garden. Compared to the one they’d just left, this one was small and unremarkable. From their vantage point, it seemed to be hiding behind the larger planets in the system. Their sun only illuminated a tiny fraction of its surface—the rest was shrouded in perpetual darkness, and no lights were visible on the ground below.

As their ship drew closer, a large, pitch-black vessel suddenly emerged from the planet’s dark side, approaching them rapidly until it hovered directly in front of them. A communication link was established. From the conversation that followed, it became clear that the vessel was an AI-controlled aerial tank—a security measure for the planet. Once Hamilton’s identity was confirmed, the tank descended back into the planet’s darkness, vanishing as if it had never been there at all.

“Let’s go down,” Hamilton said to the men in orange uniforms before Dawn had a chance to react. Moments later, one of the men in orange piloted their ship, gliding smoothly into the darkness and flying toward the surface with the ease of someone who knew the terrain like the back of their hand.

“This isn’t a planet—is it?” Jonathan asked, now standing at the porthole and staring at the scene unfolding before them.

“It’s a mobile laboratory,” Ailven explained with a smile, walking over to join Jonathan. “A super-sized one.”

Dawn Lucius was surprised to hear this. These people were definitely up to something far bigger than just protecting the Galaxy. As the ship passed through the planet’s thin outer atmosphere, Dawn couldn’t help but marvel at its sheer size. If this was a laboratory, then what kind of experiments required something this massive? Looking out into the distance, he saw sixteen enormous mechanical arms protruding from the planet’s surface, each equipped with complex engineering equipment. The ends of the arms seemed to be fused into the atmosphere, tapering downward at an angle toward the ground. Their tips were curved, and in the dim light, Dawn could just make out that they were all encircling something that looked like a giant sunflower—with its petals facing outward.

The ground below was obscured by a thin, veil-like layer of darkness. The ship flew lower and lower toward the mechanical arms until its anti-gravity engines activated, bringing it to a gentle halt. Hamilton led the group off the ship.

“Alright—we’re standing in the best observation spot,” Hamilton said, turning to face the group. By the faint light, Dawn saw that Hamilton was staring directly at him—a gaze that made him feel as uncomfortable as if someone were touching the back of his head without permission.

“What exactly are we supposed to be observing?” Jonathan asked, sounding confused.

“Patience, Moreth Steader—you’ll see soon enough,” Ailven said, grinning as he walked over to stand beside Hamilton. He bowed slightly and asked, “Master, should I explain it to them?”

“No need,” Hamilton replied, nodding at the men in orange. One of them began distributing helmet-like devices, gesturing for everyone to put them on. Then, turning to face the mechanical arms, Hamilton said simply, “Watch.”

“Watch what?” Jonathan pressed—but before Hamilton could answer, the mechanical arms suddenly moved.

The sunflower-shaped device began to glow. Each “petal” came alive, with beams of light surging from their bases to their tips, growing brighter and brighter in sequence. Dawn felt a sharp, stabbing pain behind his eyes—but the helmet quickly darkened, easing his discomfort. The scattered beams of light did not escape the mechanical arms’ grasp; instead, they were woven together into a single, glowing net. This net caused the sunflower device to start spinning rapidly, pulling the mechanical arms inward as the entire structure rotated faster and faster.

A fierce wind erupted from the sky, howling down at the people on the ground, tearing at their clothes and bodies as it whipped across the surface, as if the device was trying to tear open the planet’s very core and escape. The vibrations grew stronger and stronger, as if a restless monster was thrashing around beneath the ground, its spiked back scraping against the planet’s inner crust. As the light woven into the net turned brilliant white—or more accurately, into a glowing tunnel—the ground suddenly fell silent, and the wind vanished without a trace. The rotation of the massive device in the sky became too fast to see with the naked eye.

The tunnel looked like a hidden path worn into the forest by travelers, winding through the trees. And Dawn Lucius and the others—they were like people standing at the edge of that forest. All they had to do was step into the tunnel, and they could either emerge into a clear, tranquil stream… or plummet into a bottomless abyss.

After the demonstration ended, the group returned to the ship and sat facing each other, none of them saying a word.

“Does no one want to know what that was?” Hamilton asked, scanning the faces of Dawn Lucius and Jonathan.

Jonathan stared at Hamilton with wide eyes. He thought he knew what he’d just seen—but he wasn’t sure if his guess was correct. The words hovered on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down, along with a mouthful of saliva.

“Was that a Star Bridge?” Dawn Lucius asked tentatively.

“Something like that. No need to keep it a secret anymore—Ailven, explain it to them,” Hamilton said, looking over at Ailven, who was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement.

“Yes, Master! Right away!” Ailven replied eagerly. “Let me start from the beginning. Before the Datheon civilization appeared, the civilizations in the Orion Arm had no clear divisions—no ranking system, no defined territories. It was chaos, pure and simple. That’s why wars raged across the Orion Arm, leaving it ravaged and scarred. Then the Datheon arrived. They ended the wars and brought four things that were far beyond our level of understanding. The first of those things… is you,” Ailven said, pointing directly at Dawn Lucius.

“Me?” Dawn asked, sounding confused.

“Yes! To be precise, the Star Map Draftsman. The Datheon taught our ancestors to pay attention to the universe’s evolution. They made us understand that an increase in dark matter would lead to the destruction of the galaxies. That’s when the Star Map Draftsman was created. For a time, everyone had a unified goal: working together for the good of the entire galaxy. The wars stopped—but the number of stars in the galaxy began to decrease. Something that, I suspect, not many people noticed.”

“I’ve thought about it before…” Dawn said quietly.

“We figured as much,” Ailven replied. “That’s why you didn’t detonate that newborn star. It surprised us greatly—isn’t that right, Master?” Ailven looked over at Hamilton, who smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “The second thing the Datheon brought was the Galaxy Coin Minting Authority. It unified the minting and distribution of galaxy coins, giving the entire Orion Arm a single, universal currency. This made trade between planets far more convenient and fair. So for the most part, planets focused on figuring out how to trade with each other—not how to wage war against each other. But to this day, we have absolutely no idea who runs the Minting Authority, or who is responsible for creating this digital currency. Our current theory is that the entire Galaxy might be using galaxy coins for transactions.”

“No one knows where it’s located?” Dawn pressed.

“That’s correct,” Ailven said, pulling a Star Bridge activator out of his bag. He glanced at the account balance displayed on its screen before continuing. “The Datheon told the original leaders of the major federations how to claim the initial currency from the galaxy-coin network. Unfortunately, those leaders are long gone—no one knows how they did it, or what the underlying principles were. Later, the system evolved to allow anyone to register an account on the galaxy-coin network, sending and receiving currency freely. You can use it to settle payments for purchases, or earn it from others through work. It circulates naturally, just like that.”

“Is there no way to trace it?” Dawn asked. Ailven shook his head gently.

“The third thing the Datheon brought was White Crystal. Only Madam Winifred knew how to refine it. You’re no stranger to White Crystal—it’s the drug that grants immortality. Strangely enough, its principle is surprisingly simple: it modifies the genes that control lifespan without causing any mutations. Our science department has tried repeatedly to crack its secrets, but we’ve never been able to figure it out.”

“Even though Madam Winifred destroyed that planet, I have no doubt that she’s continued refining White Crystal somewhere else,” Jonathan added coldly.

“We think so too,” Ailven agreed, his expression turning serious. He pointed at Jonathan and continued. “The fourth thing the Datheon brought was Star Bridge technology—and only the Moreth Federation holds the key to it. It revolutionized communication between civilizations, making it faster and more transparent than ever before. This, in turn, drastically reduced the likelihood of war. When civilizations know each other better, there’s less suspicion—and thus, peace prevails. And as you know, Moreth Steader, none of the Moreth Federation’s Star Bridges can be used to transport military forces. If a ship is detected carrying troops, it’s immediately forced to stay outside the Star Bridge. It’s a truly brilliant safeguard.”

“Hmph. We’ve never been able to figure out how it works, either,” Jonathan said. “The people who were present when Datheon built the Star Bridges are long dead. There’s no way to trace it back.”

“Not necessarily,” Ailven said, shaking his head. He continued, “We’ve long suspected that the two princes of the Strath Federation have uncovered the secrets of Star Bridge technology. They’ve probably already started building their own—or perhaps they already have one.”

“How is that possible?” Jonathan asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, they’ve designated a vast uninhabited area in the heart of Strath territory for their experiments,” Ailven explained. “The principle behind Star Bridges isn’t actually that hard to understand. I think you’ve already guessed it, Moreth Steader—it’s all about calculating the gravitational depressions between galaxies, and determining the exact moments when those depressions are closest to each other. It’s something that can only be observed in another dimension—one that we can’t access.”

“Hmph. When I was a child, my mother told me that the universe takes on different forms in different dimensions,” Jonathan said. “In the dimension where Star Bridges exist, the universe is like a piece of silk floating on water. The holes in the silk shift and change, creating varying distances between them. Those holes are the gravitational depressions.”

“Exactly! That’s the principle,” Ailven said with a smile. “We believe the Strath Federation is trying to build an activator device that can accurately calculate the optimal times when the distances between these depressions are shortest.”

“I see—so that’s what Madam Winifred was talking about,” Jonathan muttered to himself, finally understanding.

“Then what exactly did we just see?” Dawn Lucius asked, bringing the conversation back to the demonstration they’d just witnessed.

“For that… I think it’s best if Master explains,” Ailven said, turning to Hamilton.

Hamilton took a deep breath, sitting up straight in his chair. He pressed his palms flat against the tabletop, his fingers splayed wide—as if he wanted to grip the table itself, or perhaps as a way to steady himself against the weight of what he was about to say. Then he clasped his hands together, resting them on his stomach, and looked directly at Jonathan. “It is a Star Bridge—but it can take us much farther than any Star Bridge in the Moreth Federation’s arsenal.”

“Farther?” Jonathan echoed.

“How much farther?” Dawn asked at the same time.

“Right now, it’s capable of crossing entire spiral arms—but this is still just the experimental phase,” Hamilton revealed. “This artificial planet we’re on is a supercomputer. It can calculate the gravitational depressions of every major galaxy in the Galaxy in real time, identifying the optimal routes and coordinates for travel between them. We’ve also made improvements to this Super Star Bridge that the Moreth Federation’s Star Bridges don’t have. With theirs, you can’t see your destination before you arrive. But the mechanical arms you saw earlier—they can project an image of the destination while the channel is being opened. This ensures that when we cross spiral arms, we can first verify that the destination is safe and accurate before we make the jump.”

“Sir… if it can cross spiral arms, and if we can see the destination clearly,” Jonathan said, interrupting Hamilton and gesturing out the window, “then why don’t we just send people there directly?”

“Excellent question—excellent,” Hamilton said, nodding in approval. He glanced at Dawn Lucius before continuing. “During our experiments, we discovered that even the most advanced ships built by the Ashton Federation can’t survive a trip through the Super Star Bridge. Ordinary ships stand no chance at all. That’s why we need to solve the problem of ship design first.”

Jonathan shot a sidelong glance at Dawn Lucius. He knew exactly what Hamilton was implying—only the Star Map Draftsman’s ship could withstand the journey through the Super Star Bridge. Dawn said nothing, but when he realized that all three men were staring at him expectantly, he finally spoke up. “That is not the Star Map Draftsman’s mission.”

“Yes, yes—of course not,” Hamilton said, smiling and waving a hand to smooth things over. But no one noticed that his fists had clenched tightly again, until his nails dug into his palms and the pain forced him to relax his grip. He turned back to Jonathan and continued. “As I told you before, the ship that carried Lord Winifred into exile is far more advanced than anything the Ashton Federation can produce. Someone is already in pursuit of Lord Winifred—and they will solve the ship problem for us.”

“Sir—are you suggesting that Lord Winifred’s ship is the same as…” Jonathan glanced at Dawn Lucius, pointing at him. “…his?”

“It’s highly likely, based on the principles involved. Both are powered by dark matter—and that ship is incredibly large. But there is one key difference.”

“What difference?” Jonathan pressed.

“The energy shield,” Hamilton replied. “Only the Star Map Draftsman’s ship has a shield strong enough to withstand the journey. No other technology can replicate it.”

“If that ship is truly that advanced, then how can you hope to stop it?” Dawn Lucius asked, looking directly at Hamilton.

“The Defenders’ Alliance has more than enough resources to intercept it,” Hamilton said confidently. “The problem is, Lord Winifred’s ship has already reached the edge of the Orion Arm. It will soon enter the Dark Void. If we can’t intercept it before then, we’ll lose our chance—the Void is a place where no galaxies exist. We can’t find any gravitational depressions there. So even if the ship were to turn back, the journey would take far too long. By the time it returned, the consequences of dark matter decline would already be upon us. At that point, we wouldn’t need the ship anymore.” Hamilton said this with a cold smile.

Dawn Lucius said nothing more. He squeezed the communication device on his wrist, his thoughts fixed on Stacean and Sandra. No matter what happened to the universe, they were the only ones who mattered to him. He wasn’t some kind of hero—saving everyone was a burden no one could bear. In the face of the Datheon, he was nothing more than an ant. “Save the entire universe?” Dawn thought to himself, recalling a memory from his childhood. When he’d graduated from school, someone had once mocked him for having such a lofty dream—and the entire classroom had laughed. He couldn’t save the universe. But everything he’d seen so far—Hamilton using the Defenders’ Alliance’s resources to build this massive Super Star Bridge—proved that they were genuinely afraid of the disaster that dark matter decline would bring. Emotionally, he hated these people with every fiber of his being—but logically, he knew they might be right.

“I’ll help you—if you can prove that dark matter decline will lead to a disaster,” Dawn said, raising his voice. “But one thing: don’t try to trick me. You nearly got me killed once before…” Dawn shot a glance at Jonathan, then turned back to Hamilton. “…and you kidnapped my son. I don’t trust any of you. I’m only doing this to protect the people I care about—and to save as many lives as possible in the process.”

The three men stared at Dawn in silence, clearly caught off guard by his words. They exchanged glances, trying to read each other’s expressions, but none of them could find the right words to say. After a long moment, Hamilton bowed slightly to Dawn. Then he gave Ailven a subtle nod—and the young man immediately changed the subject, launching into the next part of their plan. It was clear that this had all been arranged beforehand by Hamilton and Ailven.

“We suspect that the decline of dark matter is not a natural occurrence,” Ailven said, his tone serious. “I mean…” He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “We believe it’s being caused by a civilization far more advanced than our own. We’ve been trying to trace the flow of dark matter across the universe, but so far, we’ve been unable to do it—the universe is simply too vast. That’s why we plan to seek external cooperation. And this is where we need your help, Moreth Steader.”

“Me?” Jonathan asked, surprised.

“Yes, Moreth Steader. Your master, Master Sakya, has extensive research experience in this field. We believe he already has data that could help us. The problem is, Master Sakya has always disliked working in teams. We’ve made countless attempts to invite him to join our research, but he’s turned us down every time. So…”

“I see what you’re asking,” Jonathan said, cutting him off. “You want me to persuade Master Sakya to join our research team. Is that right?”

“Yes!” Ailven replied eagerly.

“Well…” Jonathan hesitated, recalling the day Master Sakya had left the Moreth Federation. His master was a stubborn man in many ways—he’d given up all his status and wealth in the Moreth Federation to live in seclusion, studying the boundaries of the universe. Trying to lure him with money or power would be useless. What could possibly convince him? “Very well,” Jonathan finally agreed. He had no idea how to persuade Master Sakya to join them—but he knew he needed the Star Source-like device that Hamilton had in his possession. That was reason enough to agree.

“Additionally, we’re worried that some members of the Alliance might try to sabotage our research,” Ailven said quickly, noticing Jonathan’s hesitation. “So would it be possible to ask the Moreth Steader to arrange for some Centaly warriors to protect us? Don’t worry—we’ll pay King Theobald a handsome fee for their services.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Jonathan said with a smile. “But I’d like to know exactly what kind of ‘sabotage’ you’re expecting. Do you have any specific individuals in mind? King Theobald is loyal to me, but he’ll need concrete information to act effectively.”

“Of course—we’ll prepare all the relevant data for you,” Ailven said, nodding. “The main concern is that someone has been distributing White Crystal to people all over the galaxy…”

“Wait—did you say distributing?” Jonathan interrupted, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Yes,” Ailven confirmed.

“Do you know who’s behind it? Is it someone from the Moreth Federation? I mean…” Jonathan quickly clarified, emphasizing his words. “…my Moreth Federation?” He deliberately stressed the word “my.”

“No!” Ailven replied firmly.

“Are you certain?” Jonathan pressed.

“Absolutely! Why do you ask, Moreth Steader?”

“On my way to visit my master, I was…” Jonathan began, then frowned as he struggled to find the right words. “…robbed. The bandits were searching for White Crystal. It seems like everyone with an army is hoarding it. The idea that someone is actually giving it away is shocking. What could their motive possibly be?” He chose not to mention that the bandits who’d robbed him were actually soldiers from the Moreth Federation.

“We suspect that someone is copying Madam Winifred’s strategy,” Ailven explained. “They’re using White Crystal to win people’s loyalty and support. It’s a classic power play—gaining influence by giving people something they want.”

“I see,” Jonathan muttered, deep in thought. It seemed that someone else was also plotting to take over the Orion Arm. This put even more pressure on him to achieve his own goals.

“Now, we’ll need your help as well, Star Map Draftsman,” Ailven said, turning to Dawn—but Dawn cut him off before he could finish.

“Call me Dawn.”

Ailven glanced at Hamilton, unsure if this was appropriate. When Hamilton nodded in approval, Ailven continued. “Very well—Dawn. We already have the scan data from the Star Source, but it’s not enough. We hope we can also access the data from your Sane ship. Would you be willing to let us do that?” Ailven asked, giving him a pleading smile.

“Fine,” Dawn agreed without hesitation. “But once Sandra and Stacean are back, I’m leaving. Until then, you can look at whatever you want.” It was no big deal—only Dawn could activate the Sane ship anyway.

“Wonderful! That’s great news,” Ailven said, bowing slightly in gratitude.

They then divided up their tasks for the upcoming journey. The men in orange had already prepared two ships. One was given to Jonathan, who set off immediately to find Master Sakya. Hamilton took the other ship, heading back to Planet Gorov, where he planned to build a new laboratory. Research into dark matter decline would be conducted there, far away from the prying eyes and interference of the Alliance. As for Dawn Lucius and Ailven—they would first attend Minister Zhou Qing’s gathering.

Dawn agreed to go for two reasons: first, Minister Zhou Qing had specifically invited him, and second, he’d been genuinely amazed by Hamilton’s Super Star Bridge. There was so much more to the universe that he wanted to learn, so many wonders he wanted to see. His curiosity outweighed his caution.

Dawn’s change of attitude made Ailven feel like he’d already become a part of their team. He even began showing Dawn the electronic files on his device, sharing information with him as casually as two friends flipping through a magazine together.

When they arrived at Minister Zhou Qing’s residence, Dawn was struck by its sheer size—it was as vast as a vineyard owned by a billionaire. It couldn’t have been more different from the austere, bureaucratic architecture of the hearing building. In fact, it was hard to believe that this place had any connection to Planet Vonia at all. Despite being the home of a science minister, there was not a single trace of advanced technology to be seen anywhere.

Led by the staff, the two men wandered through a maze of corridors and gardens for what felt like hours before finally reaching the location of the “casual dinner” that Zhou Qing had mentioned. But as they stepped through the low doorway, they were greeted by an unexpected sight: Minister Zhou Qing was in the middle of berating two women, apparently angry about something they’d done—or perhaps about someone under their care who’d violated some kind of rule.

“My apologies! My sincerest apologies!” Minister Zhou Qing said the moment he saw them. He quickly hid his anger behind a warm smile, wiping his hands on his robe as he hurried over to greet them. He gestured to a servant standing nearby, then turned back to Dawn and Ailven. “Please, come with me—I’ve been waiting for you both for a long time.”

With that, Minister Zhou Qing led them into the banquet hall adjacent to the room.