Chapter Ten: Journey of the Whirling Wind (Part One)

After passing through the star gate, the transport ship sailed at full speed within the territory of the Gale Empire for over a month. Once again, Crazy Eater witnessed the extraordinary nature of this transport vessel, as two warships had come to escort it since more than half a month ago. After over a month, the chaotic internal energy within Crazy Eater, caused by the transition from acquired to innate, finally stabilized, indicating that he had truly reached the innate realm in his cultivation.

Eventually, the transport ship docked at a massive spaceport on a planet. As soon as the ship came to a halt, the Demon Thief knocked on Crazy Eater's cabin door. Upon opening it, the Demon Thief patted Crazy Eater on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Kid, this place is said to be one of the most famous commercial planets in the Gale Empire, Blue Moon Star. Have you heard of it? Those guys from the escort team say it’s a shopping paradise. Our boss has invited us to accompany her to buy some things."

At that moment, Crazy Eater was focused on practicing the sixth layer of the Crazy Dragon Technique and had no interest in shopping with any boss. As the young master of the Crazy family, he had little enthusiasm for shopping, and he repeatedly declined the Demon Thief's invitation. However, the Demon Thief was not about to let Crazy Eater off the hook. Grabbing his arm, he pulled him out of the cabin. Although the Demon Thief was small in stature, he appeared much stronger compared to Crazy Eater, who was under one and a half meters tall, especially since the Demon Thief was a veteran innate expert.

When Crazy Eater finally laid eyes on the boss mentioned by the Demon Thief, he was stunned for a good half minute. He had never expected that the owner of this transport ship would be a stunningly beautiful girl of similar age. Noticing the strange smile on the Demon Thief’s face, Crazy Eater quickly realized the intention behind his persistent pulling.

The beautiful boss also seemed to be quite surprised by Crazy Eater. The two stared at each other blankly for half a minute before they both awkwardly averted their gazes. Just as Crazy Eater was unsure how to start a conversation, the beautiful boss spoke first, "You must be Mr. Crazy Eater, as mentioned by Senior Joseph. It’s a pleasure to meet you." Her calm and gentle gaze made Crazy Eater feel at ease; she did not let his innate appearance dampen her enthusiasm. He had always believed that the eyes are the windows to the soul.

However, Crazy Eater soon found himself troubled about how to respond to her. The Demon Thief had shared his information about Crazy Eater with the beautiful girl, but Crazy Eater knew nothing about her, and she had not introduced herself. The Demon Thief quickly noticed his oversight and hurriedly added, "Kid, let me introduce you. This is our boss, Miss Li Bing. I’ve been too busy training these days to fill you in on the ship’s affairs."

Crazy Eater then attempted to perform the etiquette he had learned as a guest, awkwardly bowing to the beautiful boss, Miss Li Bing, using a courtesy common among the upper echelons of human society, known as the noble salute in imperial states. However, it was evident that Crazy Eater’s sudden display of this etiquette raised suspicions about his identity in Li Bing’s eyes. She regarded him with a strange look before returning the gesture.

Unfortunately, Crazy Eater’s attempt at this noble salute did not appear very graceful, eliciting an involuntary chuckle from the nearby Demon Thief. Accompanying Li Bing on this shopping trip were not only the Demon Thief and Crazy Eater but also two middle-aged bodyguards and a young maid.

Li Bing seemed very familiar with the area, indicating it was not her first visit, as she expertly controlled the airship, weaving through the tall buildings for several minutes before finally heading straight into the midsection of a blue skyscraper. After disembarking from the airship, Crazy Eater glanced back at the scenery. This place was evidently more prosperous than his hometown, Battle Star, for the buildings here were taller and more numerous, and the color of the half-space energy shield was much deeper, indicating a higher level of protection than the capital city of Battle Star. This was the current standard for interstellar cities.

Once Li Bing stepped off the airship and surveyed her surroundings, she smiled at the Demon Thief and Crazy Eater, saying, "This is the largest auction hall in Blue Moon Star. We’re quite lucky today, as it coincides with the annual super auction event here. There are bound to be many good items for auction, and it will attract a large number of people. Those who can participate in this super auction will certainly have impressive backgrounds, so do pay attention when we go in."

During Li Bing's speech, Crazy Eater noticed several airships rushing into the docking port, indicating that the auction was about to begin. Entering an elevator, they ascended at least several dozen floors before walking through a corridor and finally entering a hall the size of a football field. The entire hall was exquisitely decorated, approximately ten meters high, and featured no pillars, a design that left Crazy Eater in awe. Such architectural skill would be difficult even for modern builders, especially since this auction hall was located within a skyscraper hundreds of meters tall, with dozens of floors above.

The hall had a theater-like layout, with a high stage on one side and tiered seating arranged in a semi-circular pattern. Each box contained a long table and three sofas. The highest spots were several sealed VIP rooms, all made of glass, though from their side, they could not see what was happening on the other side.

Under the guidance of the auction hall staff, Li Bing and her party entered a box located in the upper left corner. After they were seated, Li Bing smiled at the Demon Thief and Crazy Eater, asking, "Where are you two from, and where do you plan to go?"

The Demon Thief chuckled at Li Bing's question. She had clearly been curious about their identities for some time, particularly about the secret passage they took through the asteroid belt of the Death Sea. For someone like Li Bing, a merchant, the existence of such a passage was a golden opportunity that could be used again for transporting goods in the future.

Both the Demon Thief and Crazy Eater had no ill intentions towards Li Bing or her transport ship, and naturally held no hostility towards her. While it was wise to be cautious, if there were no conflicts or interests between them, then being wary would be a joke. Crazy Eater’s situation exemplified this; even if Li Bing discovered his identity, it would have no impact on her or her family from such a distance, neither benefiting nor harming them.

The Demon Thief glanced at Crazy Eater, who, as the heir of his family, had received plenty of social training. Weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he smiled and replied, "I come from the Carlo Empire. I accidentally ended up in the Death Sea during a cosmic disaster. Joseph saved me, and now I’m trying to find a way back. Coincidentally, Joseph also wants to leave the Death Sea, which is why we sought passage on your transport ship."

Li Bing seemed to believe Crazy Eater's words, smiling, "Mr. Crazy Eater is quite lucky! The Carlo Empire is quite far from the Death Sea; for you to end up there during a cosmic disaster is no small feat."

Crazy Eater smiled but did not elaborate further. The Demon Thief chimed in, "Miss Li, if you’re worried about us, we can leave the transport ship at any time."

Upon hearing this, Li Bing quickly replied, "Mr. Joseph, I think you misunderstand. I don’t believe you have any ill intentions; I was just curious." After a pause, Li Bing suddenly smiled brightly at Crazy Eater, saying, "If you both wish to return to the Carlo Empire, I might have a way to help you get there." With that, she flashed a sweet smile.