Chapter Three: The Abandoned Land (Part Two)

Standing atop a lofty mountain, Kuangchi’s heart was a tangled web of emotions. Only a month into his marriage, and already compelled to part ways with his two wives, he could not help but harbor a deep resentment toward all the nobles who had played a part in his exile. As he left the imperial capital of the Caro Empire, Kuangchi silently vowed to himself that one day he would seek vengeance for this injustice.

He was thoroughly satisfied with his new fiancée—now properly called his concubine. As for whether Phil Karachi was beautiful, Kuangchi felt indifferent; at this stage in his life, beauty held little allure for him. What pleased him most was the girl’s delightful temperament. Over the past months, he and Phil had become the best of friends, inseparable whenever time allowed, delighting in games and shared amusements. Only now did Zixia come to fully understand just how deeply ingrained Kuangchi's childlike heart was—how could a man in his twenties play so joyously with a mere eight-year-old girl?

The so-called Forgotten Star Domain earned its name due to its peculiar history. Discovered by humanity tens of thousands of years ago, it was not until just over ten thousand years past that humans once again set foot in this region, thus dubbing it the Forgotten Star Domain.

There were many ways to enter the Forgotten Star Domain, for the entire region was marked by its extraordinary instability. Space itself was riddled with countless star gates, known in scientific parlance as wormholes. Humanity had sent out explorers through these gates thousands of times, but never had anyone returned—those who entered vanished without a trace, a testament to the peril that lay beyond.

Over the millennia, humans did discover a handful of safe wormholes leading into the Forgotten Star Domain, scattered within the mapped regions of space. However, these wormholes were so minuscule that, despite their technical status as star gates, prideful humanity was reluctant to dignify them with such a grand title.

No one knows exactly when the Forgotten Star Domain became the place of exile for dangerous criminals—or a last refuge for fugitives.

Now, when Kuangchi merged with his divine war beast and piloted a single-person flyer through a wormhole barely large enough for his craft, even though his family had armed him with every scrap of intelligence they possessed about this place, the reality of the Forgotten Star Domain left him momentarily stunned as he arrived.

No sooner had he emerged than three immense, radiant stars appeared before him, blazing with heat and light. To encounter three suns at such close proximity was a cosmic marvel. These stars formed a triangle, and Kuangchi’s destination lay at the center, one of three planets nestled within this celestial triangle.

The Forgotten Star Domain was fraught with danger. Beyond the abundance of wormholes, there were sudden, temporary spatial rifts and violent energy storms that erupted without warning. Compared to these hazards, the swarms of meteors streaking through space seemed almost trivial.

Within this domain, humanity had managed to claim only three habitable planets, positioned in a triangle at the heart of the three stars. After countless exploration teams vanished, humanity at last ceased their expeditions—these three planets became their only foothold, isolated far from the heart of civilization. Over the past ten millennia, the various human nations continued to exile their elite warriors here, hoping secretly that they might further explore the region’s mysteries.

Perhaps because of the gravitational interplay between the colossal stars, the three planets were utterly motionless, suspended in the void—a sight both bizarre and unsettling.

Following his family's advice, Kuangchi chose the smallest of the three planets as his intended landing site. Its reduced gravity, about five times standard, made it the most hospitable, and thus the most densely populated.

Yet, as if some deity bore him ill will, just as Kuangchi’s landing craft began its descent, a space rift abruptly appeared beside him. Before he could react, a blast of energy from the rift hurled the already battered craft—damaged by passing meteors—toward the largest of the three planets.

By the time he regained his senses, the craft had entered the planet’s gravity well. With his damaged vessel, escape was impossible. Resigned, Kuangchi accepted his fate.

Even before reaching the surface, the planet’s immense gravity tore his landing craft to shreds. He had to quickly merge with Xiaohua, his companion, and descend onto a mountain peak.

Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but ice. Kuangchi frowned deeply. Gale-force winds, equivalent to a dozen hurricanes, could not move his sturdy frame, but drained his inner energy with relentless force. The ice shards carried by the wind forced him to raise another layer of protective energy around himself.

He knew this was no time for regret. The planet's gravity was nearly ten times standard—while he had trained under such conditions before, that was only for short periods. Now he would have to endure it constantly. Any hopes for a comfortable existence vanished; survival itself would be a daily challenge.

Far away, on the imperial capital planet, Kuangchi’s two new brides sat together, their faces etched with worry.

Innocent Phil, her face full of longing, asked Zixia, “Sister Zixia, do you think Fatty is doing all right?”

Zixia, just as anxious, nonetheless smiled and embraced her. “Don’t you have faith in him? That rascal has always been lucky, and his skills are considerable. He’s survived the Sea of Death before. The Forgotten Star Domain is dangerous, but I’m sure it won’t defeat him.”

Phil nodded earnestly, then asked, “Sister, will it really be fifty years before we see him again?”

Zixia couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Little sister, do you miss him so much already?”

Phil nodded with childlike candor. “I miss Fatty. Sister, can we go find him?”

Zixia stroked her hair gently. “Not now, dear. In a few years, when you’re older, we’ll go find him together. Would you like that?”

Phil nodded even more eagerly.

Then Yuxin, standing nearby, interjected, “Mistress, before the young master left, he made us promise not to go to the Forgotten Star Domain to seek him out. He said he would find his own way back and let us know once he did.”

Zixia smiled, though worry lingered in her eyes. “That Fatty is always up to mischief. I just hope he doesn’t go wandering through those wormholes in the Forgotten Star Domain. Even with the protection he carries in his left hand, there’s still considerable risk.”

Apologies, everyone—I've been busy these past two days shopping for a new computer, making several trips to the electronics market. I still can't decide on the configuration. Heh, I'm hoping for a dual-core, but I just can't settle on the right motherboard—still weighing stability and cost-effectiveness.