Chapter 318

Chapter 319: Yu Sheng’s Long Term Goal

The next morning, after breakfast, Yu Sheng went back to the huge starship parked in the valley and entered the room that housed the Holy Coffin.

The dark Iron Coffin was unchanged, still standing on its platform. The hum from inside seemed endless.

He sighed and sat on the platform below: “Alright, same as always, I came to see you again,” then he tapped the Iron Coffin behind him: “Are you planning to wake up?”

The Holy Coffin did not respond, only kept its low vibration.

He had not expected a reply. He calmed himself and checked the Holy Sarcophagus Chamber’s systems while chatting: “In case you do not know, I have taken full control of this ship. It is parked on my property. The Hermitage Order believers who ran it are either dead or on the run. The rest I sent to the Special Affairs Bureau for premium rooms. A friendly team of psychologists will talk to them about life and dreams.”

He went on: “The one called Sage escaped. At his level he is a mid tier leader in the Hermitage Order with pretty high status. He will not stay free forever. You know what, I hold grudges.”

He added: “Last night, your apparition appeared in a wasteland. That place is also mine. It is called the Sanctuary Wasteland, a rest stop for wounded souls.”

He looked at the dark Holy Coffin and asked: “By the way, can you hear me?”

Dim red indicators on the surface blinked slowly, like eyes answering his gaze. He exhaled, stood, and patted the lid. He said: “If you have slept enough, get up. You still have many things to do, and I will help you.”

After that, he left the Holy Sarcophagus Chamber, took out his phone in the corridor, and called Bai Li Qing: “It is me, Yu Sheng.”

Her voice came through: “I was expecting your call. We have a pile of questions.”

He answered: “I have a pile too. Meet to talk?”

She said: “Sure. I am in my office.”

Yu Sheng said okay and pushed the door open to the Director’s office at the back of the Special Affairs Bureau. He raised a hand to greet Bai Li Qing behind her huge desk: “Good morning.”

Still holding her phone, she glanced at him dragging up a chair, and sounded a bit helpless: “We have met many times, but you barging straight in still feels odd.”

He grinned: “You will get used to it,” then sat and got to the point: “How about the cultists I brought you? Are interrogations underway?”

She said: “Small scale sessions just began this morning. It will be a big project, not something finished in a day or two. We will assign our best Interrogation Specialists. The Bureau’s main focus will be this case for a while.”

Yu Sheng raised a brow.

She went on: “Even in the Bureau’s history, this is rare. In a few hours we captured almost a whole ship of Hermitage Order followers. They are not the lowest believers. They are at least Cultivators who passed different promotion rites and hold rank in the Order. The council was startled.”

She asked: “That starship, did you drive it back?”

He was frank: “I parked it out back, in the valley. And to be clear, I am not handing it over. It is my personal spoils and now part of the Hotel.”

She opened her mouth but his last line preempted her. Her face did not change much, but her tone was helpless: “I know. I also want to remind you. Do you know the Deep Space Navigation Convention, the Interstellar Navigation Act, and the Jump Safety Assurance Act?”

Yu Sheng froze. He realized his mental plans had not covered this: “What?”

She sighed: “I knew it. You did not think about these details. Space is not lawless. Flying through unclaimed interstellar void and flying within civilized zones are not the same. For one, if you want to dock at a spaceport, you must at least read navigation signals and waymarks.” Yu Sheng had no words.

[I really never thought about that.]

From yesterday to now he had been lost in the shock of having a starship at home. No one around him could remind him. Foxy had a ship once, but she did not even finish primary school. Irene had prenatal classes and a correspondence kindergarten diploma. Hunter used to be a temp at the Bureau. Squirrel was eight and a half when things went wrong. Little Red Riding Hood had not taken her driving test yet and would only turn eighteen next week.

After thinking it through, his eyes grew clearer.

Bai Li Qing said calmly: “Good thing you did not take it out for a joy ride after bringing it back,” then stood and pulled a stack of books from a cabinet onto the desk.

Yu Sheng flinched: “What is that?”

She said: “A Newbie Captain’s Navigation Manual. It covers travel laws in major civilizations, how to read most navigation signals, jump conventions, near planet flight rules. It does not cover the ship’s control itself. I know you have your own way to pilot,” then added: “You also need a basic star chart that marks the main friendly regions reachable from the Borderland and their jump Nodes. It helps prevent you from crashing into someone’s planet or station.”

She paused and shifted: “These data must be loaded into the ship’s Navigation Computer. If you agree, I will send a team of Technical Experts to help study the ship’s operating system. The Bureau has its own aims. We will also investigate the ship and learn Hermitage Order technology. I want to say this upfront and ask your consent.”

He listened, dazed, then snapped back at her last line: “Right, I also wanted to ask for a team. First, repair the damaged parts. Second, sort the Hermitage Order items onboard. Third, experts who can handle the operating system. If possible, add a crew who knows interior design. I want to renovate the ship. I also need a regular construction team. I have a bunch of new projects. The docking platform needs water and power. Maybe send Engineer Sun too.”

Now it was her turn to go blank.

She had planned to discuss sending a small team to the ship, to help but mainly to gather more data on the Hermitage Order. His level of proactive cooperation was beyond what she expected. He had just jumped from allowing the Bureau onboard to asking for two thousand engineering experts to fix the Hotel’s ship. The sheer skill of fleece pulling was amazing. In her more than a hundred years as Director, the last time she saw someone so shameless… she had never seen anyone so shameless.

Seeing her look, Yu Sheng hurried to add: “It is not free work. We will settle the bill. See if the cultists I caught can cover the costs. If not, put it on Holy Revere Hermitage. I will find their base and bring back more.”

Her amazement shifted to another kind. She almost broke into a laugh: “Do you think Hermitage Order believers are carrots you can pull from the field?”

He adjusted his seat and said calmly: “I do not know about carrots. But they treat people like wheat in the field. My business with them is not over.”

Her expression changed a little.

She said seriously: “Sounds like you went through something on that ship that upset you.”

Yu Sheng breathed out: “The Artificial Saintess, and the knights at the Saintess’s side, are made from living people.”

Bai Li Qing frowned at once.

Yu Sheng said slowly: “They built a dedicated recruiting ground somewhere. It could be fenced land or an entire planet. Many people are penned there, living in a custom made society, raised as raw material for Artificial Saintesses and knights, harvested in batches. That is one of their core technologies.”

She did not speak. A thin layer of frost seemed to form on her usually steady face.

Yu Sheng continued: “I know it is a planet so far away we do not even know where. What happens there has nothing to do with the Borderland. But this sticks in my mind, so now it is a personal feud.”

She looked him in the eyes and asked: “What do you want to do? Find and free a planet? Or wipe out Holy Revere Hermitage across the universe?”

Yu Sheng spread his hands: “It is hard. The Hotel is not strong enough right now. But it can be a long term goal. So why not try?”