Chapter 1339: Voskelians

After leaving the Bexar Star Domain, Sein was no longer traveling alone. He joined the Bexar Civilization’s interstellar merchant fleet bound for the Voskel Civilization.

Civilizations were not isolated from one another.

The more advanced a civilization became, the more it actively sought contact with other civilizations in nearby worlds.

Those that remained isolated would not thrive in the long run.

Phantom Crow World had once been closed off, but since joining the Magus Alliance, Sein had noticed the Phantom Crow King becoming remarkably proactive.

This had directly made the Phantom Crow Star Domain far more prosperous and lively than it had been in the past.

The Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation ended direct trade with each other tens of thousands of years ago.

However, trade between these two top-tier civilizations and the surrounding worlds had never completely stopped.

Some neutral civilizations maintained ties with Magus World while also trading with the Gallant Federation.

With these worlds lying far outside the Magus World’s sphere of influence, and any attempt at conquest would likely trigger larger chain reactions, the Magus Alliance could do little more than tolerate their “playing both sides” for the time being.

The Clash of Civilizations was not something to be started on impulse.

There were far too many factors at play.

It was perfectly normal for civilizations to be foes one day and friends the next.

The Gallant Federation had once been a loyal strategic partner of the Magus Civilization, but conflicting interests had turned them into bitter enemies.

***

The Bexar Civilization’s interstellar merchant fleet was small, and even with Sein’s vessel included, there were fewer than twenty vessels in total.

His spacecraft was considered a medium-sized vessel within the fleet.

Some of the others were even smaller—just a few square meters in size, like a single-person life pod.

The strongest member of this merchant fleet, aside from Sein, was a peak demigod-level being from the Bexar Civilization.

Along with it, there were two other demigod-level individuals.

While traversing the Astral Realm was a privilege reserved for Rank Four or higher beings, they were still a minority out here.

The strongest members of some nomadic races and civilizations were only Rank Two, yet they still roamed and braved the Astral Realm, driven by necessity.

Sein blended into the fleet without any trouble.

No one, not even the peak demigod-level creature leading the group, realized that he was a Rank Four powerhouse.

***

Five years later, outside the Voskel Star Domain...

A small cosmic storm swept through the region, becoming the last obstacle between the fleet and their destination.

Two of the smaller airships were lost entirely to the storm. Sein merely watched and did not intervene.

Only very few could withstand cosmic storms or even harness them as a source of energy like the Magus Civilization.

Almost every vessel suffered some degree of damage, including Sein’s.

Compared to when they had set out five years ago, the merchant fleet had lost nearly half its members.

Without Rank Four escorts, they had even run into a small pirate group along the way.

That group had two demigod-level combatants, and their ships were in worse shape than the merchants’.

Still, what surprised Sein was that the merchant fleet chose to pay a small toll instead of fighting back.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

This was the survival strategy of weaker civilizations and smaller groups. Not every world was as powerful or domineering as the Magus Civilization.

Witnessing how the weak survived, coupled with the harsh realities of the Astral Realm, broadened Sein’s perspective and deepened his understanding.

Upon finally arriving in the Voskel Star Domain, he and his companions no longer had to worry about pirates.

The Voskel Star Domain was relatively fair and just.

This medium-sized civilization periodically cracked down on pirate groups operating around its territory.

Even in the relatively prosperous Voskel Star Domain, cosmic storms were rare.

As the leader of the interstellar merchant fleet put it, they could finally rest now that they had arrived here.

The profits from cross–star domain trade were shocking.

Although the small merchant fleet had lost nearly half its vessels on the way to the Voskel Star Domain, those losses came from the smallest ships.

With the goods carried by the survivors, the remaining members would have enough to live comfortably for over a hundred years if the transaction went smoothly.

The fleet leader seemed intent on gathering the resources needed to advance to Rank Four.

This meant the current trade run would not be its last.

Based on the profits from this trip, it would still take three or four more successful runs to amass the minimum wealth required to attempt a breakthrough.

When they reached the Voskel Star Domain, Sein parted ways with the merchant fleet from the Bexar Civilization.

His vessel still bore the emblem of the Bexar Star Domain, but once he crossed Voskel, it would have to be updated again.

***

The Voskel Star Domain was a medium-sized, purely technological civilization.

The Voskelians controlled 136 ecological planets and 267 mineral planets.

“Ecological planets” was the Voskelian term for “complete planes”, while “mineral planets” referred to resource-rich demiplanes with development value.

In the Astral Realm, different civilizations had different ways of referring to their worlds. Some called them “planes”, others “worlds”, and others “planets”.

Even the “Astral Realm” went by many names—“cosmos,” “void,” “boundless world”, “starry skies”.

Sein considered the Voskelians a type of humanoid race.

As the dominant species in their star domain, they were mostly plump, with gray skin covered in a layer of special metallic armor.

Two short, antenna-like appendages protruded from the tops of their heads.

Seeing them reminded Sein of the Norvexians he had seen during the Magus Alliance Conference.

Those creatures also had two short antenna-like appendages, though theirs grew from their foreheads, and their skin was a deep green.

While they had embraced technology to some extent, they primarily followed a path of passive evolution.

They were also generally slender compared to the Voskelian.

At the conference, a Rank Six Norvexian named Celloza had spoken briefly, leaving a deep impression on Sein.

According to the Faceless Mask’s analysis, Celloza was slightly stronger than even the Spider Queen, placing him near the absolute peak of Rank Six.