The exterior of the starship bore a resemblance to the intercity airship, about sixty to seventy percent similar. The principles were also quite alike, both driven by high-grade spirit stones and array techniques. However, the speed of the starship far exceeded that of the intercity airship, making any comparison between the two pointless.
“This starship’s speed is outrageous! It’s much faster than our flying speed!” Stout exclaimed as he looked out at the starry sky from the deck.
Judge, standing nearby, twitched his lips. “Stout, there isn’t really much competition.”
“I’m just expressing my amazement!” Stout grinned.
“Elder Lance, I’ve heard that some powerful individuals can fly at speeds of tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. Is that true?” Judge asked Lance Wooler, who was not far away.
“Speeds of tens of thousands of kilometers per hour aren’t actually that fast,” Lance Wooler smiled. “Once you reach the late stage of the Otherworldly Realm, it’s achievable.”
“Really?” Stout was astonished.
“It’s true!” Lance Wooler continued to smile. “The truly peerless experts can fly much faster than that!”
“Alright!” Stout and Judge responded in unison.
“Moreover, some peerless experts can directly tear through space, and that speed is even more unimaginable!” Lance Wooler added.
“Understood!” The group nodded again.
“Elder Lance, do you know much about Canyon View Institute? Could you tell us about it?” Billy asked Lance Wooler.
“Mr Billy, you’re too kind,” Lance Wooler nodded. “However, I don’t know all the details; I can only give a general overview.”
He then began to explain to everyone.
“Hmm?!” He had just started speaking when his brows furrowed tightly, and a cold aura involuntarily emanated from him.
“Elder Lance, what’s wrong?” Azure Dragon asked.
“We might have trouble coming our way,” Lance Wooler responded.
“What kind of trouble?” Azure Dragon pressed.
“When traveling through space, starships occasionally encounter robbers. This time might not be an exception,” Lance Wooler explained.
“Is that even a thing?” Everyone was taken aback. They had heard of pirates before but never space pirates!
“Not only does the Akabuchi star domain have such people, but other star domains do as well. They specialize in shady activities,” Lance Wooler nodded.
“They dare to rob even the Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce’s starship?” Azure Dragon asked.
“Although their overall strength is not as great as the Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce, they are nomadic and often change locations after each job, so the Chamber can’t do much about them,” Lance Wooler replied.
“Interesting!” Billy nodded and continued to ask, “Elder Lance, what do they usually rob?”
“It depends. Some groups only take storage rings, while others take both storage rings and the starship itself!”
“They take the starship? What about the people on board? Do they kill them all?” Frostblade asked.
“Yes!” Lance Wooler nodded.
“Elder Lance, with the starship moving so fast, how can they rob us if we don’t stop?” Alex Long asked.
“They have many ways to force a starship to stop. If we try to break through, it will result in the ship’s destruction and everyone’s death,” Lance Wooler responded again.
At that moment, Billy and the others sensed a strong pressure enveloping the entire starship. Simultaneously, the starship’s speed began to decrease. Soon after, another starship appeared within their line of sight.
“Everyone on board, listen up!” A voice amplified by Chi power echoed over.
“Stop the ship immediately and open the hatch, or die!”
“Do as he says,” Lance Wooler gestured to an Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce staff member.
“Understood!” The staff member responded and headed towards the cockpit.
“Mr Billy, you don’t need to intervene; I’ll handle this,” Lance Wooler said to Billy. “Our Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce has some prestige in the Akabuchi star domain; they shouldn’t go too far.”
Soon after, a group of twenty people landed on the deck of the Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce’s starship. The leader was a one-eyed man in his fifties with a burly build and a fierce expression. His aura was intimidating. From his aura, it was clear he was at the late stage of the third-rank Otherworldly Realm. The group behind him also had strong auras and stared at Billy and his companions like wolves eyeing sheep.
“May I know which faction you come from? This is an Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce starship; please…” Lance Wooler began to speak but was cut off by the one-eyed man.
“Shut up!” The one-eyed man barked.
His eyes roamed over Opal and Amber with intense fervor in his pupils.
“Boss, these women are top-notch!” A rat-faced man beside the one-eyed man commented.
“No need to state the obvious,” the one-eyed man glared at him. “Stop talking nonsense and take them all!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, here are five thousand king-grade spirit stones. Please show some respect to our Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce,” Lance Wooler said as he waved his hand, causing a storage ring to hover in front of the one-eyed man.
“You think we’re beggars? Five thousand king-grade spirit stones to brush us off?” the one-eyed man took the storage ring and scanned it with his spiritual power before looking back at Lance Wooler.
“How about this: for the sake of your Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce, give me another five thousand king-grade spirit stones and let those women come with us. I’ll spare the rest of you.”
“They are esteemed guests of our Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce; please…” Lance Wooler’s brows furrowed slightly.
“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll kill you all!” the one-eyed man interrupted angrily. He then looked at the rat-faced man again. “What are you waiting for? Get moving!”
“Got it!” The rat-faced man responded and took a few steps towards Opal and her companions.
Seeing this, Lance Wooler’s brows furrowed again.
“Ladies, are you coming with me willingly or…” The rat-faced man reached out to touch Amber’s face as he spoke.
“Stop!” Lance Wooler shouted angrily.
Before his words could fade, a flash of cold light appeared. The rat-faced man’s head flew into the air, blood spraying everywhere. His face showed utter disbelief; even in his last moments, he couldn’t understand how he had died so suddenly!
The one who struck was Opal. With her current skills, killing someone at the early stage of the Holy Realm was effortless. The scene fell into a brief silence.
“Damn it! You’re courting death!” the one-eyed man roared in anger.
“Mr Billy, attack! Leave no one alive; don’t let them call for reinforcements!” Seeing this, Lance Wooler shouted almost simultaneously. “Otherwise, we’ll be in big trouble!”