Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 240 - 160: There is no ship in the universe that can carry me

Chapter 240: Chapter 160: There is no ship in the universe that can carry me

During this time, the Third Prince also kept busy, utilizing every connection he had to finally assemble a group of technicians who had some exposure to flagship technology.

The company strictly controlled technology related to the flagship, making it impossible to repair the vessel’s weaponry, so everyone turned their attention to the flagship’s engine—the Third Prince set a modest goal for everyone, to count it as a success as long as they could successfully ignite the engine.

As the first Ship Repairer from Blue Star, the Third Prince also devoted himself to studying the relevant cultivation techniques.

The so-called Qi Refinement Realm involved piecing together the broken flagship back to its original state. This project consumed the effort of countless individuals and a vast amount of capital, and finally, just yesterday evening, the Third Prince crossed the threshold of the Qi Refinement Realm, possessing the first flagship in Blue Star’s history.

Upon being asked by Duan Mingyuan, the Third Prince sent a photo of the flagship.

"Are you sure this is the flagship?"

After observing the Third Prince’s cultivation results, Duan Mingyuan couldn’t help but ask.

In his memory, the company’s flagship was immensely imposing, covering the entire sky upon its appearance, like the heavenly palaces spoken of by ancients. This was also the origin of the Extraterrestrials’ "Deities" moniker, as people from ancient times believed that only deities had the ability to construct buildings in the skies.

However, the Third Prince’s flagship...

Was roughly the same size as a commercial airliner and shared a similar design, not resembling a vehicle capable of long-duration interstellar travel at first glance.

"It is the flagship, but as I said, it’s a Qi Refinement Realm flagship."

The Third Prince quickly replied.

The company’s flagships were at least of the Mahayana Realm, results of thousands of years of accumulated improvements. For him to have an airplane-sized flagship as a Ship Repairer in the Qi Refinement Realm was already quite remarkable.

The so-called Qi Refinement Realm meant that everything was still in the most initial stages.

"Are you sure this thing can travel through interstellar space?"

"That still requires the test of time."

"Does it have a control panel for reading navigation waypoints?"

"What are navigation waypoints?"

Just two lines of dialogue let Duan Mingyuan foresee a future demise in a foreign land, and the crow beside him turned completely black, its profound gaze as dark as the color of its feathers.

"Are you guys joking?"

He found it hard to believe that this was a conversation between people who were about to become directors of the Sixteen Star Summit.

Looking at the situation, the company and Chamber of Commerce didn’t even need to hinder Blue Star; this group would likely face their demise in an air disaster first.

Seeing that Duan Mingyuan did not respond for a while, the Third Prince sent another message.

"I told you not to worry, everything is under my control. There’s still some time before the departure date, and by that day, it will be perfectly safe. I’m currently trying my best to cultivate up to the Foundation Establishment Stage."

The Third Prince knew that Blue Star’s Qi Refinement Realm flagship was indeed shabby compared to those Mahayana Realm powerhouses in the universe, but as the saying goes, "Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west; don’t underestimate the poor young."

"Speak human language."

"To enter the Foundation Establishment Stage, we need to first find reliable crew members. I already have a rough idea. To ensure smooth sailing in the future, we need a Sword Master, a Navigator, a Chef, a Ship Doctor, a Historian, a Musician, and a Mascot."

The heartening news was that they could find all the aforementioned talents at the Yunhai Academy.

The roles of Sword Master and Ship Doctor could be covered by "Evil Spirit Defense Class" teacher Duan Mingyuan.

The Navigator was, of course, the Third Prince himself.

Jiuyue, having learned skills under the Imperial Court’s royal chef, was fully capable of taking on the duties of a Chef.

The Historian was the studious classmate, Yang Ping.

The Elder Princess’s musical talent was well known to all.

As for the mascot, that role could only be assumed by Tang Qianqian, who otherwise lacked any outstanding talents.

Looking at the Third Prince’s beautiful blueprint, Duan Mingyuan had already begun planning to jump ship.

"I remember you know quite a few envoys from other planets, right? They should all have flagships, I think it’s more reliable to ask them if I could catch a ride with them."

"Asked already, got rejected without any hesitation."

Sighing in resignation, the Third Prince, far within the Imperial Court, knew that if there were shortcuts available, who would want to exhaust a great deal of energy only to likely end up as a laughingstock?

The Third Prince put away the jokes and gravely edited a message to explain to Duan Mingyuan:

"In the past, envoys from other planets visited the Imperial Court out of respect for the company. Now that Blue Star has had a falling out with the company, and that’s public knowledge, everyone sees us as pariahs and shuns us like the plague. At least until we’re officially part of the Sixteen Star Summit, there’s no chance of external diplomacy."

"What about passenger ships? We could buy tickets and travel as passengers, even if it means transferring multiple times along the way."

"Mr. Mingyuan, haven’t you watched the news recently?"

"News?"

"You’re now famously known as the spiritual leader of the United Front. Of course, that’s the more euphemistic term. In the eyes of those interstellar airlines closely cooperating with the company, you’re now the universe’s number one terrorist. There’s no ship in the universe that can carry you."

Therefore, as a backward civilization caught in between, they could only rely on themselves for everything.

Before the departure date arrived, this flagship had to take flight, even if it seemed impossible.

The Third Prince sent another message: "Anyway, don’t worry about the flagship. Leave it to me. Once you’ve assembled an outstanding team at Yunhai Academy, you can think about making your way to the Imperial Court."

The conversation between the two ended there.

Duan Mingyuan looked at the crow, and the crow lifted its head to look back at him.

"You guys..."

"No."

Before Duan Mingyuan could finish, the crow quickly said, "The association doesn’t have a ship that can carry you either. I can only wish you good luck now."

It was common knowledge that those at the top wouldn’t let someone like Duan Mingyuan, who maintained a reputation of "hatred" with multiple forces, board the association’s flagship.

The crow paused briefly, then comforted him, "So far, too many miracles have happened on Blue Star. So, thinking positively, this flying device might just look useless on the outside but is actually fully capable of interstellar travel. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Once you safely reach the planet where the summit is held, I’ll find a way to contact you."

Before the arrival of midday, the crow flew out of the window, sweeping across the air, quickly vanishing from Duan Mingyuan’s sight.

Duan Mingyuan gazed blankly into the high-hanging bright sky.

What a beautiful day.

Yet his mood was incredibly heavy; he bore too much pressure for someone his age.

Duan Mingyuan felt that no one in the universe should have to worry about how to build an interstellar flagship before reaching thirty years of age.

What’s worse, the books in the academy’s library were of no help in resolving the flagship building issue.

So, on this sunny afternoon, Duan Mingyuan opened a search engine and typed into the blank field:

"How to build a spaceship?"

Urgent, waiting online.

Reward points: 200.

Confirmed, sent.