I Married A Degraded Alpha
Chapter 38: Escaping With the Treasure

Chapter 38: Escaping With the Treasure

Typically, private planets come with barriers, especially the ones rich in precious gem mines. The barrier ensures mechas and starships aren’t just landing or taking off willy-nilly; they can only do so at ports.

Tuss was on edge, weaving through the crowd with Yuri at his side.

Yuri was puzzled, asking, "What’s going on?"

"A treasure of the galaxy has been unearthed," Tuss said with a grave voice.

"How important is it?" Yuri inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"So important that it could drive the entire Alliance, even the whole galaxy, crazy," Tuss replied, his face serious, not appearing to be joking.

A year ago, the Empire got hold of a starstone, leading to two new SS-tier betas. Some of the Empire’s old-time commanders, whose Sea of Consciousness was on the verge of spiraling out of control and had been moved to prison-like places for close surveillance, had returned to the public eye because of this sudden beta breakthrough.

This showed the importance of the starstone. Even though it impacted just a few individuals, it indirectly influenced an entire nation.

In space, if the top-tier alphas were a nation’s secret weapon, then the top-tier betas were its treasures. Both were crucial and complemented each other.

Yuri didn’t fully grasp the nuances of this situation, but she could tell from Tuss’s tone and expressions that this was a big deal.

"Do we really need to leave this planet?" Yuri asked.

"Yes," Tuss nodded, "Word about the starstone has likely spread. People from all over are rushing here. There are those who are curious, those seeking to profit, and even malicious pirates, perhaps even folks from the Empire."

It seemed this stone, the "starstone," was even more important than she’d thought.

Yuri contemplated, then said, "I can try using my psychic power to break through the planet’s barrier, but it might cause quite a stir."

Tuss’s eyes lit up as he said, "No problem, as long as we can leave."

They left the spaceport once again.

What they didn’t know was that just as they left, a video of them choosing stones in a shop appeared on a large screen at the spaceport. The caption above their heads read ’Man and Woman who discovered the starstone.’ There was also a bounty issued for anyone who could report their location, promising a reward of twenty thousand astracredits.

Yuri found an open space and released their mecha.

Silently, the mecha took off. Tuss controlled it while Yuri unleashed her psychic power, aiming for the invisible "security barrier" in the sky.

As they neared the barrier, just about to trigger the alarm, Yuri shouted, "Go."

A loud and prolonged alarm echoed across the planet.

People were stunned, wondering what had happened. Who has attacked the barrier? Is it a criminal, a pirate, or someone from the Empire?

They had hundreds of suspects in their minds, but not once did they consider Yuri and Tuss.

The mecha entered the sea of stars. Tuss, still on guard, ramped up the speed to maximum.

Yuri was curious about this "starstone" that Tuss mentioned. She opened the interstellarnet to search for information about the starstone. However, as soon as she logged on, all information about the starstone popped up without her even needing to search. Along with it was the video of Tuss unveiling the starstone.

"Seriously? Such a commotion over this?" Yuri was astonished. "It’s just a stone, right?"

About fifteen minutes later...

Rubbing her stiff face and blinking her eyes, Yuri murmured, "So we became rich overnight?"

The corner of Tuss’s mouth twitched as he replied, "You’re thinking about wealth, not leveling up?"

"Is it really that miraculous?" Yuri voiced her skepticism.

Tuss handed the starstone to her, saying, "Try it and find out."

They couldn’t keep the starstone, so it made sense for her to explore its properties before handing it over to the Alliance. If it could help her level up, that would be great.

As she took it, Yuri remarked in awe, "It does look like a tiny planet. I can almost see oceans, forests, mountains, and plains on it. No wonder it’s called a starstone."

The starstone, about the size of her fist, felt peculiar in her hand. As she inspected it closely, she felt she could see even more.

"It seems alive inside, like a tiny planet, a miniature world," Yuri wondered if she could see living creatures or humans using a magnifying glass.

"There are no living things inside it," Tuss clarified.

Yuri was skeptical, "The Alliance doesn’t have a starstone, right? How do you know this so certainly?"

"The Empire shared the data, they wouldn’t falsify it. Plus, the Alliance did have a starstone a few hundred years ago," Tuss explained. "If you don’t believe me, use your psychic power to examine it."

Deciding it was a good idea, Yuri separated a strand of her psychic power, cautiously probing into the starstone.

Meanwhile, in the grand hall of the Hiro family on Planet Alpha, Darth was attempting to contact Tuss. Ever since he received news about Tuss finding the starstone, he had tried reaching out numerous times, but all attempts failed.

Tuss’s stepmother Meliena wore a worried expression, saying, "Could the starstone have been stolen?" After all, Tuss was currently defenseless; he couldn’t resist a thief.

"Who would dare steal so blatantly?" Darth growled, "If it was stolen, it must have been someone from the Alliance. They can take the starstone, but they should at least let our family use it first."

Darth gave Meliena a meaningful glance, "Your talent is not bad. If you had the starstone, you could probably level up once more."

Meliena couldn’t contain her joy and broke into a smile.

The Cheng family was also discussing this matter.

Kiki bit her lip and commented, "She is really lucky, marrying a crippled man and still getting a starstone."

"Kiki, it’s a good thing she found the starstone. You can borrow it from her to level yourself up," Shero suggested with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Do you think she would lend it to me?" Kiki hesitated. But the thought of the starstone elevating her rank from C to B or even higher filled her with impatience. She thought to herself, No matter what, even if Yuri makes things difficult for me and demands an apology, I’ll agree for the sake of the starstone.

"Let father ask her. She listens to him the most," Shero advised.

"Right, how could I forget about father? He might not even know about this. I’ll go talk to him right now," Kiki said, rushing towards Nero’s room.

"I can’t get through to them," Nero shook his head after hearing Kiki’s request.

"Children grow up and have their own ideas. It’s inevitable they won’t always listen. We’ve been through the same phase." Mrs. Cheng seemingly empathized, but in fact, she was adding fuel to the fire.

"I’ve raised her for more than a decade. No matter how grown-up she is, she’s still my child. It’s not too much to ask for a small favor," Nero retorted angrily.

Mrs. Cheng murmured disdainfully, "But you can’t reach her right now, so you can’t make your request."

Nero’s face froze.

Both Yuri and Tuss’s opticomputers were set to reject all incoming calls, eliminating the possibility of being located by others. They could reach out, but no one could reach them.

Before Yuri could level up with the help of the starstone, Tuss didn’t plan to contact anyone.

And Yuri was currently fully engrossed, immersed in the starstone, oblivious to the outside world.

Tuss was maneuvering the mecha through the space. To avoid being recognized, he controlled Enova to change the color of the mecha’s exterior.

Tuss knew that the starstone had to be handed over to the Alliance. The more days it stayed in their hands, the more danger they’d face. He wasn’t willing to gamble with their lives.

He just hoped that before they reached Planet Alpha, Yuri could level up. That way, when they handed over the starstone, they wouldn’t have too many regrets.

After all, once the starstone was handed over, it would be difficult to get it back.

Unless Yuri was a beta of the S-tier or A-tier. Considering they had found the starstone, it could be prioritized for her use. However, she was neither, nor was she willing to reveal her beta status.

So once the starstone was handed out, it would be a one-way trip.

Tuss looked at Yuri, silently cheering her on, "You only have four days. Hang in there."

Her beta status couldn’t be hidden forever. But as long as her rank was high enough, and her power was strong enough, no one would be able to restrain or control her.