Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 318: The Empire Ore Planet

Chapter 318: The Empire Ore Planet

"All our money is gone. Could you tell us where the exchange hall is? We’d like to exchange some funds." Phelixes wore an anxious expression, as if genuinely troubled by their lack of money.

Wintour, understanding but resigned, shook his head. "This is just an uninhabitable ore planet. Even the government doesn’t bother with this place. But Jerome, the mining overseer, is willing to accept all kinds of supplies."

Jerome? The name didn’t ring a bell for Phelixes. It had been a long time since he was taken to the Alliance, so Jerome must not have been a notable figure back then.

"Got it," he replied with a nod.

After bidding Wintour farewell, Phelixes and Lyra headed to the exchange hall.

The hall was bustling with activity—beast hunters and plant gatherers haggled with the staff, carrying goods in locked safes or simple bags.

Lyra scanned the items being exchanged, quickly assessing their quality.

"Use the red ones," she said decisively.

Having roamed the universe extensively, they had visited numerous resource-rich planets. Their nearly ten-thousand-cubic-unit Space Buttons were packed to the brim with supplies, filling seven or eight of them.

When a chunk of energy stone ore radiating intense heat was placed on the counter, the scanning machine beeped, displaying a value exceeding six thousand credits. The hall erupted with astonished murmurs.

Energy stones were rare to begin with, and this was grade six—valuable enough to make everyone envious.

As the staff went to fetch the manager, someone in the crowd couldn’t resist stepping forward. "Hey, pal, that’s some good stuff you’ve got there. Where’d you find it?"

"Yeah, tell us! We could all make a fortune together," another chimed in.

Phelixes glanced at Lyra, whose face remained impassive. He stifled a laugh. This was the worst item they had brought, chosen purely for the circumstances.

Anything of lower grade would have been a waste of space. Yet even this caused such a commotion.

He had no doubt that, if not for the exchange hall’s security, someone would have tried to rob them already.

"Hmph," Phelixes snorted, sweeping his gaze lazily over the crowd. "Stay away from us."

Releasing a fraction of his level-seven superpower, he watched as the onlookers blanched and backed away in fear. His abilities had grown significantly during their time drifting through space.

Even the manager, who rushed out of the elevator, paused briefly. A Master Peculiar, the manager quickly sized up the pair and their goods, formulating a plan.

"You must be the ones exchanging the grade-six energy stones?" The manager’s warm smile gave him an air of sincerity.

As Phelixes had taken the lead, the manager naturally assumed he was in charge.

"Yes." Phelixes stepped forward, knowing Lyra preferred silence. "How much can we get for them?"

The manager gestured for them to follow him to the VIP lounge. "Energy stones are always in high demand here. They’re solid currency," he explained as they walked.

"The ones you brought are particularly pure. We can offer you ten percent above the market price. How does that sound?"

Phelixes glanced at Lyra, who gave a faint nod. Turning back to the manager, he said, "That’s acceptable."

The manager, deep in thought, missed the subtle exchange between the siblings.

After completing a series of formalities, Phelixes accepted a crystal storage card from the manager and left the VIP lounge with Lyra.

Not long after stepping outside, Phelixes and Lyra exchanged a glance—

someone was following them.

Lyra’s expression remained calm. "Ignore it."

On this planet, she hadn’t encountered anyone capable of posing a threat to her.

The two headed for the town’s only inn.

It was a modest three-story white building with dusty windows, exuding the mingled aromas of alcohol and food.

Laughter and lively chatter filled the air, making the place feel vibrant—especially to two people who had spent so long adrift in the void of space.

Phelixes pulled out a newly purchased opticomputer from his pocket and glanced at it, sighing softly. "Three years..."

Time flowed differently on the first planet they landed on after escaping. Although they had experienced just over a year subjectively, three years had passed in the outside world.

Being away from human society for so long, even their language skills had dulled.

Yet when Phelixes looked at Lyra, her face remained as steady as ever.

From the moment they escaped the interdimensional tunnel until now, her expression hadn’t changed—always calm, always resilient.

Lyra responded with a faint hum.

From that simple response, Phelixes detected a glimmer of warmth. At least now Lyra would answer him on her own accord.

In the past, unless he asked her a direct question, she would have remained silent.

This was the bond forged by years of sharing every moment together.

As they entered the inn, a flash of green superpower energy dissipated in the air.

At the same time, a loud, brash voice rang out: "Hahaha! You’ve all heard of Lyra Shedd from the Alliance, haven’t you? Well, guess what? THIS girl has the EXACT same healing power as her! Healing people is no big deal for me."

The speaker was a brunette with wavy hair, wearing a short, brown-green baseball jacket over a black tube top. She paired it with shorts and strappy flat sandals

An orange headband held back her hair, with a single braid hanging over her right shoulder.

Her bright eyes and radiant smile gave her an air of fiery playfulness.

The others around her were all grinning and singing her praises. "Serena, you’re amazing! The hospital doctors said it’d take two days to fix me up!"

Someone else grumbled impatiently, "Oh, stop sucking up! It’s my turn already."

A man with a severed arm took a seat in front of her.

Propping one foot on a wooden stool, Serena rolled up her sleeves with a flourish and tossed her braid confidently. "Ah, Lucian! Trust me, you made the right choice coming to me!"

She extended her hands over his arm, and the green superpower energy flared to life once again.

Within moments, the man’s severed arm began to regenerate.

Phelixes watched in surprise. "Is that...?"

"It’s an Aesculapius’ Grace hidden in her Space Button," Lyra explained calmly.

Due to the ongoing war between the Empire and the Alliance, the borders had become porous, and piracy flourished.

Black market exchanges were now more common than ever. Over time, devices like the Aesculapius’ Grace, originally developed by the Alliance, had been replicated by the Empire.

Serena’s actual superpower was just basic healing, but her psychokinesis was strong enough to partially open her Space Button and operate the medical device hidden within to treat injuries.

As Lyra explained, something went wrong on the other side of the room.

Serena was in the middle of treating Lucian when his regrowing pinky finger abruptly stopped growing.

A flicker of guilt crossed Serena’s face. She quickly feigned exhaustion and deactivated her superpower. "That’s it for today! I’m too tired to continue. Next time!"

"What do you mean, next time?" Lucian growled, glaring at her. "You can’t just stop halfway! Finish the job!"

"I told you, I’m too tired to use my superpower. What do you want me to do about it?" Serena replied smoothly, slapping the dust off her shorts. She smirked as she added, "Even experts need their rest, you know. Hmph."

After her brazen retort, Serena darted into the inn’s back room and shut the door behind her.

The small scene didn’t leave much of an impression on Lyra and Phelixes.

They checked in at the front desk and headed upstairs to their room.

Unbeknownst to them, the topic of conversation downstairs quickly shifted in their direction.

"It’s them, isn’t it? The ones with the Grade Six energy stone mine. Said they got it after a space accident."

"Of course, it’s them. Who else could it be? They’re the only strangers in town."

"No way—REALLY a Grade Six energy stone mine?"

Lucian, whose pinky finger was still incomplete, stroked his thick beard.

"Plenty of people saw it at the exchange hall. Can’t be fake."

...

Upstairs, Lyra closed the window. The town was sparsely populated, and in this gray-zone settlement, news traveled fast.

According to Wintour, the entry scanner at the gate was inspected weekly. There were still three days until the next check.

If the scanner was found to be tampered with, suspicion would immediately fall on them.

This place wasn’t safe for a prolonged stay.