Lihou Port was located in the southeastern corner of SA-200 Planet, the largest port on the entire planet, with an uncountable daily throughput.
As the Main Ship approached the planet, Xie Jianxun lay against the porthole and saw that the planet was entirely azure blue, which surprised him a little.
“It’s all ocean?”
He squinted his eyes, and only after a moment did he spot the landmass that made up less than five percent of the surface. “What a pure water world.”
A lazy voice came from behind him. “Lihou Port is its largest port city, and the only major city.”
Xie Jianxun whipped his head around and, sure enough, saw the Great Star Pirate sprawled across his bed, limbs splayed out wide, instantly occupying the entire bunk in the cabin.
His presence was so strong that it was impossible to ignore.
Xie Jianxun said helplessly, “If you’re sleeping here, where am I supposed to sleep? On the floor?”
Huo Jing squinted his eyes. “It won’t come to that.”
He glanced down, grudgingly shifted himself to one side of the bed, and made space for half a person’s worth. “This spot is for you.”
Xie Jianxun couldn’t take it anymore. “I’d rather sleep on the floor.”
The Great Star Pirate immediately let out a pleased chuckle from his throat and sat up on the bed. “Of course the bed is yours. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Xie Jianxun stared at him, his head filled with question marks. “Aren’t you going to sleep in your spacious Captain’s Quarters?”
Huo Jing said matter-of-factly, “The Captain’s Quarters are leaking. If you can’t sleep, want to play some games together?”
With that, the Great Star Pirate’s gaze burned brightly.
“I’ve got plenty of two-player local games on the ship, and dedicated consoles. Want to give them a try? They’re all new models with great feel.” He tempted.
Captain’s Quarters, leaking.
…What a flimsy excuse full of holes!
Xie Jianxun had wanted to refuse, but the new models were too tempting.
They ended up playing video games until late into the night. Finally exhausted, Xie Jianxun rolled himself up in the blanket right there and fell asleep instantly on the small bed.
Huo Jing simply lay back, pillowed his head on his arms, and gazed at the azure planet slowly growing larger outside the porthole from the bare floor of the cabin.
In the early hours of the morning, the Siphon Whale slowly sailed into Lihou Port.
Before connecting communications, the Main Ship retracted all its passages, its escort ships contracted around it, and its surface was coated with special paint, making it look like nothing more than an ordinary private mobile fortress.
The documents and procedures were all in order. The signal passed, and a green light lit up.
A dedicated small shuttle flew ahead, guiding the Siphon Whale into a docking bay of the appropriate specifications.
Xie Jianxun slept until one in the afternoon. When he woke, the light from the porthole shone directly on his eyelids.
His lashes fluttered as he reached out a hand to barely block the annoying midday glare.
He wanted to stay in bed longer, but then he heard steady breathing nearby.
Xie Jianxun froze. Two seconds later, he remembered what had happened the night before—they had nearly pulled an all-nighter gaming.
This never would have happened if he were still in Julius’s hands.
The small bed held only him. Xie Jianxun leaned over the edge and saw Huo Jing lying on the floor, brows furrowed, hair disheveled.
He looked like he hadn’t woken yet, but even in his dreams, he seemed annoyed by the sunlight.
Xie Jianxun reached out and hovered his hand over him, casting a faint shadow to block the sunlight from his eyelids. Sure enough, moments later, Huo Jing’s brows relaxed, revealing a peaceful and contented expression.
Xie Jianxun let out a breath of relief, then suddenly paused.
Wait, what was he doing?
Was he supposed to just stupidly wait here until Huo Jing woke up on his own, missing lunch in the process?
Xie Jianxun decisively pulled his hand back, but another hand shot up from below, grabbing his wrist. Caught off guard, the young master yelped in shock and tumbled down—blanket and all—landing heavily on Huo Jing’s chest.
The Great Star Pirate’s chest was rock-hard. Being smashed like that, he didn’t even grunt, merely half-lidded his eyes in drowsiness and looked down at him.
“It’s a bit cold,” Huo Jing yawned and said softly. “Share some blanket with me.”
With that, he yanked Xie Jianxun’s blanket away, leaving the young master sitting dumbfounded on the floor beside his thigh.
Xie Jianxun: “…”
He snatched the blanket back and tossed it onto the bed, thinking coldly that if he sympathized with the pirate leader again, he’d be a dog!
At three in the afternoon, the pirates who were heading out gathered at the gangway.
They had a full seven hours of free time to spend a debauched or delightful half-day in any corner of Lihou Port, as long as they returned before the exit closed.
Everyone’s faces showed anticipation.
The ship had every facility imaginable, but a single voyage lasted two or three months at minimum. Even the freshest things got stale.
This was the perfect chance to vent pent-up energy or hunt for treasures in Lihou Port’s famous markets.
Huo Jing walked at the rear of the pirates, followed by the beautiful young master who dragged his feet, practically kicking his shoes and making a huge rude noise.
His face screamed unhappiness.
Huo Jing spoke at normal volume. “Why the long face? I only hugged you while we slept.”
Xie Jianxun replied dryly, “Yeah, and then we missed the communal lunch and had to bother the kitchen for a special meal.”
Huo Jing glanced back carelessly and draped his left arm over Xie Jianxun’s shoulders.
“Anyway, it was from my rations, and you ate happily enough, didn’t you?”
He pointed out the fact mercilessly. “Besides, if you hadn’t stolen the blanket, I wouldn’t have gotten cold. So you could just be my blanket.”
Xie Jianxun: “…”
Silence—today’s theme song.
The Great Star Pirate kept his arm around him as they walked a ways without a response.
He looked down and saw the beautiful young master pursing his lips, his curled lashes fluttering rapidly, face expressionless.
The First Mate passed by, giving him a strange look.
Huo Jing read it as: You messed up again.
Xie Jianxun’s shoulders tensed as Huo Jing leaned in closer.
The Great Star Pirate suddenly took an interest in something and leaned in earnestly. “Never been to Lihou Port City before? I’ll show you some good stuff.”
They passed through the sea-breeze-swept port, and Huo Jing led him straight to the most famous market street in Lihou Port.
Behind the market lay the Black Market, where countless pirates and rogue hunters gathered.
It was hidden in a narrow alley with guarded entrances. The road was cramped, and the shops on both sides mostly had half-closed doors, not revealing what was sold inside.
Even peeking through the windows, everything looked pitch black.
The crowd rubbed shoulders, countless unfamiliar faces half-hidden or outright masked.
Before entering, Huo Jing roughly pulled up Xie Jianxun’s collar and tugged his hat down, fully armoring him. As long as he kept his head low, no one could see his face.
Xie Jianxun looked at himself, then puzzled at Huo Jing. “You’re not covering up?”
The Great Star Pirate said matter-of-factly, “I don’t need to. No one dares trip me up here.”
That tone makes it sound like the Black Market is your home.
Xie Jianxun thought.
Sure enough, as he said, the entrance guards bowed their heads and opened the door for Huo Jing.
The flowing crowd in the alley froze for a full one or two seconds upon seeing him, then accelerated.
In the narrow passage, Xie Jianxun didn’t brush against a single person and passed through smoothly.
It wasn’t until Huo Jing led him into a pitch-black shop that the murmurs resumed behind them.
It looked dark outside, but inside it was quite bright.
Xie Jianxun squinted to adjust to the interior light. Huo Jing, very familiar with the place, went straight to the counter and knocked on the glass surface.
“A bit of Tungsten Gold Soil, and some Gold Silver Sand.”
The shop owner emerged from the back, delighted to see the familiar regular customer.
He quickly pulled out a long custom order form from nearby and slid it to Huo Jing.
“No need for Mr. Huo to keep track. Just check what you want and write the quantity. I’ll pack it up and deliver it to your ship personally.”
Huo Jing took the pen, checked off items casually as he said, “Didn’t you used to keep it all in your head? Upgraded now, impressive. Next time, you’ll probably be using a Light Brain.”
The shop owner laughed. “People have to move forward. Can’t slack on making things convenient for customers.”
Huo Jing checked off dozens of items in one go and pushed the order back.
The owner glanced at it and grinned widely. “Perfect, perfect. Before eight tonight, guaranteed.”
While they talked, Xie Jianxun wandered the shop freely, looking at all the pretty sands and soils.
At first glance, no one would guess the shop’s main business.
The walls were full of holes and hooks holding large glass jars of sands in different colors.
One jar caught Xie Jianxun’s eye: entirely emerald green, mixed with light golden flecks that sparkled.
He instinctively turned to ask the owner, “Sir, what’s this one called?”
Facing a companion of a major customer, the owner’s attitude was exceedingly amiable. He smiled warmly. “This is Dawn Soil.”
“Soil?” Xie Jianxun was a bit curious.
The owner explained, “A rare soil collected from planets on the verge of eruption. It provides nutrition for unhatched oviparous creatures, enhancing their strength. Quite a precious nutrient soil.”
“That’s where the name comes from—life breaking shell, sprouts emerging from the earth.”
Xie Jianxun was very tempted, but he glanced at the price tag: “…”
Soil made of gold? So expensive!
The owner persuaded kindly, “Even without unhatched eggs, it provides embryonic nutrition for hatched pets. Really not considering a bit?”
He was good-looking and spoke so nicely, but that price…
“Pack one up and send it to the ship.”
The silent Huo Jing placed a hand on his shoulder and told the owner firmly.
Xie Jianxun whipped his head around to look at him. The owner immediately smiled until his eyes crinkled, retreating as he took the jar from the wall and even asked Xie Jianxun what color gift box he liked.
Xie Jianxun stammered, “G-Green.”
He turned and grabbed Huo Jing’s collar, whispering, “Where am I supposed to get a shelled pet from?!”
Huo Jing smiled indifferently. “You’ll have one. If you like, there’s a good pet shop at the other end of the street.”
Xie Jianxun said calmly, “Actually, I prefer the fluffy furry kind… No, off-topic. This price—you sure you want to buy it for me? If I can’t use it, it’ll just sit at the bottom of my trunk!”
The Great Star Pirate tugged his hood and teased, “Bought it for you. So what if it sits at the bottom of your trunk.”
He declared firmly, “I’ll buy you two. One to trunk, one to flush down the toilet for fun.”
Xie Jianxun: “…This guy has a grudge against money or what!”
