After seeing the astronaut off, Xi Yujin stared at the black and gold invitation on the table and fell silent.

Gano confirmed there were no suspicious individuals around the Tidal Peace but assumed that something was wrong with the invitation. Just as he was about to ask, he noticed Xi Yujin's hair trembling slightly.

Then cheers erupted inside Tidal Peace.

"This is great! A black market! Hahaha! What's the point of coming to space if you don't visit one?"

Gano: …All right.

"Gano, let's go." After the initial excitement, Xi Yujin regained his composure. "Wait, we should improve the disguise a bit more. Should I dye my hair green? Come to think of it, I probably should have a green-haired persona…"

He pondered for a moment and reread the invitation carefully. It addressed him as the Representative of Blue Planet Civilization. That meant this black market wasn't the shadowy, underground bazaar he'd imagined, but rather a small-circle gathering. Attending in an official capacity would ensure he wasn't looked down upon.

He refined his disguise and picked up the invitation, as usual bringing Gano along, not only for translation, but because he wanted a companion for this cosmic adventure. Gano didn't feel like he was merely working either; rather, he was encountering different things by staying at Yujinno's side. These were things he would never have known among the Zerg.

Watching the delighted curve of Xi Yujin's profile, he suddenly understood the feeling stirring inside him: it was anticipation. Anticipation of encountering a different future together with Yujinno.

According to the invitation, each Navigator Colossus continuously jumped between galaxies before its eventual disintegration, so it was not subjected to any galaxy's laws. In short, a well-known lawless zone.

To sustain the Navigator Colossus's operations, a black market dealing in non-ethical goods had emerged. It also had different tiers, and only civilizations that met certain spending thresholds and passed the Colossus staff's civilization assessment could enter the restricted sections.

This time, the staff had likely been intimidated. Developing high-level text derivatives during the voyage was unheard of. They hastily offered Blue Planet direct access through the special passage as compensation, and also as an opportunity to observe.

Xi Yujin and Gano passed through a gravity corridor to the cluster of ships that housed the black market.

The large vessels were dull gray and inconspicuous, blending into the mass of alien crafts. Each ship appeared to serve different functions within the black market. Xi Yujin carefully observed before entering through a busy entrance.

After presenting the invitation, a towering guard stepped aside and opened a gate.

Inside was a sterilization mist corridor, followed by a heavy lead-gray circular mechanical door. Beyond it opened into a hall the size of a stadium, with gradient blue spotlights standing along the perimeter. Multicolored goods floated inside green magnetic containment fields, with magenta price tags hanging below. Vibrant alien beings moved about while speaking in rustling languages. The whole hall was buzzing like a swarm of mosquitoes.

"Capturing wave patterns…" Gano's disguised Ers Royal Armor also came along. He was originally an assassination specialist, so gathering intelligence was effortless. "Thirteen life-forms have mentioned Blue Planet. Maintain Level Three alert. Please don't stray too far from me, Yujinno."

Xi Yujin treasured his life dearly and nodded obediently. "I absolutely won't!"

Nothing could separate them!

Certain seeds of association sprouted in Gano's mind, and he inexplicably found himself unable to look at Xi Yujin.

The two followed the glowing yellow indicators along the floor, with rows of green magnetic devices flanking them on either side. From overheard alien speech, this was the lower-tier black market. The rule was that sellers and buyers completed transactions face-to-face, with no after-sales service. For higher-grade goods or contactless trades, one needs to go to the higher-tier markets.

Gano asked if they should directly head to the higher-tier black market, but Xi Yujin immediately refused.

"The essence of a black market is browsing the stalls! Hunting for hidden bargains!"

He paused at every booth, and sellers eagerly stepped forward to introduce their wares.

"Honored guest, this is a portable weapon from the old era, the SW7001 lightsaber. It's discontinued now, but look at the appearance: the casing is premium basalt from the Suye Galaxy, the ancient patterns on the hilt are clearly visible, and the age verification is also clean. A true collector's treasure. Only 200,000 Stardust or 2 Ship Coins."

A lightsaber!

Xi Yujin's eyes sparkled.

"Honored guest, if you'd like a taste of life as a star pirate, why not pick up this heavy-energy particle generator core that can capture stars? Classic Rash Galaxy technology, smaller and more powerful!"

Uh… star pirate item?

"Honored guest, these are physical books from our galaxy! There's no authorization elsewhere; they're one-of-a-kind across all galaxies. The set is made with premium Stardust pulp, and the decorative art is exquisite. Would you like to take a look? Restricted to adult organisms, of course!"

Ah… what?

He also spotted a flashy twelve-meter exoskeleton suit equipped with melee weapons and a floating satellite hand cannon. The exoskeleton even adjusted to the user's size.

His heart raced, feeling like it was love at first sight. But it immediately sank when he saw the price: six million Stardust!

Though he'd made a fortune in the Pangshi Galaxy, his assets barely exceeded a million.

"But… only 10 Ship Coins?"

Xi Yujin noticed that another currency circulated on the black market: Ship Coins. These had been created by the Navigator Colossus for barter. It was even rarer and was not interchangeable with Stardust. Sellers set prices on a whim, wherein a product priced at hundreds of millions in Stardust might also sell for just 600 Ship Coins.

They circled the lower market for quite some time, and Xi Yujin completely abandoned the idea of bargain hunting because he simply wanted everything. Every item looked like it was waiting for him to discover it.

In the end, he only purchased a high-tech culinary set. He missed Earth cuisine and planned to write a food travelogue when he got back.

"Still… could I produce my own physical books and sell them here?"

Xi Yujin pondered seriously, still not giving up on that 10 Ship Coin exoskeleton suit.

"Would that count as embezzlement? But I still own the copyright…"

They entered the mid-tier market while Xi Yujin was muttering.

It was quieter, with goods more spaciously arranged. There was a strange rhombus-shaped rune stone slab, which was said to be the cultural product of a species with extremely developed mental power. There was a cryogenic flight pod powered by magnetic organisms in energy tanks, capable of unconventional flight. There was also a fragmentary dynamic model of some unknown star region, but its purpose was a mystery.

Xi Yujin still went to read every product's description and discerned a pattern:

Mid-tier goods were closer to a species' civilizational core, such as core technologies and core military maps. Essentially, only members of that species would have the ability to sell them.

As for the consequences of selling one's civilization's core, or what emotions drove those sellers, no one could say.

The Stardust prices here were astronomically high. Xi Yujin and Gano didn't linger long and headed to the next exhibition ship. The guard glanced at their invitation and let them through.

The next exhibition ship was dimmer, seemingly designed to create an eerie atmosphere. There were no product display stands here, only private rooms to negotiate deals. At the far end were two doors: one led to a Gaming Area, from which cheers and screams were barely contained. Xi Yujin was reminded of some unsavory aspects of Earth culture and didn't particularly want to go in. The other led to an Auction.

A six-eyed being dropped from the top of the doorframe and spoke in a syrupy voice. "Welcome, welcome, our esteemed VIP! You've been circling the lower markets, and we’ve been waiting anxiously."

Gano glanced at Xi Yujin. Xi Yujin was entirely unfazed and replied, "Couldn't even wait a little while?"

The six-eyed being chuckled awkwardly and ushered them in.

The auction hall was smaller than the other exhibition halls, and it was surrounded by rings of wide, railing-less stairs. Groups of beings stood or walked along the steps, spectating the massive item at the center. They were clearly divided by faction, and only beings with the same features stood together. No one seemed to mind the lack of privacy. On the contrary, they took pride in their species being seen here. Even unfamiliar beings nodded in greeting as Xi Yujin and Gano passed, as if showing respect to a civilization of equal standing.

Xi Yujin even recognized several diplomats he'd seen in the Hall of Peace. Transactions here were enormous, usually requiring official delegations. A two-person team like Blue Planet's was the exception rather than the rule.

Xi Yujin walked up the steps, feigning nonchalance as he glanced toward the central auction item, curious about what could be worthy of such a grand assembly. When he saw it clearly, he completely froze.

Inside a perfect cubic container measuring twenty meters on each side was a milky-white suspension, gurgling with bubbles. Several bright white eggs rested against the glass wall, occasionally wobbling as if reacting to the outside world. One of the eggs bore cute little speckles shaped like a rounded heart.

The staff member's voice echoed through amplifiers into every corner of the hall.

"Allow us to once again introduce the highlight of today's auction… an unnamed species from the unnamed 3532ER galaxy.

"There are eight families here. Each surviving member within each family possesses a unique genetic sequence, which is convenient for future species propagation. Their gene sequences also share a 0.1% similarity with the Zerg, demonstrating an extremely broad tolerance for mutation. Civilizations may incorporate additional genes according to their needs.

In terms of technology, they use tools other than their own bodies. They already constructed large residential cities, public hospitals, collective schools, and lightweight recreational facilities.

In terms of intelligence, they can engage in dialogue and produce three phonetic syllables: ai, yi, and xu. By varying the length and order of these syllables, they have developed a three-tiered writing system with a vocabulary of approximately five thousand words. They also possess abstract thinking.

In terms of art, they can create shell-arrangement artworks and exhibit phototropic preferences.

In terms of morality, they value family units and typically travel as families, so please do not separate them when domesticating them.

When our sellers discovered them, a terrifying sea of magma was devouring their world. But for us, everything was easily resolved. Now, are there any advanced civilizations willing to domesticate this newborn civilization?"

The advanced alien civilizations murmured among themselves, seemingly judging the new civilization to be of limited value.

The auctioneers displayed samples of the species' art. The unnamed race was amphibious beings who carried calcium carbonate compounds in their mouths, which they arranged into different shapes along beaches. Since this behavior was deemed to have no benefit to reproduction and appeared to exist solely for individual pleasure, it had been classified as artistic expression.

The auctioneer tried to prove the civilization was worth preserving and called out again, "Let us uphold the morality of advanced civilizations!"

"But it's too weak, and it can't even dig. We were hoping for something that could help us in mining."

"Advanced civilizations aren't moral."

"This species' civilization level is too low. It would take a long time to cultivate. And it might just end up dropping a stone on its own foot."

The races on the stairs responded one after another.

Xi Yujin moved to an empty spot, leaned against the wall, and gazed at the unnamed species awaiting sale. For a moment, he was speechless.

So the core transaction of the black market was the buying and selling of civilizations.

Civilizations have no inherent superiority or inferiority, not until two different ones cross the vast universe and make contact. Only then does the scale tilt.

Advanced civilizations seize, invade, modify, assist, educate, or simply pass by lower civilizations. However, the latter have no right to refuse.

And when two advanced civilizations meet, how do they measure each other's strength?

They devised an efficient comparison through the number and tier of civilizations each had domesticated. The one who raised the most, and higher-level civilizations, was deemed superior.

This method spread through the universe like wildfire.

In those days, civilizations rarely encountered one another directly. They could only learn about others through electromagnetic signals and peering into the unknown darkness. To ensure that they would stand at the top when contact came, and to still stand on top for future encounters, civilizations initiated wars of attrition across the void, which lowered moral boundaries toward other species again and again.

This was the universe's era of Violent Colonization.

On the wide staircase, Xi Yujin watched as one of the eggs trembled slightly. He shivered in response. From the perspective of that unnamed species, what role did these advanced civilizations play today? Did it know its species was displayed here, clearly priced and auctioned?

He thought of the Ctulrt. They were still worrying about their official novelist and couldn't even get an invitation to this auction hall. Did they know that events like those in their history were happening here? Perhaps they do, and were simply pretending otherwise.

"Yujinno…"

Gano had been standing quietly beside him the whole time.

Xi Yujin composed himself. He guessed that, as a member of an advanced civilization, his sympathy for a commodity might seem strange, and Gano might not understand.

But unexpectedly, Gano asked directly, "Are you sad for them?"

Xi Yujin looked at him. Their faces were similar, and in the cold universe, they almost seemed like the same kind of being. Xi Yujin quietly let a sliver of his soul, the one that did not belong to this universe, surface.

"Books are the ladder of human progress," he said softly. "We've read so many of them. Of course, we would feel pain at the loss of a civilization's freedom."

Gano thought for a moment. "I believe Yujinno is right."

A quiet sense of kinship settled in Xi Yujin's heart. From the very beginning, Gano had been willing to save a star he did not know. Perhaps that already hinted at the alignment of their values.

Even if one of them thought imprisonment was normal, and the other was obsessed with creating alternate personas.

Still, ignored by others in this corner of the auction hall, they stood in the same camp.

Xi Yujin's thoughts turned to the history following the era of violent colonization.

As lower civilizations enslaved even lower ones and advanced civilizations ascended to become even more advanced, the cosmic hierarchy seemed fixed, yet this pyramid of rank was as precarious as a Ponzi scheme. At a certain point, the self-proclaimed highest civilization discovered two anomalies of the universe: the Intelligent Machines and the Zerg.

These two races stepped onto the cosmic stage, and the highest civilization was annihilated almost instantly.

From then on, mental chaos grew increasingly severe, and countless advanced civilizations self-destructed. Novelists became the cure, but were eradicated in turn.

Amid the chaos, cosmic lifeforms groped their way for the first time toward a more accurate model of the universe: the Dune.

Shared terror of the vast cosmos ushered in a false peace, and this initiated the era of the Dune Universe. Surviving civilizations embarked on voyages from which they would never return.

Compared to that time, the universe's morality was slowly improving. At least now, the domestication of civilizations could only be encountered in black markets.

Civilizations that took pride in raising lower species could only display their darkness aboard the lawless Navigator Colossus, in auction halls smaller than Tidal Peace.

"Perhaps what I can do isn't to just survive well…" Xi Yujin thought. "Perhaps the Blue Planet civilization has another meaning for existing…"

"Gano, let's head back." He did not want to remain in this black market.

A helpless urgency filled him. He needed to return and strengthen Blue Planet. Official and freelance novelists alike must be organized properly.

Truth lay within the range of literature's artillery.

But a sharp voice stopped him. "Hello. Are you the Blue Planet diplomat? Only two of you?"

Xi Yujin felt several scrutinizing gazes sweep over him from all directions, as though attempting to look down from the opposite side of the scale.

Any species attending such an auction revealed its intentions plainly. The Navigator Colossus that issued the invitations was hardly clean either.

An alien stepped out from its group.

"We've heard that the Blue Planet is an advanced civilization. Yet in our discussions, we realized we've scarcely heard of your deeds. Most of the species here can trace their history back to the era of civilization contact.

The lower civilizations we once domesticated have, with our assistance, become independent civilizations in their own right, while many remain deeply bonded with us.

And Blue Planet… how mysterious."

Xi Yujin stopped Gano from responding and said calmly, "We rarely interact with external civilizations."

More gazes focused on him like searchlights, making him more conspicuous than the goods on display.

The alien pressed further: "Does Blue Planet have anything to auction? Since you're already here at the auction hall, why not let us have a look?"

"We do not need to auction the core of our civilization," Xi Yujin replied evenly. "But we don't mind if everyone wants to bid high prices for the right to read our ancient texts.

After all, Blue Planet is a civilization that has never been interrupted since its Isolated Planet era."

The hall erupted in uproar the moment Xi Yujin finished his response.