Chapter 450 – Heading to Planet Lirva

In a rather upscale café, a group of girls sat by the window, chatting animatedly.

Their table was cluttered with an array of beautifully crafted, expensive-looking handmade pastries.

A girl with a finely adorned necklace of colorful stones around her neck, and a short black hairstyle, pouted in dissatisfaction and said, “What time is it already? Why isn’t he here yet?”

“He’s on the way, he just texted me saying he’s stuck in traffic.”

“Ugh, what era is this that people still get stuck in traffic? If you’re making excuses, at least make them believable… Is he coming or not? If not, I’m leaving. I have things to do this afternoon.”

The short-haired girl grabbed a small, delicate red purse beside her and was about to get up.

But before she could take a step, she was pulled back by the girl next to her, whose heavy eye makeup and vibrant lipstick gave her a sophisticated air.

“Don’t rush, sister. he’s coming from District 30, so even if he’s taking a spaceship, it takes time… Here, let me show you a picture.”

The girl wrapped an arm around the disgruntled short-haired girl’s shoulder and said with a grin, “One of them coming today is definitely your type! He’s a top-tier graduate from the Red Eagle. As soon as he graduates, he’ll be in the Spirit Court reserves…”

Maybe it was hearing “Red Eagle” and “Spirit Court” that shifted the mood of the short-haired girl. Her irritated expression softened slightly as she reluctantly sat back down.

While the group was intensely discussing their upcoming date for the day, a girl at the corner of the group, who had been quiet and unnoticed the whole time, seemed to have received some message and abruptly stood up.

“I… I need to step out for a bit.”

The group paused their conversation and looked at her in confusion.

“Lu Qiyuan, what’s wrong with you again?”

The black-haired girl, who had just started to get into the conversation, tapped the table in annoyance.

Lu Qiyuan didn’t respond, only reaching for her bag on the seat next to her.

“What’s the matter, Yuanyuan?”

The girl with the heavy makeup, who seemed to be the leader of the group, also spoke up to ask.

“It’s my younger brother…”

A mix of complex emotions crossed Lu Qiyuan’s face as she replied, “…suddenly said he’s dropping out of school and wants to go on a six-month adventure. I need to go back and see what’s going on.”

“Oh, the brother with the same name as you?”

“Not the same, there’s a one-character difference…”

Lu Qiyuan corrected.

The girl with heavy makeup chuckled, “I remember you often complained about your brother, saying he’s dumb and hopeless, always going against you. Now that he’s leaving, isn’t that good? No one to annoy you anymore…”

“That’s true, but…”

Lu Qiyuan wanted to say that, in the end, that guy is still her brother.

Although they have different mothers and he’s become more annoying as they grew older, he used to cling to his elder sister when he was young. Over the years, they’ve never been apart.

It’s his first time traveling far alone, and he’ll be gone for over half a year. If she doesn’t go back now, she might miss seeing him one last time before he leaves.

“There’s no ‘but’ about it. Isn’t this good news?”

The girl with heavy makeup urged Lu Qiyuan to sit down and quickly looked in a certain direction, saying, “Quick, sit down. They’re here… Yuanyuan, you’ve never dated before, right? You can pick someone you like, and I’ll help you get him…”

“Uh… ah…”

Lu Qiyuan was pulled back into her seat, flustered.

The emotions she had been stirring inside began to fade as she saw the tall, athletic figures striding into the café.

Forget it; she’s not going back.

If she saw Lu Qiyuan, that brat, he’d probably just greet her with a scowl or even throw in a few sarcastic remarks. She hadn’t even confronted him about that ugly, cheap green scarf he gave her as a gift. Such a guy isn’t worth making a special trip to see off…

Lu Qiyuan thought to herself as she silently ignored an incoming call marked “mom” on her personal terminal.

…

“I can’t get through, maybe he’s busy…”

On a wide lawn, a beautiful woman with a concerned expression put down her communication terminal and turned to look at Lu Lingfeng.

“Then we won’t wait.”

Lu Lingfeng said calmly and then nodded slightly in a certain direction.

In front of them, a small, silver-gray spaceship, shaped like a flat disc, lit up entirely and began to slowly ascend.

From a position at the lower end of the spaceship, a young boy could be seen slowly waving at the two of them.

Tears suddenly welled up in the beautiful woman’s eyes on the lawn.

Only after the silver-gray spaceship merged into the sky, disappearing completely from view, did her briefly uncontrolled emotions slowly return to normal.

“This is the first time Qiyuan has left us… and he’s going so far away alone…”

The beautiful woman murmured softly, staring in the direction the spaceship had left.

“There’s a first time for everything, you can’t keep him tied down forever…”

Lu Lingfeng paused, then continued, “I’m quite surprised he made this decision. I’m not sure if he’s really matured or if it’s just another way for him to cause trouble…”

“No matter how much trouble he causes, he’s still your son. Even if he needs to be independent, you shouldn’t let him go so far by himself, especially for over half a year…”

The beautiful woman turned to look at Lu Lingfeng, a worried expression on her face.

“What if he encounters space pirates on the way? When he arrives, he won’t know anyone, and he’s so young, surely he’ll be bullied…”

“Stop worrying about it.”

Lu Lingfeng said calmly, “I made sure he traveled with the Eternal Day Guild’s fleet, so even if they meet space pirates, he’ll be fine.

I’ve also arranged for someone to look out for him on Planet Lirva, and Lu Feng is with him, so there won’t be any issues.”

“I know you’ve thought it through, but still… what if something happens? He’s our only son…”

The beautiful woman bit her lip and said, “Can’t we find a place for him to stay that’s closer to us?”

“You’d have to ask him about that. Planet Lirva was his choice.”

Lu Lingfeng thought for a moment and said, “Letting him experience some hardship on his own might do him some good; otherwise, he’ll always act immature.

Besides, even if he hadn’t asked for this, I was planning to send him away anyway, just to keep a low profile…”

The beautiful woman’s expression tightened upon hearing this, and she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

Lu Lingfeng remained calm and replied, “Nothing much.

It’s just that there’s a situation with Lu Hui.

She contacted me a couple of days ago, suggesting I prepare a bit…”

“Lu Hui?!”

The beautiful woman was taken aback at the mention of the name.

“Did something happen to Lu Hui?”

The beautiful woman wasn’t very familiar with Lu Hui.

All she knew was that Lu Hui was Lu Lingfeng’s younger sister, who had married into a top-tier family of the Duoling nobility long ago.

With so many rules in such a powerful family, it was almost impossible for her to have the freedom of an ordinary person anymore.

So, even after being married to Lu Lingfeng for many years, she had only met Lu Hui a few times.

Her understanding of Lu Hui came mostly from Lu Lingfeng.

According to Lu Lingfeng, Lu Hui had exceptional talent and abilities, far surpassing her elder brother.

“It’s a good thing…”

Lu Lingfeng paused and then continued, “But it might also be a bad thing. Just in case.

If anything were to happen, we might be affected, so sending Qiyuan away ahead of time gives us peace of mind…”

“It sounds nice to have connections with such prestigious families, but after all these years, we haven’t benefited at all. Now there’s trouble, and we have to share the risk…”

The beautiful woman couldn’t help but complain.

“Be quiet.”

Lu Lingfeng frowned and coldly rebuked her, “Don’t speak recklessly if you don’t know the situation. Do you think our family’s business has been so smooth all these years solely because of luck?”

“What?!”

Only then did the beautiful woman realize the deeper implications and fell silent, her head lowered.

Lu Lingfeng’s expression softened slightly as he calmly said, “Alright, as long as you understand this privately. Remember, Lu Hui is family, flesh and blood. Even if she can’t help much right now… in the future, when Qiyuan grows up, he will surely need her support…”

“Okay.”

The beautiful woman nodded obediently.

The two stood on the lawn, silently watching in the direction where the spaceship disappeared before turning and leaving together.

“Finally leaving this place…”

Aboard the spaceship, Lu Yuan watched as Planet Dadu No. 2045 shrank into a glowing star in the distance, feeling a slight sense of relief.

Although Lu Lingfeng rarely showed up in the Lu family and no one really restricted his freedom, there was always a sense of unease.

Perhaps it was the residual reverence for Lu Lingfeng, a strict father, in Lu Qiyuan’s body from childhood.

Now, being away from the Lu family, he felt much more relaxed.

“It went even more smoothly than I expected. Lu Lingfeng agreed right away; I thought it would require more persuasion… It seems he truly honors that father-son agreement.”

Lu Yuan stood at the front of the spaceship, gazing at the vast, starry sky dotted with twinkling stars, and mused to himself.

Nobility isn’t just supported by a noble title or a designation conferred by the Empire.

The glamorous appearances and superior demeanor require actual wealth to sustain.

Most noble families have their own established industries, and the Lu family is no exception.

Even within noble families of the same level, the various benefits and treatments they enjoy can differ greatly based on financial income.

It’s not uncommon for a noble with a viscount title to have less status and prestige than a baron when it comes to social standing and public appearances.

After all, not everyone can be expected to have a talent for business.

If you can’t handle business well, protect the family assets, or make money, it’s inevitable you’ll gradually squander the resources you’ve inherited.

Lu Yuan felt he should consider himself fortunate.

Though Lu Lingfeng might not be a commercial genius, he still outperforms the average person in managing the family business.

The Lu family is involved in a wide array of businesses, dabbling in many unique and quirky industries, both large and small.

However, most operations are relatively modest in scale and just comfortably generate small profits.

But when you add up ten or a hundred of these small profits, the total becomes quite substantial.

“Not taking on too much risk and generating quiet profits without attracting attention… It’s surprisingly not the kind of business strategy you’d expect from Lu Lingfeng.”

Lu Yuan roughly estimated, and astonishingly realized that even taking into account just the part he was familiar with, the financial foundation of the Lu family, a baron of the third rank, was far more robust than he had imagined.

It’s amusing how Lu Lingfeng kept pushing Lu Qiyuan to strive hard. With such an ample foundation, Lu Qiyuan could live a life of indulgence for his entire life without running out of resources.

“Perhaps that’s why Lu Lingfeng was so willing to let me venture to Planet Lirva alone for some training. Even if I completely mess up the mining business over there, it wouldn’t matter much…”

Lu Yuan gazed out the window, eyes flickering with a faint light.

He was surprised to discover that the Lu family actually had business dealings in metal ore mining.

The planet he’s heading to, Planet Lirva, is one such site.

The Lu family holds a two-hundred-year mining right for a small metal ore site on that planet. His trip means he’ll be parachuting in as a ruthless mine owner.

“Although the metal mine under the Lu family’s control isn’t a bismuth metal mine, I’ve checked and found that bismuth iron is one of the primary resources produced on Planet Lirva.

Where there’s bismuth iron, there are bound to be Source Worms, and where there are Source Worms, waste ore is never far behind…”

Lu Yuan isn’t going to Planet Lirva simply to restore his strength by utilizing waste ore polluted by Source Worms.

He also plans to collect rare metal materials to prepare for his next mecha.

“A level one Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha can elevate my combat capabilities to the level 4 or 5 tier.

If I can devour and integrate a level 4 or 5 mecha, my combat strength might suddenly soar to level 7, or even level 8…”

The battle consciousness that Lu Yuan once possessed as a level 10 powerhouse in the star spirit realm has remained intact; all he lacks now is the foundational hardware to match his skills.

As long as the hardware keeps up, his combat power will naturally increase rapidly.

“Moreover, the most important aspect of the Spirit Devourer Clan’s Legacy-constructing the Demon God Mech-requires a vast amount of rare cosmic metal materials…”

The Great Fall Dark Sky Prison Demon God Mech…

Lu Yuan couldn’t forget the name of this legacy mech, even in his dreams.

Closing his eyes, he still recalls the terrifying grandeur when “Anders” summoned that awe-inspiring demon-like mech.

If “Anders” could achieve it…

Then he has the opportunity to achieve it as well.

As he mused over this, a figure appeared silently, ghost-like, in the reflection of the window in front of Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan turned emotionlessly and saw Lu Feng, who served as his “bodyguard,” “caretaker,” and Lu Lingfeng’s “informant” on this trip. Lu Feng spoke softly, “Young Master, we are about to join the caravan of the Eternal Day Guild.”

Ahead, in the dark Starry Sky, a large, brightly lit fleet of spaceships gradually came into view.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then, he couldn’t help but quietly sigh to himself.

If only Lu Feng hadn’t tagged along… this journey would have been truly perfect.