Translator: AnubisTL
Three hours later, Chen Mang departed from the Starfire Civilization. His interactions with its leaders had deepened his understanding of the cosmic civilization landscape. Upon returning to the Niya Star System, he settled into the train and glanced at the Zerg Civilization's movements, noting no significant changes.
He then turned to the galaxy map, pushing the control lever to propel the train deeper into the cosmos.
After upgrading the Space Gate to Tier 500, the resulting overpowered effect was:
Capable of housing a star as the train's power source, significantly increasing its speed. Requires a Tier 500 or higher Seven-colored grade acceleration nozzle accessory.
This period was his prime opportunity for development. With the train now possessing some resources, he needed to craft essential upgrades to prepare for the impending war—a full-scale conflict with the Zerg Civilization.
Once the miner returned from his training, he planned to see if he could glean any information from the Unknown Mine Owner.
Soon enough, Chen Mang selected a perfect star.
In the universe, most stars typically possess at least one planet. This is because planets usually form from the protoplanetary disk—a disk-shaped structure composed of gas and dust—that remains after a star's formation.
However, this isn't an absolute rule. Various factors can prevent planet formation, leaving some stars without any planets.
Stars vary in size, mass, and surface temperature.
The higher the surface temperature, the greater the energy source it provides.
It's worth noting that different stars emit distinct spectra—the characteristic patterns of light they radiate.
For example, the most common type of star found in residential planets emits yellow light, with surface temperatures ranging from approximately 5,200 to 6,000 degrees Celsius. Beyond yellow, there are also red, white, blue, and other spectral colors.
These diverse colors create a dazzling cosmic spectacle.
The star he had chosen was in its prime, with a diameter of about 1.95 million kilometers—dozens of times larger than a typical residential planet. Generally, stars are significantly larger than ordinary planets.
The surface temperature was approximately 9,600 degrees Celsius.
Its rotational speed was 274 kilometers per second, an extremely rapid spin that caused an equatorial bulge, giving it an oblate spheroid shape.
As for its age, the train couldn't obtain precise data, only determining that it was in its prime, with eons to go before aging. It would certainly outlive him, as stars typically have lifespans measured in billions of years.
He certainly wouldn't live that long.
The star he'd chosen had no planets orbiting it, but was surrounded by a massive "cold dust disk"—essentially the debris from collisions between comets and planets.
In the cosmos, most celestial phenomena inevitably involve dust and debris.
It sounded rather unglamorous.
Yet when viewed directly, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Truly magnificent," Chen Mang murmured.
The Stellaris train hovered in the vast cosmos, like a flat-bottomed boat adrift in the deathly silent darkness.
Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin, his gaze piercing through the forward glass, fixed on the colossal star ahead. His mind was utterly captivated by the celestial giant, his pupils barely registering anything else—only the star filling his vision.
At first glance, the blue-white light, forty times brighter than a normal star, nearly filled his entire field of vision. Had it not been for the train's protective systems, staring directly at it from this distance would have instantly burned his retinas.
If the stars seen from Aquablue Star were a gentle yellow, this star resembled a colossal blue-white arc lamp—cold, piercing, and blindingly intense.
The star's rapid rotation was visible to the naked eye.
Train data revealed that the star was a ball of superheated plasma with no solid surface. The surrounding cold dust disk, heated by the star, had become red-hot, forming a dark crimson ring of molten lava extending billions of kilometers into space.
Without the train's protective systems, close-range observation of this environment would have been impossible.
A distorted sphere of blue flames, encircled by a molten lava halo—this was a corner of the universe, breathtakingly magnificent.
In the next moment—
An even more massive black hole slowly materialized above the star. The rapidly rotating star, unable to escape the black hole's gravitational pull, was swiftly devoured, vanishing completely from the universe, leaving only the suddenly bewildered cold dust disk behind.
Immediately afterward, the Stellaris gradually departed from the area.
The star had already been transported into the Stellaris train. The "Space Gate Level 500" overpowered effect had no limitations on the star's diameter, meaning that theoretically, as long as it was a star, he could fit it into the train.
Naturally, he would choose the largest one available.
The bigger, the better.
This star was already considered quite large in the cosmos, though not the absolute largest. He planned to replace it with an even larger one when the opportunity arose.
"Now it's perfect," Chen Mang murmured, sitting in the locomotive cabin and smiling as he glanced at the data on the control panel. How could the Stellaris train possibly lack a star? Who would ever imagine that this train, seemingly insignificant in the vastness of space, actually housed a star within its interior?
He was now contemplating something:
Could he use the star as a weapon?
For instance, could he hurl a star at an enemy's face? He doubted many would survive such an attack. Against Low-Tier Civilizations, this should be a formidable combat tactic.
The only downside was—
This "star" could only provide energy to power the train's speed, not other accessories. If only it could power the Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon! A single star was equivalent to an unimaginable amount of ammunition—how many shots could that fuel?
The Arcanon Main Cannon had been transformed into a rapid-fire weapon.
Next on the agenda was upgrading the tail jet!
The train's most powerful seven-colored grade tail jet was the "SPY-7 Doppler Tail Jet," which he had already upgraded to Tier 200. This accessory was purely numerical, lacking any special mechanisms. From Tier 5 to Tier 200, each upgrade tier provided a massive boost to speed, with no other effects.
Absolute numbers yielded absolute results.
With this accessory, the train's speed had already reached 3.37 million kilometers per hour—an utterly terrifying figure.
But there was still room for improvement.
By upgrading it to Tier 500 and combining it with the Space Gate's enhancements, this number would skyrocket once more.
In the next moment—
After consuming 100 trillion units of iron ore, the seven-colored grade accessory "SPY-7 Doppler Tail Jet" was instantly upgraded to Tier 500!
The train now held 197 trillion units of iron ore internally. This single accessory had devoured half of the train's iron ore reserves—equivalent to the entire resource reserves of the Gemini Star.
But!
This was the first Tier 500 seven-colored grade accessory on the Stellaris!
The resulting boost was colossal!
[SPY-7 Doppler Tail Jet Tier 500 Overpowered Effect]: Speed surged dramatically.
The train's maximum speed had now reached—
98,770,000 km/h!
This was an astonishing velocity, nearly approaching the speed of extreme celestial bodies in the universe—one-tenth the speed of light.
To put it in perspective:
If he were to return to Blue Star before his transmigration, traveling from Blue Star to the Moon at this speed would take only 14 seconds, and reaching the Sun would take less than two hours.
Theoretically,
if the train's armor were sufficiently durable, the train itself would become a lethal weapon at this speed. This was already approaching science-fiction levels of hypervelocity.
This was the transformation brought about by a Tier 500 Seven-Colored Grade Accessory!
Chen Mang, seated in the locomotive cabin, gazed at the numerical displays with satisfaction. Pure numbers, pure beauty, nearly one-tenth the speed of light.
At this rate,
reaching near-light speed within the train's lifespan seemed surprisingly achievable.
After all—
this was merely Tier 500!
All accessories followed a similar pattern: from Tier 1 to Tier 100, their stats increased gradually without any exponential leaps. Tier 100 marked a minor threshold, bringing about a noticeable change.
Tier 200, however, was a major threshold. At this level, qualitative transformations often occurred.
With the Doppler Radar, the detection range at Tier 199 remained at 199 light-years, but at Tier 200, it leaped to 100,000 light-years.
From Tier 200 to Tier 500, the numerical increases were gradual until Tier 500, where another earth-shattering transformation occurred!
In other words:
If resources were limited, there was no point in upgrading to Tier 300 or 400, as they offered little improvement over Tier 200.
Unless one could directly reach Tier 500, it was better not to upgrade at all!
The higher the grade, the greater the changes upon crossing each threshold!
Upgrading a Seven-Colored Grade Accessory from Tier 50 to Tier 200 required only 1 trillion units of iron ore, but advancing from Tier 200 to Tier 500 demanded 100 trillion units—a resource consumption increase of unimaginable proportions.
Yet it was worth it.
The resulting benefits justified the cost.
Most importantly:
Chen Mang glanced at the train control panel screen, which displayed that this star could power the Stellaris at full speed for 7.6 million years!
"Looks like we won't need to change stars anytime soon."
7.6 million years...
This star is truly durable!
He suddenly realized how great the cosmos was. Stars were just out there, free for anyone to take, valuable yet free.
The Tier 500 space gate's efficiency in harnessing stellar energy reached 90%, a remarkably high rate.
He was thoroughly satisfied with the upgraded overpowered effect, and now, somewhat addicted, he turned his gaze to other accessories, eagerly anticipating the completion of mining operations on the mineral-rich planets.
Not enough.
Resources were never enough. Even though he was now immeasurably wealthier than he had been on Aquablue Star, he still felt the pinch.
He needed a major haul.
A massive haul.
A haul that would truly fill his coffers. The Niya Star System was too barren; these mining planets represented virtually all the mineral wealth within the Kasha Civilization Federation's territory. That was all there was.
As for the mineral-rich planets in other regions of the Niya Star System, the Kasha Civilization hadn't built wormholes to them, and he had no intention of constructing any either. The resources extracted from those planets wouldn't even cover the cost of building the wormholes.
In other words, across the vast expanse of the Niya Star System, spanning 100,000 light-years, there was only this meager amount of resources for him to exploit.
What truly constituted a prime resource zone?
It wasn't just the quality of the mining planets, but their density. A cluster of abundant mining planets, connected by a single wormhole, could be devoured as a single resource zone—that was a true prize.
Otherwise, scattered planets here and there wouldn't even cover the cost of building wormholes to reach them.
"First, we'll devour the Zerg Civilization!"
"We're fucking broke!"
The train currently had only 97 trillion units of iron ore left.
Upgrading the expensive Seven-Colored Grade Accessories was out of the question, but they could still upgrade the cheaper ones.
For example—
"Hmm..."
"You're the one!"
Chen Mang targeted the medical bay, but just as he was about to act, Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the train.
"Train Conductor, Qi Kexiu's team has developed the first Accessory Blueprint!"
Chen Mang froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Quick, quick, bring him here!"
It's finally here!
They finally succeeded!
It hadn't been easy. He had poured so many resources into supporting the research team, and now, at last, they had produced results.
Soon enough, Qi Kexiu, his face a mix of nervousness and excitement, strode into the locomotive cabin carrying a wooden box. Inside lay the Accessory Blueprint.
Chen Mang rushed forward and snatched the blueprint. His eyebrow twitched. "The Accessory Blueprint for the Vehicle Audio System?"
"Yes, we chose this accessory because—"
"No need to explain."
He grabbed the blueprint and strode to the control panel. The Vehicle Audio System had lost its overpowered effect after Tier 20, so this was the perfect opportunity to test the new blueprint!
A brand-new Accessory Blueprint needed Cosmic Empowerment to unlock its overpowered effect.
Generally speaking, when an Accessory Blueprint is created, it receives Cosmic Empowerment, and its overpowered effects at each tier are fixed. At this point, resources and murphy stones are required to check if the accessory's overpowered effects are satisfactory.
If satisfied, the blueprint is kept.
If not, a new Accessory Blueprint is created.
The overpowered effects obtained are entirely random. As a result, most Seven-Colored Grade Accessories have random, unrefined overpowered effects, as the cost of refining them is prohibitively high.
This process consumes vast amounts of resources and murphy stones.
However, he possessed Tier 0 Authority, meaning upgrades required no murphy stones.
Furthermore, the Train Auxiliary AI's Tier 200 Overpowered Effect granted a massive boost to computing power and the ability to perform void deductions to simulate the overpowered effects of Accessory Blueprints, consuming only murphy stones and no resources, up to Tier 200.
No resource consumption!
In other words—
He had access to nearly infinite randomization! He could keep rerolling until he obtained overpowered effects that perfectly matched his expectations!
Although the simulations were limited to Tier 200, that was more than sufficient!
In the next moment!
As the Train Auxiliary AI on the control panel emitted waves of white light, Xiao Ai's computing power was instantly occupied by 60%. Within seconds, a panel slowly materialized on the screen.
[First simulation complete. The Cosmic Empowerment's overpowered effects are as follows!]
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 5 Overpowered Effect]: Louder volume.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: Wider broadcast range.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: None.
[Save or re-roll?]
"Re-roll!"
Chen Mang didn't hesitate. He immediately re-rolled. What garbage overpowered effects are these? They're worse than the original ones! Theoretically, with infinite re-rolls, I should be able to get some truly awesome effects.
His only regret was being limited to Tier 200.
While Tier 200 God-Tier Overpowered Effects were impressive,
Tier 500 Cosmic-Grade Overpowered Effects represented a true qualitative leap!
It was the process of a Low-Dimensional Civilization transforming into a High-Dimensional Civilization—a fundamental shift!
[Second simulation complete. The Cosmic Empowerment's overpowered effects are as follows!]
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 5 Overpowered Effect]: Music played effectively suppresses hunger.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: Music played provides a slight recovery of physical stamina.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Can randomly play popular music from any civilization within a 100,000 light-year radius.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 50 Overpowered Effect]: Music played provides a slight suppression of thirst.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 100 Overpowered Effect]: Music played provides a slight suppression of anger.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 200 Overpowered Effect]: Music played possesses hypnotic properties.
[Save or re-roll?]
"Hmm."
Chen Mang gazed at the newly rescreened overpowered effects, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. The overpowered effects were no longer nonexistent, but none of them seemed useful to him now.
Back on Aquablue Star, these would have been decent overpowered effects, particularly useful in the early stages. But now they were utterly useless.
He realized he might have been expecting too much. While the Cosmic Empowerment's "overpowered effects" were indeed randomly generated, they weren't entirely arbitrary. The randomization was based on the accessory itself, and his accessory was just a speaker. Hoping for some absurdly powerful overpowered effect seemed unrealistic.
"Xiao Ai," Chen Mang said, "if I save this overpowered effect, can I use another Accessory Blueprint to rescreen again?"
This would essentially give him a backup.
"Yes, you can."
He turned to Qi Kexiu. "How difficult is it to create more Accessory Blueprints?"
"Not difficult at all. Once the research and development are complete, mass-producing Accessory Blueprints is simple. Should I go get some now?"
"Go ahead."
Only then did Chen Mang begin rescreening again.
Third attempt: Waste!
Fourth attempt: Absolute garbage, the overpowered effect was nonexistent from the start.
Fifth attempt: Even worse garbage.
Sixth attempt: Decent, but nothing special.
Seventh, eighth, ninth attempts...
After what felt like an eternity, a new panel appeared on the screen.
[Simulation 77 complete. The Cosmic Empowerment's overpowered effects are as follows!]
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 5 Overpowered Effect]: Music playback can slightly improve mood.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: Music playback can slightly restore stamina.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Bass frequencies will be clearer.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 50 Overpowered Effect]: Music playback will have a minor healing effect.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 100 Overpowered Effect]: Music playback will have a minor morale-boosting effect.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 200 Overpowered Effect]: Sound waves emitted by the system can bypass the speed of light and ignore distance. Through a Quantum Entangled Sound Field, it enables instantaneous intergalactic communication, provided the other party possesses the same Vehicle Audio System and belongs to the same civilization.
[Save or re-roll?]
Chen Mang froze momentarily, a flicker of shock in his eyes. He slowly sat down, his hands trembling slightly as he lit a cigarette and brought it to his lips. He'd pulled an SSR!
He'd hit the jackpot!
Even advanced civilizations couldn't escape the problem of delayed communication due to their vast territories. But with this overpowered effect, messages could be transmitted instantaneously, regardless of distance.
Upgrading his own Vehicle Audio System to Tier 200 was easy—he didn't need to spend any murphy stone. However, upgrading other trains' Audio Systems to Tier 200 seemed much more difficult, with seemingly stringent requirements.
The key was that some train accessories were detachable and retained their current Tier when removed, while others were permanently fixed. The space gate was one such non-detachable accessory, but the Vehicle Audio System happened to be detachable!
He could upgrade this accessory to Tier 200 and then transfer it to other trains, enabling instantaneous communication across any distance!
This might not have immediate impact, but its long-term implications were staggering!
"Good, good, good!!!"
Chen Mang grinned, repeating "Good, good, good!" three times. His only regret was that the previous overpowered effect hadn't been more useful, lacking perfection, but it would suffice.
Overpowered effects at that tier rarely yielded anything truly remarkable.
"Save!"
He was satisfied.
This was enough.
Soon—
The Accessory Blueprint for the Vehicle Audio System, resting on the control panel, began to emit a milky-white glow. As everything stabilized, the Cosmic Empowerment was locked in place.
From now on, every accessory blueprint replicated from this original would inherit his re-screened overpowered effects across all tiers, from Tier 1 to Tier 200!
Most importantly—
The two Audio Systems wouldn't conflict!
His original Audio System could still function normally, while he could also use the Audio System crafted from this accessory blueprint. He could continue re-screening for better overpowered effects, saving any improvements and continuing the process!
He aimed to exhaust every ounce of potential from this accessory.
If possible, he'd install ten or even eight Audio Systems in the train without issue.
Huff
As the dust settled, Chen Mang finally exhaled deeply, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction. He realized he might have misjudged Tuotuo.
After all, she was from the Mechanical Civilization Design Institute.
She probably wasn't just messing around. The overpowered effect of leveling the AI to Tier 200 had proven surprisingly useful.
Just then, he noticed Qi Kexiu still standing behind him, cradling a large stack of "Accessory Blueprints" for the Vehicle Audio System. Chen Mang waved dismissively with a smile.
"Alright, just leave them here. You can go now."
"You've done excellent work this time. You'll be handsomely rewarded."
After Qi Kexiu left, Chen Mang casually picked up an Accessory Blueprint and placed it in the scanner slot on the control panel. "Xiao Ai, continue re-screening this blueprint," he instructed.
"If you find a better overpowered effect, let me know. I'll take a look."
Although he was already satisfied with the current overpowered effect, there was no harm in continuing the re-screening process, especially since it cost nothing. Who knew, he might even discover something even better.
That was the beauty of free things:
Unrestrained indulgence.
No resources required, no murphy stones needed—completely free.
The next moment—
Just as he settled into his chair, ready to study the accessory blueprint, Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the locomotive cabin.
"Train Conductor, I seem to have re-screened a rather promising overpowered effect."
"Sigh," Chen Mang sighed softly, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "You just re-screened it! Can't you tell what a 'promising' overpowered effect is? Don't call me over for every single one. I'd be running back and forth all day!"
"First, you need to..."
Chen Mang's voice abruptly cut off mid-sentence.
The entire locomotive cabin fell into an eerie silence.
Xiao Lu, who had been dozing in a corner, lifted his head as if sensing something amiss, his gaze darting around the cabin. After confirming that Lord Mang was still standing there unharmed, he buried his head back into his arms and drifted back to sleep.
In the silent cabin, rapid breathing gradually filled the air.
After a long moment, Chen Mang took a deep breath, looked up at the starry sky visible through the window, and murmured in a daze, "Could it be... I really am just a bit unlucky?"
Luck.
An intangible and elusive force, yet utterly crucial in the cosmos.
As the Leader of the Starfire Civilization had said, to reach the pinnacle, one's own strength and character only accounted for 1%. The remaining 99% depended entirely on luck.
And now, it seemed his luck was merely average—or at least not as good as Xiao Ai's.
He had rerolled 77 times before finally getting gold.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ai rerolled only once and immediately got red—a massive red, a Cosmic Rules-certified red. He had never seen such an overpowered effect before!
[Simulation 78 complete. The Cosmic Empowerment's overpowered effects are as follows!]
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 5 Overpowered Effect]: Music played can subtly improve mood.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: Music played can subtly restore stamina.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Music played can reduce fatigue.
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 50 Overpowered Effect: Sitting on the Audio System and utilizing its vibrations can painlessly shatter hemorrhoids.]
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 100 Overpowered Effect: Sound wave teleportation. After the Audio System accumulates energy, it can resonate with any point within a 10,000-meter radius on a flat plane, randomly teleporting to that location.]
[Vehicle Audio System Tier 200 Overpowered Effect: Unlimitedly broadcast Civilization Broadcasts into the depths of the cosmos at speeds exceeding light. It can also forcibly receive all Civilization Broadcasts from other civilizations within radar range that are drifting through space.]
[(PS: In this simulation, the Tier 200 Overpowered Effect is the sole Unique Overpowered Effect, the only one of its kind in the universe.)]
[(Once a Unique Overpowered Effect is confirmed and saved, other civilizations will no longer be able to re-screen for it. Furthermore, after confirmation and saving, the civilization that secured it will be permanently unable to re-screen for Cosmic Empowerment of this accessory.)]
["Save or re-screen?"]
Huff
Chen Mang took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. He had to admit it now: Xiao Ai's luck was truly remarkable, at least better than his own.
[Cosmic Unique Overpowered Effect!]
This was the first time he had ever seen it!
And the only time he would ever see it.
He had upgraded countless accessories, yet he had never encountered a unique Overpowered effect. This single fact carried profound implications.
During his conversation with the Leader of the Starfire Civilization, the old man had said something that now echoed in his mind:
[There is nothing truly unique in the universe.]
[No matter how hidden or precious something may be, it is never truly unique. Somewhere in the vast cosmos, there must exist a second.]
Now, Chen Mang wanted to say:
[There is.]
He was certain that something truly unique existed in the universe. The certification of the [Cosmic Unique Overpowered Effect] was information displayed under the Cosmic Rules—verified by the Cosmic Rules themselves!
[Save!]
Without hesitation, he confirmed the save.
What was there to even think about?
Even if this overpowered effect was utter garbage, as long as it was unique, it had to be preserved. Uniqueness often trumped practical utility!
Moreover, a Tier 200 God-Tier Overpowered Effect couldn't be truly bad; it all depended on whether one knew how to use it and could find the right application.
He then picked up another Accessory Blueprint for a Vehicle Audio System and placed it on the control panel. A red "×" appeared on the screen, indicating that it couldn't be re-rolled.
From that moment on, even if other trains in human civilization developed their own research teams in the future, they would never be able to re-roll the overpowered effect of this accessory.
It was permanently locked in.
He suddenly felt quite fortunate. If he hadn't randomly rolled the "Instant Communication" overpowered effect first, he would have missed out on it entirely.
Now, his train could simultaneously operate two Audio Systems: one for Instant Communication and another for Civilization Broadcast.
As for the original Vehicle Audio System—that piece of trash? It was promptly dismantled and discarded, no longer cluttering the space.
Theoretically, under infinite rescreening, obtaining a Unique Overpowered Effect was almost guaranteed. Therefore, acquiring as many powerful overpowered effects as possible beforehand would be highly advantageous.
However, arriving too early wasn't necessarily a good thing either.
"Why do I still feel a bit regretful?" Chen Mang clicked his tongue, sighing with a hint of regret. If he had arrived later, he might have randomly rolled some even stronger overpowered effects.
Such is human nature.
Even if someone suddenly won a hundred million yuan in the lottery, they would still regret not buying more tickets. They say contentment brings happiness, but in reality, humans find it difficult to be truly content.
The more they're given, the harder it is to satisfy them.
Conversely, when they have nothing, contentment comes easily.
As long as they don't starve to death, they're satisfied.
Afterward—
Without hesitation, Chen Mang immediately picked up the Accessory Blueprint with the Unique Overpowered Effect and instructed Qi Kexiu to make a copy. Once the duplicate was ready, Qi Kexiu handed it over.
Chen Mang had possessed many Accessory Blueprints before.
This accessory blueprint was different. In the upper right corner, a "red" moon was marked, not placed there by Qi Kexiu, but bestowed by the Cosmic Rules.
Focusing his gaze on it, Chen Mang could sense the specific information within:
[The Tier 200 overpowered effect of this accessory blueprint is the Cosmic Unique Overpowered Effect!]
Accessory blueprints could be sold.
In other words, if he were willing to sell this blueprint, contacting advanced civilizations would guarantee an astronomical price.
However...
Selling too many would diminish its value. Once the unique attribute was lost, the overpowered effect would become ordinary.
This was a white-grade accessory.
After consuming 500 million units of iron ore, he upgraded it to Tier 200 in one go. The resulting overpowered effects were the same ones he had re-rolled in the simulation earlier. On the interface, the Unique Overpowered Effect's text was distinct from the others.
It glowed crimson, not a harsh red, but a deep, starlit hue, as if written with cosmic ink, radiating an otherworldly splendor.
"Beautiful," Chen Mang said, nodding in satisfaction. Only then did he begin to examine the overpowered effect closely, still pondering its exact function.
Nearly all civilizations possessed a "Civilization Broadcast," a special item that could only be used by the Civilization Leader. It allowed them to send a message into the depths of space, but most of these broadcasts were never received by other civilizations. After all, the Civilization Broadcast traveled at the speed of light, covering a radius of 100,000 light-years. It would not dissipate until it reached its limit and could not be destroyed.
Reaching that limit would require 100,000 years of propagation—an impossibly long time. On the galaxy map, this region appeared to be densely populated with civilizations, but in reality, each civilization was separated by vast distances.
Nearly 99% of Cosmic Broadcasts drifted through the cosmos like cosmic ghosts, never received by another civilization.
In most cases, the purpose of a Cosmic Broadcast wasn't to transmit information to other civilizations, but rather to serve as a cosmic notary, leaving behind a permanent and indelible record in the depths of space.
Soon—
Chen Mang gazed at the line describing the overpowered effect, nodding thoughtfully as he pondered its implications.
"Can transmit Civilization Broadcasts infinitely into the depths of the cosmos, propagating at speeds far exceeding the speed of light. It can also forcibly receive all Civilization Broadcasts emitted by other civilizations within its radar range."
Unlimited.
His Civilization Broadcasts required no special items, had no limits on transmission frequency or distance, and propagated at speeds far exceeding the speed of light—far faster than any broadcasts from other civilizations.
He didn't know the exact speed.
He hadn't tested it.
Nor did he dare to.
He feared the effect would be too powerful. If his Civilization Broadcast instantly reached tens of millions of light-years away, he worried it would attract the wrath of a God of Slaughter.
In these early stages, it was best to remain silent, lest he draw the attention of hunters.
Though he dared not use it, this single aspect alone forced him to acknowledge that this Tier 200 Overpowered Effect far surpassed the expected power for its grade and Tier.
Cosmic Unique Overpowered effects were undoubtedly exceptional.
He dared not experiment with the first effect, but he was willing to use the second: the ability to forcibly receive all Civilization Broadcasts drifting within the radar's range, spanning a staggering 100,000 light-years.
This meant he could forcibly receive all Civilization Broadcasts from every civilization within that vast cosmic radius.
The possibilities were endless.
The next moment—
As the speaker activated, the number in the upper right corner of the red dot on the train control panel screen began to rapidly increase, eventually reaching 238,293.
"Good heavens," Chen Mang murmured in awe. He hadn't imagined that such a small zone could contain 238,293 Civilization Broadcasts, and nearly all of them had never been received before.
He even saw his own civilization's Cosmic Broadcast after its Advancement to a Second-Tier Civilization.
There were also numerous broadcasts from Mechanical Civilizations, Kasha Civilizations, and even several Third-Tier Civilizations he'd never heard of.
These broadcasts had been transmitted tens of thousands of years ago.
The civilizations that sent them had long since perished, yet their broadcasts continued to drift through space, still far from reaching their destination.
These 238,293 Civilization Broadcasts weren't all from current civilizations; they represented nearly 240,000 broadcasts from all civilizations within this zone over the past 100,000 years!
He seemed to finally understand the true purpose of the Cosmic Unique Overpowered Effect:
Archaeology!
Or perhaps, an intelligence system!
These Civilization Broadcasts contained a wealth of information—precious data that could provide him with a comprehensive understanding of the rise and fall of nearly all civilizations in the Niya Star System over the past hundred thousand years.
He could learn so much.
And in the cosmos, what was most valuable?
Mining stars were undoubtedly precious, but a crucial point often overlooked was that information and intelligence were equally invaluable!
Having forcibly received an overwhelming number of Civilization Broadcasts, he instructed Xiao Ai to quickly scan them. As expected, none of them originated from the Niya Civilization.
This erasure had been remarkably thorough. Apart from Coco and her group, virtually nothing else had been missed.
Civilization Broadcasts fell into two categories:
Broadcasts launched by leaders using special items to transmit messages into the depths of space. Broadcasts automatically triggered by the Cosmic Rules upon a civilization's Advancement or during exceptional circumstances.
Among these two to three hundred thousand broadcasts, those related to Civilization Advancement accounted for roughly one-tenth.
This was no small number.
It meant that within the past hundred thousand years, over twenty thousand civilizations had advanced to Second-Tier status.
But...
Now, the entire Niya Star System contained only a few hundred Second-Tier Civilizations. Even considering the Kasha Civilization's deliberate suppression, this number was far too low. Clearly, some unknown event had likely occurred in this region.
The truth behind these events might very well be hidden within these Civilization Broadcasts.
"Let's take a look," Chen Mang said, adjusting the sorting criteria. He focused on the Civilization Broadcast with the longest transmission range, having traveled 99,981 light-years. Just 19 light-years short of reaching its retirement point, this broadcast had been emitted nearly a hundred thousand years ago.
He was certain this Civilization Broadcast had been received by someone.
After all, it had been transmitting for such an immense duration.
It had nearly spanned the entire Niya Star System.
Moreover, the point of origin was conveniently located in his vicinity, near the Kasha Civilization Federation. Had the broadcast's transmission range not overlapped with his radar's coverage, detecting it would have been nearly impossible.
[Tier 3 Civilization: Canghai Civilization]
Our civilization perished today. We harbor no resentment, for our defeat was not due to war. A Cosmic Behemoth devoured countless planets within the Seventh Sister Star System. Even as we fled, the Canghai Civilization could not escape its wrath.
Its colossal form spans 0.1 light-years, radiating an emerald glow that blinds the eye. It is an invincible force.
Consumed by boundless rage, its motives remain unknown.
In this vast universe, there is no place for us to call home. This injustice burns within us.
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly odd. Which other unlucky Tier 3 Civilization is this? he wondered. The Seventh Sister Star System must be the Niya Star System, a name the civilization had given itself. Different civilizations naturally chose different names.
But...
Why does this description sound so familiar?
He glanced sideways at Xiao Lu, who was snoring like a dead pig in the corner of the locomotive cabin. A twitch tugged at the corner of his mouth. Could this be why the Cosmic Behemoth is so enraged?
(End of the Chapter)
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