Chapter 48 Preliminary Round 3 (Part 1) (Two-in-One)
"Senior," he asked, "are there any characteristics of the Celtic royal family in the Northern Star Region? For example, the color of their spiritual power, their hair, their eyes..."
Mulan came to her senses and turned to look at him.
"Black hair, black eyes, and golden spiritual power," he said. "But over 50% of the people in the North Star Region have these characteristics. My father's spiritual power is also golden. It's just that the royal family's spiritual power is more dazzling."
Mingyu blinked. "Then, in the movie, what about the blue circle outside the Celtic King's pupils?"
Mulan: "That's not a bloodline trait inherited from the Celtic royal family, but rather a manifestation of a genetic disease that king suffered from."
Mingyu: “???!”
Mingyu's heart sank and he pursed his lips nervously.
"It's a rare genetic disease related to human repair. It's difficult to recover after an injury and is insensitive to the wavelength of the therapeutic device. Small wounds like scratches are fine, but deeper wounds, even after treatment, only the epidermis recovers; subcutaneous wounds are difficult to heal."
Mingyu looked uneasy. He opened the screen and searched for the genetic disease Mulian mentioned. After reading the relevant information, he was obviously distracted. He was stunned for a moment, and then asked absently, "So, senior, has the Mu family lost anyone in space travel accidents in recent years?"
Mu Lian looked confused and shook her head. "I haven't heard my father mention it. Do you know... someone who claims to be from the Mu family?"
"No." Mingyu quickly lied, "I have a friend named Mu, and I had this sudden idea."
The surname Mu is not uncommon in the interstellar realm. Some are descended from the ancient Eastern Earth surname Mu, while others are simply surnames too long, with Mu replacing important syllables after the unified interstellar terminology.
Mingyu's idea was indeed sudden. One moment he linked Mu Baixing to the Northern Star Region's royal family, the next he linked him to the Mu family. Although both were denied, he did not disappoint.
Mingyu didn't care about being disappointed.
After he finished touring the exhibition hall on the tenth floor, he began to check in and take photos according to the locations he had previously recorded to complete his observation report. While walking to find the exhibition hall, he sent messages to Mu Baixing whenever he had the chance. Even though he knew that Mu Baixing was sailing and probably wouldn't have time to reply, he still couldn't help but send messages one by one.
"Brother Mu, have you ever been tested for genetic diseases?" Mingyu sent all the information he had found, along with Mu Lian's explanation, to Mu Baixing. "Did the treatment device work for you? Last time you were injured in the mining area, we went to the medical station together. Did your arm still hurt afterwards?"
"Brother Mu, you're not wearing colored contact lenses, are you?!"
"Go check it out as soon as you see the news, Brother Mu!"
Mu Baixing: “…”
"Boss?" The colorful-haired men sat quietly in their seats. Seeing that he hadn't left the starship for a long time and was just staring at the screen, they all asked in confusion, "Is there... anything else?"
They had just returned from sailing and were tired and hungry, but Mu Baixing didn't say anything and the colorful hairy people didn't dare to move.
Mu Baixing glanced at them, gestured to them to disperse, and said coldly: "Get out of the cabin."
Colorful hair: "..."
The multicolored-haired men stood up and filed out. Red Hair walked in front and turned to the orange-haired man, muttering, "He started playing with the communication bracelet as soon as the starship landed... I've never seen the boss like this before..."
Mu Baixing didn't bother to pay attention to them. He walked at the back with one hand in his pocket and dialed Mingyu's number.
A few seconds later, the communication screen popped up, seemingly an accidental touch in the designer's flurry. The young man on the screen had disheveled hair and wore loose pajamas with a bear print. The collar was askew, revealing a large area of his collarbone. He had clearly just gotten out of bed.
He stood in the bathroom, holding a toothbrush in his mouth, his mouth full of foam, staring at the camera with wide eyes, as if he didn't understand why the screen was turned on like that.
"..." Mingyu almost spit out foam when he opened his mouth. He quickly pushed the screen aside and said incoherently, "Brush your teeth, wait..."
From Mu Baixing's angle, he could see the young man's fair neck. Mingyu bent down to rinse his mouth, but was afraid his pajamas would get wet in the sink, so he pulled his collar back. Pulling it tighter in front, from behind, a small section of his back and spine was exposed.
Mu Baixing: "No rush."
This was the third morning after Mingyu returned from the museum, and it was also the date that Mu Baixing had originally agreed to meet him on StarNet.
Mingyu quickly rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth, wiped his face, grabbed the screen, and left the bathroom, sitting on the bed. Only then did he see Mu Baixing still in his black combat uniform. The background shifted as the man walked, revealing an iron-gray wall behind him. The passageway he passed through had a heavy, tight door, and a window above the dome, letting in a faint glow.
Mingyu: "Are you still in Starport? Did you just get back from sailing?"
Mu Baixing responded.
There was a hint of fatigue and hoarseness in his voice, which was not obvious, but he did not try to hide it either.
The man reached out and opened the door to the passage, walked through the slightly dim passage, went down the iron-gray stairs, and entered the room.
The window was wide open, and a slightly chilly breeze blew in, blowing the strands of hair off his forehead. Mu Boxing pushed open the door to the terrace, bent over, and leaned over the rusty railing.
Mingyu: “…”
This railing doesn't look very sturdy.
The disgust on his face was obvious, even mixed with worry. Mu Baixing saw it clearly and unconsciously curled the corners of his lips. Then he turned the light screen to let Mingyu see the scene outside.
The Free Star Region Outer Harbor is the collective name for a region consisting of three medium-sized space cities suspended in space. These three space cities were built long ago and lack weather systems, resulting in dim lighting within them, facing the pitch-black universe through transparent protective shields.
The streets of the outer harbor are narrow and the buildings are densely packed. The buildings are connected by waterways. The highest and lowest 100-story waterways and the zero-story waterway are low-speed waterways, the 30th and 70th floors are medium-speed waterways, and the central 50th floor is a high-speed waterway.
Mu Boxing's residence was on the 101st floor, almost at the top of the space city. Their explorer station, like most explorer stations, was built right next to the starport level at the top of the space city, making it convenient for sailing.
So on the light screen, Mingyu overlooked the large lights of the outer harbor.
The city was always ablaze with lights. Along the waterway, along the edges and rooftops of buildings, and through every window, bright colors shone like a miniature, star-studded universe.
Outer Harbor is far more popular than Mingyu imagined.
A plane passed by on the low-speed track below the terrace. It was an old model, its black hood painted with a purple crescent moon, like a character from an old space travel anime. Mingyu followed the plane's taillights as it glided past the outdoor barbecue stall on the elevated terrace in the distance.
Mu Baixing: “Yes.”
"What is that?" Mingyu was squinting at the retro lightbulb sign on the barbecue stall. "...Sandstone Starry Sky Shell? What is that? Is it a specialty from Outer Harbor?"
Mu Baixing: "Not really. There are also some on Planet 8 in the Central Star Region. You can go and try it."
He rested his elbows on the guardrail, staring at the smoke rising from the barbecue stall, and chatted with Mingyu about the special foods from different star seas.
The man's voice was slightly cold, with a touch of casualness. He didn't respond quickly, appearing to be in a rare state of complete relaxation, like a lion lazily patrolling its territory. He responded casually a few times, then finally said, "I'm tired, Mingyu."
Mu Baixing tilted his head, put his bent fingers against his temples, and looked at the person on the light screen.
"Get some sleep, and see you on Starnet."
Mingyu nodded.
"Rest quickly," he said. "Sleep well. You can teach me how to use mental power when you're well rested. I'll try to figure it out on my own. Oh, and I've finished the draft design of your mining ship in the mining area, as well as the draft of the starship for the third qualifying match. I'll send it to you first."
Mu Baixing: "Okay."
He took the document from Mingyu, and when he looked through it with his eyes lowered, there was a hint of subtle fatigue on his face, but he still read it carefully.
Mingyu didn't know why Mu Baixing called him at this time, but he couldn't help but feel happy when he saw him.
He urged Mu Boxing to hang up the call and go to rest. When he reached out to hang up the call, he caught a glimpse of the chat message he had sent to Mu Boxing a few days ago.
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu suddenly stopped moving.
"Wait." He realized something and suddenly moved closer to the screen. "Don't hang up yet, Brother Mu."
Mu Baixing looked up at him.
Mingyu: "What did you say while I was distracted?" The designer's relaxed expression vanished. He narrowed his eyes slightly, pushed his glasses down, and lowered his voice with a hint of irritation. "What are you talking about?! What?! Is it some kind of genetic disease?"
Mu Baixing: “…”
"You were deliberately distracting me just now, weren't you?" Mingyu accused, "Mu Baixing!"
Mu Baixing suddenly smiled.
His eyes were caught in the night breeze blowing through the lights, their clarity yet haziness. His gaze towards Mingyu was filled with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence.
He could have explained his eye color for other reasons, but he allowed the designer in front of him, who was unwilling to even show him his true face, to know his physical flaws.
Mingyu was even more irritated by his laughter and shouted angrily, "Be serious! Mu Baixing! Why didn't you tell me last time at the medical station! Wow, your wound at that time... Do you know how troublesome it is when the skin heals but the inside doesn't? What did you do afterwards? Open it up again..."
"And... have you recovered from your injuries in the mines? ... Were you healed by the time you participated in the second match? The burns on your arm were so severe back then. If you weren't sensitive to the healing device, it would have been difficult to heal within a week. And then there was the mental turmoil..."
"I took the medicine." Mu Baixing reached out to unbutton his uniform, "I know what's wrong with me."
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu watched him take off his clothes in broad daylight.
Mu Boxing casually took off his coat, revealing a black combat vest underneath. He draped his uniform jacket over the railing, moved closer to the screen, and showed Mingyu his arm, indicating that the wound had completely healed.
Mingyu only thought Mu Boxing's skin was very white at first glance. Under the cold moonlight, it looked and felt good.
Mingyu: “…”
He turned his gaze to the man's right arm and examined it carefully.
The designer looked at it intently, but with his lips pursed, he was clearly unhappy and didn't want to talk anymore. He was like a puffed-up pufferfish, staring with his belly puffed up, frozen in place, not saying a word.
Very cute.
Mu Baixing leaned on the railing and thought.
He looked at Mingyu: "You have also examined my body yourself. At the medical station."
Mingyu: “…”
"Okay, we've checked it." Mingyu said unhappily, "The human flesh has passed quarantine and has been stamped as acceptable. It can be put on the shelves and sold by the kilogram."
Mu Baixing laughed again.
He shook his head, knowing Mingyu was venting his anger, so he didn't respond and simply changed the subject: "After the team enters the star region competition, the participating star region can freely choose the star region of any team member."
"We choose the central star field."
Mingyu was led astray by him.
"The competition in the Central Star Region is fierce," the designer said matter-of-factly. "There are many seeded teams and many military academy students. We're not at an advantage... No, the final qualifying round hasn't even started yet. Brother Mu, are you so confident we can advance?"
"Yes." Mu Baixing said calmly.
He looked at the designer on the screen. The person had clearly configured their call avatar. Even though they weren't on the Star Network, they still appeared as Luce. He had a slightly bookish air and wore a pair of thick, round, plain glasses.
Not the kind he had ever seen in the mining area.
"The Star Domain competition will continue the virtual star map configuration used in the preliminaries. Teams can still compete on their respective planets and don't need to gather in one place," Ming Yu said. "Based on the current overall rankings, it's safer to choose the Free Star Domain competition area. The number of participants in each competition area is not fixed, but the number of participants is fixed. There are fewer participating teams in the Free Star Domain, so overall, the competition is not that fierce."
Mu Boxing: "But the teams from the Central Star Region have a temporary permit to enter the Central Star Region."
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu realized something, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he looked straight at Mu Baixing.
The man was still leaning against the railing, his posture relaxed, his hair on his forehead blown by the wind in the Sky City, his eyes reflecting the lights in the distance.
"Mingyu." He spoke, his voice still as cold as ever, but his words carried a scorching warmth, "We will meet."
"A real meeting."
*
"The second round of the Star Navigation Competition qualifiers, single-match rankings—"
"First place: Central Star Region, Ranger. Captain and pilot: Mulian. Observer:..."
"First Place (Tie): Central Star Region, Colorful. Captain and Pilot: Mu Baixing. Observer..."
…
"Twenty-fifth place (tied): Southeast Star Region, Slayer. Captain and Pilot: White Elephant. Observer..."
…
"No. 2003: Central Star Region, Lieyang. Captain and Observer: Ming Yan. Pilot:..."
Mingyu sat at the desk, checking the ranking information of the Star Navigation Competition. The rows of words entered his eyes but not his brain, and he was not paying attention.
He moved his finger and clicked on another ranking list. The last words Mu Baixing said before hanging up the phone were still echoing in his ears, and he couldn't get rid of them.
"The Star Navigation Competition preliminaries have been completed and the overall rankings are—"
"First Place: Southwest Star Region, Qiehua. Captain and Pilot: Qiehua. Observer:..."
"Second place: Southeast Star Region, Killer. Captain and pilot: White Elephant. Observer..."
…
"Tenth place: Central Star Region, colorful. Captain and pilot: Mu Baixing. Observer..."
…
"Six hundred and thirty-first: Central Star Region, Lieyang. Captain and Observer: Ming Yan. Pilot:..."
After only two qualifying matches, the number of nearly 10,000 registered teams was halved after the first round, and again halved after the second round, leaving only more than 2,000 teams.
The organizing committee of the Star Navigation Competition obviously believed that these two games had given many people a stage to demonstrate their abilities, and they had been merciful enough in the elimination rate of the first two games.
As a result, the elimination rate in the final qualifying round was alarmingly high.
"The third round of the Star Navigation Competition preliminaries is about competing against the big wheel—"
Mingyu pursed his lips and scrolled down the text on the screen.
"The third round will last a total of ten hours. During these ten hours, all teams will draw lots and compete against each other. The team whose ship damage reaches 99% will be deemed the loser. Each match will last a maximum of one hour. After one hour, if both teams' ships have damage above 99%, the team with the higher damage will be deemed the loser. If both teams have damage, it will be a draw."
"After a match ends, both the winner and loser will re-enter the draw pool and start the next match."
"The durability of all damaged parts of the destroyer's starship will be reduced by 50%, and the durability of damaged parts of the winner's starship will be reduced by 30%."
"For each match, the winner gets one point, a draw gets zero points, and the loser loses one point."
"Every two hours, the bottom three hundred teams will be eliminated. The competition ends at the twelfth hour, and the remaining four hundred teams will enter the Star Region Competition."
"During the twelve hours, each team has unlimited opportunities to overhaul their starship, but this time will be counted towards the total match time, and no points will be awarded during the overhaul period."
Only 400 teams were shortlisted from over 2,000. Theoretically, the Southeast Star Region, Southwest Star Region, Central Star Region, and Free Star Region each had 100 shortlisted teams. It was a continuous one-on-one battle. If a team was severely damaged and unable to be repaired, they would be eliminated.
Mingyu was a little nervous and subconsciously opened his bank account to check.
The first game of the Star Navigation Competition only earned two thousand star coins.
In the second game, they tied for first place with thirty other teams, but because it was only the second game of the preliminaries, the prize money was not much, only 5,000 star coins.
If you pass the third round, the reward will start at at least 10,000 star coins.
With the one million from Mingyan, the small treasury has become increasingly full.
Mingyu held his chin with one hand and searched for rental prices on several habitable planets, looked up the requirements for completing a degree remotely from a comprehensive university, and searched for tuition fees for some star navigation colleges.
After a moment, he couldn't help but type in the Free Star Domain Outer Port, the central star and planets adjacent to the Outer Port, and the conditions for entering the Central Star Domain from the Outer Port in the search box.
Just as he had known before, to become a resident of the Central Star Region from an Outer Port resident, one had to either make outstanding contributions to the Central Star Region, or spend a large sum of money to purchase an admission permit.
Besides purchasing a temporary entry permit, it can also be obtained for certain other special reasons, and the Star Navigation Competition is undoubtedly one of those special reasons.
Mingyu carefully checked the relevant clauses and even found that the Star Navigation Competition was also included in the outstanding contribution clause.
"Outstanding Contribution No. 7: Top five in the Star Navigation Competition finals."
Mingyu: “…”
Ming Yu exhaled and couldn't help but type to Mu Baixing: "Have you ever thought about entering the Central Star Region..."
He deleted the question halfway through typing.
"It's too difficult." Mingyu murmured, "I haven't even met him yet..."
Mu Baixing's calm yet determined tone echoed in Mingyu's mind again.
"We'll meet."
If they can make it through the final round.
Mingyu suddenly started to get nervous.
*
In the outer harbor, Mu Baixing was leaning against the railing, looking at Mingyu's mental power measurement information.
He had no doubt that Wucaibanlan would enter the Star Domain Competition, as the rewards for the Star Domain Competition were their original goal when they signed up for the Star Navigation Competition.
What's more, Mingyu is here now.
Mu Baixing's fingers slid across the light screen, pausing slightly at the endurance.
Durability C- is a major shortcoming of Mingyu's mental strength.
A designer's mental state is too easily overloaded and too easily shocked.
This was a side effect of an abnormal awakening of spiritual power. It was even a sign that the spiritual realm had been artificially suppressed before it had fully matured and taken shape.
Even if it wasn't for the Star Navigation Competition, this problem should have been solved.
Mu Baixing reached out and lightly tapped the communication bracelet to bring up a star map.
The star map shows a maze planet located on the edge of the central star field.
This planet is located at the junction of the central star field and the free star field, and once belonged to the free star field.
The manager of Space City No. 3 in the Free Star Domain discovered its potential, used force to expel the exploration team near the planet, and forcibly took it for himself. He also sold the ownership of this resource planet and purchased the right for his entire family to migrate to the central star domain.
Maze Star is now under the management of the Central Star Region. The planet's owner is investing in the construction of a virtual mining area on Maze Star, intending to connect it to the star network.
However, the terrain on Maze Planet is complex, and some areas are unable to connect to the mining area due to the terrain. Although the owner of Maze Planet claims that this area will not be open to the public in the short term, in fact, as long as you have connections and pay enough money, you can still enter.
Mu Baixing had previously visited this planet in search of minerals and knew that it produced a rare plant mineral that could guide the redevelopment of the spiritual realm. Similar to blue lotus stone, it typically grew after black tides. The energy of this plant mineral dissipated quickly, making it difficult to preserve after harvesting, and it was best absorbed immediately.
If he could enter the central star field, perhaps he could bring Mingyu with him to the Labyrinth Star and help the designer fill this shortcoming.
*
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it is the final qualifying round of the Star Navigation Competition.
Today, the host, Mr. Rabbit, was dressed in a festive red suit, standing at a podium shaped like a traditional ancient Earth drum. Mr. Rabbit stood on the drumhead, surrounded by dozens of light screens. His white furry paw held a drumstick, and when he swung it forward, the light screen he pointed at flew in front of him, magnifying and revealing the details within.
"Welcome to the third round of the Star Navigation Competition qualifiers! It is also the one with the highest elimination rate in the qualifiers! Against the big roulette wheel!" His tone was excited and he couldn't wait for the next game.
"As the name suggests! This is a pure competition! There are five random star maps at the end of the game. When teams draw pairs to compete, they will simultaneously draw star maps to enter! There are no additional scores or extra tasks! Every three hours, four hundred teams will be eliminated, leaving only the stronger players! This is definitely a feast worth watching!"
"Then let us enjoy a great battle in the starry sky today!——"
"There are only fifteen minutes left before the game begins! Let's take a look at the situation in each team's lounge! Hmm, let me think about it, let's turn our attention to... Team Lieyang!"
"Team Lieyang, a star team led by Ming Yan, the S-rank navigator from the Central Star Region! They were a powerful team that placed fifth in the finals of the last Star Navigation Competition! In the last qualifying match, they unexpectedly broke through the star map at the very beginning of the competition. Because they collected almost no information, their ranking plummeted... Oh, Captain Ming Yan and pilot Fei Lun seem to be discussing tactics."
"I have no doubt that Lieyang will be able to advance to the Star Region Tournament from the qualifiers, but their situation in this qualifier will not be easy."
"Due to the limitations of the starship design materials, neither Mingyan nor Feilun can fully demonstrate their strengths. However, I am still very much looking forward to the wonderful performance that this combination of S-class ships and S-class observers will bring us in this competition!"
"Let's take a look at the Southeast Star Region's Slayer Team! A team with two S-class ships and two S-class observers! Shiri is very strong! A civilian exploration team from the Southeast Star Region, ranked first overall!"
"Their captain, White Elephant... Oh! This pilot is leading his team in physical... uh... warm-up exercises?"
On the screen, the Slayer's ship, along with its observer, two starship designers, five starship maintenance technicians, and a logistics member, lined up in a row, each doing push-ups with one hand on the ground. Their movements were standard and their postures relaxed. Although their speeds varied, they all performed the exercise very seriously.
Rabbit explained: "..."
It’s tiring just looking at it.
The rabbit commentator wiped his sweat and quickly cut the camera.
"Okay, let's take a look at the second-ranked Qiehua Team! This is a special team from the Southwest Team! The captain is Qiehua, an S-class starship pilot. The other two starship pilots are Rosemary and Iris, A-class starship pilots. This team also has three A-class observers."
"A very special team. Their pilots and observers' mental power levels aren't outstanding in the Star Navigation Competition, but their overall ranking is incredibly high! Like Lieyang, they're currently planning and discussing today's competition strategy! The atmosphere in the lounge seems extremely tense!"
The Qiehua team was composed entirely of women. They gathered around a screen, engaged in a serious discussion. For confidentiality reasons, the information on their screens couldn't be broadcast live, leaving a chaotic mosaic. Therefore, the host, Rabbit, quickly turned the camera away.
"Okay, let's go back to the Central Star Region. Uh, there are still many teams to choose from, but I suddenly want to take a look at that one... um, the one that tied for first place with several star teams in the last game... Colorful!"
The camera immediately cuts to the colorful team lounge.
Plush rabbit: "..."
"Oh..." The plush rabbit sighed, "What a familiar scene...!"
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