Chapter 92: The Ikto Race

A fleet of thirteen enormous ships slowly entered the outskirts of the Barren Star Domain in the North. The ships’ hulls were covered in rust, and some even had large metal patches.

In the Great Cosmic Era, it was unbelievable that such ships still existed.

Moreover, these ships did not use mainstream anti-gravity propulsion systems. Instead, they relied on outdated fuel-based propulsion.

Who were the beings on these ships? Why were they so destitute? And why did they appear in this Star Sector that all creatures in the Universe considered barren? Were they searching for something, or was there another reason?

“Boom!”

Suddenly, the two ships at the rear of the fleet exploded with two violent sounds. Orange flames blossomed brilliantly against the black of space, both dazzling and tragically beautiful…

“Elder, Elder Sank’s tribal ship at the back of the fleet has self-destructed.”

In the Command Room of the lead ship, a group of beings who looked like ETs stared out the viewport at the distant explosion. Their eyes were filled with bitterness and despair.

“Is there really no place in the entire Universe where our Ikto Race can settle?”

Elder Mensa, who had not joined the others in watching the explosion, let out a long sigh after hearing his youngest son’s report.

“Lord Father, all beings in the Universe are ostracizing us now. We can’t stop anywhere we go, so our energy and supplies are running out. Many of our people are gripped by despair. What Elder Sank and his followers did was a last resort.”

Menlo, standing beside Mensa, replied in a low voice.

“Oh, Star God, what did our Ikto Race do wrong to deserve such suffering? Do you truly intend to wipe out our entire race?” Elder Mensa cried out in deep sorrow.

The clansmen who had been staring despairingly at the distant explosion of Elder Sank’s ship turned to look at the loudly lamenting Elder Mensa. They felt that the fate which befell Elder Sank might soon be their own.

“Lord Father, do not lose hope. In the Barren Star Domain, we might find a planet where we can survive. This is our last hope; please do not give up.” Menlo grabbed his agitated father and shouted loudly.

“Hope?” Elder Mensa stared blankly at his only remaining son.

“We have no hope left. Every being in the Universe knows the Barren Star Domain is a desolate place. No creature can survive there. How could we? I’ve heard that even the human ‘Divine Glory Empire,’ closest to this Star Sector, abandoned it. Even they couldn’t find a habitable planet. How could we?”

After hearing his father’s words, Menlo fell silent.

…

The Ikto Race.

Carbon-based lifeforms, their appearance resembling the ET from American movies.

This race was known for trading goods among various beings, similar to the Gypsies on Earth. They also shared traits with Jews, possessing a keen and strong pursuit of money.

It was through the efforts of these cosmic merchants that goods circulated among many species. They greatly promoted commercial trade and even organized a Universe trade center.

However, a tall tree catches the wind. Precisely because the Ikto Race held vast amounts of universal currency, they aroused the dissatisfaction of most beings, leading to this ostracism.

The Ikto Race was timid and conflict-averse, interested only in pursuing monetary gain.

In essence, the plight of the Ikto people was quite similar to that of the Jews in World War II in Lei Yaotian’s original World, only even more brutal. Apart from this group entering the Barren Star Domain, Iktans scattered elsewhere in the Universe were either killed on sight or forced into labor on dark Mineral Planets.

Since Iktans always focused on mental work, their physical strength was very poor. Thus, the fate of those sent to Mineral Planets would not be much better.

Elder Mensa’s group had fled in haste. They brought little food and energy, and along the way, they faced attacks from other beings and space pirates. The once mighty fleet of five to six hundred ships was now reduced to just over a dozen.

And just moments ago, two more ships’ crews had self-destructed out of despair.

Thinking of the hardships they had endured along the way, Elder Mensa felt deeply pained.

“What is happening? Our Ikto Race did nothing wrong. Why are these beings treating us this way? Where did we go wrong?” Elder Mensa could not understand. “Star God! Why is this happening?”

Wherever Elder Mensa’s fleet passed, they were attacked by fleets sent by other beings if they got too close to their controlled Star Sectors.

This left Mensa and the others living in constant fear, like homeless strays.

Finally, with no other options, Elder Mensa and the others discussed and decided to head to the Universe’s notorious Barren Star Domain, hoping to find a planet where their people could survive.

But all beings in the Universe knew that the northern Barren Star Domain had no suitable planets for habitation. It was scarce in minerals and teemed with countless powerful native creatures.

Moreover, the depths of the Barren Star Domain, plagued by violent storms, had never been fully explored by any being.

The Barren Star Domain was also called the Forbidden Star Sector, which was why the Divine Glory Empire had abandoned it.

However, due to their carelessness, they never investigated the large Planet near that small Asteroid. They never imagined that the large Planet was actually suitable for life.

This eventually worked out favorably for Lei Yaotian.

Menlo looked at the Starry Sky ahead with no confidence at all.

“Lord Father, do you think we can find a habitable planet here for our people?”

Menlo was not optimistic about this at all.

After all, so many beings had come here to explore before, but they all returned empty-handed.

How could their group be stronger than those beings?

“No matter what, we must try. If the Star God ultimately decides our Ikto Race must perish, then we can only accept such a Destiny.”

Elder Mensa had come to terms with it; things had already reached this point.

“Lord Father, why has our Ikto Race fallen to such a state?” Menlo looked at his father in agony.

With a long sigh, Mensa looked at his only surviving son and said, “From the day our Ikto people were born, we have lived as wanderers in the Universe. This nomadic life broadened our horizons. It also taught us how to make money, but we did not use it for proper purposes.”

Elder Mensa had reflected on this, thinking carefully about why things turned out this way.

“Our Ikto people were too wealthy, and that is precisely why we ended up like this. We can’t blame others.” Elder Mensa saw it clearly.

“Lord Father, it’s true our Ikto people are wealthy. But we earned it fairly through honest trade. We were not unscrupulous merchants. All our transactions were fair, without cheating other beings. Moreover, we often acted kindly towards others. So why are they treating us this way?”

Menlo could not understand this at all.

Elder Mensa looked at his youngest son and gave a bitter smile. “It’s simple. Our Ikto people have no country of our own, no armed forces to protect ourselves. So in the eyes of those beings, we are like children holding countless star coins, with no power to resist when faced with strength.”

“Additionally, the Universe is now in chaos with frequent wars. This has strained their national resources, so they turned their attention to us. And for trade convenience, most Iktans were scattered within various nations, never gathered together…”

Elder Mensa analyzed it clearly for his youngest son, making Menlo understand the key issues.

“Lord Father, we were wrong.”

After hearing his father’s account and analysis, Menlo bowed his head deeply.

“Yes, we and our predecessors were wrong,” Elder Mensa said gravely.

But what good did it do to realize their mistake? Things had already come to this.

“From now on, deploy a Detector to investigate each Planet we pass. Let’s hope we can find a place to settle.” Mensa stood up and gave orders to the clansmen operating the ship.

…

Lei Yaotian was still unaware that these Iktans had entered the Barren Star Domain.

At this time, Lei Yaotian was lying on a large bed inside a house released from a compressed capsule bought at Rogue’s Shop. Monica sat beside Lei Yaotian, peeling a grape from a silver tray and placing it in his mouth.

“This kind of life is so decadent. I, Lei Yaotian, actually get to enjoy such days.”

Lei Yaotian, who lay in bed enjoying being waited on hand and foot, had lived like this for over ten days.

During these ten days, under Wangcai’s supervision, the progress of hollowing out the mountain had been very rapid and was nearly complete.

After all, the firepower equipped on the Engineering Robots was quite effective at breaking down and blasting the mountain’s special rock formations.

“In just a few more days, the work inside the mountain will be finished. Then we can start building the defensive metal layers. The Base should be completed soon, and then the Young Master can move in.”

Wangcai thought to himself while watching the busy Engineering Robots.