The Last Sentinel

"You ask me what business I'm in!"

"Friend, that's a fantastic question!"

"As a Holy Terra interstellar merchant blessed by the Holy Terra and certified by the Emperor's blood, I do not do business, I do a cause! A cause to spread the Emperor's loyalty and benevolence! I am first and foremost the Emperor's currency, and only secondly, a wandering merchant. Every member of the Empire is the Emperor's currency, and I am the most valuable one among them. I can continuously supply the Empire with funds and foreign exchange. I am a vital cog in the Empire's operation..."

Jerry launched into a long-winded explanation of his "business acumen."

Ye Feng, sitting opposite him, was speechless.

Ye Feng's question wasn't about what kind of business he was in or for whom he was doing business.

Ye Feng was asking Jerry how he came from Terra to our Aurora Universe. He asked if the path he came from was still there and if he could borrow the path to go to the Terra Universe, the Warhammer Universe, or even to the myriad worlds!

Ye Feng wasn't very interested in the traveling merchants' business; he was only interested in the route they had taken.

Jerry misunderstood Ye Feng's question, and, with exaggerated gestures and boundless enthusiasm, launched into a speech: "Sentinel, my friend, do you know how many civilizations there are in the Milky Way?"

Ye Feng shook his head, "I haven't counted them exactly, but there should be quite a lot."

At this point, Jerry lit a cigarette, elegantly exhaled a smoke ring, and said, "There are indeed many in number, but few in variety. As we all know, there are 28 major constellations in the Milky Way. Besides Orion, Hercules, and Corona Borealis in our solar system where Earth is located, there are also Centaurus and Aquila from the Trisolaran civilization; Cygnus, Crux, and Taurus from the Lord of the Rings civilization; Ophiuchus, Centaurus, Sagitta, and Vela from the Singer civilization..."

"Within the twenty-eight major constellation clouds, there are at least one million asteroids harboring intelligent life. Of these one million asteroids, fewer than one hundred possess their own spaceships! Three hundred possess their own high-energy weapons! And one thousand possess their own melee weapons!"

"That means, on average, one spaceship can only be found on every ten thousand planets."

"And my mission is to ensure that the remaining 9999 intelligent civilizations also possess their own spaceships!"

Upon hearing this, Brother Eighty couldn't help but exclaim, "This...this is a space arms dealer! This business is exciting! The space arms business, just thinking about it makes my blood boil! Why didn't you tell me before when I asked you!"

Jerry chuckled and patted Eighty on the shoulder, saying meaningfully, "Mr. Zhuge, you're just dabbling, while Mr. Sentry, he's a gun enthusiast! You two aren't the same kind of people!"

At this point, Jerry gave the sentry a look, as if to say, "How about it, friend? Want to join my arms business?"

Ye Feng leaned against the rooftop railing. "Is Hughes also working with you?"

"Of course!" Jerry said. "However, Hughes is stingy, has very poor talent, is not good at weapons research and development, and is too obsessed with power and principles. He has little interest in profit. My cooperation with him is limited to ordinary friendship."

"Mr. Sentinel is different from Hughes. I have read your resume. You have a double S-level talent, can build a Vanguard Titan-class mech with your bare hands, and have very strong scientific research talent."

"If you are willing to cooperate with me, we will become the most powerful arms dealer in the galaxy, and we will monopolize almost all arms trade orders in the dark matter world."

"How about it? Think it over. I'm very sincere!"

Jerry's gaze was incredibly ardent, as if he were a young man meeting his sweetheart.

Ye Feng said, "Sincerity is something that isn't spoken, it's shown through actions."

"Hahaha!" Jerry laughed, giving a thumbs up. "That's right! Sincerity can't just be spoken; it must be visible and tangible! Your words alone show that we're the same kind of people—we're absolute pragmatists!"

"Here, take this key as a token of our sincerity to Mr. Sentinel, how about it?"

Jerry raised his hand and took out an ancient rusty key, about the thickness of a thumb, with a black solar sail starship engraved on it.

Ye Feng took the iron key, turned it over, and found a line of English on the back, which translated to "Red Iron Fist".

Seeing this, Brother Eighty was incredibly envious. "Mr. Jerry is truly generous, giving away an entire starship with a single gesture! Your magnanimity and generosity dim the stars and inspire awe in all living beings. Terra shines with glory because of your generosity, and the Emperor will crown you a nobleman for your generosity!"

Although Ye Feng didn't quite understand the value of a spaceship, he could still refer to the Human Alliance.

Of the 100,000-strong Human Alliance, only one warship, the Kunpeng, is currently active; the rest are all sealed in the deep sea.

Jerry gifted himself a spaceship, which was incredibly generous of him!

Ye Feng twirled the key and said, "Indeed, they've shown the utmost sincerity. I'm very satisfied. I have one last small question I'd like to ask Mr. Jerry."

Jerry said, "Ask away! I'll answer everything I know!"

Ye Feng said, "Mr. Jerry came to Earth from outer space, right?"

Jerry said, "You mean I'm asking if I still remember the way back, and if I can still return to the Terra Hammer universe?"

Ye Feng nodded. "That's right."

Jerry thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I don't really know how I got to this universe. When I was trading with a bunch of orcs in the Warhammer universe, a supernova exploded nearby. You know, supernova explosions release massive amounts of cosmic energy that can produce gold. In the tsunami of particles from that supernova explosion, a mysterious necromancy ruin was opened. My crew and I accidentally entered this ruin and opened one of the stargates leading to the outer universe. Then we were teleported out and arrived in the Centaurus Solar System of the Milky Way!"

"It was winter in 1998. Snowflakes were falling on the streets. My crew and I were freezing and starving when we met a kind young man. He was tall and strong with regular features. He could tell at a glance that we were aliens and became our friend."

"This person later rose to prominence in 1999 and became Pangu, the first Speaker of the Supreme Council of the Human Alliance."

Upon hearing this, Brother Eighty couldn't help but say, "According to you, during Star Wars 1999, all the extra spaceships humanity suddenly gained overnight were thanks to you!"

Jerry spread his hands and said, "Mr. Zhuge's wisdom is truly regrettable. The world we live in is a materialistic world, a material world. In 1999, the Sabitian army invaded, and Pangu mobilized such a large force overnight. Do you think the spaceships just fell from the sky? Of course, it was our space arms dealers who were exerting their efforts!"

"How's it going, Sentinel! The Red Fist has been acquired. Shall we immediately launch a thrilling interstellar trade?"

Ye Feng asked, "How long does it typically take to complete a trade transaction?"

Jerry said, "For short distances, it's three to five days; for long distances, it's a month, several months, or even years! After all, at this stage, we're doing business in the Orion constellation and the nearby Centaurus constellation. To put it bluntly, we're doing business within the sphere of influence of the Trisolarans and the Eurasian people. We generally don't leave this circle. If we leave, we're likely to encounter the Singers, Lord of the Rings, and other messy civilizations!"

Ye Feng asked, "How much can you make from a single trade trip?"

"Haha!" Jerry laughed. "It's hard to say. The profit margin in business depends on individual ability. This is a platform to fully utilize your talents. If you have the ability, you can buy a kilogram of cymbals with just one ship-slaying sword!"

Brother Eighty scratched his head and asked, "What's a 'ka'? Is it as expensive as gold?"

Ye Feng said, "Calamine is currently the most expensive element in the periodic table of Earth, bar none. It has not yet been discovered in nature; it is currently a synthetic radioactive element with extremely low production—only micrograms globally per year—primarily used in neutron source experiments. One gram can be auctioned for thirty million US dollars, which is seven hundred thousand times the price of gold of the same weight!"

Brother Eighty's mouth dropped open. "I, I blanched! A kilogram of clams! Unbelievable! Brother, the profit..."

Ye Feng said, "Don't just see the thief eating meat; the thief will get beaten too! Such a good deal must have a lot of people eyeing it!"

"Correct answer!" Jerry said meaningfully. "To be honest, Mr. Sentinel, I happen to have a smuggling route for calix. It's a bit risky, but the profits are very high. I can provide you with the initial capital. If you have the guts to take the trip, all the profits are yours. You just need to return the initial capital to me!"

"Of course, I'm not giving you this path because I'm not capable of doing it. I'm just giving it to you to see if you, Sentinel, are a good businessman."

"If this goes through, we can cooperate long-term in the future."

Ye Feng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "I'll take this deal!"

"Then it's settled! I've already sent your seven crew members aboard the Red Fist!"

"How long will this road take?"

"It will take as little as seven days and no more than two weeks."

"The principal is ready; we're leaving tomorrow."

"readily!"