"Do you love him?" the Dinosaur Head Warrior asked seriously.
"I'd sooner use test tubes in a sterile laboratory to solve that issue than develop feelings for any creature outside of it."
A small spaceship slowly drifted over, extending its gangway and establishing a passage with the Long Day Spaceship.
"Are you also scared of the 'winner'?" Itheri asked the female doctor.
"Pretending to be scared is safer," the female doctor replied.
Everyone proceeded into the gangway.
The gangway was transparent.
Li Changzhou knew that some tourist spots on Earth had glass bridges that would make many people's legs go weak, and here he was, walking on a glass bridge in space, surrounded by the near Absolute Zero of the cosmos.
Regrettably, his identity as a Cosmic Person diminished the thrill.
The shuttle was small, seating only twelve, but it was extremely luxurious—to gauge its luxury—
"Captain, this shuttle could buy two of your ships," the Dinosaur Head Warrior had said.
"The only advantage your ship has over this one is its size," Itheri had commented.
"I like them big," the female doctor chimed in, "having no room for a medical bay is absolutely unacceptable."
That's how luxurious the shuttle was.
Li Changzhou had no time to scold his insubordinate crew, as he was looking around with the anticipation of Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.
Even the little radish sitting on his shoulder was calmer than he was.
The shuttle left its orbit, and a silent, dazzling display of fireworks burst into view, with a few words at the center of this sea of fireworks—
{Welcome Mr. Li Changzhou}
Probably half of the IAO star could see these words.
"Such treatment is reserved for honored guests only!" the Engineer with a thick head pressed against the ground, "Oh~, the latest model honeybee engine, the sound is too delightful."
Thick Thick and Da Yi were both Tentacle Monsters, but not of the same race.
Thick Thick had a large head and small tentacles that did not stretch much; clearly, his race was built for mental tasks.
"Captain, what are you going to do with IAO... His Excellency?" the short-haired beauty asked while stomping on Thick Thick's head, speaking to Li Changzhou over him.
Thick Thick was infatuated, his gaze glued to the ground; don't get the wrong idea, though he was a Tentacle Monster, he wasn't perverse—what captivated him was the sound of the engine—though, that might be considered a perversion in its own right?
"I have a mission," Li Changzhou looked out the porthole, wishing he could have brought Yang Qinglan and her sister along to experience everything that had just happened.
There would be a chance for that. All the effort now was to enjoy these pleasures together in the future.
"A mission?" Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes taking the shape of Money signs.
"Captain! I want the front row at Sisi's concert!" the Pilot Da Yi shouted.
"The labs and the medical bay need to be upgraded. Many cosmic viruses require high-level equipment for analysis. Captain, you wouldn't want to suddenly grow an extra pair of arms or have eyes sprout on your palms, would you?" the female doctor seemed to be threatening?
"You promised to buy me a Flying Car!" If it weren't for the seatbelt, Itheri would have already stood up.
"Captain, Ascension, I want to keep Ascending! I want to switch to a stylish head from the latest series on Molten Lava Star!" It turned out the Dinosaur Head wasn't his true face.
"I would also like an upgrade." Even the main brain of the Long Day Spaceship actively reached out, "The ship's robots need it too."
"Ship, Captain, the ship is the most important! It's the foundation of everything!" Engineer Thick Thick shouted, trying to stand up but failing, "What's stepping on me?"
His short tentacles wrapped around Itheri's foot that was on his head, fitting perfectly as if the tentacle was a shoe.
"You pervert!" Itheri kicked Thick Thick with her other foot, pulling her own foot free.
"Ah!" Thick Thick held his head with several tentacles, supporting himself to stand with a few others, and gestured to Li Changzhou, "Captain, spaceship! Light Speed 3000!"
"Uh-huh, Light Speed 3000."
Before Itheri could explode with rage, he corrected himself, "But first, the Flying Car."
Itheri kicked Thick Thick down, resting her long legs on his head as if she had won everything, and crossed her arms with a confident nonchalance radiating from her beautiful features.
"Ah~, little honeybee." Thick Thick lay hopelessly on the ground, sensing the sound of the engine—actually, it wasn't about listening, but feeling through almost imperceptible vibrations.
Arnes was silent behind the group.
As the shuttle entered the atmosphere, a boundless forest appeared below, where giant birds occasionally mistook the shuttle for prey.
The shuttle released a special signal, causing the birds to scatter like chickens exploding with feathers.
The shuttle lowered its altitude and shot across the forest canopy, ripping through the green sea before skirting high mountains and soaring upwards.
Over the peak, it seemed as if they had traveled from a primitive society to a future one; before them lay a high-tech city.
The shuttle docked at the port, and as Li Changzhou disembarked, the world suddenly exploded with colors and fireworks blossomed overhead.
The crew looked up.
{Welcome Ms. Turquoise Pool, Miss Bi}
"Could it be the two legendary figures?" the Dinosaur Head Warrior blinked in amazement.
"Captain," Engineer Thick Thick turned to Li Changzhou, "are these the ones here to steal our business?"
"Probably." Li Changzhou smiled briefly and looked away, "Let's go."
He didn't stay to wait for Turquoise Pool and Bi.
All three would meet soon at IAO·1 second gap, unless IAO was particularly talkative and explained the mission twice—or their missions could be different.
There was another reason to pretend not knowing each other: unexpected gains might be on the horizon.
The group left the port and entered the city.
This was a city nestled in greenery, with levels of vegetation even more exaggerated than the ones Li Changzhou had created in Moon City, and harmoniously blended with nature.