?Location: Sector 12 – Approach Vector to Gear-Heart Station

  Time: 3 Hours after the "Titan" Skirmish

  ?The Gear-Heart Station was a monstrosity.

  ?It wasn't built; it was stitched together. The central hub was the skull of a colossal void-beast, its eye sockets filled with glowing green docking bays. Radiating outward were spokes made of cannibalized starships, connected by chains the size of rivers.

  ?Aris stood at the airlock of a small shuttle he had "borrowed" from the Titan's hangar. He adjusted his collar.

  ?"Check the disguise, Mo," Aris said, looking at his reflection in the plasteel glass.

  ?He wasn't Han Xiao the cowardly Alchemist anymore.

  He was Vex, a Void-Merchant. He wore a heavy trench coat lined with lead (to block radiation), dark goggles that hid his violet eyes, and a bandolier of volatile energy cells.

  ?"You look like a Scavenger Lord," Mo commented, holding the laser rifle.

  ?"Good," Aris checked his stats.

  ?[System Status Check]

  ?System Level: 71 (Nascent Soul Realm). ?Physical Power: Tier 3 Behemoth (Dao Severing Equivalent). ?Effective Combat Power: Half-Step Divinity (Due to Law Manipulation & Tech-Interface).

  ?Aris tapped the screen. "That's better. Level 71 is just the size of my fuel tank. But the engine... the engine is a Ferrari in a world of ox-carts."

  ?The shuttle comms crackled.

  ?"Unidentified Shuttle. You are entering the jurisdiction of the Gear-Heart. State your business or be dismantled for scrap."

  ?The voice was synthesized, grinding and metallic.

  ?Aris opened the channel.

  ?"This is Vex," Aris's voice was distorted by a modulator. "I have a delivery. Top-grade Earth Essence Gold. Still warm."

  ?There was a pause. The scanners swept the shuttle. They detected the massive energy signature of Iron-Mountain's broken hammer in the cargo hold.

  ?"Earth Essence Gold... high purity detected. Dock at Bay 4. Any sudden movements and we vent your atmosphere."

  ?"Understood," Aris smirked. "Pleasure doing business."

  ?Location: Gear-Heart Station – The Bazaar of Rust

  Time: Arrival

  ?The airlock hissed open.

  ?The smell hit them first—oil, ozone, and incense.

  ?The interior of the station was a cyberpunk nightmare. Neon signs advertising "Soul-Transplants" and "Arm-Upgrades" flickered in the gloom. The locals were horrors of flesh and metal: cultivators who had replaced their dantians with fusion cores and their limbs with hydraulic pistons.

  ?[Scan: Puppet Disciple]

  [Level: 45 (Core Formation).]

  [Augment: Hydraulic Qi-Arms.]

  ?Aris and Mo walked through the crowd. Mo's massive frame and the laser rifle on his back drew stares, but in Sector 12, being heavily armed was just good manners.

  ?They reached the Trade Authority—a fortress made of brass gears located in the beast's left eye socket.

  ?A counter stood in the center, manned by a creature that was mostly a floating torso with six mechanical arms.

  ?"Show me the goods," the trader droned, his optical lens zooming in and out.

  ?Aris slammed the broken warhammer onto the counter.

  ?CLANG.

  ?The table buckled. The hammer glowed with a dull, dying bronze light.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ?"Earth Essence Gold," Aris said smoothly. "Harvested from a... 'donor' in the Earth Sect. High Qi conductivity. Perfect for armor plating."

  ?The trader's mechanical arms extended, scanning the metal with laser beams.

  ?"Impressive," the trader buzzed. "But there is a contamination. I detect a... Remnant Soul."

  ?The trader pointed a metal finger at the hammer.

  ?"The previous owner is haunting the metal. He is angry."

  ?Aris laughed. "That's a feature, not a bug. Use the angry soul to power a weapon. Rage burns hotter than coal."

  ?The trader paused. His logic processors whirred.

  ?"Agreed. Rage is fuel."

  ?The trader opened a drawer.

  ?"Payment? Spirit Stones? Or Upgrade Parts?"

  ?"Neither," Aris leaned in, lowering his voice. "I want access."

  ?"Access?"

  ?"I am a connoisseur of ancient power sources," Aris tapped his goggles. "I hear the Gear-Heart runs on a Perpetual Energy Core. A blue crystal from the Old Era."

  ?The trader's six arms froze. The red lights in his eyes brightened.

  ?"The Grand Mechanic's Heart? You ask to see the Sun of our world. That is heresy."

  ?"I ask to trade," Aris corrected. "I have technical data. Blueprints for the Titan-Class Gatling Array. I know you boys love big guns."

  ?He pulled out a data chip (containing the schematics he stole from the Titan).

  ?The trader hesitated. The Puppet Sect worshiped technology. A blueprint from the Old Era was worth more than a planet to them.

  ?"Wait here," the trader said, snatching the chip. "I will summon Overseer Gear-Head."

  ?The trader vanished into the back room.

  ?Aris turned to Mo.

  ?"Phase 1 complete. We're in the system."

  ?"Do they suspect us?" Mo asked.

  ?"They think I'm a greedy merchant," Aris checked his HUD. "Greed is predictable. What they don't know is that the 'Blue Crystal' is Void Key Fragment #4."

  ?Location: The Station Core – Antechamber

  Time: 1 Hour Later

  ?They were escorted deep into the station. The walls here thrummed with power. Thick cables pulsed with blue light, all leading toward the center.

  ?They entered a massive circular chamber.

  ?In the center, suspended in a magnetic field, was the Key Fragment.

  ?It wasn't just a shard this time. It was a perfect cube of blue circuitry, glowing with the infinite energy of the Void. It was hooked up to thousands of wires, feeding power to the entire city.

  ?Standing in front of it was Overseer Gear-Head.

  ?He was a giant. His body was 90% machine. His head was a glass dome containing a human brain floating in green fluid.

  ?[Scan: Overseer Gear-Head]

  [Level: 88 (Dao Severing - Peak).]

  [Combat Power: Low Divinity (Due to station defenses).]

  [Weakness: The Brain Case.]

  ?"You are the merchant Vex?" the Overseer's voice boomed from speakers on his shoulders.

  ?"I am," Aris stepped forward.

  ?"The blueprints are authentic," the Overseer said, holding the chip. "But the price... to see the Core? Why?"

  ?"Curiosity," Aris lied. "I want to know if the legends are true. That you harnessed infinite energy."

  ?The Overseer laughed. The liquid in his brain case bubbled.

  ?"Infinite? No. It is... hungry."

  ?The Overseer pointed at the Cube.

  ?"It provides power, yes. But it eats logic. Every month, ten disciples lose their minds maintaining it. They claim the Cube whispers to them."

  ?Aris nodded. Of course it whispers. It's a navigation computer trying to connect to a pilot.

  ?"I can fix that," Aris said suddenly.

  ?The Overseer froze. "Explain."

  ?"The whispers aren't madness," Aris stepped closer to the barrier. "They are... error messages. The Cube is trying to update. I speak its language."

  ?"Prove it," the Overseer challenged. "Interface with it. If you stabilize the output, I will pay you ten million stones. If you go mad... we will use your body for spare parts."

  ?Aris grinned beneath his mask.

  ?"Deal."

  ?He walked up to the control console. He didn't use Qi. He placed his mechanical-gloved hand (part of the disguise) onto the interface.

  ?[System Link Established.]

  [Target: Void Key Fragment #4 (Main CPU).]

  [Status: Overloaded / Panic Mode.]

  ?Aris closed his eyes.

  ?"Calm down," he projected his will into the machine code. "I'm here. The Pilot is here."

  ?The Cube flashed. The erratic blue pulsing smoothed out into a steady, rhythmic hum. The "whispers" throughout the station silenced instantly.

  ?The Overseer gasped. "The output... efficiency increased by 300%! The noise is gone!"

  ?"You just needed to clear the cache," Aris said, withdrawing his hand.

  ?He turned to the Overseer.

  ?"Now. About my payment..."

  ?BOOM.

  ?The station shook violently. Red alarms blared.

  ?"WARNING. HULL BREACH. SECTOR 4."

  ?The Overseer spun around. "What is that?"

  ?A screen flickered on. It showed the external camera feed.

  ?A massive Earth Sect Warship—made of floating stone and gold—was ramming the station.

  ?Standing on the prow of the ship was Elder Iron-Fist. He was holding a Soul Lamp. It was broken.

  ?"PUPPET SCUM!" The Elder's voice roared through the void, amplified by magic. "YOU HAVE THE SIGNAL OF MY SON'S WEAPON! HAND OVER THE MURDERER, OR I WILL CRUSH THIS STATION INTO DUST!"

  ?Aris looked at the screen. Then he looked at the Overseer.

  ?"Oh," Aris said, sounding surprised. "I forgot to mention... the hammer came with a warranty claim."

  ?The Overseer's brain-fluid bubbled with rage. He looked at Aris. He looked at the Warship.

  ?"You led them here?!"

  ?"I brought you business," Aris corrected, backing toward the Core. "Now, while you deal with the customer... I'm going to take my tip."

  ?Aris smashed his fist into the console.

  ?[System Command: Eject Core.]

  ?The magnetic field dropped. The Void Key Fragment fell from the ceiling.

  ?Aris caught it.

  ?The lights in the station flickered and died.

  ?Total darkness.

  ?"Oops," Aris whispered in the dark. "Power outage."

  Update - Power Scaling Clarification:

  ?Cultivation Level: The raw amount of Qi a user has (Mana Pool). Aris is Level 71.

  ?Combat Power: The ability to kill. Aris punches way above his weight class because he ignores defense (Void Laws), tanks damage (Behemoth Body), and hacks reality (System). ?

  Note: In the Middle Realm, a Level 71 usually dies instantly to a Level 88. Aris is the exception because he cheats.