Chapter 26: Night in the Star Realm

The inn was modest, just three stories high.

Ji Xinghuo stepped onto the balcony outside his room, where he could see a busy street a few dozen meters away, bustling with people.

Gazing into the distance, only a small part of Olympia City was visible.

This city was the hub of Earth in the Star Realm, initially managed by the “Star Defense Council (ADC)” at its inception but over the decades, ADC’s influence waned and global geopolitical disputes re-emerged, evolving into a multipolar world of “two superpowers and two great powers.”

The sovereignty of Olympia City mirrored Earth’s political ecology.

For decades, Olympia City was roughly divided into four districts, each controlled by one of Earth’s four major powers.

As two supreme superpowers, the Asia-Pacific Community and the American Federation naturally held the largest spheres of influence.

One controlled the East Xia District, and the other, the Nanxing District.

The remaining two powers were the New Roman Empire and the Western Democratic Alliance.

The rest of the nations depended on the breath of these four powers to have a place in Olympia City.

Ji Xinghuo was in East Xia District, which constituted a quarter of the city, with over seventy percent under the Asia-Pacific Community and the remainder divided among its allies and economic partners.

East Xia District alone housed over five million people!

The permanent population of Olympia City exceeded twenty million, a colossal number unimaginable in ancient times on Earth.

Without modern architecture and technology, the only way to accommodate such a population was to expand the districts.

Thus, the length and width of Olympia City were over fifty kilometers each.

The city’s buildings stretched endlessly; no matter the direction one looked, a tall city wall was visible.

Apart from Olympia City, countries also built other cities far from the star gates.

For instance, the Asia-Pacific Community’s “Yanhuang City” was located over four hundred kilometers east of Olympia City; the American Federation’s “New Philadelphia” lay to the south.

A total of over twenty cities opened up more than a million square kilometers of territory for humanity.

However, Olympia City was the most crucial.

It was the only place where travel between the Star Realm and Earth was possible, with the most populous, resource-concentrated, and cleaned-up surrounding dangers, making it the safest.

Ji Xinghuo planned to stay in Olympia City for a while.

With over twenty million people in Olympia City, being cautious made it difficult for the Sword Bureau to find him, though not as tough as finding a needle in a haystack.

If he sensed trouble, he’d immediately move to another location.

After observing from the balcony for a while, Ji Xinghuo returned to his room.

Opening the Wanxiang Xingtong interface, the three arrows were still there; he turned toward the largest arrow and immediately sensed guidance from afar.

“What could it be?”

Ji Xinghuo was curious but didn’t rush off impulsively.

He remained still, focused on sensing the direction of the arrow, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t get more information, only a clear connection.

“Hmm?”

Ji Xinghuo suddenly frowned, “It moves?”

After sensing for another ten minutes, he confirmed that the arrow’s direction was indeed moving. Although the movement was slight, it was certain—it was moving!

Ji Xinghuo’s heart sank; this was definitely bad news!

There were two possibilities.

One, the object itself could move, which was highly unlikely as the Wanxiang Xingtong had no mobility capabilities.

Two, it was being moved by another creature.

“Could it have been swallowed by some creature of the Star Realm?” Ji Xinghuo pondered, “Or could it have been acquired by someone else?”

If it were the latter…

Ji Xinghuo was startled. If he could sense the other, could they sense him?

If the other was a fearsome being from the Star Realm and they decided to come after him directly, wouldn’t that bring disaster to Olympia City and even Earth?

Ji Xinghuo became restless.

However, he did not act rashly, staying in his room, constantly focused on sensing changes in the arrow’s direction.

Time passed slowly.

The flow of time in the Star Realm was the same as on Earth, but a day in the Star Realm had 49.6 Earth hours, and there was more than just day and night.

In between day and night, there was also a “star night,” making each day divided into three phases.

Hours later, the “golden glow” from the western horizon set, bathing Olympia City in a golden hue as the sun went down.

When the last ray of sunlight faded, a “moon” rose on the eastern horizon.

Ji Xinghuo watched this spectacle from the balcony.

The “moon” slowly ascended into the sky, larger by half than the golden glow, but not as bright, showering the world in a silvery-blue light that seemed like a dream.

At the same time, countless stars lit up the distant sky.

These stars, too numerous to count, formed a galaxy that covered the sky; most were dim, but a few shone brightly.

Everyone was very familiar with this galaxy.

“The Milky Way reflection!”

Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in admiration.

Unlike observing the Milky Way from Earth, one could see the entire galaxy unobstructed and without any dust barriers in the Star Realm.

It was like viewing the galaxy from front and center, tens of thousands of light-years away.

This phenomenon was completely unexplainable in astronomical terms.

Many unexplainable occurrences existed in the Star Realm.

For example, the “moon” was not really a moon; astronomers had identified it as a blue-white supergiant, called “Silver Radiance” by the native inhabitants of the Star Realm.

Silver Radiance was over a thousand times larger than the golden glow, but because it was so far away, its brightness was less, making it appear only half as large.

Apart from Silver Radiance, there were four other “moons.”

Emitting crimson light was “Crimson Flame Star”;

Casting a pale blue luminescence was “Blue Luminescent Star”;

Resembling a spherical emerald was “Emerald Star”;

And enveloped in strange purple light was “Purple Extreme Star.”

Astronomers were unsure whether these were stars or planets; they were similar in size, located in different directions, each with their trajectory speeds.

Sometimes the four stars were visible during the day but disappeared during star night.

But during the night, they were mostly invisible.

Based on observations, astronomers concluded a shocking theory: both the golden glow and Silver Radiance, including the four colored stars, all revolved around the Star Realm.

This was somewhat similar to the centuries-old “geocentric theory,” but there were differences in many details.

However, whether the Star Realm itself was a planet remained undetermined.

Countless astronomers had racked their brains over this.

The length of star night was not fixed; it changed daily.

According to the periodic pattern of star night lengths, the Star Realm year was divided into two seasons, hot and cold, with each season having 328 days, further divided into nine months, each named separately, most months having 36 days, some a day longer.

Here, a “day” was the duration of a Star Realm day, which equated to 49.6 Earth hours.

It was now the hot season’s “Warm Month,” the fourth month of the year.

Star night lasted 11 Earth hours.

Ji Xinghuo stayed in the inn’s room, did not leave, nor did he sleep, sensing the arrow’s direction every half minute.

As Silver Radiance set, the sky plunged into complete darkness, and the reflection of the Milky Way and the four colored stars also vanished.

Only then did true night begin.

The durations of star night and night combined were fixed, exactly as long as the day, amounting to 24.8 Earth hours.

A full day in the Star Realm consisted of cycles of day, star night, and night.

But the next day, star night would extend by 272 seconds.

During the hot season, star night extended daily by 272 seconds until the last day of “Abundant Month,” when star night reached 24.8 Earth hours, equaling the day, and night’s duration decreased to zero.

This day marked the midpoint of the Star Realm year and was the hottest time.

The following day commenced the cold season.

During the cold season, after day came night, then star night.

On the first day of the cold season, night lasted only 272 seconds, but each following day, night grew longer and temperatures began to drop, until the last day of “Cold Moon” when night was longest and star night’s duration shrank to zero.

Thus, the two seasons cycled over eighteen months, concluding a Star Realm year of 656 days.

One Star Realm year equated to 3.7 Earth years!

Even during the dark night, the lights of Olympia City still shone brightly, though not with electric or oil lamps, but with various lighting methods available in the Star Realm.

The most used in Olympia City was a type of crystal lamp, primarily made of “nightlight crystals.”

It absorbed sunlight during the day and emitted light at night. Though not very bright, a sufficient number of them could achieve the desired illumination.

Additionally, several fluorescent plants, planted on streets and in homes, also provided light.

Looking out from the inn’s balcony, the lights across Olympia City sparkled like stars, making the city seem like an island in an expansive dark sea.

Ji Xinghuo gazed out at the city, feeling an illusion.

It seemed as if great horrors hid in the unseen darkness.

Indeed, the Star Realm’s night was the most dangerous time, posing the greatest threat to the many hunting teams and extrahumans who ventured out.

Ji Xinghuo stayed awake all night.

After several hours, the golden glow rose again, illuminating the land.

This marked his first full day in the Star Realm, spent entirely within the confines of the inn’s room, not even stepping out to eat.

He focused on cultivating while keeping an eye on the changes in the arrow’s direction.

The second day, the third day…

Ji Xinghuo stayed in the inn for three days before moving to another, more remote inn in the city where he stayed until the seventh day.

He had grown accustomed to the Star Realm’s environment and climate.

Most importantly, Ji Xinghuo finally confirmed something over these seven days.

The object indicated by the arrow moved in sync with the Star Realm’s day, star night, and night; moving most frequently during the day, also moving during star night, and coming to a complete halt at night.

This meant that the other was indeed a “person,” a member of an intelligent species!

However, the other’s activity was confined to a specific area and showed no signs of approaching him.

Ji Xinghuo exhaled in relief.

“Only I can sense it, and it seems they cannot sense me.”

Though he couldn’t be 100% certain, he was almost sure. Otherwise, he would have had to return to Earth immediately, as staying in the Star Realm for even a day would be too dangerous.

Involving his own safety and potentially the safety of Olympia City, excessive caution was never too much.

The eighth day.

As star night began, Ji Xinghuo, with a backpack full of cash, left the inn.