"I’m out of money…"

  Staring at his empty personal account, Yun Yi sighed helplessly.

  "Meow, Xiyue wants ice cream, Xiyue wants roasted abalone, Xiyue wants pretty clothes, Xiyue wants…"

  Beside him stood someone who had no concept of what money even was.

  On their way back from shopping yesterday, Yun Yi had secretly vowed never to take Xiyue shopping again. But to his surprise, the very next day, he had to take her to pick up their booked tickets.

  Unable to go to the Shilfanst Empire, it meant they would have to rely entirely on themselves from now on.

  For half the night, Yun Yi had been scouring the internet, trying to decide which country to go to. From the letter sent by the princess, Yun Yi understood that Mr. Zagu, who was preparing to become emperor, would inevitably establish strong ties with neighboring countries to maintain his rule.

  Given that Zagu had always used Torbell Corporation’s mechs and warships, it was clear he had some connection with the Lichma Federation, which dominated the southwest.

  Staying in the Lichma Federation was not safe.

  Since he didn’t yet have the ability to seek revenge, Yun Yi decided to go even farther away.

  After hours of research, considering factors like national systems, living environments, and investment opportunities, Yun Yi narrowed it down to three options.

  The Lilan Republic, a first-rate nation with 618 administrative planets, bordered the Lichma Federation, with whom it had long-standing border disputes.

  The Sun Wu Kingdom, with 104 administrative planets, was renowned for its commerce and agriculture, located between Lilan and Chu Tang, and was a vassal state of the Chu Tang Empire.

  The Chu Tang Empire, with over 6,000 administrative planets, was one of the four major powers in the universe, alongside the New United States of America, dominating the southern cosmos with its vast and boundless territory.

  These three countries were carefully selected by Yun Yi, with stability being the primary factor, followed by investment opportunities, and then living and educational conditions. All three met Yun Yi’s criteria and were ideal for living and investing.

  After half a night of deliberation, Yun Yi still hadn’t decided which country to choose and eventually went to sleep.

  However, the next morning, Princess Xiyue pointed at the massive entity on the star map and said, "I know about Chu Tang. Our warships and mechs are all bought from them."

  That one sentence made Yun Yi’s decision.

  Chu Tang Empire was indeed a good choice, but it was just too far away. After purchasing direct tickets to the empire’s capital, Chang’an Star, Yun Yi was practically penniless.

  It seemed he would have to dip into that fund to ensure they could reach Chang’an without financial worries.

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  Returning to the hotel, Yun Yi asked the staff to pack their belongings and Xiyue’s toys and send them to the spaceport. Once the staff left with the packages, he quietly opened his computer, inserted the bank card, and called Xiyue over to verify fingerprints, iris scans, and DNA.

  After the tedious password verification, Yun Yi finally saw the balance on the bank card.

  Instantly, he was blinded by the long string of zeros.

  Previously, with no place or time to spend money, Yun Yi hadn’t been particularly concerned about it. But over the past few days, he realized that everything—food, clothing, lodging, and entertainment—required money. His hard-earned savings had vanished like water down a drain.

  Only now did he truly understand the importance of money. Recalling the grueling training and life-threatening battles it had taken to earn that money, he also realized how hard it was to come by.

  "Save and scrimp! From now on, we must save and scrimp!"

  After transferring 100,000 imperial gold coins to his account, Yun Yi shouted fiercely at Princess Xiyue.

  "Meow…" Though she didn’t understand why Yun Yi was so angry, Xiyue obediently ran off to the side, leaving him alone.

  "There’s a lot of money, but it’s not mine. Using it for our own needs is wrong…" Sighing, Yun Yi took out the bank card and hid it close to his body. This money was the only legacy of the Zhao Song Empire, meant to aid the people and seek revenge to restore the nation.

  From now on, he would avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.

  April 18, 5240, Universal Calendar.

  Chu Tang Empire, Chang’an Star.

  At that moment, a slightly worn interstellar train slowly entered the spaceport of Chang’an Four Star.

  The Chang’an system was a stellar system consisting of one star and thirteen planets. As early as the Galactic Empire era, it had become the southern capital. Although the Galactic Emperor rarely visited, it didn’t stop successive emperors from developing and transforming the Chang’an system.

  By now, as the capital of the Chu Tang Empire, the entire Chang’an system had become extremely prosperous.

  In addition to the two habitable planets initially discovered, Chang’an One Star and Chang’an Two Star, five more planets—Chang’an Three Star to Chang’an Eight Star—had been terraformed over thousands of years. Chang’an One Star, where the Chu Tang imperial family resided, and Chang’an Two Star, the government’s seat, were off-limits to unrelated personnel.

  As for Chang’an Three Star, it was home to a portion of the major aristocratic families and social elites. The planet’s commerce was incredibly vibrant, and products from any country in the universe could be found here as long as they had value. It was also the headquarters of countless companies across the universe. Legend had it that if the planet were hit by even the smallest warship cannon, striking any city on its surface, the total trade volume of the universe would drop by five to ten percent, while the southern cosmos would see a twenty to thirty percent decline.

  This alone demonstrated the importance of Chang’an Three Star in the universe.

  The next two planets, Chang’an Four Star and Five Star, were second only to Three Star, bustling with commerce and populated by some major aristocrats and most of the minor nobility, as well as countless ordinary citizens. Their prosperity surpassed even the capitals of countries like Shilfanst, Iserlahn, or Tairsey.

  Finally, Chang’an Six Star, Seven Star, and Eight Star were almost entirely inhabited by ordinary residents. Although the terraformed planets couldn’t support large-scale agricultural production, their massive manufacturing industries made them quite prosperous. As long as one was willing to work hard, they could live a life far more comfortable than the average person.

  After all, even at their worst, these planets were under the emperor’s watchful eye, and no one dared to exploit the common people. Of course, most aristocrats didn’t bother with such petty gains. With advanced technology and the immense flow of goods and people in the Chang’an system, they could make a fortune without stepping on anyone’s toes.

  As the interstellar train’s doors opened, a handful of people disembarked.

  After all, how many people heading to a place like Chang’an Four Star would take such a cheap mode of transportation?

  A man in a trench coat and sunglasses, appearing cold and aloof, stepped off the train. His right hand held a cute little girl, her face full of curiosity, clutching a stuffed bear. After surveying the bustling spaceport, they took the orbital elevator and headed down to the surface.