1871 Cave
"I want to go to Planet Crooked Rock," Han Sen told Icebird Duke.
You want to recruit Gana?" Icebird Duke understood Han Sen's thought process.
Planet Crooked Rock was a place that belonged to the Feathers. The primary race there, however, was the Gana. They were supposed to be a higher race, but for some reason, the Gana on that planet had abandoned their people to join the Feathers.
Now that the Feathers had fallen, Holy Heaven had been closed. They could no longer afford to take care of other planets and races. The planet had not been taken over yet, but many different factions were vying for it. Many wanted to claim it.
Han Sen decided to go to Planet Crooked Rock due to the complications of the races there. Gana was one of the mainstream races, but there were many others there, as well.
Han Sen also fancied trying his luck. If he was able to recruit a few of the Gana, then that wouldn't be too shabby, either. The Gana were very good at producing medicine from xenogeneic genes. They were known as geniuses, and many factions liked the prospect of procuring their special talents.
But due to the fact that so many different factions wanted them, the Gana had yet to decide which they should follow.
"Not bad. I would like to have some Gana. If I am unable to procure any, there are those of other races to choose from. Either way, there should be a diverse selection to pick from," Han Sen randomly said.
"You should put your hope into getting those of another race. Don't bother with the Gana, because our Rebate Gold Jade King went to Gana two months ago and was unable to recruit any. The Gana were way too popular with other races," Icebird Duke said.
"Let's take a look first, anyway. If I am lucky enough, they might be willing to slog through the hard times with me!" Han Sen made it sound as if he was kidding.
He was, actually. He didn't have much hope of recruiting any of the Gana, and his primary goal was to grab Wang Yuhang under the pretense of recruitment.
After he arrived on the planet, he only then noticed how complicated Planet Crooked Rock really was. There were many airships and battleships in the area, all belonging to an array of separate factions. They had each come there to try to recruit the Gana.
Seeing how things were on Planet Crooked Rock, it was obvious that there were many Kings up for grabs.
The flying airship Han Sen had been on was investigated upon arrival. When they declared themselves to be the Rebate, they were granted access to the planet.
If they had been a small race of no renown, they probably wouldn't have even been allowed to land on the planet. So, the chances of Han Sen meeting up with any of the Gana to try his luck would have been zero.
Icebird Duke brought Han Sen over to meet with Gold Jade King, but they were unable to. It was a Duke that came out to greet them.
"You are Knife Queen's student, and you are Icebird Duke. I am sorry, but my master is currently unavailable, and he cannot come to meet with you at this time. He has sent me here to aid you in the meantime. If there is anything you require, do not hesitate to make a request." The Duke certainly sounded polite.
"Thank you very much. We have come here to recruit some people, actually. I wonder if you have a manifest that notes the different populations that reside on Planet Crooked Rock. If you can provide us a copy, we would be most grateful," Han Sen said.
"That is easy. I will certainly make a copy for you." The Duke said this, and then went on to say, "Do you two plan on recruiting the Gana?"
"That would be the best-case scenario, yes," Han Sen answered.
The Duke smiled. "Recruiting the Gana is no small feat. Still, you might try your luck. Who knows? You might be fortunate enough to gather a few."
"Thanks. I appreciate the advice." After Han Sen accepted the manifest, he said his goodbyes.
"You guys are looking to recruit the Gana? Ha! So naive. Even if the queen herself had come along, I doubt any Gana would join you." After Han Sen left, the Duke spoke to himself.
After Han Sen accepted the information he was given, he allowed Icebird Duke to go ahead and scope out those of the less significant races. They could try to recruit a few Nobles out of those.
Judging from the state of things on this planet, though, he thought that it was unlikely he'd procure members of the Gana. The Gana were receiving many generous offers from the big factions; there was no reason for them to go to an undeveloped place populated by Barons.
Han Sen walked around alone, and he also made sure he wasn't being followed. By his lonesome, he trekked up to a lonely mountain. He found a cave, and after securing it, he teleported back to the sanctuaries.
Han Sen called Wang Yuhang and told him about going to the geno universe. Wang Yuhang was very excited by the prospect, and he told Han Sen he'd come over right away.
The entire Alliance was practically Han Sen's back garden. And the gardeners were the Ji Family.
Many factions had learned of the existence of the geno universe, and many had aspirations of their people getting strong enough to enter and begin building up a place for their families. But none had yet been capable of going.
Wang Yuhang had been given Han Sen's xenogeneic genes. He had made it to the Alliance as a human, but without Han Sen's guidance, he'd likely die if he left the sanctuary by himself. No one went without Han Sen bringing them.
After Han Sen and Wang Yuhang finished talking, Wang Yuhang piloted an aircraft to get to him.
"Little Han, take me to the geno universe! I want to see those ladies with cat ears. If they are as hot as you say they are..." Wang Yuhang came running into the house all happy.
"Don't rush. You can see them, but you must know that when I bring you over, you have to listen to me. You cannot do anything by yourself," Han Sen said.
"Sure! I'll listen to your every word. Except for selecting a wife and making babies, of course." Wang Yuhang patted his chest.
That is fine. I don't want to get involved with your wife and kids." Han Sen then brought Wang Yuhang to Planet Crooked Rock, but Wang Yuhang had not eaten many xenogeneic genes. He hadn't been in the Alliance very long, either. He still wouldn't be able to generate geno armor. So, Han Sen knew he'd have to feed the man a lot more genes to produce that, first and foremost.
Han Sen brought Death Goddess and Dragon Lady Chef along, too. They were able to generate their geno armors in the cave.
Lady Chef had been staying in Han Sen's house in the Alliance. She was in charge of the kitchen there, so she had been able to nibble away at more xenogeneic genes than most of Han Sen's companions.
Death Goddess had eaten quite a bit, too, so she was ready to generate a geno armor at any point. She could fire arrows on a whim, and so she was quite a scary person to have hanging around the Alliance.
When she was staying in Han Sen's old house, she had fired arrows and toppled a lot of buildings. Han Sen's new family home was in a city. It'd be bad news if she woke up in a bad mood and decided to go knocking buildings over with a hail of arrows.
So, Han Sen wanted to bring her to the geno universe to prevent any unfortunate accidents while he was away.
Death Goddess and Lady Chef generated their geno armor in the cave. Han Sen and Wang Yuhang crouched in the cave and kept watch.
Suddenly, Han Sen heard someone's voice drawing near.
"Oh, no! Having Little Uncle here really is bad luck. Dragon Lady and Death Goddess are in the midst of generating their geno armor. They cannot be disturbed during this process." Han Sen frowned as the voice drew nearer and nearer.
1872 Gana
"You go in there and make sure Dragon Lady and Meng'er are protected." Han Sen spoke to Wang Yuhang at a low volume.
Wang Yuhang knew that he was currently weaker than the average commoner in the geno universe. There was no point hanging around with Han Sen, so he did as he was instructed and returned to the cave.
Han Sen was crouching just outside the entrance of the cave. He collected a bunch of vines and grass to conceal himself, while he kept an eye on the local vicinity.
Han Sen eventually saw two shadows emerging, coming up the path towards the cave. One of them had the upper- body of a human and the lower-body of a snake. It looked like a female serpent. She moved her body, approaching.
"Gana." Han Sen was shocked. In such a barren place, catching sight of a Gana was rather rare.
Next to the Gana was a person with the head of a cow. It was different from the one Han Sen had seen before. This one was definitely a female, and its chest had two steel orbs. It looked scary.
Han Sen perused a summary of the various races that could be seen on Planet Crooked Rock. He knew that the one with a cow head belonged to a race called Kao. They were a fairly populous race on this planet.
There were so many of them on the planet because they owned a large portion of it. Although the Gana were in control of the planet, their numbers were lower.
It was not uncommon to see a Kao as a subordinate of the Gana, but this seemed to be a little different to the usual.
The Gana was in chains, with her hands clasped tightly in cuffs. The Kao behind her had a spear, and it was pointed right at the Gana's back. It seemed as if the Gana was a prisoner.
"Gia, do you have any idea what you're doing?" The Gana woman kept on moving, but she looked angry when she spoke.
"Miss Guna, I know exactly what I am doing. You are worth a lot of money, and after I sell you, I can make a happy life for myself on any planet I select," the Kao woman with a steel chest said.
"Gia, I had no idea this is the sort of person you were. We raised you up, and we treated you like family. And now this is what you do? You're just going to up and sell me? You are cold-blooded." Guna nibbled her lips as she spoke.
"Family? Stop pretending that nonsense. You Gana always treat us Kao like slaves. We're just something that can produce milk for you. We give you everything. And what do we get in return? A compliment? Let me tell you right now; that is worth nothing." Gia gave a cold smile.
Guna continued biting her lips, and she did not respond. Gia spoke again, though, saying, "And don't you dare play any sort of tricks. If you do, I can guarantee you'll suffer."
"Who are you selling me to?" Guna asked.
"It does not matter. It's just a race that can pay a generous sum." After that, Gia pushed Guna. "Move. Go into that cave for now. The buyer will soon be here."
Han Sen was still crouched in the vines. He thought he was having quite the stroke of misfortune, learning that the cave was the supposed place of the trade.
Han Sen didn't say a word. He just erased all traces of his presence and remained shrouded amidst the vines. He clutched the handle of Ghost Teeth Knife, too.
When Guna reached the entrance, her beautiful eyes looked to the vines Han Sen was hidden beneath. She looked straight at Han Sen, and she seemed very surprised.
Han Sen was shocked, and he thought to himself, "Very powerful senses, for sure. I hid my presence, yet she can still see me?"
But Guna kept acting casual and continued moving forward. She behaved as if she had only looked that way without meaning to. She didn't look at Han Sen again, but as she approached the cave, she moved closer and closer to him.
After a few seconds more, Guna passed right by Han Sen. Han Sen, still in the vines, did not move an inch until Gia was also in front of him. Then he leaped forward. With Ghost Teeth Knife, he rushed out and tried to plunge it into her back.
Gia was very powerful, though. She could have very well have been an Earl. Han Sen still couldn't utilize Ghost Teeth Knife's full strength, and as a result, he probably wouldn't have been able to damage her bones. So, he had to take aim and strike at the most tender portions of her body.
Without any buffs, Han Sen had to use his own strength to activate all of Ghost Teeth Knife's power that he could. Ghost Teeth Knife's blade was like a fang, and it stabbed Gia's waist without remorse.
Her hide was thick, though. She wasn't wearing armor, but even so, Han Sen was only able to drive ten centimeters of the blade into her back. Compared to her barrel-thick waist, he had only managed to plunge it in at around thirty percent of what was necessary. It most certainly wasn't enough.
Gia had been ambushed, but despite that, she had no intention of fleeing. The attack seemed to enrage her, and she paid little attention to the wound she had incurred. She lifted the spear in her hand and gave it a hefty swing.
Her spear was three meters long, and its shaft was as thick as a man's arm. Its top possessed a flame that strangely resembled the shape of a cow. Its swing was frightening to see, and it looked as if it'd tear the atmosphere in two.
"Careful! Don't touch the horn power. She is brilliant when it comes to breaking armor!" Guna shouted from the cave. Han Sen did not plan on fighting. He jumped a few meters back and avoided getting struck by the cow flame.
Pang!
Gia missed, and the rocks beside Han Sen were broken by that flame. Missing enraged Gia even further, and she came charging at Han Sen for a follow-up.
Guna was currently in the cave, and she couldn't run. She was not worried about Gia, as the Kao was focused on killing her assailant—Han Sen.
Gia did not think Han Sen was the buyer, as the buyer had not been informed of the trade location yet. He couldn't know they were here.
If he did indeed belong to the buyer, it made no sense that the buyer would send someone so weak. If someone had the sort of money to buy a Gana, they were most likely a Duke or Marquise. One of them could kill Gia easily.
Gia was confused, but her spear lacked hesitation. The horn powers she wielded came rushing towards Han Sen again.
Han Sen led Gia up to the cave's entrance.
He had run too far, and he thought Gia would stop chasing him because of Guna. Han Sen was afraid Guna would venture too deep and ruin the leveling up process of Dragon Lady and Meng'er.
Wang Yuhang was also in there, but he was weaker than the lowliest commoner. Even with Guna being chained up, the likelihood of him beating her was next to none.
Han Sen and Gia were both planning to fight right where they were.
Guna saw Han Sen, and she was able to determine that he was weak and no greater than a Viscount. She expected that Gia would kill him fairly quickly. So, with a limited amount of time, she pondered how she would best escape where she was.
That being said, despite Han Sen's apparent weakness, Guna was able to tell how fast he was. Gia's attacks weren't even able to ruffle his clothes.