Chapter 958: Nio Tian's Academy Life (Revised)

Chapter 958: Nilo's Academy Life (Revised)

In the Gedora Galaxy, on a planet of a surface-level civilization, the spaceport terminal.

A mid-sized passenger starship lay docked at the port, its hatches open and boarding ramps lowered, while crowds clutching heavy luggage formed endless queues to embark.

This was an interstellar flight bound for Blue Ocean, funded and chartered by the government. The passengers were a motley crew: the wealthy who had purchased seats, military elites dispatched on missions, promising youths selected from the civilian populace, and those who had sold everything they owned for a spot in the cargo hold, desperate to leave their homeworld and change their fate.

Blue Ocean had produced a figure like Black Star, making it a fortunate darling among surface civilizations, yet across this galaxy, most surface civilizations were mere vassals to Gedora, and this planet was one of them.

For a surface civilization born under the jurisdiction of an advanced civilization, development was as difficult as scaling the heavens. Though this planet's civilization was not entirely stagnant, it clearly lacked the vitality for growth; even this port was the planet's only spaceport, seeing few interstellar visitors all year round, a stark contrast to the prosperity of Blue Ocean.

News of the Black Star Legion's impending establishment of a superpower academy had also reached here, instantly stirring the ambitions of the civilization's upper echelons.

A small place like theirs naturally had no right to invite the Legion to open an academy; to enroll, they could only go to the pilot planets. Thus, the upper echelons had specifically organized this flight to Blue Ocean, aiming to send military elites and promising youths to study at the superpower academy established by the Black Star Legion.

For surface civilizations with stunted development, surpassing galactic civilizations in hard power was virtually impossible. Technologies they treasured were deemed worthless by advanced civilizations, leaving them with only one path—the way of the superpower. By cultivating formidable individual powerhouses, they could elevate the status of their entire civilization. Blue Ocean was the envy of countless surface civilizations.

Of course, cultivating a cosmic figure like Black Star was beyond their wildest dreams; the greatest hope of this civilization was merely to produce a Calamity-grade powerhouse.

The civilian academy opened by the Black Star Legion had ignited a spark of hope...

An academy run by the strongest being in the star region—surely the chances of cultivating a Calamity-grade powerhouse would be a little higher?

Amidst the clamorous queue, a dark and slender little girl stood among the crowd, surrounded by four soldiers who kept the pressing masses at bay, shielding her from being jostled, clearly receiving special treatment.

"Uncle, what is Blue Ocean like?"

The dark, slender girl held a cloth doll in one hand and tugged at the hem of a soldier's uniform with the other, speaking timidly.

She was very young, her features not yet fully formed, but upon closer inspection, she was rather delicate, though her dull complexion made her look a bit dirty; however, her large eyes sparkled with a lively light.

"Blue Ocean? I've never been there either, but I've heard it's a very prosperous place," the soldier replied, his tone amiable.

"Th-then when will we come back?"

"I don't know that. It depends on what the higher-ups decide."

"Oh..." The dark, slender girl tightened her arms around her doll, feeling somewhat anxious and harboring an instinctual fear of the unknown life ahead.

She was an abandoned orphan, raised in a public orphanage. Not long ago, the government had conducted a comprehensive potential assessment for all children in public orphanages. Some orphans were selected and sent into this advanced study group, and she was one of them.

For her personally, her peaceful days had been suddenly shattered. It felt as though everyone was suddenly arranging her life. Confused, she could only accept every arrangement like a puppet on a string. No one told her the reason; she only knew she was about to leave the orphanage where she had stayed for so long, bid farewell to her little friends, and travel to an unknown planet to learn something.

"The Black Star Superpower Academy... what kind of place is it, really..."

...

Blue Ocean, Black Star City, a brand-new floating island hovered above the metropolis.

This floating island was the campus of the first Black Star Superpower Academy, fully equipped with all necessary facilities.

With the help of interstellar construction brigades, the construction speed was unimaginably fast. The productivity of the interstellar era was immensely powerful, with various building printers emerging one after another. This floating island, equivalent to an independent city, took less than half a month to build, including a few days spent on blueprints.

Ever since the announcement of the Legion opening the academy was released, the pilot areas had welcomed a massive influx of people, with numerous interstellar citizens from the surrounding regions flocking together.

The Black Star Legion's first phase planned to open dozens of academies in the Gedora Galaxy, and Blue Ocean was among the most highly anticipated, as it was Black Star's homeworld. Everyone knew that Blue Ocean would undoubtedly receive the most resources, making it the finest Black Star Superpower Academy.

In just over ten days, the Black Star Superpower Academy on Blue Ocean had received countless enrollment applications. Fortunately, Han Xiao had the foresight to build a massive floating island campus, capable of accommodating millions without issue, with room for continuous expansion in the future.

To expand its influence, the academy's tuition was not expensive; it did not take the route of an elite school, being quite accessible to the common people.

However, the school did not provide accommodation. There were many dedicated residential communities within the campus, available for rent or purchase—Han Xiao didn't expect to recoup costs through tuition; he had specifically commissioned the construction of supporting real estate, which was the main source of profit.

Don't ask why; if you ask, it's because they're school district properties.

The Black Star Legion lacked nothing when it came to teaching staff. A multitude of superpowers were more than willing to earn some extra money, treating it as a mercenary job teaching students. The curriculum structure had countless existing superpower academies to refer to. Blue Ocean was so prosperous that as long as there was money, all kinds of staff could be recruited, and there was no need to worry about student sources. Moreover, the name of Black Star ensured that administrative approvals were a breeze, smooth and unimpeded, with no one daring to stand in the way.

The interstellar era valued efficiency above all, so the first batch of Black Star Superpower Academies was fully prepared in less than a month. Capitalizing on the heated influence, they directly enrolled a massive number of students and commenced classes on the spot.

Riding the hovering school bus all the way to the floating island, many freshmen on the bus revealed looks of shock.

The dark, slender girl was one of them. The experiences of this period were like a dream; she had seen countless spectacular sights, each one stunning her soul.

"Country bumpkins," some of the wealthier freshmen couldn't help but despise this group of unsophisticated classmates.

It was just a floating island, what was there to be so surprised about? Look at your ignorant faces; if you saw the honorary principal in person, you'd probably faint.

Hearing the sarcasm, many freshmen from small places lowered their heads in inferiority, suppressing their gasps of awe and continually stealing glances at the scenery outside the window.

The dark, slender girl sat by the window, wearing a simple, almost plain little dress. Beside her was a newly enrolled Gedoran dressed in gorgeous attire, who now shifted away in disgust, seemingly very reluctant to sit next to the dark, slender girl.

Many orphans possessed a keen sensitivity to detect goodwill and malice. Sensing the rejection from the classmate beside her, the dark, slender girl couldn't help but pinch her dress, the hem creasing slightly under her fingers.

One hovering school bus after another arrived at the academy's floating platform. The freshmen disembarked, quickly gathering into a massive crowd waiting for a teacher to lead the way, noisy and buzzing with chatter.

The dark, slender girl was very unaccustomed to crowded places. Clutching her luggage tightly, she stood in the crowd looking quite lost, not knowing where to go.

Just then, a clamor arose from not far away. The surrounding classmates seemed to have noticed something, and everyone excitedly stood on their tiptoes to look.

"Is that Nilo, the son of Blue Ocean's leader?"

"That's right, it's him. I heard he studied under Black Star himself for a few years and even became Black Star's adopted son."

"I'm so envious, I want to call Black Star daddy too."

"I didn't expect a figure like him to study with us. Getting on good terms with him will definitely be very beneficial."

"It's a pity he looks a bit too young, otherwise I'd definitely pursue him. As long as I can win him over, the future is boundless."

"...Classmate, leave that kind of thing to us girls. You're a grown man, don't join in the fun."

"Hey, wait, he's walking over here."

In the eyes of ordinary students, Nilo was the golden child of this batch, a supremely young, wealthy, and handsome guy.

Listening to the discussions around her, the dark, slender girl felt a bit curious too.

But just then, the crowd suddenly surged. With no one to protect her here, she was immediately jostled this way and that. In a moment of carelessness, she was pushed to the ground, her luggage scattered everywhere, and her knee scraped.

"Ouch, it hurts..."

The dark, slender girl instinctively moved to cover her head, close her eyes, and crouch defensively, lest she be trampled by others.

But suddenly, the crowded people around her seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, and no one was pushing her anymore.

She opened her eyes in confusion, only to see a hovering shuttle floating above, forcing the surrounding crowd back.

A boy with a youthful face but a remarkably sunny demeanor walked over, his expression full of concern. He bent down and extended his hand to her.

"I'm Nilo. I saw you fall just now, are you okay?"

The dark, slender girl stared blankly up at Nilo. In her eyes, the boy before her seemed to be bathed in a warm, golden halo.

After staring in a daze for a few seconds, the dark, slender girl snapped back to reality. She hurriedly grasped Nilo's hand, stood up, and expressed her thanks, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Thank you... I'm not hurt..."

Nilo looked down and noticed the blood on her knee, saying, "You're hurt, aren't you?"

"It's nothing, it's just a small scratch, it'll heal in a few days."

"Wait here, I have some healing spray."

Saying this, Nilo placed his mountain-like mechanical hovering backpack on the ground, rummaged around for a moment, and took out a can of metal spray bearing the Black Star logo. He squatted down and carefully sprayed a circle around the dark, slender girl's knee, only then nodding in satisfaction.

After standing up, he only then noticed that the girl looked extremely flustered, her cheeks flushed red.

Seeing this, Nilo couldn't help but smile. "What are you so nervous about? Oh right, I haven't asked yet, what's your name?"

"I... my name is Mia Moroto. T-the orphanage director gave me this name." The dark, slender girl nervously clutched her skirt, too timid to meet Nelo's gaze.

"An orphanage? You're an orphan?" Nelo asked in surprise.

"Mhm..."

Nelo scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and handed the healing spray in his hand to Mia. "Here, this is for you. If you get hurt in the future, use this to heal faster."

He had just taken a glance and noticed Mia's plain attire; discovering she was also an orphan, he deduced she must be in poor financial straits.

Knowing that the training of espers carried a high risk of injury, Nelo simply gifted her a bottle of the spray. It was a mere trifle for him; he had an abundance of such sprays and rarely used them himself.

Gathering her courage, Mia raised her head to glance at Nelo. Meeting his sincere eyes, her heart trembled instantly. Like a startled little rabbit, she quickly lowered her head and carefully took the potion from his hand.

"Thank you..."

...

Smack!

Han Xiao, who was monitoring Nelo's enrollment, covered his face with his hand.

"It burns my eyes!!"

What in the world is this, some sort of Gary Stu fantasy?!

So young, and already a natural-born smooth talker with the ladies?!

Nelo the Almighty, is this what I sent you here to do?!

This sprout of puppy love must be nipped in the bud! Otherwise, my Perfect Mechanical Sense might just get replaced by some specialty like Female Affinity!

But then again... this Mia Moroto, why does she sound somewhat familiar?

Frowning, Han Xiao sifted through his memories, locking onto a specific image.

—A tall woman clad in black, form-fitting battle armor. Her face, once exquisitely beautiful, was now disfigured; half of it had been replaced by mechanical augmentations. A single mechanical eye glowed with an eerie crimson light, rendering her visage fierce and grotesque. Her expression was icy as she wielded a dark, ink-black metal spear, its tip dripping with blood, her entire being radiating the murderous aura of a harbinger of death.

"Conqueror Mia Moroto, a Calamity-grade martial artist. Once a seed for the Beyond A Grade, she lost several limbs in a battle, severing her path to the Beyond A Grade, and was one of Hela's followers in my past life..."

Han Xiao blinked, finding it incredibly difficult to reconcile the image of that female harbinger of death with the frail, dark, and slender girl before him.

Rubbing his temples, Han Xiao gazed at Nelo on the surveillance screen, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

This was truly the privilege of a protagonist-type character, casually stumbling upon a companion with immense potential.

A high-tier luck aura... truly terrifying!

I'm convinced!

Someday I need to get one of those too, and pin that little minx, the Goddess of Luck, down to ravish her a hundred times over!

Unable to bear watching Nelo's show-off spectacle any longer, Han Xiao helplessly shut off the surveillance and turned his gaze toward the nearby mechanical modification workbench.

A month of relentless effort had not only seen the inventory of mechanical warbots fully updated and enhanced, but the mechanical legion had also expanded to a scale of nearly twenty million. The secondary dimensional factory had also taken its initial shape; all that remained was to refine and perfect it, transforming it into an armed base and military factory within the secondary dimension.

"My efficiency remains as high as ever."

Gazing at the orderly mechanical legion, Han Xiao chuckled, thoroughly satisfied.

Beep beep beep!!

Just then, an alarm suddenly blared across Han Xiao's quantum network vision.

The very next moment, Philip suddenly materialized, throwing his arms around Han Xiao's finger. His little face was deathly pale, and his virtual avatar flickered with constant white noise, as if suffering from a poor connection.

"Detecting a massive influx of anomalous data breaching my core data firewall. Dad, save me, weng!"