Regardless of how much one resents the name, the speed of this patrol ship, the "Giant Turtle Platform," is quite impressive. It's more than a notch faster than any civilian transport ship—it took only an hour to fly back to the solar system from over 800 light-years away. And that's after numerous stops along the way for photos, sightseeing, and adventurous detours. The ship's speed is simply incredible, beyond mere "speed": once its superluminal engine is activated, it breaks the speed of light in this universe. Kevin doesn't know if traveling in the space bubble still counts as "travel," but to him, it's almost like teleportation. This was just the Turtle's cruise mode. The ship actually possessed true space jump capabilities, capable of leaping between worlds or within a single universe. However, this required a bit of recharging time and placed an additional strain on the ship's power core. Therefore, Raven 12345 advised Kevin to stick to flying unless absolutely necessary, for journeys that could be completed in a few hours. Keeping the ship in peak condition for a true emergency was a fundamental quality every captain must possess.
It would likely take Kevin a while to become a true captain, at least until he'd digested the vast amount of theoretical material on the data terminal. While he was technically the ship's owner, he was effectively a figurehead. He could only set a target upon boarding and leave the rest to the onboard console and his data terminal. He was still a long way from becoming a true captain. After passing through the barrier that blocked all detection, the guiding lights of Kuiper Station reappeared in Kevin's field of vision. The last time he'd left here, he'd taken a ride on someone else's ship, but this time, he was returning on his own official ship. It had only been two days, and this gave him a strange sense of excitement, an urge to show off.
Luckily, he couldn't find anyone he knew in this place, even if he tried.
"Port request issued—Port request approved. This ship is about to enter the special port area." The soft, monotonous voice of the ship's main engine echoed in the control room. The Turtle's bow slowly turned toward a separate structure flanking Kuiper Station. A data terminal, stuck to its console, excitedly shouted, "Oh yeah, oh yeah! A perfect maiden voyage! This machine must have been born to be a shipboard main engine! Someone get a welding torch and weld this machine shut!"
Kevin, clutching a bottle of 502, gestured at the data terminal, "Say it again. Do you believe I'll actually collapse?"
The data terminal instantly fell silent.
"From now on, your ship will be permanently docked here," Raven 12345 followed excitedly, having dozed off since takeoff. She had just woken up and pointed at the holographic projection of Kuiper Station's flank. "This special harbor area is reserved for the Inquisitor and other Imperial official vessels. Remember, your ship enjoys various privileges within mortal civilization, including priority passage on any waterway, transit exemption, stargate access, and unlimited docking at any space station. However, these privileges aren't meant to be used to bully others. You must act within the rules. For example, strictly use designated berths, avoid wandering the Grand Waterway unless necessary for official business, arbitrarily requisition civilian vessels and space station facilities for personal purposes, and strictly prohibit firing on neutral units—I don't want to hear any complaints about you. This goddess has a keen eye, and I can see from just now that you're a little overexcited."
Kevin actually laughed at this, and he was even more pleased to hear Raven 12345 solemnly emphasize these issues: "Don't worry, you can trust my character—but then again, so many privileges?"
Kevin wasn't quite sure what privileges like "priority passage on any waterway" and "transit exemption" meant, but the names alone suggested they were quite special, and he couldn't help but feel curious. "Because the Inquisitors guarantee the stable operation of this universe, and are even the behind-the-scenes protectors of the safe development of many civilizations—don't be so surprised. You may feel like you're doing trivial things, but my arrangements actually have a deeper meaning. Let's not discuss that for now. In short, you just need to understand that power comes with responsibility. Since you have privileges, you must act in accordance with them. At the very least, you must be worthy of the respect others have for you—look at this space station. Do you see those guidance aircraft and port facilities up ahead? The staff there are serving the lower echelons of the Empire with a sense of honor. You must at least be worthy of their overtime today."
Raven 12345 always spoke with a blunt but insightful tone. His words immediately weighed heavily on Kevin's heart. He felt that his ordinary and lazy personality even let down the staff at Kuiper Station and the person 883 had given him a free ride. Suddenly, he felt the urge to rush out and find a dark force to destroy them together. This passion burned for five or six seconds before Raven 12345 added further: "Actually, the reason people work overtime here is mainly because the salaries at Kuiper Station are higher. One of the station's shareholders is the wealthy group from the Fiali Void Consortium. I was just trying to strengthen your sense of responsibility, something I learned from the corporate management manual..."
Kevin: "...Can't you let my sense of responsibility burn a little longer?"
Raven 12345 chuckled: "Just do your job well. If you mess up, I'll strike you with lightning."
As they spoke, the ship had already docked at a port in the Special Harbor Area. It was a large facility similar in structure to the Fourth Connecting Harbor, with so much space inside that one wondered if they were planning to squeeze in four or five more ships. Kevin left the "Giant Turtle Platform" feeling unsatisfied. On the personnel platform at the harbor, he spotted several station staff members, one of whom was a familiar face: the guide girl from before. "Your Excellency, Inquisitor, congratulations on your safe return." The guide girl smiled and bowed to Kevin. Several staff members standing behind her also greeted him. This made Kevin feel a little overwhelmed. He felt like he hadn't done anything significant, just went to an alien planet and brought back an egg. This egg was more meaningful than him...
"Hey, hey, why didn't you say hello?" Raven 12345 jumped up, creating a halo behind her head with lightning. She jumped and shouted, "I'm the goddess! I'm your goddess!"
"Yes, goddess, we saw you just now," the guide girl said, smiling at Raven 12345. "But we didn't know if you were going to play incognito again this time, so we didn't dare say anything. Come on, everyone: Your Majesty, with boundless magical power and vast divine abilities, your divine carriage..."
Raven 12345 quickly stepped aside: "Forget it, I'll just go incognito. You guys pretend you don't know me." Kevin was quite surprised by this scene: This seemingly wicked goddess had this side to her. Apparently, she was quite familiar with the people at Kuiper Station. Kevin became increasingly curious about Raven 12345's daily life. At this moment, an elderly man with graying hair and a beard approached Kevin. He looked quite old, yet full of energy and vigor, dressed in a crisp blue uniform. He shook Kevin's hand. "Your Excellency, Inquisitor, I'm the stationmaster of this space station. You can call me Demos. I was busy with official business and didn't have time to say hello."
Then the elderly man pointed to the guide girl next to him. "This is my granddaughter, Lulu. You've already met."
"Of course, of course." Kevin shook the old man's hand vigorously, sensing a strange aura about him. Before he could ask, Raven 12345 introduced him. "Demos was a former commander of the Imperial Service Army, from the Pan-Galactic Civilization Community. He was killed in a fierce battle, but was resurrected and left the army to become the stationmaster here. You should get to know him. He might be useful on future missions."
Kevin was a little confused by Raven's natural introduction. "Killed? Resurrected?"
"I've been killed in action four times, and the fourth time was barely saved," the old stationmaster said, seemingly unconcerned. "Fighting alongside the Xiling Apostles, dying a few times is normal. But they said if I kept dying, I might not be able to be saved, so they forced me to retire. Don't worry, I'm very familiar with Imperial affairs. If there's anything I can help you with, just ask."
Kevin was completely stunned, nodding and mechanically repeating two words: "Sure, sure..."
An old man who died four times? Can you believe it?!