...Apparently not.
After a moment of reflection, Chu Ze stopped thinking.
Unlike his mother, who claimed to have connections all over the universe, his social skills were poor, and he currently had few friends.
The few friends who did have private starships were, for various reasons, unable to lend them out at the moment.
So, he could only obediently pay up and buy one himself.
With this thought, Chu Ze opened his credit point wallet and looked at the cold string of numbers.
[Current Credit Point Balance: 1,583,191,981.00]
This was his large savings account.
It included the 1 billion credit transfer from Herta and the over 500 million in savings he had accumulated in the past.
With savings like his, even on the economically advanced Luofu Xianzhou, he could definitely be considered a minor tycoon.
Many workers on the Xianzhou couldn't match his savings even after working for five or six hundred years; even knocking off a zero would still be a difficult goal to reach.
But if he were to buy a private starship, this amount of money might not be enough, especially for a long-range starship equipped with a warp engine.
With this in mind, Chu Ze opened an online shopping platform and started searching for recent starship prices...
[Long Sky-III Private Skiff: Price 300 million credits, only supports short-distance intra-planetary travel. Click for details...]
[Ever-Daylight Small Starskiff: Price 680 million credits, supports short-term navigation in low-orbit. Click for details...]
[Sky-Wolf Vanguard Short-Range Assault Ship: Price 1 billion credits, capable of combat in low-orbit. Click for details...]
These starships, without the ability for interstellar travel, started at several hundred million.
As for the vehicle Chu Ze actually needed, one equipped with a warp engine, the price was even more outrageous.
He casually clicked on a product recommended by big data and was immediately dazzled by the flashy advertisement.
[Galactic Speed, Beyond Imagination!]
[Aurora-class Medium-Range Starship—A new high-value product from the Interastral Peace Corporation is now grandly launched!]
[The ship is equipped with the time-tested fourth-generation warp engine, with a maximum operating speed of 20,000 light-years per system hour. Shorten the journey from the Alisa system to Pier Point to the time it takes to drink a few cups of coffee!]
[Also comes with a full-dimensional life support system, a custom-built intelligent mechanical butler, a fifty-year super-long warranty, and many other free gifts!]
[Order now! The basic model is only 5 billion credits! We also offer enhanced and supreme models, priced at only 5.8 billion and 6.8 billion respectively...]
[...]
Chu Ze didn't read any further.
5 billion.
Without Herta's funding, this was a number he would have to work for one hundred and fifty years without eating or drinking to save up.
The wealth gap in the interstellar era was just that exaggerated. He once again deeply understood this point.
"It seems I can't get a starship through ordinary means."
Chu Ze rubbed his chin, thinking of other methods.
Public transport was the first to be ruled out.
Given the distance between the Azure Star and the Luofu Xianzhou, public transport with all its stops would take at least half a year. By then, it would be too late.
Silver Wolf's [Aether Editing] could also traverse space, but the prerequisite was that both the starting point and the destination must have an [Aether Anchor] set by her.
Chu Ze had an anchor set in his home, so Silver Wolf could teleport over at any time.
But setting an anchor in a star system where an Emanator of Erudition resides was a risk that far outweighed the reward.
As for using hacking techniques to forcibly take over a starship...
Feasible, but not entirely.
All current starships were equipped with the Corporation's security defense system. Once hacked, the internal anti-hacking system would immediately activate. The starship itself would also continuously send signals to headquarters, attracting a steady stream of the Corporation's pursuers.
Whether he could counter it was another matter, but at the very least, the level of trouble didn't fit his need for low-profile travel, and it could easily expose his relationship with the Stellaron Hunters.
"It seems there's only one way."
Chu Ze gritted his teeth, as if compromising, and took out his phone.
Chu Ze: Help me, Ms. Herta!
Chu Ze: Lend me a long-range starship, I'll return it once I get to the Azure Star!
Chu Ze: Watashi! Onegai!
The reply from the other side was still very fast.
Herta: But aren't you a civil servant of the Xianzhou Alliance? How come you don't even have a vehicle?
Chu Ze: Those are public starships, in principle, they can only be used for missions.
Chu Ze: And I'm planning to go to the Azure Star to hang out with you. This is a private matter, so I definitely can't apply for one.
Herta: Oh? Coming to the Azure Star to hang out with me?
Chu Ze: Mhm.
Herta: The reason?
Chu Ze: Work pressure is too high, I'm coming out to travel and relax.
Herta: A lie, zero points.
Chu Ze: Oh... then it's because you're too beautiful, I want to meet you and admire you properly.
Herta: Hmm, that reason is honest.
The other side seemed to pause for a moment.
Then she continued to send a message.
Herta: We can meet, but you'd better not have any delusions.
Herta: Childish romance is just tedious and burdensome for me.
Chu Ze: Don't worry, I understand.
Chu Ze: On the Xianzhou, I'm known for being calm and mature. Everyone I interact with gives me a thumbs-up, so you don't have to worry about me pestering you.
Herta: ...Just from your chatting style, your personality doesn't seem to match those words at all.
Herta: Forget it, you wait.
After a while, Herta suddenly sent a few pictures.
Chu Ze opened them and saw an incredibly luxurious large starship.
The ship's hull was mainly a dreamy purple, with gorgeous, abstract light patterns flowing across its surface. The sides of the ship were each inlaid with 42 quantum-attribute cosmic crystals, which not only enhanced its appearance and extravagance but also provided immense power to the ship's internal circulation system.
The array of thrusters at the stern was even more spectacular, with a full one hundred and twenty thrusters of a type Chu Ze couldn't name, arranged regularly like stargate vortexes. Even without using the warp engine, its own power would definitely allow it to outpace most starships.
Chu Ze: This starship must have cost a lot, right?
Herta: It's alright. I remember the initial estimate was over five thousand.
Chu Ze: Fifty million? So cheap? I'll get one too!
Herta: Not million, billion.
Herta: Five hundred billion, and it's not even available on the market.
Chu Ze: ...
Is this the world of the rich?
What an eye-opener!
He was admiring this ultra-luxurious starship with shining eyes.
But the next moment, he saw the message Herta sent.
Herta: Like it?
Chu Ze: Like it, I love it!
Herta: Then it's yours. Take it and fly.
Chu Ze: ?
Chu Ze: You're just lending it to me like that?
Herta: Not lending, giving.
Herta: From now on, this custom-made private starship, worth 500 billion and used only by me, is yours.
Chu Ze: ????
-------
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