Chapter 2: : Internship Lord

In the 23rd century, thanks to significant advancements in artificial intelligence, the successful implementation of numerous renewable energy technologies, and careful population planning by the Earth Federation, resources were no longer a scarcity. As a result, human exploration of outer space became a paramount endeavor.

The Mars bases established by various countries often remained dormant for many years, and map exploration missions had turned inactive. However, beneath the surface, a hidden base was discreetly positioned on Mars.

A frigid, intelligent mechanical voice resonated from the base: "Reporting to the host, the energy conversion device has been installed, the probe car is fully assembled, and the fine element extractor is in place. We are now awaiting a group of trained miners to commence the operation of the Fire Ant Mine. Proceed!"

Inside the base, the lone figure of the tall and handsome lord, Xi Ye Erdia, was seated on the ground, a hint of helplessness etched across his features. "Where are the artificial beings? Where are those kind souls who promised to join me?"

"Please, host, remain patient. According to the regulations of the Human Market Organization, the game review process takes 48 hours, and even after the review is complete, it will take some time to circulate through the market," came the reply.

"Can we truly rely on this idea?" the lord asked with skepticism.

"Given the host's limited resources and circumstances, this was the best strategy the AI could come up with," the response echoed.

Xi Ye frowned slightly upon hearing this, his handsome face marked by a hint of frustration. He had to admit that his lack of resources was indeed his most pressing issue.

Xi Ye, an intern lord who had graduated from the University of the Universe Federation Tenjin Group, may have mastered the essence of divinity during his studies, but he was struggling to compete with other graduate interns. Many of his peers had financial resources or powerful backgrounds, which made them far more appealing to potential recruits for interstellar endeavors. Xi Ye, on the other hand, found himself in a difficult spot.

He had depleted most of his family's resources to finance his education and had little left to offer potential employees. His planet, a ninth-grade inferior one, was hardly an attractive proposition, even to the least picky applicants.

A ninth-grade planet was a desolate, inhospitable place where even the most subpar of black goblins would think twice before settling. Xi Ye once inquired about the cost of hiring a black goblin for such a planet and discovered that it would require at least 30 days' worth of salary just to get someone to consider the offer. But his monthly allowance during school was only 30 divine coins! 

Desperate to attract potential recruits, he had no choice but to turn to the Tenjin group for an identity loan. Unfortunately, not many institutions were willing to offer an intern like him such a loan, and those that did imposed exorbitant interest rates. So, with his meager resources, he resorted to the most common strategy used by impoverished lords: seeking new life and opportunities in uncharted galaxies as an explorer.

The method he chose was indeed one of the riskiest, and lords with even a modest amount of wealth typically avoided it. The universe was vast, and habitable galaxies were incredibly rare. Many lords who ventured into this path ended up drifting aimlessly through the cosmos, and they might never find a habitable galaxy.

However, Xi Ye was fortunate, and his wandering lasted for less than ten thousand years. By sheer chance, he stumbled upon the Milky Way through a wormhole shuttle and discovered the pristine blue planet known as Planet D.

Planet D possessed an ideal structure, excelling in every aspect, from atmospheric composition to geomorphology and moisture content. If rated, it would easily be considered a seven-tier planet.

Seventh tier! In the Universe Federation, the value of a seven-tier planet was a hundredfold that of a nine-tier planet, and it had no price on the market. On the black market, it was estimated that you'd need to exchange two hundred nine-tier planets for a single seven-tier planet, and no one would willingly make that trade!

Furthermore, several other planets in this solar system showed promising development prospects through his explorations. With proper development, they could potentially reach eight-tier life planet status.

This was an auspicious beginning!

Upon this discovery, Xi Ye's initial thought was to claim Planet D as his own. According to Universal Federal law, an interstellar lord had the right to conquer and establish colonies in unclaimed territories and had the authority to interact with or subdue civilizations that had not joined the Union. This provision was designed to encourage members of the Tenjin group, like Xi Ye, who were sent to explore the outer realms by the Federation. They were essentially the pioneers of the galaxy.

However, after some reflection, Xi Ye realized he had a major problem.

It appeared he lacked the capability to conquer this planet.

When he purchased his spaceship, all his funds were invested in infrastructure. He acquired a foldable original base car, various production equipment, top-notch gear, high-quality biological specimens, and essential materials. For weaponry, he had opted for the most affordable compression gun.

From the outset, Xi Ye had never anticipated stumbling upon a planet with a fully developed civilization. His best-case scenario was to find a ninth-level planet near a spontaneous star and slowly transform the environment using the ship's basic materials, introduce biological specimens, establish a basic biological ecosystem, and then guide the evolution of higher-order creatures, with the aim of fostering highly intelligent life within a span of 100,000 years.

This was his most ambitious plan. He never imagined that he would be so fortunate as to enter a mature galaxy teeming with billions of intelligent life forms. It seemed that his efforts as a goblin **** on the nursery star had not been in vain!

However, the current dilemma he faced was that despite the incredible opportunity before him, he had no means to take advantage of it.

This civilization leaned towards materialism and possessed a comprehensive air-to-air missile defense system. With only a spacecraft armed with compression guns and elementary divine power, it was impossible to conquer or control the planet.

After three months of observation and more than 17 million calculated methods of aggression, including covert political manipulation of the human world, none of these approaches had a probability of success exceeding 20%.

Should he send a signal to the Federation, offering to hand over the planet in exchange for resources? While he could obtain considerable resources through such a transaction, he was unwilling to give up this clear opportunity for ascendancy.

Just as he was growing increasingly anxious, the spacecraft's intelligence system proposed a method with a relatively high success rate: the "Xinghai mode." This approach involved using deception to outwit the planet's political circles and quietly building his own power base while under their surveillance. The means of deception revolved around the newly emerging virtual online game on Planet D.

The spacecraft's intelligence alerted him, "Please note, host, the teleporter has been activated, and three beings have just teleported in."

Xi Ye's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly put on his helmet. He called out to the newcomers who had just arrived through the portal, "Welcome to Xinghai, brave explorers! Come, sign a contract and become the people of the great Lord of Night!"