CHAPTER 192: NOVA GATEWAY STATION

"I see. I didn’t expect this ship to have something like that."

Nash wasn’t shocked by the technology itself but by its presence on such a small ship.

"Teacher Hanse said the Nova Capital has even more advanced training facilities that can boost soul training up to ten times."

"That’s indeed a paradise for training. But, Teacher Hanse? Did he take you as his student?"

"He didn’t accept me as a student, but he said he’ll be one of the instructors on call for the cosmic elite. Advising me here would make his job easier."

"That’s great. It seems I don’t need to worry about you in the Nova Capital."

Initially, Nash had been concerned about what Leo would do once they reached the Nova Capital.

Luckily, with an instructor like Hanse guiding him, Leo should be in good hands.

"I can take care of myself!" Leo blushed, thinking that Nash treated him like a kid.

"Alright, no need to deny it," Nash chuckled.

Soon, he began asking about their progress toward their destination, news from Earth, and other matters.

After catching up with the latest news, Nash returned to his room.

Though the Soul Forging Chamber was available, Nash wasn’t eager to use it yet.

Without a module system, he would have to manually control his soul and resist the pressure for the training to work.

Rather than wasting time on such a small training boost, he decided to focus on creating the [Parallel Module System] first.

Entering the virtual world for the endless passive book reading, Nash began crafting a new runic module system.

---

A week later...

With mastery over all the blue runic programs, Nash swiftly created the [Parallel Module System]!

Moreover, it wasn’t just the initial version that could split his consciousness into two, but the one that could split it into three!

It seemed his awakened genetic ability not only boosted his comprehension but also his efficiency in manipulating runes.

Eager to test the new system’s effectiveness, Nash activated the [Parallel Module System].

[Initializing... Please input the following tasks]

[1. Main Consciousness]

[2. Blank]

[3. Blank]

"Set Two to reading. Set Three to runic command observation," Nash commanded.

The second task wasn’t about reading books and uploading them to the [Memory Module System] but internalizing the already-uploaded knowledge to his mind.

Though he could freely access the information stored in the [Memory Module System], it was too slow to be used in deducing a new skill or manuals.

To create a manual for 10,000% void and soul saturation, he needed to fully understand and internalize the other manuals; merely knowing them wasn’t enough.

As for the third task, after studying all the blue and red runic programs that formed his soul and body, it was time to tackle the runic commands.

By passively recording the changes in the runic commands, he wouldn’t need to deliberately train to comprehend them later.

Now, finally freed from these two secondary tasks, Nash could focus on creating the advanced soul training manual.

However, before he could start a new round of deduction, the ship’s artificial intelligence notified Nash that they had arrived at the Nova Capital Gateway Station.

[Please proceed to the Control Deck and meet with Captain Hanse.]

Not wasting time, Nash followed the instructions and headed to the control deck.

"Noir, Leo, come here. We need to register your identities before entering the Nova Capital."

"Is there anything we need to do?"

"No, as cosmic elites, you only need to register your names," Hanse said, shaking his head.

For others, the entry to the Nova Capital wasn’t so simple—it required a full biometric scan, void signature imprint, social exam, and a hefty processing fee.

Entering the capital of the Nova Sector was basically harder than threading a needle blindfolded.

As Hanse docked the ship at the planet-sized Gateway Station, he began to lead them to the customs office.

Gazing at the vast station, with ships of all sizes coming and going, Nash couldn’t help but be mesmerized.

Though they were only at the Gateway Station of the Nova Capital, the place already radiated with prosperity.

It felt like stepping into another world, brimming with advanced technology Nash had never seen before.

Moreover, seeing different human species, he realized just how broad the term "human" truly was.

One group, standing 2.5-3 meters tall with thin bodies, elongated limbs, and pale silver skin, caught his eye.

"They’re from the Veythar race. Because they lived mostly in deserts, their silver-hued skin mutated to reflect the heat, while their slim bodies maximize endurance and speed," Hanse explained as they walked.

He then pointed to another group, 1.2–1.5 meters tall, with rough, stone-like bodies. "Those are the Ka’rith race. They mostly dwell in underground worlds and mines, so they have small, sturdy figures."

"What about them?" Leo asked, pointing at people with four arms arranging mountains of packages.

"Those are the Quarnex race, a mutation created by scientists to maximize work efficiency while maintaining precision," Hanse replied.

As Hanse continued to introduce human species with vastly different features, from people with wings, horns, glowing skin, bony frames, frost-like auras, giants, and more—Nash felt his understanding of "human" being challenged.

Though he had seen many of these in the virtual world, the division between reality and simulation made him think they were mere cosmetic effects.

"What’s the distinction between them and us? Why are we all called humans?" Nash asked.

"It’s our genetic core. Despite our differences in shape, size, color, features, and culture, our genetic core is the same."

"Genetic core? What’s that?"

"You’ll understand it later when you explore the scientific profession."

"I see. Then, are there other intelligent species besides us humans?"

"Of course! The Universe is vast. Beyond humans, there are void beasts, elemental spirits, plant spirits, celestials, machine race, insect race, and more."

"So many... Just how big is the Universe?" Leo asked, eyes wide with wonder.

"Haha, forget the Nova Sector—even the Chronos Empire is just a tiny corner of the Universe!"