“The strength of this Level 5 Civilization is truly immense.” That was the first thought Xiao Yu had upon seeing the goods catalog.

It was a list detailing books on specific technologies, including many that Xiao Yu had already mastered, such as “Detailed Analysis of Elemental Decay Technology”, “Principles of Curvature Drives”, and “Principles of Faster-Than-Light Detection”. However, there were far more technologies that Xiao Yu had not yet grasped.

The technologies were scattered across various disciplines, encompassing a vast array of knowledge. Some of them were so obscure that Xiao Yu had never even heard of them, titles like “On Black Holes and Material Science” or “How to Determine the Value of a Planet”.

Among them, several entries caught Xiao Yu’s special attention. One document titled “How to Improve the Efficiency of Elemental Decay Technology” was listed at a price of ten million Transaction Points. Another, “Discussion and Research on the Speed Limits of Curvature Navigation”, was marked at five million Points. Yet another, “Some Understandings of the Grand Unified Theory from a Level 5 Civilization”, was priced at a staggering thirteen million Points.

Xiao Yu was extremely interested in these technologies, but the prices gave him pause. They were too expensive. After the previous era of grand-scale construction, Xiao Yu had less than two hundred million tons of Swarm limbs remaining. These were not resources he could afford to squander lightly.

Suppressing his impulse for the time being, Xiao Yu turned to browsing the resource-based goods.

These were significantly cheaper. He saw a mineral called Red Crystal, sourced from the core of terrestrial planets, being sold at just one Transaction Point for five tons, making it five times cheaper than Swarm limbs. Another material, Blueforge, an artificial composite, was far more expensive at seven Transaction Points per ton. However, upon closely examining its technical specifications, Xiao Yu realized he could manufacture it himself. In fact, he had been using it all along under the designation Material A787.

As far as resources went, Xiao Yu had little need for outside supplies. He’d always mined, refined, and used his own materials in a self-sufficient cycle.

The products offered at Azure Market were divided into four major categories: Technology, Resources, Information, and Biological.

Information-based goods were not openly priced. Instead, customers had to submit questions, and the Molian Civilization would quote a price, leaving it to the customer to decide whether or not to proceed.

Biological goods, on the other hand, covered a wide variety of organisms: Alien Beasts, ordinary lifeforms, and even intelligent species.

Xiao Yu was stunned to discover that the biological category even included a product called “Scientist.” After reading the detailed description, an odd feeling welled up inside him.

These “Scientists” were in fact living individuals. Their prices varied based on their knowledge base, the level of civilization they came from, and their cognitive speed.

The most expensive listing Xiao Yu saw was a scientist specializing in “Fundamental Particle Physics”. This individual seemed to come from a mid-tier Level 4 Civilization, and had been captured by the Molian Civilization during a war or conflict. He was now being sold for two million Transaction Points.

All these strange and exotic items left Xiao Yu wide-eyed in amazement.

After browsing the catalog thoroughly, Xiao Yu made a decision.

“I want to purchase information-based products,” he sent in a message.

The reply came swiftly: “Please submit the question you wish to ask.”

Xiao Yu thought for a moment and said, “That battle over a thousand years ago, which took place at the end of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way, you must know about it, right? I want to understand the impact that battle had on the overall situation of the Milky Way.”

“This intelligence costs two hundred thousand Transaction Points, which, converted into the currency you submitted, amounts to two hundred thousand tons of Swarm limbs. Do you confirm the purchase?”

“I confirm,” Xiao Yu replied.

“Very well. Please prepare the necessary materials. We will dispatch a robot to receive them. Once the handover is complete, you will receive our answer.”

“No problem,” Xiao Yu responded. He then operated his robotic units to load the two hundred thousand tons of Swarm limbs onto a transport ship, which he sent to the designated location. After a short wait, he saw another transport vessel approach from the inner star system. Once both sides confirmed the details, the exchange began.

Everything proceeded simply and efficiently. In just one hour, the exchange of the two hundred thousand tons of material was completed. At the same time, Xiao Yu received the answer he had paid for.

“As a civilization that personally experienced and survived that battle, our Molian Civilization is qualified to answer this question. After the Taihao Civilization from the Large Magellanic Cloud joined forces with the Guardian Civilization and mobilized nearly half of the advanced civilizations in the entire Milky Way to launch an all-out assault on the Sweeper Civilization, the balance of power in the Milky Way entered a new era.”

“Before we provide the answer, we find it necessary to first describe the course of the war. Before the Guardian Alliance and the Sweeper Civilization’s Neutron War Star joined the battle, the conflict was, at most, a large-scale regional war. The Sweeper Civilization and the Taihao Civilization engaged in intense combat, resulting in a prolonged stalemate. The arrival of the Neutron War Star and the combined forces of the Guardian Alliance and half the Milky Way’s advanced civilizations marked the peak of the war. The outcome, which you may already know, was that the Taihao Civilization was annihilated, the Guardian Alliance fled, and the Sweeper Civilization suffered devastating losses. Here are some of our estimated figures to give you a clearer picture.”

“Of the five hundred-plus advanced civilizations that participated in the war, over four hundred and fifty were completely wiped out. A total of more than seventy million powerful warships were destroyed. The Guardian Alliance lost ninety percent of its five million warships; its flagship, the Radiance, was severely damaged and is estimated to require at least twenty thousand years for complete repairs. As for the Sweeper Civilization, the condition of its Neutron War Star is unknown, but its conventional forces suffered near-total devastation, about twelve million warships were destroyed, approximately ninety-five percent of its combat fleet. Most of these ships were destroyed during the time when the Neutron War Star were pinned down by the Taihao Civilization, allowing the other civilizations to launch a full-scale assault.”

“Therefore, our answer is this: following this war, due to the losses in population, resources, and fleets, both the Guardian Civilization and the Sweeper Civilization will enter a dormant phase. For at least the next ten thousand years, they are unlikely to resurface, they will be occupied with restoring their strength. As such, during this ten-thousand-year window, we lesser civilizations will experience the best opportunity for development. In this period, we no longer need to fear the destructive strikes of high-level civilizations. We can develop and communicate freely.”

“Of course, with the suppression from high-level civilizations gone, another consequence will arise: the unchecked rise of Predator Civilizations. Wherever there are civilizations that advocate peace and progress through dialogue, there will inevitably be those that thrive on war and slaughter.”

“In conclusion, our answer is that the next ten to twenty thousand years will be an era of both opportunity and crisis.”

The document ended there. In just a few hundred words, the information it carried had cost Xiao Yu two hundred thousand tons of precious resources.

Overall, the intelligence obtained from the Molian Civilization did not differ greatly from Xiao Yu’s own deductions. However, he still felt the document was worth the price.

Most importantly, the intelligence confirmed Xiao Yu’s predictions, making his future direction and plans even clearer.

“Are you satisfied with this piece of information?” A message entered Xiao Yu’s mind after he had finished reading.

“Reasonably satisfied. Transaction complete,” Xiao Yu replied.

“Very well. It was our honor to serve you. Is there any other information you wish to obtain?”

“Hmm…” Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and said, “I would also like to know the following information: a general overview of all advanced civilizations in the Milky Way, the approximate distribution of powers, known danger zones, characteristics of civilizations by level… In short, I need all intelligence related to the Milky Way.”

“You’re not the first civilization to ask such a question. In fact, since the opening of our Azure Market, we’ve received dozens of similar requests. It seems that over the long ages, due to the suppression by powerful high-level civilizations, the flow of information has become extremely stagnant,” the Molian being remarked before continuing, “We’ve compiled an encyclopedia-style document that contains all the basic data on the Milky Way. The questions you asked are all included. However, there are two things you should know. First, because our Molian Civilization is only a Level 5 Civilization, our understanding of the Milky Way is limited. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information. Second, the cost of compiling this document was extremely high, so the price will also be steep at ten million Transaction Points. Of course, after leaving our market, you’re free to trade this document with other civilizations for profit. However, doing so within the market is prohibited.”

“So then, tell me your answer. Do you want to purchase this document?”

“Ten million Transaction Points…” The massive number gave Xiao Yu a moment of hesitation. But a moment later, he made up his mind. “I will prepare the materials. Please dispatch a robot to my fleet’s location for the exchange. I want this document.”