After watching the fireworks show, the fleet set sail once again, heading towards the final destination of their journey.
In the void, time held no meaning, nor were there sunrises or sunsets.
For the initial period, Fang Er would still accompany Li Shimin and others in playing mahjong and watching movies.
However, after a while, he began to show up less frequently, either engaging in intimate activities with Xi Tong in the cabin or locking himself away to delve into the deep applications of brainwaves.
It wasn't until over 400 days later, when the fleet entered the Cygnus constellation, that Fang Er leisurely arrived on the bridge.
During the long voyage, only a few on-duty Tianhuo Army soldiers were stationed on the bridge. Upon seeing him arrive, they quickly rose and saluted.
"Your Highness!"
Fang Er nodded in return, walked to the control console, and sat down, looking through the star charts.
Not long after he sat down, a soldier approached and reported.
"Your Highness, about thirty million kilometers to our right front, two fleets are engaged in combat!"
They had encountered many such space battles along the way, but they had always ignored them and moved on, so soldiers rarely reported such matters to him.
Fang Er, feeling bored at the moment, heard this news and suddenly became interested.
"Luotong, change course and let's go take a look!"
[As you command, my dear Big Stick!]
As Luotong's mechanized electronic voice sounded, the warship halted its jump and rushed towards the detected battlefield.
Thirty million kilometers was covered in the blink of an eye.
The battle situation outside was projected onto the holographic screen by Luotong.
Through the images, Fang Er could clearly see that the two fleets were not on the same level at all.
It was a scene where one side was completely dominating the other.
[We are the Green Ox Merchant Fleet from Kunlun Star, attacked by space pirates, requesting assistance!]
The communicator on the control console suddenly sounded, and the voice that came through was pure Mandarin Chinese!
Fang Er shot up from his seat, staring incredulously at the two fleets on the holographic screen.
"Your Highness, they can speak our language?"
"What should we do, Your Highness? Should we save them or not?"
The others on the bridge had also clearly heard the call for help, and everyone was momentarily stunned.
Then they heard Fang Er's command.
"Charge the Star Annihilator!"
"Yes!"
The Star Annihilator outside the ship immediately lit up, white light appearing at the muzzle of the cannon, gradually growing larger.
The two sides in the battle, upon noticing the abnormality on their side, quickly reacted.
The fleet that had the upper hand immediately ceased its bombardment and fled into the distance at great speed.
The one that had been suppressed slowly sailed towards the Luotong.
Seeing this, Fang Er then had Luotong halt the charging process, deeming the threat sufficient without needing to annihilate the other party.
As the fleet approached, the communicator once again transmitted the other party's voice.
"I am Jie Yan, the steward of the Green Ox Merchant Fleet from the Western Province of Kunlun Star, thank you for your fleet's assistance!"
"May I know if it would be convenient to visit your ship, so that we may express our gratitude?"
Fang Er had no reason to refuse; in this unfamiliar place, finding someone to communicate with was truly rare.
Moreover, he had many things he wanted to inquire about regarding Kepler-452B.
Since the fleet commander could speak Chinese, they must have some connection with the Yanhuang people on Kepler-452B.
The cabin door opened, and after a while, Wang Xuance brought a group of people back from outside.
Upon entering the bridge, they all removed their spacesuits, revealing their true appearances.
Among them, the leader was a woman, about 1.7 meters tall, with delicate features and black hair that almost reached her waist.
"I am Guan Jieyan, hello!"
As she spoke, she cupped her hands slightly towards everyone in the cabin.
Fang Er's eyes lit up at this gesture.
Not only could they speak Chinese, but they also understood ancient Yanhuang etiquette!
It seemed his rescue was not in vain!
He smiled slightly and returned the gesture to Guan Jieyan: "Fang Anzhi, greetings to you!"
Guan Jieyan waved her hand behind her: "Guards, bring our tokens of appreciation!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the accompanying personnel behind her brought forward two chests.
Upon opening them, they revealed a pile of bottles and jars.
Seeing Fang Er looking somewhat confused, she took the initiative to explain, "Captain Fang, please forgive us, but we don't have anything particularly valuable on board for this journey."
"These are medicines intended for Fenshui Star. If you don't mind, please accept them as a sister's gratitude!"
Hearing that they were medicines, Fang Er's heart stirred. He whispered a few words to Wang Xuance, then gestured to the chairs nearby.
"Steward Guan, you are too kind, please have a seat!"
"Captain Fang, you are too polite. If you think of me as a junior, you may call me sister."
Guan Jieyan smiled charmingly and walked to a chair to sit down.
The two chatted, exchanging pleasantries.
One with ulterior motives, the other filled with gratitude, their conversation allowed Fang Er to gain a considerable amount of useful information.
Firstly, the Fenshui Star that Guan Jieyan mentioned was less than ten light-years away. It was a subordinate star of Kunlun Star, inhabited by a large number of Yanhuang people.
Secondly, interstellar merchant fleets like theirs were countless on Kunlun Star.
Thirdly, the Green Ox Merchant Fleet's main business was pharmaceuticals, covering both traditional herbal medicines and gene therapies.
After a brief understanding of these matters, Fang Er had someone bring out dozens of boxes of Maotai as return gifts for the other party, though they were bare bottles without packaging.
Just as Guan Jieyan was delighted with these wines, Fang Er revealed his true intention.
"Miss Guan, could you please allow me to copy your star charts?"
Guan Jieyan didn't think much of it and turned to have someone go back to fetch the star charts.
When the star charts were brought back and projected onto the holographic screen by the Luotong, Fang Er was stunned!
The Kunlun Star she spoke of was actually Kepler-452B!