By analyzing this rogue star, Xiao Yu could roughly grasp what differences existed between the stars of the Large Magellanic Cloud and those of the Milky Way Galaxy. The conclusion was that their structures were basically the sa, except that the stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud seed to have a slightly higher helium content.
Xiao Yu found this imnsely interesting and imdiately transported the rogue star into his small universe to study it. The rogue star’s journey of more than twenty million years ended the mont it encountered Xiao Yu.
In such empty reaches, coming across a rogue star truly delighted Xiao Yu. After capturing the star, he continued on his way.
More than fifteen hundred years had passed, and Xiao Yu’s voyage was nearing its end. He was now less than three thousand light years from the Large Magellanic Cloud. At this distance, using optical instrunts calibrated to ordinary human eyesight, he could barely see individual stars within the Large Magellanic Cloud.
This was another island of the universe, another vast kingdom built of stars. Its diater was about fifteen thousand light years, and it contained roughly ten billion stars. At its galactic center there was likewise a supermassive black hole, though smaller than the one in the Milky Way Galaxy and even smaller than the black hole at the core of the Androda Galaxy.
Even so, it could still maintain stability over its own dominion, although that stability was gradually being disrupted by the Milky Way Galaxy. From certain signs, Xiao Yu was sure that long ago the Large Magellanic Cloud had a barred spiral structure like the Milky Way Galaxy. But because it lay too close to the Milky Way Galaxy, and the Milky Way Galaxy’s mass was too great, its bar and spiral were destroyed by the Milky Way Galaxy. Now it presented the appearance of an irregular galaxy, though vestiges of a barred spiral remained near the galactic core.
Within it were abundant gaseous clouds, capable of forming new stars. In the Large Magellanic Cloud there were likewise stars being born and stars dying. Neutron stars, white dwarfs, supernovae, black holes, all of these things existed within the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Xiao Yu spent about thirty years crossing the three thousand light years. Before he reached the Large Magellanic Cloud proper, he first encountered a gas cloud on its edge. He observed that this cloud was continually losing mass. Every mont a great deal of matter flowed into the Magellanic Stream, which, like a surging river, poured into the Milky Way Galaxy and beca part of its mass. Xiao Yu knew that it was the loss of mass from countless such clouds within the Large Magellanic Cloud that ultimately gathered into the spectacular Magellanic Stream.
One day the Large Magellanic Cloud would be destroyed by the Milky Way Galaxy, and yet that would also be its rebirth, for it would ultimately rge with the Milky Way Galaxy and beco one with it. In other words, the two galaxies would collide. This collision was only in the literal sense. The chance of direct impact between individual stars from the two galaxies would be very small. But one thing was certain. During the process of their union, the originally stable orbital orders of stars in both galaxies would be broken, and the two galaxies would fall into complete chaos. Only when the two central black holes rged into a single great black hole and again took command of the galaxy would the new galaxy gradually settle down.
Amid such violent gravitational battles, so stars might be flung out of the galaxies, becoming rogue stars and embarking on a grand journey. That, of course, would be another story.
After more than sixteen hundred years of travel, Xiao Yu finally arrived at the Large Magellanic Cloud and made close contact with one of its stars.
This star lay at the very edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud. It, too, was an aging red giant. After observing it and collecting so scientific data, Xiao Yu passed it by and plunged toward the interior of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Here, with optical instrunts built to ordinary human visual acuity, Xiao Yu finally once more saw a sky full of stars. In a certain direction of the sky, he could even see the Milky Way Galaxy.
Unlike the dim view of the Large Magellanic Cloud from within the Milky Way Galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy seen from within the Large Magellanic Cloud was still very bright, though here it looked only like a ring of halo about the size of a cigarette case, with no discernible detail. That alone was astonishing, given that the Milky Way Galaxy lay a full one hundred and sixty thousand light years away.
Xiao Yu’s fleet continued to course swiftly ahead. His purpose here was very clear, to follow the positional guidance left by the half Four-Dinsional Taihao and find the asteroid that the half Four-Dinsional Taihao had said was of great significance to him, then confirm whether it was the corpse of the Micron Civilization. If it was, then all would be straightforward. If not, Xiao Yu would remain in the Large Magellanic Cloud for a ti, develop quietly, and use his own power to search the entire Large Magellanic Cloud.
The Large Magellanic Cloud was much smaller than the Milky Way Galaxy. If he truly had to search it thoroughly, Xiao Yu estimated it would cost him at least fifty thousand years.
Xiao Yu maintained curvature flight toward the target at high speed. The place specified by the half Four-Dinsional Taihao lay roughly six thousand light years from the Large Magellanic Cloud’s central black hole. That ant that even though he had reached the Large Magellanic Cloud, there were still nearly nine thousand light years to cross.
Once within the Large Magellanic Cloud, however, the journey was no longer so urgent. Xiao Yu planned to first transport dozens of stars into his small universe once he reached regions of dense starlight, to replenish his material reserves. After a journey of one hundred and sixty thousand light years, only a little over a dozen stars remained in the small universe, and his material reserves had long fallen below the warning line.
As for whether he would encounter native civilizations of the Large Magellanic Cloud and suffer their attacks, Xiao Yu was not overly concerned. His warship reserves now totaled five hundred fifty million, including a full four hundred Planet-Class warships. His combat strength already completely surpassed what it had been during the chaotic battle at the Galactic Center. Even if he encountered the Guardian Civilization, Xiao Yu believed he had the strength to fight. If he could not win, he could still escape. Moreover, Xiao Yu thought that the chance of encountering a powerful existence akin to the Guardian Civilization within the Large Magellanic Cloud was small.
Within the Large Magellanic Cloud, Xiao Yu felt rather like a city dweller swaggering into the countryside. He was still using that Province-Class spaceship which, after several thousand years of travel, had beco sowhat shabby, to tow the small universe, while hiding all other warships inside the small universe.
In such circumstances, Xiao Yu traveled another thirty years. By now the surrounding cosmos held a few more stars. He selected one as a target and sped toward it. He intended to transport this star into his small universe to replenish his material reserves.
But when he arrived at the vicinity of this star, he discovered sothing unusual. His nerves instantly tensed, though after inspection he relaxed with a wry smile.
Here he found unmistakable signs of warfare conducted by a technological civilization, chaotic fragnts of warships, shards of asteroids blasted apart by technological weapons, and certain interstellar fortresses that, at a glance, were already damaged beyond use.
Further analysis led Xiao Yu to judge this as a Level 5 Civilization battlefield, or perhaps a peak Level 4 Civilization at most. In any case, the stronger side among the combatants would have been at about the level of the Molian Civilization. Such strength was hardly worth ntioning to Xiao Yu now.
“So there is war in the Large Magellanic Cloud as well. Of course. Where intelligent beings exist, war does not cease. I was making a fuss over nothing.” Xiao Yu shook his head inwardly and ignored the wreckage, continuing to approach the star. For him now, replenishing supplies was the serious business.
Just as Xiao Yu was about to take the star-transport instrunts out of the small universe and dispatch so ships to carry out the transport mission, he suddenly detected ripples produced by curvature flight.
The intensity of the ripples was very low, which ant that the ships causing them could not be traveling very fast. With further observation, Xiao Yu determined the fleet’s speed to be a little over ten tis the speed of light, about the mark of a Level 4 Civilization.
“For a Level 4 Civilization, this fleet is already quite large. What are they doing here?” Xiao Yu thought idly. “I may as well watch.”
The Level 4 Civilization fleet in curvature flight seed divided into two parts, one before and one behind. The rear fleet was much larger than the front. It appeared to be a chase.
“A Level 4 Civilization war, hmm. Interesting. I wonder if they have noticed yet.” Xiao Yu mused.
At that mont, Xiao Yu received a ssage brimming with urgency, “Do not stay here, run quickly. The minions of the Great Emperor Civilization are encircling and hunting us everywhere.”
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