The Sovereign Aurora glided through the luminous veil of the outer nebulae, entering the vibrant expanse of the one-hundred-planet Astral Silk Road.
Once a treacherous obstacle course of pirate blockades, lethal minefields, and extortionate trade tolls, the Silk Road was now the most prosperous merchant corridor in the cosmos. Each of the hundred planets specialized in honest, flourishing artisan trades: glass-blowing and crystal art on Planet Twelve, fragrant medicinal spice gardens on Planet Thirty-Three, and handcrafted musical instruments on Planet Seventy-Eight.
All around the vessel, the starry currents surged with joyous, oceanic rhythm.
A pod of ten thousand Ancient Star-Whales swam alongside the flagship, their blue-and-silver flukes slapping against the spatial slipstream. Whenever they surfaced, they exhaled colossal geysers of rainbow aurora mist that drifted over the polished decks like fragrant celestial rain. Their deep, resonant whale-songs harmonized with the ship’s crystal hull, filling the air with soothing, melodic vibrations.
Little Guo’er leaned over the brass railing, squealing with laughter as cool starlight mist kissed her cheeks.
“Look, Uncle Lin Mo!” Guo’er cried, waving her arms wildly. “The big fish is winking at me! He has a smile on his face!”
Right beside the ship’s starboard bow, a young star-whale calf—the baby Star-Whale Prince—floated on its side. Its deep blue eye, wide and gentle as a mountain lake, peered up at the little girl. Its Goodness score shone at an immaculate ninety-nine out of one hundred.
