Standing by the giant spirit-glass observation window of the newly opened Ten-World Duty-Free Wholesale Mall, Pirate Queen Hong Ye gripped her empty green soda bottle until the glass creaked.
Far out in the freezing dark zone beyond the sector’s suns, three tiny, dead-gray moons orbited a dying brown dwarf star. No light reached them, no spirit veins warmed their rock, and the surface temperature stayed below minus one hundred degrees year-round.
Pei Xuan walked up beside her with his hands tucked into his magistrate sleeves and followed her gaze.
“Those three dead rocks aren’t on the commercial star charts,” Pei Xuan said quietly. “Why do you keep looking over there? Did you hide another secret stash of Spirit Stones in a cave? Because if you did, Hong Ling’s nose will sniff it out eventually—if you report it yourself, Abacus Su gives a ten-percent honesty discount.”
Hong Ye let out a bitter laugh and shook her head.
“If I had another stash of Spirit Stones, would my ships have been carrying crates of sour dried meat when you searched them?” Hong Ye asked, her fiery voice dropping low.
She pointed a calloused finger at the three dark-gray moons in the distance.
