Technological advancement begins with devouring.

Stepping through the city gate, Jiang Chen felt like a country bumpkin entering a grand garden.

Even if you've read some descriptions in the original work, the shock you feel when you actually see it with your own eyes is something that words simply cannot describe.

Jiang Chen was overwhelmed by the variety of human races, strange architecture, and unique technologies.

“Jiang Chen, I’ve already checked. The Black Dragon Mountain Empire’s administrative building on this planet is about 200 kilometers away. You should go there as soon as possible and register for citizenship. Without citizenship, you won’t receive any protection,” Babata reminded him.

Jiang Chen immediately suppressed his curiosity and, following the direction indicated by Babata, quickly took off and flew into the distance.

Two hundred kilometers is not far, and Jiang Chen soon arrived in front of a building that looked like a high mountain that was occupied by a black dragon.

This is the administrative building of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

Jiang Chen didn't bring the 'Silver Guards' nor receive the same special treatment as Luo Feng in the original novel, but he also didn't encounter any obstacles.

Upon entering the main gate and glancing at the information map in the lobby, Jiang Chen immediately located his target.

After arriving at the 32nd floor in a round, tray-shaped 'elevator', a girl with cat ears and a tail flew over, bowed slightly, and said softly, "Sir, what kind of service do you need?"

"I want to become a citizen of Heilongshan." As Jiang Chen spoke, he couldn't help but glance at the 'cat-eared girl' a few more times.

They looked like a race of orcs from a fantasy novel, and were quite peculiar.

Well, it's purely out of curiosity about the other person's race, it's definitely not because Jiang Chen has any special fetish!

"Becoming a citizen?" The cat-eared girl was slightly surprised, but she controlled her emotions well and did not show her surprise. She professionally led Jiang Chen to an office: "Sir, this is the office for processing citizenship."

"Thank you." Jiang Chen thanked the cat-eared girl and then pushed open the door.

-

Jiang Chen left the administration building in less than half an hour.

At this time, Jiang Chen had already obtained citizenship in the medium-sized universe nation of 'Black Dragon Mountain Empire', and to some extent, was protected by the laws of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

Of course, this kind of protection may not be very effective.

There are many madmen and space pirates in the universe, but they don't care about these things at all.

But at least within the planet, citizenship is still very useful.

Furthermore, some special services, such as opening a virtual universe account, cannot be processed without citizenship.

After leaving the administration building, Jiang Chen went to Virtual Universe Company to open an account.

Having done all this, Jiang Chen had accomplished most of his purpose in entering the universe.

The next step is to gather information and intelligence to plan for future developments.

In a rather upscale restaurant, Jiang Chen ordered a private room, instructed the waiter not to disturb them, and then locked the door from the inside.

Accessing the virtual universe requires immersing one's consciousness within it.

Even with Jiang Chen's current strength, he cannot achieve 'consciousness separation'. Once he enters the virtual universe, he will lose his sense of the outside world. Therefore, he must be in an absolutely safe environment.

Fortunately, this is Qiulong City, and the city is very safe. As long as you choose a private space, you don't need to worry too much about safety.

"Haha, we can finally enter the virtual universe!" Babata urged excitedly, "Jiang Chen, hurry up and enter the virtual universe, I've been looking forward to this day for so long!"

Tens of thousands of years of solitude would be bearable for an ordinary intelligent being that hasn't evolved into life.

But Babata is an intelligent life form. During the tens of thousands of years that it has been trapped on Earth, Babata has been constantly longing for the prosperity and various forms of entertainment in the virtual universe.

Jiang Chen was also very curious about the virtual universe, so he immediately took out the login device and immersed his consciousness in it.

"The virtual universe is being connected..."

A voice resounded deep within Jiang Chen's consciousness.

The next moment, the scene before Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly changed, and he appeared on a bustling street.

On Jiang Chen's shoulder sat a tiny, demon-like figure, no bigger than a palm – Babata.

In the virtual universe, Babata also has his own body, unlike in the outside world where he can only project a virtual image using a projection device.

In Jiang Chen's perception, this world was completely indistinguishable from the real world.

"We are now on Black Dragon Mountain Island, on the edge of the 'Qianwu Continent' in the virtual universe."

Babata explained to Jiang Chen, "Although it's called an island, all of the more than 8,000 star systems in the entire Black Dragon Mountain Empire that enter the virtual universe are on this island, so the island's area is much larger than you can imagine."

"More than eight thousand star systems, all gathered on one island?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

In the Milky Way alone, there are hundreds of thousands of life-bearing planets.

How many humans live in more than 8,000 galaxies?

Even if we only count 'citizens' at the planetary level and above, that's still an incredible number.

Moreover, many planetary lords purchase large quantities of 'anonymous login devices' for their subordinates who have not reached planetary level or obtained citizenship, and this number is many times greater.

"In the virtual universe, you can do almost anything. Games, food, work, finance, trading, learning, even martial arts competitions, etc. There is nothing that the virtual universe cannot do, only things you cannot imagine."

Babata's voice was alluring, but the next moment, he became serious: "However, the virtual world is still just a virtual world! No matter how long you stay in the virtual universe, you can't cultivate your body! For the strong, the virtual universe is just a convenient channel. You can learn a lot of information, hone your combat skills, and even buy and sell many items through the virtual universe, but remember, don't get addicted to games or pleasures, or you'll ruin yourself! You are a core disciple of the Meteorite Star lineage, and I don't want you to be immersed in the enjoyment of the virtual universe and fail to reach the strength you should have!"

"I understand." Jiang Chen nodded slightly.

Despite his immense curiosity about the virtual universe, Jiang Chen didn't rush to explore it. Instead, he said to Babata, "Babata, help me check the prices of these materials. Also, please check the normal market price of my 'Goliath' mech if I were to sell it."

As he spoke, Jiang Chen transmitted a document to Babata.

“Prices in the universe are greatly affected by regional environmental fluctuations. For example, the prices of some materials vary in different star regions due to different transportation costs. Moreover, the prices for small purchases and large-volume purchases are completely different. Let me check the prices near ‘Qiulong Star’ for you first.” Babata explained while quickly checking the prices.