Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

She cast a cautious glance around and then grabbed Bai E's hand, heading decisively in one direction.

Walking swiftly like countless others rushing through the port, Catherine explained to Bai E the reasons for her actions and her upcoming plans, "Even back home, it's not truly safe."

The moment they unearthed the God's Fragment, the expedition team immediately reported this vital discovery to the homeland, along with their planned route of action, requesting reinforcements to ensure complete security.

The number of people handling such critical information would undoubtedly be few, primarily high-ranking officials in the Bauhinia Republic. But even so, the expedition team, which should have been unremarkable, faced an immediate ambush from the Peak Alliance.

The expedition fleet itself struggled to communicate in real-time with the outside world; at least, it was impossible to do so without Catherine on the ship noticing.

This meant the fleet's movements being exposed were most likely caused by a leak from a traitor within their homeland.

While it was also possible that the Peak Alliance simply attacked on a whim, such a scenario seemed highly unlikely.

Tasked with a heavy burden, Catherine had to consider the domestic crisis as part of her contingency plans.

For a high-ranking traitor, even Catherine felt it would be nearly impossible to guard against covert interference.

A blade wielded by one of your own cuts deeper… and hits deadlier.

Unless she personally handed the artifact to the National Academy of Sciences under the watchful eyes of witnesses, Catherine wouldn't rest easy.

Having returned to her homeland, Catherine navigated familiar terrain effortlessly.

Determined to avoid exposure, she quickly found a trusted route and embarked on her journey to the Imperial Central Star System capital with Bai E.

Even as the often-bullied Bauhinia Republic, it still formally held the status of a nation governing three planets in name.

One of these was a mining planet, harsh in climate and not particularly rich in resources, yet it remained the lifeblood of Bauhinia.

Another was a colony star, habitable only around its equatorial belt, sparse in population but strategically well-positioned to serve as the "Guardian Star" for the central planet.

Lastly, there was Bauhinia's mother planet—the origin of its republic and home to its national capital.

Bai E and Catherine landed on this so-called "Guardian Star," a gateway to their next destination.

If interstellar ships wished to avoid trouble, they were required to register upon entering portal planets before venturing into the Imperial Central Star System.

Unauthorised intrusions could lead to immediate destruction without justification.

Regardless of whether their previous spacecraft had a direct route to Bauhinia's central capital, to avoid detection, both chose to switch vessels once again.

The journey proved perilous but uneventful.

Though they suspected spies everywhere, their swift reactions and sharp movements allowed them to arrive safely inside Bauhinia's central capital.

Finally home, Catherine let go of the suitcase she had been carrying and stretched her tired, stiff body under the warmth of her mother planet's sun. "We're finally back!"

Pointing toward a cluster of sunlit, gleaming rooftops far ahead, Catherine said in a relieved tone, "That's where our Academy of Sciences is located! Let me take you to my home first so you can settle in, then I'll come back for you after I've delivered the artifact."

"Alright," Bai E replied with a gentle smile.

During the journey, Bai E had used search tools to look up plenty of basic information about alien societies.

What ordinary people took for granted or ignored, Bai E absorbed as the fastest way to understand this unfamiliar world.

He even searched up "Catherine"… unsurprisingly, the woman he had gotten to know was exactly as described online.

...

Catherine's residence was nestled in the bustling city center. As one of Bauhinia's two renowned Legendary Mechanics, her choice of abode was beyond question.

Yet the bold and approachable War God preferred living amongst everyday citizens, her home occupying the penthouse of a commercial-residential building.

Hundreds of square meters of space belonged solely to her.

After settling Bai E comfortably at her place, Catherine immediately left.

The process of transferring the God's Fragment was evidently complex. Bai E, who stayed safely within Catherine's home for three days without stepping outside, finally saw her return, visibly exhausted.

"Was it smooth?" Bai E greeted her immediately with a smile.

"Somewhat unexpected," Catherine replied, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"What was unexpected?" Bai E asked, intrigued.

Catherine's expression wasn't overly serious, indicating the "unexpected" did not pose a major problem.

"Unexpectedly smooth," she said, still visibly puzzled. "After arriving, I reported the entire mission process to the National President. I even spread false information to lure out potential spies or traitors. But strangely… there wasn't a single reaction."

The God's Fragment had been successfully delivered.

The three-day duration had been spent attempting to root out traitors or spies, but clearly, the operation failed.

Either those traitors were deeply hidden, or her judgment was off and there was no traitor among Bauhinia's high-ranking officials.

"Do you think they're reluctant to act?"

"Yes…" Catherine's eyes narrowed. "The interception of the expedition fleet was too sudden, clearly a deliberate, premeditated ambush. I refuse to believe there aren't traitors among the upper echelons, but perhaps they got tipped off and decided to lay low instead."

Knowing traitors lurked within the nation's leadership but being unable to identify them—it was a torment every patriot carried silently.

"Still… the artifact has reached the hands of the Academy," Catherine said with a glimmer of relief.

As long as the artifact was in the Academy's possession, it was all that mattered.

If the Academy could extract enough technological power from the God's Fragment within the next few decades, Bauhinia's national strength could skyrocket in an instant.

By then, an entity like the Peak Alliance that ruled over a remote Stellar District wouldn't amount to much.

The Bauhinia Republic might even qualify to vie for dominance on a cosmic scale!

In times of national strength, even traitors would turn into loyalists.

Feeling a faint sense of hope, Catherine flashed Bai E a warm smile and said, "Speaking of your earlier questions, I've looked into them. For a spaceship to navigate different curvature spaces effectively, dual breakthroughs in materials and biological technology are required. Materials are the foundation, while adaptive self-repair and filling mechanisms are critical. These technologies aren't considered secrets in the cosmic world; most companies capable of building interstellar ships can apply them proficiently. I've bundled the relevant tech and necessary prerequisite advancements for you."

Catherine tossed him a tiny chip, her face glowing with amusement. "As for finding your way 'home'... I did some subtle inquiries, but I don't have a perfect solution for now. Your planet hasn't established 'navigation beacons,' so no interstellar ship's star map contains your location. Without that, it's impossible to reach your planet directly through higher-dimensional space. As for requisitioning a ship for you, my clearance technically allows it, but that would mean your planet's existence wouldn't be secret anymore. The more people know, the messier it gets, and the risks grow significantly. If you insist, I can make arrangements for you, though."

"..." Bai E didn't reply, his eyes reflecting deep contemplation.

Noting his hesitation, Catherine grinned and reassured him, "No rush. If you decide, let me know any time. But there's another matter you should care about more right now."

"Hmm?"

"Remember when I mentioned assessing the strength of nations or factions?"

"Yes."

"Well, the opportunity has arrived."

With a sly curve of her lips, Catherine said, "The once-in-a-decade Star Alliance core member rotation is upon us..."