Elazul's days as a crew member in the Grorax Pirate group were anything but grand or terrifying—they were downright boring, and disgusting sometimes.

Right after Grorax abandoned him, Elazul was tasked with looking after Lizard, who was still unconscious. Then he was ordered to clean the Skull Chomper spaceship, along with Lizard, who was still weakened from his previous ordeal.

For days, Elazul was stuck with cleaning duties—bedrooms, storage, tools, everything.

Whenever Elazul tried to approach Grorax to ask for training, one of the crew members would always drag him away to do some pointless chore.

Then there is food. Grorax ans his crew eat something that translated as 'meat that already chewed'. The food was wet, it smells like rotten raw fish combined with durian, and spreaded on the plate as if it was a sauce. Elazul must forced himself to eat it for several days until he found out that Lizard eat something similar to roasted meat.

It was one of the most torturing day for Elazul.

Luckily they drink fresh water, harvested from floating ice near their base planet and cooked until it boil. The water have no taste, but Elazul can feel a bitter after taste everytime he drink.

Elazul just hope that his enhanced body can deal with whatever germs and disease that contained in the water.

*****

One day, while Elazul was cleaning up, he decided to chat a bit with Lizard, who seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Why the long face, Liz?" Elazul asked.

"Long? Did my face get longer than it usually is?" Lizard asked, checking his face.

"Ah... sorry, I mean, you look sad. What happened?" Elazul corrected himself, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh... nothing. Let’s just finish our tasks, Elazul," Lizard said, hurrying back to work.

Elazul looked at Lizard, confused. Despite Lizard's... well, lizard-like face, Elazul could still see a complex expression. The same thing happened with Grorax and his octopus face. Heck, even Kirix with his lobster face could show some expression, though it was harder to read than the others.

"Fine... but can I ask you about your mechanical hands? I find them really fascinating," Elazul said nonchalantly.

When Elazul said that, Lizard suddenly froze. His head slowly turned toward Elazul, his eyes growing so wide that he looked like a cartoon character. He even started trembling, making Elazul kind of regret what he said.

"What... did you... just say?"

"Uh... I’m really sorry if I offended you... I jus—wooowww!!"

Lizard quickly grabbed Elazul by the collar, pulling his face so close that Elazul could smell his breath. He stared at Elazul with eyes so big, he looked like a puppy missing its owner.

"You said my tools are amazing! Right? Right? Right? Amazing, right? Really amazing! I knew it! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Lizard shouted excitedly.

"YES! YES! PLEASE LET ME GO, LIZARD! YOU’RE TOO CLOSE!" Elazul shouted back, trying to outdo Lizard's loud voice.

It took quite some time for Lizard to finally calm down. Afterward, Elazul started asking him about his tools.

"So, can you tell me about those mechanical arms of yours? They really piqued my interest," Elazul said sincerely.

"Well, these mechanical arms are one of my race’s tricks of the trade. It’s what separates us from other similar species across the galaxy," Lizard said with a wistful look in his eyes.

"These mechanical arms—two are built on a Technological line, one on a Magical line, and one on the Cultivation line."

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"Technology? Magic? Cultivation?" Elazul asked, more confused than before.

"You don’t know about magic or cultivation? What’s the level of technology back home?" Lizard asked, equally puzzled.

"I think it’s advanced enough to allow us to travel between planets," Elazul said, trying not to boast.

"Well, that’s kind of sad. We reached that level several millennia ago," Lizard said empathetically.

Elazul looked at Lizard in disbelief, which made Lizard a bit uncomfortable. He could only shrug to change the mood.

"Not my fault yours isn’t that advanced. So, why did you ask about my mechanical arms?" Lizard asked.

"Ah... well, when you mentioned magic and cultivation, I was reminded of some stories and movies back home. I thought they were just fantasy stories made for entertainment," Elazul answered matter-of-factly.

"Well, they’re not. Technology, Magic, and Cultivation are the three main lines of power in this intergalactic society. Most can only use one, the exceptional person might use two, and a rare few beings can wield all three," Lizard explained.

"The three lines of power work like a triangle, each of them has weaknesses and advantages.

Technology beats Magic in durability, while in reverse, Magic beats Tech in terms of power.

Magic beats Cultivation in versatility, while Cultivation beats Magic in application.

Then Cultivation beats Tech in simplicity, and then Tech beats Cultivation in the speed of growth.

None can totally overcome the others while each also becomes the others’ weaknesses."

Elazul had to take that information in slowly. He sat down with his back against the wall and began to digest it. Elazul could feel his understanding expanding, realizing that Technology wasn’t the only thing that made the universe tick.

"What is Magic, Lizard? And what is Cultivation?"

"Magic is a line of power where the user wields energy called Mana to perform various tasks. It’s powerful but requires a lot of work, energy, and mental focus.

Cultivation, on the other hand, is a line of power where the user harnesses energy called Qi to enhance their body and deepen their understanding of the world. their method was quite simple but only required time to grow big and strong. after that, the Qi can be utilized in various techniques and spells.

Interestingly, Qi and Mana coexist everywhere in the universe, like two sides of a coin. They just require different kinds of approaches to be wielded effectively," Lizard explained.

Elazul fell silent again, trying to wrap his head around the strange new world he was in. What he was thinking was that if there were so many kinds of power, then just being physically enhanced wouldn’t help him much—especially if he wanted to travel beyond space and galaxies to find his friends and Kathrina in the future.

"Luckily, not everyone can wield all these powers easily. Most people rely on tools and focus on one type of power. Grorax, for example, always enhances his mechanical body whenever he gets the chance. Sometimes he uses magical tools to help in certain situations, but Cultivation treasures are a no-go for him," Lizard added.

"Treasures?"

"Yeah, that’s what Cultivation people—mostly known as Cultivators—call their magical tools and resources. On the other hand, Magic users usually just call their magical tools and resources what they are. It’s a cultural difference," Lizard said as he moved on to another room.

Elazul remained in place, trying to absorb everything he’d just learned from Lizard. Technology, Magic, Cultivation, the similarities between Magic and Cultivation, the triangle of power, and so much more. He couldn’t even imagine what kinds of civilizations he would encounter in the future.

‘I’ll probably find flying carpets and magical lamps pretty soon,’ Elazul thought.

*****

About a month had passed aboard the Skull Chomper when Elazul received an unexpected summons from Grorax to report to the cockpit.

Elazul still held resentment toward Grorax for ignoring him all this time, neglecting their promise to teach him about pirate life, so he stomped his way there, making sure his displeasure was obvious.

As Elazul entered the cockpit, he saw Grorax toying with a small bullet in his mechanical right hand, as if he were waiting for something.

"Grorax, I’m here. Why did you call me? Do you actually want to teach me something?" Elazul asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Watch it, kid. I’m not in the mood to entertain you. We’ve got a job to do, and I need you out there using that strong body of yours," Grorax replied coldly.

"What do you want me to do?"

"This is our second mission of this session. Our target is a space beast called the Moon Eater. They’re usually found on small, empty planets, eating the rock and dirt from the surface until they reach the planet’s core, where they stay to feast and breed," Grorax explained.

"I want you to go out as bait. Draw them out from the planet’s core and let us capture it," Grorax added, giving Elazul a look.

Elazul returned the look, his face clearly showing how much he hated the job, while Grorax seemed quite pleased and eager. It was clear that Grorax had been planning this for a while and just wanted to see how Elazul would react. Grorax didn’t even try to hide how much he was looking forward to Elazul getting angry at the task.

"Fine, I’ll do it," Elazul replied calmly.

The last thing Elazul wanted was for Grorax to cancel their deal and leave him stranded on some random planet. He was still clueless about intergalactic society and needed someone to guide him, no matter how unpleasant that someone might be.

"Great! Call Lizard and have him prep you for the drop," Grorax said as he turned his attention back to his crew, steering the ship toward their target.

*****

Elazul found himself once again standing with Lizard in the Skull Chomper's "mouth" room.

Lizard was busy preparing Elazul for the mission, handing him various pieces of equipment while explaining their functions.

"I’ve got everything set up for you, but you need to pay attention to the explanations," Lizard began.

"This necklace is a magic tool designed to help you breathe and protect you from the extreme temperatures above ground and near the planet's core.

And this bracelet here is a magic weapon I call 'Titan Fist.' When activated, it creates a massive glove around your hand. You can use it to punch big monsters or move heavy objects. The glove also enhances your strength, so please use it very carefully. To activate it, you just need to think about it getting activated and the fist will quickly appeared." Lizard paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

"These two magic items are powered by this belt. Protect it well, or you won’t survive this mission." said Lizard as he pointed at the belt Elazul was using, given by Lizard together with the necklace and bracelet.

Lizard then pulled out a pair of sandals and loose fabric pants, which Elazul eyed with a questioning and knowing look that didn't catch Lizard's attention.

"These two are among the rarest pieces of Technology equipment I have. They were actually sold as a set with a pair of trousers, but it was sold out when I bought them. The sandals and pants, called Hakama, are technologically designed to protect against any attack, whether sharp or blunt.

The fabric has been enhanced to absorb kinetic energy and disperse it in the least threatening way, like random flapping or such. I’m lending these to you because I’m worried," Lizard explained.

"Aww… You’re so kind, Lizard," Elazul said gratefully.

"Yeah, yeah, save that for when you make it back alive. And make sure you do come back, because these items are my personal belongings, and they’re really expensive," Lizard replied, patting Elazul on the shoulder.

"Kid! We’ve arrived at the planet, prepare to jump!" Grorax’s voice boomed from a communicator attached to the wall.

"Good luck, human friend," Lizard said as he left Elazul alone.

The Skull Chomper's mouth slowly opened, revealing the surface of a barren planet with a massive hole in it. Elazul estimated it would take two or three soccer fields placed side by side to cover the length of that hole.

"This pirate’s really trying to kill me," Elazul muttered as he jumped off the Skull Chomper.