"Alright kid, that was all we got from selling our loot and bounty. Go ahead, have fun spending it on whatever you want. Just don’t come back begging me for more money, 'cause I’d have blown your head off if you did."

That was what Grorax had said when he left his crew at the building. Later, Elazul had tried to find him, but Grorax was nowhere to be found. He hadn’t shown up again until two weeks later, just before they were set to leave.

Elazul, now with his own money, had faced a new problem. He had no idea how much things cost and couldn’t read any of the signs. Back on Earth, people in his situation were called easy prey—clueless about prices and likely to agree to whatever the seller pitched.

"Were you thinking about spending your money on something that could help you read and understand the value of things?" Lizard had asked, glancing at Elazul.

"Yeah, I’d have been an easy target if I didn’t learn how to read and write," Elazul had admitted, shrugging.

"Well, we weren’t savages here, so no one was gonna treat you like prey. But yeah, you’d have gone broke fast if you couldn’t figure things out," Lizard had said, following up on Elazul’s concerns. "Come on, I’ll help you with this before I go handle my own stuff."

Lizard had then guided Elazul to another building nearby. This one looked like a general store, selling everything from food to tools. He had led Elazul to a corner aisle where a few items had been displayed, but Elazul’s eyes had locked onto one brand-new device.

According to the translator, it had been called the "Unix Vo5." It was the latest and most advanced translation device, able to translate every known language and decipher any writing directly into the user’s brain without needing implants. It had even helped the user learn to write by guiding their hand with controlled electric pulses, though mastering the skill would have still taken some practice.

Elazul had really wanted to buy it, but when he had looked at Lizard, he had seen a mocking smile on his face.

"Nope, not gonna happen. That thing was way too expensive, even for Grorax. Instead, you could get this."

Lizard had handed him another piece of equipment called the "Pro Go01D," an older and less advanced version. It had supported a thousand languages from nearby galaxies and another thousand from major galactic nations, which would have covered most big places. It also had a feature that helped users learn to write by displaying a visual guide for them to trace.

"This one had everything you needed, and it had been way cheaper. Perfect for someone like you, who had barely any cash," Lizard had said proudly like he had been pitching the product himself.

Elazul had wanted to argue—he had earned that money after all—but had stopped himself. He hadn’t even known how much he had or how much the device would have cost.

Feeling a bit defeated, Elazul had decided to take Lizard’s advice and had bought the equipment. As soon as he had paid, he had swapped out his old device and had immediately felt the difference.

For one, he had been able to hear other people's conversations as clearly as if he had spoken the language himself. He had also understood the writings around him by seeing subtitles pop up in his vision, just like watching a movie back on Earth or during his time on the Celestial Voyager.

"Wow! This equipment is amazing! Why hadn’t the one Grorax gave me done anything like this?"

"Well, because Grorax was cheap, obviously. That, and the one he had given you had been his old device from when he had first started pirating, like twenty-something years ago," Lizard had explained.

"That’s ancient. No wonder it had felt so basic," Elazul had replied, shaking his head.

*****

Lizard had left Elazul alone once he had started getting used to his new equipment, saying he had other things to take care of.

This had left Elazul wondering where to go, so he had decided to just wander around aimlessly.

The first thing that caught his attention was a gigantic statue in the middle of the dome. It had been a statue of a whale-like Fish-tech creature, with two mechanical arms attached to its fins. Elazul had also noticed that the lower part of the statue had a pair of humanoid, organic legs. This meant that whoever the statue represented somehow had human legs despite looking like a whale.

Another place that had grabbed Elazul’s interest was an open market he had stumbled upon not too far away, where street vendors had been selling all kinds of unique cuisine and trinkets he had never seen before. Of course, Elazul hadn’t bought anything.

For one, he had no clue what the usual prices were. Even though he could understand what they had been saying and how much things had cost, he still felt like he might get ripped off if he started buying things too casually.

Another reason was that he hadn’t been sure how people here would have reacted to an alien life form like him. The dominant species here had the right to be called "people," while Elazul, as the only human around, had to accept being labeled as an "alien."

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Speaking of the locals, Elazul hadn’t been able to help but agree with what Lizard had said earlier about comparing himself to a fish. Most of the people in this Void Jellyfish city had been fish-like creatures. A lot of them had used mechanical humanoid bodies that had allowed them to float and swim freely, almost like flying—kind of like that old movie, Aguaman.

Some of the fish people had evolved further and had grown bigger, even developing a pair of hands. They had still used mechanical legs to get around, but with hands, they had been able to easily handle tasks without worrying about maintenance.

During his short trip around the market, Elazul had found that the currency system here had been pretty similar to what he had known back on Earth. They used numbers from one to ten, followed by hundreds and thousands, just like Earth’s system. They had also known how to haggle and had loved doing it loudly. Elazul had overheard more than one vendor arguing over prices, only to end up smiling once they had reached a deal.

Elazul had continued exploring and had eventually come across a library.

When he had entered and approached the woman managing the place, he had found out the library had been divided into floors, and each floor had required some kind of identification. As a stranger and commoner, Elazul had only been allowed access to the first floor, which contained basic information.

Accepting the rules and paying the entry fee, Elazul had been allowed inside and had quickly begun browsing. He had explored the first floor, looking at the available books, and had found one called The Basics of Power Level.

"The intergalactic society may have seemed incredibly complex at first glance, but it had become surprisingly simple once you grasped the basic power scales that governed the universe.

The first and most straightforward to understand had been Tech power. It had been something every sentient being, regardless of their origin, had to learn to a certain degree before they were allowed to enter the wider intergalactic community.

Everyday tools, entertainment devices like televisions and holographic screens, computers, and countless other basic items had made up the first threshold that any living being needed to cross to integrate into the intergalactic world.

When a person, or even an entire race, had reached that crucial level of technology—something equivalent to these items, with a few rare exceptions—they had begun to diverge into one of three different paths."

Elazul had then glanced at an image showing a goblin-like figure. The figure’s world had developed into something that looked very similar to what humans on Earth once had. The following picture depicted the goblin-like figure piloting a spaceship that resembled a metallic ball.

"These three different paths are known as the Tech Path, the Magic Path, and the Cultivation Path.

Each path had developed based on the sentient being’s cultural background and the level of knowledge they possessed. These paths had further been divided into various levels to indicate their progress and growth.

The Tech Path, which had been the most commonly followed and the easiest to achieve for many sentient beings, had been divided into seven distinct levels: Outdated Tech, Renewed Tech, Current Tech, Advanced Tech, Modern Tech, Future Tech, and Bleeding Edge Tech.

The Tech Path, while being the most accessible, had been deceptively difficult to maintain. As the intergalactic society had advanced rapidly, technology had evolved at an equally fast pace, causing the limits of each level to constantly shift.

In simple terms, those at the highest levels of the Tech Path had been the ones who were using the most cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technology."

Elazul had looked at another image that had shown goblin-like people using and wearing various pieces of technology. Some figures had sleek, advanced gear, while others had appeared to be stuck with outdated, worn-down tech. Curious, Elazul had turned the page and continued reading.

"The Magic Path, unlike the Tech Path, had focused on the advancement of one’s personal knowledge and inner power.

Those who had followed the Magic Path had cultivated their internal magic, developing it into a star, and their level had been determined by how many stars they had been able to form. The Magic Path had started at One Star, where an individual had mastered one of the twelve basic elements, and had gone up to Seven Stars, where they had to be able to create natural phenomena entirely on their own.

Both the Magic Path and the Cultivation Path had relied on absorbing energy from their surroundings, where magic and Qi had coexisted, making their journey more challenging. Fortunately for them, their paths hadn’t evolved or changed as quickly as the Tech Path, so a Two-Star Magician had been able to remain at that level for a long time without worrying about falling behind."

Elazul had seen a picture showing three goblin-like figures dressed in flowing robes with stars shining behind them. One had had a single star, another had had three stars, and the last one had proudly displayed seven.

"The final path had been the Cultivation Path, which had been deeply tied to cultural traditions and the experiences passed down by one’s ancestors, allowing beings to transcend their home planet and go beyond.

The Cultivation Path emphasized understanding the fundamental laws of the universe and using that knowledge to mold both the body and the soul, thereby rising to a higher state of existence.

To reach the first stage of a Cultivator, one had to master a Basic Law. To achieve Stage Seven's ultimate stage, a Cultivator had to master a God Law.

Like the Magic Path, the Cultivation Path had also absorbed energy from the environment, where both Qi and magic had existed together in harmony."

Elazul had then studied an image of three goblin-like people, their hair tied into tight buns, wearing sleek, body-hugging robes. The first figure looked like a regular person, the second had radiated a visible aura, and the third had been surrounded by planets and stars orbiting them.

"As civilizations had continued to advance, those who had mastered one path had realized they couldn’t rely solely on a single path to keep growing stronger. Each path had its limits, and to push beyond those limits, people had begun adopting more than one path.

Nowadays, the most powerful beings in the universe tend to have very long titles, usually only used at official events or formal gatherings. For instance, someone might have been referred to as Master End Whale, wearer of Future Tech, Five-Star Magician, and Stage Five Cultivator.

Another example might have been Daoist Leaf Glider, Stage Four Cultivator, and Five-Star Magician—a shorter title, yet still a bit too long for everyday conversation."

Elazul continued reading about the strengths and weaknesses of each path and what had made them powerful. But his mind had been getting tired, so he had decided to leave after exploring the library a little more.