My Talent's Name Is Generator Chapter 748: Entry

Sector Zero didn't reveal itself quite like I'd pictured in my mind.

No shining edge appeared, no barrier of brilliance, no clear sign proclaiming we'd arrived at the Blue Spiral Galaxy's core. The stars in front seemed unchanged upon first look, remaining far off, chilly, and spread out in the emptiness following the usual layouts.

The vessel sensed it first.

Right as we passed an invisible line, the engine's vibration shifted, faint yet clear. The nav system adjusted automatically, charts folding together, paths redrawing as prior routes lost their purpose. The view beyond the window even sharpened, purer, like the darkness here had been cleared of clutter.

Steve eased the ship back on instinct. "Alright," he muttered, tilting ahead a touch. "That's different."

Aurora glided nearer to the primary panel, faint sparks dancing in her locks while she checked the data. "We've hit the edge boundary," she noted. "Not through it completely."

I moved in closer. Before us, the emptiness twisted in odd, regulated manners. Huge constructs hovered in the black, half-shifted, their outlines hard to follow unless stared at straight on. Platforms, portals, and stabilizing grids created a scattered circle, all encircling a zone that appeared... barren.

"That's the way in," Aurora went on. "Or better said, the sole section they allow visibility to."

Steve let out a low whistle. "Let me guess. We can't simply rush through."

"No," Aurora replied. "Not at all."

With a wave, she enlarged the screen. Guard vessels patrolled in stacked patterns near the builds, their frames showing varied styles. Certain ones flowed smooth and fluid, nature-inspired in make, seeming nurtured more than crafted. Some stretched long with scales, clearly from Naga roots. Others bore Feran signs, bulkier, edged, designed for lasting over grace.

"Every coming and going in Sector Zero gets watched," Aurora clarified. "All the time. The demons explained the entry spots aren't mere spots on a map. They're approvals. You near from an approved angle, halt at a set range, and hold."

"What if you skip that?" Steve questioned.

She gave a small lift of shoulders. "If fortune favors you, they send you off. Otherwise, you stay behind."

Our two demon guard ships held steady flanking us. No words from them since the border, yet their focus turned, minor formation tweaks showing their role neared completion.

Ash lingered by the rear of the bridge, quiet like usual, crimson gaze locked on the forms forward. He hadn't uttered a sound since this region, but his watch was keen, nearly eager, as if the designs begged for his breakdown.

"This area has levels," he stated at last.

Aurora looked over her shoulder at him. "You sense it?"

"Indeed," Ash answered. "The emptiness here follows rune commands."

That drew a glance from Steve. "I truly dislike hearing you talk that way."

We eased down more, drives settling to a steady hum as a scan wave passed over. It stayed calm. Not prying. Merely a quick pass, exact and detached, grazing the shell then continuing.

A comm link activated.

"Sector Zero Border Command here," a steady, even tone announced. "State your entry and show clearance."

I advanced.

Before my reply, the demon guards split apart neatly, easing just before us. One sent ahead, a brief coded signal packed with details.

Next came mine.

I pulled the sealed note from Kharzun.

Without even triggering it, the alloy shell throbbed softly in my grip, reacting to nearness. As I fed a hint of Essence within, the lock parted, casting a multi-tier rune into the space. It stayed plain. No need for show. The Demon Monarch's command etched its form, ironclad and total in range.

I sent it plain and direct.

The reply didn't come right away.

Moments ticked by. Enough for Steve to fidget in place. Enough for North to tweak her footing quietly. Enough for the guards to stay put without extra motion.

At length, the link reopened.

"Clearance verified," the tone declared. "Demon Monarch mark accepted. Guard ships, your task concludes here."

The demon crafts answered instantly, withdrawing in flawless unison. As they veered off, one last message arrived, brief and courteous.

"Smooth travels," the demon leader noted. "Dragos keeps record."

Then they vanished, fading into the surrounding gloom without fanfare.

Before us, a vast construct stirred.

The void creased along exact paths, opening a channel of managed emptiness, firm and slim, stretching only enough to beckon nearer without showing further secrets.

"Path assigned," Border Command instructed. "Advance at present speed. Stray, and the channel shuts."

Steve exhaled gradually. "No rush, huh."

We pressed on.

Upon the craft slipping into the channel, surrounding stars blinked out, swapped for a dull, blank nothing. It resembled travel through a hold gripped by unwavering focus, like any lapse in that grip would make it all... cease to be.

Aurora eyed the instruments intently. "They weren't overstating," she whispered. "This spot isn't guarded by might. It's held by order."

Ash kept staring frontward. "Fitting," he remarked.

The passage started to broaden.

Brightness seeped back bit by bit, uncovering a far-off array of builds, tier after tier of docks, dwellings, and forms hanging in flawless harmony. Power streams wove among them, unseen until sudden, weaving a vital web that seemed less a settlement and more a framework opting for spatial form.

Sector Zero lay in wait.

The vessel kept its even push along the guided path, Sector Zero's forms sharpening gradually on the front screen. Silence held for a spell. The vastness before us called for a brief hush of respect.

Steve shattered it first.

"Well," he said, reclining in his spot with arms crossed, "are we just passing through, or staking a claim?"

That drew some stares.

North pivoted a bit his way. "Already plotting to settle in?"

"We can't wander endlessly," Steve countered. "Each departure drops our hold. Dragos thrived on setup. To function out this way, we require the like. Even if modest."

Aurora hovered nearer the key screen, gaze alight as she scanned the stacked docks ahead. "A outpost in Sector Zero would prove... tricky," she observed. "All here stays under watch. Nonstop."

"Tricky isn't out of reach," Steve noted.

Ragnar adjusted his fresh demon-forged gear a smidge. "Why complicate it?" he asked. "Grab a big rock. Carve it inside. Skip the schemes. Skip the close ones."

Lyrate eyed him. "Seclusion curbs reach," she stated evenly. "Yet it shields freedom."

"That's the idea," Ragnar said. "If they seek us, they earn it."

North pondered, eyes on the view. "A rock outpost lets us manage entry," she said. "But once found, it pins us down."

Aurora gave a gentle shake of head. "Power supply would trouble us too, save for tying near a key stream. We'd craft basics anew."

Ash chimed in, tone flat and leisurely. "A fixed outpost spells weakness no matter where."

Steve groaned. "Look? Even the eerie fresh face backs me up."

Ash brushed it off. "Movement boosts endurance," he went on. "Still, sway demands showing. Equilibrium must form."

Lyrate angled her head faintly. "Consider joining a ready hub?"

Steve arched a brow. "Such as?"

She pointed at a far group of forms. "Naga central holds extra outposts in Sector Zero. Thick with intrigue, but solid in build."

Aurora grimaced. "Nesting by Nagas brings endless scrutiny. They avoid loose reins."

"Elementals match that," Steve tossed in. "Ferans would wed us into their lines in days."

North let out a soft snort, near a chuckle. "We shun ownership," she affirmed. "Yet can't act unseen."

I heard them out without cutting in, allowing the talk to flow free. All orbited the core thought from varied sides.

"No capital required," I declared eventually. "Not now."

The space hushed.

"A starting point suffices," I added. "Flexible. Scalable. A spot to pull back to, scheme in, guard as needed. Sector Zero thrives on eyes. Any build here gets noticed."

Ragnar dipped his head gradually. "Visible then. But ready."

"Precisely," I agreed. "Rock works. Roaming dock too. Or rented space, with freedom assured, or a full world ours."

Aurora cocked her head. "Demons hinted at such," she recalled. "Free-floating stations. Neutral turf, in name."

Steve perked up. "That negotiation I might handle."

Ash's eyes returned to the screen. "Your pick shapes responses," he said. "Setting up announces intent."

North locked gazes with me. "We pick wisely."

I grinned. "Rest easy. We'll craft something solid."

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