First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess

The man pulled the screen closer and started listing options without ceremony. The interface showed prices in credits, categories laid out plainly, no attempt to hide what cost more or less.

”In case you don’t know, currency here is credits,” he said. ”One credit equals roughly three hundred Earth dollars. And everything in this palace is a hundred times more expensive than outside. How much do you currently have on you? Since all the functions are restricted in the prison, you will have to contact someone outside and ask them to transfer the money where I tell you.”

”About that...” Xavier flexed his arm. ”I can transfer the money wherever you ask me. And as for how much do I have... hmm... about a few hundred thousand credits.”

The man leaned back and continued. ”At that level, you can access private housing, upgraded meals, medical priority, and restricted wards. It also changes how the system categorizes you.”

”Show me the rooms,” Xavier said.

The screen shifted. Private cell. Reinforced walls. Sound isolation. Independent climate and gravity tuning. No shared surveillance feed, only scheduled system checks. Xavier looked it over once.

”I’ll take that,” he said.

The man marked it and moved on. ”Food.”

Another list appeared. Custom meals. Species-adapted kitchens. Imported supplies. Opt-out from communal distribution.

Xavier didn’t hesitate. ”Add it.”

Rin shook his head. ”You didn’t even look.”

”I smelled the alternative,” Xavier replied.

Medical access came next. Priority treatment, regeneration monitoring, discreet repairs. Xavier approved it without comment.

Then came status modifiers. Reduced challenge classification. Mediation protocols if conflicts escalated beyond a set threshold. It didn’t make him immune, but it changed how fast the system reacted and who it sided with.

”I want that,” Xavier said. ”I don’t want guards hovering, and I don’t want idiots trying their luck.”

”That will affect how others approach you,” the man said. ”This is how the system works here. It’s not illegal to do anything as long as you do it with money.”

’I thought money would stop being relevant when I stepped out of the Earth, but I guess, I will be spending millions daily.”

The total sat well under his daily limit, which was a hundred million bucks, which was equal to three hundred thirty-three thousand credits per day.

Xavier paid it instantly, and the man was surprised how it worked.

The man finalized the transaction and nodded. ”Your status updates immediately. The block will adjust within the hour.”

Rin crossed his arms. ”And me.”

Xavier didn’t look away from the screen. ”He’s with me.”

The man hesitated briefly, then adjusted the entry. ”Done.”

Klatos watched quietly as a side corridor opened, cleaner and quieter than the main route, with fewer inmates passing through. ”That changes things,” he said. ”People will notice.”

”You wanna move in with me? I don’t plan to stay in this prison for long. I will get you out if you want.”

Klatos stopped just outside the room and looked in, taking in the space with open interest. It was quieter here, cleaner, and noticeably separate from the rest of the block.

”You could stay here too,” Xavier said. ”I don’t plan on staying long anyway.”

Klatos turned toward him. ”You’re talking about leaving.”

”Yes,” Xavier replied. ”Soon.”

Klatos didn’t laugh, but there was a pause before he answered. ”Getting out of this place isn’t easy,” he said. ”Money helps with comfort, not freedom. Escaping is worse. Nobody who tries it lasts.”

”I’m not escaping,” Xavier said. ”And I’m not paying my way out either.”

Klatos studied him, waiting for the rest.

”This prison will release me,” Xavier continued. ”Properly. On record. With respect.”

Klatos’s wings shifted slightly as he thought about that. He didn’t dismiss it, but he didn’t accept it either. ”If that happens,” he said after a moment, ”then I’ll come with you. I have things to finish here. People who depend on me. Some loose ends. It’ll take time.”‌

”That’s fine,” Xavier replied. ”I’m not in a rush. I also have some things I have to do here.”

Klatos looked at him more closely. ”You sound like you already know what you’re going to do.”

Xavier met his gaze. ”I do.”

Inside the new room, the door sealed behind them with a muted mechanical sound. The space was larger than the standard cells, with a proper sleeping area, a table fixed to the wall, and a private sanitation unit. The noise from the rest of the block barely carried through.

Rin dropped onto the bench and rubbed his face. ”Alright,” he said. ”You need to explain something.”

Xavier didn’t respond immediately. He moved around the room, checking corners, panels, and seams out of habit, then finally sat across from Rin.

”What did you mean back there,” Rin asked, ”when you said you had things to do here. You were talking like this was planned. Like getting arrested was part of it.”

Xavier exhaled. ”Coming here was part of the plan,” he said. ”Getting hit in the face with a missile wasn’t. Neither was getting dragged in like this.”

Rin stared at him. ”So you’re telling me this prison was on your route?”

”Something like that,” he nodded.

Rin ran a hand through his hair and turned away for a moment, pacing the length of the room once before stopping. ”You’re telling me you wanted to end up here,” he said, then looked back sharply. ”In a high-security prison.”

”I didn’t care how I got close,” Xavier replied. ”I just didn’t expect it to be that messy.”

Rin let out a dry laugh. ”That’s one way to put it.”

He went quiet again, clearly trying to line things up in his head. When he spoke this time, his voice dropped. ”So what are you actually doing here, Xavier.”

Xavier looked at the wall, then back at Rin. ”When I was locked up in the prison back on Earth,” he said, ”I met a space pirate named Bull.”

Rin frowned. ”Bull.”

”He wasn’t just a pirate,” Xavier continued. ”He moved ships, information, and people. The ship Requiem, Lyra, Reva, and Viola are on right now belongs to him.”

Rin blinked. ”You’re messing with me.”

”I’m not. But... well, he is dead.”

Rin sat down hard on the bench. ”So they are on a pirate ship.”

”He hid things across space. Treasures. Each one points to the next. Coordinates, data, access keys. The first one turned out to be somewhere people wouldn’t look too closely.”

Rin’s eyes narrowed. ”And that place is this prison.”

”Yes.”

Rin stared at the floor for a long moment, then looked up. ”So while I was freaking out about getting arrested, you were thinking about scavenger hunts.”

Xavier shrugged. ”Pretty much.”