Ironclad: How can hand-crafted knight belts not be considered genius?

Behind her, the door to Nguyen Mai's laboratory slowly closed.

Jiang Ning returned to the space station corridor, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

I don't know why, but it seems like ever since I transmigrated to the Star Iron Universe, I've been encountering all sorts of bad luck.

I don't know why, but I always feel like there's an invisible hand leading me into a quagmire of misfortune.

Is it just my imagination?

No, I think I was pretty unlucky before I transmigrated, but so many things have happened recently that made me suddenly realize this.

Jiang Ning rubbed his hair in frustration, making his already fluffy hair even more messy, which perfectly reflected his current state of annoyance.

Leaning against the viewing window, Jiang Ning sighed deeply and silently gazed at the starry sky outside.

"What are you thinking about?"

With a "smack", Jiang Ning's shoulder was gently patted by a slender hand.

Jiang Ning's wandering thoughts were suddenly pulled back, and she turned around somewhat flusteredly.

Upon seeing that familiar head of pink hair, Jiang Ning finally calmed down.

"You startled me... Station Master Estella, what are you doing here?"

Unbeknownst to them, Aista had quietly appeared behind Jiang Ning.

"Mr. Jiang Ning, you seem troubled."

Is something bothering you?

Speaking of this, Jiang Ning sighed again.

Jiang Ning gazed at the endless, silent sea of ​​stars outside the window and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"I have too many worries, so many that I can hardly tell if it's a coincidence or if I'm just naturally prone to attracting bad luck."

He turned around, leaning against the cold viewing window, a barely perceptible weariness hidden in his eyes.

Estelle blinked gently, her pink hair swaying softly in the breeze of the space station. She didn't ask about the details of the danger, but instead softened her tone and spoke in a sweet and gentle voice.

"Oh? Has Mr. Jiang Ning been plagued by trouble lately?"

"More or less."

Jiang Ning raised his hand and gestured helplessly.

"Since I came to this universe, stellar cores, antimatter legions, stellar core hunters, all sorts of troublesome crises... one after another, it just won't stop."

While others were sightseeing in Xinghai, I was on a high-risk mission the entire time.

As he said this, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"Sometimes I really feel like something is watching me. Every time I feel at ease for a little while, an even bigger problem immediately arises."

Upon hearing this, Estelle's expression became slightly more serious.

"Mr. Jiang Ning has really been through a lot... and he certainly needs to stop and rest occasionally."

As she spoke, Estelle, imitating Jiang Ning, leaned over the railing, forgetting the etiquette of a noble lady, and gazed at the starry sky with fascination.

"Does Mr. Jiang Ning also like the starry sky?"

The sudden question startled Jiang Ning.

"Huh?... Um, I guess so."

The starry sky is beautiful—mysterious, unknown, and fantastical—it inspires longing.

Gazing into the depths of the starry sky, Jiang Ning couldn't help but reveal his thoughts.

"Right? I think so too."

Estelle smiled brightly and continued speaking.

"I have loved the starry sky since I was a child. Celestial bodies, astrophysics... all knowledge related to the starry sky has made me inexplicably obsessed."

It's as if... I have some kind of connection with this starry sky.

Estella's azure eyes gazed intently into the depths of the starry sky, as if something there was drawing her in.

"That's why I ignored my family's advice and chose to write to Ms. Black Tower to become the stationmaster."

Only in this way can I distance myself from those power struggles and pursue my own dreams...

Mr. Jiang Ning...do you have a dream?

Aista suddenly turned her head to look at Jiang Ning, who was in a daze, and abruptly asked this question.

dream?

This word is now so distant and unfamiliar to him.

Before transmigrating, I was just an ordinary working person living a mundane life.

After unexpectedly arriving in the universe of the Star Railway, he is busy every day cleaning up all sorts of messes that suddenly appear in the universe.

Survival and crisis filled all his time, and he rarely had time to calmly think about what he really wanted.

Jiang Ning raised his hand and scratched his messy hair, a faint bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"Dreams... It's been so long since anyone asked me about that."

He leaned against the viewing window, his shoulders slumped slightly, his usual sharpness in dealing with crises gone, revealing a genuine sense of bewilderment.

"To be honest, I don't have any grand ambitions."

All I want is to live peacefully, find a way to establish myself in this starry sky, and live according to my own ideals—that's enough.

His gaze drifted back to the swirling nebulae outside the window, and the starlight fell into his eyes.

Jiang Ning chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"It sounds ridiculous, but I'm not even sure what my real dream is."

Perhaps... there will come a day when we no longer have to constantly deal with sudden disasters. We can peacefully, without any sense of crisis, truly appreciate the starry sky.

The constant crises along the way have left him feeling somewhat exhausted, even though he's long been accustomed to battles and unexpected crises.

Plan for the future and develop ourselves.

It seems like I hardly have any free time to look at the starry sky properly like this, to completely empty my mind and just daydream.

"Is that so…?"

Estelle listened quietly without interrupting him.

Her pink hair was gently ruffled by the airflow circulating in the space station. Her clear blue eyes looked at Jiang Ning, less lively and playful than usual, and more tender and empathetic.

The two of them stood side by side, admiring the starry sky.

Watch the Milky Way flow, watch the starlight twinkle.

Jiang Ning's inner turmoil was gradually soothed and dissipated during this period.

"Beep beep—"

A crisp notification sound broke the tranquility.

Jiang Ning's soul returned to his body, and he took out his phone from his shirt pocket and checked the incoming message notification.

【Sambo】sent you a friend request.

Jiang Ning's lips curled up slightly as he realized that he still had a "little loose end" left in Belleberg that he hadn't dealt with.

"Is there something important that needs to be taken care of, Mr. Jiang Ning?"

Aista tilted her head slightly, looking at Jiang Ning with a puzzled expression.

"Um, I'm sorry, I can't watch the starry sky with you anymore."

To be honest, I quite liked that feeling just now. Relaxed and natural, without having to think too much.

Jiang Ning scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's okay, let's look at the stars together again next time!"

"Then you go ahead with your work, I won't bother you anymore."

Estelle smiled mischievously and turned around naturally, walking towards the depths of the corridor.

Jiang Ning also turned around, holding his phone, and walked towards the other side of the corridor.

"By the way, Mr. Jiang Ning."

"Um?"

Hearing the shouts behind him, Jiang Ning instinctively turned around, only to see Estella smiling brightly at him from the other end of the corridor.

I wish you find your dream soon!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile back at Aista.

"Yes, I will!"

The two then parted ways and went their separate ways.

Jiang Ning went to a deserted corridor, pressed himself against the wall to unlock his phone, and tapped the screen to accept [Sang Bo]'s friend request.

[Jiangning]: Hey, long time no see, Uncle Cold Legs~ What brings you to add me as a friend?

[Sambo]: Come on, you didn't know about the note you left me?

But I never expected that you would be the president of the "Feidian" intelligent group that has been making headlines in the Interstellar Peace Company recently.

To be honest, what is your purpose in going to Belleburg?

[Jiangning]: So you've been secretly investigating me?

No particular purpose, just out of interest. Incidentally, to verify some hypotheses and resolve some problems as well.

【Sambo】: Don't play games with me! I don't believe that someone like "you" would help the natives of a frozen planet that is hundreds of years behind to solve their troublesome political problems for no reason.

[Jiangning]: Is this a riddle?

No, no, no, that's something only you "masked fools" like to do. I'm just telling the truth.

As soon as the message was sent, Sambo's reply abruptly stopped.

The top of the communication interface shows a notification that jumps back and forth between "The other party is typing..." and the name [Sambo].

Seeing that Sangbo hadn't replied for a while, Jiang Ning simply tapped the screen again and sent a text message.

[Jiangning]: Let's put aside those messy issues of stance for now.

Sambo, I'm here to ask you to do something for me.

After a long while, Sangbo slowly replied to the message.

[Sambo]: What could possibly make someone as powerful as you need someone as insignificant as me?

Jiang Ning smiled and replied.

[Jiangning]: I want to find a planet, a "blacklisted" planet that is not included in the files of the Interstellar Peace Company and whose coordinate information is completely blank.

As you know, my company was only recently registered, and I need it as my company's base.

After a long pause, Sambo finally typed out a character on the screen.

【Sambo】:?

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