Chapter 251

Chapter 251

Wandering Star Region.

The Zerg here had been mostly cleared recently, and Deenlie had been staying at the command center.

His adjutant walked over, leaned in, and said, "Prince Deenlie, a message has arrived from the imperial capital."

Deenlie hummed in acknowledgment.

Under normal circumstances, the fleet maintained regular contact with the imperial capital; if it were an ordinary message, the adjutant wouldn't have come specifically to inform him.

He slightly mobilized his mental energy, and a light screen appeared before him, pulling up the newly received message.

It was a communication from Sylvia regarding that mother ship.

Sylvia told him not to bother communicating with the prisoners but to release them in the end, only delaying the Star Alliance for a while—neither too tough nor too lenient, since they had ignored their warnings first.

Nothing else. Deenlie breathed a quiet sigh of relief; luckily Arnold had already headed over. If Sylvia got angry, it would be troublesome.

Delaying was easy enough—the responsible person was right here; he just needed to cut off their contact with the outside world.

The adjutant hadn't left yet. "Your Highness, General Carter has requested a conversation with you and asked when you would be available."

Deenlie frowned but finally said, "Connect it now."

Carter had been cooperative during the previous review, and if Deenlie refused the conversation, he figured Carter would just contact the imperial capital, adding extra work for Sylvia or Norton.

The adjutant acknowledged, and after a moment, Carter's projection appeared in the command center. Deenlie stood up, his mental energy connecting to the warship, and Carter's projection vanished, reappearing as an image on the light screen.

The adjutant nearby explained at the right moment, "Prince Deenlie isn't accustomed to projections."

It made Graths feel uncomfortable—even knowing it was a projection, they felt their personal space was invaded.

Carter nodded, raising no objection. "Prince Deenlie, I've come regarding the mother ship you captured. I temporarily represent the Star Alliance and apologize for the misunderstanding. They had no ill intent and simply strayed into the blockade zone."

Carter clarified his stance first.

With the Star Alliance leader captured and too far from Star Alliance headquarters, Carter, as a member, temporarily represented the Star Alliance in negotiations with Grath.

Deenlie wasn't buying it. "I warned them."

Meaning it wasn't a mere stray. Carter coughed awkwardly, knowing it himself.

First, the Star Alliance was used to being arrogant and ignored Deenlie's warning; second, they were accustomed to others accommodating their signal system—a common system among Star Alliance members—but Grath had their own system.

The adjutant beside Carter bowed slightly.

"Apologies, Your Excellency, there may have been a misunderstanding. At the critical moment, they were using a communication channel different from Grath's; it wasn't deliberate disregard."

Deenlie grew impatient. "I don't care about that."

His own adjutant coughed softly, and Deenlie clicked his tongue, falling silent. Sylvia had instructed that if the Star Alliance contacted them, the adjutant should handle it.

The adjutant spoke up, "We understand the situation. Rest assured, if our investigation confirms no ill intent, we will release the mother ship and its crew."

Carter nodded. "Understood. We'll cooperate fully, hoping to resolve this misunderstanding soon."

The adjutant added, "Additionally, Grath's warning system will not change. Please familiarize yourselves with Grath's external communication system to avoid future misunderstandings."

"I'll relay that. Pleasant cooperation."

"Pleasant cooperation."

…

While Deenlie detained the mother ship and slowly conducted the review, Herbert had already taken the opportunity to release news about the Star Alliance.

The Star Net immediately buzzed with activity. The front lines of the Insect Tide had relaxed, and people were no longer as tense, having energy to pay attention to other things—especially news like this.

"What's going on with the Star Alliance? If I live long enough, I can see everything. I guess I'm witnessing history."

"A group of mother ships currently in the Wandering Star Region are from the Star Alliance. Simply put, we're about to get in touch with the mainstream. If it goes well, our various technologies should improve, and the Zerg problem will no longer be an issue—if a Zerg tide is detected, reinforcements will come."

"But don't get carried away by that. Notice that this comes at the cost of one-third of our resources. Is the price worth it? I keep going back and forth on whether it's a good deal."

"Feeling it's not worth it is because we had Grath before, without even paying a third of the resources. Without Grath, everyone would be scrambling to join. Overall, if you leave out Grath, for countries that can't defend against or eliminate Zerg incursions, joining is more beneficial than harmful."

"Why are you assuming resources will be given up? There's the Resource War to reallocate resources—if you're lucky, you can even profit."

"Because generally, everyone's physical fitness is about average. It's still a contest of tech trees. The other side is clearly stronger. Personally, I think at least initially, it's best not to get your hopes up for the Resource War—Grath excluded here."

"But the Star Alliance hasn't contacted any country yet, right? I haven't heard of any country joining the Star Alliance."

"Uh, I know why. They ran into Deenlie in the Wandering Star Region, and their leader was detained by Prince Deenlie, so they haven't had time to act."

"Lol. The Graths have been testy lately. With the front lines relaxing and not enough Zerg to vent their anger, someone walked right into their guns."

…

Inside the mother ship.

A woman leaned against the wall and spoke. "They still refuse to let us talk to their Leader and won't provide any information. They want to confirm our identities before releasing us."

Another person in charge scratched his head irritably. "Has anyone else contacted the Star Alliance?"

"It's too far. Even if they tried, it wouldn't be quick. If the other mother ships are fine, they should already be communicating. This is probably the result of negotiations. For now, we just have to wait."

The young man slammed the wall in frustration and sighed. "What kind of monsters are these? One encounter disabled our power systems, and in a place like this?"

They had just approached the planet and hadn't even landed before being captured.

Ordinary people couldn't move freely on a warship. With the ship stationary, standing steady at such heights was already impressive, let alone using the ship as a foothold to fight at high speeds while it was in motion.

From that, he deduced the opponent's mental strength was formidable—if equipped with the latest gear, they would be an astonishing solo unit.

The woman was noncommittal. "Geniuses are born everywhere."

Though this degree of skill was indeed rare.

"He'll definitely become a star in the Resource War. As soon as he shows up, he'll be recruited from here."

The procedures were troublesome, but inviting these contestants to one's country was legal. Faced with invitations from leading nations, few people declined—except for those with a strong sense of national belonging.

Thinking this, the young man calmed down somewhat. When the opponent became famous, this incident might be dug up, and it's one thing to be beaten by a remote, backward little country; it's another thing entirely to be beaten by a star player who could hold their own in the Resource War.

Everyone knew that place gathered humanity's top combat power and best commanders, delivering the most spectacular battles and fiercest battlefields.

The Resource War was a major event for all nations, but for ordinary people, it was an unmissable spectacle.

The Star Alliance runs the Resource War really well, with annual viewership hitting insane numbers. Even the spin-off industries from the Resource War are thriving, and the holographic games it spawned are still a huge hit.

Investing heavily in this grand event never ends in a loss.

It is an arena everyone watches and the best opportunity to gain fame. Some contestants are even far more well-known than most nations. After all, with so many countries in the Star Alliance, people might know star contestants by heart but have little interest in how many countries the Alliance has.

"If he had grown up in the Star Alliance or another country, trained with more scientific and advanced methods, his strength might have been even more astonishing."

The woman remained expressionless. "Maybe."

The young man didn't mind. Aside from the initial surprise when they were captured, she had always been like this, and he was already used to her personality. "The Resource War is about to start. I hope we can return in time to watch it live."

...

Grath Palace.

Ye Mo knew nothing of the turmoil in the Wandering Star Domain or the Star Web. He enjoyed himself every day, and his latest activity was exploring the secret passages and hidden places in the Grath Palace, with Theodore as his little sidekick.

As long as the palace's normal operations weren't affected, Theodore was allowed to move about within the palace. With Norton's tacit permission, he opened every door for Ye Mo, allowing him easy access wherever he wanted.

Faceless went with them once, then finally mustered the courage to make an excuse and decline Ye Mo, feeling he already knew too much.

Today, Ye Mo was exploring Norton's bedroom, with Arnold tagging along in his mischief. Norton rarely let Ye Mo out of his sight, but today he only used his psychic power to keep tabs on Ye Mo, allowing him to run around upstairs.

Norton, meanwhile, was having tea in the living room with Sylvia and Herbert.

Adelaide replaced Sylvia's tea with coffee, and Sylvia smiled. "Thank you, Adelaide."

They had just been discussing the Star Alliance.

Herbert broke the silence first. "So we still have to join the Star Alliance."

Sylvia nodded. "And we need to scout the upcoming Resource War."

Then she looked at Norton. "Bring Ye Mo."

Norton looked up.

Sylvia said, "You're definitely going, and I wouldn't feel safe leaving Ye Mo here."

Herbert took a sip of coffee. In truth, he thought Sylvia was actually worried that Norton wouldn't be at ease.

"Adelaide is coming too."

Sylvia met Norton's gaze. Before he could speak, she said sincerely, "I'm afraid you'll let Ye Mo go hungry. I only trust Adelaide."

They hadn't even joined the Star Alliance yet, and the Resource War was still a long way off, but Sylvia was already fretting. Ye Mo was still so young, and it was such a long journey; they wouldn't be taking many people or much stuff. Would he get restless living on a starship for so long? Only Adelaide could she trust to look after him.

Norton finally said nothing.