Chapter 255

Chapter 255

Grath ultimately decided to join the Keller Empire and the Federation in heading to the Star Alliance to participate in the Resource War.

While the fleet formation of small battleships was flexible, it couldn't handle that long of a trip. Only large mother ships could withstand the harassment of bugs along the way, carry sufficient energy and food, and fully accommodate the smaller warships.

After joining the Star Alliance, the technology for constructing mother ships was available among the open technologies, but it couldn't be built in a short time. Grath made an agreement with Gu Chuan to temporarily use their mother ship.

Other nations, having not skipped the protection period, only sent a few people to tag along with the Star Alliance and watch the competition to gain experience.

The day of departure arrived quickly.

Flags were raised in the Grath Imperial Capital, and the ceremony was open to the public throughout.

At the vast docking area, the massive main ship was docked, along with numerous battleships.

The launch ceremony hadn't officially started yet.

Sylvia, dressed in a formal gown, stood not far from the main ship. Beside her were Herbert, Adelaide, and Secretary-General Lin.

Reporters with various equipment waited at a distance. The crowd was large but quiet.

People on the Star Network were way less polite.

"Grath's reporters always give a comfortable impression—they're really polite, no shoving, no scrambling."

"That's because there are rows of Grath soldiers standing in front of them. And at something like this, they only send the best reporters. Look over there — those are all big-name reporters. And that bunch? Those aren't soldiers or guards — those are Corps Commanders."

"Really! Their shoulder badges are different. So many of them! This is the first time I've seen so many Corps Commanders in one place. They look amazing standing there. Gotta give props to Grath's uniforms again."

"Grath's Corps Commanders never seem to relax. Their legs, their waists — even through the uniform, you can feel the power. Do these big shots actually go to the front lines? Any one of them could take on a hundred of me."

"How does anyone not know about Grath's great tradition? The leader charges first, and Corps Commanders must be both literate and martial. If you can't fight, you can't get the job — unless you're crazy good at something else, then you go civilian."

"I see the Queen. Can we get closer? Even in holographic mode, I can't get near. Isn't the person next to the Queen a Philip? Looks a bit like one."

"No way, there's a distance limit. Even the guards standing there have to stay half a meter away. The one next to the Queen is Herbert, her brother. The Phillip family has kept a low profile since Sylvia became Queen — they deliberately spread out and downplayed the family's importance. They're sharp — they got out of the Imperial Capital before Grath's unrest. Except for Herbert — he's the closest to the Queen."

"I've gotten picky. If they're not a Corps Commander, I'm not even looking."

Sylvia tilted her head and then stepped forward a little.

The reporters a distance away all turned to look.

The passage opened, revealing Emperor Norton's figure.

Norton was at the front, dressed in a military dress uniform with a cape over his shoulders. Ye Mo, following closely beside him, also wore a uniform. Behind were Baide, and finally Herli and Deenlie.

They rarely wore such elaborate military formal uniforms compared to others. Black uniforms with red accents, the emblem of crossed fire and sword on their chests.

On both sides of the path stood Corps Commanders and Grath soldiers. The moment Norton appeared, they dropped to one knee, and the sound was pretty loud.

Norton walked past without looking sideways, like a lion calmly surveying his territory.

In front of the main ship, Adelaide stepped forward, holding a sword. It's part of the expedition ceremony: you drive the sword into the ground before you leave. When you come back, if you win, you pull it out; if you lose, it stays there.

Norton drew the sword and casually slammed it into the ground, just saying, "Launch."

The Corps Commanders and soldiers all stood up together and yelled at the same time, "Glory to the Empire forever! Grath immortal!"

The voice echoed through the vast docking area.

Without pause, Norton entered the warship.

Ye Mo, while following Norton, turned his head to look at Sylvia. Deenlie pushed his face from behind to straighten it, muttering, "Watch where you're going."

The main ship lifted off first, followed by the other vessels.

It took a moment for the online viewers to react.

"That sword went into the ground like it was stabbing tofu."

"Fun fact: The ground in Grath is made from ore from our area — it's famous for being really hard."

"They're actually leaving. Kinda bums me out."

"Hope Grath gets a good spot."

"What's there to be bummed about? We can watch the Resource War too, right?"

"I heard we're getting connected to the Star Alliance soon."

"That's gonna be wild."

...

After ascending some distance, Ye Mo was still glued to the window, looking down at Sylvia and the others, who were already tiny blurry dots.

Soon, the warship entered the mother ship docked at the port. Ye Mo could see nothing more. Beside him was Theodore, also looking down with Ye Mo. The two of them looked like two short, chunky radishes.

Herli grabbed Ye Mo under the arms and lifted him up, spun him around excitedly, and said, "Alright, alright, let's play."

Arnold followed beside them, "Let me have him, I want to play with Ye Mo too."

Theodore circled around twice and brought Adelaide over.

Adelaide, dragged over, coughed and said in a low voice, "Emperor Norton is watching you."

"I'm not falling for that this time," Herli said, turning around as she spoke and meeting Norton's gaze.

She froze, carefully set Ye Mo down, and stepped back, signaling she hadn't overstepped.

Arnold also quieted down.

Deenlie let out a snort.

Adelaide shook his head helplessly. All the Graths were here, this was going to be a headache.

As he thought this, he handed Ye Mo a lion plush — the only thing inside was soft stuffing and Bug Crystals, "This is today's portion, little prince."

Ye Mo hummed in acknowledgment and obediently hugged it. All the Graths in the lounge were looking at him, making him a bit shy. He hid the lower half of his face behind the plush and then moved to Norton's side, as usual, plopping onto the carpet at Norton's feet.

He would definitely tell Adelaide later that he was old enough and didn't need plush toys anymore.

Adelaide covered Ye Mo with a blanket and instructed, "Little prince, don't fall asleep—we'll have a meal soon."

After instructing, he looked at Norton. Norton nodded and said, "I'll take care of it."

Adelaide was still thinking about the arrangements for the journey. Ye Mo would need to eat in three hours. They had brought many Bug Crystals, but worried Ye Mo might not adapt. So Ye Mo's belongings—including his Mu Mu, and even Pawpaw, to prevent him from feeling lonely—had all been brought along.

......

At the heart of the Star Alliance's territory lies a massive planet, equipped with the most advanced defense systems and weapon systems.

A staggering number of mother ships are distributed around it.

Soon, this planet will host the heads of countless nations and countless elites, including the finest commanders and mecha pilots.

The Resource War kicks off here, with all eyes on it.

Nations participating in the Resource War have already begun arriving, and the planet is welcoming the guests in an orderly fashion.

The surrounding planets are mostly built around the Star Alliance's Resource War, serving as competition venues, with some to accommodate spectators.

As the Resource War draws closer, more nations have arrived in the past few days.

The Star Alliance staff are also getting busy.

"The new member list has been sent to Star Alliance HQ."

The person in charge looked at the document and grunted in acknowledgment. "Which country's due next?"

"Orolia arrives tomorrow, and the Keller Empire and the Alliance will be coming with our people soon."

"Orolia is arriving early this year. Their placement should be quite good."

"The zones on the central planet are ranked for each country, with better positions giving more exposure. It's a win-win for everyone, and only the Star Alliance would turn heads of state and elites into a spectacle."

"Many of the front-row countries are arriving early this year. We can start the hype early. Once Orolia arrives, fully open up the viewing channels."

"Yes. Also, the Keller Alliance will arrive with a new member—"

"We don't have many new members this year, and even fewer are coming. If there's a Leader, put them in the viewing area on the core planet; if not, handle it as usual."

"New members are in a probation period, and their leaders usually don't come right away; they'll wait and observe."

"No, Keller's situation is different. They requested to skip the adjustment period and will participate in this Resource War, but we're not sure where to put them."

"Typically, first-timers are unranked and grouped together, but there is a ranking among first-timers. The Star Alliance makes a rough estimate of their strength based on the information they provide and assigns them areas."

"But since the new member skipped the adjustment period, we haven't been able to assess them."

The man addressed as 'sir' put down the file and pulled up the basic info that had been submitted. "A country from Keller's former territory. No wonder it came with Keller."

He paused. "A monarchy? That's pretty rare."

And it's not a ceremonial one.

That made him take a second look.

At that moment, someone else came and interrupted their conversation, saying apologetically, "Excuse me, but there's an issue with Orolia's designated zone..."

The person in charge closed the file. "What's the problem?"

Then he quickly said to the other person, "Put it at the end. That area is almost done anyway."

"First-time participants usually don't perform very well. Even Orolia was only mid-to-lower in their first competition, so they were placed further back, together with the rear-ranked countries."

"Orolia ended up ranked right next to Suonan last time. Just now, Orolia requested not to be placed next to Suonan."

The person in charge frowned.

"Both are consistently top-ranked in the Resource War and have high popularity, but they don't get along well. However, it's the first time their rankings have been adjacent."

"These two have actually gone to war before. Competing in the Resource War is fine, but with so many national leaders and heads of state in the central star, a conflict would be bad."

After a while, he said, "Go to the center and request to place the first-time participating nation between them."