Chapter 300

Chapter 300

The meeting at the Star Alliance Center had ended.

The Star Alliance Chairman stood up and escorted the others out.

After the attendees had all left, a secretary beside him said, "Can we really trust Grath?"

The secretary frowned deeply. This was somewhat against Star Alliance protocols, although Grath’s promises were very tempting. The secretary had long learned to take such promises with a grain of salt.

In the past, if any country was invaded by insect swarms, the Star Alliance wouldn't intervene directly. Instead, they would issue a levying order, calling for assistance from other nations.

If it were a targeted levy, the nation that received the call could not refuse—it was an obligation of joining the Alliance. However, the Star Alliance would usually negotiate with them and provide some resources as compensation.

The Star Alliance would carefully select the target of the levy based on specific circumstances. They had developed a complex set of rules to ensure they wouldn’t keep levying the same country, nor would they skip levying altogether.

To prevent the levied country from shirking its duties, the Star Alliance would oversee the entire process and make everything public.

But generally, entrusting the task to a strong nation like Buston was always the safest bet.

Countries like Buston also needed such public, influential activities to cement their status and show that they didn't just occupy high positions in resource wars without contributing. Smaller nations could also benefit, protecting their territories from insect invasions.

This was the first time they were handing over leadership to a newly rising nation.

The Star Alliance Chairman sat back down. "Have you seen their performance in the resource war?"

The secretary carefully chose his words. "Yes, very eye-catching. Grath has several formidable players; it's hard not to pay attention. They are the brightest dark horse in this resource war."

"No, I mean the whole of Grath, including their Leader and their soldiers. Grath is the only one that didn't abandon their base. They faced the insect invasion head-on and bore the pressure. Everyone knows that abandoning those bases to harvest easier points is the optimal choice, but they didn't retreat."

"Back then, I wondered: if they had the same equipment as us, the most advanced mother ships, and mechs, what would they be capable of?"

"The reason I handed them the lead is simple—they actively sought it, and I believed they had the ability. So we reached a consensus."

The secretary was stunned.

The Star Alliance Chairman spoke slowly. "Sometimes, we need to look past the brilliance of outstanding players to see others. After all, we're all ordinary people, aren't we?"

"And besides, compared to other countries we've contacted, their demands were not excessive."

Targeted levies allowed for negotiations with the Star Alliance. The Alliance wouldn't put all its resources into the resource war; it would reserve a portion for such occasions to give to the levied nation.

"Now that the Star Alliance has approved this plan, we can't keep this region locked down indefinitely."

Leaning back in his chair, the chairman changed the subject. "When the Star Alliance was first founded, it attracted much attention and ran smoothly. But after so long, the star domain controlled by humanity has been shrinking inexorably. Are the insects getting stronger? Perhaps. Every year, our researchers find traces of larger King Insects. But humanity shouldn't be standing still either."

"But now, the Star Alliance is a behemoth that no individual or nation can easily change or influence. It can only keep moving forward. Still, I hope it can be changed."

When the last words left his mouth, the secretary suddenly looked up at him.

The Star Alliance Chairman gestured for silence.

He was looking forward to seeing what would happen once Grath truly established a foothold here.

...

The StarNet was abuzz, even more so than during the resource war.

This was the first time in the history of the resource war system that it had been suspended, and the Star Alliance immediately locked down the star domain. Even if there was a reason, it was a very sensitive move. With so many national leaders in Central Star, any incident could shake the entire Alliance.

Even those who weren't particularly keen and had been waiting for the resource war to end to watch professional commentary were starting to pay attention.

The Star Alliance continuously posted progress reports.

"There's progress! Everyone check the Star Alliance announcement. They're starting to clean up, and the relevant deployment is out today. Considering the resource war was still ongoing, the Alliance moved pretty fast."

"They have to be fast. Locking down the star domain is effective against the insects, but it burns through money constantly. They'll probably lift the lockdown as soon as the insects begin to retreat."

"Not necessarily. The Alliance is rich. After so many resource wars, not to mention the cut, but the spin-off games and merchandise alone would have made them a fortune."

"There should be more than one country participating in the levy. This extermination campaign is getting a lot of attention, so many countries will likely be happy to accept the levy. I wonder if we'll see Orka."

"Probably. For an event like this, only Buston can handle being the lead force, right? And it's so close to the Star Alliance that the equipment will be top-notch. The whole process will probably be very detailed. With so many eyes on it, the lead force will be under immense pressure. If it's not a targeted levy, probably no country will volunteer."

"Leisa is probably out of the question—Kainan might not let him go. Anyway, I hope I get to see my favorite players."

...

Grath Command Center.

Deenlie sat with his arms crossed, listening to the report. He told the adjutant, "Report to Big Brother. Can we swap Bode for the handover? I'm not the commander for this mission; it's not appropriate."

The adjutant nodded and was about to act when a message popped up on his light screen. He quickly checked it and said, "Your Highness, a document from Princess Sylvia. The mission we've secured has high visibility. She hopes Grath will go all out in this extermination."

Deenlie frowned as he listened. "This should go to Bode or Big Brother. Why am I getting all the stuff I'm not supposed to be responsible for today?"

The adjutant also found it odd. He looked down again and carefully examined the document. After parsing it through the main ship's AI, he looked up. "This was forwarded from Prince Bode's files."

The adjutant stood up and saluted solemnly. "My apologies, Your Highness. This was my oversight. I'll be more careful next time and won't make such a low-level mistake again."

Deenlie clicked his tongue but still opened Sylvia's document and read it through. "If we're going all out, let's bring Herli and the rest as well. Report to Big Brother and see if it can be approved."

"Yes."

...

Central Star.

Ye Mo had finished dinner and was hanging out with Arnold and the others in Norton's living room.

The Star Alliance had agreed to remove the holographic projection equipment at Grath's base, but several of the Grath members still preferred to spend the evenings at Norton's place.

Norton sat watching them from the side.

Elia was taking photos of Ye Mo. "Cyril in new clothes is even cuter than before!"

Ye Mo steadied himself behind Herli, hiding from Elia's camera. "Don't take pictures yet. Arnold just messed up my hair."

He was also missing one sock. Ye Mo wiggled his foot.

Elia saved who-knows-how-many photos and said, "No problem, you're still cute like this. I promise I won't show them to anyone else—just to Sylvia and the others."

Ye Mo thought for a moment. "That works."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Secretary-General Lin pushed the door open and entered. "Your Highness, a document from Princess Sylvia's side."

He had set out as soon as he received the file from Deenlie. He pulled up a light screen. "Princess Sylvia believes this event will have high visibility..."

Actually, Secretary-General Lin had thought about this matter before, but for one thing, he got busy and forgot about it, and for another, having followed Norton for so long, he generally wouldn't question Norton's arrangements even if there were better options.

Norton grunted, not really caring about that aspect. "Alright."

"Good. I'll notify the other legions to prepare."

Secretary-General Lin let out a breath. "In that case, I'm afraid a few of Your Highnesses will have to put in some effort and join in as well."

Herli was already rolling her shoulders. "This little thing? Leave it to me."

Elia was a bit disappointed—Cyril had just promised to wear the outfit she chose tomorrow. "Oh well, I'll have to ask someone else to take photos for me."

Arnold also nodded. "We should be back soon, right?"

That star region wasn't even as large as the area between two bases that Grath had fortified. Sending Prince Bode and a few of Grath's people there had already taken into account the need to get used to the new equipment.

Cyril, on the side, raised his hand high. "Can I go too?"

The others and Secretary-General Lin first looked at Cyril's raised hand, then silently turned to look at Norton.

Norton frowned slightly, said nothing, and looked at Cyril first.

Cyril was also looking at Norton with anticipation. Everyone was going, and he wanted to help.

After a few seconds, Norton said, "Alright. You follow me."

Cyril immediately became visibly excited.

Herli crossed her arms and nodded seriously. "It's about time Cyril learned how to defend the line."

Cyril nodded and hummed in agreement.

When Herli and the others were that age, they had already been thrown onto the battlefield several times over. If they ran into that bastard Bode, he would mock them from the sidelines, but she certainly wouldn't be as harsh as Bode.

Herli turned to Cyril, looking very dependable. "Don't worry, Cyril. I'll teach you gently."

She definitely wouldn't make fun of Cyril.

Cyril nodded earnestly. "Thank you, Herli."

Secretary-General Lin's body stiffened. *Princess Herli, what are you saying in front of His Majesty? Don't make decisions without consulting the child's father!* Although a bit curious, he ultimately didn't dare turn his head to see Norton's expression.

Arnold stood up from the side and pulled Cyril aside. "Cyril is still so young. Isn't it too early to learn this? Cyril, let's go later, and I'll teach you then."

Elia hesitated before speaking. "If big brother goes too, there won't be enough room for everyone, right?"

Norton raised a hand to stop them. "I'll be at the command center in the rear."

Arnold breathed a sigh of relief and said to Cyril, "Cyril, understanding how the command center operates is also very important."

Cyril nodded earnestly again. He was already thrilled that Norton allowed him to participate.