A Show of Strength

Unlike small ships that are self-sufficient, medium-sized ships cannot operate on their own.

They require constant maintenance from frigates and supply ships, and also serve as cannon fodder for medium-sized ships.

The management has become much more complex than before, especially with the dramatic increase in demands placed on Gwent of the Logistics Department and Santos of the Navigation Department.

Without wasting any more of Gwent's time, Lister went to the B10 floor alone after selecting a room.

That's right, the spatial changes on a medium-sized ship go far beyond just dormitory rooms.

The entire ship's space has undergone a huge change; what was originally five levels now has thirteen.

The sergeant activity area consists of three levels, B10-B12, while B13 remains the landing operations area.

"My lord! You're back!"

"Grown ups!"

With a cry of surprise from Reck, many of the ship's soldiers gathered around.

"Gather together!"

At Captain Zahn's command, fewer than three hundred men quickly assembled into a square formation and stood in front of him.

Having undergone a brutal baptism, although their numbers have dwindled, their overall demeanor after truly coming together is completely renewed compared to before.

He exuded a fierce aura, and his calm gaze revealed a ruthless edge; he was a truly courageous and resourceful person.

"There are no tasks now, everyone go about your own business."

"Disband!"

The vast sergeant activity area currently only has about 300 people, moving around sparsely.

"Sir, several second lieutenants from the Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth Battalions were killed in the last mission. Do you think we need to..."

Although it was Zahn who made the suggestion, the other lieutenants were the ones who were watching intently with shining eyes.

In the federal conscription mission, the military merits that were due have been issued, and the ranks of most senior officers have been adjusted.

This includes Lieutenant Zahn being promoted to Captain, and Second Lieutenant Reck being promoted to Lieutenant.

However, there is still a number of junior officers, especially second lieutenants, who have not yet been promoted or reassigned.

They've waited a whole year, and now they're finally regrouping on the new warship, where Lister will make the necessary arrangements.

Lister glanced at the group and nodded to them.

"Our Landing Operations Department suffered heavy losses after the last mission, and new sergeants will be deployed in the next few days."

"Once the staffing is complete, I will arrange for the promotion of all the team leaders and some outstanding veteran sergeants who meet the standards to junior officer ranks."

They were all second lieutenants who had survived the federal conscription with him; a lieutenant was definitely not out of the running.

As for the veterans, as long as they meet the standards for second lieutenant, Lister is willing to help them apply for an officer's position.

"Whew!"

The lieutenants all breathed a sigh of relief.

Like Reck, he immediately looked at Lieutenant Mila with delight.

Lieutenant Mila also breathed a sigh of relief, lightly patting her chest with one hand, her breasts heaving.

She then responded to Reck with a relieved smile, a gesture that made Reck stare blankly.

Lister saw all of this; it seemed that Reck was completely beyond saving.

"Zahn, you'll be in charge of the current daily training."

"Make a list of promising veterans, especially those who meet the standards for second lieutenant."

"Yes, sir!"

Unbeknownst to him, Lister had shifted all his affairs to Zahn.

Reck was oblivious to all of this; his mind was still entirely on Lieutenant Mila.

"Swoosh!"

The brand-new medium-sized cruiser A73 was finally launched after Captain Brody took office.

In the spacious control room, Lister now sits to Captain Boren's left, his status already self-evident.

"Gentlemen, the prepared lists have already been sent to you by Cohen. Today, please select the personnel and submit them."

"Of course! Lister, there's no rush for your Landing Operations Department's roster; it can be finalized within a week."

"Clear!"

The new ship A73 has expanded its crew to a maximum of 12,000 personnel, six times the size of the original smaller ship.

This is only for cruisers; for mid-sized destroyers, the maximum crew size could reach 26,000.

Of course, according to the Arcane Headquarters, only 7,500 people were actually allocated, which is about 60%.

Lister's Landing Operations Department was the largest component of this.

The total number of sergeants needed to be increased to six thousand, which explains why Captain Boren did not restrict the time of his troops.

"Captain, are you sure you can select all the personnel from these other ships?"

Looking at the list on the soft screen, Lister asked uncertainly.

The list of sergeants includes recruits graduating from basic training, as well as sergeants from other warships.

Especially the promising recruits, the sergeants with combat strength around D level are all sergeants serving on other ships.

If you really pick out all the promising young talents from other teams, you might easily make enemies.

"It's alright! Go ahead and choose!"

"This list was provided by headquarters, and these warships either made mistakes or haven't been on missions for several years."

"All the officers and sergeants above want to leave, so go ahead and choose what you want!"

Okay! Captain Boren's words are enough.

Lister didn't hold back, disregarding the soldiers' past records and directly choosing those with the highest rank and combat strength.

He didn't care whether it was a nuisance or not, and he didn't believe anyone could cause trouble under his control.

By applying such stringent standards, Lister's selection process was even faster than that of other departments.

One week later, at the B10 level, the large drill ground.

The new recruits transferred from each ship have all assembled, creating a bustling and lively scene.

The Landing Operations Department has undergone a major upgrade, currently boasting a total of 6,118 sergeants.

Among them, there are 2,613 people with F-level combat power, 1,819 people with E-level combat power, and 1,591 people with D-level combat power.

Even at the C-level combat strength, there are 95 sergeants who meet the standards for reserve second lieutenant officers.

While the overall quality of the sergeants cannot compare with that of the Central Army, it is arguably unique within the Arcane Army Group.

Of course, the consequences are also obvious.

The once orderly and silent training ground is now filled with whispers and murmurs.

Especially those sergeants with C-level combat power, they were either troublemakers on the original warships or former officers who had made serious mistakes.

The group was a mixed bag, and there was absolutely no discipline involved in their assembly.

Furthermore, being only a sergeant, his information network is limited, and he has only a superficial understanding of Lister's information.

Even more provocatively, some looked at Lister with a hint of wanting to test his mettle as minister.

The outcome was exactly as they had hoped.

A wave of intense Killing Intent Wave across the scene, instantly silencing the previously noisy atmosphere.

Those soldiers with their provocative gazes trembled all over, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads.

His proud and defiant attitude vanished in an instant, replaced by fear in his eyes.

The aura emanating from him was truly unique, unlike the simple pressure he exuded as other high-ranking officers.

Instead, it was enveloped in a bloody, murderous intent, as if one's organs, heart, and even soul were being squeezed in an instant.

The intense sharpness pierced the soul, a strong sense of suffocation pressed down, and the pressure of truly facing death was overwhelming.

"Thump~ thump~!"

Under such intense pressure, many new soldiers immediately went weak in the knees and knelt on the ground.

The more resolute new sergeants, however, mostly had trembling hands on their chests, their pupils already dilated.

Unfortunately, facing such deadly intent for the first time, it was impossible to overcome the fear in my heart.

Only the veteran soldiers, under Lister's control, did not feel any pressure and stood still, pretending to be calm.

A slight smirk played on his lips as he looked around at the new recruits and troublemakers with a mixture of disdain and schadenfreude.

Who is our minister?!

Not to mention that Captain Boren was no match for them, even the captains of the Central Army treated them with utmost respect. How dare these new sergeants act like this?

Only two words came to mind—serves him right!

"Whew!"

Finally, the intense killing intent receded like the tide.

All the new soldiers were no longer as energetic as before and were now panting heavily.

The feeling of suffocation and impending death gradually subsided, but the fear of Lister remained.

"Gather together!"

The calm order to assemble the troops came from Lister's mouth, his voice not loud.

But it sent a chill down the spines of all the soldiers.

I immediately suppressed my physical discomfort and performed an abnormally standard and regulated assembly.

"Disband~!"

The new sergeants only calmed down after Lister and his officers left.

They all inquired with the veterans of A73.

"Merrick Civilization? A level three civilization!? I've never heard of it before?"

"However, the name Lister Merrick does sound somewhat familiar."

"What! You're saying Major Lister is that 'Blade Arts Overlord' from our army group?"

"This is Quasi-Hegemon figure! Really?!"

Lister's reputation has long since resounded among the upper echelons of the Arcane Civilization Army.

The fact that they are considered "Quasi-Hegemon" alone makes this Arcane Civilization take them extremely seriously.

On the contrary, among the lower-ranking soldiers, who belonged to different civilizations, most people still remembered him as the "Blade Arts Overlord."

Regardless, through mutual exchange and discussion, the new sergeants gradually came to fully accept Lister's power.

In a short time, their attitude changed again, showing absolute respect for those with strength.

Even the troublemakers were the same, all marveling at how lucky they were to have gotten this transfer.