Ten Years

The joint mission with the Glimmer Civilization was ultimately very efficient.

In less than a month, he earned 150,000 military merit points.

It's a rare and important mission; even if it's assigned to all the officers on the ship, at least the petty officers will get a share.

Lister, needless to say, was the real big winner.

Especially this harvest, it will take quite some time to digest.

Spiderweb is tasked with crafting armor, Spirit-Devouring Pearls are assigned to Jiji for further forging and upgrading, and there's also a series of equipment upgrade tasks.

Meanwhile, Lister's life in the Arcane Civilization Army gradually got on track.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For the Galactic Federation, ten years is but a blink of an eye.

Even for many civilizations, ten years might not be enough to complete even a single concrete project.

However, for Lister and the Merrick Civilization, ten years was a huge leap forward!

Inside the Ship A73, several junior officers were chatting in a relaxed atmosphere.

Suddenly, a black-haired youth appeared in front of them, and the lieutenants immediately stood up straight.

His eyes were filled with awe as he saluted the black-haired youth.

"Colonel Lister!", "Lister..."

Lister nodded calmly to the officers, then walked slowly toward the control room.

Upon entering the building, Captain Boren was amidst a barrage of profanities from the Logistics Department at headquarters.

"How much longer!?"

"Rear Major General York at headquarters had already approved the documents, promising to replace us with larger ships."

"What's the meaning of your Logistics Department!? Who exactly is trying to block our warships? Rear Admiral Morse?"

Ten years have passed, and Captain Boren's temper has only grown stronger.

He didn't mince words when questioning the Logistics Department directly under the Logistics Department.

He even directly mentioned Major General Morse, the youngest major general of the Arcane Civilization, in his words.

The Logistics Department at headquarters was this major general's private domain.

"Boren! How dare you talk to me like that!?"

"Go ahead and urge me! What does Major General Morse mean by this? The Major General is busy with the work of the entire army all day long, how could he have time to obstruct you?"

"And you've only been a colonel for less than a year. Large ships aren't delivered just like that, are they?"

"Anyway, the approval is for three years. So you guys in A73 are trying to get special treatment from Major General York, right?"

The colonel from the Logistics Department was equally unceremonious.

Both men were colonels, and he was under the command of headquarters, which meant he was half a rank higher than Boren. He was not going to be happy to put up with this.

"Minister Atas, when exactly do you intend for the large ships to be delivered?"

Just as the two were about to continue arguing, a deep and calm voice suddenly came from behind them.

Atas, in the holographic projection, couldn't help but frown, and his expression changed drastically when he turned his head and saw Lister!

With a face full of enthusiasm tinged with a hint of obsequiousness, she still took small, quick steps forward to explain, even in the holographic projection.

"Lister, our Logistics Department truly had no intention of deliberately delaying your A73."

"As you know, our entire military region only has three large warships in service, and this new fourth one is still undergoing final internal assembly."

"Minister Atas, our ship has just completed a mission to wipe out a Tier 18 Zerg."

"A mother body at the 18th tier, Quasi-Hegemon level—you can imagine how difficult the battle would be, right?"

"Especially since we're only a medium-sized ship! If it weren't for the joint participation of the warships from the Glimmer Civilization, we'd probably all lose our lives on the mission."

How could that be!?

"Lister, your capabilities are evident to the entire fleet! You're among the best in the entire galaxy!"

"How could a mere Zerg- like civilization possibly be a match for you!"

As he spoke, Minister Atas looked cautious and incredulous.

At the same time, his posture became increasingly humble, completely different from when he was communicating with Captain Boren just now.

In fact, this cannot be blamed on the influence of Minister Atas.

Colonel Boren was utterly insignificant in his eyes; it was purely good luck.

His meteoric rise from a mere major to a colonel over the past decade or so was not due to his own abilities or connections, but purely because he climbed up the ladder by relying on the powerful figure of Lister.

This made him despise Boren from the bottom of his heart, and his attitude was naturally businesslike, intentionally refusing to save face for the other party.

But he dared not act that way towards Lister had suddenly joined the group chat.

It's important to know that Lister is currently the brightest rising star in the Arcane Civilization Army!

Since joining the army group, he has risen to level 18 in just ten years and still maintains the strength of Quasi-Hegemon.

Furthermore, over the past decade or so, the Ship A73 has maintained a 100% completion rate for all its missions, including those requested by the Federation.

Not only the Arcane Civilization, but even within the Galactic Federation, Lister is now very well-known.

They are clearly a strong contender for future Hegemon!

Minister Atas might be indifferent to Colonel Boren, who was lucky enough to be called that, but he had genuine respect for Lister! He dared not be negligent in the slightest!

Seeing this, Captain Boren couldn't help but curl his lip in disdain.

Lister then spoke again.

"In any case, Minister Atas, can you give me a definite answer? A specific time?"

"One year! This year, delivery guaranteed!"

It is, after all, the use of large warships.

The true gold nugget of the Arcane Civilization Army.

Previously, these three aircraft were directly managed by only three major generals in the military region, but of course, most of the generals were busy with tasks at the military region headquarters.

This resulted in the three large ships primarily patrolling the core area of Arcane Civilization, without undertaking any specific missions.

The one approved for Lister was the first one to be truly used for foreign purposes.

Now that a specific time had been given, neither of them wanted to push too hard.

"Then I'll have to trouble Minister Atas."

Haha! It's not hard work at all!

"This is just part of my job. I'll go to the military factory now and urge them to expedite it."

Captain Boren was still quite unhappy even after leaving the holographic conference.

"This Atas, he's still playing these tricks on me."

"Isn't it just that Rear Admiral Morse waited nine years for the delivery of large ships back then? He wasn't happy that we got the ships so early."

"Luckily, you just spoke up, Lister. This guy has some sense and didn't dare to fool you."

"Captain, if this happens again, just contact me directly, and I'll handle the negotiations."

"That won't do. The entire operation depends on you. I only got my colonel rank because of you."

"I can't help with anything else, so why would I trouble you with these trivial matters?"

Captain Boren's expression was serious, tinged with embarrassment.

He never expected to be promoted to colonel so quickly!

I followed Lister on a crazy series of missions, including participating in a federal conscription mission along the way.

In less than ten years, he actually accumulated 3 million military merit points.

He was promoted to colonel based on the minimum skill level of 16.

He was also aware of the large ship; it was mainly the last time headquarters wanted to win over Lister and make it easier for Lister to carry out combat missions.

Captain Boren didn't want to trouble Lister with these side chores.

Lister nodded immediately, not wanting to elaborate on the matter further.

These were all trivial matters to him, so he simply stated his purpose.

"Captain, I'm planning to take a vacation soon."

"No problem! Short holiday or long holiday?"

"As for a long holiday, since this major mission has just ended, I'll arrange for all the officers on the ship to take a break for a while."

"No need, it's just a short vacation."

"It should take about two weeks."

"No problem, you go about your business, I'll take care of things on the ship."

Although he was the rightful captain, the actual command of the entire ship had gradually fallen into Lister's hands over the past decade.

Boren was even secretly pleased with this, essentially handing it over, since he himself couldn't command respect based on strength alone.

Moreover, he knew Lister's thoughts: for the past ten years, he had been single-mindedly accumulating military merits in order to establish his own civilized army group.

Even after Lister leaves, the warship will still be his and will remain unaffected.

Merrick Civilization.

As Lister's fame has grown, the Merrick Civilization is now attracting increasing attention.

More and more talented individuals are joining the civilization.

For other civilizations, the Merrick Civilization was a particularly important one to focus on.

After all, Lister's level of strength has advanced to the 18th rank, making him one of the few beings in the Galactic Federation with the potential to become a Level 4 civilization.

It can be said to have unlimited potential, and there are countless second- and third-tier civilizations that have already invested in it.

The only thing that many civilizations criticize is the current civilization level of the Merrick Civilization.

That's right, it's still a level two civilization.

Everything else has been met, except for a shortage of A-level and B-level talents at the Third Advancement.

A civilization with a very high chance of becoming a galactic Hegemon and advancing to a Level 4 civilization is actually only a Level 2 civilization at present.

This peculiar phenomenon was perceived as discontinuous by other civilizations, and even by the Merrick Civilization itself.

Fortunately, Lister didn't care and was currently in the basement of his own Merrick Castle.

With Roland's help, the area beneath Merrick Castle had long been a new forbidden zone.

A specially designed inscription array has been created, and a brand-new, massive prison stands here.

However, most of the prisons are devoid of any living beings.

Only at the very back, a Soul-Devouring Spider was constantly howling.

[Soul-Devouring Spider (Mother)]

[Level: 171]

[Overall Rating: S]

"This mother body is getting stronger with each generation!"

"Berry, are you sure you can do this?"

Lister was not the only one in the prison at that moment.

Roland and Wang Yue of the Glimmer Civilization were also here.

Of course, Wang Yue has now changed her identity to Berry Porzingis.

Tier 14, Quasi-Hegemon strength, belonging to the Porzingis family of the Leviathan Civilization.

"No problem, I have family members who can help."

The opponent is indeed weaker, but at least they have Lister's strong recommendation and family influence behind them.

Considering that the two Matrix cleanups were actually carried out thanks to Lister's strength, Roland finally nodded, but then added a reminder out of concern.

"It's fine to ask family members for help, but be sure to find trustworthy people."

"The characteristics of the Soul-Devouring Spider, especially the matter of Soul Crystals, must be kept secret!"

"Rest assured, I will stake the reputation of the Porzingis Family on this."

As one of the top ten families of the Leviathan Civilization, the Porzingis Family still holds considerable influence and credibility.

At least for Roland, this guarantee was enough for him to believe.

Upon seeing this, Lister took out Whiteman's specially made container and distributed the Soul Crystals obtained from this cleanup operation.

Compared to the one ten years ago, this time the 18th-tier mother body has reaped considerable rewards.

Of the 21 Soul Crystals in total, 7 were given to Hoffman, 10 to Lister, 3 to Roland, and 1 to Wang Yue.

That's right!

This mission of the Zerg is actually still about eradicating the Soul-Devouring Spiders.

The only difference is that the location of the extermination has changed from the Glimmer Civilization to the current Merrick Civilization.

After ten years of nurturing, Lister finally reaped great rewards.

The allocation ratio was also renegotiated.

After all, Hoffman hadn't returned to the Galactic Federation for almost 20 years.

Lister's strength has already reached level 18, and strength determines everything.

Everything changed too quickly, so it was impossible to give Hoffman the original 50% ratio.

Lister automatically became the biggest beneficiary of the Soul Crystal profits, and he also brought Wang Yue into the scheme.

"Then I'll take my leave!"

"Lister, I wish you all the best in the future!"

Even now, Roland still harbors a somewhat dreamy spirit.

In just ten years, he was still standing still, constantly strengthening his own combat power, while Lister in front of him had already reached the 18th level.

Only one final evolution remains before it can become the Hegemon.

He no longer had any desire to compare or even catch up with others.

More often than not, it was a genuine blessing, and people truly believed that Lister's chances of becoming Hegemon were far greater than Hoffman's.

It could even become the new Hegemon within a century!

After a sincere farewell, he ultimately left first.

Inside the prison, only two old acquaintances remained: Lister and Wang Yue.

"Your strength has improved very quickly! I didn't expect you to have entered the ranks of 'Quasi-Hegemon'."

They were old friends who knew each other inside and out, and Lister was very direct in his communication with Liszt.

Although he knew that Wang Yue would definitely become Quasi-Hegemon or even Hegemon in the future, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Despite being far less talented than Kavin and not progressing quickly in boot camp, he has now firmly established himself as a 'Quasi-Hegemon' player.

Its rank is also quite high, soon to be rank 15.

"I can't compare to you. You and Kavin are the real geniuses."

"I mainly relied on special resources to reach the level of Quasi-Hegemon. I entered politics by relying on the resources of the Aiven Family and the Porzingis Family. With two special resources in total, I barely managed to step into that position."

It is said that even Lister had to lament Wang Yue's development.

Even though her combat strength isn't high, she's still a "other type" Class Holder.

But his abilities are truly bizarre, and he thrives in the environment of the Galactic Federation.

With the Faceless Person's ability to disguise himself, Wang Yue can consistently acquire special resources in this way, and it's only a matter of time before he becomes a "Quasi-Hegemon."

"Besides, when it comes to improving my strength, how could I possibly be as fast as you!"

"Speaking of which, have you made any progress on your fourth evolution?"

Wearing Berry's face, Wang Yue couldn't help but feel curious and expectant.

Compared to the current situation where various families are constantly changing hands among the three major level-four civilizations in the various Galactic Federations.

She was still happy to work with Lister and also felt a sense of belonging to the civilization of her birthplace Merrick Civilization.

If they could truly become a new Level 4 civilization, she would still prefer to develop alongside Lister.

"It's still early!"

Of all those Quasi-Hegemon at the 18th rank, only a handful have truly become Hegemon.

"I still need some time to accumulate experience at this level; it won't be that fast."

Those who are on your side know what's going on.

The upgrades and improvements to Lister now mainly rely on exploiting players.

However, in the Divine Revelation World, the fifth and sixth acts proceed consecutively.

Since the end of the sixth act of the game five years ago, there is no specific timeframe for the start of the seventh act.

[Name: Lister Merrick (Federation Military District Colonel, Merrick Civilization)]

[Class: Soul Saber Battle Master (Martial Arts, Third Advancement)]

[Level: LV173]

His level and experience points had stagnated five years ago.

I haven't even reached level 180 yet, let alone completed the Fourth Advancement quest.

Even with the experience gained from killing enemies in daily tasks, it would take decades or even centuries to accumulate enough to reach level 180.

So despite already being at rank 18, he has become the tenth rank 18 Quasi-Hegemon in the Federation Government's special information database.

However, there is still a long way to go before they truly become Hegemon at the Fourth Advancement.

The two did not talk much in the prison.

Facing the newly born and currently irritable mother, Wang Yue took out an unassuming little wooden box.

[Leviathan's Sealing Box (Rank S): Can seal life forms below the Fourth Advancement, isolating the life form's growth while sealed.]

They had infiltrated a powerful family within a Level 4 civilization, one even stronger than the original Aiven Family.

The equipment he used was extremely rare; Lister had never even heard of it before.

As the seal's energy-blocking metal pillar was opened, the mother body had no chance to resist and was immediately absorbed by the sealing box.

Only after the box was closed did Lister take Wang Yue upstairs to catch up.