Advancement to a Level Four Civilization

"Vidal's orders?"

Upon hearing this, Lister chuckled dismissively.

His actions significantly eased the already tense atmosphere on the warships.

"Yes, Major General Lister, we all follow orders."

"Why don't you submit an application to the Federation Military District Headquarters?"

"What's the point of insisting on the orders of a dead man?"

The moment he finished speaking, Tolon's brows furrowed instantly.

After all, he was his own army commander. Even if he knew he was no match for Lister, he could not swallow such insults and slander.

"Lister! What do you mean?"

"Does he really want to go to war with our Seventh Army?"

The atmosphere between the two sides became tense again.

One side consisted of only a small ship, while the other side was the Seventh Central Army Group, led by three large ships and possessing a hundred medium-sized ships.

The two sides appear to be vastly unequal in strength to outsiders, yet they are inexplicably locked in a standoff.

Lister did not have that kind of patience at this moment.

He stepped out of the small ship alone, facing the large Central Army fleet by himself.

The Shadowless Blade was already in his hand, and the oppressive killing intent was now being released without reservation.

In an instant, the soldiers on more than a hundred warships were the first to succumb to the strain.

The fear of facing death head-on, coupled with the overwhelming pressure, caused everyone to prostrate themselves inside the ship.

The lower-ranking officers fared no better; as they collapsed to the ground, a flicker of resistance rose within them, only to be instantly overwhelmed by fear.

Only a group of high-ranking officers managed to hold them off.

But faced with such intense pressure, all they could do was tough it out.

His gaze swept through the warship's holographic view to look at Lister, his heart filled with doubt.

Keep in mind that they are at least level 18 life forms.

Even if their combat strength is inferior to Lister's, it won't be too great.

Not to mention the few who were major generals who Fourth Advancement, they initially had some confidence in themselves.

But the oppressive aura they felt immediately shattered their confidence.

The image of Vidal unconsciously came to mind; even Vidal's imposing presence did not possess this kind of oppressive force.

Just as everyone was wondering whether Lister would dare to make a move, he had already swung his sword.

The ship's combined shields activated instantly.

However, faced with this extreme blade of light, the combined shield was easily torn apart like paper.

Wherever the blade flashed, the large ship's specially made alloy armor, energy barrier, and even space itself seemed to be forcibly torn apart.

Tolon's pupils contracted sharply as he watched helplessly as the familiar blade of light pierced through the large ship next door.

Compared to the last recruitment mission, this strike carries ten times more power.

The next second, a blinding white light burst forth from inside the ship's hull.

With a deafening explosion, the massive ship, tens of thousands of meters long, was neatly severed in two.

The fractured surface was as smooth as a mirror. The chain reaction of explosions triggered by the overload of the energy furnace pushed the wreckage into the depths of the star field, and the flames illuminated the armor of the surrounding warships.

Only a small number of officers and sergeants survived.

Without the support of a large warship, the suffocating feeling of facing Lister's oppressive aura is even more deadly!

"This... how is this possible?!"

Both Tolon and the other senior officers on the warships were horrified.

They originally thought it was just a blow from Quasi-Hegemon, and dared not say they could completely withstand it.

But no matter how strong Lister is, the combined shield can at least hold out for a while.

To everyone's surprise, the result was completely unexpected; it couldn't even hold on for a moment.

The only saving grace is that Lister must have held back.

The blade's edge sliced through the large warships but did not harm the rest of the fleet in the slightest.

However, this exaggerated feat of annihilating a large ship with a single strike caused Tolon to stagger back half a step.

While he struggled to accept it, a bold idea popped into his mind.

He suddenly realized a possibility!

Could it be that Lister's strength has already surpassed that of Quasi-Hegemon? Has he truly entered the Hegemon level!?

Whether it was the previously astonishing pressure or that incredibly powerful strike that was just now, it was all due to the overwhelming force of the attack.

Then I recalled Lister's indifferent evaluation of Vidal.

Everything seems to be constantly confirming his conjecture!

"He... has he reached the Overlord Tier?"

The murmured guesses startled the other high-ranking officers beside him as well!

After some thought, they realized that this guess was the most reasonable, and everyone's attitude changed drastically.

"Now..."

Lister's voice, carrying Killing Intent Wave, reached every warship.

"Is there anyone who still wants to follow Vidal's orders?"

In the dead silence, the entire Seventh Army fleet withdrew from the middle, and not a single person dared to stop them.

Previously, Lister always acted with restraint, prioritizing his own stability and development.

But now that we've reached the level of Hegemon, that's no longer necessary.

Even if it's Federation Military District, what can the Central Army's obstruction do?

He'd already killed Vidal, so what's one more large warship?

Back on the small ship, Lister's vessel sailed brazenly into the Merrick- controlled star system, right within the sight of the Seventh Central Army.

The destruction of this large ship seemed to be a special signal.

Suddenly, a series of notifications began to be sent to the Seventh Fleet.

"Federation Military District Seventh Army Mission Notification: The original mission to guard the Merrick Star Region has been cancelled. Please evacuate immediately and return to the Federation Military District base."

Merrick Governing Planet - Federal Parliament Hall.

All the high-ranking officials of the civilization were waiting in this area.

Even Wang Yue lost interest in cultivating indoors and instead joined the others in devising a solution.

Fortunately, although the Merrick Civilization was restricted for more than half a month, the ordinary citizens of the civilization did not experience any abnormalities.

They were unaware of the Galactic Federation's special announcement; they only knew that their own civilization seemed to have been temporarily sealed off.

According to the announcement from the Merrick Civilization Council, this is a major upgrade to the entire civilization's infrastructure, which requires a period of closure.

"Wang Yue, do you think Lord Lister will be alright? What should we do now?"

Inside the council hall, everyone had basically concluded that the Galactic Federation should be limiting the strength of the new Hegemon.

It's not as wonderful as they imagined; there are tricks and traps involved, and they're experiencing it firsthand.

"Lister will be fine. Have any of the mechanical engineering students ever tried to build a new channel?"

"Our top priority now is to establish contact with the outside world."

Many people present were learning about Wang Yue for the first time recently.

I only knew her as mysterious, the vice-speaker of her own civilization, and also a federal member of parliament.

Now, thanks to Quint's explanation, it's clear that this person is the true leader of civilization.

"Speaker Wang, no! Our personnel are insufficient to independently establish a communication channel."

"Many of the Galactic Federation's technological theories were restricted; they were only usable before, but no one had studied their underlying logic."

"At present, unless given several years, there is no chance of establishing an independent channel to communicate with civilizations outside the star system."

This is a consequence of the excessively rapid pace of civilization's development.

In particular, the consequences of all of our civilization's technology being diverted from the Galactic Federation.

The development of the Merrick Civilization over the years has actually been the result of piecing together various technologies from different sources.

There is a lack of core theoretical and basic research personnel, including those in various basic fields.

If there were truly geniuses like Kavin, that would be fine, but for now, once the Galactic Federation imposes restrictions, the level of technology would completely decline.

"It seems that relying on technical means is not feasible; we still need to consider breaking through the Seventh Central Army Group's defenses from the flank."

"Speaker Wang! Speaker Quint!"

Good news!

Outside the parliament hall, Major Adrian trotted into the room with a look of delight on his face.

He is a member of the Galactic Federation House of Representatives and one of the former deputy commanders of the Merrick Army.

After the last recruit training camp, they were formally incorporated into the Federation Military District's organization.

Unfortunately, his time was too short, and he was only a major at the time.

"What good news?"

"Lord Lister is back!"

"The Seventh Central Army on duty have also begun to retreat!"

"Really?!"

"Lord Lister is back?"

When Quint first heard the news, he was somewhat incredulous and kept asking questions.

However, the next moment, everyone in the council hall, including himself, received a new notification.

"Federation Government Notification: Following review by the Federal Parliament, it has been determined that the Merrick Civilization has not violated the 'Level Four Civilization Advancement Safety Regulations' and will continue its civilization advancement process."

"The blockade of the directly controlled star system has been reopened, the federal channel has been reconnected, and the teleportation array has been activated."

Instantly, countless pieces of information from within the Galactic Federation flooded into everyone's personal terminal chips.

Countless pieces of information were re-presented, including inquiries from various subordinate civilizations and friendly allies from half a month ago, all of which were displayed at this moment.

"Lord Lister ~!"

"Lord Lister!!"

While I was looking at a series of notifications, I suddenly heard a sound.

He looked up and saw that Lister, whom he had been longing for, had finally returned safely!

"Everyone, are you alright?"

"It's alright, we're not important! The main thing is whether you're alright."

As the core of the Merrick civilization, Lister's existence was intertwined with the civilization's existence; once Lister died, the Merrick Civilization instantly fell into silence.

The seats of two federal lawmakers will also be immediately revoked!

"Should we still retreat? This is about a Level 4 civilization...?"

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, it was Wang Yue who finally spoke up and asked the question.

"Not for now. The fourth-level civilization project is already underway, but the exact timeframe is unclear."

As Lister was speaking, he suddenly frowned; his personal terminal had been temporarily disconnected.

Upon looking around, it became clear that it seemed everyone's terminals were malfunctioning.

It wasn't just the people of the Merrick Civilization; all the personal terminal chips and communication channels of the entire Galactic Federation, even the channels of military districts and warships, fell into an eerie silence.

Thirty seconds later, the scene was abruptly cut to a scene from the Federation Government's Senate.

A holographic image of Zion Kylef, the current rotating speaker, leader of the Witchcraft Civilization, and one of the seven generals of the Federation, appeared in everyone's view.

"The following is a special federal notice:"

Zion Kyle in the current footage does not appear as relaxed and smiling as he did that day.

His face was expressionless, and his voice carried a programmed coldness.

"Lister Merrick, an advanced life form of the Galactic Federation, has been promoted to Hegemon."

"Upon verification, the Merrick Civilization meets all the criteria of the 'Level Four Civilization Promotion Regulations' and is hereby announced as having advanced to Level Four Civilization. Effective immediately, the Federation Government will lift all resource and technological restrictions on this civilization, and actual jurisdiction over its star system will be transferred to its own autonomous council."

"At the same time, the Merrick Civilization Army has met all the standards of the 'Federation Military District Central Army Promotion Regulations.' Effective immediately, the Merrick Civilization Army will be placed under the direct command of the Federation Military District Central Army, with the unit designation 'Seventh.'"

"Special Announcement from the Federation Military District: General Vidal, the Federal Hegemon, has temporarily stepped down as commander of the Seventh Central Army due to his own cultivation needs. A new commander will be appointed at a subsequent Military Commission meeting. The Seventh Central Army Group will be renamed the 51st."

A series of major news items were continuously reported from Zion.

It was only then that Lister relaxed his guard; he had almost thought that these old-time Hegemons had gone back on their word and set him up!

In retrospect, the other party was quite decisive in some respects.

The promotion process was not delayed; on the contrary, the Merrick Leviathan Civilization was granted all the benefits that the Merrick Civilization was entitled to today.

Even the Merrick Civilization Army has upgraded the original Seventh Central Army Group's designation.

Even though the official information regarding General Vidal's death has not yet been released, all of his identities will gradually be revoked.

On the way back, Colonel Tolon's pupils contracted sharply.

The fact that one's military region designation was changed is a minor matter.

The main point is that the speculation about Lister's identity has finally been confirmed!

The scene that was proclaimed seven thousand years ago by the Leviathan Civilization is being replayed today.

A new legend rises in the Galactic Federation!

Lister Merrick! One of the seven new Galactic Federation generals, commander of the Seventh Central Army Group.

Even though he doesn't yet have a formal political position, especially in the Senate, everyone knows it's only a matter of time.

For a moment, envy, excitement, and lingering fear intertwined in Tolon's mind.

Just minutes after the announcement, Zion's face disappeared.

Personal terminal communication with all channels was restored.

The entire Galactic Federation was thrown into turmoil!

A new Level 4 civilization has been born!

In this era of humanity, information from countless civilizations began to converge!

Meanwhile, in the council hall of the Merrick Civilization, the news of the comrades was far from over.

Speaker Quint trembled as he picked up the government terminal that had suddenly resumed operation. The scrolling gold text on the screen brought tears to his eyes instantly.

"[Galactic Federation Governors Joint Order] In view of the birth of the first Hegemon of the Merrick Civilization (Lister Merrick, certification number S-037), in accordance with Article 7 of the Pan-Federation Civilization Development Convention, this civilization is granted the status of a Level 4 civilization."

Granting powers includes, but is not limited to:

Autonomous star systems can define their own directly administered areas, but they cannot deprive star systems directly under the jurisdiction of registered civilizations.

Obtain permission to construct and observe multi-universe plane observatories.

Participate in the allocation of core federal resources.

..."

Suddenly, the three emblems of the Beta Civilization, the Witchcraft Civilization, and the Leviathan Civilization were projected Pinnacle of Civilization the dome of the hall.

At this moment, the symbols of the Merrick Civilization were added to the scene before everyone's eyes.

This marks the first time in seven thousand years that a new civilization's emblem has been added to this sequence.

As the sword and shield emblem of the Merrick Civilization (formerly the Merick Family emblem) slowly rose Pinnacle of Civilization, all Galactic Federation civilization headquarters councils simultaneously adopted the new Merrick Civilization mark.