Invasion! War? The Interastral Peace Corporation
The clamor of the Qlipoth Fort banquet hall, like warm tides, lapped against every corner.
However, there is a relatively quiet rest area on the terrace.
Two figures with very different styles were sitting side by side on a velvet sofa, talking in hushed tones.
The air was filled with the aroma of wine and desserts, intertwined with the more private topics flowing between them.
Phantylia had regained her original alluring appearance, leaning lazily against the armrest, her fingertips holding a glass of amber-colored Xianzhou Wine.
Her eyes held a mature charm and a hint of worldly wisdom.
It formed a stark contrast to the lively and vibrant Sparkle on the opposite side.
Sparkle sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a piece of cream cake in her hand, some of it smeared on the corners of her mouth, her short hair swaying slightly as she spoke.
She's a natural source of excitement.
Right now, they're sharing a brilliant, morale-boosting idea.
"... That's why I said it!" Sparkle swallowed the cake and lowered her voice.
"Next time we can prepare something even more special! Like, custom-made sets of... well, you know, even specific outfits! How about the Interastral Peace Corporation uniforms? Or the armor of the Xianzhou Cloud Knights? Guaranteed to catch his eye and boost his morale!"
As she spoke, she nudged Phantylia with her elbow.
Upon hearing this, Phantylia gently swirled his wine glass. "Uniform? Armor? Your idea is certainly bold and interesting, but..."
She leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and spoke with the persuasive power of someone with experience, "True inspiration lies in surprise, in creating atmosphere, and even more so in... the progression of layers. Simple visual stimulation is merely superficial."
Sparkle immediately became interested and leaned closer to ask, "Oh? So, in your opinion, how should it be structured?"
Phantylia whispered, "For example... you could first present yourself as innocent, and then gradually reveal your charm..."
"... or it begins with aloofness, then transforms into tenderness..."
"... The key lies in controlling the rhythm, and... the immersion in the role-playing. You need to keep him guessing what's coming next, yet constantly drawing him in with anticipation..."
Phantylia's words were straightforward and shrewd, making Sparkle's eyes shine brighter and brighter as she nodded repeatedly.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Sparkle clapped her hands in praise. "As expected of Sister Phantylia! Shall we find some time to plan this out properly? How about bringing in Sister Bronya, Seele, and Herta, and making a combo deal?"
Phantylia covered her mouth and chuckled, "That's quite a lively idea. However, people are all different, so we need to teach according to their aptitude so that everyone can give full play to their strengths and create a harmonious melody."
Two women, one passionate and fiery, the other alluring and seductive.
Against this backdrop of clinking glasses and lively conversation, they discussed how to reward Lin Hai in the boldest and most creative way.
The topic was so secretive and audacious that it was enough to make anyone blush.
Meanwhile, Lin Hai, the main character of the banquet, was mingling with the guests.
Holding a wine glass, he was composed and chatted with General Jing Yuan, nodding to the generals of the Silvermane Guards.
He received gazes from Bronya, Seele, and others, a mixture of admiration and pride.
He seemed to be at the center of the entire vortex of joy, controlling the atmosphere and enjoying the brief respite brought by the league.
However, this harmonious and enthusiastic atmosphere did not last long.
The Herta, which had been sitting alone by the control terminal, seemingly enjoying a quiet drink but actually processing massive data streams through its built-in retina display, suddenly stiffened slightly.
The calmness on her face vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.
She quickly put down her wine glass, her slender fingers moving rapidly through the air, bringing up several encrypted data windows that only she could see.
A few seconds later, the Herta suddenly raised its head, its gaze piercing through the noisy crowd and locking onto Lin Hai, who was talking to Jing Yuan.
She didn't say anything, but an encrypted communication request was sent directly to Lin Hai's personal terminal.
Lin Hai was raising his glass with Jing Yuan when a slight vibration from the terminal on his wrist made him pause slightly.
He gave Jing Yuan an apologetic smile without changing his expression, then naturally turned and walked to a relatively quiet corner to connect the communication.
The voice of the Herta immediately rang out.
"Lin Hai, the outer orbit monitoring array of the space station detected a high-energy transition signal remnant three seconds ago. The signal source trajectory is reverse-engineered... pointing to the star field where the Third Fleet of the Interastral Peace Corporation is stationed, highly matching the company's high-speed reconnaissance ship."
She paused, her tone becoming even heavier:
"More importantly, the signal appeared less than 0.5 astronomical units from the Belobog atmosphere. It made an ultra-short-distance, precise jump, and now... it is very likely already in an optically invisible state, lurking right under our noses..."
"... Based on its jump energy consumption and trajectory analysis, this is definitely not a mistake. The target... is most likely you, or... is confirming the Alliance's strength or weakness."
The Herta spoke at breakneck speed, "The opponent's technology is very advanced and highly stealthy, making it difficult to lock onto with conventional scans. However, the space station's wide-area gravitational wave detection array detected the subtle spacetime ripples generated during the jump... There's no mistake!"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the communication.
The banquet hall was still filled with laughter and melodious music, but the air around Lin Hai seemed to have dropped to freezing point.
The lurking hounds have already quietly bared their fangs.
The feast seems to be coming to an end prematurely.
The Herta has officially issued an alarm.
The clamor in the banquet hall of Qlipoth Fort seemed to freeze instantly, as if by invisible ice.
Two colossal structures hovering above the Belobog dome.
The Herta Space Station and the Xianzhou Luofu reacted almost simultaneously!
On the outer wall of the space station, thousands of originally dull armor plates silently slid away, revealing the deep launch silos below.
The crimson targeting lasers, like a swarm of awakened bees, locked onto a tiny target that had just completed a jump in near-Earth orbit and was in a state of optical cloaking!
At the same time, a vast amount of spiritual energy began to gather wildly around the mountain-like hull of the Xianzhou Luofu!
Countless enormous golden runes lit up in the void, weaving together to form a net that covered the heavens and the earth.
The immense energy condensed at the bow of the Luofu ship into a gigantic, illusory spear of light that stretched across the starry sky, its tip pointing directly in the same direction!
A chilling atmosphere filled the starry sky, even causing the wind on the ground in Belobog to freeze!
Absolute military deterrence!
Like two primordial behemoths, they bared their deadly fangs at an insect that had strayed into their territory!
The high-speed reconnaissance ship belonging to the Interastral Peace Corporation, which was locked on, was as insignificant as dust in the face of this world-destroying power.
Its stealth field vanished with a roar, revealing its streamlined hull.
It didn't even attempt to make any evasive or retaliatory moves.
Because any resistance is meaningless in the face of such power.
In the deathly silence, a communication signal entered the banquet hall and echoed through the cold starry sea.
On the other end of the communication line, a woman's voice, though trying to remain calm, couldn't hide a slight tremor.
It was Topaz, a high-ranking executive at Interastral Peace Corporation.
"Ceasefire! We request a ceasefire!"
Topaz's voice, strained and breathy, came through the loudspeaker. "Interastral Peace Corporation, reconnaissance ship, hereby solemnly declare! We are not here to provoke! I repeat, we are not here to provoke!"
She paused, trying her best to calm herself down, and spoke clearly.
"I, Topaz, and my companion Aventurine, have been fully authorized by the company's highest board of directors to disarm the spaceship! To reiterate, we have unilaterally disarmed all systems! We request... a dialogue with Mr. Lin Hai, the Lord of Belobog!"
As if to confirm her words, the hatches of the reconnaissance ship's external weapon modules popped open, revealing empty launch pads.
The engine power was also reduced to a minimum, maintaining a floating idle state, abandoning all attempts to resist.