Chapter Summaries

Lin Zhen proposed adopting a modified version of the Xio Alliance’s system to gather technology from other civilizations, then addressed the population shortage caused by humanity’s rapid territorial expansion. He suggested offering free land on other Life Planets to families with more children, leaving the aides impressed by the proposal.

• Ed proposed adapting the Xio Alliance’s established system, and Lin Zhen assigned him to build its basic framework before Bai Zixuan arrived.
• Lin Zhen showed the aides that humanity’s territory would grow to 78 Star Systems, containing 39 natural and 278 terraformed Life Planets after Operation Dawn.
• Lin Zhen warned that humanity’s population of 15 billion was too small to develop its new territory and staff future legions.
• The aides argued over mandatory childbirth and tax incentives, but rejected both approaches.
• Lin Zhen proposed giving families free land on other Life Planets according to their family size, and the aides recognized that it could encourage a baby boom.

Lin Zhen created a Federation immigration policy that granted land according to family size, and the resulting Birth Promotion Plan drew billions of people into its first wave. As immigration opened every five years, Lin Fan and Liang Xue discussed population growth and the special land provisions for fleet personnel.

• Lin Zhen approved extra land for families with more than ten children and made land selection first come, first served.
• The Federation announced its immigration policy, offering land to applicants and larger allocations to families with children.
• The Interstellar Immigration Bureau reported that most applicants were over sixty, and the first immigration wave reached 3.2 billion people.
• The Federation decided to open immigration once every five years and began moving immigrants to planets in the former Oakes Empire's Capital Sphere.
• Lin Fan and Liang Xue discussed the policy's population impact and the land reserved for active-duty fleet personnel.

The Sera Empire launched an invasion of Vien using Babawi Empire export-model warships, overwhelming the Io Federation’s border defenses. Aierfei ordered the evacuation and withdrawal of Vien’s forces and secured humanity’s promise to send Liang Xingchen’s Second Legion as reinforcements.

• Bernice learned that the Sera Empire was attacking Vien with shielded Babawi Empire export-model warships and ordered the Io legions to reinforce the Star Path defensive line.
• Aierfei received Bernice’s report that fifty thousand enemy ships had emerged and more were still pouring through the Star Path.
• Aierfei ordered Bernice to evacuate Vien’s civilians, hold the front temporarily, and withdraw the garrison once the evacuation was complete.
• Aierfei contacted Lin Zhen, who agreed to send Liang Xingchen’s Second Legion to rendezvous with the Io Federation and support the defense.

Bernice ordered the Io Federation forces to retreat from Venn after the Sera Empire deployed an overwhelming fleet through the Star Path. Bonnie and the Ninth Legion stayed behind to delay the enemy, leaving the other legions a chance to escape.

• Aierfei and Lin Zhen questioned how the Sera Empire had acquired so many shielded warships as its fleet emerged from the Star Path.
• Bernice held the defensive line while Venn’s personnel evacuated, and the Ninth Legion suffered enormous losses before the Eleventh and Twelfth Legions arrived.
• After 120,000 Sera shielded warships emerged, Bernice ordered the legions to retreat once the evacuation fleet reached the rear Star Path.
• Bonnie refused to withdraw, warning Bernice that the faster enemy ships could trap the retreating legions.
• Bonnie ordered the Ninth Legion’s remaining 80,000 warships to charge into the enemy formation and buy time for the others to escape.

After the Sera Empire conquered Vein with a fleet of 3.72 million warships, the Human Federation sent its legions to support the Io Federation. A 640,000-ship United Fleet assembled in the Io Capital Sphere and began its planned deployment against the invaders.

• Aierfei briefed Liang Xingchen that Vein had fallen and the Sera Empire had deployed 3.6 million main warships and 120,000 Babawi export-model shield warships.
• Liang Xingchen arranged for the Second Legion to support the Io Federation and requested help from the First Legion, which Saunders approved.
• Lin Fan left two fleets and six local Guard Fleets to defend humanity’s territory, then led the remaining ten fleets toward the Io Federation.
• The Second Legion arrived at the Io Capital Sphere before the First Legion, and Liang Xingchen took command of a 640,000-warship United Fleet with Lin Fan and Ailena as deputies.
• Ailena led the Queen’s Guard Fleet out first so it could rendezvous with the Human Federation fleets.

The allied forces lured Basel’s Sera fleet away from Vien with a staged Io Federation advance, then sent the Royal Guard Fleet to intercept the retreating ships. Basel’s Royal Guard blocked the Olla Star Path, but the Io fleet attacked instead of turning away, leaving him puzzled.

• Basel kept the Sera fleet combat-ready while it rested and refitted at Vien.
• Lin Fan, Liang Xingchen, and Ailena chose to lure the Sera fleet out and destroy its 120,000 shielded ships with the faster Queen's Guard Legion.
• The Io Federation fleet appeared at the Ordo Star Path, grew to 200,000 ships, and fled toward the Olla Star Path as Basel advanced to intercept it.
• Basel sent the Royal Guard Fleet ahead to block the Olla Star Path entrance.
• The Io fleet opened fire on the Royal Guard Fleet rather than changing course, and Basel wondered whether they planned to force their way through.

Basel’s plan to ambush the Io Federation faltered when its fleet revealed Energy Shields and the Human Federation’s fleets arrived using Warp Drive Engines. Facing overwhelming firepower, Basel ordered a retreat while the Royal Guard Fleet tried to escape through the Star Path.

• Basel had the Sera Empire’s Royal Guard Fleet intercept the Io Federation’s 200,000 warships near the Star Path.
• The Io Federation’s shields repelled the Sera Empire’s first attacks, while its concentrated fire destroyed more than fifty enemy warships.
• Ailena signaled the Human Federation’s First and Second Legions to appear on the Royal Guard Fleet’s flanks and attack, destroying more than 3,000 ships.
• Basel recognized the danger and ordered the main fleet to retreat into Sera Empire territory, telling the Royal Guard Fleet to withdraw at once.
• Basel roared at his stunned adjutant, who relayed the retreat orders to the fleet commanders.

The Io Federation fleets trapped and annihilated the Sera Empire’s Royal Guard Fleet while the main Sera fleet retreated toward the Star Gate. The main fleet was still less than ten million kilometers from the entrance, where Ailena was preparing an interception.

• Basel ordered the Sera Empire fleet to retreat, while Liang Xingchen and Lin Fan focused on destroying the Royal Guard Fleet.
• Ailena spread the Queen's Guard Fleet apart to let the Royal Guard Fleet charge through, then attacked it with crossfire as Liang Xingchen pursued from behind.
• Lin Fan's First Legion struck the Royal Guard Fleet from the flank, splitting its formation and inflicting heavy losses.
• Basel ordered the Royal Guard Fleet to stop retreating and fight to buy time for the main fleet, and its loyal crews obeyed.
• The Royal Guard Fleet counterattacked, causing some losses to Lin Fan's and Liang Xingchen's legions, but the two legions destroyed its remaining seventy thousand-plus warships.
• The Sera Empire fleet continued toward the Star Gate entrance and was less than ten million kilometers away.

Basel’s Sera Empire fleet tried to retreat through the Star Path while the Io Federation’s Queen’s Guard Fleet blocked the entrance, and Human Federation forces closed in from behind. Lin Fan decided to launch a special operation to seize the Sera flagship and capture its commander alive for intelligence.

• Basel learned that the Io Federation’s Queen’s Guard Fleet had warped directly to the Star Path entrance and ordered his fleet to attack it while five legions turned to intercept the two approaching Unknown Fleets.
• The Queen’s Guard Fleet and the Sera Empire’s two million warships exchanged heavy fire as Ailena tried to keep the enemy from breaking through to the Star Path.
• Lin Fan told Liang Xingchen that the Human Federation needed to capture the Sera commander to learn why the Sera Empire had acquired 120,000 Babawi Empire warships.
• Lin Fan summoned the commanders of the Second through Tenth Fleets and ordered them to seize the Sera flagship and capture its command personnel alive.

Lin Fan assigned the Human Federation fleets to bypass the Sera formations and strike their Guard Legion while the Io Federation held the Star Path. As the Sera Army launched its second wave, Lin Fan’s forces began their maneuver, throwing the rear battlefield into chaos.

• Lin Fan ordered Chris, Emma, Fujiwara Ayako, and Carol to lead four fleets around the enemy’s flanks, while other fleets covered his and Shangguan Yunting’s advance toward the Sera Guard Legion.
• The Io Federation’s Queen’s Guard Legion suffered mounting losses as it fought the first Sera assault wave, and Ailena worried it could not withstand all seven waves.
• Lin Fan told Ailena that the Queen’s Guard Legion only needed to stop two waves because his First Legion was beginning to move.
• After the Sera Army launched its second wave, four of Lin Fan’s fleets accelerated around both sides of the Human Federation formation while the remaining forces advanced.
• Liang Xingchen spread out the Second Legion and fired on both sides of the First Legion’s route, plunging the rear battlefield into chaos.

Lin Fan’s fleets exploited gaps in the Sera Army’s formations to assault General Basel’s flagship and overwhelm his Imperial Guard Legion. The chapter ended with Zhang Zhiwei leading mechas and assault troops inside the damaged flagship to capture Basel’s command group alive.

• General Basel sent two legions to intercept four human fleets he believed were targeting the Sera Army’s second-wave assault force.
• Lin Fan redirected the four fleets toward Basel’s Imperial Guard Legion after the Sera Army’s forward formation opened gaps.
• Liang Xingchen’s firepower helped six human fleets pierce the rear formation, while two fleets raced toward the Sera forward formation.
• The four circling fleets split the Guard Legion into three sections, and four other human fleets pinned down the surrounding Sera legions.
• Lin Fan and Shangguan Yunting’s fleets surrounded Basel’s flagship, disabled its surface weapons, and blasted an opening near the bridge.
• Zhang Zhiwei led mechas and assault troops through the breach to capture Basel’s command group alive.

Lin Fan’s forces captured General Basel and routed the Sera Empire army, helping the allied fleets win a decisive battle. Afterward, Lin Fan considered recruiting affiliated civilizations to address humanity’s shortage of ships and personnel.

• The Human Federation breached Basel’s flagship, captured him, and withdrew its combat units under Lin Fan’s command.
• Lin Fan reassigned four fleets to Liang Xingchen and sent the remaining fleets toward the Star Path to aid the Io Federation’s Queen’s Guard Fleet.
• With Basel captured, the Sera Army lost coordination as the battle continued and its warship losses mounted.
• After more than five hours, the allied forces annihilated over 3.5 million Sera Empire main-force warships and nearly 120,000 Royal Guard Fleet warships, losing 38,000 Io Federation ships and 2,800 Human Federation ships.
• Lin Fan concluded that recruiting affiliated civilizations and equipping them with shield and warp technology could strengthen humanity’s forces and bring resources through arms trading.

Three months after the Vein Campaign, Lin Fan prepared to tour the Loulan Sector and assess civilizations for possible Federation membership. Intelligence from Basel eased his concerns about the Babawi Empire for now, but revealed that the Sera Empire still possessed 240,000 Guard Fleet warships and that the Federation had begun a five-year plan to counter the threat.

• Lin Fan stationed the First Legion at Loulan and planned a tour of the sector’s 339 Level 2 and 2,716 Level 1 Civilizations to identify candidates for subsidiary status.
• Lin Fan received intelligence gathered from Basel and learned that the Sera Empire had given a Level 5 Civilization warship wreck to the Babawi Empire in exchange for 360,000 Imported Warships.
• Lin Fan concluded that the Babawi Empire would not return for another seventy-eight years, but that the Sera Empire’s remaining 240,000 Guard Fleet warships still threatened humanity.
• The Presidential Palace began a five-year plan that included forming a Third Legion and supplying the Io Federation with 500,000 sets of Energy Shields and Warp Drive Engines.

Lin Fan took a vacation with Liang Xue and Emma while leading a Federation tour of the Loulan Sector, where the first civilization they encountered was the steam-powered Auger Empire. The Auger Empire prepared an elaborate welcome after learning the visitors were from a Level 4 Civilization, while Federation experts discovered that the Auger had developed spaceflight through steam technology.

• Lin Fan joined Liang Xue, Emma, the Guard Fleet, and more than a thousand experts on a tour to evaluate civilizations in the Loulan Sector.
• The fleet arrived in the Aug System, where Lin Fan identified the ships as belonging to the Level 2 Auger Empire and was astonished by their steampunk design.
• Lin Fan told an Auger patrol ship that the Human Federation was a Level 4 Civilization visiting in friendship, prompting its crew to alert Emperor Augustus.
• Emperor Augustus ordered the highest-standard welcome ceremony, and the patrol ship escorted the Federation fleet toward Aug Star.
• Federation experts examined the patrol ship and concluded that the Auger Empire had developed advanced spacecraft using steam technology alone.

Lin Fan and the expert team visited the steam-powered Auger Empire, where the team assessed its potential and invited it to join the Human Federation as a Subordinate Civilization. Augustus initially disliked the offer but was stunned by the terms of the agreement.

• Meng Fei explained that the Auger Empire powered its warships and cannons with highly advanced steam technology, and Lin Fan became eager to visit its world.
• The Guard Fleet followed an Auger patrol ship to Aug Star, where Emperor Augustus welcomed Lin Fan and the expert team aboard his flagship.
• The expert team handled negotiations while Augustus arranged guides and royal guards for Lin Fan and the two women, who spent a week sightseeing.
• Meng Fei told Lin Fan that the expert team had given the Auger civilization a Potential Score of 7.2 and invited it to join the Federation as a Subordinate Civilization.
• Augustus reacted badly to the invitation at first, but froze when he read the Human Federation's Subordinate Civilization Agreement.

Augustus accepted the Human Federation’s subordinate civilization agreement and the Auger Empire began trading technology for points, while the Sera Empire received news of a devastating defeat at Vane. The chapter left Imran facing an unidentified force whose fleet consisted of more than four hundred thousand Level 4 Civilization warships.

• Augustus reviewed the agreement, agreed to join the Human Federation, and signed it on behalf of the Auger Empire.
• The Auger Empire uploaded nearly a thousand technologies, and the Federation’s experts began verifying them.
• Augustus received points for more than a hundred verified technologies and considered exchanging them for Energy Shield equipment and Warp Drive Engines.
• Augustus began trading the empire’s resources for points through the subordinate civilization platform.
• A guard reported to Imran that General Basel had retreated from Vane after the Io Federation and an unidentified force attacked his army with overwhelming fleets.

After learning that the Io Federation had gained quasi-Level 4 warships and support from an unknown Level 4 civilization, Imran sought a way to save the Sera Empire. He agreed to buy time by making concessions until Babawi Empire merchants could alert their government.

• A guard reported Basel's account of the Io Federation's counterattack and an unknown fleet of more than 400,000 Level 4 warships, prompting Imran to summon Harun.
• Harun warned Imran that the Io Federation's new ships and its Level 4 ally placed the Sera Empire at risk of destruction.
• Harun proposed informing the Babawi Empire about the new Level 4 civilization, since it threatened Babawi's status as the Orion Arm's only Level 4 power.
• Imran worried that direct communication would take too long, but Harun reminded him that Babawi's interstellar merchants could contact their headquarters when they returned in eight years.
• Harun urged Imran to cede territory or pay reparations to keep the Io Federation at bay, and Imran reluctantly agreed.

Lin Fan’s Guard Fleet reached the Lyca Empire, where Chief Knight Deline confronted the Federation forces in space. After Lin Fan revealed that the Kabart Empire had been destroyed, Deline reacted with ecstatic laughter.

• A month after the Auger Empire joined the Federation, it awaited delivery of the warships and equipment it had exchanged for.
• Lin Fan’s fleet arrived at the Lyca Star System and found no spacecraft, despite Lyca being listed as a powerful Level 2 Civilization.
• The fleet detected tiny humanoid figures in armor riding warhorses through space, and Chief Knight Deline demanded to know why the Federation had entered Lyca territory.
• Lin Fan identified the Human Federation as a peaceful Level 4 Civilization, and Deline warned that Lyca would resist any invasion like the one by the Kabart Empire.
• Lin Fan told Deline that the Federation had destroyed the Kabart Empire, and Deline laughed wildly at the news.

After Deline reported that the Human Federation had destroyed the Kabart Empire, Loren ordered the arrest and execution of every Kabart person on Lyca Star. The 180 captives were held in the royal dungeon as Lin Fan’s Guard Fleet arrived in orbit.

• A knight told Loren that the Human Federation had destroyed the Kabart Empire more than half a year earlier.
• Loren ordered the Royal Knights to arrest all Kabart people on the capital planet for execution at noon the next day.
• Royal Knights arrested five Kabart people who were beating a Lyca person, while citizens celebrated and tried to attack the captives.
• Across Lyca Star, the Royal Knights arrested all 180 Kabart people and took them to the royal dungeon.
• Lin Fan’s Guard Fleet, led by Deline and the Royal Knights, arrived in Lyca Star’s orbit.

Lin Fan learned how the Lyca Empire’s knight technology used Energy Crystals, and the Federation assessed the empire as highly talented before welcoming it as a subordinate civilization. After accepting a royal suit of knight equipment, Lin Fan departed for the next civilization while Loren began mining Energy Crystals for Federation points.

• Lin Fan and the expert team arrived on Lyca Star, where Loren welcomed them with the Royal Knights.
• Lin Fan discovered that Lyca’s knights used advanced battle armor, Mechanical Mounts, and energy weapons, powered by crystals that could store enormous amounts of energy.
• The expert team gave the Lyca Empire a Potential Score of 9.2 and invited Loren to join the Human Federation as a subordinate civilization.
• After discussing the agreement with his ministers, Loren signed it, making the Lyca Empire a subordinate civilization of the Federation.
• Loren gave Lin Fan a silver-white set from the Lyca royal family’s Seven Great Paladin Sets, and Lin Fan accepted it before departing with his Guard Fleet.
• The Federation began buying Energy Crystals for ten points each, and Loren sent the Lyca people to mine them across their Resource Stars.