Even if the upper echelons of the Star Alliance were currently encouraging "nation-building" to a certain extent, there were still standards.
In essence, it was both a shot in the arm for short-term finances and a "scapegoat" to share the costs of governance, while also taking into account the already relatively stable circles of traditional power.
So even if the Supreme Council and the Senate approved new slots, by past convention, there would never be more than two at a time.
To obtain one of those slots, one not only had to pay an astronomical "Covenant fee," but also had to have made long-term, substantive contributions in the "nation-building region."
"In the era of the Tian Yuan Empire, that was a Sky-Rending Sealed Lord. If you want an actual fief now, it's either going to war with the Thought Star Cluster, developing the Isolated Star System for a thousand years, or carrying out a regional extermination of the Outer Domain Species..."
Mang You listed the patterns of the past few rounds of "nation-building," then reached his conclusion:
"The first is absolutely impossible right now. In recent years, not many Isolated Star Systems have been discovered either, and the time limit isn't enough. Then think about the Outer Domain Species... Choosing the Red Silicon Star System is a perfectly normal thing."
Kang Ji nodded repeatedly, her long hair sliding forward from behind her shoulder and covering a small half of her face:
"And then there's the Xi Corporation and the Great Thoroughfare Fleet's operations over there. Counting all their investments over the years, it should be enough... They seem to span the Dawn and Great Thoroughfare Systems.
"For an old-established regional corporation like that, building its own nation is actually a bit of a loss, but if someone shares the burden