Qin Shi gazed at the Great Star Sea Medal resting quietly inside its box.
The eight-pointed star, forged from Deep Space Metal, gleamed with a cold light.
At its center, a black dragon coiled around a pillar-shaped Monument. Its powerful lines radiated dignity and majesty.
Four ancient Eastern Xia characters were engraved on the Monument's base: "May civilization endure."
This was the Great Star Sea Medal, awarded only to "models of the military" who had earned a first-class merit and the honor of First-Class Combat Hero.
According to statistics, in every millennium since the founding of New Dongxia, no more than a hundred thousand of these medals had been awarded.
Considering the number of soldiers in the various legions, as well as the constant recruitment of troops for the Great Expedition,
a hundred thousand Great Star Sea Medals over a millennium—and across the vast expanse of the Milky Way—was an exceptionally rare number.
After all, how many legion veterans had served their entire lives, with three gold buttons sewn onto their collars,
yet could not even come close to earning a Great Star Sea Medal, even after giving their lives?
First of all, the standards for becoming a First-Class Combat Hero were exceedingly high. Candidates had to have "distinguished merits and made significant contributions with a far-reaching impact."
"Distinguished merits" meant far more than simply doing a good job; they had to be "extraordinary and outstanding."
For example, they might have commanded effectively in an intense battle and annihilated or inflicted heavy losses on a large enemy force, or destroyed a key target single-handedly, or captured a high-value strategic figure.
Another way was to successfully complete a strategically or tactically significant mission under extremely dangerous and difficult conditions.
The process of evaluating and approving First-Class Combat Heroes was also extremely