By this point, if he kept wearing that gloomy expression, he'd probably be the one who lost. So Yu Lian joined in the celebration, addressing the entire fleet and telling them that the whole universe had witnessed their courage, and that the people of the Commonwealth would thank them for their dedication.
"Now we've shown the universe that the people beneath the Commonwealth's banner are the true warriors of this universe. We've shown history that, with a balanced force, the Empire cannot defeat us."
At that moment, he chose to overlook the "one hour and twenty-two minutes" at the Ring of Miracles. But it didn't matter. Everyone else overlooked it too, and cheered right along with him.
"We've shown the future that we have an unyielding spirit. No matter what happens, no matter how the world changes, the Galactic Empire will never conquer us!"
The cheers grew even louder.
Fifi gave Yu Lian a meaningful glance from the side. She seemed to sense that he might be trying to prepare them for a certain possibility.
Still, it was clear that the cheers from the troops had gone to Yu Lian's head a little. After his speech, he turned to Fifi with a smug grin. "See? I really am carrying the weight of more than nine million people across the entire Seid Fortress on my shoulders!"
"That's right! It really hasn't been easy." Fifi picked up the thread with utmost seriousness. "Which is exactly why you need to watch your expression. You can't go around saying things like 'we've reached our limit.'"
"Understood. The truth can be pretty painful." Yu Lian mimed zipping his lips.
An hour later, after they returned to the command center at Seid Fortress, Yu Lian told General Sylvester, "We won this time, but it was a