With Lan Xing and Mo Tong gone, the lights of Star Valley dimmed for a brief moment.
The deaths of these two leaders, who had once guided the Rongling Race to rise in the land of New Hope, plunged their people into grief.
But the wheels of civilization would not stop turning for the passing of any individual.
The burden of leading their people fell to the third generation, whom Lan Xing and Mo Tong had personally raised.
At the heart of the leadership was a pair of partners.
The one responsible for military affairs was named Lie Zhao. He was Lan Xing's most outstanding student, a member of the new generation of the Rongling Race who had displayed exceptional talent in both military and construction fields, and a staunch proponent of aggressive action.
The other was Hui Xin, who oversaw the department of new technology research. She was Mo Tong's most prized pupil, a scholar of the new generation who had surpassed her mentor in the fields of energy theory and application.
One handled external affairs, the other internal matters, continuing the cooperative model of the previous generation.
They both understood that Star Valley's abundance and tranquility, in the dark forest teeming with countless races, were like a bonfire in the night, bound to draw the attention of unknown predators.
Crisis was never far away. Improving their military strength would always be the top priority for their race's survival and development.
The historical lessons of Star Valley had always served as a warning to this generation.
At Lie Zhao's forceful urging, the "Sharp Sword" project officially began under Hui Xin's leadership, bringing together weapons masters and energy scholars. Their goal was clear: to create more efficient personal weapons and long-range strike systems.
The first-generation energy emitter had been unstable