Reactions from All Sides
After a group of councilors from Ricken had been discussing the matter animatedly for some time, one of them finally remembered that there were high-ranking military officials present and quickly asked, "General Heaton, what is the military's opinion on this?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
More than a dozen military personnel, all holding the rank of lieutenant general or higher, participated in the meeting. After the Riken Race and the Swarm shook hands, General Heaton also withdrew from the front lines to temporarily return to his Mother Planet for recuperation. With his immense prestige, he was naturally qualified to participate in this meeting, and was also the leader of the military.
They had been silent for a while, but now that someone had asked for advice, General Heaton didn't act coy. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "I think doing nothing is the best option."
"Why?" a councilor asked urgently, his tone harsh. "If we do nothing, won't the Duoqi Race and the forces behind them misunderstand?"
The attending members of parliament and the general exchanged glances, secretly pondering whether they should find a reason to give this guy a seven-day vacation.
Heaton, seemingly unfazed by the offensiveness in Rickon's words, continued slowly, "Before taking any action, one should consider one's own strength. Do you really think those giant Octopus Monster of the Swarm are just idle, wandering around between the star and Chuyun Planet?"
Seeing Rickon deep in thought, Heaton continued, "Our territory lies between these two Zerg bases. Every time they pass by, it's a show of force. Their intention is quite clear: they want us to live our own lives peacefully and not worry about anything."
Seeing the indignation of several young councilors, generals, and staff officers, Heaton chuckled, "Don't feel humiliated or anything like that. I think the Zerg are giving us a friendly reminder. Because with our current strength, we're insignificant in the eyes of both the Zerg and this so-called Star Sea Alliance. These two behemoths would never deliberately target us. But we should be careful around that Duoqi Civilization."
--
"What! The Zerg haven't responded yet?" Dialo was getting impatient. Some time had passed since the information broadcast, and he had gone from being full of confidence to feeling anxious and uncertain.
He originally thought that even if the Swarm disagreed for the time being, they would send messages to ask for more specific information. Once contact was established and he had the information advantage, coupled with the eloquence he and the little girl had honed, the Zerg would be at his mercy.
Unexpectedly, the Swarm seemed completely uninterested in the information he had released. The Swarm's actions disrupted his train of thought, making it impossible for him to implement his subsequent plans.
"Your Highness, our supplies are running low. At the current rate, we can only last for three months at most," Aslite reminded them from the side. Losing their supply ship had put them in a very difficult situation.
"Has there been any reply from the Riken Race?" Dialo asked, scratching his head in frustration.
Knowing Dialo's temperament well, Aslite knew that the answer would continue to upset Dialo, but she still had to gently shake her head.
Didn't you tell them our price?
"I did offer to trade carrier-based aircraft, but the Riken Race weren't interested. Later, I increased the price to include some data on improving the range and power of Energy Cannon, but while the Riken Race showed some interest, they still didn't want to trade with us. Their point was that it wasn't worth offending the Zerg for such a small thing."
The Riken Race had initially provided a batch of food to the Duoqi Race as a gesture of goodwill, but then severed ties with Dialo. Unable to get it for free, Dialo offered to barter, Riken Race immediately restored communication...
However, judging from Aslite's words, the negotiation did not go as planned.
"Ha, just a little bit? Riken Race! What's their price?" Dialo's expression gradually turned sinister.
Now that communication has been restored, they naturally want to talk, but...
"They want our Repulsion Field."
"What?!?! This is outrageous! Outrageous! They dare to demand our Duoqi Race's most advanced technology for a little bit of food! Aren't they afraid we 'Duoqi Race them out? I'm furious!" Upon hearing Aslite's reply, Dialo initially showed expressions of confusion, shock, and disbelief, before he completely erupted. He shouted that he would go back to refill "Flaming Red Lips," muster his troops, and wipe out the Riken Race, all while glancing around, searching for something to vent his anger on.
Unfortunately, the surroundings were empty. Perhaps his original flagship would have had some decorations, but an ordinary warship wouldn't have any extra things in it.
Seeing Dialo like this, Aslite quietly took two steps back, but this action attracted the attention of Dialo was almost driven to madness by anger.
Dialo stepped forward in a horse stance, snatched the small computer from Aslite's hand, and slammed it to the ground, finally venting some of his frustration.
The small computer bounced around on the ground, then slid forward for more than ten meters before crashing into the metal bulkhead. It then bounced back and slid a short distance. However, thanks to the reliable manufacturing of the Duoqi military equipment, the small computer came to a complete stop without any damage.
Dialo, who had just vented a little, became even angrier.
--
"General Heaton, are we really sure it's okay for us to do this?" Speaker Milton was somewhat worried. Putting himself in Dialo's shoes, he knew he wouldn't tolerate the Riken Race's extortionate behavior either.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency. Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. To prevent the Duoqi Race from continuing to cause trouble, it would be better to propose a condition that they cannot afford to shut them up." General Heaton was quite calm and composed, showing no awareness of offending anyone.
"But wouldn't that invite retaliation from the Duoqi Race? You previously warned us to be wary of the Duoqi Civilization."
"The real concern is the present. With their current fleet size, the probability of them attacking us while holding off the Zerg forces and our defenses is extremely low. But we must be wary of any underhanded tactics they might employ, such as sowing discord between us and the Zerg. That's why I previously suggested directly provoking the Duoqi Race to pledge allegiance to the Zerg." Heaton's tone was quite confident. "As for the retaliation you mentioned, that's a matter for the future."
"Please enlighten me?" Milton asked humbly.
"Ultimately, we are now vassals of the Zerg, while the Duoqi Race are lackeys of the Star Sea Alliance. The names may differ, but the meaning is the same. The current situation is simply beyond our level to intervene in. If the Zerg joins the Star Sea Alliance in the future, with Zerg protection, we naturally won't need to worry about Duoqi Race retaliation. And if they fail to reach an agreement and war breaks out, the Duoqi Race, as the frontline bordering the Zerg's sphere of influence, will be severely weakened, if not wiped out. At that point, they will be insignificant. Even if the Zerg are too weak to withstand the Star Sea Coalition Army, there will definitely be many powerful figures present. Any one of them we align with will be far stronger than the Duoqi Civilization, so we won't need to worry about any so-called retaliation."
Milton nodded, agreeing with General Heaton's assessment.
--
Some time passed, Dialo was losing his hair over the increasingly imminent food crisis, Riken Race remained calm and unmoved by any changes. Meanwhile, the Swarm received good news: the first Intellect transformed from Duoqi Race spirit was successfully created.