The Plot

If there's one thing that could possibly be considered a follow-up move by the mastermind behind the scenes over the years, it's probably these messy things involving the Riken Race.

Although the Swarm had released all the Duoqi prisoners, it seemed to have received no gratitude in return. As the only failed invitation case since the founding of the Star Sea Alliance, the Duoqi Civilization had long since become a laughing stock and been relegated to the annals of history after the news spread.

Those prisoners seemed to add a buff to this humiliation, making the Duoqi Civilization even more embarrassing. Perhaps for this reason, although the Swarm and the Koya Alliance had no direct conflict, their relationship had always been strained.

After their failed attempt to invite the Riken Race to join the alliance, they did not give up and have been making constant underhanded moves over the years.

Although the Riken Race are the native inhabitants of the Riken Star System, they do not own the entire star system. Their territory consists of only four planets: Rickon 'Mother Planet, Liwen Planet, Liwu Planet, and Guiyun Planet, including their respective moons. The vast other territories are occupied by the Swarm.

This also results in their resources being relatively scarce. Although the Swarm allows them to mine asteroids at the edge of the star system, the Riken Race must drag them to their own territory.

They lack the capability to tow large asteroids, and to tow smaller ones back would require passing through the Swarm's territory, subject to layers of approval and oversight. This series of operations is not only hampered by the Swarm but also extremely troublesome.

The mercy shown to spare their lives back then has long been eroded by time, and with the help of media manipulation by some unknown forces, the relationship between the Swarm and the Riken Race has become extremely tense. On the contrary, the Koya Alliance, which had a bad relationship with the Riken Race in the Riken Race, is now on very good terms with them.

Under the guise of trade, the Koya Alliance provided the Riken Race with a large amount of basic raw materials and some technological assistance, enabling the Riken Race to possess a fleet of tens of thousands of men.

Meanwhile, the two sides also cooperated in many other areas. Some industries within the Riken Race were opened to them. For example, the media that led the Riken Race to turn against the Swarm were supported by the Koya Alliance.

The Riken Race now only superficially allied with the Swarm. Although they haven't officially Koya Alliance, they have essentially formed an alliance on many issues.

Now, with the instigation and support of the Koya Alliance, the Riken Race is plotting to seize the entire Riken Star System.

Even if the Riken Race fleet has grown to tens of thousands, several times larger than when they fought the Swarm, at this point in time, it's simply wishful thinking to think they can compete with the Swarm.

The Duoqi Race's 50,000-strong fleet fired a single volley and then retreated in disgrace; the Riken Race's 10,000 warships probably wouldn't even make a peep.

Unless the Koya Alliance mobilizes its entire force, there might still be room for negotiation. But that's impossible. The Riken Race aren't their parents; they don't want to clash head-on with the Swarm for a virtually unrelated faction.

However, the Koya Alliance has many members, a long history, and a large number of people. They have a better understanding of the rules of the Star Sea Alliance and more experience.

With the Koya Alliance backing them up, the Riken Race did not choose a direct confrontation with the Swarm, but instead opted for a public relations strategy that aimed to garner sympathy and seek external assistance.

They chose a tricky angle to approach the issue.

Before the Swarm and the Riken Race joined the Star Sea Alliance, all nascent civilizations were protected by the rules of the Epoch Clan, and were not allowed to be disturbed by outsiders until they reached a certain level of development.

Even if they are invited back, the only losses they would incur are people, knowledge, or works of art; they are not particularly interested in territory. This is because uninhabited star systems are not uncommon in the outer sphere.

Therefore, even the most laid-back civilization can preserve its Mother Planet and even expand outwards. Later, the Epoch Clan simply enshrined the ownership of the Mother Planet in their rules.

This not only leaves a good impression on the emerging civilization and shifts more conflict to the inviting party, but also ensures that the established powers have a formidable opponent—a win-win situation.

Before the emergence of the Swarm and the Riken Race, no force had ever challenged this rule.

But neither the Epoch Clan nor the other races ever imagined the emergence of a force like the Swarm. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, crossing a star system and reaching the enemy's lair in just over a hundred years.

So much so that the current situation has already taken shape while the Epoch Clan and their group are still in the discussion stage and haven't even had time to make a move.

Interestingly, the Riken Race, a civilization that doesn't even have complete control over its Mother Planet, doesn't seem to meet the Alliance's requirements.

However, the territory of the Riken Star System occupied by the Swarm was occupied before joining the Star Sea Alliance, and it did not violate any of the Alliance's regulations.

This is a flaw in the rules, an unexpected situation. Given the nature of the Epoch Clan, flaws are not allowed, and this part of the rules will definitely need to be corrected later.

The Koya Alliance and the Riken Race chose to target this area. They hoped to use public opinion and pressure to coerce the Epoch Clan into revising the rules in a way that would benefit the Riken Race.

With laws in place, if the Swarm doesn't comply, they'll offend far more than just the Koya Alliance. No matter how much the Epoch Clan views the Swarm, they'll personally intervene to uphold justice and maintain their millennia-old image. The Koya Alliance can then eliminate the Swarm without bloodshed.

If the Swarm does as planned, the damage to their image will be enormous. Not only could they separate the Riken Race and bring them into the alliance, but they could also isolate the Swarm within the Star Sea Alliance, restricting Swarm communication and development. In any case, as long as the plan proceeds smoothly, the Koya Alliance will definitely profit.

However, given the Koya Alliance's resources, generating such a large-scale public attention is beyond their capabilities. Even if they had the ability, they wouldn't do it. The Swarm is not weak, and offending such a powerful force by stepping into the limelight is not their intention. Their true purpose is to stir things up from behind the scenes and launch covert attacks.

The Riken Race began frequently speaking out in the Star Sea Alliance's internal news, rewriting history, portraying themselves as weak, helpless, and vulnerable, and subtly smearing and vilifying the Swarm in hopes of gaining more sympathy from other factions.

These news items were instantly transmitted to all members of the Star Sea Alliance via the Quantum Communication System. Some civilizations merely scoffed at them, while others were ecstatic.

Thank you Book Guest Good Brother, and Yan Huo, for the 100 Qidian Coins reward.