Refusal

The Origin Star System Origin Star, which had been sealed off and protected by the Swarm, finally opened its doors to the outside world, and the legendary Rat-folk Race slowly unveiled their mysterious veil.

"Is this the Rat-folk? Ha, they're even shorter than the data suggests." In the Star Sea Alliance, all civilizations have dabbled in genetic technology to some extent. Through continuous racial optimization, most alien races are between 1.8 and 2.3 meters tall. The Rat-folk, who are generally less than 1.5 meters tall, are quite rare.

"A weak race," a member of the Epoch Clan scoffed. His mother's clan was the Black Tower Race, and he was over two meters tall with solid muscles, exuding power. From a physical standpoint, he could indeed easily overpower the Rat-folk Race.

"Don't underestimate them; they broke the Epoch Clan record," another Epoch Clan reminded them.

"Tch, without the help of the Zerg, they're nothing!" The Rat-folk with eyes could see what was going on with the ratmen. Even if they couldn't see it, after spending 20 years outside the Origin Star System, they would know the ins and outs through internal communication.

"That's true." Another member of the Epoch Clan no longer argued but agreed with Black Tower's point of view.

The Epoch Clan had been lingering outside the Origin Star for so long, and given the apparent weakness of the Rat-folk civilization, some venting and whispering were inevitable. They even deliberately amplified their voices, just enough for the Rat-folk to hear.

However, the Rat-folk ministers who came to greet them remained unmoved. They were all Intellect in disguise, and they could not empathize with the humiliation the Epoch Clan had inflicted on the Rat-folk.

With the Rat-folk minister ignoring the issue, Epoch Clan's punch felt like hitting cotton; after all his mockery, he only ended up feeling worse. Looking at the Rat-folk's smiling face, yet unable to actually strike, he was filled with pent-up anger, which only grew stronger with each passing thought.

Amidst a somewhat disharmonious atmosphere, the Rat-folk convened their first diplomatic meeting. However, no one cared about the Rat-folk's paltry interests, nor did they have any real purpose there. Therefore, the Epoch Clan did not make excessive demands in the agreement, and was even somewhat lenient.

Thus, a preliminary trade agreement was reached, awaiting only Humins's arrival to formally sign it with the Rat-folk royal family. Meanwhile, some construction work could begin ahead of schedule.

The Rat-folk's territory is small, consisting of only one Mother Planet and two satellite colonies, so their trading city can only be built on their Origin Star. While land for construction is relatively easy to find, the Rat-folk's technological level is poor; they cannot even independently collect asteroids, let alone engage in space smelting.

Therefore, all the construction materials for the trading city had to be mined from the Origin Star, which was extremely inefficient. The Epoch Clan asked the Swarm for help, after all, the Swarm were the invited clan of the Rat-folk and would expect to receive benefits from the Rat-folk in the future, so it was reasonable for them to lend a hand now.

This time, the Rat-folk sent 200,000 researchers to participate in the Epoch Clan's tests. Regardless of how many would pass, their attitude was at least evident. This was many times better than the Swarm's attitude of sending only 3,000 researchers. This made Edres, who came to negotiate, feel very proud and even made a boastful promise to take on all of the Rat-folk's engineering projects.

However, things don't always go as planned. The Swarm refused the Epoch Clan's request, citing the withdrawal of all its units from the Origin Star System, leaving Edres with a humiliating defeat. In the end, he could only curse under his breath while reluctantly taking matters into his own hands, using the power of his fleet to help the Rat-folk tow the asteroid.

"Captain, I heard Edres made a huge fool of himself this time?" In the conference room, Wright laughed heartily. The young and impetuous man seemed to have not yet learned humility and respect.

"Shut up, Wright! If you disrespect your superior again, I'll lock you up!" the Captain reprimanded sternly. This guy takes advantage of any slight, and if we don't control him, he might start riding on our heads tomorrow.

"Captain, calm down. Wright is still young and doesn't understand. But I've also heard about Captain Edres's matter. You must know more details since you went to the meeting this time. Tell us what happened?" Bianca, who had delicate purple floral patterns, quickly pulled Wright aside, changing the subject while giving her other companion a wink.

"Yes, Captain, tell us what's going on. The more we know, the better it will be for our next task." The one who spoke was also a female from the Epoch Clan. She came from the Pot Spirit Race, the very tribe that Humins envied so much for their eternal youth.

This race not only possesses unique talents, but also boasts a remarkably striking appearance. With their distinctive ears, flowing green hair, and androgynous features, they appeal to both men and women. In the latest ranking of the most beautiful races in the Star Sea Alliance, they ranked third, demonstrating that their image is widely recognized by other races.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Epoch Clan in this house, regardless of their race, possess impressive physical appearances. Even Wright, if he doesn't speak, exudes remarkable affability.

"Alright, stop acting." The Captain clearly knew his team members well. After a sigh, he shared the information he had gathered with them.

"These Zerg are so dishonest! For them, helping to build a trading city is nothing!" After listening to the Captain's explanation, Wright was the first to shout.

"Exactly, the Rat-folk sent so many researchers to participate in the test this time. Even if only half of them pass, the Swarm can still get a lot of points. They can't even help with this small favor." Amina chimed in.

"Who knows? The Rat-folk's technology is too low; maybe few of their researchers will pass the test."

"Tch, our test doesn't consider prior knowledge. As long as you have talent, you can catch up in no time. I don't think the Rat-folk are a stupid race; their pass rate might be 70-80%." Amina scoffed. It's normal that Wright, who just joined the team, doesn't know these things. After all, even with the auxiliary memory device, the young Wright can't possibly be knowledgeable in every aspect. She herself specifically sought out and enhanced her knowledge in this area after joining the team.

"Wow, that's a lot of points, too bad the Zerg took the Zerg's share."

"The Rat-folk are pitiful; they've probably wanted to break free from the Zerg's clutches for a long time. This time, they'd rather let the Swarm take a share than not get more points. Exchanging for star-level technology within their own race requires very few points. Even if the Zerg take the Rat-folk's share, the rest will be enough for the Zerg to quickly upgrade themselves to the level of a normal initial member of the Alliance."

"From this perspective, their relationship isn't as harmonious as one might imagine."

"Of course! You didn't see how angry those Rat-folk ministers were when the Zerg refused to help."

"You saw it?"

"No, I heard about it."

"Cut!"