Ferment

"My Overlord, the Epoch Clan has obtained that intelligence," Sarah Gong Rowan.

"That's good. I hope they like the story."

"But, Overlord Majesty, doing this could very well force us into war prematurely." Sarah was somewhat puzzled. Rowan's previous plans had all focused on delaying the war as much as possible, but his current actions seemed to be actively pushing forward the war process.

"Times have changed. Plans made in the past may not be suitable for us now. Therefore, we must revise them constantly to suit the current situation." Times have indeed changed. Through some observation, no trace of civilization has been found around the star system where the Seed were planted.

Perhaps the situation in those star systems is normal; lucky individuals in the universe don't appear so easily. And the star system where the Origin Star Base is located has an abnormally high density of civilizations.

Rowan could not have imagined that the construction of bases in other star systems would bring him unimaginable improvements. Perhaps it was because the areas illuminated by Anchor Unit and Node Unit increased, Rowan's connection with this universe became closer, and the speed at which he absorbed nutrients increased significantly, even causing his physical body to grow a lot.

The growth of his main body has allowed him to interfere more with this universe. First and foremost, the number of Anchor Unit he can create is now close to thirty. The increase in the number of Anchor Unit allows Rowan to send out more Seed, and because of his growth, they can travel greater distances.

Under this virtuous cycle, Rowan's physical form grew exponentially. This gave Rowan more confidence and assurance.

However, from Sarah's perspective, the Overlord had given a long lecture, but hadn't offered any real substance.

Rowan understood Sarah's thoughts and chuckled, "Before, because we had no way out, we naturally needed to be cautious. Now that we have a way out, we should release the pent-up frustration of being used as pawns all this time. Judging from our previous speculations and the Intellect, there are at least two parties involved in this game: one coveting our technology, and the other wanting to cultivate us, though we don't know what they're up to. Perhaps there are third or fourth parties behind the scenes, but no matter how many, we'll just overturn the chessboard, muddy the waters, and let all those monsters and demons jump out. Even if we're ultimately eliminated and temporarily abandon this place, we won't let them have an easy time to recover."

"Sarah, all bases in this star system will now begin full-scale development of combat units. Even if it exposes some of our strengths, it doesn't matter. The war isn't starting anytime soon; we still have one last round of development time."

"Yes, Overlord Majesty."

As Sarah's power receded, Rowan gazed at the starry sky. A magnificent spectacle was about to unfold in this peaceful starfield, and it was time for the Swarm to bare its fangs.

The Zerg's intelligence spread rapidly through a network built with Quantum Communication Device, and the allure of immortality stimulated the nerves of everyone who received the message.

Is the news true?

"It has been verified; although it's a guess, the accuracy rate is over 80%."

"It seems likely. It looks like a huge vortex is about to be stirred up. I wonder how many races will be drawn into it this time."

Should we participate?

"The temptation of immortality—even if I can resist it, can others? To defy the world is not something we should do."

"I see."

--

"The First Empress Rat-folk Queen? The Zerg Empress? That's interesting. But have you ever thought about what would happen if you were a Rat-folk and then became a Zerg, gaining immortality? Would you still remain loyal to the Zerg Empress?"

Seeing his subordinate deep in thought, the speaker continued, "Or to put it another way, what benefits does the Zerg Empress have to guarantee the Zerg's loyalty? I can't imagine anything more tempting than immortality. We've forced the Zerg to back down several times, but they haven't changed even a little. Those immortal Zerg continue to contribute to the Zerg, living in anonymity and obscurity, just like before. Isn't it better to defect to the Epoch Clan? Those Zerg who came to the Epoch Clan didn't utter a single word until their deaths. Isn't living better?"

"They seek neither fame nor fortune. One or two people might be one thing, but the whole clan is like this? Do you believe it?" the speaker asked his subordinate, but it also seemed as if he were asking himself.

The subordinate thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"Heh, the price of immortality," the speaker murmured to himself. "Immortality isn't so easy; it definitely comes at a price, and that price has unimaginable constraints, even surpassing life and death."

"My lord, since the Zerg's immortality has such a huge flaw, should we still participate?"

"Why not? This so-called flaw makes it even more perfect, doesn't it? Unique perfection. I can't wait to communicate with that Zerg Empress. Perhaps she will share this perfection with me!" The speaker clenched his fist, as if everything was under his control.

--

What do we do now?

"That idiot Humins, he's been over there for so long and accomplished absolutely nothing. Now he's even made a name for himself in the public eye."

"Hmph, it's all because you wouldn't let Humins join. He knows nothing, so naturally he won't care."

"Damn it, who would have thought the Zerg would be hiding such a treasure?"

"Stop complaining and think about what to do next."

"What else can we do? Now that everything's out in the open, we can only rely on our raw strength."

--

"Hehe, not bad, everyone. We should make a gentleman's agreement. Individually, none of us can take on this huge pie, but if we unite, perhaps we can have a chance."

"So, once we get the cake, how should we divide it?"

"Back then, there were no taboos, and everyone relied on their own abilities."

"Great, I'll join!"

"Count me in."

--

"Your Majesty, how should we handle this situation?"

"I'd love to sit back and watch the tigers fight, but I'm afraid I'll be forced into it. It's truly frustrating!"

--

Perhaps due to the Epoch Clan's personnel structure and factions, or perhaps intentionally so, the Epoch Clan's intelligence system is like a sieve; information that is originally highly confidential has almost become headline news, nearly reaching the point of being common knowledge.

Some rejoiced while others grieved. Powerful and ambitious individuals were naturally elated and eager to try their luck, while smaller clans could only drift along with the tide. Normally, they might still have some decision-making power, but in the face of events of this magnitude, they could only be coerced by the larger clans.

In an instant, the territory of the Star Sea Alliance was in turmoil, with almost all the foreign races making moves, large or small, and even the Epoch Clan seemed to be deploying troops.