Attitude

In the imperial palace on the Southern Martial Homeworld, the atmosphere had been frozen solid for several days.

The night news of the attack on the mining district came back, Li Chengyuan was reviewing memorials in the imperial study.

His fingers paused when he heard the three words "Xu Wuyi." The cinnabar brush hovered above the memorial, and a drop of red ink fell from its tip, landing on the paper and bleeding into a dark crimson flower.

He set the cinnabar brush on its rest, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. The tea had already gone cold, but he did not care.

"How much did the mining district lose?" he asked.

The intelligence minister kneeling before the imperial desk lowered his head, his voice exceedingly soft.

"Your Majesty, all three layers of energy barriers were breached, and dozens of defensive gun emplacements were destroyed. One garrison battle regiment... suffered no casualties."

Li Chengyuan's brows drew together slightly.

No casualties.

Xu Wuyi had smashed so many things, yet killed not a single person. That was not mercy. It was a signal. He was telling the Southern Martial Star Realm: I did not come to kill. I came for something else.

"What else did he say?"

The intelligence minister lowered his head even further, and his voice dropped lower still.

"He said... the soldiers were to tell Your Majesty that he had not come to the Southern Martial Star Realm to wage war, but to seek resources. He also said that if the Southern Martial Star Realm did not want him to search, he could fight first and search afterward."

The imperial study fell silent for several breaths.

Li Chengyuan's fingers lightly stroked the rim of his teacup. It was a habitual gesture whenever he thought, one he had