One month later.
Xu Wuyi sat before the control console in the Core Residence's hall, finished reviewing the garrison assignments for the last stronghold, and signed his confirmation on the terminal. The light screen folded shut, leaving the hall quiet except for the faintest hum of Zero One's projector.
The dark-gold starfield outside the window continued its slow rotation. Unlike a month ago, the pillars of energy light were noticeably denser-all eleven large strongholds he had cleared had resumed normal operations, and their energy output had recovered to over ninety percent of normal.
Together with the small and medium strongholds reclaimed by the Dawn Empire and the other civilizations' clearing teams, the Second Astral Battlefield's total energy output had nearly tripled compared with three months ago.
Tripled. That figure silenced every civilization still sitting on the fence. The True Dragon Star Realm had even voluntarily sent a resource cooperation agreement when the clearing operation reached its eighth stronghold, its wording considerably softer than before.
Xu Wuyi read the agreement twice and approved it. Not because he needed the True Dragon Star Realm's resources, but because the unified framework needed every civilization's participation to operate at maximum capacity. Zero One's system would neither withhold a civilization's quota for its cold attitude nor grant it an extra share for its enthusiasm.
Rules were rules. Enthusiasm and indifference carried no weight before them.
He rose from the console and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window at the side of the hall. Several tiny points of light moved through the depths of the void outside. They were automated patrol ships dispatched by Zero One, conducting their regular patrols along the Northern Boundary Line.
He had spent almost every day of the past month clearing strongholds. Eleven Beast King Tier nodes, each requiring him to act