The Star Navy's Fourth Fleet and Fifth Fleet, stationed at the Provanse capital and Dokra Forge World, waited in silence.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, yet they never saw an attack from the retreating Imperial Combined Fleet.
After careful deliberation, Wood and Xavier both concluded that the Imperial Combined Fleet had most likely slipped out of the Provence Sector long ago.
There was probably no point in continuing to hold out and wait. The Imperial Combined Fleet had successfully escaped the Star Navy Fleet's carefully arranged encirclement.
Once the two reached a complete agreement, a new strategic operation immediately began.
They decided to stop fixating on the fleeing Imperial Combined Fleet and instead turn their attention to the surrounding star systems. They would divide their forces, strike out, conquer them one by one, and bring every one of those systems under the Lord of the Stars' rule.
Although the logistics department was still occupied with the intense reconstruction effort, the twenty star systems previously invaded by the Imperial Combined Fleet could not yet spare manpower to help upgrade the systems newly occupied by the Fourth Fleet and Fifth Fleet.
But that could not halt the Star Army's advance. They were fully capable of bringing these newly conquered star systems under an effective administrative system first.
Once the logistics department completed its reconstruction and could spare personnel, they could return and steadily carry out the systems' full-scale transformation.
To the Lord of the Stars, every star system was an incomparably precious asset. There could be no negligence or slackness.
At the very edge of the Star Sea Galaxy, a dazzling flash suddenly erupted. Immediately afterward, an enormous Star Navy cruiser leapt violently out of dimensional space like a colossal beast.
Its huge and imposing hull carved