Those Are My Resources

"Commander Thragg, surely you're joking at a time like this?"

"You're still young and don't understand the intricacies of war. The Empire cannot undertake something so risky."

Algor frowned slightly. How was anyone still daring to slam the table and glare while he was sitting here?

His gaze shifted over, but when he saw it was that old minister, he withdrew it again.

Long ago, the Viltrumite Empire had suffered a major internal split. He had led a group of followers to achieve great unification, then finally ascended the throne as Emperor.

That old minister who had slammed the table had been one of his earliest followers, a true veteran.

As much time passed, those followers from back then had died one after another. Fewer than five remained now.

That was why he showed considerable tolerance toward these old diehards and veterans.

If anyone else had dared to slam the table, Algor would have rebuked them long ago.

"As far as I know, the Anti-Viltrum Alliance is not particularly powerful at present, and the natives on other planets are even less worth mentioning."

"The Anti-Viltrum Alliance is developing every moment. If we do not expand while they are weak, must we wait until they have grown stronger before acting?"

"As long as we dispatch one billion Viltrumite Warriors, I believe every planet within thirty million light-years can be brought into the Empire's territory!"

"Once the war ends, we can rest for a thousand years, let the Alliance jump around for a while, then reorganize our forces and seize several star systems in one stroke. Wouldn't that be effortless?"

"Throughout the entire universe, no one can stop the tide of the Empire's warriors. The great cause of conquering the universe is within reach!"

At that moment, Thragg's eyes gleamed.

He was already imagining what it would look like after the Viltrumite Empire occupied the entire universe.

The universe would be unified, and every race would become servants, obeying the Viltrumites without question.

Viltrumites would feel incomparably proud of their identity, while every other race would mourn the fact that they were not Viltrumites.

Thragg's breathing gradually grew heavier. The thought alone thrilled him beyond measure.

The old minister came back to his senses and turned to look at his colleagues, only to find that a small number had lowered their heads in silence, while most wore the same fanatical gleam in their eyes as Thragg.

Clearly, most of them had fallen into the fantasy of universal unification that Thragg had painted.

The old minister wanted to curse them outright. Did these people have no brains?

A few words from Thragg had turned them into this, leaving them without a thought of their own.

But that was normal. Thragg's intelligence was equivalent to Einstein's within the Viltrumite Empire.

There was even less need to mention the others. Their intelligence was all deeply concerning.

The old minister looked at Emperor Algor. "Your Majesty..."

Before he could say more, Algor raised a hand to stop him and said in an unquestionable voice:

"We will end the discussion here today. Anything else can be discussed tomorrow. The meeting is adjourned."

He then rose from his seat and strode out of the conference room.

Thragg followed closely behind, but stopped as he passed the old minister.

His face remained expressionless as he glanced sideways at him.

"You should be grateful Teddus is in the Rai Quadrant right now. He is not as respectful toward you as I am."

With that, Thragg left the conference room.

Teddus had once been his comrade-in-arms. He was the strongest in the company, and also the most ruthless.

If Teddus had been in that conference room, the old minister would have been dragged out for a spar long ago. Teddus would not waste words like he did.

The old minister watched Algor and Thragg's retreating backs and muttered to himself:

"You are His Majesty's favored man. That is true enough."

"But your foolish proposal will drag the Empire into the abyss. One day in the future, the Empire will surely be destroyed by such opinions."

"Your Majesty, are you still clear-headed?"

The two left the conference room and made their way to the bedchamber.

"He has grown weak."

Algor spoke in a hoarse voice, and the "he" in his words was undoubtedly the old minister.

The old minister had once been fearless in battle. Not only was he powerful, he had also been one of the Military Department's generals.

Now, he had become a pillar of the anti-war faction, constantly talking about "stability," "caution," and "prudence." He was no longer the man he had been for thousands of years.

For a moment, Thragg did not know how to respond. After pondering for a long time, he finally said:

"His personality has changed greatly, but he remains loyal to the Empire and loyal to Your Majesty. As long as those two things remain, there is no need to worry."

"Living in peace for too long really can make one lose one's fighting spirit and passion."

Algor scoffed at that.

Could a Viltrumite who had lost his fighting spirit still be called a Viltrumite?

Fighting spirit was vital and indispensable to Viltrumites. It was precisely because they possessed it that they had gained the Empire's territory spanning tens of millions of light-years.

"All resources in the universe belong to the Viltrumite Empire, while those natives are merely rats that have sneaked into my granary."

"The laughable thing is that those rats have seized the nest and now believe that planet belongs to them."

"They use my resources, eat my food, and still dare to resist me."

"That is my planet. Those are my resources."

Algor's thoughts were simple: the entire universe was his property.

The natives living on those planets were merely rats that had fallen into his granary. When dealing with a pack of rats that stole food, there was only driving them away and killing them.

Now that the rats had multiplied into a disaster, he had to strike hard and defend his own granary.

Seeing this, Thragg immediately fanned the flames at his side.

"That is why, Your Majesty, sending troops is the right decision."

"The resources on every planet are limited. If those native rats consume them all, what will the Empire eat?"

"The Empire is not sending troops to plunder or occupy. We are reclaiming what already belongs to us."

Algor nodded in satisfaction. This was why he valued Thragg so highly. He spoke so pleasantly that there was nothing to refute.

Plunder and occupation were two words that sounded both unpleasant and grating.

But what if they called it reclaiming what already belonged to them? Instantly, everything became clear.

"Since that is the case, deploy the troops in thirty days."

Joy rose in Thragg's heart, but his expression did not change as he spoke softly:

"Your Majesty, some of the senior ministers do not wish to send troops."

Algor waved a hand. "I am the Emperor of the Viltrumite Empire. Who would dare disobey my words?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

And so, without informing any of the senior ministers, the two decided the course of an enormous war.

Elsewhere, at the Military Department's Recruit Company.

With nothing to do, Sparta was walking down the road when he happened to encounter an acquaintance coming toward him.

Dark-skinned Duken, dressed in a white-gray skintight combat suit, blocked Sparta's path.

"Duken, why are you here? You don't seem to be in our Second Platoon, do you?"

Sparta's expression changed in surprise.

Each platoon operated in a different area. Under normal circumstances, moving between platoons was not permitted.

But... why was Duken in the Second Platoon's activity area?

Duken grinned foolishly. "The superiors aren't around, so I sneaked in."

He then looked left and right before leaning close to Sparta's ear and whispering:

"I'll tell you something secretly. I don't know what major event happened in the company, but everyone with an official position was called to a meeting."

"My guess is that it definitely isn't anything good."