The capture of the Star Alliance infiltrators finally put the Three Universal Civilizations at ease. They quickly welcomed back their fleets, stopped blocking information, and went all out to launch their propaganda machine.
Soon, the explosive news that "the Interstellar Joint Army has struck at the heart of the World Tree Civilization" spread throughout the entire interstellar society in the shortest possible time. Countless interstellar citizens staying on refuge planets were instantly stunned and horrified.
Just a short while ago, we were on the defensive, enduring a full-scale invasion by foreign enemies, filled with pessimism about the future, and living in constant fear. But before we were even mentally prepared, the tide turned, and suddenly we were told that the war was over and everyone was safe... Dude, we just got out of bed, and we haven't even brushed our teeth yet!
Many interstellar citizens were stunned, finding it hard to believe.
However, as the official media of the Three Universal Civilizations disclosed the entire course of the war, confirming that it was not a rumor, the entire interstellar society recovered from the shock and was left with only boundless ecstasy.
Under the shadow of the World Tree Civilization, the entire interstellar society was forced to change its way of operating, disrupting everyone's life. Countless people went from being free and unrestrained interstellar citizens to refugees fleeing the war. Wartime policies tightened the supply of materials and people's rights, resulting in an enormous gap. This change has lasted for nearly twenty years.
From the perspective of civilized civilizations or highly capable individuals, twenty years is but a fleeting moment, a mere ripple in the long river of time. But for ordinary interstellar citizens, it is nearly a generation.
Any change in the times will be amplified in the individual. Once, the Three Universal Civilizations were locked in a stalemate with the World Tree Civilization. No one could see a clear future for the war. Countless interstellar citizens pessimistically believed that this life of fear would continue indefinitely, that tomorrow would not be better, and that at least two or three more generations would have to endure this torment in the flames of war.
But at the darkest hour, dawn broke through the deep fog and shone into everyone's lives.
This beam of light comes from countless soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the front lines, and from Black Star single-handedly turned the tide of the battle.
On April 17th, 799 of the Galaxy Calendar, cheers that soared into the sky echoed from countless refuge planets, from different races, speaking different languages.
Countless interstellar citizens refer to this day as a "turning point in history," representing the end of war and the destruction of the World Tree.
As the victors, the Three Universal Civilizations garnered praise from the entire interstellar society. In their propaganda, they did not conceal Three Universal Civilizations Black Star's achievements, presenting them in their entirety:
Even before the war broke out, he maintained internal checks and balances to reduce internal friction; in the early stages of the war, he led the Beyond Grade A group to resolutely resist the external enemy and personally risked his life to gather crucial intelligence on the World Tree; during the preparation phase, he devoted himself to training potential seeds, cultivating a new batch of Beyond Grade A powerhouses; single-handedly holding the line in the shallow dimension, he prevented the World Tree Civilization from advancing an inch and forced it to abandon this most dangerous front line for the Three Universal Civilizations; he was the first to find the location of the World Tree's main body, forcing the World Tree to abandon its invasion, and single-handedly opened the prelude to the decisive battle, turning the protracted war into the final war...
Black Star's numerous achievements made its brilliance in the war impossible to conceal, its presence extremely strong. Countless interstellar citizens recounted Black Star's contributions, filled with boundless admiration. The surge of reverence in their hearts was like a warm current warming their hearts, or an uncontrollable tremor in their souls, penetrating every bone and every nerve.
While it may be unfair to the ordinary soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the front lines, after reviewing Black Star's deeds from beginning to end, many interstellar citizens felt that Black Star controlled the entire rhythm of the war. He adjusted the overall strategic direction, and the Interstellar Joint Army was more like a "tool" to carry out his will, only responsible for execution.
Because of his enormous contributions, Black Star became the undisputed "Chief War Hero" of interstellar society, his prestige skyrocketed, surpassing all previous records, and he truly reached the pinnacle of his power, earning the utmost respect and fervent adulation throughout interstellar society.
The Beyond Grade A group also shared a lot of prestige and received countless accolades, especially the "victims" listed on the memorial tablet, who received even more respect and were very popular.
Although before the World Tree War broke out, Beyond Grade A was regarded as a privileged class in interstellar society and was hostile to many interstellar citizens, one thing is one thing. Beyond Grade A fought bloody battles on the front line to protect their safety, and the interstellar citizens were sincerely grateful.
Due to wartime policies, most of the population in various star systems were concentrated on different refuge planets. Now that the war has ended, the Three Universal Civilizations are gradually returning batches of refugees, slowly emerging from the wartime state and restoring normal social operations.
Central Galaxy, a refuge planet for the Aquamarine Federation.
In the vast open-air take-off and landing plaza, rows of long-range spaceships bearing the insignia of the Black Star Army were neatly parked. With their hatches wide open, the people of Planet Aquamarine formed long, unbroken lines, following the instructions of the legion members, nervously and excitedly boarding the starships heading home.
Years of fear and anxiety have left everyone looking haggard and exhausted, but they can't hide the smiles and ease on their faces, which are full of anticipation for a better tomorrow.
In his office in the high-rise government building, Bennett, with his gray hair and deep wrinkles, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the dense crowd in the square. He took in the haggard yet excited expressions of the citizens of Planet Aquamarine and couldn't help but sigh softly.
"The wounds of war can only be healed by time..."
As he spoke, Bennett turned his head and looked at the Black Star statue, a landmark of the city, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.
"Black Star... you did it! I knew it. I can always trust you."
Bennett smiled slightly, as if relieved.
He has become indifferent to many things, but he is still proud to have an old friend like Black Star.
Meanwhile, on the Floating Dragon Island above this refuge planet.
A spaceship slowly entered the airport terminal, came to a steady stop, and the hatch slowly opened.
Harrison stepped off the ship down the gangway and onto the platform. With just one glance, his gaze locked onto Jenny, who was waiting anxiously there.
As their eyes met, everything around them seemed to vanish; they saw only each other, as if from another world.
Harrison strode forward, gave Jenny's shiny forehead a hard kiss, and then pulled her into a tight embrace.
Jenny struggled only symbolically for a moment before wrapping her arms around Harrison's not-so-broad back and whispering, "So you still know how to come back?"
"... I'm sorry, I have reasons for having to leave, I..."
"Alright, I'm not blaming you." Jenny interrupted him, saying irritably, "I'm just thanking Black Star. If he hadn't found the World Tree and accomplished what you wanted to do, you definitely wouldn't have come back."
"That's true." Harrison released Jenny and scratched his head sheepishly.
Jenny glared at him and said, "Speaking of which, you've really risen to the top in one fell swoop. You've won me over, and now you're brothers-in-law with Black Star. Although Black Star and I don't get along, you can't deny that he's now a figure at the pinnacle of the universe. With him as your backer, you can do whatever you want from now on."
"Well..." Harrison was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.
Jenny snorted, looked down and touched her lower abdomen, then raised her fist and said in a deliberately fierce tone, "You'd better treat me better from now on, you hear? Otherwise, my sister and brother-in-law will give you a double beating, let's see if you can handle it!"
Harrison instinctively shivered.
Although he wasn't dating Jenny because of her status, the thought of the two powerful figures in Jenny's family made him break out in a cold sweat and feel immense pressure.
Harrison sensed the conversation was becoming increasingly dangerous, so he quickly changed the subject, coughed, and asked, "So, I'll be settling down in Dragon Calm from now on, to stay with you."
But Jenny refused, shaking her head and saying, "I don't need to stay in Dragon Calm. I plan to resign and stop being the Grand Steward of Dragon Calm."
Harrison was taken aback. "What's wrong?"
"I've been working overtime for so many years, I'm exhausted. I used to worry about Ames because she wasn't good at managing things, but now that she's involved with Black Star Black Star, she doesn't need my help anymore."
Jenny's tone was complicated; she was still somewhat dissatisfied with Han Xiao, the bastard who had stolen her sister, but it was no longer her place to object.
As she spoke, Jenny paused, looked directly at Harrison, and softened her tone, becoming somewhat shy:
"Besides, I know you love adventure, and I want you to be happy with me. I can't just stop you from pursuing your hobbies just because we're together. So... how about taking me on adventures sometime?"
Harrison was taken aback, then overjoyed and deeply moved.
"You're so good to me..."
He looked at Jenny's face, his heart pounding, and he couldn't help but slowly lean in. Jenny blushed and slowly closed her eyes.
Just as the two were about to touch, a deliberately exaggerated cough suddenly rang out from the side.
"Cough!!"
Like a thunderclap, the ambiguous atmosphere was shattered instantly, and the two jolted back as if struck by lightning, as if waking from a dream.
The two blushed and quickly looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Iso standing beside them, his gaze sweeping over them.
"When did you get here? You're a grown man, don't you know not to disturb other people's good time!" Jenny said, feeling both ashamed and indignant, and fired the first shot.
Iso ignored her, strolled over to Harrison, looked him up and down, gave him a cheeky smile, and patted Harrison hard on the shoulder with obvious satisfaction.
"Good lad, you're much more reliable than that bastard Black Star."
Harrison recognized Iso and said with a wry smile, "Please don't tease me. How can I compare to a great figure like Black Star with such a glorious history?"
"Hey, why can't we compare? At least in terms of procreation, you've already won a step over him. If he had half your skills, I'd already be holding my grandson. That Black Star guy is clearly a greenhorn, but he acts like he's so great. I tried to kindly share my experience, but he actually looked down on me." Iso got angry as he said this, puffing out his beard and glaring.
Harrison, unsure what to say, sighed, "Please, don't be ridiculous. Black Star is a man of great things; he wouldn't waste his energy on such trivial matters..."
"Hmm? A small matter?" Jenny's ears perked up as she caught the key words.
"Oh dear, that's not what I meant, I..."
Before Harrison could finish explaining, Iso grabbed his neck, pulled him over, and chuckled.
"I find you much more pleasing to the eye than Black Star. Come on, I'll pass on a few tricks from the 'Illustrated Book' to you, and I guarantee you'll have Jenny completely under your thumb..."
"Get lost, and stop disgusting me." Jenny, looking disgusted, kicked Iso, making him stumble, and then pulled a reluctant Harrison away.
The Unexplored Universe, the Star Alliance capital.
Inside the office, the leader of the Star Alliance, the head of the Lorl Civilization, Sevinis, and other leaders of the Star Alliance member states gathered together. In front of each of them was a virtual screen displaying the same document.
"The Observer team has sent back this round's battle report. Has everyone read it?"
The leader of the Star Alliance looked around at everyone and asked a question.
Sevinis nodded and smiled, "I read it immediately. It seems that with our help, the Three Universal Civilizations really couldn't hold on."
Upon hearing this, many people smiled.
The leader of the Star Alliance smiled slightly and lowered his head to read the contents of the intelligence report:
"The World Tree army attacked the Central Galaxy, focusing on destroying refugee planets, resulting in the complete annihilation of refugees on 1,783 planets. The number of civilian casualties is estimated to be between 15 trillion and 25 trillion..."
"The homeworld of the Federation of Light was attacked by a large force from the World Tree. The defense forces managed to repel the invaders, but the homeworld was severely damaged. Although the high-ranking officials were unharmed, many mid-level officials and dignitaries perished."
"The Interstellar Joint Army and the World Tree invaders engaged in a fierce battle on the Shining Silver Arm, but were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties, with eight Beyond Grade A warriors dying on the spot."
"Due to the unfavorable war situation and suspicions of being internal traitors, fearing retribution afterward, the Super Star Cluster Alliance initiated its withdrawal plan, unwilling to continue participating in the war. The Three Universal Civilizations strongly opposed this, causing internal turmoil within the Interstellar Joint Army, which appeared to be on the verge of a break..."
Although he had already read it once, hearing the leader of the Star Alliance read it aloud still made Sevinis unable to help but smile with satisfaction, his heart filled with the exhilaration of Revenge.
Finally, the leader of the Star Alliance carefully read through Han Xiao's fabricated "intense battle report," paused, and said in a relaxed tone:
"It is evident that the war between the Three Universal Civilizations and the World Tree Civilization is extremely fierce. Moreover, the Super Star Cluster Alliance has been outmaneuvered by us and misunderstood as a traitor who leaked intelligence. Beset by internal and external troubles, if this trend continues, the Three Universal Civilizations will undoubtedly be defeated!"
As soon as he finished speaking, many people in the room wore smiles of schadenfreude yet maintained a polite demeanor, secretly rejoicing.
And some Star Alliance members who initially didn't support it now have nothing to say.
After reading the report, everyone came to the conclusion that both sides had completely lost their minds, and the Three Universal Civilizations were definitely living in dire straits!
This is a sure thing!