Sisko's departure midway through the meeting was disrespectful to the members present, but neither the seven star cluster-level councilors nor the other members seemed to care. The Star Pupil Protoss were being openly targeted, and Sisko was merely using his actions to emphasize his dissatisfaction; he would still be back at the next meeting without hesitation.
With the main party gone, the proposal was temporarily shelved, Bennett sat down at the suggestion of Director Amethyst.
The meeting continued, proceeding to the next proposal, and the atmosphere in the room became refined and approachable once again.
Since the subsequent proposals were irrelevant to him, Han Xiao left the remote projection view in the background and went to browse the forums to slack off.
After most of the day had passed, the first day of the meeting finally came to an end. The Civilization Council, which is held regularly, usually takes several days to discuss the backlog of proposals. Han Xiao only planned to attend the first day to make an appearance. He didn't need to be present for the following days; Bennett's participation would be enough.
After disabling remote projection, Han Xiao closed the forum and pondered:
"The Star Pupil Protoss was condemned by Planet Aquamarine, but what happened next had nothing to do with Planet Aquamarine."
Since nothing actually happened, it's impossible to really do anything to Sisko. Han Xiao doesn't expect the Star Pupil Protoss to compensate or donate. The influence of Planet Aquamarine is still too small. Even if he condemns them, Sisko won't feel a thing.
However, after this matter of books was raised, the difficulties Sisko faced did not come from Planet Aquamarine, but from the Talos Civilization.
The Talos Civilization secretly funded the Avitan Wraiths, intending for them to cause trouble for the Star Pupil Protoss. Although they did not instruct the Avitan Wraiths to attack Planet Aquamarine, this unexpected situation was in their interest, providing a perfect opportunity to stir up trouble.
Han Xiao had Bennett issue a condemnation in order to provide an excuse for the Talos Civilization. Talos understood this tacit understanding; they had long wanted to deal with the Star Pupil Protoss, and standing up for Planet Aquamarine would also appease Han Xiao, making it a win-win situation.
Therefore, the unfortunate Planet Aquamarine doesn't need to worry about what happens next; it only needs to observe the Talos Civilization's actions from the sidelines.
Han Xiao also contacted Ames to inquire about Dragon Calm's recent situation.
The two chatted on the phone for half an hour before hanging up.
Standing before the 3D star map, Han Xiao looked up at the image of the Gaolu Star Cluster. The explored green area was currently only a small patch, shaped like two toothpicks stuck in a green ball, representing two long-distance passages under construction and a border star system under exploration.
"Hadavy's task force will need another three months to set up the long-distance stargate..." Han Xiao pondered, rubbing his chin with his fingertips.
According to his exploration plan, the first phase was for the task force to reach the eastern part of the Gaolu Star Cluster's planar star map.
Based on his understanding of the Gaolu Star Cluster, the next three months should be a period of stable exploration, free from any major disturbances like the Great Cosmos Corps, allowing him to explore approximately 80% of the border star system.
Time is like sand slipping through your fingers; you can't hold it tight or grasp it, it just slips away.
Three months later.
The Crimson Dynasty's home planet, the leader's office.
Urranrell sat upright, her back straight as a javelin, holding a report in her hand, reprimanding a trembling senior official in front of her, her tone stern.
"The Federation of Light is operating covertly, infiltrating our territory. How did you handle it? Just stood by and did nothing? I only told you to be conservative, not to keep backing down! Produce me a plan right now!"
"Let me think, let me think..." The high-ranking official wiped his sweat, his voice strained.
Urranrell's eyes were solemn. The exploration of the Shattered World had been going on for several months, and the Federation of Light was beginning to stir. At the same time, it was putting pressure on the Empire from all aspects, including the economy, politics, and military, preparing to take advantage of the Empire's focus on exploring new star systems and nibble away at the Empire's interests.
This is just the beginning. As the Empire invests more resources and manpower in exploration, the Federation of Light will undoubtedly intensify its efforts, making the Empire's situation even more difficult.
Although these situations were within Urranrell's expectations, they were still unavoidable. The Federation of Light was a cosmic-level civilization of the same level, with comparable strength. The Empire could not have it both ways. If it wanted to gain something, it could only pay a certain price. Urranrell had long been mentally prepared for this.
Beep beep.
At that moment, the internal dedicated line suddenly rang.
"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief of the Exploration Forces Tarrokov, is online."
Urranrell's eyes flickered slightly, and he waved his hand, signaling the high-ranking official in front of him to leave. The official was immediately relieved and hurriedly left the head of state's office, leaving Urranrell alone in the room.
"Connect it." Urranrell nodded.
The next moment, Tarrokov's long-range figure appeared in the room and saluted Urranrell.
"Tarrokov, how is the exploration of the Shattered World progressing?"
The exploration of the Shattered World is the current strategic focus of the Crimson Dynasty, Urranrell is extremely concerned about the progress of the exploration, receiving reports from them every so often.
"I've already sent you the information. Let me explain the current situation to you..."
Tarrokov then began to explain.
As he listened to the report and looked at the documents, comparing them side by side, Urranrell nodded repeatedly.
"... Overall, the progress of the Imperial Direct Exploration Force and the Krent Exploration Team in the three star clusters of Renault, Crown Ring, and Gaolu is moderate. On the contrary, the Black Star Army Exploration Team, which chose the Gaolu Star Cluster, has achieved remarkable results in the past four months. They have discovered a large number of resource-rich planets and even took over the territory of a local force, saving us a lot of effort. Moreover, the Black Star Army is not concerned about its own losses and is building a long-distance stargate passage, so it is not afraid to facilitate later exploration teams," Tarrokov said.
"Not bad, a reliable ally." Urranrell put down the documents, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
Because of the comparison, she was very satisfied with Han Xiao's efficiency.
"The Black Star Army is an ally worth cultivating; let's increase our support for them in all aspects."
Although Tarrokov was suspected of receiving some benefits and always spoke well of the Black Star Army, Urranrell didn't care about the details as long as the work was done well.
"In addition, there is another situation that needs to be reported," Tarrokov's tone suddenly turned serious, "We have discovered traces of what appear to be illegal immigrants."
The stowaways he mentioned were forces that, without the Empire's permission, secretly crossed the Desolate Universe Belt to reach the Shattered World.
Urranrell narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you're not a native?"
Tarrokov shook his head. "Although there aren't many clues, our troops stationed in the Desolate Universe Belt of the Shattered Star Ring - Shattered World have discovered high-warp jump folds left by an unknown fleet. This clearly indicates they've reached the technological standards of a cluster-level civilization. It's estimated that these stowaways will officially arrive in the Shattered World Shattered World soon... no, perhaps some have already arrived before them, but we just haven't discovered them yet."
Urranrell said calmly, "As expected, the Federation of Light, the Arcane Church, and those supercluster-level civilizations have made their move."
Tarrokov: "I think they will take a detour to avoid the three star clusters we are developing in the first phase, and explore the star clusters deep within our star field before us, secretly encroaching on our star field in order to avoid encountering us."
"You're right," Urranrell said slowly. "Send out troops to search the Desolate Universe Belt between the Shattered Star Ring and the Shattered World. Once you find any stargates that the enemy has secretly built, destroy them on the spot."
These stowaways sent out vanguards to build their own secret stargate passages in the Shattered World, so that they could quickly transport large forces. Most of these stargates would be hidden in the vast, Desolate Universe Belt between two star systems.
The Crimson Dynasty explicitly forbids other forces from using stargates to connect to the Shattered World without authorization, precisely for this reason. The most effective way to deal with stowaways is to destroy the secret stargates, allowing the Empire to firmly control the stargate connection rights.
Ensuring the uniqueness of the passage is essential to maximizing the interests of the empire.
Tarrokov shook his head. "We need more manpower."
"I know," Urranrell nodded. "I will dispatch more Imperial troops to the Shattered World, and it's time for the second wave of Imperial allies to move out as well."
Meanwhile, a fleet of smuggled Arcane Church arrived at the border of the Shattered World.
"We've finally arrived! Contact the squadron; have they chosen their positions in the Desolate Universe Belt?"
"Captain, they are in position and waiting for us."
Two stargates are needed to form a fast passage. Smuggling teams usually split up, with one side selecting a site for the secret stargate in Desolate Universe Belt – this is the "entrance."
The troops that arrived in the Shattered World were responsible for building the "exit".
"Very good. Avoid being detected by the Crimson Dynasty's space monitoring buoys. We'll bypass the Dawn Star Cluster and assemble a stargate in the Desolate Universe Belt surrounding the Gaolu Star Cluster to build a temporary base."
The Arcane Church also desires to gain control of the Shattered World, but this is a long-term endeavor, and they are not in a hurry for quick results. In contrast, the Arcane Church is currently more interested in the Evolution Cube and has always had it in mind.
They built a secret stargate passage near the Gaolu Star Cluster to facilitate the deployment of troops.
Having a stargate makes it easier to deploy Beyond Grade A combat power, since strong individuals of this level are generally unwilling to spend months slowly traversing the Desolate Universe Belt.
Black Star had already proven his formidable nature, Arcane Church, in order to ensure success, had deployed more than just one or two Beyond Grade A combatants this time.
Of course, the three major cosmic civilizations are keeping an eye on each other's Beyond Grade A combat capabilities, and any unusual movements will arouse vigilance from all parties.
To get Beyond Grade A to act secretly, you need a reason to mislead others.