The banquet concluded amidst the clamor, leaving the many attending Pioneers to return to their respective fleets with mixed thoughts.
That day, all channels on the StarNet were unusually lively, especially regarding intelligence related to Sector 18 of the Hera Star System—its price skyrocketed more than threefold in an instant.
Back in the Pyramid Core Control Room, Liu Hai discussed the matter with Li Yali and others. Due to limited channels, they had gathered little information, and the advisory group could not produce any substantial targeted plans.
Liu Hai himself had no interest in Sector 18, so the advisory group's inability to devise a plan didn't bother him. Instead, he focused intensely on collecting information about Xue Jiye and Irina.
Despite having already signed a contract with Irina—one now under military scrutiny and protection—there was no prior trust between them, let alone understanding. For future safety, Liu Hai had no choice but to gather as much information as possible for the advisory group to analyze Irina's true intentions.
Why would a fleet with three Battleships and over sixty warships willingly concede in cooperation and follow the orders of a fleet without a single Battleship?
Anyone who thought they were the protagonist, capable of making others bow with sheer charisma, should just go to sleep. Reality might be bizarre and absurd, but Liu Hai couldn't afford to rest—there were too many uncertainties.
Aside from Irina, Liu Hai was most concerned about Xue Jiye. Though his fleet couldn't compare to Irina's small fortune, it still boasted Battleships of slightly higher quality than those produced by Thunder God Company.
Xue Jiye's pre-banquet efforts to recruit allies and build a cooperative network unsettled Liu Hai further, especially after Irina discovered he had already rallied over fifty fleets of varying sizes. The combined forces totaled more than 1,700 warships, including over eight Battleships, five transport ships converted into carriers, and a staggering one million Fighter Mechs and Fighter Jets.
This massive military scale rivaled that of a regional garrison, yet no clues hinted at his true objectives.
Although Xue Jiye had shared some intelligence, it only detailed the activities of the Katun Civilization in the central region of the Third Spiral Arm, with no explanation for his actions.
Irina's curiosity was piqued, and she repeatedly contacted Liu Hai, suggesting they confront Xue Jiye together. But Liu Hai refused each time, reasoning simply:
Their destination was the tail end of the Third Spiral Arm, not far from Xue Jiye's target. Communication between them was convenient, and with so many fleets mobilized, any significant event would quickly reach them.
As for confidentiality, Pioneers always found ways around such restrictions.
A day later, Li Yali's third uncle sent word—the time for traversing the wormhole was set, and fleets were now assembling.
Li Yali led her fleet to merge with the Li family's forces. Strangely, however, Li Xiuxian was absent from this familial fleet, having instead established his own—a hundred-warship strong—to head independently for the Hera Star System.
After the fleet assembly was completed and the mixed fleet from the Hera Star System had exited the wormhole's range, the Li Family Fleet officially set sail into the wormhole, followed by over a hundred Pioneer fleets.
Time twisted and turned, transitioning from extreme distortion to the silent cosmos in less than ten minutes, leaving Liu Hai sprawled out in discomfort.
"Damn! Is this what wormhole space is like? This is freaking unbearable!"
Lying on the ground, Liu Hai shuddered at the memory of the distorted space he had glimpsed through his connection to the Pyramid Core. Vaguely, he seemed to sense traces of a soul-like presence emanating from the wormhole.
In the Starsea Fleet, Li Yali bid farewell to her uncle before commanding the fleet to warp away, heading to the rendezvous point to await Irina's Elizabeth Fleet.
During the wait, Liu Hai used his clearance to gather intel across all screens. After updating to the latest star charts and faction maps, he retreated back into the Pyramid Core to study technical data.
Back in Star River Federation territory, many weapons had been too risky to manufacture or deploy. Now, though far from the Federation's core, they were still within a lord's domain—yet regulations had loosened considerably. Independent weapons research was even incentivized.
Liu Hai now planned to use the Pyramid Core to produce some disposable weapons for immediate use. After all, his fleet's strength was pitifully weak; encountering a Katun Civilization Exploration Fleet could easily spell annihilation.
After days of back-and-forth with the Intelligent Nexus, constrained by the Pyramid Core's unupgraded state and limited manufacturing capacity, Liu Hai was left with only three options.
The first was the Gravity Bomb—an area-of-effect weapon with a maximum range of one light-hour. Against fourth-tier civilization fleets, however, it could only hinder or restrict, failing to deliver destructive damage.
Moreover, it had to be deployed near targets for maximum effect, making it vulnerable to long-range interception. A bit of a letdown.
The second was the Space Oscillation Wave Generator, compatible with both warship mounts and missiles, boasting a maximum damage radius of 1.5 light-hours.
But its flaws were equally glaring. The weapon lacked containment protocols, harming both friend and foe—usable only for mutual destruction or missile strikes.
For now, it barely qualified as a trump card, offering some deterrent value.
The third option was intriguing: neither weapon nor defensive gear, but auxiliary equipment.
Blending with Light and Dust.
A device to mask a ship's traces, creating a spatial dimension that temporarily pulled the warship out of cosmic space, allowing ghost-like stealth.
The downside? Massive energy consumption. Once activated, the ship could only rely on conventional thrusters—no other systems, and even then, not at full power.
Yet its strengths were equally pronounced. By exiting the cosmic spatial dimension, the ship effectively vanished from this plane. Without power sufficient to vibrate dimensions, nothing could harm the vessel inside.
An exceptional survival tool.
Liu Hai wanted them all, but resources and equipment constraints forced him to choose just one. After days of deliberation, he finally made his decision—one day before Irina's arrival.
He would manufacture the Blending with Light and Dust device.
Liu Hai's priority was still to keep himself alive first. With the Pyramid Core in his possession, temporary wins or losses didn't matter. Once he truly developed his forces, he could simply dispatch a massive fleet to crush everything—all grudges would be settled then.
By noon the next day, when Irina arrived, Liu Hai had already finished manufacturing both sets of equipment. He installed them separately on the Heavy Cruiser serving as the fleet's command hub and the Armed Transport Ship carrying the Pyramid Core.