"Trailblazer Reserve Lord Liu Hai, you've truly given us a tremendous surprise," the Queen Mother of the West said with a smile, observing Liu Hai's somewhat flustered expression.
Liu Hai had never expected that a simple surrender ceremony would summon the Federal overseer of the Hera Star System. The moment she arrived, the Seed Ship's Intelligent Nexus issued a warning—a mysterious force was scanning both the Gemini Starfield and the Brolly Starfield.
According to the Seed Ship's detection, everything hidden within the region, down to the trajectory of particles, had been scanned with absolute clarity. In other words, Liu Hai's secrets had also been uncovered by the Queen Mother of the West before him—and likely by the other Lords as well.
"Little one, there's no need to be nervous."
Perhaps noticing Liu Hai's excessive tension, the Queen Mother reassured him, "We've been watching you since the moment you appeared on Konor's Garbage Star."
"When you claimed your Pioneer Authority, didn't Po Jun and the others mention something similar to you?"
At this, Liu Hai suddenly recalled the scene back then. Indeed, they had said something along those lines. At the time, he had assumed they had simply detected his arrival through some monitoring device—but now, it seemed there was more to it.
Facing Liu Hai's puzzled gaze, the Queen Mother continued, "Your appearance isn't some unique anomaly. Across the Federation—and even throughout the entire supercluster—humanoid civilizations have witnessed beings like you emerge, sooner or later."
"The Federation's current system, too, originated from a leader who appeared during the Mother Planet era. He unified the Federation and propelled it into the interstellar age. Though his whereabouts are now unknown—perhaps he ventured off to explore the wonders of the universe."
Hmm?
Hearing that a transmigrator had unified the Federation and established its current system, Liu Hai was rendered speechless with shock.
"His existence isn't a secret, but his information is protected by the Will of the Pan-Human Community of Shared Future. Unless you attain the rank of Lord, you lack the authority and cognitive capacity to access it—the Pan-Human Will will shield you from such knowledge."
"As for that Unknown Technology Mothership of yours—use it well. We look forward to your performance. Humanity's future is promising."
"The corresponding merits have been deposited into your account. I've also elevated your authority by one level. Though you may not lack theoretical knowledge in technology, your current combat capabilities remain too weak. The Federation still has some valuable resources—take your time reviewing them. Don't rush to redeem your merits just yet."
"I look forward to our next meeting."
Only after the Queen Mother of the West departed did Li Yali and Igor's thoughts regain clarity. In their memories, her visit had been to reward them—completely different from what Liu Hai had experienced.
His mind in turmoil, Liu Hai excused himself and disconnected from the virtual communication. He lay atop the Seed Ship's garden deck, gazing blankly at the sea of stars.
Too many questions had surfaced at once—too many unknowns now loomed before him.
Li Yali and the others assumed Liu Hai had simply gone to check his rewards, so they paid little attention to his departure, instead excitedly discussing their own gains.
"You all got rewards suited for commanders—so why do I have to attend the Federal Commander Academy too?"
Igor looked at the notification he had just received on his communicator with undisguised disdain. Sure, he loved making money, but commanding a fleet in battle was never part of the plan. Monetary rewards and starship prizes were one thing, but why was he being roped into the Federal Commander Refresher Course alongside Li Yali and the others?
I never wanted to be a commander!
Li Yali covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably. Her eyes gleamed as she glanced at the thousands of Merit Points and the staggering 500 billion cash reward in her account, making her feel like she was floating on air.
The cash reward wasn't much—Liu Hai's profit-sharing would soon reach that amount anyway, though she'd have to wait until the contract ended to receive it. But thousands of Merit Points and an invitation to the Federal Commander Refresher Course? Those were lifelong benefits. No amount of money or Merit Points could compare to the value of that invitation.
Bai Wenting, Wu Shanzheng, and Wang Haiyang received only a tenth of Li Yali's cash and Merit rewards, but they were still overjoyed. As support staff under Li Yali's command, such generous rewards were already beyond expectations. Plus, they too had received invitations to the Refresher Course.
Perhaps Igor's performance had caught the attention of the Queen Mother of the West, because aside from a 200-billion cash reward and 500 Merit Points, he was also given an invitation. If only the invitation could be resold—Igor would have already been scouting for buyers. Why did it have to be a commander's course? Couldn't he just attend a logistics department refresher instead?
As the group eagerly discussed how to spend their newfound wealth, a military Legion was already making its way toward the Brolly Star System. Each Warp jump covered over fifty light-years, with intervals of less than half an hour between jumps. Compared to the Pioneers' absurd hour-long recharge times, the military fleet was in a league of its own, maintaining flawless formation with consistent spacing between warships throughout the journey.
After fifteen days, with the help of a few recruited architects, Igor and his logistics team finally completed a survival base for the over 300,000 Katon Creatures and began the gradual relocation process. Li Yali and the others monitored every step, terrified that any last-minute mishap might jeopardize the surrender.
A few days later, once all Katon Creatures had been transferred and the control nexus of every Katon Warship had been seized and reprogrammed, a wave of excited researchers boarded landing crafts bound for the Katon warships. Intact, cutting-edge Katon warships—being the first to study them thoroughly meant even selling the research data alone could net them a hefty profit. Who knew? Maybe one of their descendants would even become a Pioneer someday.
With the battle concluded, operations across the Brolly Star System resumed. Factories roared back to life, and transport ships filled the skies, bustling according to pre-established production schedules.
Only Liu Hai remained silent for a full half-month. Had he not occasionally checked in on their progress, Igor and the others would have gone looking for him. Still aboard the Seed Ship, Liu Hai had finally abandoned unnecessary contemplation, spending several days in complete relaxation. Under the mental conditioning of the Intelligent Nexus, he now felt thoroughly refreshed.
"Let me see what kind of rewards were given. As a ruler of her domain, the Queen Mother of the West couldn't possibly be stingy, right?"
Liu Hai muttered to himself as he opened his communication device and pulled up the reward list from the Queen Mother of the West. After clearly seeing the contents of the rewards, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
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