"Fifteen thousand Merit Points, granting Advanced Fortress exchange privileges, reserve rank promotion to Navy Lieutenant Commander, and military intelligence clearance upgraded to Level Two."
Liu Hai read the military rewards word by word, feeling indescribable joy—especially at the staggering fifteen thousand Military Merits and the Advanced Fortress exchange privilege.
As for the reserve rank promotion, it wasn't particularly significant. Military rank would naturally rise after cumulative merits and comprehensive military evaluation, and it was only a reserve rank anyway. Transferring to an active-duty rank would entail a two-rank demotion upon enlistment. In other words, if Liu Hai chose to join the military now, he would enter as a Navy Lieutenant, qualified to command a branch fleet.
The intelligence clearance upgrade was an unexpected boon. Unless it involved major events, military intelligence typically only granted access to the most basic local Star Region star maps and enemy-allied situation reports.
But now, with this one-level upgrade, he gained access to more detailed Star Region resource and mineral distribution maps, dynamic force diagrams of surrounding enemy and allied Star Regions, and partial military outpost layouts. When necessary, he could even request assistance from military checkpoints.
"Fifteen thousand Merit Points... A standard Military Fortress only costs around five hundred, while Medium Fortresses—those between fifteen and fifty kilometers—range from eight hundred to three thousand. Advanced Fortresses, with diameters between fifty and a hundred kilometers, cost four thousand to ten thousand Merit Points."
Liu Hai's eyes gleamed. "That means I can exchange for one Advanced Fortress, two Medium Fortresses, and eight Standard Fortresses. Wouldn't that make the Starsea Fleet take off instantly?"
"And if I upgrade some of the equipment to higher-tier fifth or even sixth-level technology, wouldn't the firepower of an Advanced Fortress rival that of a Planetary Fortress Bastion?"
The thought barely surfaced before he dismissed it—simply because production capabilities didn't allow it.
Right now, small-scale production of fifth and sixth-level tech components relied on the Seed Ship's core manufacturing capabilities. If he were to fully retrofit several fortresses, given the current Seed Ship production speed, it might take decades. With that kind of time, wouldn't it be better to let the Seed Ship continuously strengthen the industrial system and have the entire framework produce the necessary equipment?
Liu Hai knew exactly what his foundation was, so the idea of equipment upgrades lasted only a second before being tossed aside.
Since the two Motherships he had exchanged for hadn't arrived yet, he might as well go ahead and redeem one Advanced, two Medium, and eight Standard Fortresses all at once. Then, he could notify Li Yali to deliver the decryption keys to her and have her coordinate with Third Logistics to transport both the fortresses and Motherships together.
As for settling the surrendered beings of the Katon Civilization, he didn't need to worry too much—just ensuring they didn't die was enough. The military was already on its way to collect them.
But during this window, Liu Hai could still accomplish a lot—such as interrogating the Katon Civilization for intelligence.
This was a right permitted by the military. After all, what they primarily wanted was the Katon Civilization's intelligence data. As the one who captured them, Liu Hai naturally had the authority to extract information.
Professional matters should be left to professionals—Liu Hai only needed to wait for the results. At the same time, he also notified President Li Ping, who was far away on Kono Administrative Star, that it was time to expand recruitment again.
Upon receiving the news, Li Ping immediately instructed her subordinates to dispatch the long-prepared contingent of nearly 200,000 personnel to Liu Hai via military logistics—swift, convenient, and most importantly, secure, albeit slightly costly.
While Federation talents wouldn't arrive for several more years, the Fortress would reach its destination in just over two years. Leaving the Mothership idle during this interim period was unthinkable.
The General Staff worked overnight to draft a personnel roster, selecting elite members from existing fleets to integrate into the Fortress's command structure. Though this would temporarily weaken fleet combat effectiveness, it was a negligible sacrifice compared to the Fortress's strategic importance.
After handling these immediate affairs, Liu Hai turned his attention back to the "old-timers."
The moment he entered the sub-channel, staggering updates flooded in.
In the mid-sector of the First Spiral Arm's Star Region, the Butcher's anti-"old-timer" campaign had escalated into a full-scale regional war involving nearly ten Legions after multiple twists and turns.
Centered around that Asteroid Belt, both sides had deployed several elite Legions across a 50-light-year radius encompassing over a dozen star systems. The conflict raged on, with reinforcements continuously pouring in and the situation spiraling further out of control.
Led by Cactus Sister, the Female Pioneers showed Liu Hai what it meant for women to rival men in valor.
What began as a United Fleet of just over a hundred Female Pioneers ganging up on the Katon Fleet had, within mere weeks, swelled to over three hundred under Cactus Sister's banner—with many more from the Second Spiral Arm and central Star Regions actively petitioning to join, though she turned them all down.
This phenomenon gave Liu Hai and other newly minted Pioneers a stark lesson in the sheer influence of a top-tier veteran. Without even issuing a call to arms, waves of Pioneers voluntarily flocked to the battlefield, supplying their own resources just to follow the enigmatic Cactus Sister, whose true name remained unknown.
Even Li Fang, the Reserve Lord of the First Spiral Arm, had never demonstrated such magnetic appeal in past conflicts. Speculation and reverence ran high among Pioneers born in the last five centuries as they tried to guess the identity of this formidable woman.
After all, while Pioneers weren't exactly lawless, they were far from ordinary folk who could be easily commanded. Each saw themselves as a protagonist, their standards sky-high. The sight of so many seasoned Pioneers vying to support her was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Liu Hai scoured various channels for intel, but no veteran Pioneer stepped forward to explain the origins of these Female Pioneers. Instead, numerous old-timers with over five centuries of experience extended selfless aid—completely devoid of ulterior motives.
It was baffling.
Yet, Liu Hai noticed something amiss in the First Spiral Arm's warscape. What had begun as skirmishes and ambushes involving thousands of warships had now escalated into an endless, rapidly swelling tide of reinforcements.
Fleets clashed en route to the battlefield, engagements erupting mid-journey. As the fighting intensified, its reach expanded uncontrollably.
The territory of Reserve Lord Li Fang in the First Spiral Arm was attacked once again. Over a dozen mixed fleets of Kadon Explorers arrived at her doorstep, engaging in fierce combat with her main forces. However, their objective didn't seem to specifically target her—it appeared more like an attempt to block her from reinforcing the core battlefield.
The situation grew increasingly complex as the conflict expanded. Half a month later, the entire First Spiral Arm was engulfed in war. Both the Pioneers and the Seekers even deliberately exposed their own coordinates, luring enemy fleets into battle—displaying a clear determination to fight to the death.