After observing his surroundings for a while, Ian’s face turned solemn as he stared off into the distance. “Captain, can you help me look at the nearby area?”

Qijin did not inquire further, and he simply took Ian along as he flew along. Ian had already become a Limiteer and had the power level to destroy an ordinary planet, so if he was asking for company, then it meant that there were probably enemies nearby.

Qijin told his troops to stay alert.

Ian spent over an hour looking around. Finally, with a serious look on his face, he looked at Qijin. “Captain, I would like to talk with deputy captain Shalosh.”

In King Zishan’s palace, Lu Yin opened his gadget, and Shalosh’s image appeared on the screen. “Your Highness, the Ordnance Mercenaries may have discovered other troops hidden within Frostwave Weave.”

Lu Yin was shocked.

Without any hesitation, he immediately sent the Rapid Response Team over to the uninhabited planet where the Ordnance Mercenaries had landed for emergency repairs.

The members of the Rapid Response Team had been personally handpicked after the summit talks between Lu Yin and the various heads of the different allied powers in the Great Eastern Alliance. This team travelled around in a radiant-grade Aurora so that they could complete their tasks in the shortest amount of time possible. There were 113 people in the Rapid Response Team, which consisted of one hundred Explorers, ten Cruisers, and three Hunters.

This squadron was the Great Eastern Alliance’s special forces, and this was the first time Lu Yin had mobilized them.

The three hunters had all been independent cultivators, and there were only two people who could give them orders: Lu Yin and the commander of the Allied Forces, Luying Zishan.

***

On the desolate planet, Ian spoke in a low voice. “Captain, it’s possible that we’re being watched right now, so let’s put on a bit of a show to avoid being wiped out.”

“Are you certain that there are enemies here?” Qijin asked. Shalosh had already contacted the Royal Regent. If it turned out that there were no enemies, things would become very humiliating, and even worse, it would attract the Royal Regent’s attention.

Ian replied, “I’m not sure if there are any still here, but they were definitely here earlier.”

Qijin’s heart sank. “How long ago?”

Somewhat uncertainly, Ian said, “Around ten days ago.”

Qijin heaved a sigh of relief. It would not look too bad if enemies had indeed been on this planet around ten days ago.

Qijin commanded the Ordnance Mercenaries to act as though they were looking for minerals in the surrounding region, as he intended to use this ruse to confuse any enemies that might still be in the area.

Far away from the mercenaries, deep underground, there was a huge open space. There were a hundred thousand soldiers in this space. Ian was right—there were indeed enemy forces nearby.

“General, shall we destroy them?” In a spacecraft in the subterranean space, a middle-aged man was studying a map while listening to a report from his aide-de-camp.

They had not been monitoring the surface as using any sort of monitoring equipment had a chance of being discovered. Instead, they had used the most primitive observation device: a specially made telescope that specialized in star observation.

The middle-aged man solemnly replied, “Are these the Ordnance Mercenaries from Frostwave Weave?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t touch them. The deputy captain of the Ordnance Mercenaries is Shalosh, who’s the captain of the Eighth Imperial Squadron. If we wipe out these mercenaries, then Shalosh won’t let the matter rest. He will definitely look into who did it, and that would blow our entire cover,” the middle-aged man said.

The aide-de-camp replied, “Will they discover us?”

The middle-aged man shook his head. “That’s unlikely. Haven’t we already erased all traces of our arrival from the surface? Even people who have received high level military training wouldn’t be able to discover us, much less some mere mercenaries.”

“Indeed.”

Back on the surface, Ian returned to the spacecraft. Dana rushed over and grabbed Ian. She moved closer to him and drunkenly said, “Come on, let’s go and have some fun!”

Ian did not know what to do. “Sister Dana, you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk! You won’t be here for much longer anyways. Father said that he’s going to recommend you to the Imperial Thirteen Squadrons. Do you really want to leave?” Dana questioned Ian.

Ian did not know how to respond.

Dana suddenly vomited all over Ian. Ian laughed bitterly, as he was already used to this behavior.

Ian held Dana as he looked out of the spacecraft, occasionally glancing at his personal gadget. He raised his head. Soon, soon.

Even though Frostwave Weave was massive, the incredible speed of a radiant-grade Aurora made the distance seem much smaller.

With the appearance of a spacecraft in the sky, Ian heaved a sigh of relief. They had arrived.

In the underground space, the aide-de-camp’s face changed as he received a new report. “General, something is off.”

Right as he spoke these words, the ground trembled. A mighty force had surged forth and permeated the entire planet. This was the power of a Hunter.

The middle-aged general was stunned. “Hurry! Board the spacecraft and prepare for battle!”

However, it was already too late. A powerful Hunter tore through the planet and suddenly appeared in front of the soldiers. There were only two powerful Cruisers among these troops, and they had no way to fight off a Hunter. The soldiers were quickly defeated, and the general was captured.

***

In front of King Zishan’s palace, Qijin had a nervous expression on his face. As the captain of the Ordnance Mercenaries, he had overcome many adversities, but the person he was about to meet was an absolute legend. Given the captain’s standing, it had been extremely unlikely for him to ever meet such a person, but at this moment, he was really going to meet the Royal Regent, Lu Yin, a legend of the universe.

Ian stood beside Qijin. He had contributed a great service, and Lu Yin had specifically mentioned that he wanted to meet Ian.

Ian was feeling rather torn. Back during the trial on Earth, he had been robbed by Lu Yin. Everyone had ridiculed Ian for that, and he had become a laughing stock. After that, he had gotten drunk in a bar and violated Dana, which had forced him to join the Ordnance Mercenaries. It could be said that his life had completely changed by that single event.

Before the trial on Earth, he had been the top student of the Imperial Military Academy, the cream of the crop, and a definite shoo-in for Yu Academy. He had had a bright future ahead of him.

But after the trial, he had become nothing more than an insignificant mercenary.

In the beginning, Ian had hated Lu Yin. However, as Lu Yin’s reputation grew, especially after the Tournament of the Strongest, where Lu Yin had become a household name, Ian’s feelings towards the youth had changed. At that time, he had even told Dana that not everyone had the chance to battle against a legend.

He had initially thought that he would never have any more interactions with the man, and he had certainly not expected to meet Lu Yin so soon again. This was the person who had robbed him but was still known as a legend.

“The captain of the Ordnance Mercenaries, Qijin, pays his respects to His Highness, the Royal Regent.” Qijin bowed outside of King Zishan’s palace.

“Ian of the Ordnance Mercenaries pays his respects to His Highness, the Royal Regent.” Ian bowed as well.

Lu Yin smiled at the two men. “There’s no need for the formalities. Have a seat.”

Qijin looked at Ian as he cautiously sat down.

“The Ordnance Mercenaries. I’ve heard that name many times before. Deputy Captain Shalosh is the captain of the Eighth Imperial Squadron, and he’s known as a powerful Cruiser even within the scope of the entire Outerverse. How did he join the Ordnance Mercenaries in the past?” Lu Yin asked out of curiosity.

Qijin respectfully replied, “Shalosh was heavily injured at one point, and the Ordnance Mercenaries were coincidentally in Canopy Weave at the same time. We saved him, and after that, he joined our mercenary group.”

“Ah, I see,” Lu Yin acknowledged with a nod. It had been noted in Shalosh’s personal file that he had come from Canopy Weave. Lu Yin speculated that Shalosh had most likely been recommended by a powerful figure from Canopy Weave. However, the weave had later been destroyed by the Neo-Vestige Sect when it had tried to gain control of two weaves. This was something that had happened very long ago, and Shalosh had only inherited some battle techniques. There really was not much of a connection between him and the former powers of Canopy Weave.

“How did Shalosh join the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons?” Lu Yin asked, as this was not recorded in the captain’s personal file.

Qijin responded, “Shalosh took part in the selection of his own accord and was chosen by the late emperor. He then slowly rose up through the ranks to eventually become the captain of the Eighth Squadron.”

Lu Yin finally gained a clearer understanding of this captain. His focus next shifted over to Ian as he smiled gleefully. “It’s been a long time since I last saw you.”

Ian’s expression changed as he respectfully answered, “Forgive me for offending you in the past, Your Highness.”

Qijin knew that Ian had participated in Earth’s trial in the past and also that the Royal Regent had attended Earth’s trial at that same time. Thus, the two had likely had some sort of interaction at that time.

Lu Yin laughed. “I remembered robbing you, but I don’t remember you offending me. Why? Were you scolding me behind my back?”

Ian felt uncomfortable.

Lu Yin smiled and then gestured for the other youth to sit. He looked at Ian with a sense of astonishment. “Tell me, how did you discover the underground troops? They shouldn’t have left any obvious signs.”

With the topic on, Ian instantly became much more confident, as this was his forte. “No military movement can be completely traceless. Back in the academy, my learning centered on the anchorage position of spacecraft as well as psychological analysis. These particular courses were rather neglected in the Imperial Military Academy, and almost nobody took them. However, they’re actually very useful. Whenever spacecraft land on an unknown planet where the troops are faced with unknown threats, they will always take on a defensive position pointing outwards. Even the captain’s mental state is very important at such times, and all of these details can be used to analyze many things…”

Ian spoke for almost five minutes, though Lu Yin did not really understand what the youth was saying. Lu Yin had not received any military training, but he had come to roughly understand a little. Tracking down military troop movements was similar to analyzing a criminal’s psychology, and Ian had applied such analysis techniques towards military affairs, particularly towards the captain of the spacecraft.

Lu Yin immediately ordered this academic course to become mandatory for graduation, and at the same time, he ordered all the officers of the empire to review the material as well. No matter how much they absorbed, they all would have to study it, as psychology was very important.

As he looked at Ian, Lu Yin exclaimed, “You’re pretty good, and leaving you as a mercenary is too wasteful.”

He looked at Qijin. “Captain Qijin, would you mind if I stole a talent from your members?”

Qijin immediately responded, “Being able to receive Your Highness’s attention is Ian’s fortune.” He then hurriedly cast a meaningful glance over at Ian.

Ian stood up. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Lu Yin nodded. “The Thirteen Squadrons are combat oriented, and with your power level, you won’t be able to have much of an impact. Since that’s the case, you can instead join the Allied Forces of the Great Eastern Alliance and assist Commander Liuying Zishan in handling certain matters. Your status won’t be very high, but your future prospects will be decent. It will all depend on you whether or not you can climb upwards.”

Ian was delighted, as he did not have a strong desire to join the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons either. They were essentially the empire’s butcher knife, and it would not have been too different from being a part of the mercenary group. He looked forward to being in a formal military, which was why he had entered the Imperial Military Academy, and the alliance’s Allied Forces were indeed the most suitable place for him. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will not let you down.”

Lu Yin grunted in acknowledgement and then dismissed the two men before summoning the Foreign Affairs Secretary, Hill Auna.

“We’ve determined the origins of those troops, and they come from Armament Weave’s Wei family. Immediately send out a notice to the Wei family demanding them to hand over the master plans as well as compensate us with 3 million star essence. Otherwise, we will declare war,” Lu Yin said sternly.

Hill Auna was surprised. “3 million star essence? Your Highness, isn’t that a bit too much?” The taxes collected from the entire Great Yu Empire in one year was around 3 million, and that was an astronomical amount. Forget 3 million—30,000 would already be considered a decent sum. This was still the Outerverse, not the Innerverse.

However, Lu Yin remained firm, and he made it clear that there was no room for negotiation. “Three million, and not one essence less.”

Hill Auna instantly understood—the demand for compensation was a farce whereas the declaration of war was the real deal. The Royal Regent wanted to wage war, and so Hill Auna didn’t dare to say another word. He simply acknowledged his orders and withdrew.