The news of Woll’s fall reached Yongle Garden, shocking the imperial capital.
Emperor Odin II was furious and immediately ordered the entire Fiennes family to be executed for high treason.
He then dispatched a million troops, with three imperial generals leading three separate fleets, totaling 50,000 starships, advancing majestically towards Woll. They were ordered to eliminate the rebels on Blue Mother Star within a month.
Since Andrew Odin’s ascension to the throne, this was the first time the empire had mobilized such a massive force.
The expenses, naturally, were again shouldered by the citizens.
Within just three days, over 10,000 civilians in major star cities committed suicide, unable to bear the burden of the hefty “national protection tax.”
Soon after, the emperor issued a conscription order, benevolently allowing young and strong new crystal humans to substitute military service for the “national protection tax.” However, due to chaotic implementation and embezzlement by officials at various levels, the outcome was often a loss of both life and property.
For a time, sorrow pervaded the star cities. The people only hoped for the war to end quickly so they could catch their breath from such oppression.
Fortunately, given such an overwhelming military disparity, no one believed there could be any other outcome.
“Within a month? Seven days should be enough, right?”
“Perhaps… His Majesty the Emperor included the travel time? Now there are jump blockades between star cities, so we can’t go directly.”
“Hmph, but if the rebels lose their nerve and surrender on the spot, we won’t even need seven days. One day will be enough for victory.”
The great nobles of Yongle Garden sat high in their mansions or palaces, indulging in the people’s fat and blood, treating it as casual conversation over tea.
Underground gambling dens, catering to the nobles’ entertainment, even introduced new “games.” Some bet on how many days the rebels could hold out, others on the ratio of rebel soldiers killed in action versus those who surrendered.
Using human lives as dice and chips, they played with great delight.
Meanwhile, another unknown force was also quietly making moves in the shadows.
“That year, the Crystal Nest’s calling I received came from many years in the future.”
Standing in the depths of the Crystal Cult’s secret base, Gaius calmly held a floating lamp.
“Given the situation at the time, humanity’s extinction was already an inevitable outcome. I could never predict what turning point appeared later, so I kept waiting.”
“Now, my heart is clear.”
Gerhard Laurent stood before the Archbishop, admiration filling his chest. “Your Excellency the Archbishop is wise.”
When the empire began popularizing crystal particle tranquilizers, he thought this might be the turning point, so he suggested to the Archbishop that they could infiltrate the upstream of the empire’s pharmaceutical industry chain and tamper with the data in the crystal particle tranquilizers.
But the Archbishop smiled and said, “Established history cannot be changed, and when the calling of the crystal particles descends, we are already defined as history.”
Laurent was initially skeptical, until today when he received news that the rebels on Blue Mother Star also possessed tranquilizers… The data had somehow leaked to Blue Mother Star.
So tampering with the tranquilizers from the empire’s side would indeed be futile, and only risk exposing themselves.
“Kaios, Aslan…”
Gaius, with his eyes half-closed, spoke softly, “I’ve seen the frontline footage you stole. These two people are very special. If they weren’t burdened with the crystal particles’ mission, I would like to witness how they face the coming war.”
“But nothing is more important than the mission, especially since everything will ultimately return to nothingness.”
Gaius turned and walked deeper into the room, his white robe trailing on the ground. “Come, Chaos.”
“Next, we will enter frozen hibernation together, crossing time to reach the year when the crystal particles’ light is dimmest, to complete our sacred mission.”
Laurent hesitated for a few seconds, then bowed deeply. “Your Excellency the Archbishop. Please forgive my presumptuous words, but… may I be awakened early from the sleep?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Your Excellency, I don’t believe that the rebels from Blue Mother Star can overthrow such a vast empire. The disparity in strength is too great.”
Laurent said seriously. “But I think this might become a catalyst. If a regime change does occur in the future, I could secure a key position in the new regime and provide more power to the Crystal Cult.”
Gaius: “Is it the emergence of the rebels that gives you hope for humanity?”
Laurent was at a loss for words.
Gaius’s face remained benevolent as he smiled. “It’s alright. Do as you wish. My child, you will witness firsthand how irredeemable this race is.”
Laurent remained silent for a long time before slowly retreating, “…Yes.”
On this day, Archbishop Gaius entered frozen hibernation along with the white-haired girl Margaret, bid farewell by many Crystal Cult members.
Gerhard Laurent also returned home to arrange his own frozen hibernation, instructing his trusted butler to wake him if major changes occurred in the empire.
On the same day, at the other end of the starry sea…
When Jiang Jianming woke up in the treatment cabin, he could faintly hear celebratory cheers from outside.
He opened his eyes, meeting Ryann’s beautiful green eyes.
His Highness had his arms crossed, resting his face on his wrists, lounging on the glass cover of Jiang Jianming’s treatment cabin in a somewhat lazy posture.
“Awake? You have a slight fever. Don’t get up yet.”
“…”
Jiang Jianming’s eye twitched slightly, “Your Highness, to be honest, you’re a bit scary like this.”
He clearly remembered pushing Ryann into another treatment cabin and watching His Highness fall asleep from the anesthesia.
Now, the other treatment cabin beside him had been dark for a while.
Injured so badly, yet waking up before him. Probably had been watching him for quite some time after waking up. What a little monster…
“How are Your Highness’s injuries? Let me see.”
“They won’t hinder the next battle.” Ryann showed no intention of moving from the cabin cover. His posture was quite like that of someone spoiled, but his face was cold and serious, creating a stark contrast.
…Jiang Jianming had to use willpower to suppress strange thoughts. Like “he’s so cute,” or “he’s like a large feline with white-gold mane.”
Jiang Jianming insisted, “Be good, let me see.”
There were only two people in this rest room. Ryann unbuttoned his outer garment, showing his shoulder and back. The bandaged areas still had faint traces of blood seeping through.
Jiang Jianming’s eyes hurt at the sight of that blood, his breathing becoming uneven.
He said softly, “I’m sorry. In the future, you won’t need to fight so desperately.”
Ryann’s face darkened, but knowing comfort was useless, he turned his back and quickly changed the subject. “We’ve taken Woll now… but I’m not of age yet. Your battle plan won victory too quickly.”
Jiang Jianming pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, not accepting the compliment.
Ryann tactfully dropped the subject and asked, “Are you hungry?”
Jiang Jianming shook his head. Perhaps due to mental strain, his appetite had been particularly poor these past two days.
But Ryann insisted on feeding him something, saying that daily nutrient injections would only weaken his stomach further.
Jiang Jianming reluctantly sat up, forcing down a few mouthfuls of liquid nutrients and taking some medicine tablets.
Ryann felt his forehead again to check his temperature, saying, “Yongle Garden has dispatched troops, reportedly in large numbers. Fearing panic in the army, I had Chen suppress the news until we could consult you.”
Jiang Jianming: “Are you very worried?”
Ryann was frank. “I’m not worried about winning, but I’m concerned you won’t hold up.”
Jiang Jianming shook his head gently, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. This battle may not be more difficult than the Woll campaign.”
Ryann blinked. “Simple?”
Jiang Jianming smiled. “Overconfidence leads to defeat. We can’t say it’s simple.”
…..
One day, two days passed, and the imperial Yongle Garden star city didn’t receive news of the rebels’ surrender.
On the seventh day, urgent military intelligence arrived from the front lines.
Not only had the Blue Mother Star rebels not surrendered, but they had taken the initiative to attack, frequently ambushing imperial forces with small fleets equipped with long-range cannons and smart missiles.
Moreover, their firepower was consistently concentrated, targeting only the Second Starfleet on the right wing with guerrilla harassment.
The imperial fleet was vast, slow and unwieldy in improvised maneuvers, like an elephant unable to deal with these “little mosquitoes.”
The three generals, accustomed to leading their fleets independently, grew increasingly frustrated, gradually developing conflicting opinions.
The commanders of the First and Third Fleets both believed that they should ignore these insignificant guerrilla ships and quickly reach Woll, as recapturing the star city was most important.
But Major General Arthur, commander of the Second Fleet, known throughout the empire for his volatile temper, flew into a rage—
Fine! It’s not your ships being damaged, not your soldiers being lost. Easy for you to say when you’re not the ones suffering!
Finally, during yet another attack, Arthur broke away from the main force, personally leading three thousand warships in pursuit.
As a result, he was lured by the Blue Mother Star rebels into an area dense with asteroids. In the blink of an eye, pre-set timed bombs detonated simultaneously, shattering the asteroids into thousands of meteoroids that turned the fleet into a sieve.
General Arthur was unlucky. His flagship had charged too far ahead, and the bridge was directly hit by a meteoroid, killing him instantly.
This shocked countless imperial nobles, caught the expeditionary forces off guard, and stunned the remaining two generals.
They hadn’t even reached Woll, and suddenly they’d lost a commanding officer. What was this?
Perhaps it was just bad luck, they could console themselves. Major General Arthur might become a laughingstock in future military history.
At this point, they could still comfort themselves with such thoughts.
On the eighth day, the imperial army, exhausted by constant small-scale attacks, finally arrived in Woll’s star domain.
Woll Star City raised its defensive shield early, adopting a strategy of steadfast defense.
The guerrilla fleet that had been harassing them frequently earlier vanished without a trace, refusing to engage in direct combat no matter how the imperial army provoked them.
After multiple failed attempts at persuading surrender, the imperial army, relying on their numerous fleets, surrounded Woll Star City in layers, cutting off all escape routes. They prepared to deplete the energy of the defensive shield with concentrated firepower.
As for how many civilian lives would be vaporized by the starships’ cannons the moment the shield disappeared, that was no longer a consideration.
A prolonged battle thus began.
The rebel army cooperated with the defensive shield using defense-type mechas equipped with heavy armored shields, rotating day and night to withstand firepower at weak points in the star city’s defense system.
Half a month passed, and Woll Star City remained as impregnable as ever.
On the twenty-first day, the defensive shield suffered partial damage.
The imperial army, already anxious as the deadline approached, saw this as an opportunity and deployed 200,000 mecha troops to the coordinates in one go — only to find that the enemy had been waiting there all along. Seemingly ordinary street corners and civilian houses had all become traps concealing heavy artillery.
After three days of fierce fighting, half of the imperial’s 200,000 mecha troops retreated in disgrace, while the other half were either killed or captured, all lost in the streets and alleys of Woll.
Of the two remaining commanders of the imperial army, one turned ashen with anger, while the other smashed his wine glass on the spot.
