Him and their stars.

Chapter 2204 Please come and save me only if it's safe for you!
Admiral Renia Tanlian stared at the glaring point of light on the star map, feeling as if painful memories were attacking her. A sharp pain throbbing in her temples brought back the bloody battle of the Battle of Said.

Those were such painful memories, so painful that I never wanted to return to the battlefield. If I could manage to stay in the rear doing administrative work until retirement, that would be a blessing from the spirits of the universe.

She thought she had finally gotten what she wanted. But that person would keep popping up, constantly reminding her of her past.

...But then again, isn't the person I'm facing now the same person I met in Said back then?
The chief of staff of the Grand Marshal's Office pressed his temples, glared at the officer in front of him, and his clear, beautiful purple eyes were filled with anger: "Shouldn't this be a matter for the Garrison Command? Why has it been transferred to the Grand Marshal's Office?"

"But the garrison commander hasn't been decided yet!"

Admiral Renia then realized the problem and almost fainted: "Such an important position, yet they've been arguing about it for a whole week. Are the regency council officials' brains full of troll shit?"

Your elder brother is also a member of the Regency Council. The officers present certainly wouldn't dare remind their superior of this.

She took two deep, difficult breaths and forced a rather awkward smile: "Are you sure it's a kidnapping?"

“This… the Red Snow’s communication system is functioning normally, but it hasn’t sent out any distress signals. General Sobek’s vital signs monitoring data shows that although he is somewhat excited, he should not be in a state of immobility. In addition, we have also forcibly re-established communication with the bridge.” The officer turned on the terminal.

Admiral Tanlian then heard this passionate shout: "Hahahaha, I am the wind of the stars! I am the wind of the universe! I am marching toward freedom!"

Yes, that's a really cheerful look; it instantly makes you seem very energetic.

“He was just going for a drive with his friends,” Admiral Tanlian said.

The officers present exchanged bewildered glances. One of them, a brigadier general who appeared mature and composed, hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and saying, "But...but...the person with him...is that..."

"That dragon? He is indeed an enemy, but also a guest of His Highness King Suruka. As the victor of the War of Glory, he should naturally be protected. Until he leaves the capital or launches an attack against us, he should be considered a guest under the Empire's protection. This is the glorious martial tradition of the Galactic Empire, and also the universal law of honor in the world of civilizations." Admiral Tanlian said proudly, looking like he was following tradition.

Of course, as the daughter of a founding ducal family, she should indeed be a standard worker.

"But what about King Velent..."

"Understood. His Highness is prepared to trample on the Law of Honor, but this is his own choice. If he wants the Empire to endorse his actions, he should first get his approval from the Regency Council." Admiral Renia Tanlian snorted coldly.

However, your elder brother is on the side of King Wei. The experienced and prudent brigadier general thought, but the signal this represented was even more terrifying upon closer examination, and he really dared not say it.

The general replied, “Reply to them that the Grand Marshal’s Office has taken control of the situation and is assessing whether it is necessary to activate the emergency plan.”

She paused, then added, "To add: Based on the current situation, everything is calm and peaceful."

"Too... peaceful? This is peace?"

"Otherwise what?" The female general's gaze had returned to the star map.

Above, the Red Snow has passed through the monitoring zone between the middle and outer rings and is heading towards the gravity well. At this speed, it should enter the warp range in at most forty minutes.

Of course, at most thirty minutes later, it will enter the main gun range of the Hand of Glory fortress.

That said, the fortress had barely begun its reconstruction after being ravaged by the Zerg swarm, and despite the fact that many of the cabins inside still hadn't been cleaned of the creep, the first thing they did was focus on restoring the main guns' functionality, making it seem like the entire capital city lacked a sense of security.

...Well, the capital city does indeed lack a sense of security. Right now, the entire empire lacks a sense of security.

Renia pondered for a moment before issuing her orders: "To reiterate, no dangerous interception methods are permitted before the Regency Council issues its official decree, and all lethal weapons are prohibited. Furthermore, the Red Snow is General Sobek's official vessel; using it to take friends for a ride violates the 'Regulations on the Use of Official Vehicles' for senior officers, which is somewhat of a disciplinary violation. Please send a notification, hoping he will personally go to the Grand Marshal's Office's Inspection Department to provide an explanation afterward."

The officers present exchanged glances, but no one raised any objections, not even the brigadier general who had previously invoked the name of the King of Wei. He even displayed an expression of awe and admiration.

He genuinely hadn't expected his superior to find such a clever trick in the "Official Vehicle Regulations." This wasn't just political savvy; it was downright detached from worldly affairs, allowing him to maneuver with effortless grace!
Anyone who manages to infiltrate the highest command structure of the Imperial Army is a shrewd and capable individual.

As for Renia Tanlian herself, she gestured to her adjutant to bring out the next document: "Let's discuss the war in Femor."

She seemed to be a particularly diligent and dedicated chief of staff of the Grand Marshal's Office, with her focus solely on the grandest strategic aspects.

"Marshal Este believes that we should either quickly reinforce Femo and transfer the reserve fleet deployed in Bakwi and Wanwang Pass, or we should quickly engage in diplomatic mediation. In any case, the new territory opened up in Femo is absolutely not to be given up; this is the bottom line."

One general said, "Then, we can't abandon the territories of the original conquered communities either, right?"

"That's not up to us. It's entirely up to the Regency Council to decide," the general said, shrugging.

"Speaking of which, the Zhenmo Yutu, which is docked in the Inner Ring Imperial Port, has already set sail, but it has not received approval from the Imperial Capital Shipping Administration," a colonel said.

"This is normal training activity, it's just that the procedures are a bit messy. The Maritime Administration doesn't have the authority to handle so many warships," the admiral replied matter-of-factly.

Another general whispered, "A report just came from Ruixing saying that Ankaragan has left Dragon's Nest."

"This is a matter for psionicists, a matter for the Holy Dragon Sovereign, which we mortals do not understand," said Admiral Renia Tanlian, a fifth-circle psionicist. "So, everyone, let's go back to where we started. Let's speak freely about where we should go from here."

General Tanlian and her men thus focused their attention entirely on the tense, urgent, but ultimately fruitless General Staff meeting.

Of course, for the Galactic Empire, this must be a much more important matter than mere shipping chaos.

perhaps……

At the same moment, on the bridge of the Red Snow.

"Engine efficiency increased to 197%." Little Gray's voice came from every speaker on the bridge at the same time. The superimposed sound effect gave Sobek goosebumps and he almost jumped out of his seat.

This was not the dull, robotic voice of his official ship; the voice was lively and vibrant, like a spirited young girl, full of curiosity about the world.

However, before he could ask a question, the lively girl's voice said again, "It is recommended to initiate the jump immediately after entering the gravity well's gravitational field."

Sobek looked at the control panel. The energy readings were ridiculously high; the Red Snow's reactor output had reached the level of a light cruiser, while the engine temperature remained within the safe warning range.

“My ship has been reinforced,” he murmured.

“Yes, you can send it now,” Yu Lian said with a smile. “Of course, most of the nanomachines will degrade automatically after 24 hours.”

"Am I made of plastic? Can't you use some high-sounding words like 'return to the origin,' 'unity,' or 'eternal life of heaven and earth'?" the girl's voice said irritably. Yu Lian pretended not to hear and continued, "Of course, some improvements to the hull and engine may be permanent, consider it your payment for the ship."

“What kind of boat fare is this?” Sobek said helplessly. “This is just an official boat, and I’ll have to return it all after I retire.”

“Then you can choose not to retire for the rest of your life,” Yu Lian said with a smile.

“Yes, dying on the battlefield and enjoying a glorious funeral is also a way,” the girl’s voice said. Because it was so lively, it even seemed to have more of a wicked sense of humor than Yu Lian. “This ship will probably be given to your descendants as part of your pension and medals.”

"I, I don't want to die on the battlefield!" Sobek shouted. "I'm telling you, if we keep advancing at this pace, we'll be within range of the Hand of Glory's main guns in three minutes. They're already firing their main guns."

that's the truth.

Yu Lian could even see with his naked eye that, millions of kilometers away, the repaired fluid metal layer on the surface of the Fist of Glory fortress had once again formed a perfectly rounded coating, like a sea reflecting starlight. Meanwhile, the mechanical towers rose from the "sea," like a divine artifact used to suppress evil.

That was a fortress-class positron main gun at maximum power. Once hit, even a Titan with its shields fully extended would be in serious trouble.

Very good, there's a main cannon in front and an ancient dragon behind.

Yu Lian sensed the aura of the old rainbow dragon hidden in the spatial rift and laughed, "Heh, I remember seeing news on TV yesterday about the engineering corps clearing the fungal carpet inside the fortress, and the main guns are already running again? The mighty Galactic Empire is so insecure, it's really lacking in spirit."

“Yes, they lack spirit,” the lively young girl echoed.

Isn't it all thanks to you? Sobek stared blankly at the other person.

Yu Lian glanced at the passenger seat and suddenly smiled: "Don't worry, you're a good person, Jaeger. In this era, good people can receive the world's blessings."

Sobek felt his eyes welling up with tears. Although he couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the blessing, he still felt its immense emotional value.

"I, I won't be fooled by you again!" he shouted. "We can't avoid the main guns. And this ship can't withstand many more warp jumps. No matter how much it's upgraded, its limit is here."

“Very good. You are not only a good person, but also a pragmatic one,” Yu Lian said with a smile.

“No matter how much you praise me, it won’t make our situation better,” Sobek wanted to say, but at that moment, a sudden change in the screen beside him caught all his attention.

On the screen, the giant main cannon, suspended on the fluid metal outer wall of the Hand of Glory fortress and pointing towards the void, began to have its bright lights extinguished one by one, the gathered energy flow slowly subsided, and the muzzle gradually dimmed.

The enormous mechanical pagoda sank rapidly, disappearing once again beneath the surface of the metallic fluid layer.

Behind the ships, the swarms of fighter jets and sentry patrol vessels also came to a halt.

“See, I told you good people are blessed. I hope you will always remember this and do good deeds.” Yu Lian looked at the other person meaningfully: “In this era, conscience is far more powerful than the main cannons of a fortress.”

Sobek was no longer in the mood for fury: "Do you think I'm a fool? There's a very strong spiritual pressure manifesting. Even though I'm only a fourth-ring, I'm still a highly perceptive explorer. How could I not sense it?"

Indeed, if Ankaragan was merely a faint dimensional ghost lurking in space just now, if Sobek had been completely unaware of his appearance when he finally revealed himself, he would have died several times over.

“Is it His Highness Ancalagan?” he sighed. “He can manipulate space, and the mystical array of the Celestial Realm is His domain.”

In the starry sky ahead, something is "unfolding".

It was a swirling, multicolored mist, like a living nebula.

"By the way, do you call this ancient dragon His Highness?" Yu Lian asked curiously.

Sobek stared blankly at the magnificent and dazzling scene, seemingly oblivious to Yu Lian's voice: "He can not only transcend space, but also freeze it. It will make us like insects trapped in amber..."

“I know. The warp drive has stopped,” Yu Lian said.

“Unless you gain His approval, this path is blocked,” Sobek continued hesitantly.

“From the day He arrived in the capital, He controlled all comings and goings.” Yu Lian agreed.

“Of course, to put it extremely, you could also slaughter…” Sobek was about to utter the most malicious line, but before he knew it, the person had disappeared from the bridge.

Even though his gaze had been fixed on that person the whole time, he hadn't realized when he left the ship.

Sobek stared blankly at the scene, feeling a sense of melancholy for a moment.

It wasn't until his communications station received a familiar call request—from his flagship, the Yutu—that he realized the ship had already stopped.

Sobek instinctively answered the call and heard Miss Sellu's concerned voice. However, he could only stammer, "I, I'm fine, I just went for a drive with some friends..."

He gazed at the porthole directly in front of him, and saw only a distorted and magnificent splendor blooming right in front of the ship.

The ancient rainbow dragon Ankaragon finally unfurled its majestic form in the starry sky of reality.

That boundless psychic energy, with its comet-like form, intertwined with the starry sky and gravity, forming a constantly flowing rainbow nebula that seemed to encompass all colors.

The immense pressure of spiritual particles, like a tangible nebula storm, echoed at the edge of this galaxy.

He also saw Yu Lian's flickering gaze.

The person floated thinly in the vacuum, facing the rainbow-colored nebula, as if challenging the dust of a storm.

But even a speck of dust is never insignificant in the face of the universe.

This will surely be a breathtaking and exhilarating battle that will leave all psionicists speechless; witnessing it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

However, Jaeger Sobek's intuition told him that he should stay as far away from it as possible.

"Tell the captain I'll be sailing back right away. You all stay where you are... no, you need to come and meet me. Well, no, don't get too close. In short, you must come to meet me only when it's safe to do so!"