From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 752: Agnes's Sense of Crisis
Although Amber really wanted to take a long vacation to feel the unexpected power boost, he knew very well that this was not the time to relax - the mess of the Star Dragon Empire was still there, and the outcome of this power struggle was directly related to the future layout and interests of the Atlas Group in the empire.

Therefore, he finally had no choice but to give up the tempting idea of ​​continuing to "take a vacation and fish" in the biomass and prepare to escape.

After Saleh nodded, Amber closed his eyes. The surging power brought by the seventh-level psychic energy was far beyond his expectations, like a sleeping deep-sea monster awakening in the depths of his consciousness, flowing gently through his limbs and bones. Every energy circuit was extremely clear, as if it was an extension of the body.

This is no longer a simple increase in psychic power strength, but a qualitative change. His perception of himself and the surrounding environment has been elevated to a new level, and his ability to interfere with the material world through psychic power has also been improved.

Amber was very sure that if he were to go back to the moment when the Princess Villa was besieged, he could defeat the Imperial Guards and the Martyrs' Legion besieging the Princess Villa with his own body without any external help, and then break through the defense line alone, break into the Grand Palace, or capture the Regent and the Archbishop alive.

This increase in power also means that Amber is one step closer to the level of "recharging" the fleet.

After adapting to this new power for a moment, Amber suddenly opened her eyes. Her originally deep pupils were now emitting a clearly visible deep blue light. Her voice was calm but carried an unquestionable weight: "Everyone, step back."

Needless to say, Salih immediately operated the console. The energy field around the medical cabin, which was originally almost transparent, quickly deepened in color and expanded in range, keeping Agnes, Natalia and others at a safe distance. She herself observed the data changes with interest.

Seeing this, Amber concentrated his mental strength to a high level. A deep blue psychic halo spread from the surface of his body like a substance. The invisible force spread outwards precisely, gently and firmly enveloping the light red biomass that enveloped him and Isabel.

This ball of strange gel, which originated from the star dragon and integrated the essence of the 'eternal cells', appeared in an inert and pure state under his psychic perception, without any dangerous energy fluctuations.

After confirming that it was safe, the next moment, a silent psychic impact suddenly erupted with him as the center!

The reddish biomass that enveloped the two of them trembled violently and silently, like a calm lake into which a stone had been thrown.

Then, as if it had lost all its internal structural support in an instant, it shattered into pieces like the most fragile crystal artwork, turning into countless gleaming gel particles that shot out in all directions, but were gently restrained and recovered by the micro force field that had been prepared long ago inside the medical cabin, without a single drop of it splashing into the outside world.

Almost at the same time as the biomass was shattered, Amber moved slightly, not even giving Isabel a chance to feel weightless, and she had already firmly held her soft and warm body in her arms, her movements as smooth as instinct.

He looked down at Isabel in his arms and reached out to push away a few strands of wet hair that were stuck to her cheeks, revealing her peaceful and slightly pale face.

Then he patted her back gently, and a gentle spiritual energy was introduced to help her cough out the biomass debris that might remain in her mouth and nose.

The girl in his arms fluttered her eyelashes slightly, let out a slight moan, and slowly opened her somewhat confused eyes.

"Amber?"

Isabel's voice was hoarse and a little uncertain as she woke up. When she saw the person holding her clearly and glanced around the familiar yet unfamiliar medical cabin environment, her eyes gradually focused and her confused memories began to return.

Then, a warm current rushed to her cheeks, instantly dyeing them a charming blush.

"Are you awake? How do you feel?"

Amber's voice was soft without her noticing, but she immediately put on a stern face and flicked her smooth forehead with her index finger. "No, why are you so reckless? You just rushed forward without knowing the situation clearly."

"I-I'm just worried about you." Isabel felt wronged and embarrassed when he said that.

When she noticed the teasing look of Salih outside the medical cabin, which she could feel even through the closed helmet, as well as the complicated looks from Princess Agnes and Natalia, she let out a low cry and buried her hot cheeks in Amber's chest, not daring to look outside again.

"Oh, now you feel shy?"

"Ahhhh, Amber, please stop talking."

This slightly charming picture, in Saleh's eyes, made the corners of her mouth under the helmet curl up in an arc of understanding, as if an audience outside the screen was enjoying an emotional drama.

Lilith, who was watching in the virtual space, nodded with satisfaction like an old mother.

Ever since the last showdown between the women, especially the confrontation between Isabel and Ellenita, Lilith has been worried that Amber's harem might catch fire, but now it seems that there is no sign of this.
However, not everyone present was happy with the outcome.

At least this scene was not good news for Princess Agnes, who was planning how to deeply tie herself and the future of the empire to Amber.

The unspoken intimacy and tacit understanding between Amber and Isabel, and the deep emotions that flowed naturally and oblivious to others, made her realize very clearly a cruel fact - this man was surrounded by not only a group of "monsters" with amazing abilities, but also never a shortage of excellent women with close relationships.

From Isabel, who risked her life for Amber and now depends on him like a kitten, to Saleh, who is still shrouded in mystery and knows everything about the star dragon, to the android who can perfectly control the artificial celestial fortress and calls Amber "Master".
Neither one is a fuel-efficient lamp.

Agnes was very smart and quick to react. She immediately realized that her previous thoughts might have been too optimistic.

It is not easy to completely bind the Star Dragon Empire and oneself to Amber and Atlas Group's out-of-control chariot.

Simple business cooperation or political alliance?
In the face of an absolute conflict of interest or crisis, these fragile connections may be severed at any time by the other party's words "stop loss in time".

He could have easily withdrawn when the empire collapsed, leaving her alone to face the devastation. The initial investment was just an acceptable "sunk cost" for a giant company of Atlas's level.

In order to truly achieve the deep bond of 'prosperity together, adversity together', it is necessary to establish a deeper and unbreakable relationship that goes beyond ordinary cooperation.

The most direct, oldest and most effective way is undoubtedly marriage.

But looking at Isabel in Amber's arms, who was relying on him like a kitten, Agnes knew that this road would never be smooth.

She could almost foresee that if she showed any intention to interfere in Amber's private emotional sphere, it would inevitably arouse overt or covert hostility and obstruction from these women.

As a princess of the empire, she was proud to disdain using certain means, but realistic political considerations forced her to consider this path. She needed time, strategy, and a suitable opportunity.
-
After a while, as Agnes and Natalia left first, the drones that were circling around Amber and Isabel and scanning were also retracted, and Saleh also walked up to the two of them while holding a tablet and watching.

"You two are so lucky."

"What does it mean?" Amber curiously approached Saleh and looked at the data in her hand, but he couldn't understand the Jeram language used by the other party.

"I don't know what this biomass is. Anyway, the 'eternal cells' have been fused into both of your bodies now."

"Fused with 'eternal cells'?!" Amber was shocked and realized something. "So, I..."

"Hmm~ The life span issues caused by the fragments of 'Time and Space Afterimage' in your body were neutralized by the cell activity and regeneration ability brought by the 'Eternal Cells', and no abnormalities were caused. This is really rare."

Saleh's attention was all on Amber's condition at this time. For her, the deacon of the Jerram think tank, this technical problem that their civilization had not been able to solve before was suddenly solved miraculously, which was naturally worthy of attention.

After hearing this, Amber was delighted at first, and then she thought of something: "You just said that Isabel and I have both fused 'eternal cells' into our bodies?"

"Yes, congratulations to both of you. Theoretically, both of you have achieved 'immortality'~"

Salih put away the panel, looked up at Amber and Isabel who looked stunned, and continued: "It's just that maybe because you are a psychic, the 'eternal cells' have transformed you more. In addition to giving you the ability of almost 'immortality', it also directly helped you break through to the seventh level of psychic strength. If the information recorded in the Atlas database is correct, Amber, you should be the only seventh-level psychic in the human race."

"Eh? You mean 'eternal life'?"

Isabel, who was a little slow to react, only then realized what Salih was saying, and her eyes widened.

"Does it mean 'never die'?"

Salih couldn't help but laugh when she heard Isabel's more popular statement, and then explained: "Although it is definitely not 'forever', from the perspective of time, it is not far off. As long as you maintain a normal life, it will be no problem to live for tens or millions of years according to the most conservative calculation. Thousands or even hundreds of millions of years are not impossible~"

"You can actually live so long." Isabel was stunned after hearing this length of time. Not to mention her, even Amber was actually a little shocked after hearing it. It was hard for him to imagine what it would be like to live for tens of millions of years.

"We, Jerram, are the best in the universe in science and technology. Don't underestimate us!"
-
At the same time, in another space far away from the Dawn, in the core command room of the Glorious Fortress, the atmosphere seemed somewhat depressing and solemn.

The post-war statistics of the fleet under Duke Soran were shocking, and the damage control reports of each ship were constantly updated. The officers walked anxiously in the command room, trying their best to organize the fleet to salvage the wounded and find ways to tow and repair those warships that were still worth repairing.

In a small compartment next to the core command room, Duke Soran, who was almost slumped in a chair, also looked extremely haggard. The imperial duke, who had always firmly supported the old emperor Frederico, now had confusion and fatigue in his eyes.

"Did your Majesty, Brother Frederico, really pass away like this?" Duke Soran's voice was dry and hoarse, with an unbelievable trance.

He came here on the secret order of the old emperor, intending to help him control the power of the regent in one fell swoop, crack down on the restless princess, and then regain power. However, he witnessed with his own eyes the emperor's loss of control and destruction after he transformed into a giant star dragon.

And this out-of-control star dragon had previously severely damaged his fleet. The loss of more than 40% of the conventional fleet was definitely a serious blow to him, the Duke of the Empire.

But now, the object of his loyalty has completely disappeared, and the foundation supporting his actions has collapsed. Under the double blow, the old duke seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant.

In the compartment, Duke sitting opposite him also had a gloomy expression on his face, but this more shrewd imperial duke maintained a hint of calmness and calculation in the depths of his eyes.

He leaned back in the chair opposite Duke Soran, tapping the armrests rhythmically with his fingers.

"That's the truth. Soran's giant star dragon has been completely annihilated by the princess. There's no chance of it being resurrected. Frederico, I mean, your Majesty's consciousness is unlikely to survive either. So now the balance of power in the empire has returned to the starting point - Princess Agnes, and the regent whose whereabouts are still unknown."

If Astral and Perseus, as the aides of the Regent Norton II, were loyal to him and even risked their entire fortunes to help him, then the cooperation between the Duke and Duke William, including the Duke who died in the battle before, and the Regent was an exchange of interests for both sides.

The Duke was not impressed by the Regent's rhetoric of "revolution" and "reform". He was more concerned about the actual benefits he could gain from it. No matter what the empire would become in the future, it was enough for him to keep his position as the Duke and for his family to remain prosperous.

So when the Regent suddenly "defected" during the Battle of the Imperial Capital and swore his "loyalty" to the old emperor in a way that no one expected, Duke was also shocked, but he also reacted very quickly.

He immediately contacted Duke Soran, who was also kept in the dark, and expressed his attitude. When he learned that the two regent aides who stayed in the fleet were not aware of the situation, he decisively and quickly sent people to place them under house arrest, successfully stabilizing his position.

If the old emperor Frederico's plan was successful in the end, and the consciousness of the star dragon Sartharion did not awaken, then Duke could be considered a meritorious official.
After a pause, Duke Duke, with a frown on his face, saw that Duke Soran had no intention of speaking, so he continued, "But the situation is very bad right now. The chaos caused by the Star Dragon, coupled with the indiscriminate electronic warfare between the enemy and us, has temporarily completely cut off our communication with the ground. The technical officer said that it will take at least half a day to restore. So what is the situation in the imperial capital now? Is the regent dead or alive? We know nothing."

Duke Soran waved his hands irritably: "What should we do now? The fleet has suffered heavy losses, and our military advantage has disappeared. Are we going to be trapped here and wait for death? Her Royal Highness the Princess, her two dukes, and Amber will definitely not let go of this opportunity!"

"So, we need intelligence. Use intelligence to reassess the situation." Duke's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "Don't we still have two cards in our hand?"

Duke Soran was stunned for a moment, then he realized: "Are you talking about the two aides of the Regent?"

"Exactly."

Duke stood up, walked to the holographic star map, and looked at Saint Saunière in the star map. His eyes seemed to penetrate the thick atmosphere and reach the surface of the earth.

"I don't know why the Regent and the late Emperor are 'cooperating' and why they are unaware of it, but they have followed the Regent for many years and must know his original overall plan and trump card. Now is the best time for us to pry open their mouths or to win their cooperation."

The two men looked at each other and saw determination in each other's eyes. Now that the old king was dead, no matter what the future held, mastering information and preserving strength were the most important things for these two dukes of the empire.

"Pass the order down," Duke Soran tapped the armrest and turned on the communication device in the compartment. His tone was filled with unquestionable majesty, "Please bring the two 'guests' here."

(End of this chapter)