From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 769 Free Hosting
"Boss, this is roughly the situation. Major Deren is currently escorting Mr. De Bruyne's family back to Rubion V. The Financial Business Center and the Public Relations Center are communicating with the Renaissance Alliance."

After the incident in the Karot Galaxy, Guterres and others contacted Amber and Isabel as soon as possible, and Amber's expression became solemn after listening.

"This doesn't seem to be the first time. They deliberately detained entrepreneurs and tycoons who were preparing to cooperate with us or sell their assets to us. It seems that they are worried that Atlas will control their economic lifeline."

Guterres nodded and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "That should be the reason. I saw in the group's internal briefing that in the areas where the acquisition was relatively smooth in the early days, the local residents are now almost to the point of 'only knowing Atlas, not Renaissance Alliance'. So I actually understand why they are so wary of us."

"But in my opinion, Franklin and some of the top leaders of the Renaissance Alliance may not just be on guard against us." Randall spoke next in a low voice with a hint of subtle worry, "Their recent actions are becoming more and more intriguing."

He did not point it out directly, but the subtext of his words was clear - the honeymoon period of cooperation between the two parties seemed to be coming to an end, and the seeds of suspicion planted in the early stages for various reasons had already taken root and sprouted.

"The channels of communication at the top level remain open, and Franklin himself maintains a superficially cooperative attitude."

Cleves took over the conversation, his expression also very serious. It was obvious that the recent actions of the Renaissance Alliance made the three of them feel the seriousness of the situation.

"But at the execution level, resistance against us is emerging, especially in the non-military field. Our normal business activities for enterprises and real industries in the areas controlled by the Renaissance Alliance have begun to encounter various soft nails, approval delays, and cumbersome procedures. Although they can be resolved in the end, the time and energy consumed far exceed the normal range."

Guterres nodded slightly and added a more representative event: "Just seven days ago, one of our engineering teams was preparing to enter a resource planet that had just been occupied by the Renaissance Alliance to build a base as planned, but their garrison fleet in orbit rejected our entry application."

As Guterres spoke, a short clip of the live video popped up on the virtual screen in front of Amber.

The Atlas Group's yellow-painted engineering ships with obvious markings and several warships painted with the Renaissance Alliance emblem and with their bow main guns faintly pointed at this side were facing each other silently in the planet's orbit. Amber could feel the tense atmosphere at the time even by just looking at the screen.

It also made him realize that during his time on the Empire's side, the situation on the Federation front and the Renaissance Alliance had changed dramatically.

On the other side, Guterres continued: "It was not until we contacted Franklin directly that he resolved the standoff with a 'belated' attitude. But even if the engineering team successfully landed, they were under the other side's strict surveillance throughout the whole process and were restricted in their actions. Boss, this is by no means an isolated case, but a microcosm of the current situation between the two sides."

At this point, Isabel also joined the discussion:
"The Intelligence Center has raised its threat assessment of the Renaissance Alliance twice in a row. It is currently at 'high potential risk'. This means that in the Intelligence Center's analysis model, there is a possibility that they will tear up the agreement and stab us in the back at any time. I have issued a secret order to the heads of all frontline units, asking them to secretly raise the internal alert level."

Amber listened quietly, his fingertips tapping the armrest unconsciously. The unusual behavior of the Renaissance Alliance was not entirely unexpected to him.

He has always known what kind of person Franklin is. He is indeed an ambitious young man with ideals and passion, but he also has ambitions that have never been shown.

Previously, because the power of the Renaissance Alliance was not strong enough, he had been carefully maintaining his relationship with the Atlas Group, for fear of losing this backer.

But now, as the Renaissance Alliance has been advancing rapidly in the Federation and has become increasingly powerful, it is naturally unwilling to be controlled by others, even if the other party is someone who once helped the Renaissance Alliance.

Moreover, in the "Icebreaker" operation launched by the Atlas Group, the ice crystals that were driven towards the federal capital galaxy and gradually accelerated to sub-light speed are about to arrive.

This "natural disaster" carefully planned by the Atlas Group will certainly completely destroy the Federation's last resistance in the capital system, but it will also inevitably make the Renaissance Alliance more wary of Atlas's strength.

No one wants to have such a powerful neighbor, let alone interfere in their internal affairs and frantically acquire a large number of key companies.

Even if the alliance between the two sides was once known to be "pure and solid as diamonds", when the external threat disappears, internal contradictions will become prominent.

"It seems that I need to go to the Federation front in person. Fortunately, there won't be any major events in the Empire recently."

Amber's voice was calm. He looked at the people attending the meeting and continued:

"Everyone, be prepared to deal with emergencies. The fleet will continue to maintain a moderate state of alert. The intelligence center will continue to divide the Renaissance Alliance. Most of the other party's grassroots personnel are candidates for conquest, especially those combat troops that have received training from the Atlas Group. Finally, once things reach a point of no return, I will activate the 'rectification protocol'."
-
Turning the perspective back to the Star Dragon Empire, Agnes has just ascended the throne, and the entire empire is in a state of disrepair - at least that is the case with the capital galaxy.

Although the two imperial dukes, Soren and Duke, have temporarily surrendered, and Hastings, Duke Artesia, and a group of high-ranking imperial officials also strongly support them, it will still take time to integrate the empire and consolidate its power.

In the short term, the Star Dragon Empire will also focus on maintaining internal stability, so in many aspects, it needs the powerful "external force" of the Atlas Group to stabilize the situation, especially the reconstruction of the capital Saint-Saunière, which has already begun to be led by the engineering team of the Atlas Group. The cooperation framework between the two parties has also been established, and the specific implementation details are handled by a professional team. Norton II, the "senior consultant", also provides a lot of help in the process.

Therefore, in Amber's opinion, the situation in the empire is still under control for the time being.

But the situation on the federal front is different. Franklin's gradually exposed ambitions, the growing xenophobia within the Renaissance Alliance, and the upcoming attack on the federal capital all make the situation there full of variables.

He had to be present at the scene in person to ensure that the interests of the Atlas Group would not be harmed in the final distribution of the fruits of victory, and to guard against Franklin's possible "demolition of the bridge" - although in Amber's view, such behavior was basically tantamount to suicide.

After finishing the communication with Guterres and others, Amber also stood up and walked towards the area where Agnes was. The other party was in a temporarily converted reception room. Agnes usually worked here except during rest time.

When Amber and Isabel met the new king under Natalia's guidance, she had changed out of the complicated dress she wore when meeting imperial ministers and put on a relatively capable royal uniform, but the majesty between her brows was becoming increasingly profound.

"Huh? Amber, you're leaving?"

When Agnes heard the decision from Amber, a barely perceptible fluctuation flashed across her red eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Amber nodded, her tone more like 'informing'.

"There have been some new changes in the situation on the Federation front, and I need to personally handle the affairs of the Star Dragon Empire. I have arranged for the corresponding team to be responsible for the connection, including the reconstruction project of the capital, which will proceed as planned."

He paused and continued, "After Atlas' main fleet completes the gathering of ground forces, it will also gradually withdraw. As for the airdrop fortresses near the Grand Palace, they are 'disposable' products. After landing, they cannot be re-launched, so they will be left to Your Majesty to deal with."

Agnes was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on Amber, as if trying to read something from his face.

"So, what about the Mianluo Fortress?"

This is what Agnes is most concerned about. The ownership of this behemoth, which represents the highest technological achievement of the empire and is now suspended above the orbit of the capital, has always been a thorn between the two sides.

"The Crown Fortress will leave with me." Amber's answer was straightforward. "It still needs to return to A-Bawa-Ku for final construction and system debugging."

"Can't we stay here?"

Agnes' voice was filled with a hint of panic. "Mr. Amber, you should understand that the existence of the Crown Fortress has irreplaceable symbolic significance for stabilizing the hearts of the people in the empire and consolidating my rule. Let it go at this critical moment."

"Your Majesty, regarding the ownership of this fortress, it will be 'freely managed' by the Atlas Group until we reach a final agreement."

Amber interrupted, her tone calm but with an unquestionable firmness.

"Of course, if Your Majesty has a way to make it stay, I will never stop you~"

This was tantamount to an impossible challenge. Agnes knew very well that the core system of the fortress had long been completely controlled by the Atlas Group. Not to mention that she wanted to keep the fortress, it would be difficult for her to even let people stay in the fortress.

As the new king of the empire, Agnes felt deeply wronged and humiliated. She took a deep breath and suppressed the resentment and helplessness in her heart.

But then she realized that there was something wrong with her way of thinking.

She suddenly found herself slowly agreeing with Amber, understanding his concerns, and also knowing that the current relationship between the two parties was far from the point where they could share such an important strategic asset?
"Eh? What's wrong with me?"

(End of this chapter)