From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 825 The Empress is Not Home Today

The light and shadow in the jump tunnel distorted and flowed outside the porthole, casting flickering light and shadow on the core command room of the Crown Fortress.

When the combined fleet and the Crown Fortress disengaged together and arrived at the designated temporary safe system, everyone subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

When the homing beacon was activated, Franklin, who was unaffected as an ordinary person, came to Amber's side, his face showing obvious signs of exhaustion.

"Mr. Amber's situation with Aldara made me realize that all our previous plans may have been too conservative," Franklin said, his voice hoarse but his tone serious.

“It’s not conservative, it’s naive.” Amber gestured for him to sit down. “A madman who can use the life of an entire capital planet as fuel just to send a single signal—what they attract is something that neither of us can handle alone.”

The two sat facing each other, and silence filled the conference room.

"This series of events that happened in Aldaram," Franklin rubbed his temples, seemingly unsure where to begin, "has completely exceeded our comprehension."

“This is just the beginning,” Amber said calmly, projecting a prepared briefing onto the center of the conference table.

"My subordinates analyzed the final burst of that beam of light. Before it went out, it broadcast a clear coordinate to the entire universe, which was the star system where Eldaram was located."

"At the same time, it also seems to carry some kind of 'special information,' the contents of which cannot be deciphered, but its energy model points to a terrifying conclusion—it is calibrating spatial parameters for some kind of ultra-long-distance transmission."

Franklin's face grew increasingly grim; he understood, of course, what this meant.

"So, those lunatics not only called for help, but they also opened the door for them?"

“That’s one way to put it,” Amber nodded. “We don’t know when they will come, or how they will arrive, but we must prepare for the worst.”

He looked at Franklin with a sharp gaze.

"Therefore, I propose the formation of a 'Survivors' Alliance'."

Franklin's spirits lifted slightly as he looked at Amber.

"Based on the Atlas Group, the New Federation, the Star Dragon Empire, and the surviving Elven factions, establish a military alliance that transcends nations and races."

"Intelligence sharing, resource assistance, technology sharing, and the establishment of a joint command system."

Amber spoke slowly, but every word was firm and resonant.

"We don't have time for a long political game. Franklin, the enemy could appear at our doorstep at any moment, and right now, we don't even know what the enemy looks like."

Franklin fell into a long silence. He knew very well that Amber's proposal was the only way out at that moment.

But he also understood what such an alliance meant.

The new Federation is in dire need of reconstruction, the Empress of the Star Dragon Empire is in a coma, and the Elf race exists in name only.

In this so-called four-way alliance, the Atlas Group will hold absolute dominance. Although Franklin has accepted this outcome, he does not believe that the other two parties can accept it as he has.

“To show our sincerity,” Amber continued, seemingly seeing through his concerns, “Atlas Corporation will open up some of its high-level technology databases to its alliance members.”

"Including but not limited to: second-generation warp drive technology, adaptive deflection force field and psionic shield integration scheme, new warship armor plate materials and structures, and some psionic application technologies."

Upon hearing this, Franklin abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.

These technologies represent areas where the Atlas Group has a technological advantage over the New Federation, and now Amber wants to share them all.
Amber naturally noticed Franklin's expression, but he didn't say anything and continued:

"Of course, the Federation and the Empire also need to provide what you are good at: massive industrial production capacity, excellent engineering and technical personnel, and most importantly—a united determination."

"Atlas is responsible for the integration and breakthrough of cutting-edge technologies, and you are responsible for transforming these technologies into the steel and artillery we rely on for survival."

Franklin looked at Amber with some doubt, as if trying to discern from his face whether it was a generous offer or a trap disguised as honey.

But all he saw was calm.

A reassuring calm that allows one to make plans even in the face of apocalyptic disasters.

Thinking back on everything Amber had told him before, a strange sense of peace welled up from the bottom of his heart at this moment.

"There are no problems on the New Federation side."

After a moment's thought, Franklin nodded and said, "But what about the Star Dragon Empire and the Elves?"

“I understand your concerns, Franklin. So this is just a preliminary idea. The final agreement will require formal multi-party talks after Her Majesty Agnes and the Phoenix King have recovered.”

"I understand now."

Franklin stood up and extended his hand.

"Hopefully, when we meet next time, we won't be facing a worse situation."

Amber shook his hand, a smile on her face.

"I hope your hair will still be intact when we meet next time."

Franklin paused, then smiled wryly and touched his thinning hairline: "I should probably get some artificial hair implanted. Maybe I can consider a new hairstyle."

After bidding farewell to Franklin, Amber stood at the porthole, watching the New Federation's escort fleet break away from formation and then warp into hyperspace.

He knew this was just the first step.

A fragile, fear-based alliance in its infancy.

To make it truly indestructible, it requires more than just technology and resources; it also requires bloodshed and victory.

"Lilith, set the flight path, target—Saint-Sonière, the capital of the Star Dragon Empire."

"As you command, Master."

With a low hum of engines, the Crowned Banner Fortress and the escorting Imperial fleet vanished one after another into the distorted space.
The jump journey to Saint-Sonière was long, so Amber was thinking about whether to go to the medical area to check on Phoenix King and the others when a figure silently appeared behind him.

It's Natalia.

The commander of the Star Dragon Empire's Imperial Guard took off his blood-stained power armor and put on a crisp officer's uniform, but the murderous aura and weariness between his brows remained undiminished.

“Mr. Amber,” she called out to Amber, her voice low.

Amber was clearly surprised that the commander of the Imperial Guard had found her. After a moment of surprise, she turned around and looked at her. "What happened?"

A hint of struggle flashed across Natalia's face: "I just received some bad news from the capital through the Imperial Guard's encrypted channel."

She organized her thoughts and said in a deep voice, "The news that His Majesty has fallen into a coma somehow leaked out when we left Eldaram and returned to Crowned Fortress, and it has now spread among the upper-class nobles in the capital."

Amber raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, while Natalia's fist clenched quietly at her side.

“Those families that are not absolutely loyal to His Majesty seem to be stirring up trouble, especially Duke Soren and Duke Duke. Their two families have been making frequent moves recently, and it seems that they are secretly contacting some military generals.”

Amber was no stranger to the Duke of Soren and the Duke of Duke; they were old acquaintances.

The former was the late emperor's younger brother, a legitimate leader of the old imperial aristocracy, whose family's influence was deeply entrenched and extremely powerful in the military.

The latter is a master of maneuvering back and forth, with a very accurate judgment of the situation, and he also commands a large force that should not be underestimated.

These two were the last obstacles Agnes encountered when she ascended the throne. Although they chose to surrender and swear allegiance to Agnes after their ultimate defeat, even a three-year-old in the empire knows that these two were not truly loyal to Agnes.

Now that news of the Empress's "critical illness" has arrived, a new opportunity has arisen for them. So these lurking vipers are finally about to bare their fangs.

"Can we trace the source of the information?" Amber asked.

Natalia shook her head, a hint of frustration on her face: "The other party was very cautious, forwarding the message through several encrypted nodes. The source is now untraceable, but we can be certain that the leaker is in our fleet."

"Lilith, have you detected any unusual signals?" Amber didn't hold back from asking Natalia this time and asked Lilith directly.

"Master, no abnormal communication signals were detected. However, if the target made their move just after you returned to Crowned Banner Fortress, the signals in the entire orbit were extremely chaotic at that time, making monitoring impossible."

Lilith's voice rang in his ears, and Amber's gaze swept across the portholes along the corridor, his eyes fixed on the warships belonging to the Imperial escort fleet.

It seems that even the escort fleet personally selected by Agnes is not a monolithic entity.

“How bad is it?”

"It's terrible."

Natalia's answer was simple and direct; she knew this wasn't the time for formalities.

“If His Majesty is still unconscious when we arrive in Saint-Sonières, I fear they may come back and forcefully establish a ‘Regency Council’ under the pretext that ‘a country cannot be without a ruler for a day,’ thereby completely undermining the imperial power.”

Upon hearing this, Amber couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

If things really develop this way, it won't just be a fictional story.
Given the greed of those nobles, they would devour all the benefits like hyenas, dragging the entire empire back to an era of rampant aristocratic clans and severe internal strife.

A divided and internally strife-ridden Star Dragon Empire is definitely not what Amber wants to see.

In his vision of the 'Survivors' Alliance,' the Star Dragon Empire was to play the role of a powerful and unified industrial base, rather than a political quagmire rife with intrigue and betrayal.

"I understand. What's your plan?"

"I need your help, Mr. Amber."

Natalia looked at Amber, her azure eyes filled with earnestness.

"My Imperial Guards and I swear to serve His Majesty to the death! But our strength alone is not enough to intimidate the noble class of the entire capital."

"I hope that upon your arrival in Saint-Sonières, if His Majesty is still unconscious, you can appear before the public as a special envoy of the Atlas Group."

She took a deep breath and spoke her mind.

"Her Majesty needs to borrow your power, or rather, the power of the Atlas Group behind you, to send a clear signal to those with ill intentions: that although Her Majesty is unwell, she still has an ally powerful enough to crush any rebellion, and who stands firmly by her side at this moment."

This plan is bold and direct.

This thrust Amber and the Atlas Group directly into the eye of the storm of internal political struggles within the Star Dragon Empire.

Amber remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Natalia's heart was in her throat; she knew her request was somewhat unreasonable.

"it is good."

Amber's answer was just one word.

Natalia's tense body relaxed instantly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

“Mr. Amber, this is a great favor.”

“Don’t rush to thank me.” Amber raised her hand to interrupt her. “I did this not entirely to help Agnes build a stable and powerful Star Dragon Empire, which is in everyone’s interest. After all, we will soon have a common enemy, and I don’t want anyone to stab us in the back before we even start fighting them.”

Natalia nodded emphatically, sensing an undeniable confidence in Amber's words.

“Well then, let those rats hop around for a few more days before we get there.” Amber turned and continued walking toward the medical area. “Sometimes, the higher they jump, the harder they fall.”
-
Amber pushed open the door to the special care unit, and a wave of cold air hit her.

He walked to Agnes's life support pod. The data stream inside the pod was moving steadily, indicating that her vital signs were all normal. However, her psionic energy was still in a dormant state after being depleted, and her consciousness had not yet awakened.

He looked at that sleeping face, and the complex emotions in his heart resurfaced once again.

No matter how strong and domineering this woman usually appears, she still followed her heart's choice in the most dangerous moment.

He had to admit that in some ways Agnes was indeed very compatible with him. Although he didn't know how much of this was deliberate flattery, for an empress of an empire, such a gesture was enough.

His gaze then shifted to the Phoenix King on the other side.

The elven lord had regained consciousness. He didn't look at Amber, but stared blankly at the ceiling. His eyes, which were once like molten gold, were now as dim as two pieces of amber that had lost their luster.

As for Elenita, after she awoke, she was placed in a separate treatment room. Lilith would occasionally counsel her personally. Her condition was better than that of the Phoenix King and the other surviving elves of Aldaram, but she was still immersed in great grief.

Amber didn't disturb them; he just stood quietly for a while, then turned and left the medical area.

The most urgent task is to deal with the impending storm in Saint-Sonière.

What he hated most in his life were those who stabbed him in the back at crucial moments.

(End of this chapter)