From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 828: Fair, Just and Open
Amber's casual words, like a pebble thrown into a stagnant pool, stirred ripples in the hearts of the nobles, but beneath the surface, stubborn silt remained.

The panic is real, but the speculative mentality that has been cultivated over a long period of time still makes many of them feel hopeful.

The information asymmetry between the two sides prevented them from accurately assessing the true weight of Amber and the Atlas Group behind him.

The battle on orbit is fierce, but the outcome remains uncertain.

In their view, this might just be a reckless mutiny, a desperate counterattack by Natalia, the confidante of Her Majesty Agnes, and this outsider after being driven to the brink.

If they can hold out, and if Soren and Duke Duke's fleet can defeat the Imperial Guard, then those who bow their heads here today will likely become the targets of the two dukes' purge tomorrow.
"Everyone! Don't be intimidated by this thug!"

Seeing this, Duke Soren immediately seized the moment of hesitation. He stood up abruptly, his voice becoming somewhat shrill with excitement.

"He's an outsider, what right does he have to interfere in the internal affairs of my Star Dragon Empire! He's trampling on the laws of the Empire and declaring war on all of us!"

Duke Duke immediately echoed him, shouting righteously, "The glory and tradition of the Empire cannot be violated! We represent the order of the Empire, and fairness and justice are on our side! We will never bow down to violence!"

The two men, working in concert, attempted to win back the hearts of the people with righteousness and honor, completely isolating Amber from all the nobles.

It must be said that the two actors are very good at acting. If you cut off the beginning and end and only watch this part, you really get a sense of the empire's 'loyalty'.

Watching their passionate performance, Amber's smile deepened.

To be honest, he was even somewhat grateful to the two dukes.

If these fence-sitters are really scared into voting immediately, he'll have a hard time finding an excuse to carry out the next 'clean-up'.

Now that they've proactively drawn the targets, it's saved Amber a lot of trouble.

Amber raised his hand and casually pressed down on the air.

An invisible spiritual energy instantly enveloped the entire hall, abruptly stopping the two dukes' roars. As if an invisible hand had choked them, they could only make "hoarse" sounds, their faces turning bright red.

The entire hall fell silent once again.

"I know what you're thinking."

Amber's voice rang out calmly as he walked down from the platform, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered faces.

“You think I wouldn’t dare do anything to you. You think this is just an internal political struggle within the empire. You think that as long as the fleet on orbit wins, you still have a chance to turn the tide.”

He paused and changed the subject.

"But you've all got one thing wrong. This is no longer a matter of internal affairs for the empire."

Amber's tone turned serious, and once again, for the last time, he sincerely recounted the destruction of Aldara to everyone.
It tells the story of the pillar of light that served as a 'homeward beacon' and the impending cosmic catastrophe known as the 'Precursor Civilization'.

"The two dukes, and all those who support them, what you are doing now is no longer a power struggle, but a stabbing in the back at a critical juncture for the survival of human civilization."

"This is weakening all of us in our fight against unknown threats; this is gambling with the future of our entire civilization!"

He walked up to the nearest obese nobleman, who instinctively shrank back.

Amber smiled kindly. Back when LLS943823 was out there playing in the wild, he happened to enter the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs' server and had already compiled a list of the nobles' dirty secrets. Now, the information was clearly in his mind.

“Viscount Barkley, I remember that five years ago, one of the largest cargo fleets of your trading rival, the Blue Sail Merchant Guild, was attacked by pirates in the asteroid belt, resulting in the loss of the ship and all the high-ranking members, including the guild president. And you, just one week later, took over all their business in the 7792 mining area. That’s quite a move.”

Viscount Barkley's body trembled violently, and beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, sliding down his fat cheeks.

He thought he had done a perfect job, and the Department of Internal Affairs hadn't even come knocking on his door. How did Amber find out?
“And,” Amber’s voice remained calm, “your beautiful little daughter, it seems, isn’t your biological child? Her biological father seems to be that long-lost gardening master from your family, isn’t he? Which planet’s acidic swamp did you throw him into?”

"No, no, you're talking nonsense!"

Viscount Barkley's voice was shrill, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and he almost collapsed off his chair.

“So, Viscount Barkley,” Amber leaned down with a smile, looking at him, “do you agree with the proposal to convict Duke Soren and Duke Duke of treason and crimes against humanity?”

"I agree! I agree!"

Viscount Barkley almost screamed as his trembling hands frantically pressed the voting machine, the green light flashing as if it were his only lifeline.

"Very good, thank you for your cooperation."

Amber nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk toward her next target.

This nobleman was a staunch confidant of Duke Soren, and even after witnessing Viscount Barkley's fate, a stubborn hesitation remained on his face.

Seeing this, Amber didn't waste any more words.

He simply extended a finger and lightly tapped the back of the nobleman's neck.

"Snapped."

With a soft thud, the nobleman collapsed limply to the ground, as if his bones had been removed.

Amber casually took his hand and pressed the green button.

"It seems he agreed."

Amber glanced around, her smile remaining gentle: "Does anyone else have a different opinion?"

Then came the third, and the fourth.
In the hall, only Amber's unhurried footsteps and the heavy breathing of the nobles, made out of fear, could be heard.

Most people rushed to press the green button before Amber even reached them.

The few who were still hesitant all completed their votes with Amber's "help".

Finally, when Amber returned to the platform, the holographic projection showed the voting results—unanimous approval.

The Imperial Diet, with unprecedented efficiency, found the two powerful dukes guilty of treason and crimes against humanity, deserving of the death penalty, which was to be carried out immediately.

Soren and Duke Duke were ashen-faced. They wanted to curse, but found they didn't even have the strength to utter a sound.

Amber snapped her fingers.

Outside the heavy alloy doors of the Parliament building, a squad of Imperial Guards clad in black power armor and a heavily armored squad of the Immortal Legion entered.

Without a word, they walked straight to Soren and Duke, and amidst their desperate screams and struggles, they swiftly dragged them away.

All the nobles in the hall stared intently at the direction of the door.

After a few seconds.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two sharp gunshots rang out from the square outside the parliament building, bringing this farce to a bloody end.

The hall was deathly silent.

All the surviving nobles sat there dumbfounded, as if their souls had been ripped out. No one had expected that two dukes, who held immense power in the empire, would be executed so casually by firing squad.

Seeing this, Amber gave Jacques Cole, who was in a high position, a wink.

Jacques Cole understood immediately. He walked over to the equally shaken Imperial Chancellor and whispered a few words in his ear.

The old prime minister was startled, then nodded heavily. He stood up shakily, picked up the document that Jacques Cole had prepared, and read it aloud with all his might.

"Members of the Imperial Council, you have aided and abetted the evildoers, disregarded imperial laws, and attempted to overthrow the imperial authority. Your crimes are unforgivable!"

Upon hearing this, all the nobles felt their hearts sink to the bottom, and their minds began to replay their lives like a revolving lantern.

"However, considering that you all voted just now, which can be considered as redemption, you can be spared the death penalty."

But the prime minister's next words were like a glimmer of hope, allowing them to lift their heads again.

"However, they cannot escape punishment! From this day forward, all nobles present and their families are stripped of all administrative, taxation, and military privileges in their localities! All fiefdoms are to be placed under the direct control of the royal family! Noble titles are retained, but only as honorary titles!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

At that moment, everyone present understood.

This is not as simple as just settling scores with two people.

This is an attempt to uproot the entire foundation of the old aristocratic class!

A Star Dragon Empire, directly ruled by imperial power and without further feudalism, is about to be born.
-
The uproar in the council hall was quickly silenced by the raised guns of the Imperial Guards and Immortals.

These pampered nobles discovered for the first time that, having lost their privileges, their lives were as fragile as those of beggars on the street.

Jacques Cole stood on the high platform, coldly looking down at the desperate, resentful, and numb faces below, without a trace of pity in his heart.

He knew better than anyone that the empire had already been riddled with holes by these parasites, and if it did not undergo a thorough overhaul, it would not only be unable to fight the 'pioneers,' but it would also rot and collapse on its own.

Working in concert with the old prime minister, he began to announce a series of specific enforcement decrees, including seizures, audits, and the revocation of power. Each decree was like a sharp blade, severing the lifeblood of the aristocratic class.

Meanwhile, on the tracks of Saint-Sonière, the battle is also drawing to a close.

When Soren and Duke Duke were executed, and the Imperial Council's bill to "strip relevant nobles of their privileges" was broadcast by Lilith through the public channel to every warship in both rebel fleets, all resistance became meaningless.

Their master is dead, their 'righteous cause' has become a joke, and they are now outright rebels.

Moreover, under the surprise attack of the elite Imperial Guards and the unreasonable firepower suppression of the Mianliu Fortress, they were already in an extremely passive position.
"We surrender! Repeat, we surrender!"

"Engine overload! We have to abandon ship!"

So very quickly, the rebel fleet's communication channels were instantly flooded with shouts of surrender and pleas for mercy.

The soldiers' morale completely collapsed, and many captains immediately ordered the weapon systems to be shut down, fired three white signal flares, and ceased resistance.

A few die-hards attempted to put up a last stand or leap away, but they were quickly torn to pieces by the ferocious Imperial Guard fleet and the ever-present terrifying pressure of the Mianliu Fortress.

Natalia stood on the bridge of the Imperial Guard flagship, watching as the red icons representing enemy ships on the holographic tactical map went out one by one or turned into white icons representing surrender. Her tense nerves finally relaxed.

This sudden civil war ended with an unimaginable speed.

She reported the battle situation to Amber via encrypted communication, her voice filled with not only the joy of victory but also an indescribable sense of awe.

This man, in just one morning, completely crushed a crisis that could have overthrown the empire in the most direct and bloody way.

“Very good.” Amber’s response was as calm as ever. “Quickly clean up the battlefield, and leave the rest to the Imperial Chancellor and the Minister of Finance. Now, the real work is just beginning.”

Amber had already left that suffocating parliamentary hall.

He did not enjoy the killing he had just done, but he knew that any hesitation or mercy in the face of the 'cancer cells' that had already spread was cruel to the entire organism.

The quickest way to unite a group of selfish people is to establish a powerful authority that instills fear in them, and an even more terrifying common enemy.

Now, he has done both.

The next step is to gain actual control over the former fiefdoms of these nobles.

This is no small undertaking. The nobles whose privileges have been revoked today have dozens of star systems and colony clusters in their fiefdoms. In addition, they also have private armies. It will not be easy to completely control them.

Moreover, there are Dukes Hastings and Artesia. Although they are staunch supporters of Agnes, their attitude towards this kind of change that directly targets the core interests of the nobility is still unknown.

"A wise person knows when to yield; I hope these two can also be more open-minded."

After the situation on the ground in Saint-Sonière stabilized, Amber did not linger and returned to Crowned Fortress. He originally intended to check on Agnes's condition, but unexpectedly, he saw Phoenix King Enarion and some elves in an activity room in the medical area.

These elves were not lying in hospital beds or life support pods, but were dressed in clean white robes and sitting on chairs in the activity room.

On the wall in front of them, live news from Saint-Sonière was being projected, showing the scene of distraught nobles being escorted out of the parliament building by imperial soldiers.

This elven monarch had clearly watched the entire 'live broadcast'.

Hearing the door open, Ainarion slowly turned his head, his dim golden eyes looking at Amber with an extremely complex expression.

There was shock, realization, and even a sense of relief.

He witnessed firsthand how this man eradicated a deep-seated problem within a powerful civilization in the blink of an eye with swift and decisive measures.

He saw a decisiveness and ruthlessness that he rarely saw in elves, a kind of decisiveness and ruthlessness that belonged to humans and disregarded all rules.

The leader of the elves seemed to understand something.

Compared to this race that would stop at nothing to survive, the elves' so-called pride and elegance, which they have maintained for millions of years, are so fragile and laughable in the face of a real crisis.

“Mr. Amber, you are right.”

The Phoenix King spoke, his voice still weak, but no longer filled with the confusion and pain of before.

"Our era has indeed come to an end."

He looked at Amber, his eyes clearer than ever before.

"The tragedy of Aldara made me lose my home, and what you have done today has made me realize that we must give up many things in order to survive."

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and slowly stood up, bowing slightly to Amber.

This is no longer a monarch's courtesy to an ally, but a purer form of entrustment.

“I, Ainarion, the last Phoenix King of the Thousand Star Empire, on behalf of all surviving elves, request to join the ‘Survivors’ Alliance’.”

(End of this chapter)