Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 220 The Strength of the Hina Family, Level 5 Rating Reward (5.9K)

After completing the construction of his new home in the virtual network, Lin Yi logged out of the network and brought his consciousness back to reality.

After all, there are things to discuss next. It would feel strange for two people who are face to face to communicate in a virtual network.

Lin Yi pondered for a moment, sorting out his thoughts, then looked up at Irelia, who had also logged out of the virtual network, and asked, "Ms. Irelia, based on your experience and knowledge, what attitude and form do you think it would be most prudent and advantageous for the Blue Star civilization to approach and integrate into this vast sea of ​​stars after officially stepping into the universe?"

Actually, Lin Yi already had a general plan in mind about what to do, but he still wanted to hear Irelia's opinion to see if there were any oversights in his ideas.

Irelia had long anticipated that Lin Yi would ask this question. In fact, she had been preparing for this question ever since she believed that Lin Yi could obtain a Level 7 rating and make up his mind to invest.

Therefore, she quickly organized her thoughts and answered clearly, "Lord Lin Yi, since you have asked, I will analyze it for you based on my understanding of the human race's territory, especially the Purple Gold Star Alliance."

"Within the Purple Gold Star Alliance, factions are numerous and various forces are deeply entrenched. A newly emerging Level 5 civilization, especially one with great potential and a clean background like Blue Star, will inevitably become the focus of attention for various forces to win over or even try to control once it officially appears."

Her tone carried a hint of warning: "While directly and completely relying on a powerful force may provide initial protection and resources, it also means giving up a large part of your autonomy in development. In the future, you may easily fall into the infighting within that powerful force and become its vassal."

As she spoke, Irelia leaned forward slightly, her tone becoming more formal: "Therefore, I believe that for the Blue Star civilization to establish itself in interstellar space, maintaining relative independence and autonomy is crucial. And Blue Star, having achieved a Level 5 rating, is precisely the one that, according to the rules, can retain a significant portion of its autonomy, only needing to fulfill the obligations set by your Human Race's Supreme Council. Therefore, I believe an armed force that obeys the civilization itself is indispensable. It is not only a sharp sword for expansion but also a strong shield for self-preservation."

"So, how can we legally and efficiently build and train such a force at a relatively low cost?" Irelia asked herself, answering her own question, "The most common approach is to establish a mercenary group."

"This is why the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance has become a top-tier power," Irelia explained in detail. "The Cosmic Mercenary Alliance has clear rules, relatively lenient entry requirements, and a very high degree of freedom."

"By accepting missions, we can legitimately acquire Starry Sky currency, accumulate practical experience, access various technologies and intelligence, and gradually establish our own relationships and channels. With the help of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance's network of channels, the mercenary group's activities are almost unrestricted, allowing us to flexibly travel between various star systems."

"This is both a cover and an opportunity. It can become the vanguard and tentacles for Earth's civilization to contact the universe, and feed back all the knowledge, resources and experience gained to the mother civilization."

Lin Yi thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

Irelia's analysis was clear, logical, and well-thought-out. Clearly, she possessed a considerable understanding of the mercenary groups' operations, advantages, and their role in the civilization's development strategy. This was not an insight she could have uttered on a whim; she must have done extensive research and perhaps even had a similar blueprint in mind.

"Great!" Lin Yi clapped his hands in praise. "Your analysis coincides with mine. Mercenary groups are indeed the best option for us at this stage."

He paused, looked at Irelia, and extended a formal invitation: "After the victory celebration, I plan to convene the top leadership of Blue Star to formally explain the decision to establish a mercenary group. Ms. Irelia, I hope you can join this mercenary group and serve as my second-in-command."

In Lin Yi's heart, he had a very high opinion of Irelia's abilities.

In her past life, she single-handedly managed the Leliate Mercenary Group to great success. Over thousands of years, she not only established the mercenary group in the Purple Gold Star Alliance and gained some fame, but she herself also broke through from the Star Vortex level at the beginning of the mercenary group to the third level of the Star Domain level.

Such talent and ability are more than enough to build and manage a fledgling mercenary group, making him an excellent business partner and capable assistant.

When Irelia heard Lin Yi's direct and trusting invitation, she was slightly taken aback. Then, an undisguised joy and solemnity shone in her eyes.

She rose and gracefully performed a Spirit Clan salute to Lin Yi. "Thank you for your trust, Irelia Sheena. It is an honor, and I will do my utmost to help."

Lin Yi was quite pleased to see Irelia agree.

He first offered a gesture of support, indicating that Irelia didn't need to be so formal, and then said with a smile, "Since we are already close allies, and will be partners fighting side by side in the future, these respectful titles seem too formal. In private, you can just call me Lin Yi."

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible ripple flashed in Irelia's eyes.

However, after only a slight hesitation, she gently shook her head and refused in a gentle but firm tone: "I appreciate your kindness. But etiquette must be observed, and calling you by your first name is not appropriate for me. I would prefer to address you as 'Commander'."

“However,” Irelia chuckled and continued, “this reminds me that you should just call me Ellie from now on, Commander. Calling me Ms. Irelia is too formal.”

Seeing Irelia's resolute attitude, Lin Yi thought for a moment and decided not to force her, respecting her choice.

After all, the days are long.

Although he has known Irelia for thousands of years, this is the first time they have met, so it is normal for him to be cautious.

Lin Yi changed the subject and asked another crucial question: "Ellie, I'd like to know more about your family. What is the approximate strength of the Sheena family right now? When do you expect them to arrive near Blue Star?"

When the topic turned to her family, Irelia's expression became even more serious.

She thought for a moment and decided to focus on the key points, so she replied, "Captain, our Sheena family currently has five Star Domain level experts. The strongest is the clan leader, who is also my grandmother, Liyue Sheena, whose cultivation level is the eighth rank of the Star Domain level. The other four Star Domain level experts are three family elders and one Star Domain level guest elder who has a deep relationship with our family and is willing to come along."

As for the funds brought by the family...

Irelia paused slightly and then gave a figure: "We have sold off most of our clan's assets, and after deducting all necessary reserved expenditures, we currently have approximately 280 billion Lan Yue Crystals in liquid funds available."

Fearing that Lin Yi might not have a concept of the value of the Spirit Race's currency, she specially explained, "The Lan Yue Crystal is the hard currency within the Spirit Race, and its monetary value is usually much higher than that of the Human Race's Star Yuan. Roughly calculated, this sum is equivalent to about three trillion Star Yuan."

Three trillion star coins?

Even though Lin Yi was mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by the number. "Doesn't that equal 300 million star crystals?"

He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. "Is this the foundation of an old-established star-domain family? And this is a star-domain family that's in decline, almost driven out of the country."

However, Lin Yi immediately realized that the Spirit Race, as one of the top races in the universe, occupied core star regions with extremely rich resources, and their wealth accumulation was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary human forces.

Directly converting the Spirit Race's assets into star crystals for comparison with the Human Race's star-domain-level families seems somewhat unfair, but now that they belong to our side, so be it.

Irelia, unaware of Lin Yi's true thoughts, nodded in affirmation of his conversion. She then gave a general overview of the Sheena family's expertise and strengths in technology, engineering, and biological cultivation, which were potential areas of collaboration in the future.

After introducing her family's situation, Irelia went on to explain the family's initial plans: "Captain, the Sheena family's migration fleet is currently en route. We plan to first reach a star system near Blue Star and then set up camp, observing the next moves of Blue Star civilization, mainly to see where Blue Star will be relocated."

"At that time, the family will use some of the funds to purchase or lease some suitable habitable planets near the new location on Earth, as a temporary foothold and foundation for the family's development."

Lin Yi wasn't surprised by the Xina family's move.

He nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, there's no need to rush things. After all, Blue Star will no longer remain in this energy-poor region."

According to the rules of the Human Supreme Council, a civilization that achieves a Level 5 rating will have its homeworld designated as a regional 'hub planet'.

Therefore, the Purple Gold Star Alliance will select a region within its jurisdiction where the energy concentration reaches level 5, designate a special starry sky for Blue Star, and then use a large engineering fleet to install planetary engines on Blue Star and relocate the entire planet there.

Then, Lin Yi's tone carried a hint of anticipation for the future of Blue Star: "Although the relocation will take a long time, it will all be worthwhile. After the relocation is completed, according to regulations, the Purple Gold Star Alliance will also build a permanent stargate next to Blue Star's orbit."

"At that time, Blue Star will assume multiple hub functions, including administration, commerce, and cultural exchange, in the vast surrounding star regions. Not to mention anything else, the transit taxes, commercial services, and information gathering brought about by serving as an interstellar hub alone will be enough to make Blue Star civilization rich in the future and provide it with a continuous source of development funds."

Irelia listened attentively, her icy blue eyes sparkling with longing for that future vision.

After all, the fate of the family was already closely tied to this rising blue planet and the young commander in front of them.

Since the topic of planetary relocation had come up, and considering that other high-ranking officials on Blue Star were still unaware that Blue Star was moving, Lin Yi immediately instructed, "Xuanji, use my purple-level access to connect to the Pan-Spirit Alliance virtual network and comprehensively collect and organize all interstellar common knowledge applicable to the emerging civilization, especially information on the social structure, power distribution, common laws, and business practices of the human race's territory."

He paused for a moment, then added, “Focus on compiling detailed information about the Purple Gold Star Alliance, including its political structure, major families, economic model, military strength, and all specific terms and practices related to the subsequent processes of our Blue Star civilization’s advancement.” “The instruction has been confirmed, Principal.”

Xuanji's voice echoed in the reception room, "The most efficient information retrieval and summarization process has been initiated. A preliminary integrated report is expected to be generated for your review after the celebration banquet."

After finishing the information preparation, Lin Yi's attention returned to what was in front of him.

Seeing that Lin Yi had finished his work, Irelia continued to explain her plan, "Captain, in the early stages of the mercenary group's formation, our core members will primarily be Star Core level personnel from Earth. They have been tested by blood and fire, possess unwavering fighting spirit, and are excellent backbone members. However, the missions of interstellar mercenaries are diverse and not limited to combat. We need to quickly establish preliminary job classifications based on the members' strengths, such as assault troops, defenders, long-range support, tactical command, intelligence analysis, technical support, medical care, and so on."

Lin Yi nodded in agreement: "Blue Star has developed some unique paths in the application of energy technology, especially after combining it with some of our original engineering and technical concepts. Perhaps we can form our own characteristics in technical support and equipment maintenance. I will have experts in relevant fields sort it out and see what can be transformed into advantages for the mercenary group."

“That’s excellent.” Irelia nodded in agreement, after all, Blue Star had produced quite a few eye-catching gadgets over the years. “Unique technological advantages are often the key to our standing out in the league. In addition, regarding team building, I suggest adopting a ‘core-periphery’ model.”

"The core of decision-making and execution will be composed of the Blue Star powerhouses we absolutely trust and some core members of the Sheena family. In the future, based on mission needs and the results of the investigation, we will recruit free mercenaries from other clean backgrounds as peripheral members to gradually expand our scale and influence."

“Okay.” Lin Yi agreed. “We’d rather have fewer but better members. Loyalty and reliability take precedence over mere ability. We can start drafting the list of the first batch of core members after the banquet.”

Irelia thought for a moment and continued, "In terms of mission selection, in the early stages we should focus on building reputation and familiarizing ourselves with the Star Sea environment, prioritizing missions with lower risks and standardized procedures such as escort, exploration, and supply transport. Once we are strong enough, we should directly take on military missions and try to avoid getting involved in conflicts between local forces, especially missions involving factional struggles within the Purple Gold Star Alliance, which must be handled with caution."

“I agree with steady development,” Lin Yi added. “However, we can also look into missions related to scientific research, archaeology, or special ecological surveys. Scientists on Earth need access to more cutting-edge knowledge, and these missions are often manageable in terms of risk and may bring unexpected technological or informational gains.”

“A very good idea.” Irelia noted it down carefully. “There is also the source of funding. In the early stages, in addition to the support provided by our Sheena family, the mercenary group’s own revenue is crucial. We can set up a development fund, with a portion of the profits used to reward members and upgrade equipment, and another portion invested in giving back to the Blue Star civilization as a whole, such as purchasing urgently needed advanced technology blueprints, scarce resources, or talent training.”

Over the next period of time, the two had an efficient and in-depth exchange on details such as the initial structure of the mercenary group, personnel selection criteria, training syllabus, and logistical support.

Irelia's experience and Lin Yi's accurate grasp of the situation on Blue Star collided and merged, and the prototype of a mercenary group that would one day resound throughout the starry sea gradually became clear in this quiet reception room.

Of course, rather than discussing it, it was more like Irelia was outlining a blueprint based on her extensive interstellar experience and in-depth understanding of the mercenary industry, while Lin Yi was making crucial additions and anchoring based on the current situation and potential of Earth's civilization.

Time slipped away quietly amidst focused discussions.

After an unknown amount of time, Xuanji's notification sound rang in Lin Yi's mind again: "Principal, the global celebration banquet is about to begin, and the attendees have basically arrived at the venue."

Lin Yi snapped out of his reverie and extended an invitation to Irelia: "It's almost time, Irelia, let's go to the victory celebration together. This is a good opportunity to let our fellow citizens on Earth get to know you, the future 'vice commander'."

Upon hearing this, Irelia's elegant face showed a hint of contemplation. She gently shook her head and smiled sweetly, saying, "Captain, you all called me 'Guardian God' before. It seems inappropriate for me to go empty-handed to this grand celebration of the civilization's first rebirth."

A spark of intelligence flashed in her eyes. "Wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Before she finished speaking, a soft emerald green halo emanated from her body, and her figure blurred instantly, like ripples in water, before quietly disappearing.

Lin Yi looked at the spot where Irelia had disappeared, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

He had a pretty good idea of ​​what she was going to do.

Given Irelia's meticulous and courteous nature, she must have gone to prepare a "gift" that suits her status and expresses her feelings.

Sure enough, not long after, the familiar emerald light returned, and Irelia's figure reformed, looking exactly the same as before she left, except for a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Commander." She nodded slightly.

Lin Yi smiled, not revealing anything, but simply made a "please" gesture: "Let's go."

The two walked side by side, leaving the quiet reception area and heading towards the heart of the banquet, where faint noise and celebratory music were already emanating.

At this moment, the magnificent circular banquet hall was bustling with people and brightly lit.

The soft artificial canopy simulates a dazzling starry sky, creating a charming contrast with the lively and cheerful crowd below.

After forty years of hardship, the clouds have finally parted and the sun has risen, bringing with it the double joy of a new civilization and the return of the deceased. This has filled the faces of everyone present with genuine relaxation and radiant smiles.

The men took off their heavy combat uniforms, put on smart dresses or traditional ethnic attire, raised their glasses and talked freely, their voices loud and powerful.

The women donned their treasured gowns and dresses, their jewels gleaming and their smiles radiating beauty and charm, a testament to their survival after the ordeal.

The once tense nerves were relaxed, the suppressed emotions were released, and the air was filled with the aroma of delicious food, the mellow taste of fine wine, and that intoxicating atmosphere called hope.

Chen Yu was putting his arm around the shoulder of a Star Core-level powerhouse from Europe, loudly boasting about his "heroic deeds" in first clearing the Abyss Nest with Principal Lin Yi, which drew good-natured laughter and boos from those around him.

Elizabeth, unusually, removed her icy mask, holding a glass of crystal-clear fruit wine, and conversed quietly with several powerful women, a faint but genuine smile playing on her lips.

Although Zhou Yuxuan and Nie Chang, along with other high-ranking officials, still maintained a certain composure, the solemnity between their brows had dissipated, and their eyes were filled with anticipation for the future.

Even Li Zhenguo, an old man who has devoted half his life to civilization, is sitting at the main table, looking at the vibrant scene before him with a look of satisfaction.

Just as this harmonious and enthusiastic atmosphere reached its peak, the light at the entrance seemed to brighten slightly.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it without prior arrangement.

The next moment, they saw their commander, Lin Yi, the guide to civilization.

He was still wearing that simple Yuanwu Army combat uniform, his face calm.

What's even more eye-catching is the woman beside him.

Irelia Sheena, the guardian of civilization.

She did not change her clothes, still wearing the traditional long dress of the Spirit Clan that seemed to be woven from starlight and moonlight, with the diamond-shaped crystal on her forehead flowing with a warm luster.

However, against the backdrop of the brightly lit banquet hall, her extraordinary beauty and noble temperament were magnified to the extreme.

Her long golden hair flowed like a galaxy, and her icy blue eyes held wisdom and gentleness. Just by standing there, she seemed to bring the tranquility and mystery of the entire starry sky to the human world.

The two walked side by side into the banquet hall.

After a brief silence, someone was the first to react, excitedly shouting, "Commander! Guardian!"

Everyone spontaneously stood up, put down their glasses, and with the utmost respect, gave the two people at the entrance a thunderous and prolonged round of applause.

This applause is an expression of gratitude to Lin Yi for leading them towards a new life, a tribute to Irelia for her silent protection over the long years, and a fervent anticipation for the boundless future of Blue Star civilization.

Irelia paused slightly, falling half a step behind Lin Yi, and then, facing countless focused gazes, revealed the warmest and most gentle smile she had shown since arriving on Earth.

Lin Yi's gaze swept across the entire venue, taking in the excited and joyful faces, and a myriad of emotions welled up within him.

(End of this chapter)