Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1848 Okay!

What happened between the True Beginning Empire and the Shining Torrent Empire was far closer to bullying than war-an outright overpowering, a one-sided domination so effortless it resembled a grown adult casually snatching candy from a helpless child. Everything unfolded at an unbelievable speed, without the slightest hint of real resistance, as if the Shining Torrentʼs defenses were nothing more than thin paper walls collapsing under a storm. This continued to such an extent that the Shining Torrent Empire sent multiple surrender requests-formal pleas begging the True Beginning Empire to halt the assault and accept terms for disengagement. But not a single request received attention. None was even acknowledged.

Neither the commanders of the First Army nor the Second Army wanted the war to pause, and since no orders from above demanded a ceasefire, why would they stop? To them, the silence from the higher authority was tacit approval, a green light to continue crushing their opponent without restraint. Facing this unyielding ruthlessness, the Shining Torrent Empire turned in desperation to the Centennial Empires of the sector, pleading for aid. They began issuing near-daily distress calls to their supreme overlord, begging for immediate intervention. They went so far as to record the massacres suffered by their soldiers-raw footage of their armies being annihilated planet after planet-and sent the recordings to their supreme ruler and to all their major trade partners throughout the Midbelt, hoping someone, anyone, would grasp the severity of their situation and send support before it was too late.

And this did not pass quietly.

The echoes of war spread rapidly throughout Sector 100 of the Midbelt. The conflict, a clash between two millennial empires in the Young Belt, suddenly became the single most discussed subject across the entire region-surpassing even the rising excitement surrounding the Centennial Cradle Empireʼs renewed expansion.

It didnʼt take long before the disaster struck.

People began watching the circulated footage pouring out of the Young Belt. They started connecting the dots: the armor designs, the fleet formations, the unmistakable visual markers of the True Beginning Empire-all of them closely matched those of the Cradle Empire. And within only a few weeks of the footage spreading, the connection was confirmed, cemented as an undeniable fact. The two empires were officially, indisputably linked.

The supreme ruler of the Shining Torrent Empire -revealed to be a planetary emperor commanding a Centennial Empire of 600 planets- reacted swiftly. He gathered an alliance of major merchants who depended heavily on resources imported from the Young Belt, along with the lords of the Centennial Empires residing in Sector 100 of the Midbelt.

He united everyone harmed or threatened by the unstoppable expansion of the True Beginning Empire. Among the gathered were three rulers of Centennial Empires in the Young Belt whose realms had previously been destroyed by the armies of the True Beginning Empire.

Then, in a dramatic and reckless escalation, they declared war on the Cradle Empire.

The timing of this declaration could not have been more volatile. It occurred during a massive celebration held by Marshal Caesar, attended even by the Silent Emperor himself, marking the empireʼs return to expansion and its new achievement of reaching 400 planets. The ceremony was grand enough to draw every major empire in the sector-some sent their emperors in person, others sent high-ranking envoys.

In the midst of this ceremony, a messenger arrived and proclaimed loudly for all to hear: a coalition of sixteen planetary empires, led by the Falling Star Centennial Empire, had officially declared war on the Cradle Empire, accusing them of tyrannical domination in the Young Belt.

Marshal Caesarʼs iconic response was etched permanently into the memories of everyone present. He looked at the messenger with visible boredom, lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug, and simply said: ”Okay~”

before casually returning to greeting the assembled guests, as if the declaration of war were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

The following day, a fleet armada of twenty Note Fleets departed and launched the first strike against the nearest empire among the sixteen.

The Cradle Empire did not send envoys for negotiation, nor did they inquire about motives, nor did they attempt to discuss ceasefire terms. They were the ones who initiated the attack-swiftly, decisively, and without hesitation. The Empire of the Cradle, which was already locked in a brutal war against every empire in its own starfield because of the Nine Paths Wing-while simultaneously fighting in two additional starfields- decided, without a moment of hesitation, to enter yet another war the very instant the spark ignited.

Once again, the maddening unpredictability of the Cradle Empire and the wildness of its leaders resurfaced vividly in the minds of the public.

The unwavering seriousness displayed by Marshal Caesar shook the sixteen empires to their cores. Their original intention had been merely to intimidate him-push him into accepting their conditions in the Young Sector and force him to limit the expansion of the True Beginning Empire. After all, they had no real conflict with the Cradle Empire in the mid-sector. Their only issue was the abrupt loss of their supply lines in the Young Sector.

So how could they possibly endure a war with such lunatics? Immediately, they sent additional envoys-this time to negotiate, to propose terms for peace, and to desperately placate the Cradle Empire before matters spiraled into utter catastrophe.

But Caesar, simmering with rage because the name True Beginning Empire kept coming up over and over again, was seconds away from throwing their messengers out personally and leading the assault himself.

Only Peon stopped him.

Irritated that Caesar had ignored Jabbaʼs warning, Peon asked him to stop the war and give the sector time to forget the entire incident.

Then Peon personally met with the envoys, tore up their negotiation papers in front of them, and coldly informed them that any negotiations would occur directly and exclusively between the True Beginning Empire and the Light Torrent Empire-with no outside interference.

And that if any of the sixteen empires dared mention this war again, their territories would be attacked that very same day.

Then he expelled them all without another word.

”My lady... you know how the Prime Minister behaves. We need a proper face

for the Empire-we need you.”

The voice beyond the massive door nearly trembled with worry. ”Secondly... we donʼt even know where the Prime Minister is!”

”Where else would he be?” Emily muttered, glaring at the ceiling in irritation. ”Heʼs obviously on Planet S-175 with the other Beast Kings as usual. Summon him. Even if I go, the Prime Minister must be present. Negotiations and legal frameworks are his specialty... Iʼll simply try to make him wear something decent and tie his hair properly.”

”B-but, Madam, Planet S-175 is sealed off as always! He evacuated every form of intelligent life from it, then removed the control panel of the space portal so no

one could bother him!”

The voice outside grew increasingly frantic.

”Take Commissioner Billy with you,” Emily said sharply, slamming her hand on the desk. ”Use one of the new Flood Note Gen-4 battleships. Tell the Commissioner to drag him here by his hair if you must. He must be back before

the end of the day.”

”Yes, Madam!”

The voice outside released a long, relieved sigh. Now he could go to Commissioner Billy and dump the problem onto him instead. Dealing with

Prime Minister Kristan was simply too difficult.

Emily frowned and stared out the window, her glasses catching a faint glimmer

of light.

”... What in the world is that lunatic doing on Planet S-175 all the time?”