The Almighty Ring

Lockseed repeated what Jiang Fei explained, “I see. So there is a wormhole behind the light barrier.”

Despite being absent for half a year, Jiang Fei’s intelligence was considered to be the best. It was fortunate that he showed up today, as gathering information from the Valsalrians had proven to be impossible.

It was a fact that the Trade Federation did not know what lay behind the light barrier. Over this past half a year, many reconnaissance parties had been sent over to the barrier to investigate its nature.

However, every time they got close enough to the barrier, a battlecruiser that was several tiers stronger than the best battlecruiser in this universe would appear and destroy all the ships within a certain proximity.

Thus, even if someone managed to find out what the barrier was, there was no one left alive to tell the tale. Except Jiang Fei.

“I have reason to believe that the Valsalrians knew that the wormhole would open,” said Jiang Fei.

Lockseed muttered to himself, “So, they knew that an attack from an unknown space was coming, but did nothing for half a year.”

“General, are you saying that no moves have been made against the unknown enemy?” asked Jiang Fei.

“Yes, exactly. We are curious as well. That aside, our last reconnaissance party only managed to transmit a few images and some information about the enemy. We only know one thing. The enemy possesses advanced technology that’s perhaps even a millennium ahead of us…” said Lockseed.

His tone and facial expression suggested a traumatic experience.

Jiang Fei matched Lockseed’s tone of surprise and pretended to be in despair, “I see… they are so much stronger than us…”

Technically, he didn’t actually need to pretend, as he was well aware of the true horrors the beings of the higher dimension could inflict. They could easily wipe the entire universe clean with the simple flick of a switch.

They had the ability to create a wormhole the size of a globular cluster, as well as a starship that was at least ten times the size of the entire Solar System. If they wanted, they could easily wipe the entire universe clean, rendering it sterile.

“They are. I do not know a single civilization that could stop them,” confessed Lockseed.

“Do you see a way for a unification then?” asked Jiang Fei.

His voice sounded hopeful, but he was actually extremely nervous. If all the known civilizations were to join forces to fight this common enemy, it would be akin to throwing a wrench into his plans to literally save the universe.

“Easier said than done, Commander. Take us for example. We’ve been at war with the Valsalrian Army for as long as I can remember. Do you think Aino would even accept my invitation to create a coalition army to fight against this new threat?” said Lockseed.

There were countless other civilizations in the universe, and each of them could be at war with one another. To unite all of them was simply a pipe dream.

“I see. What is our current plan then?” asked Jiang Fei, feigning disappointment.

“We are prepared to abandon the entire galaxy. Domino may be a unique place to hold the fort, but we have not been earning from our tradings here. Resources are scarce and the expenditure to keep facilities up and running cost more than we can earn,” said Lockseed.

That was the nature of the Trade Federation. If this galaxy could not bring them profit, it was reasonable to pack up and leave. This galaxy was considered to be a strategic location, as it stands to defend the main Trade Federation domains.

Now, with the threat of an unknown, unstoppable invader, it would not be wise to take the risk of staying. The consensus was to leave the Domini System, as this would not only save them from making a loss, but also lead the Valsalrian Army into a war.

Everyone who knew the Valsalrian Army knew that they would never back away from a fight. This was another risky play—to let the Valsalrians deal with this unknown enemy. It did not matter who won or lost, the Trade Federation would return and take it upon themselves to fight the remaining survivors.

Jiang Fei merely acknowledged the statement, “I see.”

He had no intention of revealing his own opinion on the subject. This idea was technically not risky at all. Jiang Fei could vouch that the Valsalrians would never retreat from the fight. They would fight the invaders and it wouldn’t matter which side loses, since this war would benefit the Trade Federation either way. This, however, was only from Lockseed’s vantage point.

Other than Jiang Fei, no one knew that the invaders were actually players of a game that takes place in their universe. Like any other player, they would never be weaker after a fight.

Fight after fight, they would slowly grow stronger, and eventually surpass even the strongest Valsalrian. When that happened, the Trade Federation would be the next to fall.

“I want to hear your opinion about this,” said Lockseed.

After a long pause, Jiang Fei replied, “I have none. I will follow your lead, General.”

He was hesitant but decided not to tell Lockseed the truth.

Lockseed stood up. “Alright then. Go to your soldiers. We are going to start the evacuation procedure.”

Before Lockseed could turn away, Jiang Fei called out loudly, “By the way, General. Are there any training facilities on Hyur?”

“Training facility? Just for you?”

“Not exactly. I need one that can fit at least 3,000 soldiers. If possible, 30,000.”

“Mhm. Hyur doesn’t have such a training facility. If you want, you could head over to the Sitar Sector. There is one there that fits your requirements. I’ll make the arrangements and cover the costs, so feel free to use it,” said Lockseed with a smile.

“Thank you very much, General. If I may… I would also like to request for a Chrono Accelerator Room,” asked Jiang Fei awkwardly.

Lockseed was on the verge of collapsing. “I assume that’s for 30,000 people as well?”

The cost of using such a room would be so high that even someone as filthy rich as Lockseed would literally feel the pain in his pocket.

“Not that many. 3,000 people would be fine,” explained Jiang Fei, turning away bashfully.

He knew that he was going too far with his absurd request. The cost of activating the Chrono Accelerator for just a single person was already beyond comparison. To think that Jiang Fei had requested for 3,000…

If it was affordable, every commander would have already bought a training unit with a time machine and trained all of their troops.

“Commander Jiang Fei, it’s… that request is just too heavy for me to fulfill. 3,000 is just too much for the Chrono Accelerator. It will be bad for me to just give it to you…” Lockseed frowned before he continued, “Perhaps we could compromise on this. I’ll let you use the facility and only charge you the cost of the resources. Or, you could find a way to procure your own resources?”

“Uhm…” Jiang Fei croaked.

He knew that Lockseed was already giving him as much face as he could in this. He was kind enough to not charge anything else, only the cost to operate the facility. Even so, it was considered a loss on Lockseed’s part. The facility itself required so much maintenance in many aspects!

Even so, Jiang Fei could not say yes, not because he did not want to take advantage of the situation, but because he had not earned a single aetheryte!

Jiang Fei had only just started to serve in the Trade Federation military force. Even though he became a Fleet Commander in a matter of days, Jiang Fei had yet to properly earn a living. Theon may have brought him along on his trips into other people’s treasure vaults, but Jiang Fei had prioritized gathering weaponry and a shuttle.

When Lockseed handed over the bill, Jiang Fei almost fainted. The cost of operating the facility was 15,000,000 aetherytes for just one day! Even if Jiang Fei sold his precious, one-of-a-kind shuttlecraft, he would only have enough to operate the facility for less than three days.

With 30x Chrono acceleration, two days outside was equivalent to two months in the room, and it would only cost Jiang Fei his ship. But two months wasn’t enough, the girls needed to train for longer than that! He needed more time, and that would require money.