Chapter 946. Sarlos’s Reaction and New Arrivals.

Chapter 946: Chapter 946. Sarlos’s Reaction and New Arrivals.

Sarlos was reading some reports with a thoughtful expression. An assistant by his side asked. "Is there anything bothering you, Lord Sarlos?"

"Bothering me..." Sarlos smiled faintly. "It’s not that deep an emotion. It’s about Lady Heavenly Willow’s latest reports."

The assistant showed a look of realization. He asked, frowning. "Isn’t it a bit disingenuous, Lord Sarlos?"

"Not at all." Sarlos sighed. "You have to understand that Lady Heavenly Willow is a tree that produces golden fruits. Everyone will want to have a taste of her fruits. We predicted that as well, didn’t we? I just didn’t expect her expansion to be this fast."

The assistant asked. "Have we lost our advantage?"

"We haven’t. Lady Heavenly Willow is not someone who forgets old relationships for new ones. She is a trustworthy partner, which is the first and foremost reason as to why I chose to give her the Interstellar Technology back then. Our objective was to secure a spot in her inner circle."

Interstellar Technology was not something that was usually traded. It could reveal many secrets and technologies of the Empires involved. If it fell into the wrong hands, creating a teleportation interference item was not impossible.

Sarlos, though, knew Liu Shu wouldn’t do something like that. If the day came when she needed to create an interference tool, it would already be too late for the <Shattered Ring>.

Even as a Star System Empire, Liu Shu had technology that almost matched that of Globular Star System Empires. By the time the Shattered Ring and the Golden Sap Empire became enemies, Sarlos couldn’t even imagine what technological level the Golden Sap Empire would be at.

So, trading was all positives and no negatives. "The <Shattered Ring> is a merchant empire as well. So, worst-case scenario, we are assimilated by her..."

The assistant was horrified by what he said. "L-Lord Sarlos. That’s not an amusing joke to make."

"Joke?" Sarlos glanced at him and raised his eyebrow. "You’ve lived in Ceperet for a while, haven’t you? Are you sure that your horror comes not from my words, but from you subconsciously refusing to accept that such an outcome is entirely possible?"

The assistant became silent, their faces crumpling a little. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it. It was just that even the thought of an Empire as large as the Shattered Ring falling was something out of a fantasy story.

Sarlos chuckled. "Don’t worry. We have yet to see if Lady Heavenly Willow can do something about the Hive first. Until that threat is done, I doubt her sight will turn our way. Only... If she managed to deal with the Hive, her strength after that will be something we can just imagine."

The assistant asked. "What about the messages of the large group of elites that is coming our way?"

"You mean those 10,000 <Third Ascension> powerhouses?"

The assistant nodded, which caused Sarlos to lean back and ponder. "Those people... I believe are the last threat to Lady Heavenly Willow. If she can resist their assault, then her position would become entirely stable. No nearby powers will even consider attacking her."

"Then, do we wait? What if we invest and Lady Heavenly Willow loses?"

Sarlos looked at the assistant and sighed. "That’s why I have you as an assistant and not an advisor or something else. Do you want us to become a second Danlier? A second Covenant? The Covenant had a raw gem in their hands, and instead of carefully nurturing it, they threw it away and even used the gem to protect a broken, rusty tool."

The assistant couldn’t help but smile awkwardly. Sarlos didn’t care much and asked about the Lignified Cities.

"Are they constructed?"

"Yes. The Lignified Houses are still young. However, they’ve already taken shape, and they’ve even produced their own Runic Arrays for their residents. The effects are still not notable for Level 200s and above, but the <Lignified Houses> have yet to reach Level 100. So, it is expected. I believe that, in ten years or so, they will complete their <Ascension>."

"Then make the preparations to move the family over. I really want to say hello to the <Lignified House> they’ve built for us."

After living in Ceperet for a while, returning to his own home felt like something was missing. Their houses had Artificial Intelligence to help with some everyday tasks. Nevertheless, they lacked the warmth and care Lignified Houses had for their people.

A Lignified House would brew a warm cup of tea after you finished working, unprompted.

You had to program the Artificial Intelligence to do it.

Even when both actions were the same, the feeling was different.

"Lord Sarlos, a message from the Secretary Group. They want to talk about details of the Lignified Cities."

"Oh?" Sarlos blinked and smiled. "It seems that Lady Heavenly Willow is indeed thinking about us. She has probably used the same trading methods she did with us so that we don’t feel wronged."

The group of four arrived, and then they proceeded to have a lengthy conversation.

***

Meanwhile, the other Globular Star Cluster Empires, or some of their people, watched them closely. The <Radiant Accord> and the <Umbral Imperium>, the two largest powers among the five, even had some people travel and settle down in the Golden Sap Empire.

One of them arrived soon and was stopped at the control room.

The Golden Sap Empire soldier spoke with a solemn look. "Sir, we detected people you haven’t mentioned in the list. Please add them so that they are registered."

The Radiant Accord soldier raised an eyebrow and looked at the Golden Sap Empire with a touch of indifference. He pointed up. "Do you know what that symbol entails, soldier?"

The Golden Sap Empire soldier was unfazed. "Sir, even if you are from the <Radiant Accord>, that doesn’t give you any more rights to skip our procedures and hide people. Please register them truthfully on the list. Otherwise, we will be forced to stop your entry and consider you a hostile threat."

A laugh escaped the Radiant Accord’s soldier. "Hostile threats? What are you going to do about it, then? Attack us?"

The soldier ignored the person in front of him and turned his head toward the large starship beside them. "...Sir. Don’t force our hand or test our courage. We are not as helpless as you may think, and once we decide a force is hostile, our procedure is to eliminate them unless they prove themselves innocent. Moreover, you will be permanently banned from entry, even if it is proven that you are not a hostile force."

The Radiant Accord person paused and looked toward the starship as well. A moment later, a man’s voice reached them. "Give it to them. We are here as visitors, not to test anything."

"Yes, Lord!" The Soldier thumped his chest and then reached into the void by his side to take out a few documents.

The Golden Sap Empire soldier didn’t change expression and took them, turning around to check them.

Inside the Starship, a man, a woman, and a few others who sat around those two began talking. The woman had white hair and black eyes, and her body appeared to flow like liquid gold and silver. She was a Helioform, part of the main species that dominated the Radiant Accord.

Their characteristics included solid, yet liquid-looking bodies, and powerful affinities for Aether Mana and control over certain elements to a much higher degree than their peers. Their bodies were also hard to damage, leaving only soul methods as the most effective way to harm them.

A species some people compared even to Sylvans.

Sylvans, direct descendants of World Trees for the most part, were monstrous existences other species were compared to. You didn’t say that a Sylvan was as strong as a Dragon. You said that a Dragon was as strong as a Sylvan.

The man by her side was of a winged beastkin race, difficult to specify which one. He had black hair, brown eyes, and brown feathers. That man asked the woman. "What do you think? Is it safe for us to come here when the Hive is attacking?"

The Helioform pondered silently. She was the head of this family, and her position was comparable to a count in an empire. Not excessively high, but also not so low that you could ignore them.

"I believe we won’t be at much risk. We have 500 <Third Ascension> powerhouses with us, which isn’t that many, but I believe it is enough to protect us. If we see that a world is being overtaken by the <Hive of a Hundred Crowns>, we can just gather our people and leave quickly. Not to mention, you and I are quite strong."

The man chuckled. "I am but a mere Level 320. Compared to you, who has reached Level 350 as a <Hollow Star Monarch>, I am nothing."

The woman chuckled. "You really like praising me, don’t you, Gec?"

Gec grabbed her hand. "You are my wife, Querial. Of course I will praise you. You are the pride of the Lumenza family, and that’s a fact, not praise."

Querial glanced outside with a faint smile. She was glad that she married this man. Although at first it was for political reasons, their relationship had deepened, and they even had two children back home. ’I wonder why that Lord sent us here.’

She was curious. It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard about the Golden Sap Empire. The drama between the Golden Sap Empire, Nexus, and Covenant was so juicy on the interstellar stage that it had gone viral.

There was a reason as to why a pillar of the Shattered Ring became Liu Shu’s little fan.

Querial, of course, didn’t know that much. All her knowledge was about the absurd buffs and that Liu Shu could somehow control time.

"Have the synchronization clocks been calibrated?"

"Yes, Lady Querial."

Querial nodded, and when their vessel entered one of the frontier and quarantine worlds, Querial asked with her eyes.

"...It is true, Lady Querial. The time here flows three times as fast. One second outside is three seconds inside."

Querial took a deep breath. "Just that single benefit would be enough to make all production businesses drool over getting over here. I heard that we can apply for a special permit to get Lady Heavenly Willow’s buffs?"

The subordinate Helioform flowed over and presented it. Querial read through it. "Let’s see... Promise not to break any of the laws. Promise to never act violently outside the colosseum zones. Promise to adapt to the local culture..."

She knew about the colosseum zones, which was something Querial didn’t really get. Why would each major city have a zone where people could legally kill each other? What she didn’t know was that the colosseum concentrated most crime and psychopaths in one zone, making it much easier to control.

Moreover, guards ensured no one was forced to participate against their will, and that, unless it was a Death Match, a call for surrender would not lead to death. The colosseum itself was a <Lignified> structure, which made all these tasks much easier.

"Alright... some of them can be somewhat circumvented with proper lawyers, right?"

The woman shook her head. "Lady Querial, I recommend wholeheartedly following the rules. The Golden Sap Empire is a very free and easygoing place... until you touch their laws. Here, I’ve heard that even the top politicians who break the law are punished instantly, no matter what connections they might’ve had."

She clarified with a very serious expression. "It is common knowledge that breaking laws is the worst taboo you can commit in the Golden Sap Empire."

Querial blinked, surprised. "There is that little flexibility?"

This person was a guide Querial had sent a few years in advance to inform her when she arrived. So she trusted the words.

The guide nodded firmly. "Lady Querial, the flexibility is already within the laws. So breaking them, when they are already easy to follow, is what makes them so strict. No strange interpretations as well. There are no technicalities here."

Querial hummed. "Give me a law book. I want to give it a read."

"Here, the civilian and professional law books."

"They are different?"

The guide shook her head. "They are differently worded. The civilian one puts laws so simple that even a child can memorize, learn, and understand them. The other goes deep into nuance and even uses example cases."

Querial hummed and began adapting to the Golden Sap Empire’s culture. It wasn’t just Querial; many other high-level individuals from other powers arrived one after another.