Chapter 557: Ch

Not only that, but we must also immediately contact the current acting president of the Federation, Lady Yanshi, and inform her of this! That way, she can begin preparing the forces around the immediate perimeter of the invasion-prone area!" Megalodon continued. "Perhaps she could make additional use of this information, but that would be up to her!"

"And you four, I want you to immediately put your respective commands on Level 2 alert and prepare your troops and fleets for rapid deployment!"

"Yes, Grand Marshal!"

The four Defense Command commanders, all one-star High Marshals, nodded their heads in acceptance.

Megalodon’s gaze didn’t linger on them any further. Instead, he focused on the Deputy Commander, the two-star High Marshal, and said, "I want you to reach out to Stellar Creator Tyler and his Imperial Research and Development Department, in collaboration with the Ministers of Industrial Affairs and Defense. Make them aware of this situation and have them speed up the procurement of the equipment we have already placed orders for.

"Ask the Defense Minister to accelerate the recruitment and training of elite personnel immediately! And, if possible, ask him to consider absorbing the new blood into our ranks right now, since their loyalties are already in order."

Bruno, upon listening to this, had his eyes light up and said, "Indeed, we should push for it! There is no better time for us to do so anyway. As you said, their loyalties are already in order."

As these words fell from his mouth, he couldn’t help but remember the multiple star systems across the Southern Theatre Command that had recently resettled multiple dozens of billions of new members of the human species across already-developed habitable planets. These people had already undergone almost a few centuries of proper indoctrination and loyalty-building within the Universal Domain and were now completely loyal to the Empire and the Emperor!

Not to forget, they had already gone through the necessary studies and training during this time. With a bit more training, they could be integrated across the Empire’s forces!

This was something that hadn’t actually been pushed forward for various reasons, but now it could finally be done. With such a strange threat moving towards them, it was indeed time to put this on the agenda.

"Then that’s it for today! Go ahead and do your work!" Megalodon said as he slowly stood up and simply walked away.

"Then, see you all another time." Elon gave a small smile, nodding his head at the others, and similarly walked away. The others followed, leaving the room behind.

Just like that, the room fell silent once again!

Meanwhile, somewhere far away, at the core of the Pantheon of Sovereignty, one of the more powerful superstates.

Two people could be seen chatting with each other in a calm garden setting, with nothing but a small table between them. The lush garden itself was vast, even larger than some of the bigger forests across Earth, with vibrant decorations spread throughout!

"Lord Clark of the Sovereignty, I thank you for your willingness to support us, the Star Empire, during this crucial time!" spoke none other than the Supreme Elder of the Star Empire solemnly. "It is crucial that we act fast. There is no telling when the Outer Secret Realms will open and a tide will begin!

"When can I expect the presence of your forces around—"

Before the Supreme Elder could even finish his sentence, he was forced to stop by the raised palm of the person beside him and swallow his words.

"There is no need to hurry, Star Supreme Elder! These are things that simply cannot be done suddenly! We need to mobilise a number of our forces, logistics, support, and so on!" Lord Clark of the Sovereignty spoke slowly before adding, "But you need not worry. The Pantheon of Sovereignty will not go back on its words and promises. We will fulfil our part to the best of our ability. But the condition is—"

Clark stopped there and simply looked at the Star Supreme Elder with a smile.

"Haha! About that promised item, you don’t need to worry, Lord Clark. The top-grade Void Stone, along with the Supreme Law Fragment of Space Law, has already been prepared. As soon as the reinforcements are in position, it can be handed over as per our deal," the Star Supreme Elder replied.

While maintaining a calm appearance on the outside, he was cursing Clark’s craftiness in his head. The man wanted something in return without actually showing any goodwill upfront, and he wasn’t a fool who would simply hand it over!

Clark also maintained a calm front, but internally, he was a bit speechless to see his little play fail to produce the expected result. Nevertheless, he didn’t reveal his thoughts and calmly spoke, "It’s good that those things are prepared. It goes to show how seriously you are taking our cooperation!"

Clark then stood up, patting his chest. "Don’t worry. Our support fleet will leave for the Star Empire as quickly as possible to reinforce the Dark Stellar Outer Realm! As for the other two—"

Clark paused there, looking somewhat unsure as his gaze settled on the Star Supreme Elder, almost as if expecting some answers.

The Star Supreme Elder easily read through his intentions and answered calmly, but seriously as well.

"I have already been in contact with the Altare Empire and the Startos Imperium. Both of them will be rushing to support the Shadow Sea Outer Realm and the Space Shatter Secret Realm, respectively, at once.

"I have also secured the support of the Celestial Shadow Union. They have shown their willingness to help us out as well. They will act as our reinforcements if needed, as well as keep watch for any Outer Alliance forces and gods so that they cannot interfere with us during this crucial time," the Star Supreme Elder said somewhat proudly.

Though that was merely a front, he was already bleeding in his heart. To secure this support, he had willingly given up over half of the Star Empire’s rare ultimate resources, which they had accumulated through millions of years of struggle and countless sacrifices. Yet now, all of it had been handed over...

It’s all worth it if the Star Empire remains standing, the Star Supreme Elder thought while gritting his teeth.

Clark finally raised his eyebrows in surprise. The Star Empire had actually managed to secure the support of four of the seven superstates at once, and he knew well enough just how much it would take for those people to agree to this!

"Looks like you have given everything to safeguard what you have left," Clark said in an amused tone. "To think all this happened because of the wishful thinking of the Stellar Emperor is just... Hahahaha! It’s simply funny! I wonder what his expression would look like when he learns how you ran around securing all this. Definitely worse than those demonic cult people! Hahahahaha!"

The Star Supreme Elder’s face flushed with embarrassment, or perhaps anger, or maybe both, as he listened to Clark’s mockery of him and his Empire. A blazing anger rushed through his mind, increasing his hatred towards the runaway Stellar Emperor. He wished for nothing more than to crush that man to pulp!

"Haha! My apologies for that, Star Supreme Elder." Clark’s laughter slowly faded as he spoke. "It’s just that it can’t be helped. I never thought in my life that an ambitious person like the Stellar Emperor could do such foolish things!"

"Anyway, enough about that. Star Supreme Elder, I might have some good news for you even in this situation, something you could definitely make good use of to get rid of a few pests for a while!"

Suddenly, Clark changed the topic and spoke seriously.

The Star Supreme Elder became interested upon hearing this and asked, "And what could that be, Lord Clark?"

"It’s about those humans from the newly formed Celestial Void Empire! I have just received some intelligence. Soon, these humans will have no time, day or night, to worry about anything other than their own survival. Not too far from their territory, an Outer Realm invasion has begun, and this invasion is being led by none other than the Kiramis (Blood Eater) Race!

"The invasion has already been going on for weeks, and they have gained the initial momentum! However strong those humans might be, in the end, theirs is but borrowed strength, with no truly powerful figures like us present among them. Likewise, they should have no chance of surviving. Even if they do, they should be left on the brink of destruction by the end of it all!

"I have heard that they have been giving you and your Empire a headache. You can bring this up and make use of it to push those things where they belong and finally focus on what is truly necessary!" Clark said solemnly.

There was a reason why he had shared this information.