This empty warehouse he had converted into a reception hall, specifically for hosting guests, was furnished with surprising grandeur and elegance. In truth, he knew little about interior design; the entire hall's layout was copied directly from the Yang family's banquet hall.

A banquet hall like this appears cavernous when empty. Out of habit, Zhong Yun had arranged hundreds of tables, surrounded by chairs, making it resemble a vast, mismatched restaurant.

The former military officers and officials of the Savage Beast Nation sat nervously on chairs along the side. Zhong Yun's stance remained ambiguous, and they were filled with anxiety over potential losses or gains—these men, already holding high positions, were especially loath to relinquish their power.

"You must all be hungry. Try some specialty foods from my nation first," Zhong Yun said. Though phrased as a question, he gave no indication that he was soliciting their opinions. He clapped his hands, and the hall doors opened. Dozens of robots filed in, setting dish after dish onto the tables.

The disgraced officials exchanged worried glances. Though anxious to know their fate, since Zhong Yun had invited them to dine, none dared to be impolite or speak out of turn at such a moment.

The meal was oppressive. Many had no idea what the food tasted like, merely chewing mechanically, hoping to finish quickly. Only a few managed to maintain composure.

Despite their urgency, dishes seemed endless, arriving every few minutes, only to be cleared away moments later, regardless of whether the previous plate had been touched. They dared not stop eating until the procession of food ended, forcing themselves to continue, even if only feigning appetite.

The meal dragged on for over three hours. Everyone was so stuffed they could barely stand. Finally, the robots stopped bringing out more courses.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room; any more food and they might genuinely burst. The banquet was over. The robots efficiently cleared the tables and departed.

A moment later, several robots walked back in, carrying platters, startling everyone. More? They began to suspect the host intended to deliberately choke them all to death.

Only when the platters were set down did they realize they contained only beverages.

"It seems you all have good appetites," Zhong Yun’s holographic head reappeared on the wall, his face sporting a faint, knowing smile. "A single meal taking over three hours."

The officials instinctively stood up. In their minds, they grumbled, If you hadn't kept serving food, how could this have taken so long? But no one dared voice this resentment. They were entirely at his mercy, completely powerless, left to be toyed with at his will.

Zhong Yun laced his fingers, leaning back in his chair. "I thought you might finish within half an hour. It seems these dishes truly suit your tastes—you couldn't stop eating."

Many offered strained, wry smiles. It turned out the unending stream of food was a direct result of their own constant eating. If they had known, they wouldn't have suffered such discomfort. However, they understood this was merely a demonstration—a calculated show of dominance.

"I see you're all quite full. This is tea to aid digestion; a little will make you feel much better," Zhong Yun announced. Indeed, their internal suspicions were correct: he was simply establishing his authority, knowing the precise line between amusement and excessive cruelty.

"I have reviewed all of your files," Zhong Yun finally turned to business. "Now, I announce the personnel appointments. Lauren Shi, you will remain Deputy Minister of Defense..."

While they were eating, he hadn't been idle. He had combed through their records in the Arashi Star database and summoned Wang Xiao Er for further hypnotic interrogation. Chang Dong, the brother-in-law of the Savage Beast Leader, as a core member, certainly knew these officials well. Using all this information, he had finalized the fate of these two hundred-plus individuals.

During this critical period, Zhong Yun did not intend to overhaul the existing political structure of the Savage Beast Nation; he maintained the old system, but only forty percent of the personnel retained their prior posts.

The individuals Zhong Yun chose to keep were subtly selected—they were mostly representatives of other factions within the former Savage Beast Nation. As for the Savage Beast Leader’s direct loyalists, not a single one remained. Furthermore, he dismissed the military head and the department chiefs. These individuals had reached the apex of their careers, and Zhong Yun had no higher positions to offer them, so he unceremoniously kicked them out.

The vacant positions were used to buy loyalty. Subordinates given hope would work far more diligently for him.

After reading out all the names, Zhong Yun concluded, "Rest assured, I am not here to plunder and leave. I intend to occupy this territory long-term. This is my first domain, and I will make it stronger and stronger."

Zhong Yun’s voice boomed like thunder, filled with aspiration. "Starting today, this nation shall be called—Galaxy!"

Those whose names were called in the reception hall immediately brightened, while the unmentioned slumped in disappointment. Regardless, Zhong Yun's soaring ambitions echoed through the hall at that moment. Fate had presented him an opportunity to finally spread his wings and soar through the heavens.

"I understand that the Savage Beast Nation previously had no Senate. I shall establish one now. Those whose names were not called will all become members of the Upper House. Do any of you object?"

No one dared voice opposition. Conquerors are never lenient with the disobedient.

Zhong Yun’s gaze swept across every face, finally settling into a satisfied nod. "Since there are no objections, this matter is decided. In ten days, all assembly members will gather here. I will then explain the specific duties of the Senate and select a location for the Upper House. For now, you may return and prepare."

Led by the robots, the group of over one hundred and twenty departed.

In the hall remained about seventy high-ranking officials who, for a period, would help him govern the nation.

"Our most urgent priority now is to stabilize the morale of the populace. This task falls to you. Calm the citizens and maintain social order. I do not care what methods you employ, but things absolutely cannot descend into chaos. This is a test for you. Those who perform well will be promoted; those who do poorly, get out!" Zhong Yun slammed the table forcefully.

"Yes, Your Excellency," the seventy-plus officials responded in unison.

"Go now. I will be watching," Zhong Yun commanded.

Everyone departed. Zhong Yun sat at the command console, rubbing his temples. Settling these men did not guarantee smooth sailing. The Savage Beast Leader, hearing the news while campaigning abroad, might rush back recklessly. The whereabouts of the fleet he scared away remained unknown. Even after a major defeat, the Savage Beast remnant fleet should number in the hundreds. If a true battle erupted, it would be fierce, and Zhong Yun held no certainty of victory.

Zhong Yun was gambling—betting that the Savage Beast Leader would not dare return. A rational mind, facing the Blue Stone Fleet in front and an unknown hostile force seizing his base from behind, would realize retaking his planet was a fool’s errand. The wisest course would be to retreat, preserve strength, and return later when fully reconstituted.

However, even if the Savage Beast Leader abandoned decades of legacy, the Blue Stone Nation certainly wouldn't surrender easy spoils; they would probe Zhong Yun’s strength, regardless of how tough he seemed.

Thus, the worst-case scenario was the Savage Beast Leader attacking first, and after repelling him, the Blue Stone Nation swooping in. In that event, Zhong Yun would have to abandon his newly founded Galaxy Nation. The best outcome would be the Savage Beast Leader retreating to conserve strength, while the Blue Stone Nation, weakened by their conflict with the Beast, hesitated to attack until they fully assessed the situation. This would grant Zhong Yun the time needed to develop and fortify himself against the chaos of the Star Sea.

Regardless, preparation for war was mandatory. Yet, he lacked trusted personnel. The newly surrendered troops weren't even fully integrated; he dared not send them into battle, fearing they might turn against him mid-fight. Ultimately, his core team was too small. In this moment, he desperately missed his comrades from Dawo. If Tian Hai, Chen Wen, and Zhang Xiao were here, they wouldn't be scrambling so frantically, having to handle every task himself.

"There is one thing I still can't figure out," Zeng Xiao San remarked to Wang Xiao Er.

The four of them had been given a critical assignment by Zhong Yun: selecting qualified soldiers from the former Savage Beast Nation's military to form their personal subordinates.

En route to the port, Zeng Xiao San couldn't help but ask.

"What is it?" Wang Xiao Er replied casually, surveying the surroundings. This area, an artificially constructed habitat, mirrored the base on Dawo, lending him a strange sense of familiarity.

"Why did they surrender so easily? They clearly had the capacity to resist. I just don't get it," Zeng Xiao San said, clearly troubled.

Wang Xiao Er turned to look at him and suddenly smiled. "Do you think all military forces in the universe are like ours on Dawo, refusing to surrender even if their entire contingent is wiped out?"

"Haven't you realized how different this place is from the Omi Star System?" Wang Xiao Er sighed.

"I know there are differences, but surrendering so readily? Wouldn't that just leave them ready to be slaughtered?" Zeng Xiao San remained puzzled.

In truth, Wang Xiao Er hadn't understood initially either, first suspecting trickery from the Savage Beast Nation. It was only after interrogating Chang Dong that he grasped the reasons.

"The truth is, many people in the Star Sea lack the concept of 'nation.' Their governing principle is simple: align with whomever is powerful. Only under a strong ruler's wing can they truly survive."

"And the powerful despise resistors because resistance causes them needless loss of strength. Therefore, during the conquest of a state, tenacious fighters meet terrible ends. After the conquest, the victors often hunt down the families of the staunchest resistors and torture them to death by cruel means."

"Conversely, those who surrender are highly welcomed. Not only are they spared hardship, but they are often rewarded. This has become an unspoken, long-established custom."

"So, in wartime, very few people fight to the death, especially when the power gap is immense. Most people surrender. This leads to a peculiar phenomenon: casualties aren't high in warfare because everyone surrenders when the situation turns unfavorable."

Zeng Xiao San stared, dumbfounded. "That’s just… too…" He struggled to find a suitable adjective.

"Too absurd, isn't it?" Wang Xiao Er mocked. "Before heading to war, the Savage Beast Leader took his most loyal troops. The remaining hundred ships all fled. Those left behind, not wanting to die, naturally surrendered."

"If someone broke the rules and executed the prisoners, then what?" Zeng Xiao San finally asked.

A sharp gleam flashed in Wang Xiao Er’s eyes. "The Boss asked the exact same thing." The six of them had already started referring to Zhong Yun as "Boss."

"If someone dared to defy universal convention and massacre prisoners, they would find themselves unable to move an inch in the Star Sea thereafter. With such a reputation, attacking other nations would become infinitely harder. Who would trust surrendering to such a person?"

"Even his own subordinates would have doubts, because taking such an action means he has no future prospects."

"No wonder," Zeng Xiao San finally understood, marveling, "this is truly a bizarre place."

"Snap out of it. What we need to do now is cultivate core loyalists for the Boss—the kind who will never betray him, no matter the circumstances. Understand?" Wang Xiao Er clapped him on the shoulder.

"Mission guaranteed to be completed!" Zeng Xiao San declared loudly.

The massive Mercury-class ship hovered menacingly overhead. After several days of nervous apprehension, the freshly minted citizens of the Galaxy Nation finally realized a regime change had occurred. Through the overwhelming media coverage, everyone understood that this nascent nation was not fundamentally different from the previous one. After a few days of cautious probing, they discovered life continued as before. People returned to their routines—work, leisure. As long as policies remained unchanged, it made little difference who ruled, as long as the ruler was strong enough to offer protection. Paying taxes was paying taxes, no matter the recipient.

The true upheaval was felt by those previously in the social upper echelon. The shifting of power elevated some to the heavens while plummeting others from the clouds to the earth.

Take the Savage Beast Leader's relatives; anyone with even a slight blood relation was placed under soft confinement—though they had already been restricted before the official surrender was decided. For the moment, their lives were not in danger; no one wanted to incur the stigma of killing their former lord, especially since the surrendered officials hoped to continue serving the new regime. Such an action would jeopardize those hopes. Zhong Yun would handle these individuals personally.

Upon learning the situation, Zhong Yun said nothing, merely studying the standard practice of FTL conquerors. He sent those distantly related to remote mining colonies as laborers, while those closer in kinship were loaded onto a spaceship filled with provisions and escorted out of Galaxy Nation. Zhong Yun preferred to leave a sliver of hope, unwilling to commit wholesale slaughter. These people posed no threat, and releasing them might accrue some minor goodwill.

The Savage Beast Leader remained absent, apparently having made the sensible choice.

However, Zhong Yun detected reconnaissance ships from the Blue Stone Nation, which were destroyed by patrol units led by Chu Tian Ge. This confirmed that the Blue Stone Nation was indeed eyeing Arashi Star.

Due to severe manpower shortages, the operators of the previous two warships—the dozens of crew members from the original Pearl—were promoted by Zhong Yun to Captains. They were tasked with training soldiers carefully selected by Wang Xiao Er for intensive drills. To prepare for the imminent war, Zhong Yun installed proximity alarms within a two-hundred-million-kilometer radius of Galaxy Nation. Any enemy presence within this perimeter would alert him instantly.

Upon first occupying the planet, Zhong Yun had dispatched Ruo Meng to retrieve personnel from the base. They returned just before the war broke out, bringing over five hundred individuals with administrative experience. Zhong Yun integrated them into the Galaxy government. He had worried the old officials might try something manipulative, but cooperation proved surprisingly smooth.

With the rear secured, Zhong Yun could focus entirely on the approaching enemy.

The increasing number of Blue Stone reconnaissance ships signaled that war was drawing near. From Lauren Shi, Zhong Yun learned that the Blue Stone Nation was marginally stronger than the Savage Beast Nation, located about a two-month journey away. At the standard Star Sea vessel speed of one-tenth light speed, a two-month journey equaled slightly more than 0.01 light-years—not excessively far, but not close either.

Based on Lauren Shi’s projections, if the Blue Stone Nation mobilized troops, the journey would take at least a month. Half a month had already passed since Zhong Yun secured Arashi Star, leaving him roughly another half-month to prepare.

Half a month was ample time for Zhong Yun to act. Recruitment of core loyalists was nearly complete. Following his requirements, Wang Xiao Er and his team had enlisted fifty thousand individuals. "Core Loyalists" were defined as those who shared Zhong Yun's vested interests. He offered them extremely high salaries and promised comprehensive care for their families. Orphaned children were usually the best candidates, as those raised from youth developed intense loyalty. However, Zhong Yun lacked that luxury and had to resort to hiring experienced personnel at great expense.

The Loyalist Corps was a high-risk, high-reward career path: the fastest route to promotion, the highest pay, and the best family care. Conversely, becoming someone's loyalist meant forfeiting ownership of one's own life; if ordered to die, hesitation was impossible, lest their families suffer the consequences. The emergence of Loyalist Corps was a grim necessity born from the harsh environment of the Star Sea, as no reliable fighting force could be raised otherwise. At its peak, the Savage Beast Nation commanded over half a million loyalists.

Zhong Yun’s fifty thousand were carefully handpicked elites. With them secured, Zhong Yun felt a significant easing of pressure; he finally possessed some substantial power.

Taking advantage of the remaining time, Zhong Yun moved all fifty thousand into the Mercury-class ship for "War Simulation" training. Initially, he worried the simulation couldn't handle so many participants simultaneously, but it proved entirely unaffected. These fifty thousand already possessed high military aptitude, saving Zhong Yun considerable basic instruction time. His focus was on real-combat training, as not all of them had prior battlefield experience; he needed them to personally feel what combat was like.

He delegated military command to Chu Tian Ge and the political affairs to his administrative team, while he himself remained in the "War Simulation" with the fifty thousand for a full fifteen days.

Emerging, Zhong Yun immediately summoned Chu Tian Ge and the others to finalize personnel assignments. He ordered the establishment of six fleets, with Chu Tian Ge and the five others serving as Fleet Commanders. Thirty thousand troops were divided among these six fleets, ten thousand were assigned to the planetary fortresses under the command of the former Pearl crew, and the final ten thousand formed Zhong Yun's personal direct reserve.

These 'six fleets' were functionally only six "Mist Mountain-class" warships. Until he could trust more captains, Zhong Yun preferred to maintain this limited scale. As long as they could maintain internal order, the actual fighting would be handled by the Mercury-class.

By now, the nascent Galaxy Nation had achieved initial stability. Zhong Yun had gained an invaluable month. Driving him off this planet would no longer be easy.

Just then, the alarm system relayed fresh intelligence: a large contingent of enemy warships was approaching Arashi Star.

They had arrived.

Zhong Yun took a deep breath, connected communication channels to all his subordinates, issued detailed instructions, finalized arrangements, and then prepared for launch.

"Come on, Blue Stone Nation. Let's see if you destroy my Galaxy Nation, or if I annihilate your fleet."

Zhong Yun wished to keep the battle away from Arashi Star, so he chose to attack preemptively, taking only the Mercury-class vessel while leaving everyone else behind. Chu Tian Ge and the others vehemently protested, but he issued a non-negotiable order, forcing them to stay and defend.

The alarm system sent updated data: the enemy force totaled one hundred and fifty warships, now only 150 million kilometers from Arashi Star.

One hundred and fifty ships. Zhong Yun closed his eyes, contemplating. Annihilating this entire force would be difficult; if they dispersed and fled, the Mercury-class couldn't chase them all down. "It seems I have to take a risk," he murmured, then wondered what plan Xiao Ling would devise in this scenario.

The Mercury-class's sensors already showed the enemy silhouettes, drawing ever closer. War was imminent.

P: It’s the start of a new month. Super Empire has been officially released for three months now—time flies! Our protagonist finally has his own territory. Starting now, Zhong Yun embarks on a journey of conquest that promises to be thrilling. Are your votes ready?

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