Erland was a nation of immense power, its influence stretching across a light-year to five light-years, with no other force capable of truly threatening its borders.
The expanse of the cosmos perfectly illustrated the adage that one star system could not sustain two tigers; when two powers of comparable strength settled adjacent to one another, the result was invariably mortal conflict—only one could remain standing.
The root of all this stemmed from the unique environment of the Star Sea. The primary factor was the extreme hostility of the environment. To date, no naturally habitable celestial body had ever been discovered in the Star Sea. For survival, the human inhabitants here channeled almost every resource into constructing environments capable of sustaining life.
To establish and maintain a simulated environment capable of housing hundreds of millions of people in the Star Sea—how much in terms of vital resources would that require?
Zhong Yun understood that even if the mineral wealth here was a hundred times richer than in the Omi Star System, the environment was commensurately more brutal.
Simply maintaining the basic necessities for survival demanded exponentially more manpower.
Consequently, the people here were born with an innate sense of urgency, for the slightest lapse in vigilance could mean death. Given the scarcity of societal resources, the community would not tolerate supporting the useless.
Humanitarian concerns did not exist here; the weak were culled. Only those with capability could survive.
To the inhabitants of the Star Sea, this was simply the natural order—the immutable law of their existence.
The inevitable result was war, fought for the sake of possessing more resources.
The second factor was the absence of space-fold technology. Without it, the establishment of a truly vast nation was impossible; distances were too great for effective governance.
The Star Sea could not be unified, and without unified rule, an effective order could not be established among the few major powers. Chaos in the Star Sea was thus unavoidable.
For the people of the Star Sea, relying on powerful nations or formidable individuals was practically instinctual; only under the protection of overwhelming strength could they secure a safe existence.
Erland, as a dominant power, exerted a strong gravitational pull on individuals, but not everyone could gain entry. Erland was no charity; it did not accept just anyone—it selectively absorbed only those deemed useful talents.
The military database of the Ferocious Beasts Nation held sparse information on Erland, offering only a vague overview of the nation’s situation, with zero concrete intelligence.
Zhong Yun's objective for visiting Erland was to glean insight into the broader Star Sea situation, hoping to discover a means of departure.
Ten days from reaching Erland, Zhong Yun piloted the Mars out of the Jupiter Sea. He had no intention of bringing the Jupiter along, as it would only invite endless trouble; the Mercury was too conspicuous. Only the Mars was suitable.
Zhong Yun brought only Chu Tiange, Ruomeng, and Twenty-One, along with ten thousand soldiers. Everyone else, including Xiao Ling, remained aboard the Jupiter.
The two parties separated, maintaining communication channels along their respective routes.
As he neared Erland, Zhong Yun encountered a minor complication. Not far from his intended route, a small pirate fleet was attacking a transport ship.
Xiao Ling had alerted him to the skirmish.
He had initially intended to ignore the affair; saving the several thousand souls aboard the Pearl had already brought him significant issues, and he wished to avoid further entanglements.
However... Zhong Yun paused for a moment before turning the Mars and flying toward the conflict.
"We are eternally grateful for your life-saving grace, esteemed visitor."
The speaker was an old man, perhaps in his sixties or seventies. After Zhong Yun rescued them, the elder immediately requested a communication link, which Zhong Yun accepted.
The old man's expression was deeply grateful. He was returning to Erland Star, bringing his wife and children with him; had Zhong Yun not appeared in time, his entire family would have perished here. Pirates in the Star Sea were notoriously avaricious; they plundered passing vessels, stripping everything, leaving not even a single energy cell behind.
Without energy and sustenance, death in the void of space was certain.
"It was a small matter," Zhong Yun replied, his demeanor utterly calm. Though not deliberately projecting it, an air of arrogance permeated him—the pride of a true powerhouse.
The old man felt a shiver run down his spine, his respect deepening. He had witnessed the entire engagement. That immense vessel had materialized suddenly, and with a single volley, annihilated every pirate ship, leaving only a few mechs scrambling away in panic.
The sheer power Zhong Yun displayed startled the elder inwardly.
That vessel, he suspected, was in no way inferior to their nation's primary capital ship, the Baron-class destroyer. Yet, his nation possessed only eleven such ships, each one legendary, bearing countless battle honors while guarding the national frontiers.
How could such a warship suddenly appear under Erland's banner? he mused, noting that it didn't resemble a vessel from an enemy state either.
Perhaps they were Explorers? A flash of insight struck him, bringing forth a possible explanation.
Explorers were those who ventured throughout the Star Sea, often possessing formidable strength but refusing allegiance to any nation, operating entirely independently. Their main work involved locating precious mineral deposits and selling them to neighboring powers for vast sums of wealth.
They also sought out ancient ruins across the sectors, searching for lost treasures.
The Star Sea was not only plagued by frequent warfare but also recurrent natural disasters. Legends spoke of several immensely powerful empires that had been utterly destroyed by such cataclysms.
These Explorers were likely hunting for the remains of those legendary empires, which held not only their vast hoards of wealth but also incredibly valuable high technology.
Erland was situated near the edge of the Star Sea, an area that held...
...the ruins of the Ancient Empire—a hyper-power that once dominated half the Star Sea before being annihilated in a colossal, system-wide cosmic storm.
That storm had nearly shattered the entire civilization of the Star Sea. Since then, technological progress here had suffered a major discontinuity, with countless high technologies lost and the overall scientific level receding by millennia.
These Explorers must be aiming for the ruins of that empire, the old man concluded, becoming even more cautious.
In the Star Sea, no one willingly provoked these Explorers. Not every exploration team could single-handedly overturn an ancient ruin, but some managed to acquire incredibly potent and bizarre weaponry.
It was difficult to gauge an Explorer’s true capability; they might command only a seemingly ordinary warship, but unleash their trump card, and they could crush an entire fleet.
The group facing him, the elder realized, clearly possessed overwhelming strength.
"I apologize, esteemed visitor. Returning from an outlying region to Erland, we have not brought much in the way of valuables. Perhaps, if you would wait until I return to Erland Star to settle my debt..." the old man spoke hesitantly, watching Zhong Yun's expression anxiously, fearing a sudden shift to anger.
The customs of the Star Sea differed completely from those of the Omi Star System. In the Omi System, encountering distressed travelers during a voyage meant automatically offering aid, provisions, and transport to the nearest Free World—it was simply expected duty, with no expectation of reward.
But the Star Sea was different. Here, the law of nature was enacted to its extreme; human interactions were fundamentally transactional.
Without immediate benefit, who would save a complete stranger? Every unit of energy, every ration of food here, was incredibly precious and could not be wasted carelessly.
Therefore, when one rescued distressed travelers during a voyage in the Star Sea, they had the right to demand compensation. If the rescued refused payment, the rescuer was free to deal with them as they saw fit.
Zhong Yun had learned this rule from the soldiers of the Star, so he harbored no guilt about it. He simply nodded. "Yes, I happen to be heading toward Erland Star myself."
The old man was overjoyed; having them escort them meant they would fear no further pirate attacks.
"Father, why must we give them wealth?" After the communication link was closed, a teenage boy of about sixteen or seventeen, standing beside the elder, spoke with unconcealed resentment.
The old man’s face darkened, and he sharply reprimanded, "Child, what do you know? Remember this: you must never show any dissatisfaction in front of those people. Do you understand?"
The boy was startled by his father's stern gaze. His father had always spoken gently to him; this was the first time he had ever shouted like this. Fear mixed with grievance welled up, and tears nearly spilled over. "I... I understand."
The old man frowned slightly. This son was born when he was fifty and was his only remaining child, thus deeply cherished. But now, it seemed he might have spoiled him excessively, which would ultimately prove detrimental to the boy.
They were now nearing the core interests sphere of Erland. Upon arrival, all incoming and outgoing vessels were subject to inspection.
Although guiding the Mars inside would not be difficult, and they could certainly remain undetected, Zhong Yun preferred to enter Erland Star with a legitimate identity. Thus, he proceeded openly through the checkpoint station.
As the massive warship Mars approached, the fleet stationed at this outpost grew tense. While directing the vessel into the port, they monitored it closely; should the warship display any unexpected movement, countless batteries of artillery would immediately open fire.
Fortunately, the enormous warship complied and entered the port without incident, bringing a wave of relief to the garrison.
Curiosity immediately followed: who possessed such a vessel? By sheer size, it was clearly a Baron-class, a formidable combat asset wherever it might be stationed.
The registration personnel boarded the ship to verify the identities and intentions of the crew.
Upon learning that Zhong Yun was the king of a vassal state of Erland, the registrars became instantly reverent. Even a vassal state sovereign commanded respect; being a ruler meant being a power, and power commanded deference.
According to Erland law, foreign Baron-class warships were prohibited from entering Erland territory; such vessels had to be docked here, with the personnel proceeding inland via other transport.
Zhong Yun left Twenty-One, Ruomeng, and nine thousand soldiers behind. He took only Tiange and one thousand soldiers, chartering a spacecraft to fly to Erland Star, accompanied by the rescued elder—Firth.
Zhong Yun entrusted the Galaxy Nation to Lawrence, with two stipulations: first, the national name could not be changed within ten years; and second, for five years, he must be permitted to act under the title of the King of the Galaxy Nation.
Lawrence was shrewd and recognized this opportunity as a sheer windfall, practically falling from the sky. Once he confirmed Zhong Yun was not joking, he immediately agreed.
Zhong Yun calculated that Lawrence would be unable to eradicate all internal opposition within five years; therefore, for those five years, he would nominally remain the King of the Galaxy Nation—a legitimate status that would greatly facilitate his activities within Erland.
As for Firth, his status within Erland was not insignificant; he was the external Governor for Erland’s Fourth District, responsible for managing the affairs of all affiliated territories within that zone.
In truth, the Governor position was relatively leisurely. Erland exerted minimal control over distant dependencies; managing territories too far afield incurred excessive administrative costs.
However, the position held supreme deterrent value: should any nation openly defy Erland, the state would dispatch troops without hesitation to obliterate it.
This established a...
...balance: Erland could not interfere in the daily affairs of its vassals, but in accordance with the principle of the strong ruling the weak, each nation was required to offer substantial tribute—a form of protection money—to Erland annually.
The external Governors usually enjoyed quiet years, rarely intervening in anything, only becoming busy when the vassal states came to offer their tribute.
Firth was returning home upon completing his term, having been assigned a fairly high position within the central government.
With this connection, Zhong Yun could integrate into Erland society more rapidly. Over the following days, Zhong Yun frequently communicated with Firth, gathering intelligence about the situation within Erland.
Hearing that Zhong Yun was the king of a nation, Firth was mildly astonished. Despite being Erland’s external Governor, nominally overseeing all vassal states in his jurisdiction, he could not actually command any vassal king.
Furthermore, the nation possessed a Baron-class warship, indicating genuine, hard power—far exceeding his own status as a leisurely Governor.
Several days later, they arrived at Erland's nucleus: Erland Star.
In truth, what people referred to as Erland Star was a collective term for three planets within a single star system. Seventy percent of Erland’s population resided on these three worlds, which constituted the nation's most developed and prosperous regions.
For Zhong Yun, a king from a distant vassal state, Erland assigned only a Deputy Minister from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to greet him. This deputy minister treated Zhong Yun with undisguised arrogance upon their meeting.
Erland felt entitled to adopt the posture of a suzerain state, which Zhong Yun did not dispute. He merely expressed his admiration for Erland’s culture and his desire for the freedom to move about Erland Star and visit various academies for study.
The Deputy Minister stipulated terms: freedom of movement was possible, but only with a retinue of ten people or fewer; the remaining personal guard contingent had to remain housed in designated quarters.
Zhong Yun readily agreed.
Once the agreement was finalized, the Deputy Minister departed quickly, without lingering.
Erland was not entirely ungenerous; the allocated residence was vast, capable of housing a thousand people. Of course, lodging was complimentary, but they had to procure their own provisions.
On that very day, the payment Firth had promised arrived. Firth came from a noble family and had served in office for many years, resulting in a considerable personal fortune; the compensation he sent was substantial, which Zhong Yun accepted with a pleased smile.
The next day, Zhong Yun and Chu Tiange went out to explore. Outside their residence, dedicated personnel were posted, ostensibly for protection—a standard requirement he paid no mind to.
Truly befitting a major power, the living environment on Erland Star surpassed that of the Galaxy Nation: the dome ceiling was higher, the roads wider, and the architecture on both sides more aesthetically pleasing.
The ceiling simulated a blue sky and white clouds, achieving near-perfect realism. As to why a blue sky and clouds existed in a naturally barren Star Sea, the explanation was obvious: many people here were likely like him, refugees from a collapsed cosmic civilization, and it was not surprising that they would simulate familiar terrestrial skies on the dome.
The streets were crowded, and most pedestrians possessed relaxed demeanors, showing none of the tension or fatigue associated with struggling for survival. It appeared the standard of living here was quite high.
Walking the avenues of Erland Star felt akin to being back on an administrative planet in the Omi Star System. Sunlight filtered through the thick ceiling, warming their skin.
Strange, uniquely shaped flying vehicles frequently zipped past overhead. Tall, opulent structures lined the roads, and even patches of green vegetation were planted alongside the thoroughfares, lending a vibrant vitality to the streetscape.
Zhong Yun and Chu Tiange clearly relished the atmosphere.
Pedestrians on the street stared curiously at the pair’s look of enchantment, with occasional snickers heard, punctuated by whispers of "country bumpkins."
Zhong Yun purchased a local map at a shop. Following its directions, he boarded a passenger transport vehicle heading toward a nearby school.
Erland’s education system was notably more utilitarian, structured into only three tiers: foundational education, vocational training, and specialized education.
Everyone was permitted to enter the school system, but they had to pass rigorous assessments and pay substantial fees, with no guarantee of graduation.
The institution Zhong Yun approached was the most renowned in Erland: the Erland Specialized School. Armed with a clearance certificate issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they passed the security check at the entrance and entered the campus.
Upon stepping inside, Zhong Yun was enveloped by a wave of youthful energy that captivated him. He reflected that every time he visited a school, his tenure as a student was cut short abruptly.
In college on Earth, he transmigrated to Davao. At Davao University, he was dragged into war. At Keton Star, he was embroiled in civil unrest...
...it was certainly a varied life.
Chu Tiange, noticing Zhong Yun staring blankly at a group of female students, developed a strange expression.
The female students had long since noticed Zhong Yun’s bold gaze and were whispering amongst themselves, wondering who that simpleton was staring at, occasionally punctuated by clear bursts of laughter.
"Hey, brat, what are you looking at?" A gruff voice boomed, jolting Zhong Yun from his reverie. He followed the sound and saw a massive, powerfully built figure glaring furiously at him.
P: It seems like the last day for double monthly ticket rewards—any brothers with tickets, cast them in quickly!