Christina and Yang Ying exchanged pleasantries before entering the living room and sitting down opposite each other.

"Bos's people are watching us closely, but fortunately, Shiro’s professional skills are excellent, which allowed me to slip away." Christina glanced at the bodyguard, shed her disguise, and revealed her sapphire-blue hair and eyes once more.

"So this brother bodyguard is named Shiro. A pleasure!" Yang Ying rose and extended his hand to him.

The bodyguard hesitated for a moment before taking Yang Ying's hand.

They had once fought together against the Ancient Legion that invaded Kussen, so they could be considered comrades-in-arms.

"Miss Christina, you arrived so secretly, and asked us to be as discreet as possible about our identities—is there a reason for this?" Yang Ying sat down again and inquired.

"Yes. In fact, the progress of this negotiation has taken an unexpected turn, quickly spiraling into a situation highly unfavorable to us." Christina repeatedly used the pronoun "we," clearly intending to pull Yang Ying onto the same bandwagon.

"Have the other two cities united to pressure Kussen?" Yang Yang was unconcerned by these petty maneuvers. One couldn't survive in the Asteroid Belt without employing some tactics; the kinder one was, the more necessary it was to use appropriate means for self-protection.

"Yes, Bos took the lead, and Lehai is happy to sacrifice Kussen. They are currently in discussions now. Fortunately, early this morning, a group of terrorists attacked the delegation sent by Lehai, which delayed the negotiations. Otherwise, they might have signed an alliance sacrificing Kussen even before our meeting today."

Christina frowned slightly, speaking slowly with a soft tone. As an important figure in the Kussen delegation, she was under immense pressure from the other two cities, leaving her exhausted from coping.

Yang Ying detected her weariness in her tone. Nevertheless, he had questions: "It’s understandable that Bos took the lead, given their fleet is the strongest of the three cities. But why would they unite with Kussen to sacrifice Lehai? I recall Lehai being the weakest, seemingly the easiest to sacrifice."

"The hatred between Bos and Kussen is long-standing. Thirty years ago, Bos and Kussen both set their sights on a beautiful meteor cluster, intending to move their cities there. Negotiations failed to yield a suitable agreement after several rounds, leading to a clash between the Kussen Corps and the Bos Guard. Kussen emerged victorious, leading to today's prosperity."

Christina sighed, offering a wry smile. "My father and General Porson, the current commander of the Bos Guard, both survived that battle. However, my uncle and Porson’s brother died in the fighting. Thus, there is a deep, irreconcilable feud between the two sides."

Just then, Katerina brought in several cups of tea, brewed from fine leaves brought from the base, purchased from Earth across impossible distances. As she approached slowly, a wave of tea fragrance filled the room, instantly invigorating the senses.

"Have a cup to refresh yourself. You don't look well right now," Katerina said gently to Christina with a sweet smile.

"Thank you." Christina accepted a cup, lifted the lid, blew lightly on the surface, took a sip, and after a deep breath, swallowed. "Excellent tea!"

"You are too kind." Katerina handed a cup to Yang Ying, then sat beside him, gazing at the two women with eyes as soft as water.

"You are truly fortunate to have a woman like Katerina with you, Commander Yang." Christina savored this moment of tranquility, feeling the weight on her shoulders lighten somewhat, leaning back on the sofa wishing she could just sleep.

"Not at all. I am merely the commander's personal secretary. This is just my duty," Katerina replied modestly, smiling.

Using the time afforded by the tea, both sides rested. Yang Ying and his group recovered from the fatigue of travel, while Christina allowed the tension held tight for several days to ease slightly, preparing to brace for the tightening of those same strings at tomorrow's meeting.

The rest concluded, Yang Ying continued his questioning: "Then why don't you seek an alliance with Lehai to sacrifice Bos? If you offered enough benefits, surely bringing Lehai into your camp is achievable?"

"It’s not that simple." Christina shook her head. "The Lehai delegation is too conservative; they are only concerned with self-preservation and have no interest in maneuvering between Kussen and Bos to gain greater advantages. Moreover, Bos’s military strength far surpasses Kussen's. They believe aligning with Bos is easier for survival, so they rejected our invitation to cooperate, no matter how favorable our terms."

"Do they believe that the two of you combined are still insufficient to resist Bos?" Yang Ying asked with a slightly exaggerated tone.

"Yes," Christina sighed again, nodding with distress. "Bos possesses two large warships. You must understand, large warships are further categorized: those with main cannons at Tier Four are light cruisers, while those with Tier Five main cannons are heavy cruisers. Although both are cruisers, their destructive power is vastly different—the firepower disparity is like that between a small frigate and a medium destroyer. A massive gulf!"

Frigates generally use Tier Two cannons, and destroyers generally use Tier Three. However, Yang Ying’s Valkyrie frigate broke this rule: while structurally a frigate, its firepower was comparable to a destroyer, and its armor protection was akin to a light cruiser, making it stronger than most destroyers.

"You mean Bos has a heavy cruiser?" Due to the rush, Yang Ying’s understanding of Bos was superficial; he only knew they had two large warships, but not their specifics.

Christina nodded. "Bos has one heavy cruiser and one light cruiser, totaling two large warships. Kussen and Lehai each have one light cruiser, and Kussen’s is currently under repair, rendering it unusable for at least half a month."

"By the looks of it, the gap in strength between Kussen and Bos is indeed considerable." Yang Ying closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. "Kussen’s economic power is far greater than Bos’s, so why is the Kussen Corps fleet inferior to the Bos Guard?"

"The primary income for our major mercenary groups comes from escort duties for space cities, drawing a certain percentage of the protected city's finances annually. As for the exact proportion, it varies by city."

Christina took a sip of tea, becoming slightly thirsty, and continued, "Although the exact figures are unknown, we are certain that the majority of Bos's fiscal income flows directly into the coffers of the Bos Guard, and they use it to build a powerful fleet. Our investment in the Kussen Corps is only a small fraction of the city’s budget. Furthermore, the current Mayor of Kussen believes the Kussen Corps' main mission is internal city defense, requiring ground forces, with little need for a fleet. Thus, they invest little in the fleet but spare no expense on ground troops, making our ground forces far superior to Bos's."

"It’s a pity Bos won't be fighting you in street warfare," Yang Ying lamented the policies of Kussen, then asked, "How did you win thirty years ago?"

"Thirty years ago, there was a different mayor!" Christina's tone sharpened with indignation.

Sincerely soliciting votes! Monthly votes! Recommendation votes!