Yusuf quickly silenced the official-tongued committee member. He stated, "We can discuss this all we want, but demanding specifications for a Laurel-class battlecruiser from the Caesar Mercenary Corps is futile. Even if we wanted them, the Caesar Mercenary Corps wouldn't provide them, as those documents are the property of the Caesar Group and constitute their trade secrets."

"Exactly. Chairman Yusuf speaks wisely. This is precisely the similarity I mentioned earlier," Yang Ying said with a smile. "Actually, our Teran Mercenary Corps is not purely a mercenary group; we are the security force operating under the Teran Corporation. I myself am merely the Head of Security for the Teran Corporation. A great deal of our Teran Mercenary Corps' documentation is proprietary information for the Teran Corporation, meaning I absolutely cannot release those secrets either."

Yang Ying had established the Teran Corporation first, placing the Teran Mercenary Corps under its umbrella, precisely for moments like this. It was an extremely useful cover and shield.

Instantly, the discussions in the conference room escalated sharply. The Review Committee members were aware of the Teran Corporation existing behind the Teran Mercenary Corps, but most of the representatives present were unaware of this until now. Upon suddenly hearing Yang Ying reveal he had such a powerful backer, they immediately lost their composure.

If the Teran Mercenary Corps alone could annihilate the fleets of five major powers without leaving a single ship intact, what about their backer? Could they possibly arm another Teran Mercenary Corps?

"This is strikingly similar to the rise of the Caesar Mercenary Corps," the thought echoed in the minds of many representatives simultaneously.

That was nearly a century ago. The Caesar Group, aiming to exploit resources in the asteroid belt, quietly dispatched ten industrial space cities. The forces guarding these cities were the predecessors of the Caesar Mercenary Corps—the security forces of the Caesar Group.

At that time, the Wu Military and the Kowloon Mercenary Corps were locked in a Cold War-style standoff. In the gap between them, many new mercenary corps began to grow and expand.

Shortly after the Caesar Group's ten space cities arrived in the asteroid belt, conflicts arose with several established large mercenary corps over territorial rights. The Caesar Group armed their security forces with their most advanced warships and, in a lightning-fast maneuver, crushed every major mercenary corps bordering them!

Following that, the Caesar Group sent waves upon waves of advanced warships to the asteroid belt and leveraged their connections with the military to recruit a large contingent of retired troops, thereby establishing the Caesar Mercenary Corps.

The advanced warships of that era were now so obsolete that even the forces in the asteroid belt no longer used them. However, the Caesar Mercenary Corps never relinquished their advantage in superior weaponry; instead, the gap between them and other mercenary corps widened. They gradually moved from being the lowest among the original three super mercenary corps to surpassing the Kowloon Mercenary Corps and becoming the second strongest.

Although the Teran Corporation was not as famous as the Caesar Group, and almost none of the representatives present had ever heard of this company, any organization capable of creating the Teran Mercenary Corps was clearly no minor entity. These representatives secretly made a firm decision in their hearts: upon returning, they would immediately mobilize their resources to investigate the Teran Corporation thoroughly.

"Quiet, please, quiet!" Yusuf shouted loudly; the clamor in the room had made it impossible for him to hear anything.

Yusuf was an old guard of the Mercenary Alliance with extensive connections. He held considerable prestige in the eyes of those present. The commotion gradually subsided.

"Indeed, this discussion forum proves necessary. Commander Yang Ying, it seems we have much ground worth discussing," Yusuf stated.

"I concur," Yang Ying replied.

In a corner of Vorriel, one barracks stood apart. The exterior of this barracks was guarded by countless state-of-the-art defensive installations; every few steps stood an unmanned smart uranium cannon or a smart plasma cannon.

Thousands of waist-high security robots patrolled back and forth, moving with agility and reacting instantly. If even a mosquito dared to fly in, it would be instantly vaporized by an ultra-thin uranium beam.

A security robot below retracted its firing barrel and continued its patrol, as if nothing had happened.

Deep inside this barracks, within one of the quarters, a clear, crisp ting, ting sound emanated intermittently.

Two figures, wielding slender rapier-like swords, were engaged in the ancient sport of fencing. Their movements were swift, their footwork agile, and their swordsmanship exquisite. The two thin blades transformed into shimmering points of starlight in their hands. Most astonishingly, even during the most intense clashes, their movements remained as graceful as a Viennese waltz, displaying utter composure.

Neither combatant wore protective gear, and the edges of their swords glinted sharply, indicating they were lethally sharp, yet both seemed utterly unconcerned, focused entirely on the duel.

With a faint hiss, the two men instantly separated. The sleeve of one swordsman was sliced open, revealing a slowly reddening mark across his forearm. A single bead of crimson blood seeped out from the line.

"Brother, it seems the work with the Caesar Mercenary Corps representative and the Alliance Committee has caused your swordsmanship to regress significantly. No, perhaps I should phrase it this way: while your technique has improved, your sharp edge has dulled." The pristine swordsman was a youth of seventeen or eighteen, possessing brilliant golden hair and a perfectly cold demeanor, like a high-and-mighty king looking down.

The injured swordsman was Andre, the committee member from the Caesar Mercenary Corps. While still noble in temperament, his aura was much softer. "With the four main systems established, the constant meetings mean you don't need to engage in close-quarters combat on the battlefield anymore. Fencing has become a mere pursuit of self-cultivation, a minor art. You have become too attached to it, my brother," Andre remarked.

"That's just an excuse. That's why I say your sharpness has faded—you've actually allowed the ideology of these commoners to erode your will," the young man scoffed. "This is the consequence of mingling with these lowlifes."

"Stop calling them 'commoners' with such disdain. The term you use is laced with contempt, much like the corrupted nobles of the Middle Ages and their repulsive term, 'rabble.' It truly nauseates me," Andre said unhappily.

"Brother," the youth looked at Andre in surprise, then burst into laughter, "Hahaha."

Andre remained silent, waiting for him to finish laughing.

The young man’s smile was chillingly artificial, causing a cold feeling to settle in the heart of anyone watching.

"Brother, I have always admired the Pharaohs of Egypt; the Pyramids they invented are structures filled with profound philosophy," the young man sneered. "Since humanity left its primitive state, we have always followed the pyramidal structure. This is the most suitable configuration for mankind, determined by our inherent nature and instinct, unyielding to anyone's will."

The youth performed a few swift flourishes with his sword, pointing the tip directly at Andre. "You are quite correct. In my heart, there is no difference between a commoner and a rabble, because that is the reality—they have never been different. The slaves of the slave society, the servants of the feudal society, the commoners of the modern era—the names and treatment differ, but their essence is the same. Since antiquity, they have always been the base of the pyramid, the foundation that uplifts the upper strata, the sustenance upon which we survive."

Andre parried the young man's sword aside: "If you recognize that we exist because of them, why can't you show them a little more respect?"

"Because in the past, during the times of slavery and feudalism, these foundation stones were made of mud, easily crushed by the upper layers. Therefore, the people at the top had to treat the lower classes with extreme caution, precisely to prevent them from rebelling and causing the pyramid to collapse. That is the true reason why the upper classes value morality! But times have changed; they are now commoners, which is equivalent to the foundation stones upgrading to fired bricks. They can withstand greater pressure without us worrying about revolt. Given that, why should I waste my limited emotion on them? There are far more beautiful things in the world worth pursuing," the youth argued convincingly.

"Your ideology is extremely dangerous," Andre frowned, stating.

"Forget it, Brother. We are both of noble blood; why should we argue over some commoners?" the youth seemed impatient.

"This isn't just about the commoners; it's about your thinking becoming rigidly focused. If you don't learn to bend, I fear you might lead the Caesar family down the wrong path in the future," Andre said seriously.

"Haha," the youth sneered. "You already acknowledge that I am the one who will eventually lead the Caesar family. Although we are both grandsons of the Caesar Group Chairman and sons of the Caesar Mercenary Corps Commander, I am twelve years younger than you, yet my line of succession ranks ahead of yours. Do you know why? It's precisely because my vision differs from yours. My gaze reaches further, and without the burden of morality in my heart, I can lead the Caesar family further toward the apex of the pyramid. That is why I have my grandfather's support."

"But—" Andre tried to speak again.

"Enough!" the youth commanded. "Brother, you didn't seek me out just to spar over fencing. What is it really about?"

Seeing the youth was stubbornly intractable, Andre considered many things. He knew he couldn't persuade him through further argument, and continuing would only increase the young man's resentment. He sighed and said, "The person I sent to the port to greet Commander Yang Ying of the Teran Mercenary Corps—did you bribe him?"

"Bribe?" the youth scoffed. "Why would I bribe him? Is he worthy? He actively sought me out, demanding to join my banner. I merely gave him a small task to complete for me. Is such a minor figure worth you coming to find me specifically?"

"So it was you," Andre erupted in anger. "Letting him spout nonsense in front of Yang Ying counts as a small task? Do you realize that while flawlessly eliminating five major mercenary corps, though difficult, is achievable for the Teran Mercenary Corps, it is their mysterious origin that is truly terrifying? Even our intelligence network, spread throughout the solar system, failed to uncover their background. Your recklessness will bring enormous trouble to the Caesar Mercenary Corps!"

"He’s just a nouveau riche. No matter how mysterious, he has only appeared for less than half a year. Compared to the Caesar family's accumulation over a thousand years, he is insignificant. While we don't know how they managed to evade our surveillance, a nouveau riche is fundamentally a nouveau riche—that is their essence. I have already submitted an application in my name, Isthar Caesar, to my grandfather, requesting permission to deal with this Teran Mercenary Corps and the Teran Corporation behind them. This upstart is following the same path as us, and one pyramid cannot have two peaks. Therefore, Brother, you must be prepared. Given Grandfather’s decisive methods, the order to deal with the Teran Mercenary Corps might be issued today."

The young man, Isthar Caesar, elegantly sheathed his rapier.

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