Chapter 346: Ch

Meanwhile, almost all of the three hundred local lords kept pushing back, metaphorically rubbing the Federation’s face in the dirt. They challenged the leaders to take action against them if they dared, threatening them with the consequences.

They argued that they only wanted their “rightful opportunities” and claimed everything would calm down if their demands were met. In addition, they demanded a secured position of power over their own people—essentially asking to be recognised as separate powers, independent of the Federation itself!

Which was absolutely impossible. The Federation would never allow it to happen, for it would once again drag them back into the past—where different countries would divide resources among themselves and inevitably give rise to conflicts between them.

And even if they did accept it, Maximus, David, and the others knew that if such a thing happened, the existing order—an order that had barely been established—would collapse. After one demand was granted, there would be demands for two, then three, and so on.

Such a chain would once again divide the population and the resources, inevitably giving rise to conflicts and countless other complications that would distract the Federation from its current national goal: the creation of a highly skilled workforce and, within a short time, transforming the Federation into an interstellar power.

Both were important as well as hard task that must be completed without any complications.

More importantly, they hoped to achieve some degree of independence from the Void Fleet itself.

For Maximus, Jiang Wu, and the other two—excluding Bai Zenmi of the Star Fleet—knew just how reliant they currently were on the Void Fleet. Such dependence could not continue forever. To them, it felt dangerously close to servitude.

But for now, they needed the Void Fleet more than anything. It was their ticket onto the train that would introduce humanity to the wilderness of the galaxy—and perhaps even the wider universe.

And despite the occasional unease, they also knew one thing clearly: although they were, in many ways, acting as a working force alongside the Void Fleet, the fleet had never truly treated them as one.

Aside from recruiting nearly 2.5 billion people from Earth, the Void Fleet had not infringed upon the Federation’s rights or authority. If anything, it had given more than it had taken.

Returning their thoughts to the present, they also understood that the Void Fleet, perhaps even more than they did, did not want fragmentation within the still fragile structure of the Federation—one that would soon solidify once humanity had its hands completely free.

And so, while the four senior council members of the Federation sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, they continued listening to the ruckus unfolding below.

Meanwhile bai zenmi was shaking his head. ’I have no idea where they got the guts to ask for such a thing… especially when such a thing isn’t possible at all. Are they delusional about their own value? There is no such value anymore.

Even if there were, would the Void Fleet have taken a bunch like them? No… I finally understand the reason behind Kallus’s decision. This group is truly not suitable to be introduced into their sphere of influence; they would only pollute it and hollow it out from the inside out.

Thank God I stopped myself from inducting them into my own fleet!’

But then, his thoughts were interrupted by Donvas, who asked a question. “What do you mean, Leader Bai? I don’t understand… can you please be clear?”

Donvas asked the question directly, though his tone carried noticeably more respect toward Bai Zenmi. After all, Bai was still more powerful than any of the other four, possessing a formidable fleet of his own.

And Donvas knew that this thought was not his alone. The other three council members shared it as well. No matter how close their relationships might have been with that person from the Void Fleet—Maximus, the former Emperor of the Indra Imperium, who had certain ties with Kallus due to his heritage—they all clearly understood their dependence on the Void Fleet.

At the same time, they were aware of the far greater independence enjoyed by the Star Fleet.

Even though the Star Fleet was considerably weaker—far weaker in both capability and technological sophistication—this reality was painfully obvious. They had seen it with their own eyes: the Void Fleet constructing enormous numbers of warships of various classes in an astonishingly short time, while the Star Fleet lagged far behind by a significant margin.

Yet strength was not everything.

Weak or strong, the Star Fleet and its commander—who also happened to be their colleague—possessed far greater independence. One could even call it a form of strategic autonomy that the rest of them simply did not have.

And there was another factor they could not ignore.

While Bai Zenmi was an Earther like them, his true origins were not from Earth, just like the fleet he commanded.

Because of this, Donvas and the others always maintained a cautious attitude toward him. Still, they valued his opinion. And now that he had made a remark they found rather interesting—yet not entirely clear in its meaning—Donvas decided to ask directly.

As he spoke, the other three council members, sharing the same curiosity, silently turned their gaze toward Bai.

“It’s quite simple, my friends—just as I said earlier. And if you were paying attention, you should remember it.”

Bai Zenmi said this while looking at the others. They nodded in acknowledgment. Of course they remembered—after all, it had not even been a minute since he had said it. It would have been impossible for them to forget so quickly.

“Even though you all remember, I will still repeat it briefly so that you can have a clearer picture in your minds.”

Bai Zenmi spoke with a serious face that left the other four momentarily speechless. They could not help but curse inwardly.

Damn it… if you were going to repeat it anyway, why even ask whether we remembered or not?

But those thoughts remained inside their minds. None of them dared show it on their faces. They were not crazy enough to challenge Bai Zenmi so openly. Instead, they carefully controlled their expressions.

Yet who were they trying to fool?

Bai Zenmi noticed the subtle fluctuations in their expressions and allowed a faint smirk to appear.

“First and foremost, you—no, we—are an independent power. We should not be having headaches over things like: Oh, what if the Void Fleet and that person are unhappy? or What if this affects our cooperation?”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“Or perhaps: What if we take action and it turns into a prolonged issue? What will happen then?”

Bai Zenmi shook his head slightly.

“Come now. You are all great leaders and rulers in your own right. You should be clearer about such matters. And yet you behave like children who do not even know how to ride a bicycle.”

“You are paying far too much attention to this issue.”

He leaned slightly forward, his voice turning colder.

“At this point, it should already be clear to you that these people are not good crops… and neither will their seeds be.”

He emphasized the last part strongly.

Maximus, Jiang Wu, and Donvas immediately understood what he meant.

These people could not be relied upon—and neither could those who would follow them. They were of no use to the Federation, not now and not in the future.

At present, they were nothing more than a headache.

“You should also understand that their demands are excessive. They cannot be fulfilled no matter what we do. The ruckus they have created—and even this meeting we are holding right now—is nothing but a waste of time and brain cells.”

Instead, he gestured outward slightly.

“We should be focusing on something far more important.”

“Something beyond Earth… and even beyond the Solar System.”

The others frowned slightly.

“You may not have heard of it yet,” Bai Zenmi continued calmly, “but my fleet has detected another solar system not far from here. Two planets there are already remarkably similar to Earth. With only minor modifications, they would be ready to welcome human populations.”

“That system, under the alliance agreement with the Void Fleet, was granted to the Star Fleet as its discoverer. While it currently falls under Star Fleet jurisdiction, it ultimately belongs to the Federation as well.”

“The Federation now possesses planets in the Alpha Centauri system.”

He looked at them steadily.

“Do you see, my friends? The opportunities ahead of us are far greater.”

“We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by trivial problems like this.”

Leaning back in his throne-like chair, Bai Zenmi concluded calmly:

“All in all, I would say this—do not be so cautious. Have some backbone and do what needs to be done, instead of listening to meaningless chatter that is not worth our attention.”

Having said that, Bai Zenmi leaned back fully in his seat and closed his eyes, as if preparing to sleep.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep