Chapter 382: ch

“And above all,” Ferris continued, “your fleet needs a major overhaul. You’re still using Gen-One class warships—they’re outdated. And from what I can see, many of your ships have already suffered noticeable damage…”

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

“…these Minotaurs really had a few trump cards, didn’t they?”

Ezra let out a slow sigh and shook his head.

“No. How could Tier-Two weapons—or even semi–Tier-One—cause that kind of damage?” he said calmly. “It wasn’t the Minotaurs.”

Hearing this Ferris’s expression shifted and become a bit unnatural.

“It was an ambush,” Ezra continued. “A small contingent of my fleet was moving to neutralize pirate forces in a system beyond our control—those disrupting trade routes. But it turns out… it was all planned.”

He paused, his expression darkening slightly. “Had it not been for our ships’ defensive capabilities holding long enough for backup to arrive… we would have suffered our first real casualties of this war.”

He let out a deep breath, clearly displeased.

“That thing again,” said Ferris, frowning…

Hearing this, Ezra looked at him and said, “So you do know a bit about it as well, friend…”

“Of course,” Ferris replied with a sigh. “Pretty much everyone within the whole fleet has some idea about this… for this is happening all over the border region of the former Minotaur clan now under our control… Sigh… guess we need to come up with a new name, no… Anyway, I heard Grand Admiral Kael has suffered a similar attack… Thrawn and others as well…”

“Bothering them to no end,” he added.

“Bothering?” Ezra shot back. “You speak too lightly of it, my friend… I’m going mad from these constant setbacks, one after another… We clean up these star systems of these space garbages, and they fill them again just as quickly… If not those closer to us—which we have now practically assimilated under our control—they anchor themselves in another nearby star system… one that lies along trade routes… and they keep attacking and looting them…”

“While yes, we have no need of what those traders bring… that doesn’t mean we can let them be harmed. They are coming here to us, expecting to build a foothold… which will increase the variety of things around here… and show what we have to offer to the galaxy…”

“And if this keeps going, our reputation will become that of a place no trader can safely come to do business…”

His expression twisted with frustration as Ezra took a deep breath, almost losing control.

Ferris was a bit taken aback by the outburst… but he understood where Ezra’s frustration came from. He knew that if he were in his place, he might not be much better—if not worse.

“No worries now, Ezra… my forces are here, and I have plenty to distribute and patrol around—even those systems beyond our control that fall under the trade routes… With our numbers and strength, let me see if they can keep playing this game the same way…” he hmphed coldly.

“With your numbers, indeed it is possible,” Ezra replied, “but do mind and pay attention not to stretch your forces too thin… For no matter how powerful and advanced we are… in the end, we are still few… and our enemies are many…”

“Just like two hands—no matter how strong they are—they cannot fight those of equal level if they number in the thousands… tens of thousands… hundreds of thousands… We might beat a few, but after that, we will be swarmed…”

“While the Minotaurs were easy to take down, it was only because they were not strong enough… But the forces attacking us from the darkness… they are not weak like them. Each of them commands at least lower-grade Tier One ships… some even possessing super Tier One ships and strength…”

Looking at Ferris with all the seriousness he could muster, Ezra said, “So, my friend… pay attention… and do not let yourself fall into the delusion that we are already omnipotent… We are not there yet.”

With that, he patted Ferris on the shoulder and walked away…

Ferris watched his long-time friend of two lifetimes leave as the metal door opened and closed right in front of his eyes…

Remembering his words, he could only take a deep breath and take them to heart. Knowing someone like Ezra—despite understanding the fleet’s strength—was saying such things… he knew they had to be taken seriously.

After all, he was right about one thing… in the same realm, no matter how powerful one is, in the end he only has two hands… and he cannot fight those who come in the millions…

“Looks like the waters around our land are getting thicker and thicker…” he muttered. “And indeed, I should have no delusions about how strong we are… or how weak the enemy is… I should be more alert at this time than anything else…”

Thinking that, he swung his arm, and the floor where he stood began to lift and move upward…

Meanwhile, somewhere within the Eclipse, in a relaxing garden area, one could see Vivian crouching and working with the plants… Soil could be seen on her clothes as well…

Behind her were Celeste and others from her initial group, each one holding something in their hands—soil, seeds, and even plants that were ready to be planted…

There was no sign of panic or any related emotion on any of their faces… if anything, they looked relaxed out here, despite knowing that they were, for the most part, in captivity—which at the same time didn’t quite feel like captivity…

At least, in the more than two months since they had been on this ship—moving around, attacking Minotaur clan–ruled regions, and taking over—their lives had not been disrupted at all… They were mostly free to move around almost every part of the ship, with only a few restricted areas…

They could eat anything, ask for anything, and unless it was something at the very top level, their wishes were usually fulfilled…

And knowing that they were under siege from a faction within their elf empire looking for them, Vivian had made the decision not to seek freedom… While she knew she wouldn’t get it anyway, moving around also wasn’t good for her group—or for her fate, as she believed…

In any case, she was safe where she was… and she was quite content. Her group too had agreed as well… They too were very much tired of constantly running from enemies and needed rest… so they treated this more as a vacation than captivity…

But while they were enjoying their rest, it didn’t mean they weren’t paying attention to matters outside…

They took full advantage of their situation and the allowances given by the First Battle Group, gathering as much information as they could… from the galactic net—which the Void Fleet also had access to, though they never seemed to use it in the usual way…

Something the elves came to understand, and were quite surprised by, was that the void humans had their own method of connecting to the galactic net… through their own quantum network… like accessing it through a back door, while at the same time avoiding any influence from it, as it remained under the control of those grand old families and empires…

Coming to the main point, they closely followed this war, as well as the enemies who were constantly on their trail… while also checking on the state of the elven empire… and on the Archduke of the West—who was also Vivian’s father…

Vivian, while planting, constantly nodded at the information Celeste was sharing with her… She paused, however, when Celeste spoke about her father…

“As for the Archduke, young lady… from what I have gathered, he is doing well and is constantly putting pressure on both the Empress and the old noble factions… There have even been clashes between the two,” Celeste said.

Hearing that, Vivian frowned, worry surfacing on her face… Seeing this, Celeste quickly added, not wanting her to worry without reason, “Fortunately, the Empress stepped in between the two sides and forced them to back down…”

“And also, young lady… just a few hours ago, I was informed by the Void Fleet themselves that one of the elven fleets has reached out to them… requesting that you be handed over… which the fleet has refused…”

“And beyond that, the void human fleet will soon be leaving for their core world… within the Holy Region—also known as the Sol Region… very soon…”

“Well, that is only good…” Vivian said after a while.

She had also looked into the fate lines, and they pointed toward the Sol Region as well… which meant she had to go there for good fortune. While on the other side, the fate lines were dark—meaning she might face harm somewhere along the way…

Knowing this, she felt both relieved and cautious…

“While Lady Arya might be one of the war goddesses of our empire and can be trusted—

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