Chapter 24: The Howl of the Blood Wolves, Section 7

Striving hard and focusing on development—in this era of turmoil, the Thirty-One Star Region finally entered a phase of rapid growth. With Blackhair, who cared nothing about justice, as its leader, its development became even more unrestrained.

During this time, the entire universe seemed to fall into peace. Aside from Marshal Wick still clashing with the noble class, all other forces had disappeared. For half a year, not a single local war broke out—it seemed as if peace had truly arrived.

Yet everyone knew this was just an illusion. Since the advent of the cosmic era, people’s horizons had expanded infinitely. They understood that strength through military power was the essential prerequisite for prosperity. No matter how well one developed, without sufficient military strength, survival in this chaotic age would be impossible. Every day, thousands of races and factions searched for prey, trying to seize every resource that could strengthen them.

“It’s either you die or I live”—this had become an unspoken rule. Even those who truly desired peace were inevitably influenced by the broader situation. Either they sought to ally with a powerful force or were devoured by hungry wolves.

Wolves and sheep—simple as that.

Clearly, the Blood Wolf faction of the Thirty-One Star Region was a giant wolf—one with astonishing aggression. Thus, those wishing to ally with them lined up in long queues.

Blackhair had been troubled by this for days. His desk was piled high with requests from factions seeking alliance, yet he still hadn’t made a decision.

Indeed, to take the initiative in the impending disaster, strong allies were indispensable. But a poor choice could turn even a useful ally into a burden, causing Blackhair great headaches. The Interstellar Fleet was his choice—and also the largest faction. Yet its success would depend on the future.

For now, however, Blackhair had to deal with these matters. Staring at the lengthy list, he once again lamented the lack of talent in domestic affairs.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he fixed his gaze on a certain entry in the list.

“The Hansa Brotherhood?” Blackhair waved his hand, and a crystal on the table immediately lit up. “Call Koko here.”

Soon, the door opened, and Koko rushed in eagerly. Without wasting time, she went straight to the bar, poured herself a full glass of red wine, drank it in one gulp, and smacked her lips triumphantly.

“What do you want from me?”

With a gentle smile, Blackhair pointed at the name. “This one—do you know about it?”

Following the black-haired man’s finger to that name, Koko was also stunned. But soon her face lit up with joy. “Oh, my God of Ganluo. They definitely have to join us. Is a grand interstellar alliance popular this year?”
“I’m not sure either. But how much do you know about this organization?” The black-haired man pointed to the sofa, signaling for Koko to sit down and talk. Koko didn’t hesitate. She poured herself another glass of red wine and sat down in front of him, scratching her head.
“Hehe, I don’t know much about this organization either. But if it really is them, we’ll be in for a huge fortune.”
“Oh?” The black-haired man became interested. “How exactly?”
“The Hansa Brotherhood is actually a semi-commercial organization. It’s similar to the transportation and trading business that we Ganluo people are good at. Most of their merchants are engaged in that too. But the difference is that they’re all armed merchants.” Koko spoke confidently, her cheeks slightly reddening.
“But in terms of scale, they’re the largest among commercial organizations. And more importantly, this organization isn’t just involved in the transportation industry; through financial power, it’s involved in many fields. Especially when it comes to controlling official forces—no one dares to claim to be number one if they’re number two. It’s just that they’ve always followed a policy of staying hidden, never showing themselves in public. That’s why they’re unknown. But…” Koko paused, seemingly thinking about something, but quickly regained her composure. She glanced at the black-haired man. “In this universe, at least three planetary lords have their influence behind them.”
“So, this organization is very powerful?” The black-haired man smiled dismissively. “Then why would they want to ally with us?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out either, Mr. Black Hair. Maybe they also need strong armed protection?” Koko said as if joking.
But the black-haired man didn’t think so.
He took out a cigarette and lit it. His thoughts became active.
There’s no doubt that this organization is enormous in power. And the path taken by armed merchants is essentially a form of piracy. Their military strength is definitely not weak. No matter how you look at it, it seems like he doesn’t have what they need. So what do they value?
Without understanding this, it’s hard for the black-haired man to make a decision. But he thought that if they’re good at manipulating things behind the scenes, does that mean they’re also skilled in internal affairs?

“Alright, Koko. Go and make contact with this organization. You might be more suitable than I am in dealing with business peers. Anyway, you need to figure out their true intentions. With all this turmoil, we need to be careful.” After some thought, Black Hair finally agreed.
If this organization could indeed be trusted, his life might become much easier from now on. Black Hair stared at the mountain of official documents on the table, his mind growing increasingly troubled.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Interstellar Fleet, dozens of star systems away, Marshal Wick faced a similar dilemma.
Just like Black Hair, his desk was also cluttered with alliance invitations. Ever since he completely broke free from the control of the nobility, such seemingly friendly invitations had never stopped. As humanity’s most powerful military force, the Interstellar Fleet was obviously even more sought after than Black Hair’s Blood Wolves.
However, Marshal Wick didn’t need to worry about so much. After all, his Interstellar Fleet was a long-established organization. What kind of talent didn’t they have? He could simply delegate these tasks to his subordinates. The selected list would naturally end up on his desk later. What troubled him now were the recent disputes with the nobility.
Actually, it wasn’t complicated. His departure was undoubtedly a provocation to the nobles, a betrayal they couldn’t tolerate. So lately, their military forces had been watching closely, gradually showing a tendency to unite. In a star system not far from Marshal Wick, the nobles had already assembled an astonishing force of 2,000 ships, posing a severe threat to his safety.
But since he had just defected and had to consider his reputation, Marshal Wick couldn’t immediately resort to force. He could only stockpile troops in case of emergency. Yet such a large-scale mobilization was like showing his strength behind his back—a truly difficult situation.
Anyone with eyes could see how dangerous both sides’ actions were; a real war was now inevitable.
So at this moment, Marshal Wick really wanted to know what Black Hair would do in such a situation.
Unconsciously, Black Hair’s influence over him was growing stronger.
On the other hand, Marshal Wick was also under pressure from a former high noble who had once helped him.

That great noble was a highly influential archduke, possessing an astonishingly strong power base and being the most dominant figure in the noble circles. Over time, he had reaped tremendous benefits by supporting Marshal Wick. He already controlled three direct star systems, all of which were rich in resources. His own military forces had also grown significantly—just his fleets prepared for war numbered five, bringing the total to an astonishing 1,500 ships.

During this betrayal, this archduke, unlike other nobles, did not verbally condemn Marshal Wick. Instead, he simply asked him casually, “Are you ready?”

Yes, was he really ready? Marshal Wick had asked himself that question more than once.

The interstellar fleet currently numbered around 5,000 ships. Of course, it was not weak. But the problem was that he had to face the entire noble circle. Such a huge gamble—failure would mean inevitable consequences. That’s why Marshal Wick remained uncertain.

After hesitating for over a month, when the nobles’ armed forces had grown to an unbearable size, he finally sent a message to Blackhair.

Blackhair’s reply was just one word: “Attack!”

The sky finally burned…

Warships rose from the ground, and countless armed soldiers rushed to their positions. New mechs were pulled out of the warehouses, and rows of shiny energy crystals were placed in place. The entire interstellar fleet instantly became a fierce tiger, baring its fangs and showing its murderous intent.

On the other side, the noble forces were no less formidable. Their fleets, which had been stockpiled for half a year, expanded rapidly and covered the entire star system. After a brief standoff, they clashed violently with the interstellar fleet.

It was a thunderous collision. Neither side intended to hold back or prolong the battle, so as soon as they clashed, it turned into a fierce fight. Soon, intense fighting swept across the entire star system. Warships attacked everywhere, and those on the ground could clearly see the brilliant lights of ships exploding in space.

The battle was extremely brutal. Backed by Blackhair, Marshal Wick was merciless, treating this war as a drill for facing the Moor race. He deployed his troops decisively. His adjutant, Sakka’s fleet, was used as a vanguard, relentlessly piercing through the battlefield.

In just half a month, both sides suffered heavy losses in troops, especially the noble forces. Two-thirds of the fleet that had been stockpiled for half a year was actually taken away, leaving it far from its former glory. Many nobles involved in the war became easy targets after their military forces were depleted. Seeing this situation, the grand duke finally could no longer sit idly by. A month after the war began, his own fleet finally appeared in the northern part of the star system…