Chapter 46: The First Battle of the Giant Mechs – Section 10

The massive snake fangs disappeared from Grand Duke Boscisi’s eyes… and peace returned to the universe. If not for the huge fireballs still burning outside the windows, almost everyone would have thought it was all just a dream—a painful yet exhilarating nightmare.

Grand Duke Boscisi didn’t tell anyone about the matter regarding his black hair. But once he returned to his territory, he issued an order immediately. To enhance the combat strength of the entire fleet and learn from this war, all members of the First Fleet would undergo seven months of closed training. During this time, no one could take leave or leave the fleet. The First Fleet would head into distant, unexplored starfields, disappearing completely from the human world except for necessary communications.

When the news spread, it caused a huge uproar in human society. No one expected Grand Duke Boscisi to issue such an order. Although this closed training seemed simple, it was, in a way, almost like imprisonment. The First Fleet had just defeated the Moor invasion and was considered a hero of the human world, so Grand Duke Boscisi’s actions sparked widespread protests. Thousands of groups from the public even sent protest letters.

However, these letters never reached the duke’s hands; they were burned halfway through delivery. This showed clearly that Grand Duke Boscisi’s attitude was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. With the momentum from their recent victory, no one dared to challenge him.

Compared to the turmoil caused by the public and other forces, the First Fleet’s reaction was much calmer. Regarding Grand Duke Boscisi’s order, the fleet’s crew remained silent. No one protested, nor did anyone express dissatisfaction. Having witnessed the terrifying combat power of the Blood Wolves, these once-proud crew members realized their shortcomings. To bridge this gap, the only solution was training—complete, intense training, just as Grand Duke Boscisi had said.

Of course, some people understood the true meaning behind the duke’s order. Captain Rocot was one of them. As a fervent supporter of Grand Duke Boscisi, he would not only not oppose it but would stand by him. In his view, this was exactly what a great leader should do—preventing even minor crises before they arose. Anything less would be abnormal.

And so, the Grand Duke of Poseisi’s orders were carried out thoroughly. Less than five days after returning to his territory, the First Fleet completed its resupply, took a brief rest, and then swiftly disappeared into the vast universe. Aside from the Grand Duke, no one knew where they had gone. What followed was a grand celebration—celebrations for this war. Just as agreed with Blackhair, the Grand Duke of Poseisi perfectly played the role of a victor, taking all the credit for the war’s outcomes on himself. As a result, once news of the war spread, he alone shocked the entire world. No one doubted the Grand Duke’s achievements. He brought back all the wreckage of those over twenty Black Crystal warships as his trophies, displayed before everyone. Their massive size and terrifying armor vividly illustrated the brutality of the war. The fact that more than half of the First Fleet was lost silenced those with ulterior motives who tried to cause trouble. Through the omnipresent media, news of the Moor invasion fleet’s destruction swept across the entire human world, and the Grand Duke of Poseisi’s reputation reached an all-time peak!! Hero!! This term, shining with the brightest light, undoubtedly fell upon the Grand Duke of Poseisi. As another key figure who fought against the Moors, Marshal Wick, upon receiving the news, not only showed no doubt but also offered his congratulations immediately. Numerous factions under the First Fleet also recognized the Grand Duke’s achievements. Praise and admiration poured in from all directions, overwhelming him before he could even react. Of course, this was something the Grand Duke of Poseisi had anticipated. So, when dealing with all the praise, he remained extremely calm. He first thanked everyone for their support and then expressed his willingness to continue working together with other factions to contribute to a safe and harmonious society for humanity. In just half a month, he received visits from thousands of factions and accepted media interviews without refusal, displaying great courtesy and earning widespread acclaim. He was at the height of his glory. Social engagements and banquets became almost the entirety of the Grand Duke’s life. Yet, amidst the overwhelming praise, he always maintained a humble smile. Whenever others praised his achievements excessively, he would simply nod lightly and say, “You flatter me. That’s not just my merit.”

No one objected to the words of Grand Duke Poseidon. In their minds, this was both an act of humility on the part of the grand duke and a recognition that it was the achievement of everyone in the First Fleet. What a humble grand duke! Unlike those ordinary nobles who boasted and wanted the whole world to know about their minor achievements, Grand Duke Poseidon was almost a model of the ancient nobility—modest and polite in manner, strict and conventional in style, all of which highlighted his noble status.

Yet few paid much attention to this. It was precisely because of this that Grand Duke Poseidon gained popularity far faster than anyone had imagined. Within less than a month from the day of his great victory, he had almost become synonymous with a hero, from high-level meetings to ordinary people. Whenever heroic deeds were discussed, this glorious and dazzling grand duke was inevitably mentioned. For a time, Grand Duke Poseidon almost became the representative of humanity.

Under such circumstances, the benefits brought by prestige went unnoticed by most. As a result, when Grand Duke Poseidon took advantage of his remaining influence to annex several small nobles who had long been eyeing him, few people even noticed.

Grand Duke Poseidon truly reaped a double harvest of fame and wealth.

But behind glory always lies darkness. Thus, no one knew that whenever Grand Duke Poseidon used his immense prestige to gain some benefits, he would secretly leave a share for Marshal Wick and Black Hair. These benefits could be resources or proof of territory, all sent to Marshal Wick and Black Hair via transport ships, greatly strengthening their power in a short time.

Sitting in the well-ventilated cloud tower, Black Hair weighed a large stack of documents in his hands, a faint smile on his face.

Was this a dirty deal? Or just a set of unspoken rules that everyone understood?

He hadn’t expected Grand Duke Poseidon to be so skillful at handling affairs. Although he appeared to be a tough guy who didn’t want to accept favors, the compensation he offered after accepting his kindness was astonishingly generous. The stack of documents in his hands was actually proof of ownership over an entire star system!! And it was the twenty-nine star systems closest to him!!

What a bold move!!

If he hadn’t already known Grand Duke Poseidon’s tactics, Black Hair would have been shocked too. In fact, when the stack of documents arrived in his hands, he even doubted whether it was a joke from Grand Duke Poseidon.

You have to realize that’s an entire star domain. In the Moor Empire, this might not even be much. But compared to the human society’s total of just thirty-one star domains, this gift is simply overwhelming. Just these documents alone equal one-tenth of the human world’s territory!!
And that doesn’t even include the vast resources that come with them.
Hei Fa had no idea just how wealthy Duke Poseidon was. But the resources he sent him already gave a clue. This duke had dispatched over twenty transport fleets to him in just half a month, carrying resources enough to fill several planets—ranging from steel ore to magic components. All of these were tangible assets. With sufficient technology and factories, one could almost instantly use them to build a large fleet!!
Damn, this duke really has resources!
For a moment, Hei Fa felt a bit stingy. Judging by Duke Poseidon’s actions, it was clear he still cared about his earlier suggestion. If he had known this, he might have asked for more from the start—perhaps even getting a hundred times as many resources.
He opened his mouth and smiled silently.
Well then, I won’t be polite. He tossed the documents behind him, where they landed in Sulei’s hands.
“Take it all. No need to be polite.”
“Are you sure you want to accept it? Hei Fa, that’s an entire star domain,” Sulei said, frowning cutely and biting her finger. Faced with such a huge gift, even she, who usually managed the Death Star’s finances, was unsure. That’s why she had given it to Hei Fa. But now it seemed like a bad idea. Hei Fa was really bold—daring to take such a huge gift at once. Didn’t he know there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world?
Of course, she had no idea what Hei Fa had done. If she had known that the much-talked-about Moor invasion fleet was actually his doing, she would have been even more shocked. That’s how Death Star worked—military and internal affairs were separate, with no interference between them. So Sulei never knew about Hei Fa’s actions.
But that didn’t stop her from fulfilling her duties. In terms of internal affairs, Sulei was like a goddess. In the entire Death Star, aside from Hei Fa, her word was law. No one dared to contradict her, the manager who controlled the Death Star’s fate.

“Don’t worry. Just take it when I tell you to. Then arrange for someone to take care of it. Everything needs to be done quickly. Apart from ensuring the interests of the natives as much as possible, there are no other requirements. By the way, weren’t you planning to explore new planets? It seems unnecessary now—this star system has plenty of habitable planets for you to use. As for Grand Duke Poseidon, I’ll take care of that.” The dark-haired man replied with confidence, ready to take responsibility for any mistakes. This made Suley laugh gently.
It’s great to have a man who dares to take responsibility, just like a big tree under which one can find shade. Right? I’m so lucky…
Staring at the dark-haired man’s back, Suley became somewhat lost in thought…