Chapter 28: A Bloodshed Triggered by a Stone – Section 3

The order to resolve this conflict was issued three days later. Perhaps because eight Moors were involved, the Moorish military abandoned its usual procrastination. The punishment imposed was surprisingly swift. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the target of the military’s punishment… was not Blackhair.
In the name of justice, those eight Moors were sentenced to exile. The military’s decision shocked everyone. Though those eight Moors could no longer bear the punishment—having already had their necks broken by Blackhair—they suffered no reprimand at all. On the contrary, the military highly praised Blackhair and granted him full authority to swiftly reorganize his third fleet, treating all those who defied orders—whether from allied tribes or the Moors—equally!
What a huge upheaval!
As soon as this order was announced, it caused a massive stir at the 763 Star Station. Those who had initially rejoiced at Blackhair’s misfortune were stunned. Based on Blackhair’s actions, they thought he was doomed. But the outcome was completely unexpected. Had this lucky guy become so favored that even crimes against the ruling clan could be ignored?
There were those shocked, those hostile, and those who wanted to befriend him.
But what they didn’t know was that Blackhair wasn’t relieved at all by the military’s decision. On the contrary, he felt heavy-hearted.
Because at the same time the military issued its decision, he also received a stern rebuke from Miss Veli.
It turned out that the reason for this handling of the incident was the influence of Grand Duke Taro. Based on Blackhair’s actions, even if he had a valid reason, it would still be considered a serious crime. But this powerful Grand Duke Taro saw the reason behind Blackhair’s actions and vouched for him in the military, slamming the table several times before the surprisingly lenient final order was issued. Thus, Miss Veli’s rebuke was meant to warn Blackhair to be careful and not become too arrogant.
But compared to her seemingly strict yet actually ineffective rebuke, Blackhair was more concerned about that Grand Duke Taro.

This high-ranking and powerful duke could, without any racial prejudice, instantly see the reasons behind his actions and take full responsibility to save himself. Just this boldness was enough to make Black Hair wary. Such a person, in times of peace, would be nothing special. But in this chaotic starry realm, Black Hair had only one word to describe him… a warlord.

“This Tarot Duke is very dangerous. He might become our most important enemy in the future,” Black Hair finally murmured after pondering for a long time back at the hotel.

“You mean regarding how to deal with him this time?” Blood Eyes laughed dismissively, taking a big gulp of red wine. The bright red liquid flowed down his lips, staining a large area of his chest.

“No matter how strong he is, isn’t he still firmly suppressed by that Black Hand Duke? Head, are you overestimating him?”

“No, I think I’m underestimating him instead,” Black Hair shook his head, frowning deeply. “He’s suppressed by the Black Hand Duke because his subordinates are those weaklings we just met. Yet even so, he’s still able to maintain the current situation, which is already a problem. If he gains more capable people, he’ll become the biggest obstacle when we face the Moor Empire in the future.”

“What do you plan to do then?” After hearing Black Hair’s words, Blood Eyes’ expression also grew serious. “What if, before we leave the Moor Empire…”

He made a cutting motion with his right hand.

Seeing his expression, Black Hair smiled helplessly.

“Enough, Blood Eyes. Your actions are too crude. For such a warlord, don’t you think he deserves to die in a more meaningful place? I certainly don’t want to see you sneaking up on him in the middle of the night. That would be really unpleasant.”

“What then? You say he’s dangerous but won’t let me take action. Are we supposed to just watch him grow stronger? If we help him suppress the Black Hand Duke further, I really can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t grow stronger.” Blood Eyes shrugged nonchalantly, with a joking expression on his face. “Or maybe you could win over Miss Wei Li. That way, you might become his son-in-law.”

“Shut up!” At the mention of Wei Li, Black Hair’s body immediately covered in goosebumps. “Such a woman… is that even a woman?”

“Why not? Didn’t you see how attracted that guy, Thunderstorm, is to Miss Wei Li? Look at the way he stares at her… tsk tsk…” Blood Eyes sighed thoughtfully, making clicking sounds with his mouth.

Seeing his expression, Black Hair really had no idea what to do. That guy, Blood Pupil, was great at fighting, but he also had quite a few bad habits. Back then, Black Hair had even been deceived by his cold demeanor, only to realize over time that this kid was just as scheming as anyone else. Was it his true nature or something influenced by Black Hair? Black Hair rubbed his brows and decided to stop thinking about it.

A month wasn’t long nor short. For Black Hair, it was just enough time to barely organize his fleet before the order to set off was given. When his massive fleet left the space station, the entire airport was filled with bustling crowds. Almost everyone at the space station came to see them off. The lively scene made it seem as though they weren’t going to war but on a vacation!

This showed the warlike nature of the Moor Empire. In human society, there would surely be some scenes of parting sorrow, right? But Black Hair didn’t care about such things. Once they left the space station airport and ventured into the vast universe with their fleet, his mood improved instantly.

Miss Veli probably never imagined that the Third Fleet was now completely under his control. After a month of adjustments, almost all Moor officers had been replaced by loyal Blood Wolf pirates. These fierce guys’ eyes turned red at the sight of the octopus crew, and they roared with excitement. Their eager expressions seemed as if they had just fought a great battle, scaring the innocent octopus crew to tears.

Only Black Hair and Blood Pupil understood what those Blood Wolf pirates meant. It was purely a leftover effect of commanding the Swan Fleet before. The octopus crew’s innate obedience allowed these pirates to indulge in their desire to command. In front of these octopuses, they felt as if they had shed their pirate identities and truly become superior captains. How could this not excite these scoundrels who roamed the stars?

It was like the sailors of Earth’s medieval era—sailing all their lives just to have their own ship and become a respected captain. That’s exactly how the Blood Wolf pirates felt. With such a mindset, these usually fierce pirates treated their octopus crew surprisingly well. Instead of beating or scolding them, they often checked in on them. When they saw any crew members who were weak, they would urge them to rest. This treatment formed a stark contrast to how the Moors treated their crew, moving all the octopus crew to tears. The entire fleet became incredibly harmonious!

So, once this large fleet—comprising ten Moor giant ships and five Swan of Day battleships—left the 76 Triple Star Station, it essentially became under Black Hair’s absolute control. If he wished, he could even kidnap all these ships back to Death Star without any problem!! This was undoubtedly a highly tempting idea. Yet Black Hair wasn’t swayed by it. What occupied his mind at the moment was the star system about to be conquered, as well as the something possessed by that Rock Race that even made the Moor Empire eager for it. Although Miss Veri hadn’t said it outright, Black Hair understood its importance. And the reason his mission had proceeded without hindrance was likely closely related to this thing. It was obvious that the Moor Empire was already extremely anxious. Of course, 36 standard jump distances wasn’t a small number either. The difficulties and dangers along the way were beyond description. Although interstellar travel had become a common practice, no one could guarantee they wouldn’t pass through harsh star systems. Moreover, although the Anti-Space was usually calm, energy storms weren’t entirely impossible. If they were unlucky enough to encounter one, it was very likely that Black Hair’s entire fleet would be destroyed. The star chart given by Miss Veri showed that Black Hair’s route was one full of peril. Along the way, they would have to pass through at least six harsh star systems. This was also the main reason why the Moor Empire had never been able to launch far-reaching expeditions. If not for the skills Black Hair demonstrated during his last pursuit, this task likely wouldn’t have fallen to him. Unfortunately, however, the harsh star systems they were passing through this time were no longer areas ravaged by pirates, but outright natural storm zones. And even Black Hair could only endure nature’s punishment in silence. Thus, when the fleet made its twelfth jump, they encountered trouble. It was a standard cosmic storm zone—almost no planets in the entire star system, only wildly spinning energy storms and huge meteorites zipping around like meteors. The density was so high that there wasn’t even half a space left for the fleet to stay. As soon as Black Hair’s fleet emerged from the jump, they plunged into the core of a storm shaped like a tornado.

Severe vibrations, rapidly flashing red lights, and shrill alarms immediately filled every corner of the warship. Apart from their black hair, all the octopus crew members who had just emerged from their hibernation pods were stunned. Through the portholes, they could clearly see a huge rock, about the size of half a planet, being swept by a storm and hurtling toward their warship…
Immediate, synchronized wails of despair erupted from the octopus crew inside the warship!!