Because their stay on Skyfire had been so short, they hadn't had a chance to use the resources they'd looted from the pirates on their ships or mechas.
But they had plenty of energy.
Just the energy crystals they'd brought back from the Shattered Starfields were priceless.
They'd wiped out most of the top pirate clans in the Shattered Starfields.
In particular, the final harvest on the Moonfiend Star was unprecedentedly huge.
Many of them had come from the Pontiff's Citadel.
The Pontiff's genetic experiments had been left behind on Skyfire, where the Keeper had arranged for them to be detoxified.
No matter what they said, they wouldn't return to the Pontiff's Citadel. They didn't even want to return to the Western Alliance. For the time being, they'd settle down on Skyfire Avenue.
Lan Jue and the Wine Master discussed their future plans, and decided to let them stay or go of their own volition.
Once they were cured, they'd become sixth level Adepts at the very least. The Pontiff's Citadel had prepared them for the future.
They were strong, but their suffering wasn't light. There was no guarantee their minds wouldn't be affected.
First, they'd have to undergo a series of psychological counseling. Once they'd be detoxified, they'd be given their freedom. That way, they wouldn't be a danger to society.
Su Xiaosu had privately suggested to Lan Jue that she'd work hard to convince them to join Star Division.
Lan Jue thought it over, but decided against it.
They'd been imprisoned for years, and their thirst for freedom had to be stronger than most.
If she tried to coerce them, they'd probably agree, but it wouldn't be good for their mental health.
Star Division was already strong, and numbers weren't the only thing that mattered.
Lan Jue, the Wine Master, and the Gourmet discussed it, and decided to let them decide whether they wanted to stay or go. Then, they'd see how they felt about their mental health.
As for the Messenger of Death, Lan Jue kept her promise and let him go.
Gabriel had seen the Pauper break through to Paragon with his own eyes. He'd even benefited from it.
He'd brought it all back to the Pontiff's Citadel.
With Skyfire Avenue's current strength, the Pontiff's Citadel was no longer a threat.
There was no need to weaken the Pontiff's Citadel.
Of course, with such a huge loss, how angry the Pope would be was not within Lan Jue's considerations.
If you make a wrong decision, you have to bear the consequences.
The Pontiff's Citadel had strayed from the right path. Whether or not they could reverse it was up to them.
But the Pontiff's Citadel's growth would slow for many years to come. It would no longer be able to compete with the Dark Citadel.
The Keeper and Bookworm, the two Paragons, began to divide up the work.
Because Lan Jue and the others had brought back the Life Crystal, they had sufficient raw materials. Skyfire Avenue's research had also started the earliest. Now that the exuvium technique was nearing its end, all they needed was constant experimentation to verify the results.
This was left to the Bookworm to complete.
The Keeper, on the other hand, was busy researching new weapons for Star Division.
The conquest of the Shattered Starfields had greatly improved Skyfire Avenue, but it had also exposed some problems.
Firstly, they did not have enough heavy weapons.
They were powerless against the alien home worlds.
Majesty and Zeus-1 were excellent, but in terms of attack power they were lacking.
The mechas of the mecha pilots were the most suitable for them, but they also had the problem of not being powerful enough.
After all, Star Division's numbers were small, and they were only suited for infiltration.
But in a situation like this, destructive power was important, otherwise infiltration would be pointless.
They couldn't just rely on the Paragons' power to do the job.
What was the point of Star Division?
That was why the Keeper was personally involved in the research.
The Eastern Alliance did their best to keep Star Division's expedition in the Shattered Starfields a secret, but the Eastern Alliance leaders were delighted with their results.
All else aside, just the information they'd brought back about the alien home worlds would prove to be a valuable asset.
At the very least, the three Major Leagues knew where the enemy was, and what they were capable of.
They wanted to learn more about the aliens.
As a result, the East's support of Star Division's strength and resources wasn't a problem.
Skyfire Avenue's resources were plentiful to begin with, and with the resources they'd plundered.
What they needed most was manpower.
A large number of researchers were brought in from all over the Eastern Alliance. Under the Keeper's command, they developed the newest weapons.
Once they were finished, priority was given to Star Division, then the Eastern Alliance's other armies.
The Wine Master had already reported to the Senate that he and Lan Jue would be personally investigating the alien home worlds. With this assurance, the Eastern Alliance sent ten precious s-ranked power gems to Star Division.
At full speed, Majesty and Zeus -1 reached An Lun in less than two days.
On the surface, An Lun didn't look much different than the last time they'd arrived. It was as lifeless as ever. Under the guidance of a patrol ship, the two ships entered An Lun's core base.
Among the people on this trip, there were only a few who had been here before.
Adepts and the military were from two different worlds, but that didn't affect their understanding of the military.
What's more, An Lun was famous in the Eastern Alliance.
The youngest general in the Eastern Alliance's history, the Eastern Alliance's God of War, Prometheus, was their commander!
An Lun's army had written many beautiful pages in the history of the Eastern Alliance.
Because of the aliens, the An Lun army had expanded twice. But even then, the total number of soldiers was only three hundred thousand.
Amongst them was the newly formed Bloodiron Khans army.
The Bloodiron Khans were divided into two divisions, the main force and the reserve force, each ten thousand strong.
All of them were equipped with the best equipment.
They trained together on An Lun.
Since their formation, they hadn't been sent into battle, so no one knew how strong they really were.
The An Lun army was known as the strongest in the Eastern Alliance.
An entire interstellar fleet was stationed on An Lun.
It was called the Yan Huang Fleet.
The fact that it was named after Yan Huang was a testament to the importance the Eastern Alliance placed on it.
In terms of technology and overall strength, the Eastern Alliance lagged behind the Northern Alliance and Western Alliance.
This disparity in national strength wasn't something that could be closed in a short time.
That was why the Eastern Alliance had drawn up a series of development plans thirty years ago.
Among them, training elite soldiers was the top priority.
In terms of numbers, we can't compare to the Western Alliance and Northern Alliance, but we must have an army that surpasses them.
The An Lun army was born then.
Although there was only one fleet, it was the culmination of generations of the Eastern Alliance's efforts.
The Yan Huang Fleet's equipment was no weaker than any of the Northern Alliance's fleets.
In fact, it was even stronger than theirs.
It was because of the An Lun army that the Northern Alliance's attempts at invasion had been repelled, and the Eastern Alliance's control of the system had been secured.
Whether it was a commoner or an Adept, everyone was curious about An Lun and the An Lun army.
Now that they were here, Star Division's Adepts could see the world of steel through their portholes. Their faces were filled with wonder and excitement.
Now they were an army, and so were their enemies.
Who was the stronger one?
What was the An Lun army like?
With these questions in mind, Lan Jue and the four Paragons led the way as they disembarked.
Lan Qing, clad in full military attire, with two stars on his shoulders, came to greet them personally.
When he saw the Wine Master and the other Paragons, he and the rest of the An Lun army stood at attention and saluted.
The Wine Master nodded in greeting.
In terms of military status, the Wine Master was the highest ranking military officer. He was on the same level as the Eastern Alliance's chief of staff. It was only right that Lan Qing saluted him.
"Welcome, Star Division." Lan Qing stepped forward and shook the Wine Master's hand.
The other three Paragons followed, and finally Lan Jue.
As the two brothers clasped hands, Lan Jue could feel the unstable energy coursing through Lan Qing's body.
With his cultivation base, he could clearly sense that various nomological fluctuations were constantly appearing around his brother. These nomological fluctuations were somewhat chaotic, and there were even signs of fragmentation. However, this undoubtedly meant that he would soon be unable to suppress his own power, and was about to advance.
"Congratulations," Lan Jue said with a smile.
Lan Qing's face broke into a rare smile. "There's nothing to congratulate me for. You'll get there sooner or later, but I won't wait for you.
You'll have to catch up to me yourself. "
Lan Jue laughed. "Don't get cocky. It won't be long before I'm at your side."
Under Lan Qing's guidance, Star Division was settled on An Lun's military base.
Lan Qing hosted a banquet for the Paragons and Star Division's leaders.
The Driver didn't attend.
He'd been working hard lately, and he knew the gap between him and Lan Jue when it came to yin-yang lightning. So he returned to his quarters and continued his cultivation.
Skyfire Avenue's four Paragons were at the banquet, along with Lan Jue, the Coffee Master, the Bartender, and Su Xiaosu.
The An Lun army's banquet wasn't anything complicated, just simple nutritious food. Alcohol was out of the question. Here, alcohol was strictly forbidden.
"Welcome, everyone. In place of wine, I'd like to propose a toast." Lan Qing rose from his seat at the head of the table. He politely raised his glass to the guests.
I'm sorry, I'm a little late.