After a while, Ian looked into the distance with a solemn expression. "Captain, can you take me around?"
Qi Jin did not ask any more questions and led Ian into the distance. Ian was already a Limiteer and had the power to destroy an ordinary planet, but he still wanted Qi Jin to accompany him. This meant that there might be enemies here.
Qi Jin warned the mercenaries to be on high alert.
Ian spent more than an hour searching for something on the ground. Finally, he looked at Qi Jin with a solemn expression. "Captain, I would like to speak with Vice Captain Shalosh."
In King Zishan's palace, Lu Yin activated his gadget, and Shalosh's image appeared on the screen. "Your Highness, the Bladestorm Mercenaries might have discovered an army from another weave hidden in our Frostwave Weave."
Lu Yin was shocked, but he did not hesitate and immediately sent an express response team to the uninhabited planet where the Bladestorm Mercenaries were.
The Rapid Response Team was an army that Lu Yin had personally formed after a discussion with the leaders of the various weaves. They would be driven by radiant-grade Auroras, and their goal was to complete missions as quickly as possible. There were 113 people in the team, with 100 Explorers, ten Cruisers, and three Hunters.
This was the Great Eastern Alliance's trump card, and this was Lu Yin's first time using it.
The three Hunters were all independent cultivators, and the only ones who could give orders to this team were Lu Yin and the commander of the Allied Armies, Liuying Zishan.
On the uninhabited planet, Ian whispered, "Captain, we might have been targeted. Let's put up a facade, or else we might be annihilated."
"Are you sure there are enemy troops here?"
Qi Jin asked. Shalosh had just contacted the Royal Regent, and if there were no enemy troops, then it would be embarrassing, especially in front of the Royal Regent.
Ian replied, "I'm not sure, but there were enemies in the past."
Qi Jin's heart sank. "How long is' in the past '?"
Ian replied confidently, "About ten days."
Qi Jin relaxed. This was good. As long as they could confirm that there had been enemy troops in the past ten days, then this discovery would not be considered a mistake.
Under Qi Jin's orders, the Bladestorm Mercenaries pretended to be searching for minerals in the surroundings to confuse any enemy troops.
Far away from them, there was a huge underground space that was densely packed with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Ian's analysis was correct, and there was indeed an army here.
"General, should we exterminate them?" In the underground spaceship, a middle-aged man looked at the star chart and listened to the adjutant's report.
They didn't monitor the surface, and any surveillance equipment could be discovered. Therefore, they used the most primitive surveillance method, telescopes, special telescopes that could see the starry sky.
The middle-aged man asked, "Are they the Frostwave Weave's Swordguard Mercenary Group?"
"Yes."
"We can't. The Swordguard mercenary group's vice captain, Shalosh, is the captain of the Eighth Imperial Squadron. Once we destroy the Swordguard mercenary group, Shalosh won't let the matter rest. He'll definitely follow the clues to find us. At that time, we'll be exposed," said the middle-aged man.
The adjutant asked, "But will they discover us?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "I don't think so. Haven't the traces of our landing been cleared?
Even those with advanced military education wouldn't be able to detect us, let alone mercenaries. "
"Yes."
On the surface, Ian returned to the spacecraft, and Dana immediately came up to him and grabbed him. She leaned over and said with her drunken eyes, "Let's go and play with big sis."
Ian was helpless. "Big Sis Dana, you're drunk."
"What are you drunk for? You won't be able to stay for much longer. Father said that he'll recommend you to the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons. Do you want to leave?" Dana glared at Ian.
Ian couldn't answer.
Dana suddenly vomited all over Ian, but he smiled bitterly. He was already used to this.
Ian held Dana in his arms and looked outside. From time to time, he would glance at his gadget and look up. Soon, soon.
Although Frostwave Weave was large, with the speed of a radiant-grade spacecraft, its range was infinitely reduced.
When a spacecraft appeared in the sky, Ian sighed in relief. It was here.
Underground, the adjutant's face changed when he heard the report. "General, something's wrong."
As soon as he spoke, the ground trembled as a huge force came crashing down from the surface. This was the strength of a Hunter.
The middle-aged man was shocked. "Quick, get into the spacecraft and prepare for battle." Unfortunately, it was too late. A Hunter tore through the surface and appeared in front of the army. This army only had two Cruisers, and they were unable to resist a Hunter. They were quickly suppressed and captured alive.
…
Outside King Zishan's palace, Qishan Jin was nervous. As the leader of the Swordguard Mercenaries, he had weathered many storms, but at this moment, he was about to face a legend. With his qualifications, he shouldn't have been able to meet such a person in his lifetime, but today, he was about to meet the Royal Regent, Lu Yin, a legend of the universe.
Ian was beside Qishan. He had performed a great service, and Lu Yin had specifically requested to meet him.
Ian's thoughts were complicated. Back on Earth, he had been robbed by Lu Yin, and everyone had used him as an example. At the Imperial Military Academy, he had become a laughingstock. Because of this, he had gone to a bar to get drunk, offending Dana, and was forced to join the Swordguard Mercenaries. His life had been divided into two extremes.
Before Earth's trial, he had been a top student at the Imperial Military Academy, an elite among elites. He had been qualified to join Yu Academy and had a bright future.
After Earth's trial, he had been nothing more than a small mercenary.
In the beginning, Ian had hated Lu Yin, but as Lu Yin's reputation had spread throughout the universe after the Tournament of the Strongest, Ian's attitude had changed. Back then, he had told Dana that not everyone had the experience of fighting against a legend.
He had thought that he would never cross paths with Lu Yin in this lifetime, but he had never imagined that he would be facing him again so soon. This was the person who had robbed him, but was now known as a legend.
"The leader of the Swordguard Mercenaries, Qishan Jin, greets Your Highness," Qishan Jin bowed in the living room of King Zishan's palace.
"Ian of the Swordguard Mercenaries greets Your Highness," Ian bowed as well.
Lu Yin smiled. "No need to be so polite. Sit."
Qishan met Ian's eyes and sat down in a reserved manner.
"I've heard of the Swordguard Mercenaries many times. Vice leader Shalosh is the captain of the Eighth Imperial Squadron, and he's considered an expert even among Cruisers in the Outerverse. How did he join the Swordguard Mercenaries?"
Qishan respectfully replied, "When Shalosh was heavily injured, we happened to be on a mission in Myriad Veil Weave, and we saved him. That's why he joined us."
"I see." Lu Yin nodded. Shalosh's resume had recorded that he came from Myriad Veil Weave, and it was speculated that he was the successor of one of Myriad Veil Weave's leading powers. However, that had been destroyed by the Temple of Tai Mo, which had led to the Temple of Tai Mo controlling two weaves. However, that was a long time ago, and Shalosh had only inherited some battle techniques at most.
"How did Shalosh join the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons?" Lu Yin asked, as this was not recorded in his resume.
Qishan replied, "Shalosh joined the selection on his own, and he was favored by the previous emperor. He gradually became the captain of the Eighth Squadron."
Lu Yin understood, and he looked at Ian with a smile. "Long time no see."
Ian's expression changed, and he stood up respectfully. "I offended Your Highness in the past. Please forgive me."
Qishan knew that Ian had participated in Earth's trial, as the Royal Regent had also walked out of it. The two had crossed paths before.
Lu Yin laughed. "I remember that I robbed you before, but you didn't offend me. Why, are you scolding me?"
Ian felt awkward.
Lu Yin smiled and gestured for Ian to sit down. He looked at Ian strangely. "Tell me, how did you discover that there was an army underground?
They shouldn't have left any obvious traces. "
Speaking of this, Ian became much more confident. This was his forte. "No military operation can be done without leaving traces behind. I once studied the location of spaceships and the psychological analysis of spaceships. This course is very unpopular in the Imperial Military Academy, and almost no one wants to learn it. However, it is very useful. When a spaceship is docked on an unfamiliar planet, the orientation, defensive position, and the captain's psychological state are all very important. Through this, we can analyze a lot of things …"
Ian spoke for nearly five minutes, but Lu Yin didn't really understand. He hadn't received any military education, but he still had a rough idea of what Ian was talking about. It was similar to criminal psychological analysis, but it was applied to the military and to spaceship captains.
He immediately ordered that this course be made compulsory, and every officer of the Imperial Military Academy had to have a copy of it. Regardless of whether they could learn it or not, they had to learn it. Psychological analysis was very important.
Lu Yin looked at Ian with admiration. "You're not bad. It's a waste to keep you in the mercenary group." He then looked at Qishan. "Captain Qishan, you don't mind if I poach someone from your group, right?"
Qishan hurriedly replied, "It's Ian's fortune to be valued by Your Highness." He then gave Ian a meaningful look.
Ian stood up. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Lu Yin nodded. "The Thirteen Imperial Squadrons are a combat department, and you won't be able to achieve much with your power level. How about this? You can join the Great Eastern Alliance Allied Forces and assist Commander Liuying Zishan in handling some matters. Your position won't be high, but your future prospects will be pretty good. Whether or not you can advance will depend on yourself."
Ian was delighted. Actually, he didn't like joining the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons either, as it would be like slaughtering the Imperial Empire. It wasn't much different from being in the mercenary group. He yearned for the military, which was why he had entered the Imperial Military Academy. The Great Eastern Alliance Allied Forces were the most suitable for him. "Thank you, Your Highness. This subordinate will not disappoint Your Highness."
Lu Yin grunted and dismissed them. He then summoned the Foreign Affairs Minister, Hill Auna.
"We've investigated the origins of that army. It belongs to the Wei family of Armament Weave. Immediately send out a notice to the Wei family to hand over the mastermind and compensate them with three million star essence. Otherwise, we'll declare war."
Hill Auna was shocked. "Three million star essence?
Your Highness, isn't that too much? "
How much did the Great Yu Empire collect in taxes every year? Three million?
That was a sky-high price. Forget about three million, even thirty thousand would be considered quite good. This was the Outerverse, not the Innerverse.
However, Lu Yin was very firm, and there was no room for negotiation. "Three million. Not a single star essence less."
Hill Auna could tell that the compensation was a lie, and the declaration of war was real. His Highness wanted to fight, so he didn't dare to say anything else and immediately excused himself.