Chapter 148: The High-Stakes Deal

Bilodis spent over an hour explaining everything to Tuoba.

She even offered to have the elves secretly help him spread word inside the Federation.

Still, Tuoba hesitated.

After all…

He wasn’t a fool.

To catch the eye of a Level 3 civilization, the promised benefits had to be massive—far beyond just a star system or two.

“Tuoba, I’ve taught you the way forward. But let me be blunt—if you don’t win the Federation’s support within a year, don’t just worry about losing out on profit. Your whole family will face annihilation.”

Seeing him waver, Bilodis turned up the pressure.

Truth was, the situation left Tuoba and his family with nowhere to turn.

Backed against a cliff, he could step forward or fall into the abyss.

And if he wanted to climb higher, his only hope was to grab the hand the Federation offered.

“Fine. As long as the Federation fully backs me until I seize control of the Xitoris Kingdom and secures my reign and safety…”

“I’m willing to cede 20 star systems toward Alpha Centauri to the Federation!”

Whoa…

Bilodis was stunned speechless.

What had Mu Qingxue asked her to do?

Convince Tuoba to cede 10 to 15 star systems—10 was the minimum, 15 the dream.

But now?

Tuoba had just offered up 20 star systems in the Alpha Centauri direction. That was nearly half the entire Xitoris Kingdom’s territory.

Not to mention, Tianyuan IV—the planet the Federation coveted, stockpiled with trillions of tons of Helium-3—

was smack in the middle of the territory he’d just promised.

So… had she just overdelivered on her mission?

“Perfect. Don’t worry, Tuoba, I’ll have the elves spread this news inside the Federation. Three days at most and everyone will know.”

“With profits this enormous, the voters will force the government’s hand. Under pressure, Federation leaders will contact you for negotiations soon.”

Hearing this,

Tuoba offered heartfelt thanks.

He’d have to give up 20 star systems, which hurt deeply.

But…

His family had started out with just one star system. Even after ceding 20, he’d still have 27 left, wouldn’t he?

Was it even a choice—facing destruction in a year, or becoming king of 27 star systems protected by a Level 3 civilization after that year?

The answer was obvious.

——

A month later.

Bilodis, looking delighted, tracked down Tuoba.

She told him the deal was done—the Federation would arrange talks in three days, using remote communications and a holographic interface.

Tuoba could hardly contain his excitement.

Aside from thanking Bilodis nonstop, he even prepared thirty transport ships packed with supplies.

All as a thank-you gift to the Elven Race.

Naturally, Bilodis accepted them all without hesitation.

Watching this, Tuoba felt a little more at ease.

Three days later.

Just as Bilodis promised, the Federation arranged the remote meeting. After over a decade, Tuoba finally saw humans again.

For all those years, every contact he had was with elves.

This meeting went smoothly.

Tuoba repeated his offer: if the Federation gave full support, he’d cede 20 star systems towards Alpha Centauri.

He also added a new condition.

After the war, he wanted the Federation to protect the Xitoris Kingdom. When the dust settled, the kingdom would be too weakened to fend off the two neighboring Level 2 civilizations likely to attack.

Mu Qingxue might have acted reluctant, but in the end, she agreed to all of it.

Soon after, the Seawolf-class warships that had been stationed near Proxima VIII for years finally began to move.

In waves, they sailed for Alpha Centauri.

——-

A year later.

At the ocean current mouth connecting Tianyuan IV and Tianyuan III.

Fleets under the Third Legion surged out in an endless stream.

Meanwhile, at three other ocean current mouths located within Tianyuan IV—those of Lalande, Wolf, and Sirius—the Xitoris Kingdom’s First, Second, and Fourth Legions’ fleets launched at almost the exact same moment.

Four armies stormed into Tianyuan IV together.

Thanks to Hyperdimensional Communication Technology, the Third Legion’s commander, Rashid, could stay in touch and monitor the battle in real time, even while traversing the currents.

“Commander, our vanguard reports a fierce enemy defense. Over 2,000 enemy warships!”

The Third Legion had brought more than 3,000 warships, but—being the attackers—Tuoba had the advantage defending the ocean current mouths.

After all, the passage was narrow. The fleet couldn’t enter as one; they had to slip through in small groups, only a few at a time.

That meant, at the start, you faced the defenders’ full might with just a handful of ships.

Of course, that meant attackers always took heavier losses. Plus…

Even if all your ships made it through, you’d find yourself surrounded in the middle—the defenders would arrange their fleet in a hemispherical formation, their crossfire devastating.

So attacking a current with 3,000 ships against 2,000 defenders? The odds weren’t as great as it sounded.

But Rashid wasn’t rattled in the slightest.

“What’s there to fear? If they’re pouring everything into this spot, that means the other three are wide open. Contact the First, Second, and Fourth Legions—as soon as they arrive, have them strike from behind. We’ll catch the enemy in a pincer!”

He wasn’t worried because—

This wasn’t just the Third Legion’s assault. Three other legions were joining in.

They’d even synchronized their departure times from the start.

That way, they’d all hit Tianyuan IV together.

Unless Tuoba could rustle up another five or six thousand warships and block all three other currents as well,

maybe the Third Legion would suffer some early losses, but it wouldn’t change the outcome.

And as for those losses…

The core families had already promised—take down Tuoba, and they’d cover any losses all four legions sustained.

With a promise like that, what did Rashid have to worry about?

Time to fight for real.

But then…

“Commander, the First, Second, and Fourth Legions have entered Tianyuan IV.”

“Good. Tell them to gather enough ships and reinforce immediately.”

“Um… they just reported they also ran into major enemy fleets blocking their advance.”

“WHAT?!”

Rashid’s eyes went wide in shock.

Confusion was written all over his face.