Chapter 170: The Price of Allegiance

Parlo had Tuoba relay his message.

Honestly, if Tuoba wanted to, he could’ve intercepted that message himself.

But he didn’t dare.

Especially after Lin Yu showed him how easily he could blitz the capital region and take down Sadik in one swift strike.

Tuoba was even more cautious now.

So, without hesitation, he passed Parlo’s words straight to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu didn’t mind at all.

If you looked at the star chart right now, you’d notice something…

The territories under Federation control, plus the regions Tuoba had agreed to cede, would only border two other civilizations—one was the Xitoris Kingdom, the other was the Ziyang Empire.

But what if the Federation managed to take over the Ziyang Empire as well?

The answer? Xitoris and Ziyang would form a buffer between the Federation and the Wasteland Alliance, wrapping the Federation safely inside.

After that, the Federation could quietly develop the more than twenty star systems they’d just acquired, all while selling weapons to both sides and letting them fight the other Wasteland Alliance civilizations.

Eventually, after stabilizing their own territory and making full preparations…

They could step in and sweep up all those weakened and war-torn civilizations in one go.

After weighing all the pros and cons, Lin Yu made his decision.

He’d take this dog in…

——

Inside the room.

Parlo was pretty nervous. After all, he was about to meet someone big.

Or at least, that’s what Sadik told him.

According to Sadik, this person was a general from a Federation fleet, someone with full authority over everything concerning the Desolate Star Region.

Sure, Parlo might be the emperor of an empire and the other guy was just an officer, which made it look like a huge gap in status, but…

You had to consider the level of their civilizations.

A fourth-tier civilization—a fleet general, or frankly, even a regular citizen—

had a status that definitely wasn’t below that of a second-tier emperor.

That was just the truth, so no wonder Parlo was nervous.

What he didn’t know was that, as a whole, the Federation was still a second-tier civilization.

Sure, they had a dozen warships that could rival third-tier technology, and even a Warstar capable of hyperspace jumps…

But for the Federation, those were things they couldn’t reproduce yet.

Of course, Lin Yu wasn’t about to share that detail.

Tuoba glanced at Parlo, watching the man fidget anxiously. He understood all too well.

He’d felt almost the same way once.

The only thing he didn’t get was—weren’t they just here to talk about making the Ziyang Empire the Federation’s “dog”? Why had Lin Yu called him in too?

But before Tuoba could think it through, Lin Yu’s figure flickered into view via projection.

“Lord Lin Yu!”

Tuoba jumped to his feet at once and greeted him respectfully.

Parlo followed suit, copying his every move.

“Take a seat.”

Lin Yu nodded and sat down, not wasting words.

“We’re here for two main things today.”

As soon as they were seated, Lin Yu got straight to the point.

“First, the Ziyang Empire wants to join the Federation. That’s fine, but just like Tuoba, you’ll have to give up half your territory and open your markets to us.”

“In return, you’ll be able to buy Federation military gear—like Tuoba’s Seawolf-class general-purpose warships and Bai Ze mechs, and so on.”

As Lin Yu spoke, Parlo turned to look at Tuoba.

Tuoba gave him a slight nod.

Parlo’s shock was obvious.

Half his territory? Tuoba had actually ceded that much to the Federation?

Wasn’t this a bit too harsh?

“Parlo, don’t be stupid!”

“Isn’t the Blue-Eye Tribe your sworn enemy? With Federation weapons, you could wipe them out. When that day comes…”

“Even if you give up nearly twenty star systems now, you’ll get back more than double that in the end…”

Lin Yu didn’t even have to say anything; Tuoba had switched roles and was doing the convincing himself.

Though obviously, his real aim was to curry favor with Lin Yu.

Plus, having given up half his own territory, he was making sure the Empire would be held to the same standard. No exceptions.

As for the Blue-Eye Tribe, they were actually a second-tier civilization in the Desolate Star Region, but not part of the Wasteland Alliance.

Even after entering the interstellar era, this civilization still lived much like nomads.

Raiding and plundering the Ziyang Empire and other neighboring civilizations had become their daily routine.

The Ziyang Empire suffered especially, since seven of their star systems bordered the Blue-Eye Tribe, and they’d had enough of it.

After all, you never knew when or where they’d storm in from.

And you couldn’t split your forces across seven fronts either, or you’d just end up unable to defend anywhere.

But if the Empire got their hands on Seawolf-class warships and could deploy a couple thousand at each hotspot, the problem would be solved.

In fact, they could even launch a counter-offensive and wipe out the Blue-Eye Tribe entirely.

True, the Blue-Eye Tribe didn’t control a ton of star systems, but thirty-seven was nothing to scoff at.

If you managed to seize all those, then giving up nearly twenty right now didn’t seem so unacceptable, did it?

“Lord Lin Yu, if I agree to everything, can we buy Federation weapons with no restrictions?”

“That’s right. As long as you can pay, there are no limits.”

“Good. Then I’ll accept every condition—and right now, I’m placing an order for twenty thousand Seawolf-class warships!”

After a brief moment’s hesitation, Parlo gritted his teeth and went all in.

“The trade details will be handled by a dedicated team later. For now, there’s something else to discuss.”

“Next, Tuoba. The Federation has just one requirement for you…”

“Declare war on the Totran Kingdom over their earlier invasion of Okka!”

“Of course, I’m not saying you have to attack right away. Take a few years to get ready. Expand your fleet, stock up on Seawolf-class ships, and make sure you’re prepared for war.”

“At our current production rate—subtracting orders from other vassal civilizations—the Federation can supply you with about three thousand Seawolf-class ships each year.”

“You two can figure out the split yourselves!”

“Naturally, if you place a big enough order and pay a 50% deposit, the Federation can expand the production lines and deliver even faster.”

“And since you’re part of our team now, you won’t be left in the dust.”

“I can guarantee you this: Once we conquer the entire Desolate Star Region, each of your territories…”

“Will be at least as large as one hundred star systems!”

Hiss…

One hundred star systems?

That number left both men speechless.

But Lin Yu just sneered inside.

One hundred star systems sound like a lot?

It might seem impressive, but actually…

There are over thirty thousand stars in the Desolate Star Region.

Spend decades toiling for the Federation, fighting endless wars and losing countless lives—finally taking all of the Desolate Star Region—

And in the end, the Federation is just tossing you a couple hundred to make you feel important.

Look at you—so easily impressed!