Despite Antons intent to stay out of the war, the war had co to him. Though to be completely fair to various people in supporting roles, not everyone participated in a war in a direct combat role. Intercepting shipnts as he had been showed just how important those who handled supply lines were. It was just that nothing coming from the upper realms was providing basic necessities people needed to survive. Everything seed to be weapons of various forms, so on very different scales.
When he was certain that all the retreating ships had lost their ability to maneuver and he had dealt with mbers of the Twin Soul Sect, Anton went around rounding up the nurous ships. Even if individually the majority of the ships were small and lacking in power, the total amount it would set back the Trigold Cluster in the lower realms very much added up. Ships capable of interstellar travel didnt just grow on trees and if they did, it would take a long ti and they would still be quite valuable.
In short, either in terms of manpower or other resources, this was expensive. And they wouldnt have sent such a large group if they hadnt both determined a threat and very much needed the support from the upper realms.
Unfortunately, Anton wasnt great at interrogating people he wasnt going to let live. He was willing to kill off uncooperative individuals, but there were people much better at the job. So he stuck to very simple questions. Like, Who was stupid enough to think this was a good idea and send you all out here? So people clearly thought that things were going to get worse, and because Anton couldnt seal the cultivation of everyone in such a large group- despite having more cultivation binding restraints than before- so simply chose to kill themselves. You know you guys might have a chance to live, right? You must realize that your leaders screwed you over. Take what you can get.
He finally got a few answers there. The orders ca from the sect head, said one of the mbers of the Void Scrying Sect. I assu its the sa for the rest.
That would be one Jina Rostani, correct? Oh dont look so surprised, Anton said when many of them tensed up. Its literally just a na. You think nobody provided nas before?
He wasnt quite certain how he was going to fill the ti for people to arrive. Indeed, they were going to need quite a bit more than their previous ships that had reached this place. Then again, it shouldnt be easy for the Trigold Cluster to send many people to stop them. With successive losses in Anrade and now here around Naewu, even ignoring whatever was happening in the civil war, they were going to be stretched thin.
Nobody provided him useful information, though Anton had the insight to pick out those who had information. He would point them out later. Ultimately, he pushed all of their ships into a nice orbit around Anrade. They would have enough supplies to last for a while, since they had enough for the trip back and many of them had died. Anton wasnt interested in starving them to death while they waited. In fact, he had little intention to restrict them to any significant degree. He didnt even stop them from conspiring after he left to continue his patrol pattern.
Of course, he was still paying attention, quite closely. And if they actually ca up with plans that seed like they would go anywhere, it would be trivial to stop them, since they were fairly close to one of his bound stars. As close as he could get them without heat being a problem, specifically. So ships were in different layers, and most would eventually drift apart over the next days and weeks.
-----
With Anrade and Egnos both occupied- as well as the lack of superweapons to make up for their weaker cultivations and ships- things were looking up for the Lower Realms Alliance. Egnos had been cleaned up to so extent, with much information they might want purged before they managed to capture it. But the sa was not true for Anrade.
While there had been so efforts to destroy records during the assault, many people were more concerned about their own survival rather than sect secrets. Which ant they had piles of records and nurous alchemical laboratories and sealed vaults to look through. At least so of the production of the most dangerous poisons had taken place on Anrade- it seed as if it had been split up between various planets such as Kunion.
It would take a long ti to visit every location and pore through all the information they now had. Combining that with various levels of information from Egnos and all of their previous encounters, they might be able to track where everything was moving. Things were going well, but they werent going to assu that there were no more tricks. And if they relaxed too early and let one of their planets succumb to an attack- whether poison, bioweapon, or direct assault- they could only be filled with regret.
And they had two more systems they were responsible for now. The fact that they were filled with the Trigold Clusters own people likely had little bearing on whether they would try to wipe them out.
In short, they needed to use their information to continue coming up with counters. If they could make antidotes for poisons, counters for stealth formations, and disrupt further attacks only then would they be able to declare a proper victory.
-----
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The series of losses for the Void Scrying Sect and their allies didnt suddenly stop. Indeed, another near simultaneous loss- within the very sa year- hit them at the hands of their forr allies.
The news mostly reached the Lower Realms Alliance and Shining Cooperative indirectly. There were so levels of communication between people on different planets that werent the main comms facilities they had. And while for their own security it would be best if they could completely cut off such flow of information, it also provided them benefits. Secrets didnt last long when more than a few people knew them, and there were more than a few people willing to share the news for a modest paynt.
And more than a few others who couldnt help but reveal information in their panic. Because that was the sort of news coming from Xeotov, the primary focus of the Fearso nagerie.
Nobody seed quite sure about the details, but the strange weapon that they had previously revealed continued to shift the tide of the war. The latest news involved them breaking through Xeotovs planetary barrier and wiping out several outposts, with only a single shot each. It seed likely that their current assault would end up with them taking control of the planet.
That would then put them as neighbors with Egnos and Anrade. They had been content to let the civil war continue, but now that a new weapon was basically at their doors they had to watch out for it. After all, the Fearso nagerie was still part of the Trigold Cluster, and they were still foes. Mitigating circumstances involving betrayal and factionalism had simply made them less valuable as a primary target.
-----
Away from the lower realms, and indeed far from any war- at the current mont- Crossed Antennae was debating her policy for expanding colonies. She wanted to make sure each colony got established properly, but they also had a lot of ground to cover- there were sufficient habitable planets on the border, and she was also wondering if they should expand into the Trigold Clusters territory.
It was safer to avoid, of course, but the actual boundary was sowhat fuzzy and the news from the lower realms indicated that the border with the Scarlet Midfields and the lower realms was not the only area of concern.
She wished she had proper counselors. The humans who had co to aid her were fine, of course, but what she really needed were properly aged void ants who could keep up with her ntally, or perhaps sothing like the leaf and stick fellow from Akrys.
For the mont, she only had herself and her Grand Counselors. Autumn and Bark had been rebuilt several tis. Good day, counselors, she said. I am sure you read my report with my concerns. The tiline cannot withstand any delays, and yet it cannot be sped up, either. For example, were I not to help with educating each new colony they might develop divergent thoughts.
Crossed Antennae moved around the area. Humans couldnt co here, and void ants wouldnt. All would respect her private rooms, and they could be as expansive as she wished. Though this area in particular was not as grand as she made it out in her head.
What is wrong with divergent thoughts, you might ask. Well, straying from the desires of the Great Queen is a great risk to our people. Whats that, Grand Counselor Chipped Thorax? Naming people is divergent? Even my own na, as a queen? Crossed Antennae shuffled around. I agree. But just because the Great Queen accepted it doesnt an it was part of her plans. And yes, I am aware of the Sergeant in the lower realms. Perhaps I should have t her.
She really wished there was tea or sothing around here. Humans could always take a sip of tea when they wanted to pause their talking. Now there was awkward stillness. Judgntal.
Yes, I heard about the drone, she continued. A son of the queen. A brother, perhaps. But we will never et. She clacked her mandibles as she signed. So divergence is accepted. But the problem what if I cant handle it? What if the colonies want to just live on their own? What if they beco dangerous, and attack our friends? What if I fail?
There was no one to answer her. And she would not voice her words to a blind lad or a wolf, no matter how much she appreciated them. The only thing she could do was hope that her mother hadnt made a mistake.
And wonder why she cared more about her as a mother than as the Great Queen. That was certainly not how things were ant to be.
-----
With the prisoners taken off his hand, Anton was able to relax and focus more on his patrols and his binding of future stars. Because he could replace more of his early stars still, and he had ti. This wasnt a bad place for it, either. Aside from simply stopping these shipnts, he could also monitor movents through the area in the future- when the Tides of the World shifted.
That was still a long ti off. Several centuries away but that was less ti than Anton had lived, now. And with the massive presence the Trigold Cluster had here already, they couldnt just think about protecting their own systems. They had to prevent all forms of intrusion. He likely couldnt cause any significant damage to Trigold forces unless they passed quite close to the stars he could have in the area, and he almost certainly wouldnt be present himself as he would be focusing on Ceretos and the core of the Lower Realms Alliance. But just knowing information was very useful.
Of course, they might also try to destroy his stars. But even the shifting Tides of the World wouldnt make that easy. Both of the thods hed seen so far wouldnt work on him, and the Trigold Cluster hadnt shown the ability to replicate those attempts frequently. And they might not be able to bring such things through the Tides of the World. Anton couldnt be certain, but not binding stars would make him much less effective. He couldnt give up before he started because of what might happen in the future.
Besides, they needed this now. He couldnt even guarantee living that long into the future, and that wasnt a matter of nebulous lifespan. And he might need to get involved with other conflicts that would be a greater risk to his life. If they t groups who had been stable for multiple cycles, they could easily be outclassed by a different sort of ascension alternative. And they might not care about the solidarity of the lower realms as much as the rest they had t. Like Ekict, who had been more concerned about their own power.
Reviews
All reviews (0)