Robin, furrowing his eyebrows at tis and raising them at others, carefully held the long scroll, lifting it slowly upward as he read through the seemingly endless lines.
An entire hour passed, and he had barely reached the middle of the list. Amusingly, the other generals, who had initially been watching him, eventually stood up and held onto the ends of the scroll, which extended across the length of the hall. They too began reading its contents in complete silence, though none dared to laugh at the situation; the weight of the words they read kept them solemn.
The list resembled an unending encyclopedia of spoils and resources.
Weapons and armor of all kinds, advanced machines for manufacturing equipnt at the sa levels as the golden armor sets, facilities for warships, and detailed designs for every stage of their construction, complete with precise explanations for modifications.
The list also included scrolls inscribed with minor laws of space, alongside others about ship defense during battles. In addition, there were new weapons, cannons, incomplete schematics for complex arrays, and massive amounts of resources necessary for crafting ships and weapons, along with an ocean of liquid energy essence!
As if that weren't enough, the spoils included a staggering number of prisoners - estimated in the tens of thousands- from the Durger human race.
This brief summary barely did the scroll justice. Every item was elaborated upon, and each category branched into subcategories with various spoils. Surveying the planet and compiling such a report must have taken an extraordinary amount of ti!
Robin, as though drowning in a sea of dreams, murmured in a barely audible voice, "Caesar, have we reached the imperial palace treasury yet?" His voice was distant, as the words he had read so far were enough to compensate for all the war's losses.
Previously, Robin had given Caesar five different locations, assuming one or all of them contained the Great Serpent Empire's treasuries. One of these locations was the current palace, while the others were scattered across different fortresses across the planet.
Caesar shook his head, holding onto one end of the scroll while reading as well. "Since we arrived, we've been in constant battles, leaving no ti for thorough searches. But... if a vassal planet holds all these spoils... I think I'll need to prioritize finding the treasuries more urgently."
Another hour passed before Robin reached the final line of the long scroll. Sighing, he handed it to the other generals to continue reading. Turning to face Raiden with a faint smile, he said, "Well done. You weren't expected to handle a situation like this when you were chosen for Planet S-1, but you've outdone yourself."
Raiden raised his head with visible excitent and exclaid, "Does that an I'll get better assignnts next ti? You know, Your Excellency, I reached Level 47 two days ago!" "...?!" The generals, deeply engrossed in the scroll's contents, exchanged quick glances before burying their heads back in reading, pretending they hadn't heard a thing. Raiden had always been the fastest in the entire empire when it ca to breakthroughs, achieving remarkable progress that bordered on the supernatural. For him, the only challenge was gathering enough energy to build a solid foundation. anwhile, comprehending the Major Heavenly Law of lightning- a massive obstacle for other practitioners- posed no challenge whatsoever to him.
To his peers, it seed as if Raiden was the favored child of the lightning path itself, a divine gift he had been born with. Still, seeing a young man not yet fifty surpass them so effortlessly was undeniably demoralizing, even if there was nothing they could do to change it.
Trying to compare themselves to Raiden would be like a man comparing his height to a taller companion or a woman comparing herself to a friend with bigger breasts- there were things beyond one's control, and it was best to simply let them go.
"I'll think about it..." Robin chuckled lightly at Raiden's boasting. How could he dislike having a subordinate with imnse talent and a strong desire to prove himself?
After a mont of contemplation, Robin asked in a serious tone, "Did you contact the dwarves of Planet S-1?"
Raiden responded eagerly as if waiting for this question, "Yes, Your Excellency. Their elder wouldn't utter a word to until he saw the captured mbers of the Great Serpent Empire in person. When he realized they were no longer under their control, he opened up to and started handing over those schematics willingly. Most of these schematics are their own creations!"
He paused montarily before continuing, speaking faster as his excitent grew: "Take, for example, the incomplete arrays the marshals only described seeing these things in the Middle Planetary Belt once and they started trying to imitate sothing like it! Even though they weren't previously familiar with the patterns, they made significant progress. While the designs remain incomplete and untested, I'm confident Sky Opening City can finish them without any issue."
Robin nodded, listening intently, before asking with genuine interest, "Tell more about the starships. What have you discovered about them?"
Raiden responded promptly and without hesitation: "The spaceships of the Great Serpent Empire had two main designs: the first was for transporting soldiers and goods, and the second was a warship equipped with a main cannon at its front. The dwarves, with their expertise, redesigned these ships intelligently, adding smaller cannons without compromising the ships' primary functions or reducing their speed. With these modifications, the transport ships were turned into warships with air superiority, while the original warships were developed into what they now call motherships!"
Robin chuckled slightly and said: "Really? It seems that the dwarves of Planet Nehari share the sa love for design and construction as the dwarves of S-1, It seems that it IS a common trait among dwarf mutants... But what's strange is that Nehari's dwarves never reached this level of innovation. Maybe the reason lies in the designs they obtained from the mid- planetary belt, such as weapon and ship designs, huh."
Robin then leaned slightly toward Raiden and looked at him intently before asking: "How cooperative were they with you, Raiden? Did they require any agreents, incentives, or pressure?"
Raiden waved his hands quickly, as if strongly denying the notion: "No, not at all! As soon as they realized we had taken over the planet from their previous owners, they handed everything without hesitation. Their elder even began explaining how things work, the number of als they need daily, and confird that they would continue working at the sa pace and on the sa projects until we assign them new tasks!"
Raising a single eyebrow, Robin mused: "From what you're saying, they seem more like machines... or even livestock. Have they forgotten how to live naturally? This... is sad." Caesar chuckled lightly and remarked sarcastically: "What now, Father? Are you planning to help them rediscover their sentience?"
Robin smirked slyly and said: "Nah, the damage is already done. I'm thinking of how to make use of that trait. Builders as good as these aren't sothing you find every day!" He stroked his chin thoughtfully before waving his hand dismissively: "Anyway... well done, Raiden. You've executed everything perfectly. I'll make sure to reward you properly when all this is
over."
Raiden stood at attention with enthusiasm, then quickly found himself a seat among the marshals. He sat smiling from ear to ear, as if the words of praise from Robin were the greatest reward he could receive, surpassing any other promise.
Turning to his side, Robin looked toward Martin. "What about you, Martin? I understand you've completed the conquest of the planet assigned to you. Did you find anything as
exciting as Raiden did?"
Martin stood at attention, setting the scroll aside. "How could I be as fortunate as General Raiden, Your Excellency? That planet was devoid of any resistance, even any local sentient life. I found only six thousand soldiers from the Great Serpent Empire and about twenty thousand humans, whom I later learned were transported from the Stone Rock for mining work. I discovered several reasonably sized mines and gardens containing ancient herbs and fruit-bearing trees, but that's about it."
Victoria interjected after waiting for him to finish: "Almost the sa report on Planet S-2, Your Excellency. We found stores of energy stones, energy essence, and various types of ores, but the planet itself was nearly empty except for a few thousand humans."
Kasya Levan nodded in agreent and added: "Aside from a few minor details, I'm afraid my
report is quite similar."
Robin sighed and nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad. Having several peaceful farms for ores isn't a bad haul. We'll figure sothing out for them later."
Whoosh!
A shadow moved beneath the hall's door, advancing lightly until it settled beside the generals. Theo erged with quiet steps and said in a low voice: "Your Excellency, we've
received a report from Planet R-1."
Robin's eyes narrowed, and he furrowed his brows slightly. "Where Alexander was sent? Was he unable to hold on?" His tone was cautious, as that planet was a particularly challenging mission, perhaps no less troubleso than the Stone Rock before he took charge. He added in a serious tone: "I think it's ti to send reinforcents..."
Theo responded with his characteristic calmness: "There's no need for that, Your Excellency.
The planet has been fully subdued."
One day remains until the negotiations...
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