The old galaxy.
No human referred to the Milky Way Galaxy like this in the past. Humanity never actually used this stuffy na of its ho galaxy that often either because there was no need to make the distinction.
In the past, ancient humans only referred to the only sun as 'the sun' and the only moon as 'the moon' before they traversed the stars. They were forced to use more unique designations in order to distinguish between stars and moons.
In the sa way, humans took a long ti to refer to the Milky Way Galaxy as 'the galaxy' before they expanded their reach yet again.
The opening of the Red Ocean and the spread of humanity to an entirely different galaxy, if only a miniature-sized one, caused many humans to develop the need for greater differentiation!
Since calling the Milky Way Galaxy by this clunky na all of the ti beca tireso, humans had taken to referring to it as the old galaxy for convenience.
It was not an inaccurate na. The old galaxy was humanity's old haunt. Much of its stars had already been explored to death. The aliens who resided in the Milky Way in the past and present had been figured out as well.
Compared to the exciting and fast-moving environnt of the new frontier, the old galaxy practically looked like an oasis of peace and stagnation!
While the old galaxy still hosted plenty of conflicts, it was clear that their intensity no longer reached the heights of the past.
The opening of the Red Ocean served as an escape valve for many states.
A huge number of ambitious, eager and combative people no longer stirred up trouble in the old galaxy, but instead chose to do whatever it took to emigrate to the new frontier in order to obtain much greater room for developnt!
Did this make the people left behind in the old galaxy inferior? Not necessarily.
The Fridayn happened to be in a special situation. They had won a massive war for control over the Komodo Star Sector shortly after the Red Ocean beca accessible.
Compared to chasing after epheral riches in a region of space that was unimaginably distant, most Fridayn chose to consolidate their gains in the Komodo Star Sector!
Even if it was just a frontier star sector that was far away from any prosperous trade, there was still a lot of value in taking it over in its entirety!
Enough ti had passed for the Friday Coalition to overco the initial difficulties in annexing and starting the enormous reconstruction effort of the forr territories of the Hexadric Hegemony.
Key figures of the Friday Coalition such as Master Carmin Olson made heavy commitnts in exchange for obtaining a relatively small but extrely lucrative piece of the pie!
The Master ch Designer who once beca known as a genius for realizing her design philosophy before she beca a century years old reacted with bemusent after receiving an unexpected piece of news.
"There is no need for you to express so much excitent at this announcent. Ves Larkinson is no longer your friend. He is still our enemy. His work has led to the deaths of many good Fridayman soldiers. You should not expose this attitude to other Fridayn. They are liable to accuse you for treachery."
Oleg Vorn snorted. Though he had grown up since the last ti he t with Ves in person, he still couldn't help but regress whenever this topic arose!
"Alienating was the worst mistake our state could have ever made. Besides, no one ever asked whether I agreed to this. I respect you a lot for teaching all of this ti, but I am no longer studying under you anymore. I have set off on my own these days. I am my own person and I can treat anyone as my friend as I like!"
"That is a dangerous opinion to hold in this star sector." Carmin Olson warned her graduated disciple.
The younger Journeyman irreverently shrugged his shoulders. "Then I will pack up my bags and move to the Red Ocean like the others who want to get out of this depressing state. I swear the Friday Coalition has never been the sa after winning the war. We've beco so bogged down by the reconstruction effort that we never really do anything exciting with our chs anymore."
"We are citizens of the Verer Group and the Friday Coalition. We were raised by them. We have a moral obligation to repay them. There are many priceless opportunities to establish your business and secure a strong footing in a regional ch market in this period of ti. If you want to have any hope of catching up to your forr brother, then you should stay put and et the demands of your local custors."
Oleg sighed. This was indeed the best possible choice for him, but that did not an he liked it. Pretty much every ch designer of his generation faced temptation from the Red Ocean.
"Don't worry, Master. I am not going to abandon what I built in this star sector so easily. Ves has his clan and his ch company. I can't fall too far behind if I want to et with him again on an equal footing."
Even as he said so, Oleg felt quite uncomfortable about the fact that the young man he once knew had made such an enormous leap in progress.
Just like Tristan, Oleg Vorn had received the core teachings of a Master ch Designer. This put him at a much higher starting point than other ch designers.
The fact that Ves was able to surpass him in such a clear and undeniable manner despite lacking so much guidance was difficult to stomach!
Fortunately, Oleg still looked at Ves from a favorable angle. He was happy for the other man's success. He easily accepted this outco after he had a bit of ti to adjust his ntality.
Carmin Olson stood up from her seat at her design terminal and moved closer to her disciple.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. "What happened to Mr. Larkinson is… regrettable, but we cannot compromise our own interests in order to satisfy our baser desires. We are both limited by our allegiances. So long as we still call ourselves Fridayn, we must maintain our distance from him and other enemies of the state."
Though Oleg Vorn was upset at this situation, he was not as willing to distance himself from his ho state as Tristan Wesseling.
The Verer Group was not in a good shape these days. It was still in the process of rebuilding everything it had lost in the Komodo War. It also experienced a lot of difficulties in digesting the newly conquered territories of the Hexadric Hegemony. Oleg would feel guilty if he abandoned the Verers in their ti of need.
"Is there any possibility that we can reconcile with Ves?" Oleg asked. "I an, you managed to obtain shares in his ch company. Even if you had to give up most of it, our state still allows you to hold whatever you have left."
"That is because becoming a minority shareholder of the Living ch Corporation allows our state to gain access to at least so information on Ves and the Larkinson Clan's activities. Controlling these shares will also give us several ans to manipulate the Larkinsons if necessary."
The younger ch designer raised his eyebrow. "So you're not holding those shares because you're incredibly optimistic about his future career and want to wait until you earn a fantastic return on your investnt?"
Master Olson shook her head. "That is a low probability event. You should already be aware of that. Do not forget who I am. I have no need to profit from the success of a forr apprentice who I have not been able to teach as much as I had hoped."
"Are you proud, though? I bet you are. No matter what people say about Ves, you helped him once. You taught him for a while and set him on the right path. He owes at least a part of his massive success to you. Sure, he may have used his talents against our state, but that is life."
The female Master ch Designer folded her arms behind her back and looked around. Her rebuilt design lab was better equipped than ever. She had also made a lot of progress in her research projects due to the stimulation of the Komodo War and all of the rewards she earned after the conflict had passed.
"Human society is turbulent." Master Olson told her discipline. "It is because our race is prone to fighting against each other that there is room for ch designers for us to exist. Colleagues who share the sa passions and interests as us can beco our adversaries solely because they take different sides. This may be the first ti you must regard a friend as your enemy, but will not be the last. It is difficult to reverse this transformation, but it is not impossible. I sincerely hope a ti will co when we do not have to treat Mr. Larkinson as our opposition anymore."
That sparked Oleg's interest. The clever ch designer derived additional aning from her words.
"Are you working towards that future?"
"It depends on my research." Olson answered. "Winning the Komodo War has put the Verer Group and our state as a whole on a stronger footing than before. Once our people consolidate all of our gains in this star sector, a new era will begin for Fridayman ch designers. I do not know whether I will still take part in such an era."
"Didn't you just tell earlier that we need to be loyal and help the Verer Group and the Friday Coalition?!"
"I did, but that is not a reason for ch designers to permanently remain attached to a state that no longer provides as much assistance to their future growth and research." Olson said. "It is not forbidden for us to hold selfish desires. The people of our profession seek to make progress, and if we cannot find it in our ho region, then we must look elsewhere."
The younger man reacted with mild shock. In their many talks about the future, he had never heard Master Olson suggest that she might leave the Friday Coalition and settle elsewhere!
"Are you… thinking about moving to the Red Ocean?"
"Not necessarily, but it is a potential destination." The older woman replied. "I can also find opportunities elsewhere in the old galaxy. My decision will heavily rely on the results of my current research. The greater my results, the greater my value. I hope to earn access to better opportunities in both the old galaxy and the new frontier, but only after I have helped the Verer Group rise from its current difficulties."
"I see… What if… the Verer Group can't get out of trouble?"
"What are you referring to, Oleg?"
The younger ch designer nervously fiddled with his hands. "I have been hearing more and more rumors about a possible civil war. There is a story going around that suggests that the Gauge Dynasty thinks it is everyone else's fault that the Sundered Phalanx suffered a massive defeat in Pima Pri. Whatever the case, the Gaugers are hopping mad and they are taking it out on everyone else."
Master Olson was not ignorant of this developnt. She possessed more information channels than most, and she also happened to play a secret role in the Battle of Pima Pri.
"The Gaugers are engaging in theatrics as usual, Oleg. Do not believe in the rumors without applying your logic to the situation as I have taught. The Gauge Dynasty may have beco stronger than ever, but it will lose far more than it can gain by fracturing the Friday Coalition. Not only will the dynasty lose its holdings in the Friday Colonies, it will also redivide the Komodo Star Sector and regress it to a condition where a costly and destructive war may erupt once again. None of the coalition partners can bear this cost, especially when outside parties are waiting to take advantage of our continuing depletion of strength."
"Oh. You are right. Do you think that Ves will help and take our side if a civil war ever erupts?"
Olson shook her head. "He is more likely to derive amusent at our misfortune."
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