Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Inside the elegant room, Wang Chen and Zhao Rongcheng sat across from each other with a tea table in between.

The hustle and bustle of the grand banquet hall was completely isolated outside.

Zhao Rongcheng, the son of a Duke, was undoubtedly the most charismatic and impressively poised young noble Wang Chen had ever met.

His stature and appearance were nearly flawless, and his temperament was composed, modest, and reserved, with an air of dignity that easily endeared him to others.

A character like this was undoubtedly a leader carefully nurtured from childhood by a Noble Clan!

Zhao Rongcheng's purpose in inviting Wang Chen to this social gathering was not complicated; he simply wanted to invite him to join his society.

Similar in nature to the Twin Lion Brotherhood, but with far fewer members— the Taiwu Alliance!

And this group was entirely centered around Zhao Rongcheng, its members essentially serving as his entourage.

It was the team he had organized to compete for the future position of Duke!

Regarding his ambitions, Zhao Rongcheng did not conceal anything and communicated openly with Wang Chen.

His attitude was sincere and equal, with a persuasion that was exceptionally strong.

Unfortunately, Zhao Rongcheng faced Wang Chen!

To be honest, Wang Chen was somewhat tempted by Zhao Rongcheng's offered conditions.

Including, but not limited to, the investment of resources in each academic year, the supply of high-level materials, and support in various aspects.

Zhao Rongcheng even expressed his willingness to help Wang Chen dissolve the training agreement with the Azure Star Cluster Garrison Army, so that Wang Chen would not need to fulfill military obligations after graduation.

In other words, as long as Wang Chen pledged allegiance to Zhao Rongcheng, a meteoric rise was within reach!

The problem was that Zhao Rongcheng's personal charm, as great as it was, along with the tempting conditions, were not enough to sway Wang Chen.

"Senior Zhao, thank you for your regard for me."

Wang Chen pondered his words and said, "Have you noticed that war is approaching?"

Zhao Rongcheng and Jaster are both scions of rich families, but they are as different as night and day. Wang Chen does not mind confronting Jaster head-on, but if avoidable, he didn't want to fall out with Zhao Rongcheng.

So Wang Chen chose a different way to refuse.

"War?"

Zhao Rongcheng was momentarily stunned, "Are you referring to our war with the Alliance or with the Heterogenous?"

The Holy Light Empire was undoubtedly the most powerful force in the Starry Seas World, ruling over sixty-five star clusters and billions of citizens, controlling a vast domain spanning thousands of light-years.

Yet the Holy Light Empire also had enemies.

Namely, the Alliance and the Heterogenous.

The Alliance refers to the Stars Alliance, a force comprising forty-four star clusters, which, regardless of technological level or military strength, lags behind the Holy Light Empire to some extent.

In reality, the Stars Alliance was a splinter faction from the Holy Light Empire, and the grievances between the two could fill a television series of thousands of episodes.

For hundreds of years, the Holy Light Empire had spared no effort to eliminate the Stars Alliance but had never succeeded.

Especially after the emergence of the Heterogenous and their invasion of the Empire's star domain, the complete destruction of the Stars Alliance had become a distant dream.

Nonetheless, the war between the Holy Light Empire and the Stars Alliance has never ceased.

As for the Heterogenous, the Holy Light Empire has erupted in no fewer than ten large-scale wars with them. While restraining their expansion within the star systems, it is also impossible to expel them from the Ancient Star System under the entanglement of the Stars Alliance.

Overall, the Holy Light Empire has faced both the Stars Alliance and the Heterogenous forces, assuming a defensive posture for the last few decades.

Although conflicts have been constant, no large-scale wars have erupted for a long time.

"It's all possible."

Wang Chen said, "Although I don't know if the Empire plans to attack the Alliance or the Heterogenous, the scale of this war will undoubtedly be enormous, and we could all be drawn into it."

What Wang Chen wanted to convey to Zhao Rongcheng was that under the circumstances of the Empire launching an interstellar war, his strategic plans were as trivial as a child's play and hardly worth mentioning.

Once war breaks out, as a student of the First Military Academy, Wang Chen would very likely receive a draft from the military.

The Imperial Army's recruitment of outstanding students from the First Military Academy into the army is a tradition, with generations of distinguished commanders and mech pilots joining the ranks during their studies.

Because the First Military Academy is the Imperial Army's reservoir of reserve officer talent!

"War is ruthless. Once on the battlefield, no one can guarantee they will definitely come back alive."

Wang Chen said calmly, "So, your sincerity, Senior, I must regretfully decline."

Zhao Rongcheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "How did you come to this judgment?"

As the son of a Duke, he had not received any intelligence on this matter. How had Wang Chen, a civilian child, obtained such confidential information?

"Just go shopping online, and you'll know."

Wang Chen smiled and said, "Over the past year, the price of energy blocks has been rising, the price of mutated biological products has been increasing, and even the materials for producing battleships and mechas have gone up by 10% this year."

The Empire's technology is extremely advanced, offering a diverse range of energy sources. Apart from traditional wind, solar, chemical, geothermal, and nuclear energy, mineral energy is the most important.

Mineral energy mainly refers to energy blocks, the industrial products of the former!

Energy blocks have extremely stable properties and high energy density, far surpassing any battery, making them the primary power source for combat mechas and some warships.

Though energy blocks are considered strategic resources, they also circulate widely in the civilian market, so their price fluctuations can reflect changes in the Empire's internal situation.

Wang Chen paid attention to this aspect, and with an acute intuition, drew this conclusion.

Zhao Rongcheng was left speechless.

Although the Imperial First Military Academy is part of the Empire's war apparatus, its location at the rear of the Empire's territory, far from the frontlines, means that Taiku Star has never faced foreign invasion and has always been peaceful and tranquil.

Given that the Empire has not clashed heavily with the Alliance or the Heterogenous in recent years, news of minor regional disputes hardly catches anyone's attention here.

Even Zhao Rongcheng himself hadn't realized that a new war was about to erupt.

Being accustomed to a life of luxury and ease dulled his senses!

Yet Zhao Rongcheng, being no ordinary person, didn't become embarrassed or resentful towards Wang Chen. Instead, he nodded and said, "Junior Wang Chen, I understand your point now. It was my oversight."

"Rest assured, from now on, neither the Twin Lion Brotherhood nor people like Jaster will trouble you again. I guarantee it!"

Wang Chen smiled, "That would be best, thank you."

With Zhao Rongcheng's status, he would not make empty promises lightly. A guarantee from him would surely be fulfilled.

Wang Chen also didn't want to get entangled with people like Jaster, so he accepted this favor from Zhao Rongcheng.

He would repay it when the opportunity arose in the future.

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Here's the second update.