Chapter 33: A Forced Surrender

The massive insect gazed at the vast expanse of the starry sky, now utterly barren, a testament to the devastation wrought by herself and her children. Immediately, she mobilized all her offspring to return to her side, and laden with resources, they began transmitting towards the next Quantum Passageway.

This time, there was no leisure to analyze the souls she had devoured. Instead, the massive insect directly selected her next target, choosing a location with notably weaker defenses based on information gleaned from previously consumed human souls.

However, such regions were typically resource-poor. The previous Quantum Passageway, for instance, had been encircled by only three star systems, allowing for a swift and effortless sweep.

While there were gains, these areas were considered impoverished zones with scant resources compared to the myriad resource points the massive insect had cataloged.

Yet, this was an unavoidable reality. Low risk equated to low reward. If she were to bravely launch an attack directly against star systems with higher levels of civilization, while the resources would be abundant, her children would undoubtedly suffer damage.

The massive insect had observed this flaw during her previous encounters with human main battle fleets. Her children, though formidable, appeared somewhat fragile against more technologically advanced weaponry, unable to annihilate entire fleets without sustaining injuries.

Having understood this, the massive insect analyzed the models of the enemy warships. She then cross-referenced this with previously acquired information to deduce the deployment of these warship models, thereby mapping out the strength distribution across nearly half of the Alliance. With this knowledge, she led her children on a frenzied campaign, sweeping through the weaker regions.

This series of actions by the massive insect utterly astonished Alliance Central and Odinxis.

“Strange, utterly strange! How did this monster manage conventional transversal between two extremes of a nebula? Wormholes? How could such a random phenomenon penetrate the most lightly defended areas with such precision?”

As one tragic report after another flooded in, the Alliance’s lower-tier civilizations were on the verge of annihilation. Watching the Alliance’s overall level of civilization steadily rise, Odinxis offered a helpless, bitter smile.

This kind of civilizational advancement was truly not what he desired.

Despite the mounting reports of devastation, Alliance Central remained indifferent. Their only prayer was that the massive insect would not suddenly go mad and launch a full-scale assault on Alliance Central. They continued to allow the enemy free rein, hoping to stall until the Imperial forces arrived to take over. Only then, they believed, would everything be resolved.

Regarding the issue of surrender, the Universal Empire had readily signed the agreement. Odinxis and his retinue immediately set off, preparing to journey to the Imperial capital to seek an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. However, their departure was halted by the Empire, who relayed a message stating that traveling in their Alliance’s starships would consume a considerable amount of time.

Upon hearing this, Odinxis felt even more helpless. While the Empire’s tone lacked any discernible contempt or belittlement, such words were certainly unsettling for someone who had once commanded an entire Alliance.

Yet, when the Imperial starship finally arrived at the Alliance’s main port, he dutifully silenced himself and submissively followed them aboard.

‘What caliber of starship is this?!’

His first reaction upon seeing the Imperial warship sent to greet him was its immense size—truly colossal. His second reaction was the ship’s exquisite craftsmanship, refined to an absolute extreme.

A Quantum Radar array, spatial probes, and various external weapons were all cleverly integrated beneath a single deck. This deck, in turn, formed a highly futuristic, rhomboid structure.

All surrounding spacecraft and other series of warships docked nearby appeared utterly inferior or unsightly in the presence of this single vessel.

Combining colossal size with intricate design, Imperial technology had flawlessly merged these two elements. A single glance at its exterior was enough to make Odinxis feel his own warships were utterly inadequate.

“Greetings, Viscount Odinxis. I am here by His Majesty the Emperor’s command to escort you. I am an Imperial envoy; you may simply call me Sais.”

“Viscount?”

Odinxis’s mind momentarily stalled upon hearing this. He frantically sifted through his limited ancient knowledge, finally unearthing the meaning corresponding to the title.

“Did you just refer to a rank?”

“Ah, yes, precisely. It seems, my lord, that you possess not only a benevolent heart for your people but also a mind brimming with wisdom and extensive knowledge. I am even more confident that you will manage the Imperial territories well in the future.”

“Ah… haha…”

Odinxis could only offer an awkward laugh in response. Just that morning, he had wielded power over the entire Alliance; by afternoon, the Alliance’s entire sphere of control had been instantly ceded to the Empire.

Unless compelled by circumstance, who would ever choose such a path?

“My lord, there is no need for embarrassment. You are not the sole leader to seek surrender from the Empire. In fact, every half-century, dozens of leaders like yourself come to pledge their allegiance to the Empire. However, in recent years, the Empire has rejected many such overtures. Your unique circumstances, however, have prompted His Majesty the Emperor to make an exception for your surrender. Let me see, it has been decades since I last came out to receive someone. I still recall it was a very small Barruan collective star system. Their lord was truly pitiable; three super-giant black holes were constantly squeezing their nebula. His Majesty the Emperor, moved by compassion, brought them under his dominion and bestowed a barony upon that leader. However, their region had low technology and scarce resources, making development an exceedingly difficult endeavor…”

“…”

Odinxis stood silently, listening as Sais prattled on. From the envoy’s words, he managed to deduce a few reasons why the Empire had accepted his surrender, and he also gleaned a crucial piece of information: in recent years, almost no federations had been surrendering to the Empire, or more accurately, the Empire had ceased allowing federations to surrender…

This was the first time he had heard such information. No wonder those other factions had frequently engaged in diplomatic exchanges between multiple alliances—it must have been to expand their collective size, attract the Empire’s attention, and then initiate a surrender. *Damn it, I almost fell for their ploy.*

Recalling the proposals made by those alliances during his diplomatic visits, Odinxis silently cursed them.

*Thankfully, I was clever enough not to sign that proposal.*

“Lord Odinxis, please be seated. We are about to accelerate into deep-level quantum space. During this time, you may experience dizziness and weightlessness. If it becomes unbearable, there is a paper bag to your left. We are commencing now.”

“…?”

No sooner had the envoy’s words faded than Odinxis, before he could even react, was overwhelmed by a sensation of weightlessness and vertigo. As a wave of nausea washed over him, he barely managed to recall the envoy’s final instruction.

‘The bag… Ugh!’