Chapter 262: A Corner of the Milky Way Galaxy's Iceberg

This tide, still fairly honest.

Qin Hao said to Luo Lao over the internal channel.

The information it provides is over ninety percent true. The remaining ten percent of exaggeration and concealment is merely out of the instinct of civilizational negotiation, causing no great harm.

With Qin Hao's assurance, Luo Lao and everyone at the Command Center completely put their minds at ease.

At the negotiation table, after receiving Qin Hao's 'voice transmission,' Ji Ge also became more adept.

He deliberately made concessions on some minor clauses, creating an atmosphere where we are easy to talk to.

Then, on the most critical information and technology issues, he refused to budge, firmly holding the initiative in the negotiation.

After the main cooperation terms were settled, Ji Ge seemingly casually steered the topic toward a deeper direction.

Tide Team Leader, our Yanhuang Civilization is after all a newly promoted third-level civilization, and we are not yet familiar with many of the rules of this Milky Way Galaxy family.

Ji Ge's tone became like that of a humble student seeking instruction.

I've heard that in our star field, there seems to be an even more powerful existence? For example... a fourth-level civilization?

The Tide's energy body visibly paused for a moment.

This is a sensitive topic.

You...... already know?

In the Tide's consciousness fluctuation, there was a hint of surprise.

I've heard a little about it.

Ji Ge chuckled, 'I just don't know the specifics—what kind of survival status do we third-level civilizations have before those great existences?

Are we vassals? Or... do we keep to ourselves, not interfering with each other?

Ji Ge's question was very clever.

He did not directly ask for information about the fourth-level civilization, but instead placed both himself and the other party within the 'third-level civilization' camp,

in a spirit of 'shared suffering,' to probe indirectly.

This approach easily narrows the psychological distance between the two sides, letting the other let down their guard.

Surely, after a brief hesitation, the Tide still revealed some information.

The situation...... is far more complex than you imagine.

In the Tide's spiritual fluctuation, there was a touch of heaviness and helplessness.

The entire Milky Way Galaxy has been basically divided up by the two major factions.

In the east is the Biteen Empire, in the west the Kollo Empire.

These two have existed for over a million years, true fourth-level civilizations. Their technological strength is far beyond what we can compare to.

We so-called third-level civilizations are, in their eyes, nothing more than pieces on a chessboard,

or rather, like cattle and sheep in a pasture.

The Tide's words made Ji Ge and all the Yanhuang high-level officials watching the talk via remote monitoring feel a heaviness in their hearts.

Pieces? Cattle and sheep?

This metaphor is filled with bloody cruelty.

How it feels is exactly the same as the situation on Blue Star before.

The two major factions have always been in a standoff.

Although direct war between them rarely breaks out, their proxy wars have never ceased.

They will support their respective subordinate third-level civilizations to attack and annex the civilizations of the opposing faction.

Through this means, they consume the other's strength, plunder resources, and vie for control of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Our Oma Civilization is unfortunately situated right in a buffer zone at the junction of the two major factions.

We belong neither to the east nor to the west.

Thus, we must pay tribute to the east and taxes to the west in order to barely survive in the gap.

In the Tide's consciousness fluctuation, there was full bitterness.

The information it revealed, although only the tip of the iceberg, has already unveiled for the Yanhuang Civilization a scene far beyond what they imagined,

a darker and more cruel panorama of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Here, it is not a paradise of free development.

but rather a strictly hierarchical arena where the strong prey on the weak.

The rise of the Yanhuang Civilization has inevitably entered the view of those two great fourth-level civilizations.

The reason they have not yet dispatched 'tax collectors' to our door may simply be that the region where the Yanhuang Civilization resides,

in their eyes, is too remote and too barren, and has not yet attracted sufficient attention from them.

But this is only temporary.

Once the Yanhuang Civilization demonstrates greater potential and value, the 'attention' from the fourth-level civilizations will inevitably follow.

Thank you, Tide Team Leader, for your frank disclosure.

Ji Ge suppressed the turmoil in his heart, 'For us cattle and sheep to survive in this harsh pasture, we must cooperate and seek mutual benefit all the more.'

Perhaps!

The Tide's spiritual fluctuation was somewhat dazed.

His own words today were an overture of friendliness toward this new neighbor.

Perhaps when facing those two giants in the future, these cattle and sheep can huddle together for warmth.

The talks with the Oma Civilization concluded, and both parties ultimately signed a preliminary framework agreement.

The Yanhuang Civilization, in exchange for sharing development rights to part of the silicon-based territory and providing 'space reinforcement' technology,

obtained from the Oma Civilization's hands a star map information worthy of being called the encyclopedia of the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as the other party's data on energy life forms and some core technical materials.

Welcome Port, the first genuine interstellar trade route officially opened.

Chao Xi, with the satisfactory result, left feeling content.

And Shuang Ge immediately reported all the intelligence obtained to the highest Command Center of Blue Star.

Intelligence Director Kong Jie immediately led his top intelligence analysis team and began tireless work.

They took the new intelligence provided by the Oma Civilization and the older, somewhat outdated information previously obtained from Mao Xinyang,

and performed cross‑comparison, verification and analysis.

A super biological computer composed of tens of thousands of parallel biological brains ran at an unprecedented speed,

began stitching and integrating these fragmented pieces of information, sketching a map of Milky Way Galaxy civilization distribution and sphere of influence that was closest to reality.

A dozen days later, when Kong Jie entered the Command Center with the final analysis report,

his face bore a complex expression mixing excitement and solemnity.

"Rote Commissioner, and everyone,"

Kong Jie's voice was a bit hoarse, "We... have seen the true visage of the Milky Way Galaxy."

In the conference room, all the top echelons of the Yanhuang Civilization fell silent.

As Kong Jie operated, a massive three‑dimensional, dynamic Milky Way Galaxy star map

slowly unfolded in the center of the conference room.

This star map was many times more detailed and precise than any they had possessed before.

Hundreds of billions of stars, like brilliant diamonds, formed a dazzling light band.

And on this light band, individual light points representing different civilizations were clearly marked.

Gray light points denoted first-level planetary civilizations, while white light points denoted second-level stellar civilizations,

and blue light points denoted Third-level Civilizations.

These light points were densely packed, numbering in the tens of thousands.