Chapter 816: Scenting the Smell of Money

Ash Star Alliance Seventh Assault Fleet.

Inside the dark red bridge, the Communications Officer cut the communication link with the Feng Qi Xing Alliance.

The moment the holographic projection extinguished, the red light within the bridge once again enveloped everything.

The Ashes Diplomat Crag turned around to face the Fleet Commander sitting upright in the command chair—Hal Jinhun.

Hal's skin was a dark red with a metallic luster, and an Obsidian Emblem symbolizing a high-ranking commander was embedded in his forehead.

He crossed his arms, and subtle flame patterns flowed between his knuckles; those were the energy marks unique to an Ashes Noble.

"Report."

Hal's voice was flat, his chin slightly raised.

Crag lowered his head slightly, yet a sneer hung on the corner of his mouth.

"The Fengqi Diplomat Morris took the bait; their reaction was entirely as expected—angry, tough, but helpless.

I denied everything according to the plan and bit back, accusing them of provocation.

Their commander Suolun must be mobilizing troops right now, preparing to defend against our 'retaliation'."

The energy marks on Hal's hands glowed slightly.

"Very good. Let them focus their attention on the K-78 Asteroid Belt, let them think we will attack from the front."

He raised his hand and brought up a Holographic Star Map; several hidden jump coordinates flickered on the edge of the FQ-95 Star Region.

"The Seventh and Ninth Assault Fleets have already arrived at the preset coordinates, hiding within the nebula shadow zones. No matter how sharp the Fengqi 'Dark Eye' array is, it cannot scan our 'Shadow Flame' coating."

Crag nodded: "Is this the instruction from the higher-ups?"

Hal's fingertips swept across the star map, tapping lightly on the core position of the FQ-95 Star Region.

"The order from above is clear—'Let the blood of Fengqi water the glory of the Ashes'."

Hal looked up at Crag.

"'Molten Fury', 'Ashes Envoy', and 'Burning Claw', these three Capital Ship fleets have already entered the jump channel and will arrive at the periphery of FQ-95 in 12 standard hours."

Crag's pupils contracted slightly.

"Three Capital Ship fleets? This is no longer 'friction'; this is the prelude to starting a local war."

Hal sneered, shook his head slightly, and said.

"No, this is just a 'Punishment Operation'—Fengqi has overstepped for too long; they need to have a few fingers burned before they learn to fear the wrath of the Ashes."

The bridge's Communication Device suddenly rang, and a low voice came through.

"Commander Hal, this is the 'Ashes Envoy' fleet. We have locked onto a weak point in the defense of FQ-95—there is a blind spot in Fengqi's 'Dark Eye' array, and their patrol fleet has just been transferred to K-78."

A smile of success curled the corner of Hal's mouth.

"Perfect."

He stood up, and lava-like energy flowed beneath his skin.

"Notify all fleet commanders—execute according to the original plan; in 12 standard hours, the FQ-95 Star Region will burn."

Crag bowed slightly and turned to leave the bridge.

He knew that the Feng Qi Xing Alliance's diplomatic protest was already meaningless.

Feng Qi Xing Alliance Arena 40 Secondary Viewing Platform Bar Area.

Galu's compound eyes keenly captured the light of newly lit micro-surveillance probes in several inconspicuous corners above the bar.

His slender appendages tapped out an increasingly urgent "click-clack" sound on the energy tabletop.

"Shiluoke, Gelumu,"

Galu's voice lowered further, carrying a hint of "as expected."

"The encrypted communication traffic from the Feng Qi Xing Alliance command headquarters has surged by 70% within five minutes."

Several stone chips on Shiluoke's body surface slid off silently.

"Hmph, the diplomatic talks collapsed. The Ashes side definitely didn't give Fengqi a good look. I bet that old lava worm Crag is playing his 'you strike first' rogue trick again."

"Hiss! Then what do we do?"

Gelumu's several tentacles twisted together uneasily, not even caring about the trading terminal in front of him.

"My betting pool... and those 'sensitive' parts in the cargo hold..."

"What are you panicking about!"

A glimmer of sharp light flashed in Galu's compound eyes.

"The more nervous they are, the more we must stabilize this 'gold mine', the Gladiator Arena. Gelumu, the 'unknown status' bets you scanned earlier are actually safer in the short term; Fengqi will absolutely not allow trouble here to distract their energy. As for your 'parts'..."

Galu let out a hiss-like low laugh.

"Get ready, Gelumu. If the Ashes really dare to move and the border blockade tightens, the price of those 'non-standard' items could double or triple! Especially on the Canaanite side; they would certainly be happy to see Fengqi and the Ashes bleed each other while they reap the benefits. The Canaanite procurement officer... you understand, right?"

Shiluoke let out a dull, rumbling sound.

"Galu is right. Fengqi now has to guard on two or even three fronts and is overwhelmed. They need the Gladiator Arena as a vent to keep sucking in money more than ever, and they need us 'lubricants' to maintain the 'flexible' circulation of certain supplies. As long as we don't touch the real red lines..."

His fingers, made of weathered rock, pointed toward the direction of the Canaan Star Alliance on the star map.

"... we can even make a profit from the Canaanites' 'cautious observation'. They are very cunning; they don't want to enter the field themselves, but they are dying for their opponents to shed more blood."

The three traveling merchants exchanged glances once more.

In the bustling Gladiator Arena, the roars of warriors and the wild cheers of the audience remained deafening, and the frantically jumping odds board flashed with alluring light.

Galu's appendages slid lightly, bringing up another set of hidden trading interfaces.

Gelumu's tentacles began to dance on the terminal again, but the input commands had quietly changed.

Shiluoke silently updated his star map, marking several little-known smuggling routes leading to space stations on the edge of the Canaan-controlled territory.